OK, so first things first. Yes, I’m totally serious that your finances can be friendly and fun. No, I am not taking any special medication that helps me to think that way. (Sorry – I just had to get that out of the way since most people ask if I’m serious and if I’m taking any drugs when I talk about finances being friendly and fun!)
With the right approach, finances can indeed be friendly and fun which helps to relieve a lot of the fear surrounding money. In fact, my business tagline is “Making Finances Friendly and Fun” so I’m even putting it out there loud and proud. I believe every word of my tagline. I live it, I breathe it, and I teach it to my clients (and pretty much just about anyone else who will listen).
I can hear the chatter in your mind right now – she’s got to be joking. I’m so stressed out right now about money that the idea that it could actually be “friendly and fun” is pure insanity.
Call me insane, call me whatever you want to. In fact you can call me an orange hippopotamus if it helps you to consider changing your financial perspective for the better, I could care less! But I have proof that it can happen – my clients all tell me in the end that they see money more positively and aren’t weighed down by fear.
With a few simple shifts in perspective, you can start seeing things differently for yourself and decrease the amount of financial fear in your life while increasing the amount of financial fun and friendliness. There are 3 simple steps I suggest to get started on viewing your finances in this new and exciting way.
1) Think of money as a game – One of the main ways I tell people to shift their perspective about money to a more fun and friendly approach is to think about money as a game. In essence, money is a tool and a resource to get you where you want to go and to allow you to do the things that you want to do, so the more money that you keep the more that you can do the things that excite you. With that in mind, start to think of yourself as the gatekeeper of your money – it comes in, and YOU are in charge of what goes out! Take a stance that every bill that you pay is a money-making opportunity in and of itself. Do you know how many times I’ve found an error on a bill that I’ve reviewed and called the company about it to have my bill adjusted? I can assure you it has been LOTS of times and it has likely added up to thousands of dollars over the years. Another great idea is to involve other family members in helping you to manage the money. In fact, I have a client who plans her family’s food for the week and creates the grocery list for her husband and he then takes their young daughter to the grocery store where she adds up their bill in the store with a calculator so they can make sure to stay within their planned amount! By making a simple shift to empower yourself as the gatekeeper of your money and begin looking for ways to involve others and ask for help you’re well on your way to making money more manageable.
2) Redistribute and realign how you’re using your money – I find that most people talk about the things that they “should” do with their money. And while there are certain smart things that you can be doing with your money (saving and living within your means come to mind), I would encourage you to spend less time thinking about what you “have to do” and more time thinking about what you “love to do” when it comes to your money. Yes, we all have responsibilities and I completely get that. However, from the information I see when I look at how my clients choose to use their money before we put together a new plan I see a lot of unconscious spending. That isn’t a judgment on my part it’s just a fact from where I stand. It’s very likely that there is space for you to have more experiences in your life that you would “love to do” if you simply took the time to redistribute and realign how you’re using your money right now!
3) Allow yourself to dream again – For me, this step is the most important one in making the shift to view finances as friendly and fun. For many people, money is full of a heavy energy and responsibility. Many people have simply forgotten how to dream and think of money only as something to pay the bills. If you want only enough money to pay the bills, then that’s exactly what you’ll attract and not much more. What are the reasons why you’d like to have more money in your life? For me, I love to travel and learn, and I want to contribute toward the futures of my 2 adorable nephews, Jack and Ryan. I enjoy taking care of my mind, body, and soul as well which for me means lots of Pilates classes and regular massages, manicures and pedicures too. In the future, I’m looking forward to being married and being a mom, so I know I’ll have lots of reasons to dream big then too! So ask yourself, what do you dream about doing and is it even reflected in your financial life at all? Where can you be fearless and dream about doing something bigger than you ever thought you could to inspire yourself and others? You’ll be able to attract more money and financial stability into your life if you have a specific reason to enjoy it.
In the end, viewing finances as friendly and fun requires a purposeful decision to want to see things differently. There’s an old quote that “every master was once a disaster” and this is true for your finances as well. Perhaps things aren’t going well now, however that doesn’t mean that you can’t decide today to shift things around and view your finances in a more positive manner. The choice is yours, are you ready to believe that finances can be friendly and fun?
