Business

Mindful Money Matters - Rethinking Money this New Year

by: BTM - Sun, 04 Jan 2026

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Business consultant Pria Masson writes about money, mindset and the habits that shape financial well-being. With years of experience in finance and a growing interest in human behaviour, she shares practical insights to help readers make more intentional financial choices.

Have you ever tried to hold a weight that’s heavy for you? Do you remember how your hands start to quiver after just a few seconds? Now, remember how it feels to lift a weight from a place of steadiness, one where you’ve been trained and know exactly how to bend, how to grip and how to lift. That steadiness and training make all the difference, doesn’t it? The same holds true for money matters.

Think about it. Managing money is difficult for almost everyone. Managing money is difficult for almost everyone. Even those familiar with finance can feel overwhelmed, because money carries expectation, emotion and fear. Each decision feels heavier than it is, multiplied by the belief that failure is inevitable. When control feels elusive, even small steps can feel exhausting. What makes money feel lighter is not denial or avoidance, but familiarity. The ability to handle weight can be learned.

Consider Noor. She earns well and has built a successful career. Yet when a message arrives telling her that money has been credited to her account, she feels a brief rush of satisfaction followed by unease. Experience tells her she is likely to spend most of it quickly. She does not lack knowledge or discipline. What she lacks is space between impulse and action.

Now consider Alex. He has spent two decades in banking and understands money intimately. He knows where to invest, how to plan and how to optimise returns. Yet when a bonus arrives, he feels pressure rather than relief. His thoughts race ahead: how this will grow, what it must become, what comes next. The pressure itself becomes a reward. Like Noor, Alex is not short of intelligence or experience. What he needs is control of a different kind.

In both cases, the issue is not money itself but the nervous system’s response to it. Dopamine, stress and habit drive behaviour long before logic has time to intervene. This is why managing money is less about spreadsheets and more about awareness.

What does mindful money management look like in practice? It begins with creating pauses. Taking a few deep breaths before transferring funds. Setting up automated systems so decisions are not made repeatedly under pressure. Allowing space for enjoyment without guilt by deciding in advance what is meant for saving and what is meant for spending.

January is often framed as a month of drastic change. In reality, it is better suited to quiet observation.
Getting to know how money feels in your body. Noticing where tension arises and where ease exists. Accepting patterns without judgement. When money is approached with attention rather than control, behaviour begins to shift naturally.

This year, instead of demanding more discipline from yourself, try offering more understanding. Settle your mind, take a slow breath and plan with intention. From there, meaningful and lasting change becomes possible.

Explore more of her work at www.priamasson.com @coachingwithpria