Financial Success: 7 Proven Strategies to Prevent Financial Self-Sabotage

Are you often frustrated, overwhelmed, or worried about your financial situation? Understanding the why can help you to figure out what might need changing. Might it be that you just need to sit down and look at all the numbers and come up with a plan, or is it something deeper than that?

It could be that you're actually sabotaging your financial success. Are you easily diverted from new commitments you've made to better your financial life as soon as a friend invites you to dinner or out to the mall? Do you tend to revert back to your old ways with money when the slightest bump in the road comes along?

People who sabotage their financial success often have no plan, fear failure, fear risk, procrastinate, give little thought to money, take advice from the wrong people, and have disbelieving thoughts.

To begin eliminating your sabotaging ways and change your financial life for the better, here are 7 tips to help you enhance your financial success:

1. Have a Plan. I've said if before, and I'll say it again and again. Planning is the key to your financial success! Put exact numbers on paper-include how much you've been spending over the past three months and then look where you can make your situation better. Remember, if you fail to plan, then you'll plan to fail!

2. Fear Not! Fear hampers your financial success, slows you down and keeps you from what is possible. When you let fear get the best of you, it pushes you back to your comfort zone and to an unhappy financial life. Decide to jump in and get your finances in order and under control. You might feel way out of your comfort zone at first, so begin by taking small steps. This will help lessen the fear, and you'll begin to notice how taking action leads you to feeling more in control of your money.

3. Take Calculated Financial Risks. I've heard people make comments about not wanting to invest in the stock market. The perception is that it's just too risky and they might lose "all their money." If you, indeed, lost all your money in the stock market, it would probably mean that you weren't well diversified or that you took crazy risks within your investment portfolio in the first place. I'm not saying that you won't lose any money, however, investing in the stock market still provides the best return in saving for your long-term retirement needs. What's also important is to understand your risk tolerance and to communicate your concerns to your financial advisor.

4. Complete it Today! Why put off what you can do today until tomorrow? Procrastination undermines your success and just leaves you feeling blah. When you delay what needs to be done, it just continues to clog your brain with thoughts of what you need to do but haven't done yet. Tackling your list today and working on your financial goals will quickly move you toward success.

5. Think and Think Some More. The time you put into your financial life will be equal to that which you get out. So, if you do the minimum of paying your bills every week without any other money management planning, you'll get exactly what you put in-paid bills! Decide to give more to your finances by way of thinking-about your income, your expenses, how to better your financial life, and whose help you'll seek in getting there.

6. Seek Advice from the Right People. We are constantly barraged with financial information from television, radio, and Internet these days. It can be a challenge to break it all down and know what's important and what isn't, what should you do, and what you should stay away from. It can be overwhelming and leave a person spinning in circles. Get a referral for a trusted financial advisor, insurance agent, accountant and all the other professionals necessary to make life easier for you, and who you can rely on when you have questions or concerns instead of listening to the quick 10 minute segment where a "financial expert" is offering advice not based on your situation.

7. Believe in You. People have certain beliefs about themselves, which control what they do and how they think. If you believe yourself to be bad with money, you'll make decisions that support that belief and sabotage your financial success. The same is true when you believe in yourself-you'll make great progress and you'll know you can make money work for you! Be aware and consciously evaluate your choices instead of just reacting from an unconscious level.

Eliminate the stress, worry, and overwhelm of your financial situation. Take action on these 7 strategies to help you boost your financial success, today!