Abundance Mindset: Replace “I Can’t Afford It” with “How Can I Create It?” This Year

By the Editorial Team at Musa Magazine

The words we use shape our reality. When you spend the day saying “everything is so expensive,” “I can’t afford it,” or “that’s for rich people,” you’re giving your brain a direct command: stop looking for solutions.

“I can’t” is a full stop. It closes the door. It shuts down creativity.

The question “How can I?” on the other hand, is a master key.

In 2026, we invite you to make the most important shift in your financial life. It’s not about working more hours—it’s about changing your mental wiring: moving from a Scarcity Mindset (fear, limitation) to an Abundance Mindset (creativity, possibility).

Here are three mental exercises to train your brain to see gold where it once saw obstacles.

1. The Power of the Right Question
Finance author Robert Kiyosaki says that saying “I can’t afford it” is a declaration of mental laziness.

• The exercise: The next time you see something you want (a trip, a course, a home upgrade), forbid yourself from saying “I don’t have the money.”
• The shift: Ask instead, “What would I need to do to generate it?”

Maybe you need to sell 20 cakes, drive Uber for five extra hours, or negotiate a raise. Suddenly, the impossible turns into a concrete, mathematical action plan. Your brain shifts from victim to protagonist.

2. Stop Seeing “Expenses” and Start Seeing “Value”
A scarcity mindset only looks at the price. An abundance mindset looks at the investment.

• The exercise: When you pay your electric bill or internet, don’t do it with resentment thinking “this is so expensive.” Do it with gratitude: “Thanks to this money, I have heat and I can connect with my family.”
• The shift: When money leaves your hands with gratitude instead of fear, it flows better. You feel in control, not like something is being taken from you.

3. Train Your R.A.S. (Reticular Activating System)
Your brain has a filter that shows you only what you’re looking for. If you think about debt, you’ll see debt. If you think about opportunities, you’ll see opportunities.

• The exercise: In the United States, money is everywhere. Start your day by affirming: “Today I’m open to new ways of generating income.”
• The shift: You’ll start noticing that job opening you used to ignore, that need in your neighborhood you could solve for a fee, or that offer that helps you save money.

Abundance isn’t something that arrives once you have millions in the bank. It’s an attitude that brings the millions to the bank. This year, remove complaints from your vocabulary and replace them with creativity. You are capable of generating everything you need—and more.