Let’s talk about another kind of relationship right now: what is your relationship with money?

This should be one of your best and most well managed relationships.

What is your relationship with money?

Let me share with you what my relationship with money used to be. Growing up in my household, money was doled out when we were being good. You went to Grandma Frankie’s house, and if you were a good grandson, you’d leave with a couple of hundred bucks for a pair of new sneakers.

If you weren’t a good grandson (or granddaughter) you wouldn’t leave with anything. And the whole time, she would sit there and make sly remarks about what a bad grandchild you were.

My dad couldn’t show love in any way. But when my dad and I were not talking, he was great at paying my car insurance bill. He tried to use his money to show me his love.

My mother has pissed away money four times. My brother and I are basically supporting her now. That shows you my mother’s relationship with money. I don’t mind taking care of my mom. I love her, but she has a bad relationship with money.

Most of my adult life I also had a bad relationship with money. I thought about it too much, I wanted it too much at times, and I hated spending it. Chalk it up to my Jewish upbringing. Chalk it up to my Grandmother, who taught us that we should save every dime and only buy things on sale. I would feel guilty if I bought something that I had wanted. I felt guilty if I stayed at a nicer hotel.

My relationship with money over the last four years has been phenomenal. These days, all I think of is abundance. I don’t let money control my life, and I won’t let the power of money suck me in.

There are always going to be people that are richer than you and there will always be people that are poorer, but your own personal relationship with money is very important.

As I wrote in a blog a while back, the definition of being rich is having enough money and enough love in your life that you are able to do anything you want without feeling the stress and pressure of life.

Think about that. That definition of being rich is very different for every person who reads this.

You have to have a healthy relationship with money. If you don’t, the next time you have a relationship with another person, your unhealthy relationship with money is going to make an appearance. The two reasons why most couples break up is sex and money.

Many times guys will come to me and want to do a bootcamp, but they will use the money as an excuse. It’s not the money that’s really the issue; you can come up with the money to do anything. It’s really the relationship that you have with money that is the issue.

You hold on to every penny because you fear that it will be your last. And if you’re grasping on to every last penny, the universe is not going to reward you with more money.

You have to create abundance in your life. Whether you make $30,000 per year or $4 million, you cannot be cheap with the person that matters the most: you.

Of course, don’t go out and buy that new car if you can’t afford it today. But if it’s something that you’ve wanted to do for a while, and you’ve made the excuse that money is what is keeping you from it, believe in yourself and do it. The money will show up as long as you work hard and believe in who you are.

If you’ve been holding off taking one of my bootcamps or you’ve been holding off buying a new pair of jeans – do it! The way you feel and the way you act after an experience is what is going to attract more positive things in your life – including more money.

Life is about energy. If you walk around holding onto every nickel, it will soon become your last nickel.

How do I know this? Because in 1997, I lost every penny I made due to my fucked up relationship with money. I lost three businesses.

It took me a long time to fully understand what a healthy relationship with money looked like.

Be healthy! Spoil yourself! And go watch the movie Defending Your Life with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep – one of my all-time favorites. For those of you that have listened to the Mastery Series, I talk about that movie at length. It’s a movie about having a healthy relationship with yourself.

Money is about experiencing things. Eventually, we all die. In general, he who dies with the most money in the bank is the one who experienced the least amount of love and happiness.

Of course, there are some very rich people out there (like Bill Gates) who travel the world and experience things. But many rich people are just saving for that rainy day.

Unfortunately, if you live in Southern California or not, that rainy day may never come!

Get healthy with your relationship with money and you will start to see some amazing things attracted into your life!