As I began reading, I expected to be hit with hard hitting facts about investments or the stock market in a language I would not understand. Instead, she began by relating money to emotions. They say money can't buy you happiness, but it sure can make you feel happy, sad, stressed, angry, and a whole lot of emotions in a short amount of time. Personally, money, or lack there of, has been the main factor of a lot of my stress; especially being a broke college student. There have been many times where I was more worried about the due date of my power bill then the due date of a research paper. One way of gaining financial freedom is by facing your fears of money as Mrs. Orman says.
Next, she discussed money memories. Take a second to think back to your first memory with money. Can you relate that memory with how you deal with money now? Suze Orman gives many examples of how her clients related a bad memory with money to how they deal with it now, presently. One person remembered when his sister stole some of his money, and now he doesn't trust anyone with his money; not even his wife who wants a joint account. As I looked back, I realized that I was never thinking ahead with my money. As a child, I never went without anything. I had the latest toys, games, you name it. But once I got older, it all stopped. Whatever the situation was going on with my parents (they never spoke with me about money), we started cutting back drastically. I guess I never realized how quickly money could go and how important it was to have a safety net. Try this exercise yourself. This is only the first step, but one of the most important. Before you can gain control of your money, you must understand where your issues came from. Digging deep down in your memories will allow you to grasp a better understanding on why you may not trust others with your money, or why you're constantly spending. If you'd like to share, simply leave a comment or mention me on Twitter @carpeNIKA.
Money and emotions can go hand in hand. As we know from being college students, it can add to our stress. My goal with money is to live comfortably, and have something to fall back on. Join me as I take this journey to gain financial freedom. What are your goals?
