WORKING HARD FOR MONEY
I grew up on a small farm. We never talked about money, but I knew we didn’t have a lot of money. I did learn that the only way to have any money at all was to work hard for it.
I grew up believing that if I kept working hard, somehow I would reach perfection. I believed that if I worked hard I would somehow earn the right to have money.
After my husband died I started a business, believing that if I worked hard enough I would be OK financially.
ALL I REALLY ACCOMPLISHED WAS WORKING TO THE POINT OF EXHAUSTION.
I was frustrated and discouraged. Working hard did not bring perfection and it did not bring me lots of money.
It took awhile, but I finally realized that I needed to change my thinking and I needed to work smarter, not harder.
What is your relationship to money? Do you believe money comes only to the perfect or to those who work hard? HOW DO YOU REALLY FEEL ABOUT MONEY?
GRIEF AND FINANCES
Do you know your net worth? The first time I was asked this question I had no idea what it meant. Even though I paid the bills for our farming business, I really did not pay attention to the bigger picture. I had money to pay the bills. That was the important thing. Right?
When my husband died there were many discussions with advisors about my finances. I was told my net worth. There were financial planning discussions, but no one explained to me what net worth really meant. I assumed that I should already know what this meant.
I didn’t ask. I wasn’t told. Net worth was a mystery that I chose to ignore. I was still able to pay my bills. That was the important thing. Right?
I consider myself fairly intelligent. I have even run my own small business. I had money. I was able to pay the bills. That’s the important thing. Right?
I paid the bills and worried constantly about my financial situation. I wanted to know more, but was afraid of what I would actually discover.
Through financial education and coaching I have learned that my early conditioning around money and finances was blurring reality.
My family didn’t talk about finances when I was growing up. I believe that translated for me that this was a taboo topic. And I began to believe that I really didn’t deserve to know about money or to have money.
So tell me about your experiences around money. What were you told or not told as a child?
Did your family teach you about basic finances? Do you feel somewhat lost in the world of your finances?
It happens a lot for women. And often the first awareness comes after the death of a spouse or divorce.
Education is the key. Education brings knowledge and knowledge brings confidence.
YOU DESERVE TO FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT YOUR FINANCES.
