Discover Your Money Scripts

Many of my clients previously worked with a financial professional, intending to finally get their money stuff sorted out, but guess what? It totally didn’t stick! They’d follow some plan for a few months, and then be back to square one. Talk about frustrating, right? It’s no wonder so many of us end up feeling like we’re just “bad with money.” 

But here’s the tea: it’s not really about being bad with money at all. The real deal is that most financial professionals are missing a huge piece of the puzzle. They’re all about the technical stuff – budgets, spreadsheets, etc. – but they’re not digging into the juicy stuff: our money scripts.Money scripts are sneaky (often unconscious) beliefs we have about money that pull the strings behind the scenes. You know, stuff like: “I’ll never be good with money” or “Rich people are greedy.” We pick up these ideas from everywhere – our parents, friends, even those TV shows we binge-watch. 

Understanding our money scripts helps us gain a sense of control over our finances because we begin to understand why we make certain money choices. We can finally stop beating ourselves up over past mistakes and boost our confidence surrounding money. Even better – understanding our partner’s money scripts can help improve the relationship by limiting money arguments through gaining a deeper understanding of why they spend the way they do. 

If this resonates, here’s a fun challenge for you. Grab your favorite notebook (or your phone if you’re feeling digital) and jot down some answers to these questions:
1. What did your folks always say about money when you were growing up?
2. Do your spending habits lean more towards shopaholic or penny-pincher? Or do you just avoid thinking about money altogether?
3. What does money mean to you?: Security? Freedom? Stress?
4. What’s your biggest money fear? (Don’t worry, we all have them!)Next, take a solid, objective look at what you wrote. Are these really YOUR thoughts, or are you just repeating what your parents always said? Do you actually believe this stuff? 

Now flip the script: Update each script to a positive opposite narrative. Instead of “I’m hopeless with money,” try “I’m learning to be successful with money.” Remember, money’s just a tool – it’s not good or bad on its own. Anytime you begin to sense an old script coming through, state aloud the new script. This will help retrain your subconscious beliefs around how you perceive money. 

Once you start figuring out your money scripts, it’s like having a superpower for your finances. Identifying and challenging limiting beliefs is a crucial step towards implementing long-lasting financial success.