Over the years I’ve been teaching MindShifting, I’ve been continually reminded of how difficult it is for people to talk honestly about money. It’s emotional. It’s vulnerable. And if we’re being honest, most of us are terrified of “getting it wrong.”

When we feel anxious about money, our brains default to survival mode: React fast. Avoid thinking too hard. Get rid of discomfort.

That’s why I so appreciate the work of Joel Salomon, expert in mindful money practices, hedge fund creator, author of three books, and (my favorite part) a teacher who leads with gratitude, love, and service.

When Joel works with clients, he doesn’t start with spreadsheets or budgets. He starts with mindset. Because, as he says, money doesn’t change who we are — it amplifies the mindset we already have.

Step One: Visualize What You Want

Joel teaches an exercise that aligns beautifully with what we call anticipation in MindShifting.

He asks people to imagine they suddenly have a few million dollars. But instead of “What would you buy?” he asks:

• “What would your days look like?”
  
• “Who would you help?”
  
• “How would you feel waking up?”

Joel admits that the first time he experienced sudden wealth, he did not follow this practice. Instead, he used the money to buy his parents a condominium. Certainly a generous, loving, and thoughtful response to coming into the money, and one that made him feel good about himself, but that feeling was ultimately temporary. The feeling faded. The money did too.

When we operate on autopilot, as Joel once did, money becomes emotional quicksand: the more we struggle with it, the more stuck we feel. But when we anticipate, mentally rehearsing who we want to be and how we want to act, we create a pattern for our brains to follow.

That’s how wealth becomes sustainable, not fleeting.

Step Two: Practice Purposeful Gratitude

Most people assume that receiving money automatically creates gratitude.

It doesn’t.

Research shows even profound gratitude fades within months. The extraordinary becomes ordinary. We stop noticing it. But gratitude isn’t just a feeling. It is a discipline.

Joel uses gratitude as a tool for focus and clarity. He teaches that gratitude:

• Shifts focus from scarcity to possibility.
• Increases resourcefulness.
• Fuels generosity without resentment.

His lesson: When gratitude is intentional, wealth becomes meaningful, not just measurable.

Step Three: Take Responsibility (Don’t Abdicate It)

When many people receive money, their first instinct is to hand it to someone else. We look for a ‘money person’; an advisor or manager who ‘knows better.’

It feels like relief, but it’s really disconnection. We separate ourselves from the growth and self-awareness that come from responsibility. We convince ourselves we’re incapable…and then behave accordingly. As Joel explains, this is where mindset becomes destiny.

MindShifting reframes that story so we can step into agency instead of surrendering it.

The Takeaway

You don’t need more information about money — you need a healthier relationship with it.

Wealth doesn’t transform us. It magnifies us. If we’re anxious, it multiplies anxiety. If we’re grounded, it expands possibilities. Joel’s three practices — visualizing what you want, cultivating gratitude, and taking responsibility — strengthen your awareness before the moment of decision. They shift you from reacting to responding, from fear to focus.

Try them this week:

• Visualize not just what you want, but who you want to be when you have it.
  
• Practice gratitude as a daily discipline.
  
• Own your choices — even the small ones.
  

When you do, money stops being a mirror for your fears and becomes a lens for your values. That’s when wealth becomes more than numbers — it becomes meaning.

How This Connects to the MindShifting Framework

In MindShifting:Conflict and Collaboration, arriving in December 2025 (consider joining the Book Launch Team for early access), I explore how easily we surrender our power to group norms — the invisible expectations that tell us how we “should” think, act, and spend.

Money is one of the clearest examples of this conflict:

• Culture tells us to consume.
  
• Fear tells us to hoard.
  
• Uncertainty tells us to hand control to someone else.
  

MindShifting helps us pause and see these patterns before they take over.

It’s the same shift Joel teaches – stepping out of the Survival Brain’s autopilot and into the Sage Brain, where calm, curiosity, and clarity live. When we learn to make decisions that are guided by empathy, purpose, and personal values we’re not just managing money differently; we’re managing ourselves differently.

That’s the heart of MindShifting: using awareness as your first form of wealth.

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Find out more about Joel Salomon’s blog, books, and financial coaching on his website.