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A Review of Build Your Money Muscles by Joan Sotkin
By JLP | April 2, 2006
It has been a while since I have posted a book review. Well, today I took my boys to a skate park and had a couple of hours to read. So, I finished up Build Your Money Muscles
“By envisioning money as a being with whom you will have lifelong interactions, you will understand the value of learning to love, respect, care for, and appreciate money and its place in your life.”
I’m not a “new agey” kind of guy. So, it had a huge hurdle to overcome with me.
For the most part, I have always operated under the belief that when people don’t have money, it is because:
1. They aren’t earning enough
2. They spend more than they earn
3. A combination of 1 and 2, or
4. They don’t know how to manage and invest their money
To me, it has always been that simple. If you want more money, you have to SAVE more money or put yourself into position to SAVE more money. It’s more a matter of self-discipline than analyzing what event or events took place in your past that formed you into the person you currently are.
That’s not to say that there aren’t useful and interesting ideas in the book. Her advice for setting goals is right on and she has a great resource section at the end of the book. But, the programming of my subconscious mind by using a power word is a little much for me.
I don’t think this is necessarily a bad book. Let’s just say that it isn’t my style. I’m sure there are people who would be well-served by reading this book. In fact, her book has a perfect review score on Amazon (5 reviews
For more information, feel free to visit ProsperityPlace.com, which is Joan’s home on the web.
Topics: Books | 1 Comment »
May 31st, 2006 at 10:36 am
I’m not a “new agey” guy either. In my life, I’ve made a lot of money, invested in the market (and lost a lot), and done the other things that you indicate as the “simple” financial process.
However, I always seemed to have “issues” around money. What Sotkin’s book led me to was the relationship with money engrained by my parents who were depression children. No matter how much I had, how much I saved or invested that would mean comfort for the average person, I was always filled with angst when it came to dealing with money.
I needed to change my relationship, not with financial procedures that are part of every program, but a more fundamental, psychological relationship with money that I was totally unaware of but subconsciously knew existed. Sotkin’s book BUILD YOUR MONEY MUSCLES helped me discover that barrier that had created discomfort with money and affected my attitude and handling of it throughout my life.
I’m happy that you have never had to deal with these issues. You must have received good modeling when younger, but many, even most haven’t. I recommend Sotkin’s book to anyone that doesn’t feel completely comfortable in the world of money and finances. They may discover why money is such an issue for so many.
I would also recommend it to those who handle other people’s money to help them understand the angst they experience from clients. That mysterious relationship discovered in Sotkin’s book is probably the reason it has such a high rating on Amazon.