With another Valentine’s Day, folks are reflecting on their romantic entanglements or interests, but it’s making us think more deeply about all sorts of relationships.
What does a healthy relationship with money feel like?
We are not here to give personal advice, per se, but there seem to be some fundamental principles that could serve us well in any partnership.
1. Make way for reality.
The most important of life’s conversations require some vulnerability—and bravery. Whether we’re talking about romantic commitments, financial health, or other big relationships, everyone involved would do well to be on the same page from the get-go.
Start by getting everything relevant out on the table: face and work with the reality of your financial life. The important conversations deserve honesty, even when it’s “just” you and your money!
2. Check your expectations.
For any endeavor, idealizing a relationship can doom it in an instant. Instead, we’d recommend checking in with your expectations about money. Is baggage adding weight to a current financial issue? Does it feel like progress is coming way too slowly?
Sometimes the problem isn’t the issue itself: the problem is how we are framing the problem. Goals can be wonderful, but even as we’re playing the long game, embrace what author Lynne Twist calls “experiences of sufficiency.”
They are those moments when things feel whole and life is full of “enough.”
A meal that satisfies. Sunbeams falling across the countertop. Clothes on your back.
A plan that you allow to inspire some hope. Speaking of…
3. Use goals to light the path you’d like to take.
Not every day of a relationship will be great, but the point isn’t total control of the outcome. Security comes from having confidence that, generally, things are headed the right direction.
So what are the milestones along the way that will remind you of that? That will spark joy, serve others, or continue to connect you to what’s important?
In the end…
Love is all you need! Thanks to the Beatles for this one, but it works. In short, compassion is a great foundation for a healthier relationship with money.
If you’d like to talk about what this means for you, please write or call.
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