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In a society where nearly everything has come to be monetized and where some may hear “time is money” more often than “I love you”, learning of and transforming how stories govern our lives can have powerful effects.
Stories drive our behavior, whether consciously or unconsciously. What stories operate in your life? What stories about money have you adopted or rejected? Do these sound familiar: “You can’t depend on anyone”, “I’m a self-made man/woman”, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”, “Penny wise, pound foolish”, etc. As financial coaches we walk with others to explore how such stories shape realities and touch every other area of life.
Our professional experience also, and invariably, leads to questions about wealth. What is wealth? What is real wealth? How does financial wealth relate to real wealth? As our clients explore what wealth is and why it is important to them it is natural to confront motivations, often illuminating values like security, stability, or even freedom. How do these values relate to our stories? How do they contribute to our successes or failures in achieving what we want in life?
These questions apply individually, but certainly also to communities. Do the stories we learn contribute to healthy communities? Or do they tend to individuals living isolated lives lacking in security or stability?