As we explain the 5 S categories, you will notice a gradually improving relationship with money. But we believe that only one attitude delivers the deep peace and freedom we desire. We believe that only what we call the \u201csurplus\u201d mindset is healthy through and through.<\/p>\n
The 5 S Attitudes Toward Money<\/h3>\n
Surviving: <\/strong>Feeling drained, trapped, with little sense of hope<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n People who are surviving <\/em>worry about meeting the basic needs of life, and every bit of what they earn goes to daily survival. Most in this group require financial assistance or a helping hand to get by.<\/p>\n Struggling: <\/strong>Feeling strapped in the present and anxious about the future<\/em><\/p>\n Money causes much of the stress felt by those who are struggling<\/em>. As financial pressures build, relationships with families, friends and communities often begin to crack. Strugglers<\/em> live paycheck to paycheck \u2014 or worse, slowly dig themselves deeper into debt.<\/p>\n Stable: <\/strong>Feeling okay, experiencing relative calm but hoping for more<\/em><\/p>\n The stress level of the stable <\/em>might be a bit lower, but they don\u2019t yet feel secure. They don\u2019t plan much for the future and likely aren\u2019t as generous as they want to be. They describe themselves as \u201cjust making ends meet\u201d and while this group doesn\u2019t live paycheck to paycheck, they are one disaster away from real hardship.<\/p>\n Secure: <\/strong>Feeling mostly confident<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Those in the group we call secure <\/em>feel they have enough for themselves but probably not enough extra to share generously. As their income grows so do lifestyle expenses, so they perpetually have \u201cjust enough\u201d with only a little extra. Although having a financial strategy might increase their sense of security, these people can be as enslaved to saving as strugglers<\/em> are to debt.<\/p>\n Surplus: <\/strong>Feeling grateful and ready to share<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Members of the surplus <\/em>group believe they have more than enough. They don\u2019t constantly long for more. They display a high level of contentment even if their lifestyle is average \u2014 or below. Their purchases match their needs, not their income. And because they feel grateful, they are ready to share. Most joyfully give away more than 10 percent of their gross income.<\/p>\n Many people with modest incomes show the peace and generosity of living in a surplus mindset. Many others who have accumulated outward wealth can be described only as struggling. Even earners at the highest levels of income often have profound concerns about their financial security. They are not automatically happier than those with less.<\/p>\n How can this be? It turns out that making more money doesn\u2019t equate to feeling financially secure or having an impulse to share. A surplus mindset isn\u2019t about how much we have. It\u2019s a conscious choice to think and act differently about everything we own or might wish we did. A surplus mindset means deciding we have enough for ourselves and enough to share.<\/p>\n The surplus mindset is where we all want to live. It\u2019s the \u201cnew money mindset\u201d we aim to grow into, and no matter where you are right now you can begin to move forward. Remember that whatever money challenges you might face right now probably took a while to develop. They might take just as long to fix. In the meantime, as you work on your issues, don\u2019t let your balance sheet determine your self- worth. We want to tell you that God loves you whether or not you\u2019re buried in debt, and your family and other people love you too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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<\/a>An excerpt from Your New Money Mindset <\/em>by Brad Hewitt and Dr. Jim Moline<\/strong>