Are you on friendly terms with your money? Just like with real friends, you want to know who you’re dealing with because you wouldn’t call a complete stranger “a good friend of mine,” would you? You reserve that phrase for those you know, like, respect, and trust. In this blog, I’m going to share how to have more money left at the end of the month.

To become friends, you need to understand each other, and to understand each other, you need to get to know each other first. This means you need to hang out with your money. You want to know where your money is and how it flows. The first step is to make all your expenses visible. Do you want to know how to do that? “How to become friends with your Money” explains it all.

I assume that by now, you and your money are thick as thieves. You may not approve of everything it does or where it goes, but at least you understand your own spending patterns. Now it’s time to reflect on whether you want to put your money to work for different purposes. Do you want to have more at the end of the month? Invest in your future? Own that dream house in Ibiza? Embark on a world tour? Maybe you’re thinking of having kids and worried about the expenses. Whatever it is, it’s different for everyone. That’s why you first need to figure out your deepest desires if you had all the money in the world.

Enter… my favorite money exercise

We’ll do this by practicing an exercise inspired by Marie Forleo, an American life coach, speaker, and author. She even has her own YouTube channel with 721,000 subscribers, owns Marie Forleo International and B-school, and hosts a podcast with millions of downloads. This girl knows what she’s talking about.

You should do this exercise for seven consecutive days, spending 15 minutes each day using only pen and paper—no laptops or iPhones, just pen and paper.

Start the sentence with “If I had all the money in the world, I would…” and then keep writing until you fill an entire page. Repeat the sentence “If I had all the money in the world, I would…” as many times as you like and keep writing. Don’t correct yourself, don’t worry about grammar, and don’t read anything back. Everything is perfect as it is. When you’ve filled the page, you’re done for the day. Repeat this exercise every day for the next six days.

On the seventh day, read everything for the first time and circle the most repeated thing. Take a new piece of paper and write “My Deepest Desires” at the top. Below, write the sentence “If I had all the money in the world, I would…” and fill in your most repeated subject. Write “Because…” after it and complete the sentence. Then write, “Now that I know this, I feel…” and describe your emotion. Next, complete the following sentences: “The reason I believe I didn’t know my deepest desires earlier is…” “Honestly, what I didn’t want to do to make my deepest desires come true is…” “What I’m going to do now to turn my deepest desires into reality is…”

Sir, yes, sir!

Ta-da! You’re done. Seven days, 15 minutes a day of your life, and you’ve suddenly become much wiser. Of course, you’re not there yet, but you’re already several steps ahead of where you were a week ago. Now that you know where your money is flowing and where you want it to flow, it’s time to develop a strategy to turn your desires into reality. Put on your helmet because it’s time to unleash the general within. To learn how to do this, read my blog “UNLOCKING A WEALTHY LIFE: THE PLAY, SPEND, GROW, AND GIVE STRATEGY!“

This engaging blog will not only help you understand your finances but also motivate you to take charge and achieve your financial goals.