The Wealth Beliefs I Had to Unlearn as a First-Generation Latina
For most of my life, I thought my biggest challenge would be learning how to make more money.
I was wrong.
The hardest part wasn’t earning more.
It was unlearning the beliefs I carried about money, success, and what I was allowed to have.
As a first-generation Latina raised by hardworking immigrant parents, I grew up surrounded by love, sacrifice, and resilience. My parents taught me the value of hard work, gratitude, and perseverance. Those lessons helped shape who I am today.
But along with those beautiful lessons came beliefs about money that no longer served the woman I was becoming.
To create a different future, I had to learn to question some of the stories I had accepted as truth.
Belief #1: “Wanting More Is Greedy”
Growing up, I often heard messages that implied wanting more money, a bigger life, or greater success was somehow selfish.
Good people were humble.
Good people didn’t ask for too much.
Good people were grateful for what they had.
And while gratitude is important, I eventually realized gratitude and ambition can exist together.
I can be deeply grateful for my life and still desire growth.
I can appreciate where I am while working toward where I want to go.
Wanting more doesn’t make me greedy.
It makes me human.
Belief #2: “Hard Work Alone Creates Wealth”
I watched people work incredibly hard.
Long hours.
Physical labor.
Multiple jobs.
Sacrifice after sacrifice.
Yet many were still struggling financially.
For years, I believed the answer was simply to work harder.
Then I entered the business world and saw something different.
I saw people creating systems.
Building teams.
Leveraging knowledge.
Making strategic decisions.
Creating opportunities instead of only trading time for money.
Hard work matters.
But hard work without strategy often leads to exhaustion instead of freedom.
The goal isn’t to work harder forever.
The goal is to build something that works for you.
Belief #3: “Money Problems Are Normal”
For a long time, financial stress felt normal.
Living paycheck to paycheck felt normal.
Being overwhelmed felt normal.
Watching people worry about bills felt normal.
Because it was common, I assumed it was simply part of adulthood.
Eventually, I realized that common does not mean healthy.
Financial peace may not have been common in my environment, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.
I had to stop accepting struggle as my permanent identity.
Belief #4: “Successful Women Have to Do Everything Alone”
This one was deeply rooted.
I believed strong women handled everything themselves.
They didn’t ask for help.
They didn’t need support.
They carried the weight.
But the more successful women I studied, the more I noticed a pattern.
They had mentors.
Coaches.
Communities.
Teams.
Support systems.
Success wasn’t created in isolation.
It was created through collaboration.
Learning to ask for help wasn’t weakness.
It was wisdom.
Belief #5: “My Wealth Belongs to Someone Else”
This belief took me years to recognize.
As a wife, mother, employee, and supporter of other people’s dreams, I became very comfortable helping others build wealth.
I celebrated everyone else’s success.
I worked behind the scenes.
I solved problems.
I helped businesses grow.
But somewhere along the way, I stopped believing I was allowed to create wealth for myself.
I unconsciously believed wealth belonged to the business owner.
The CEO.
The entrepreneur.
The husband.
Someone else.
Not me.
The day I challenged that belief, everything started to shift.
I realized I am not just here to support other people’s visions.
I am allowed to have a vision of my own.
Belief #6: “People Like Me Don’t Become Wealthy”
This might be the most dangerous belief of all.
Not because anyone explicitly said it.
But because I rarely saw examples that looked like me.
First-generation.
Bilingual.
Teen mom.
Latina.
Corporate accountant.
Construction operations leader.
Business owner.
Aspiring CFO advisor.
When you don’t see examples, it’s easy to assume something isn’t possible.
Then I started finding women who had done it.
Women who built businesses.
Women who created wealth.
Women who changed the trajectory of their families.
And suddenly, the impossible became visible.
If they could do it, maybe I could too.
What I Believe Now
Today, my beliefs around wealth look very different.
I believe money is a tool.
I believe wealth allows us to create opportunities.
I believe ambitious women can also be kind women.
I believe financial success and faith can coexist.
I believe building wealth can be an act of service.
I believe first-generation women are capable of creating entirely new financial legacies.
And most importantly:
I believe we don’t have to inherit every belief we were given.
Some beliefs are meant to be honored.
Others are meant to be healed.
The moment we give ourselves permission to question them, we create space for something new.
For me, that new story looks like abundance, leadership, impact, and freedom.
And I have a feeling I’m just getting started.
Question for you:
What is one money belief you inherited that you’re currently working to unlearn?
Bendiciones Bella.
Con cariño,
Berenice aka Labereee
