Ok, so I have to be honest…I like Miley Cyrus. Well, I liked her rather. When my girls were younger, they loved Hannah Montana and everything related to her. When I got the thought of how Miley Cyrus is like our personal finances, Samantha thought I was crazy and said “there’s no way you can connect Miley Cyrus and personal finance.” The gauntlet was thrown ladies and gentlemen, so here it is… 4 Things Miley Cyrus and Your Finances Have In Common.
- Innocence – Well, in the beginning anyway… When Miley Cyrus started her career, instead of being in the shadow of her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, she created the Hannah Montana persona in order to be different. It was innocent. As a great singer, she connected with the younger generation. We do the same thing with our personal finances. Everything seems innocent on the outside as we begin in our financial lives, but for many of us, we’re hiding behind the wig of our own reality. Though everything seems fine on the outside, on the inside we struggle with our money and how we deal with it. We try to ignore the fact that if we don’t address issues when they come up, they will only get bigger and bigger until one day you find yourself twerking on stage with a guy dressed up in what looks like a prison outfit. Ok…so maybe not that, but you get the point. You have to address what’s going on or the innocence will be lost forever.
- They can both be confusing – It is Miley Cyrus after all. Her transition throughout the years has baffled me. I’m not sure who came up with the idea of dancing on stage in what looks like your underwear, with very poorly done pigtails, sticking your tongue out and holding a foam finger. As my youngest daughter would say, “Dad, that’s a little cra-cra.” I think that our finances often go the “cra-cra” route as well. The problem is that there really isn’t someone teaching us successful personal finance. Years ago I heard someone say “proper planning prevents poor performance.” Most of the confusion in our finances I have found comes from the fact that most people have spent more time watching Miley Cyrus’ issues than we have planning our finances. It turns from needing a small tweak into the “Holy cow! I have no idea what happened…” By sitting down and planning for how your money will be made and spent, you will find much more long-term success.
- They suffer from identity crises – Poor Miley… Hannah Montana to Miley Cyrus whose real name was Destiny Hope Cyrus, but used Hannah Montana better because she identified with it better and, then decided to legally change her name to Miley, only to keep using Hannah Montana until she disappeared. I think I’m suffering from an identity crisis just thinking about all of that! Are your personal finances somewhat the same way? We hear of people keeping up with the Joneses, only to figure it out and go on a crash spending diet which doesn’t work for them. They then will try to loosen up a little and relax only to take it too far and end up right back at or close to the Joneses. I’ve never met the Joneses, but when I do, I think I’m going to punch them in the mouth… We end up in a life of circles. We make a mistake only to correct it and then get right back onto other mistakes. I meet with people all the time who say “David, I’ve been going through this for years and don’t know how to break the cycle.” In order to get different results, you have to take different actions.
- Reconciliation is required – Even though the current result of Miley Cyrus is not what I would picture for my daughter, she has done some reconciliation in her life. There is no more Destiny Hope Cyrus. There is no more Hannah Montana. There is now only Miley Cyrus. She has reconciled her life down to be a little more simple in her identity and what people expect of her. We must do the same with our finances. For most of us, we’re living a life that’s way too complicated. On top of that we have so many gurus that tell us we must budget and then proceed to give us 1,100 items on a budget sheet. It’s no wonder why people don’t stick to it. It’s too hard and it can complicate our lives more than it can simplify it. I’m of the mind that a life simpler is a life more enjoyable. We just need someone to hold us accountable to getting this done. When we can stop focusing on spending money on those things that don’t really make us happy and focus on the relationships that can make us happy, we will live a simpler and better financial life. We just have to have that help and guidance to reconcile things down and make them simpler.
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