Money Mindset: How Your Financial Vision Shapes Your Future

In a recent episode of the MindShift Power Podcast, host Fatima Bey, The MindShifter, engaged in an enlightening conversation with financial wellness coach Wesley Simpson from Lighthouse Capital Financial Corporation. Their discussion revealed powerful insights about how financial wellness goes far beyond mere numbers—it's fundamentally about mindset.

Location Matters, But Not How You Think

Wesley explained that your location affects your finances in multiple ways. While the physical place you live impacts cost of living, he pointed out that "who you surround yourself with" might be even more significant.

"If you surround yourself with people that are positive, energetic, and have a vision for where they're going, you're gonna have a lot more success," Wesley shared. This extends to financial habits too. Friends who constantly eat out, hit the bars, or make impulsive purchases can influence your spending patterns and derail your financial goals through social pressure.

Vision: The Foundation of Financial Freedom

Throughout the conversation, Wesley repeatedly emphasized the importance of having a clear financial vision. For college students wondering how to build a solid financial future, his advice was crystal clear: "They gotta have a vision. They gotta have a vision of where they wanna go, what they wanna be, what they wanna do."

This vision becomes the driving force behind meaningful financial decisions. When you have a strong "why"—whether it's buying a house, starting a business, or traveling—you naturally become more selective about where your money goes. Wesley shared a powerful personal example of how he saved for a trip to Greece by redirecting just $10 per day from a habit he decided was less important than his dream vacation.

Tackling Student Loan Debt

For graduates dealing with substantial student loan debt, Wesley acknowledged the challenge but offered practical solutions. Sometimes it means making temporary sacrifices like having roommates instead of living alone or working a second job for a period.

"They might be looking at what do I sacrifice today for tomorrow," he explained. The key is having a vision of paying off that debt quickly to achieve financial freedom sooner rather than letting it linger for decades.

When Should You Start Caring About Finances?

Wesley's answer to when someone should start caring about finances was simple and powerful: "Now." While he's seen teenagers with clear financial visions and others who don't develop them until their 40s, he emphasized that the sooner you start, the better.

"The freedom that being in control of your money gives you is incredible," he noted. "Taking the stress out of your life, not worrying about money when you have a firm grip of where it's going... is actually more freeing than people realize."

The True Cost of Financial Stress

Financial stress doesn't just affect your bank account—it infiltrates every aspect of your life. As Fatima pointed out, "If you're stressed about money, it affects every aspect of your life. It affects your friendships. It affects your quality of work. It affects your quality of studies. It affects your relationship with your significant other." Wesley added that it even impacts your physical health, potentially leading to anxiety, ulcers, and other stress-related conditions.

Breaking the Cycle: From Poor to Prosperous

For young people who grew up in financial hardship and want a different future, Wesley offered two key steps:

1. "Write out a set of goals. Why do you not want this?" Understanding your motivations creates a vision of where you want to go.
2. "Find a mentor" who came from similar circumstances but achieved what you aspire to.

Perhaps his most empowering message was that anyone can transform their financial situation if they believe they can. "If you think you can do it, then the only person holding you back is you," Wesley stated. "This is a process, not an event. It takes time. But when you have the vision and you develop the habits, you create the strategies, you can get there."

Mindset Over Money

When asked about young people from wealthy families who don't worry about finances because their parents support them, Wesley cautioned, "You're in for a rude awakening." He explained that regardless of your starting point, without developing the right mentality and discipline, any amount of money will eventually disappear.

"Money is called currency because it flows," Wesley wisely noted. "And if you're not mindful of it, if you're not intentional with it, it'll flow through your hands and disappear."

The Mind Shift

As Fatima highlighted in her closing "mind shifting moment," the key takeaway from this conversation is that "your money matters aren't just money matters. It's mindset matters. How you think is how your future will be. How you think about money is how you think about life."

By examining and reshaping our mindset around money, we can transform not just our financial situations but many other aspects of our lives as well. It's not about the dollars in your account today—it's about the vision you hold for tomorrow and the intentional steps you take to get there.