Show Notes
Money is the source of many relationship conflicts. It's the number one reason cited for divorce, for one. Money can, frankly, destroy relationships, but it doesn't have to. You can claim ownership of your money, and rid yourself of money stress -- and by extension, reduce your relationships stress too.
Jesse urges you to embrace curiosity — curiosity about what you can do and create with your money. You can incorporate a vision exercise into your daily routine with questions as small as "what do we want today to look like?" to big questions like "what do we want our kids' childhood to look like?" After all, discussions about money are really questions about life.
The next time you have a discussion with your spouse, partner, or child, be curious about what that person is saying. Sincerely curious. No judgment, just seeking understanding. Figuring out what you want your money to do for you is much easier when you understand you and your family's desires. Then money can become an amplifier of your shared vision, rather than a source of stress, strife, and division.
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More from The Jesse Mecham Show
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Perhaps the highest form of what money can do for you is for change, that is, to facillitate growth, explore new opportunities, and help transition through different phases of life. Whether it's leaving the workforce to focus on family, moving on from a job you didn't like to pursue a new role, or taking a sabbatical to pursue a big project or journey or goal, money can help you make big changes in life, and we think that is just amazing!
Believe it or not, money can also be... for you. To spend on you and your wants. Many people carry around the idea that their money only exists for others, and that they are somehow unworthy of spending on themselves. But part of freeing yourself from money worry is freeing yourself to spend on yourself, to show yourself that you are worthy of having something for yourself.
Money can be for now, it can be for later, but it can also be for ease. What do you mean, ease? Simply put, when you get one month ahead on your spending -- you start living on last month's income instead of yesterday's income -- your life gets simpler. No more timing games trying to figure out when to pay which bill so that you have enough to last until the next paycheck, no more late fees when you forget to pay on time, no more overdrafts. Your bills go on autopay, you know they are covered because you've already set money aside for them last month, and now you can rest at ease and think about longer term plans for your spending and your life.
What does your money need to do? Last week, Jesse talked about the first answer to this question -- the money "for now," those non-negotiable expenses or goods that need to be paid for or bought in the immediate future. He urged you to consider what exactly what non-negotiable, and that the term encompasses fewer expenses that we think. Today, Jesse covers the second possible answer to the question -- money "for later," including bills and things that may not be non-negotiable but are nevertheless highly important, but also things which have some flexibility.