Let’s start with the word FREEDOM, one of my favorite words. Your relationship with money, if good, can help you create financial security. And that brings you freedom in all kinds of ways — in how you make a living, where you live, who you live with, and even how you retire.
Think about staying married for money or living in your parents home with THEIR rules, for instance. And when it comes to career, simply knowing you do not have to stay in some awful job with some awful boss just for the money … ah, now that’s real freedom.
That’s not to suggest …
Not that I’m saying everyone can do this right out of the gate upon graduation. But strengthening your relationship with money, in whatever form that might take, is a terrific goal for anyone — at any stage of your life.
I’m also not suggesting that putting money over everything else is the way to go. Kindness and remembering to put oneself in another person’s shoes can never be far behind — and often gets you further in the end as you build up good will and good relationships along the way.
But recognizing you deserve to have money can go a long way toward getting you to a place where you call more of the shots. So can learning to grow your money for yourself. And that can buy you a whole lot of freedom to choose what you want to do with your own life and career!
Why relationship with money matters
There are times where the emotions you have about money can actually color the way you react to things — and people. It can even influence the types of jobs you get, which in turn influences the amount of money you have.
And those feelings can show to others, including interviewers, bosses, co-workers, friends, family, etc. They can also mean the difference between believing you deserve to have good things, including money, flow into your life. Otherwise, you may see money and life as a constant struggle.
Some examples:
- You’ve been working in the same job for over 2 years without a promotion or raise. You’ve seen others who started after you move up. But you’re afraid to ask for more for yourself.
- After 30 years of working in the same field, you desperately want a new career. But you haven’t saved enough to take time off or accept a lower salary for something you’ve always wanted to try.
- You’re 60 now, with minimal savings, and see no way to stop working at retirement age or way beyond that.
- Looking to accept a job offer and the salary seems low. But you don’t know how to stand up for yourself and negotiate something better.
- There’s a job you want, but it requires knowledge of financial reporting and budgeting. And that scares you.
- You want to start your own business, but the thought of dealing with balance sheets and payroll throws you into panic.
A few more examples:
- You want to start your own business and need a loan — as well as needing to get good credit terms from suppliers. But your credit is terrible and it’s stopping your dream.
- There’s someone you like that you want to ask for a date, but worry you’re not in their “league”.
- You want to get married to someone wonderful but don’t feel financially stable enough to do so — and you deep down feel they deserve better.
- You’d like to buy a house and stop paying rent (not always the best financial decision btw), but the down payment would eat up your last savings, leaving you defenseless if anything goes wrong with the house — which it almost always does.
- Your spouse dies and you have no idea how to manage your life and finances without him or her.
- You have some investments in your retirement account, but don’t know if you’re making as much as you could. You don’t even know if you’re being ripped off by your broker.
Well, you get the idea.
⇒ MORE: How Emotions Affect Money Habits
Finding peace in relationship with money
Having almost no money or having bad credit and not knowing how to dig yourself out because of a lack of knowledge (or fear) can leave you in a deep hole of obligation without any strings-free choices. It can also keep you feeling powerless — and feeling like a failure.
In many ways, you may even feel you let yourself down. And that’s not good for career success or much of anything else that creates a happy life. But luckily, having a better understanding of / relationship with money really can help. And, in the process, you also learn about yourself.
The way out of powerlessness is to take action!
I hope this site will help you begin to take action toward learning to own your personal power — and your money. Gaining freedom over your financial emotions and life choices can play a powerful role in shaping your career and your life. And the good news is that you can start right now.
As I like to say … knowledge is power. And so is the simple act of awareness.
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