Have you ever really thought about your “Financial Life” as part of your daily life? Have you ever considered it as separate from your ever day life? Last week as I blogged about the uniqueness of each of our relationships with money and how that relationship drives our financial behavior I began focusing on how our relationship and behavior with our money shapes our financial life.
Money may only be one component of our lives but its overall impact on every other area of our lives is serious and significant. You most likely talk and think about your social life, your home life, work life and even your sex life but how often do you consider your financial life (time spent worrying about your finances doesn’t count?)
- How would you begin to describe your financial life?
- What three specific words would capture what it looks and feels like?
- How would you define it in terms of dollars and cents?
- How would you explain the ways it makes your life better or worse?
- Where would you say it fits within the overall schema of your life?
Your financial life is obviously based upon your financial circumstances but is in no way solely dependent on the money you make, spend and save. It is a far more complex amalgam of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, expectations and influences some of which we don’t control but many of which we do.
The more connected you are to your financial life the more it will flourish. Like all things organic it needs constant and consistent nurturing to achieve its maximum potential. When it is feared, avoided and ignored it will and can only respond negatively. When provided the appropriate attention, understanding and direction it will inevitably respond in kind.
Your financial life is yours alone to create. It is ultimately a reflection of the time and effort you put into it and your willingness to make the choice to change your relationship and behavior with your money. Many of our recent blog posts are filled with information, steps and ideas to facilitate your doing so and tomorrow’s post will address specific steps to take to begin to make friends with your financial life.
NEVER CONFUSE YOUR SELF WORTH WITH YOUR NET WORTH.
