Financial prosperity is the goal for many Americans, but a recent Schwab Modern Wealth Survey finds that you need $1.9 million to be considered wealthy.
What would it feel like to afford all the things you want without getting into debt? Or experience the security of having enough saved to enjoy a rich and fulfilling retirement?
If being financially successful feels out of reach for you, it doesn't have to. So, what is the true financial prosperity meaning, how can the average person achieve financial prosperity, and what are the steps to get there?
Financial prosperity meaning
The truth is: the definition of financial prosperity will vary from person to person. There’s no set figure you must reach to be considered prosperous. But if you’re financially comfortable, debt-free, and have a generous savings pot, you can count yourself as having achieved prosperity.
Remember, though, that financial prosperity isn’t defined by how much you earn, but rather, how much of your earnings you keep.
Say you earn a six-figure salary–that’s great, and you’ll have worked hard to reach this! But if you use your status as a high-earner to buy an expensive house, a sports car, go on luxury vacations, and stock up on all the designer gear money can buy, you’re unlikely to be feeling financially prosperous for long.
That's because prosperity is rooted in making sensible decisions with your hard-earned cash to support your life-long money goals. So, you never need to worry about money again!
Why is financial prosperity important?
Sounds pretty good so far, right? But it gets better. Because financial prosperity doesn’t just reward you. It also puts you in an amazing position to help others.
As a parent, making your own money and holding onto it ensures you provide your children with a fantastic start in life. We all know that college is expensive, and in fact, the average annual cost of tuition and fees at a private college is now $38,135.
So, not worrying about the cost of college is a game-changer for families. And you can also use your prosperity to educate the next generation about how to behave around money: earning it, investing it, and never wasting it!
But outside of your own family, financial prosperity also allows you to support people who are less fortunate than yourself. You might choose to donate a portion of your money to a charity close to your heart.
Alternatively, you can also donate your time to help raise money for organizations in need of your support.
Scriptures on financial prosperity
The idea of financial prosperity is an important theme for Christians, who draw strength from many passages in the Bible.
Whether you've fallen on hard times, or are looking for motivation to increase your wealth, the Bible includes numerous scriptures on financial prosperity to inspire you. Here are some examples of scriptures on financial prosperity:
Proverbs 21:20
“The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.” - This reinforces the idea that prosperous people hold onto their money, while foolish people waste it. This is one of our favorite scriptures on financial prosperity because it teaches the importance of saving money.
2 Corinthians 9:8
“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” - By living frugally, you will have more than enough to support a prosperous lifestyle and be in a position to help others, too.
Proverbs 20:13a
“Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty”. - It takes effort to be financially comfortable, which is why it’s important to put the time in when you’re young to build your investments and provide for your future.
7 Key steps to financial prosperity
If being financially prosperous, or even just more secure with money seems out of reach at the moment, you need an action plan to get you to the top of the mountain. And all great financial plans can be broken down into a series of steps to make your end goal entirely realistic.
1. Visualize what financial prosperity looks like for you
Visualization is a powerful technique used in goal setting. This is the practice of imagining exactly what you want to achieve and using all five senses to tell you what it will feel like when you've reached your prosperity goal.
For example, what will financial prosperity feel like? What will it look like to you?
Visualization is effective because it helps to focus your mind away from typical daily distractions and motivates you to stay in your lane and reach your destination.
Begin by writing down your visualization, with plenty of detail including all the emotions you'll feel. Take action every day to help you reach your outcome and set aside at least 10 minutes of the day to look over your visualization notes and be inspired by your goal. You can even create a financial vision board to stay motivated!
2. Set SMART financial prosperity goals
Visualization is just the beginning of the process. The next step is to set SMART financial goals. The SMART acronym works as follows:
Specific
The more detail you have about your goal, the more likely you are to reach it.
Example: I will save $6,000 this year to build my emergency fund.
Measurable
If you’ve set specific goals, they should be super easy to track. So, if your goal is to save $6,000 this year, you can monitor your progress.
Example: After six months, I can measure if there’s already $3,000 set aside.
Attainable
Make sure your measurable and specific goal is attainable by creating a plan to reach it. So, if you know you need to save $500 a month, how can you make this happen?
Example: I will take on a side gig paying $500 per month to meet my goal.
Realistic
It’s critical you have the power to achieve your financial goals. Put yourself in the driving seat rather than waiting for a lottery win, or inheritance to set you on the path to prosperity. It’s fine to pick a huge goal like becoming a millionaire.
Example: My goal of being a millionaire by age 35 is a ten-year plan. Here are 10 x 1-year realistic financial goals to stay on target.
Time-related
Know when you will have achieved your financial goal. So, have a clear date in mind.
Example: I will have reached my goal in the next twelve months.
3. Make a list of why to commit to financial prosperity
There may be times when you feel derailed from your goal of becoming successful with money. Perhaps you’ve suffered a financial setback, or maybe other areas of your life including your health, or your relationships are drawing more of your attention.
If you’re feeling disconnected from your wealth goals, it can be helpful to make a list as a reminder of exactly why you committed to the idea of financial prosperity in the first place.
Perhaps you want to leave a legacy for your children? Set up a business to support the growth of people with fewer advantages than you? Or maybe you’re passionate about charity work and want to give freely to help fund worthy causes.
Write down your motivations and remind yourself of them to stay on track.
4. Make a regular money date
We all know the importance of setting aside time for ourselves outside of work. Self-care and self-improvement are both vital for our development and wellbeing. Part of this can be making time for a regular money date with yourself!
Block out a couple of hours in your diary every few weeks to increase your financial education. Take a course to transform your money mindset, learn how to build good credit, or figure out exactly how investing works to support your future goals.
You might also use your money date to learn more about your individual finances. Don’t know how much you’re spending or saving each month? This is your chance to grab your bank statements and get to grips with the details!
5. Set up your financial prosperity budget
The foundation stage of all financial planning is knowing your numbers. How much do you earn right now? What's the value of your debt? And are you regularly setting aside money for savings?
Many people have some work to be done in these areas. If you’ve had your head in the sand up until this point, don’t worry–it’s not too late to get started on creating a budget that works.
You may need to increase your earnings, either by asking for a raise, switching jobs, or getting started with additional income streams.
Or you can slash your expenses by negotiating your bills, canceling unused subscriptions, using the debt snowball method, and taking responsibility for your spending.
If budgeting is new to you, find a strategy that works for you, like the 60:30:10 method.
6. Understand the Law of Attraction
The principle of the Law of Attraction is when we focus on exactly what we want the universe to provide us, we will attract these things into our lives. This doesn't always have to be financial. If you're looking for love, and you're ready to receive love, then the Law of Attraction will allow love to flow towards you.
But the principle works exactly the same when you're hoping to attract financial abundance into your life. Start by simply focusing your thoughts and attention on your prosperity goals.
Next, send your wishes out into the world, and finally, use solid financial strategies to make sure that money finds its way back to you.
7. Use daily money affirmations
To help support your financial goals, and your regular goal visualization, money affirmations can also be worked into your day.
Reciting daily money affirmations in the morning, throughout the day, and before bed as a ritual to stay connected to your goals. Do this every day to break down barriers and change your limiting beliefs about money.
The key is to be positive and focus on what you will do to become prosperous and avoid negative language in your affirmations. A bad example of an affirmation would be “I need to stop getting into debt.”
You can use one of the following or create your own.
- I will conquer my financial goals.
- I trust myself to make smart financial decisions.
- Every day, I'm learning to invest my money and am attracting financial abundance into my life.
- My imagination is constantly creating new ways to achieve financial success.
- I am receptive to all avenues of income, success, and profit.
Check out our post for more fantastic financial affirmation ideas!
Start investing to achieve financial prosperity
So, now you understand the true financial prosperity meaning. Are you ready to get started? Remember, to reach your goal, start by creating a clear action plan and knowing the numbers in your budget.
Take your time to set a money date with yourself, go through your SMART goals, repeat your daily affirmations, and slowly but surely, the Law of Attraction will reward your efforts. Get started on your journey towards prosperity today!