The Biggest Misunderstanding About Money

For most of my life, I misunderstood money. 

And I wasn’t alone. 

Entrepreneurs, friends, family; so many of us have been taught to fear money, chase money, worship it, or pretend it doesn’t matter. But what I’ve come to realize is this: money is none of those things. Money is a remedy.

Let me explain.

Years ago, I had what most people would call financial success. I built and sold companies. I made “enough” money. And then, I lost it all. I lost a fortune. And with it, I nearly lost myself.

The stress, shame, and confusion that came from that season weren’t just about dollars and cents. It was about what money meant to me and how I had misused it as a stand-in for safety, for pride, for control. I didn’t need more money. I needed to change my relationship with it.

That’s why I wrote The Money Habit.

I didn’t write it to help people get rich. 

I wrote it to help people get rooted.

Because money, when used with intention, doesn’t just fill a bank account, it clears your mind, repairs your relationships, and restores your sense of agency. It’s a practical tool, yes. But it’s also a psychological unlock. When we understand how money works, and more importantly, how we work in relation to it, everything starts to shift.

What money is (and isn’t)

Let’s clear this up right now: money is not the goal. Money is not your identity. And money is definitely not good or evil.

Money is a tool. A resource. A reflection of what matters to you.

When people say things like “money is the root of all evil,” they’re usually repeating something they heard, not something they’ve lived. Because the truth is, money is neutral. It becomes good or bad depending on what we do with it and why we’re doing it.

That’s the heart of The Money Habit: understanding your habits, your behaviors, your inner story around money. You can’t build lasting wealth until you repair your personal relationship with it. And for a lot of us, that relationship is full of guilt, fear, or avoidance.

The money psychology that holds us back

You ever notice how some people can earn a boatload of money and still feel broke?

It’s not because they need to make more. It’s because their mindset is rooted in scarcity. They don’t feel safe. Or worthy. Or in control. So they spend reactively. Or hoard obsessively. Or avoid their finances completely.

This is why budgeting alone doesn’t fix your money problems.

You have to go deeper. You have to ask:
– What stories did I inherit about money?
– Do I feel guilty when I make more than my parents did?
– Do I spend to feel better?
– Do I avoid money because it feels overwhelming or shameful?

When you start to unravel these stories, you create space for change. You free yourself to make decisions that actually serve you, rather than ones that keep you stuck in the same cycle.

If you’ve ever lain awake at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering how you’re going to make payroll, pay your rent, or just stop the spinning thoughts—you’re not alone. And you’re exactly who this book is for.

The Money Habit is for entrepreneurs who want peace, not just profit. It’s for the side hustlers who are tired of feeling like they’re always behind. It’s for the everyday person who’s never felt “good” with money but is ready to finally feel at home in their finances.

It’s for people like me. People who got it wrong, learned from it, and now want something better. Not just for themselves, but for their families, teams, and communities.

A simple step to start this journey

Let me leave you with something practical, because that’s what I do.

Write down your top three financial stressors. Now look at them, and ask yourself: Which one, if resolved, would most improve my health, my sleep, or my relationships?

That’s your priority. That’s your signal. That’s the pain point that money can help soothe.

Once you’ve identified it, create a separate bank account just for that purpose. Call it what it is: Peace. Healing. Freedom. Whatever motivates you.

Then, funnel money into that account bit by bit, automatically if you can. This is how you start using money with intention. This is how you reclaim your power.

Final thought

There’s a quote by Robert Kiyosaki that I love:
“Money is not the goal. Money has no value. The value comes from the dreams money helps achieve.”

I couldn’t agree more. Money doesn’t define you, but it can empower you. And once you understand that, once you see money as the remedy for unmet needs and unseen wounds, everything changes.

Entrepreneurs are often the first to sacrifice everything for the sake of their business. But we don’t have to live in burnout or scarcity. We can choose something different.

This is your wake-up call. Money doesn’t have to control us. It can support us. It can restore us. It can free us.

And that’s the kind of habit worth building.

-Mike

 

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