President Trump is a self-acclaimed billionaire.
As a supposed billionaire, my guess is that he has many money problems. Can you guess what his biggest money problem is?
I can.
That the world may find out he’s actually NOT a billionaire, but a mere multi-millionaire!
How many of you think that’s a good problem to have?
I will pay millions to have that kind of problem…
No matter how little money or how much money you have, you’re likely to have a money problem.
Shortly after I immigrated to Canada in 2002, I had difficulties finding a decent job that matched my qualifications. I had to hustle from one menial job to another to make a living. I ended up taking on a $30,000 debt to go to a business school in the hopes of getting a decent job in Corporate Canada.
The debt put me in a negative net worth position. And I certainly had a lot of money problems as a result.
After business school, I was very fortunate to land a job in Corporate Canada. I worked hard for several years inside and outside of Corporate Canada to achieve a financial breakthrough. I tried many different side hustles and businesses. Many failed but a few worked. I climbed out of negative net worth and began to slowly build wealth.
Today, my net worth says I’m a millionaire, but I still have money problems.
I have business debt that needs to be paid.
I struggle with cash flow issues from time to time.
I worry that my net worth may drop.
I worry I may lose it all.
You may be wondering…is this normal?
It appears it is because everyone has a money problem.
So, why is this?
To some degree, we all have a broken relationship with money. We all have unique money stories that will keep us worrying about money for the rest of our lives.
But, you must understand that in spite of your money problems…
You can still be financially free and independent.
You can have peace with your money.
And you can live a life of fulfillment.
The challenge for most people is to fully understand their money mindset and their relationship with money.
In her book, Your Money or Your Life, Vicki Robin defines Financial Intelligence as follows:
Financial intelligence is the ability to step back from your assumptions and your emotions about money and observe them objectively. Does money really buy happiness? Is money really something to fear or covet, to love or hate?
She goes on to say “gaining financial intelligence begins with knowing how much money you already have earned, what you have to show for it, how much is coming into your life, and how much is going out.”
Vicky makes the point that if we look at financial independence at the material level, it will only require us to be rich.
But what exactly is rich?
Rich exists only in comparison to something or someone else. What this means is that you may never be rich enough.
“Men do not desire to be rich, only to be richer than other men.” John Stuart Mill
According to Vicki, financial independence has nothing to do with being rich. It is the experience of having enough — and then some.
Enough is when you get to the peak of your fulfillment curve. In other words, you have enough money to survive and get all the comfort and luxuries you need to experience fulfillment in life.
It is quantifiable. It is achievable. Enough for you may be different from enough for your neighbor as what fulfills you may not necessarily fulfill your neighbor.
This concept of financial independence will allow you to dig deeper to find what fulfills you. It will allow you to plan and design the lifestyle that will fulfill you. Most importantly, it will enable you to redefine your relationship with money.
Conclusion
I’m a fan of financial independence and my commitment is to help as many people as possible reach their goal of financial independence — the experience of having enough.
Getting to financial independence requires clarity. It requires purpose. It requires a change in your money mindset. It will take careful planning. It requires a certain level of knowledge. It will require intentional execution using a strategy that makes sense for you.
P.S. For 5 days starting on July 6, I will be sharing all I’ve learned about personal finance. I will show you how you can move from a place of uncertainty in a time such as this to a place of confidence and certainty with your finances.
This will be a different learning experience as you will have the opportunity to ask questions, work on implementing what you learn each day, and actually get some great results at the end of the 5 days.
Also, I will give you my brand new book, TAX-EFFICIENT WEALTH as a thank you for joining.
Join the Challenge here and get a FREE eBook version of my new book!
