For my mother, 

who always reminds me of what's possible, 

and for my father,

who says nothing when I dream up the impossible.

Let's get one thing straight at the beginning, this journal doesn't have any special secrets. There aren't any formulas or special practices to create a new relationship. What there is, is work, that will change your relationship to money and your life in the process. As you work through the different pieces of this journal you’ll notice a lot of freedom to create whatever you wish. This is the design and intention of the journal: to give you absolute freedom in how you would like to design your life. For many people this might come naturally and for others this might be more challenging. The basic design is simply to read through the writing prompts each day and write your ideas and answers. 

Each day will also include an activity related to the writing prompt and will allow you to flex the muscle discussed that day. Between the questions and activities are lines as well as blank space to write or create anything. Whether it takes you 100 days or 100 weeks, the success of this journal will be based on how much you put into it. Each day you will have to make choices about yourself, the people in your life and your finances. Make choices that drive you to be bigger than you are, create things even you may not think possible, and include the people you had no idea would support you. 

There is an easy, medium and hard way to complete this journal. The level you choose will result in the rewards you gain at the end. For those looking for the easy route you will complete the journal as designed, you will gain insights, and design a future very similar to the one you currently have. Nothing is wrong with this and yet there is something to taking the road less traveled, the road you might fear, the road even you didn’t see yourself on. For those of you that choose medium, there will be areas you absolutely excel in, thrive on and enjoy. There will also be areas that are boring, make no difference and have you simply writing to get to the next page. Based on participating this way it can be asserted that this is exactly how your life is going right now. There are areas of sunshine and areas of gloom. Interrupt this and design a future worth living for. For those of you that choose hard you may pick up the journal and stop at the first day. This journal may take you a couple times to get started again, maybe even sit on the to-do list for a long time before you really dig in. 

Don’t look at this journal and its freedoms and choices as easy, medium or hard. Instead when you have the freedom to create for yourself, think about the one thing that would stretch you to the fullest, what you fear doing, what’s been on your mind, but you just haven’t taken the leap of faith on. Do that! 

When you have the freedom to include others, whether it be sharing, creating a community, or simply observing, the place to stand in is where do I feel the most uncomfortable, not a setting you are already familiar with. People will surprise you, in what they share when you are really listening. People will surprise you, in the resources and guidance they have and are willing to offer when they know you are being genuine. People will surprise you in supporting your ideas and goals, when they are truly included and trust the road you’ve chosen. 

Finally when it comes to your finances, money can help or hinder. It can control you or you can control it. When you have the freedom to make choices around your finances, always invest in yourself first as it will always pay the most dividends. See money as a tool you can use to create rather than as a medium to purchase items. Money is directly linked to the trust you have in yourself, the trust you have in others and the trust that others have in you. Grow yourself, the trust you have in yourself and others and your finances will follow. Let's begin . . .

Everything begins and ends with a vision, so this is where we will begin as well. Like everything else in this journal, we will focus on one thing at a time. Creating a 5 year vision over the next couple days, today we begin with the person you want to become. What will people say about you in 5 years? Who will you be known as?  Try writing this in the past tense, so from the perspective that this is who you already are, write below who you are in the world 5 years from now. Use the prompts to discover someone new in yourself.

• I am . . .
• I created . . .
• I have achieved . . .

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Activity

Keep what you’ve written in mind throughout your day. Thinking from the perspective that you are already this new person, ask: 

Would that person be doing what I’m doing today? Reflect on this below.

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