Have Fun With Your Money

Often when speaking to a group I have pointed out that one of the primary reasons people have a difficult time thinking honestly, fairly, and profitably about money is that as soon as the subject of money arises they have one of two emotional reactions. Either they get mad or they get sad.

Just Mention Money and People Get Emotional

Sometimes they get angry. Usually this is because they have learned to blame others for their financial difficulties. If we can't blame someone personally we blame whole classes of people. If it just weren't for those lawyers, big businesses, politicians, or whoever seems convenient at the time.

Occasionally, and a little more correctly, people are unhappy because they blame themselves for getting into a financial mess. They are depressed because they are so discouraged over feeling inadequate to cope with all their obligations. They feel they should be doing better and they feel guilty.

There is no doubt about it. One of the most destructive societal ills of our day is the wide spread and misguided habit of thinking that our problems are not a result of our own choices but of what others are doing to us. It is essential to avoid that trap.

But, as we have observed in relation to other money issues, neither do we need to feel guilty.

How to Get Positive About Money

Think about a few of the things you don't know how to do, things that you never developed an interest in. Do you feel guilty about not being able to do them?

Fill in your own areas if these don't fit, but would you feel guilty about not being able to play the piano, fly an airplane, or program a computer if you had never learned anything about them? Of course not.

Now, if dealing with money is not something you have enjoyed doing because you are not too successful in this area, why should you feel either mad or sad? Why not choose now to adopt a new attitude and say,

“I now realize that I need to know how to get in control of my money and learn to be successful with it. I will learn what I need to learn to be successful with money and I will have fun doing it. ”

The Law of Enthusiasm

Some years ago a man by the name of Phil Laut wrote a little book called, Money is My Friend. He said that one of the four things he sought to give people was “a light-hearted attitude and sense of self-reliance about your financial problems.”

His book went through more than twenty printings and was translated into at least ten other languages! Why? Because so many people were helped by developing a poitiive attitude about money.

It is not surprising that one of the basic laws of money speaks to this topic. It is the law of enthusiasm, which simply says:

Becoming a productive, effective, and prosperous person can and should be a lot of fun.

That's right, a lot of fun! You, too, will become vastly more successful when you learn to enjoy learning about money and developing the skills which will enable you to achieve greater success financially.

The Lost Joy of Having Earned What You Buy

One of my favorite memories focuses on a telephone call I received from one of my daughters back when she and her husband were young. She called me to tell about a new purchase they had made, a new washer and dryer.

I could tell she was excited from the start. Her enthusiasm traveled right through the phone line. No more going to the Laundromat now!

But her enthusiasm came from more than the washer and dryer. She continued. “We paid for them. We saved up for them and paid for them when we got them. We didn't charge anything. In fact, we didn't even use a check. We went to the bank and got cash! It was fun to pay with the real green stuff.”

Learning to Have Fun with Our Money

How about you? How can you and I learn to have more fun learning to be successful with money?

I think there are several secrets. The first we have suggested. Decide to accept responsibility but reject guilt. When things go wrong or we really mess up, no matter how bad it is just tell yourself that you have now had an opportunity to learn something else that doesn't work.

Take time to learn from the situation and make a commitment to do better next time. Remember that the road to success with money is always under construction.

Keep your financial goals in mind, review them often and acknowledge every step toward success. If you have a stack of credit card balances to pay off, don't wait until they are all paid off to acknowledge your progress. Make a list and draw a line through each one you pay off so you can see your progress.

It is for this reason that many advisors recommend paying off smaller debts first even if the interest rate is higher on larger ones. It is not actually the best in terms of the money and wouldn't be recommended except for the fact that it is a great motivator to see debts eliminated.

When first starting on a debt elimination project progress is slow because there is little extra to increase payments with. By focusing on small debts first this increases the speed of seeing tangible results.

Think about ways to celebrate your achievements. Celebrate when the total balance you owe on credit cards falls below each hundred or thousand dollar mark. Celebrate when each separate card is paid off.

Each success makes the next easier and more fun, even if it is more challenging. Celebrating increases motivation to accept new challenges with enthusiasm.

Needless to say, don't celebrate by looking for some way to spend a lot of money! Celebrate a small achievement by jumping up in the air and clicking your heels (if you can) or shouting; celebrate a larger one by taking time to do something you really enjoy, possibly spending time with a loved one or friend you haven't seen for a while.

Finally, my most important suggestion. It may seem trivial, but I assure you that it will do wonders toward making your life more fulfilling and keeping you practicing all your new success with money skills.

Every time you pay a bill or make a purchase of some kind (always with money you can afford to spend) let there be a brief thought go through your mind about the joy of living at peace with your financial world, always knowing that you are well able to meet your obligations.

Honor yourself for having made the choices that make it possible for you and your family to have this happy experience. Appreciate the fact that so many never do.

Be thankful that you have all the money you need for this and any other necessary expenditure. And firmly recommit yourself to keeping it that way.

For Beginners only

Obviously, if you are just starting in this direction you have to adjust a little. Think about how things are getting consistently better as you reduce debt and build up some basic reserves.

But because you are refusing to add to your debts and paying as you go, you can still feel great about that. You know that your peace of mind is growing daily.

If you do these things you will never make foolish expenditures again. You will never be tempted to incur unnecessary debt for any temporary pleasure. You will enjoy every purchase you do make.

And, perhaps for the first time, you will feel really happy when you choose not to spend now. Instead you will find find it more satisfying to deposit the money in one of your savings accounts for use later!

Let’s Get Personal

Let me share a personal experience I had last winter. It was a very cold wintery day (and in Minnesota that means something) even though it was only the eve of Thanksgiving. Someone, I don't remember who, came to me and reported the bad news. “Something’s wrong. We don't have any water.”

I checked it out only to find that it was not an electrical breaker or anything simple. It was the well pump. We live on twenty acres in the country, our dream location. But that does mean a few extra responsibilities, including maintaining your own water and sewer facilities.

Since it was after 5:00 p.m. and Thanksgiving was the next day, it was the beginning of a long holiday weekend. I wasn't sure I would be able to getting any help. I called the well company anyway, hoping for the best.

Of course they could come, I was told, but naturally there are extra charges for coming now. To keep it short, after just a few short hours I was the proud owner of a new well pump. The workman handed me the bill. $1,500.00!

As I wrote the check some revealing thoughts went through my mind. I thought about how some time ago I would have been angry, depressed, or at least stressed out wondering how I was going to deal with this financial crisis. How would I pay this and have anything else for the rest of my normal bills?

But now I felt happy, even joyful, as I wrote out the check. I was prepared. I wasn’t happy to have the bill, but I was happy that somehow my success with money over the last few years had made it easy to deal with the situation.

Let me add just this word. I’m not speaking as someone who has inherited great wealth or followed an upper income profession. I am someone who has chosen to work at the average income jobs that I preferred and to discipline myself to follow the laws of money you read about on this site.

The truth is that I sincerely believe anyone can learn how to get in control of their money. Anyone can learn how to prepare for emmergencies. And given a reasonable time to work at it, anyone can achieve financial independence. But only if they will choose to do so and will with enthusiasm work at it.

Conclusion

I want to conclude by pointing out that experiences like I shared just above are the motivating force behind this web site. All of the steps I take toward helping others learn how to get in control of their money and become more prosperous reflect my appreciation for what I have learned from those who have helped me.

Remember, it is not how much you make but what you do with your money that counts. Every individual can become successful with their money if they will just decide to learn how. If you decide to have fun doing it you are much more likely to succeed.