Do you feel awkward when people start talking about their salary, debts, expenses, bank account balance or net worth? If so, you’re not alone. Personal finance is one of the most taboo topics in our culture. But this needs to change.
Sharing information amongst peers, friends and family is a vital for growth, and if we don’t do this with personal finance, we won’t learn and grow.
Acknowledge fears and desires
Money is a resource. Money equals survival. The fear of not having enough and the allure of wealth evokes strong emotion. In order to feel comfortable talking about our finances, we need to detach ourselves emotionally from money. The first step to doing this is acknowledging our fears and desires concerning money. The next step is to realize:
Your money does not equal your worth
Every person on earth is valuable. Our income doesn’t define our value as a person. Negotiating a salary is completely within our control. Accepting a salary defines how we value our professional skills, but those skills don’t define our worth as humans.
Accept unfairness
LIFE is unfair. We’re all born into very unique circumstances. Some are lucky and are born into wealthy, loving families. Others are born into poverty and don’t know where their next meal will come from. Life is very, very unfair. However, we need to get over this. We should never allow the circumstances we were born into to keep us from reaching our potential.
In America, we’re lucky enough to have control over our lives. No one forces us to a work a certain job or to marry a stranger. Growing wealth will be more difficult for some than others, but the sooner we acknowledge this and put our energy into creating the lives we want instead of blaming our circumstances, the sooner we will achieve our dreams.
Speak tactfully and tread lightly
With money being an emotionally charged topic, it’s best to tread lightly before going into a full-blown conversation on finances. If you’ve emotionally detached yourself from money, realize that not everyone has done the same. Pay close attention to body language. Words are easy to alter, but uncomfortable body language is a dead giveaway that the other person does NOT want to speak about this topic.
To avoid boasting, never compare yourself to others and NEVER put anyone down for where they are financially.
Over time, you’ll find likeminded people who are willing to chat about finance. Become one of those people by learning to detach your heart from your bank account. It’ll help you make logical investments and find likeminded people who can help you learn and grow. One day, you might be the one to teach others about finance!
Invest humbly, with your head, not heart.
