Discover the Money Story You’re Living – Your Path to Financial Freedom

(A Behavioural Psychology Deep Dive Into Your Financial Identity)

We all have a relationship with money. But here’s what most people don’t realize: that relationship isn’t really yours. It’s a story written long before you earned your first rupee, inherited from generations past, shaped by childhood moments you’ve probably forgotten, and reinforced by a society that rarely questions its own assumptions about wealth, worth, and success.

Right now, as you read this, you’re living out a money story. This money story dictates how much you think you deserve to earn, whether you feel anxious or confident when checking your bank balance, if you’re a chronic saver or an impulsive spender, and even how you feel about people who have more or less than you do. The fascinating and somewhat unsettling part? You probably don’t even know what your story is.

The Stories We Inherit

Your money story began before you could count. It started in the whispered conversations between your parents about bills, in the tension that filled the room when unexpected expenses arose, or perhaps in the ease with which money flowed through your childhood home. It was written in what was celebrated and what was criticized, what was considered “enough” and what was deemed excessive.

Did your parents argue about money? That’s a chapter. Did they speak about it openly or treat it like a shameful secret? Another chapter. Were you told that “money doesn’t grow on trees” or that “we can’t afford that”? Those became your plot points. Did you watch a parent work themselves to exhaustion, teaching you that money only comes through suffering? That’s your narrative arc.

Perhaps you were told as a child that “rich people are greedy” or “money is the root of all evil.” It’s possible that you internalized the ideas that “people like us don’t get wealthy” or “money changes people for the worse.” They were programming, not merely making observations. They turned into the unseen guidelines that you would subsequently use to manage your financial life, frequently ruining opportunities without realizing why.

Or maybe the opposite happened to your story. Perhaps you discovered that your value was determined by your income and your money story , that success and accumulation brought you love and approval, and that no matter how much you had, it was never enough. This story can be just as limiting as the one that demonizes wealth.

The Plot Twists You Don’t See Coming

What makes money story particularly insidious is how they operate beneath conscious awareness. You might think you’re making rational financial decisions, but you’re actually following a script written decades ago.

Think about the person who constantly makes just enough money to get by but never quite advances. Despite their hard work, creative ideas, and sincere desire for more, they consistently return to the same level of income. They are unaware that their unconscious money narrative has put a ceiling on their earning potential, either because it would be a betrayal of their working-class heritage or because it would make them resemble the wealthy individuals they were taught to despise.

Or consider the high earner who struggles to manage their finances, who constantly has an emergency that depletes their savings, and who ends up in debt despite earning six figures.

Then there’s the chronic underseller, the talented professional who charges a fraction of what they’re worth. They tell themselves they’re being fair or accessible, but beneath that rationalization is often a story that says “asking for money is greedy” or “my work isn’t really valuable” or “people won’t like me if I charge what I’m worth.”

The Cultural Narratives We Swim In

We are all enmeshed in broader cultural narratives about money that have a significant impact on our financial lives, even outside of family stories. Money has moral significance that extends beyond basic economics in many cultures, including this one in India.
There is the story of the selfless parent who sacrificed everything for the future of their kids. Even though this story is lovely in its devotion, it may cause the next generation to make financial decisions motivated by guilt people who feel they have to defend every purchase, who can never spend money on themselves without feeling ashamed, and who carry the burden of their parents’ sacrifices into every transaction.

In contrast to the ostentatious, materialistic person who has lost their way, there is the tale of the modest, humble person who doesn’t need much. It is challenging to desire more without feeling morally compromised in this narrative. It confuses ambition with greed and contentment with deprivation, trapping people in a false dichotomy.
We also have stories about gender and money: who should make money, who should handle household finances, what it means for women to be financially independent, and what it means for men to provide. Everyone is constrained by these narratives, which lead to relationship problems and anxiety when reality deviates from the inherited script.

And then there are the class narratives the stories about who deserves wealth and who doesn’t, about the moral superiority of struggling versus the corruption of success. These stories make social mobility psychologically treacherous, creating internal conflict for anyone who moves between economic classes.

The Price of Unconscious Stories

It is not free to live an unexamined money story. Even if you are unable to identify the source of the limitation, it manifests itself in concrete ways that restrict your life.
Because your financial narrative suggests that work should be painful rather than joyful, you may find yourself in a profession that doesn’t satisfy you. Because your story insists that financial security necessitates sacrificing happiness, even when there are alternatives, you might continue to work at that soul-crushing job.Your financial narrative may prevent you from making investments in your education, health, or experiences because it implies that doing so is self-centered. As a result, you gradually deteriorate and live a smaller life while convincing yourself that you are acting responsibly.
Your relationships could be ruined by it. You may put off important financial discussions with your partner until animosity grows or a crisis arises if your story indicates that discussing money is impolite or awkward. If your narrative associates love with spending, you may end up in debt as a result of attempting to demonstrate your love. If your narrative implies that being independent entails never needing anyone, you may turn down assistance that has the potential to transform your life.

Your money story might manifest as chronic anxiety, keeping you awake at night even when your finances are objectively stable. It might show up as shame that prevents you from asking for help when you need it. It might appear as envy that corrodes your relationships with people who have more.

Perhaps most tragically, your money story might keep you from pursuing your actual dreams. How many artists have you known who couldn’t make their art because their story said art doesn’t pay? How many entrepreneurs never started because their story said taking risks with money is irresponsible? How many people have lived their entire lives in quiet desperation, playing it safe, because their money story prioritized security over significance?

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Rewriting Your Story

The good news, the really life-changing news, is that you can change your financial narrative once you recognize it. You are not destined to follow predetermined roles dictated by the fears of your parents or the constraints of your culture. However, acknowledging what has already been written is a prerequisite for rewriting.
Become interested in your patterns first. When do you experience financial anxiety? When do you experience guilt? What do you always stay away from? Which financial habits do you still engage in even though you want to change them? These trends serve as stepping stones to your main financial narrative.

Consider these difficult questions: What did I learn about money when I was younger? What were the rules spoken and unspoken? When money was hard to come by, what happened? When someone spent money on themselves, what happened? Who received praise and criticism, and why? What financial beliefs did I unknowingly absorb?
Observe how you talk to yourself about money. Your money story is the voice that says things like “I can’t afford that,” “Who do you think you are?” or “Money doesn’t come easily to people like me.” And it may not be accurate. It could be a remnant of a different era, situation, or reality than the one you are currently living in. Consider what money means to you beyond its practical function. Is it security? Freedom? Power? Love? Status? Burden? The meaning you’ve assigned to money shapes every decision you make about it. And meanings can be changed.

Writing a New Chapter

You don’t have to give up all of your principles or change who you are in order to rewrite your financial narrative. It entails deliberately deciding which beliefs help you and which ones hinder you. It entails realizing that you don’t have to be miserable in order to honor your parents’ sacrifices. You don’t have to be broke to be giving. You don’t have to be greedy to be ambitious. You don’t have to be unappreciative of what you have in order to desire more.
The strongest financial narratives are those that emphasize agency over scarcity, abundance over zero-sum thinking, and worth over unworthiness. They understand that money is not a measure of a human life, but rather a tool important, useful, and necessary. They understand that, like physical health, financial well-being necessitates care and attention but not ongoing worry.

Your new story might say: “I can earn well doing work that matters to me.” “I deserve to be compensated for my value.” “I can be both responsible and generous.” “Financial success doesn’t require sacrificing my integrity or my relationships.” “It’s safe to have money.” “I can trust myself to manage wealth wisely.”

These aren’t just affirmations they’re new narratives that, when truly internalized and acted upon, reshape your financial reality.

The Freedom in Awareness

The most significant change occurs when you acknowledge that your financial narrative is just that a narrative. It’s untrue. It’s not fate. You are not that person. It’s just a story you’ve been living, frequently without realizing it, that has influenced your financial situation.
Certain stories have served you in the past but no longer. Your parents’ frugal lifestyle may be preventing you from taking advantage of opportunities. You may be stuck because of the same risk-aversion that kept your family safe. Your adult reality may no longer align with the beliefs that helped you make sense of your childhood circumstances.

You have the power to keep what serves you and release what doesn’t. You can honor where you came from without being imprisoned by it. You can write a new story one that acknowledges your history but isn’t limited by it, one that serves your actual values and aspirations rather than inherited fears and limitations.

Your Story Starts Now

Your financial life has been steered by the financial narrative you are unaware of. It has an impact on your income, savings, spending, investments, and self-perception. Your relationships, career choices, and stress levels have all been impacted.
However, awareness transforms everything. You can challenge the story once you’ve seen it. You can alter it once you start to doubt it.
What is your financial story, then? Spend some time investigating it. Put it in writing. Take a close look at it. Take note of its origin and current direction. Next, consider whether you want to continue living this story. Or should a new one be written?

The pen is in your hand. The next chapter is yours to write.

Your relationship with money will follow the story you tell yourself about it. Make sure it’s a story worth living.

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