It’s ridiculously easy to get caught up in money drama…

…stressing over paying all the bills on time…

…feeling like you have to “rob Peter to pay Paul”…

…worrying about all the debt hanging over your head…

…feeling pressure to make more money so you can solve all your financial problems.

But focusing on financial hardships soaks up all your precious mental energy…

…energy that you could be devoting to making plans for your money…

…or tweaking your spending plan to pay off your debt faster…

…or creating a new program or service in your business that can transform lives…

…or scheduling automatic deposits into your investment accounts.

More importantly though…

…when you’re all wrapped up in money stress…

…you don’t really get to enjoy your life.

Life isn’t just about death and taxes.

It’s about working smarter, not harder…and having the time and freedom to be with the people you love.

It’s about doing meaningful work that lights you up…and getting compensated for that work at a crush worthy rate.

It’s about being present…and happy…and experiencing life’s guilty pleasures…

…learning and growth…

…sex and hot vanilla lattes.

It’s about laughing with your kids…playing board games for hours…and creating works of art (whether they make you money or not).

MONEY TRUTH: Money is awesome because it makes it easier to have the lifestyle you truly want.

Making the kind of money you want…managing your money effectively and with confidence…

….working toward financial independence (think “DEBT FREE” baby!)…

…and using your money as a tool to have and do everything you want in life is a FINANCIAL LIFESTYLE.

And if you want to create a financial lifestyle you’re totally obsessed with…

…a lifestyle that makes your heart skip a beat…

…a lifestyle that has you crushing so hard on your money…

…you have to talk the talk, and walk the walk.

How?

WRITE YOUR MONEY MANIFESTO.

Your money manifesto is your ideal financial lifestyle…written out in black and white…

…so you can reference it regularly…

…and make sure you’re living your best financial life…one step at a time…every single day.

Your money manifesto is a testament to what’s most important to you…what you care about…

…what you stand for…what you want to do with your money…

…and how you want to live your life.

Here’s my money manifesto:

In my world, weekly money dates spent tweaking my spending plan and sipping hot vanilla almond-milk lattes is a complete guilty pleasure.

Slowly caressing soft fabrics at Marshalls, looking for my next inexpensive impulse buy, is always a fabulous idea.

Social media is overrated and spending more than 30 minutes a day on FB or IG is not an option.

Saying “YES!” feels like jumping out of bed at 5:30 am for daily journaling with a side of piping hot coffee (spiked with a dose of collagen to keep that youthful glow) and fuzzy snuggles from my cat, Ashes.

Saying “NO!” feels like honoring myself with the promise and commitment to create the work I’m put on this earth to do without getting sidetracked or distracted by someone else’s goals.

I care deeply about empowering women to take an active role in their financial lives…to unapologetically earn as much money as they want…and to manage their money with confidence and excitement.

I believe that using your money as a tool to spend less time at the office and more time with the people you love is crush worthy.

Morning jogs with the dog, coffee dates with girlfriends, day sex when the kids are at school, and spontaneous 90’s pop dance parties with my daughters are non-negotiable.

Giving generously to people and animals in need and using my money as an unstoppable force for good in the world is an absolute necessity.

Fantasizing about spending countless hours writing self-help books in quaint coffee shops all over the world is totally reasonable.

Striving for a simple, slow, joyful life full of presence and gratitude is a must.

Keeping up with the Jones’s, comparing myself to others, and buying into the idea that “more is better” is an absolute “NO”.

And at the end of the day, knowing I did my best to be of service to others while staying true to myself is all that really matters.

Now, it’s your turn.

Schedule an hour long money date this week and use that time to write your money manifesto.

Use my example a a template…or create your own beautiful masterpiece!

Get specific about what you want to do…how you want to feel…and the kind of lifestyle you want your money to support.

Then come share your manifesto in the Date Your Money Facebook Support Group!