Episode 3: Why You Can’t Hustle Your Way Out of a Poverty Mindset
Welcome back to The Wholeself Podcast™ — where faith and neuroscience meet to unlock a limitless life.
I'm your host, Annette Marie, and today's conversation is going to stretch you, challenge you, and hopefully set you free from one of the most toxic lies we've been fed:
That you can hustle your way out of a poverty mindset.
We've all heard it.
"Just work harder."
"Put your head down and grind."
And yes, there's wisdom in diligence and responsibility. But if you've been stuck on the hamster wheel of doing more while getting less, I want to offer you a radical truth:
You don't have a hustle problem.
You have a receiving problem.
Most of us were raised with the belief that hard work alone is the golden ticket. And while it may have worked for some, for many, especially those carrying unhealed trauma or deep-rooted scarcity, it hasn't brought the freedom or overflow we were promised.
You're doing all the things.
You're praying.
You're grinding.
You're visualizing.
And yet… the breakthrough hasn't come.
Let me say this clearly:
There is nothing wrong with you.
You are not broken.
You are a powerful soul navigating the human experience, doing the best you can with the tools in your toolbox.
The truth is that your beliefs, and by extension, your nervous system, are why you haven't witnessed your desired results.
Here is how this works:
What you believe determines what you think.
What you think informs how you feel.
What you feel drives how you behave.
Your behavior fuels the actions you take (or don't take),
and your actions shape your reality—every single time, thereby rooting your beliefs at an even deeper level. Making them more unshakable.
But your outer world reflects your inner world. This means that your actions—or inactions—shape the life you do or don't live, including your bank balance and financial situation.
Until your core beliefs change, your mind will continue to steer you toward what feels familiar and safe. Remember, your mind's primary job is to keep you safe, even if that means experiencing feelings of lack, fear, or struggle. It prioritizes what is known over what could truly benefit your life, well-being, and faith.
I emphasize the faith aspect because, for many, it is not merely an afterthought; it is central to our lives. When things aren't going as we hope, we often begin to question our connection to God. This can lead us to tell ourselves stories that reinforce negative beliefs, such as "I am not favored in life" or "God doesn't really care about me or want me to have more than my basic needs."
Let me illustrate beliefs in action with this example.
Imagine that God Himself comes to your door to personally deliver a blessing, but it's 11 p.m. Your subconscious belief tells you, "Nothing good happens at this hour."
God continues to knock, but you don't open the door. As a result, you miss out on what you've been praying for. It's not that God didn't come through; it's that you couldn't recognize or accept the blessing because of your limiting belief.
Can you see how we sabotage ourselves if we let this go unchecked?
And this is why hustle can be hollow.
You can't override a poverty mindset with more effort.
You have to rewire the belief that says you're not worthy of more.
So, how do we break the cycle?
Step 1: Awareness
The first step in any transformation, whether spiritual or scientific, is awareness.
Be mindful of your recurring, looping thoughts. If a thought makes you feel tense, anxious, or ashamed, it is likely a subconscious belief that does not align with your desired reality.
Step 2: Decide and Declare
Clearly identify what you truly want, and then declare it—not just once, but every single day.
However, here's the crucial point: simply wanting change isn't enough. You must be fully committed to letting go of the old ways. Indecision will not work; it will only make it easier for you to revert to your old habits when challenges arise or obstacles present themselves. Giving up and falling back into old patterns only reinforces your previous beliefs, making it even harder to create change the next time you try.
Step 3: You're Going To Start Searching For Evidence
Begin by asking your mind to seek proof that breakthroughs have already occurred in your life, even in small ways. Your mind is a goal-seeking machine; it will provide the evidence you are looking for. When it does, ask for more. For example, if you have set the intention to move from financial insecurity to a life filled with prosperity and abundance, invite your subconscious to show you exactly that.
If you’re finding this challenging, consider this: your brain does not distinguish between what is real or imagined, or what is in the past versus what is in the future. So, let it imagine boldly the outcomes you are seeking.
Additionally, as you begin this process, remember your Reticular Activating System (RAS)—this is the brain's filter that helps you notice more of what you are focusing on, so in this case blessings, favor, and divine provision.
Step 4: Respond to Resistance
When old beliefs resurface — because change doesn’t happen overnight, and they will show up — this is when you activate your spiritual authority.
Isaiah 54:17 says, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper."
When doubts creep in, take a moment to pause and get curious:
• What triggered this?
• Who am I with?
• What am I feeling in my body?
• Is this really true?
Grace is essential in this process. If you have been living with negative self-talk for decades, remember that transformation takes time. You are building new neurological pathways, so give yourself permission to be in the process.
When setbacks occur — whether it's an unexpected bill or an opportunity that falls through — don’t view it as a sign to give up. Instead, see it as a signal that you are re-patterning, and trust that the blessing is still on its way.
I hope your takeaway from this episode has been:
You don't need to hustle harder.
You need to believe deeper.
You need to feel safer.
You need to align your nervous system with your spirit, because God isn't withholding.
You were never created to live in survival.
You were created to live in overflow.
So, what if, this week, you stopped grinding and started receiving?
What if instead of doing more, you sat with your beliefs and said,
"What am I ready to let go of?"
And then —
"What am I ready to finally receive?"
Because the Kingdom is not built on hustle.
It's built on inheritance.
You don’t have to earn what’s already yours.
And this is why you can’t hustle your way out of a poverty mindset.
It’s not a work ethic issue — it’s a receiving issue, a nervous system issue, a worthiness issue.
The breakthrough doesn’t come from doing more.
It comes from believing deeper, receiving fully, and trusting the God who already declared you worthy.
I’ll say it again for the people in the back:
You don’t have to earn what’s already yours.
If this episode spoke to you, please take a moment to rate, review, and share The Wholeself Podcast™. And if you're ready to dive deeper, the Sacred Wealth Blueprint™ is your next step.
This isn't just about money.
It's about identity.
It's about healing your relationship with provision, receiving, and the God who authored overflow.
Click the link in the show notes or visit www.annettemarie.life/sacred-wealth-blueprint to grab your digital copy.
Until next time,
I'm Annette Marie — reminding you that you were never meant to live scared.
You were meant to live sacred.
