This week, two couples called me about their marriage, their money and their misery. Each couple faces self-humiliating emotions that distort their marriage, their money, and their self-fulfilling misery. What makes me say, “self-fulfilling misery”? Well most of us might agree that the burdens we experience are somewhat self-imposed. For the oddest of reasons what we don’t want to happen becomes what we want. We live upside-down when distracted by money.

How come they ask for help? Because they want someone to help them find a way to keep what they have without losing what they want. Is it possible? Of course! Every economic cycle offers an opportunity.

The goal of planning is not to disappoint, but to find, create, and inspire options. What will bring harmony to our lives, to our home, to our bank account?

No one should have to abandon dreams to live. We do not need to step down; we need to step up. Marriage delights husband and wife when money flows and misery ebbs. Spreadsheets tell us where the money goes now; imagination inspires money flow for our next-steps.

All seems like pie-in-the-sky. We can change what we choose. The world is not against us; the earth is made for us. Financial planning may mean a temporary adjustment, not a permanent disappointment. Hopeful energy instigates change, growth, and harmony, and this is what financial planning ought to achieve. A financial planners goal includes challenging a couple’s imagination, purpose, intention, and happiness.

Everything is all about money, but what could you do differently to bring a happy flow of cash to your lives? The answer keeps away the “misery” while bringing passion to a marriage and money to a bank account.

Want some assurance that this truth deserves your attention? Read “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles.