Why I Wrote The Money Game and How to Win It
I wrote this book because I want to give people everywhere access to tools they can use to fix their finances. I want them to feel the power and confidence that comes from being in charge of their own money.
Playing to Win
As we took charge of our money, I began to create new ledgers by which to gauge success. Instead of being envious of a coworker’s luxury car, I thought about the car payments the coworker was undoubtedly making and felt deeply grateful not to be making those payments myself. For me, no car was worth taking on debt. My perspective had radically shifted. It had become much longer range. I was looking at the end game, at what would become possible for me and my family once our debt was paid down.
Having Financial Goals Helps You Win
For me, living into financial goals creates a future that empowers me in the present. My goals guide my choices and help me resist ads, catalogs, commercials and the pull to “keep up” with others. Living into financial goals is a revolutionary way to live, one in which I define my own success.
Blaming Yourself Won’t Help You Win
There is no good to come from blaming yourself for past mistakes. Instead, give yourself credit for having the courage to begin looking at your finances. For the first thirty years of my adulthood, I did a great job of not looking at my finances. Now I do a great job of looking at them. That’s it. I never had the skills. No one taught me. If I had had the skills years ago, I would be in a better financial position now, but there is no sense wasting my energy feeling bad about my financial past. Instead, I feel great that I learned the skills when I did. As soon as I had them, I ran with them. So can you!
Winning Starts with Being Willing to Look
Awareness of how we were spending our money made it possible for us to make changes. Those changes made it possible for us to dig out of debt. Digging out of debt made it possible for us to create a life of opportunities and experiences that otherwise would not have been accessible to us. It all started with being willing to look.
What Winning Looks Like
If you construct your life so that you can live on less money than you make, you will reduce your stress and increase your wealth. You won’t lie awake at night figuring out how to pay the bills. You will have the freedom to take calculated risks, and the means to pursue interests and engage in activities that fill your life with joy and meaning. That’s what winning looks like.
