“The stories we tell about ourselves define us.”

— Robert Killen, Building Credit Friendly Habits

Time is money. But equally, money is time. And if we don’t control our finances, they will control our time.

In today’s world, unless we face our money head-on, it is easy to become distracted and depressed by our financial situation. It can become an albatross on our necks, living our every moment, creating the illusion that all of our time needs to be devoted to serving the green god. Money also can be the 800-pound gorilla in the room, always avoided, never talked about, but at the heart of every decision. Our finances can consume our time if we allow it.

But it does not have to be this way. Every penny need not be rationalized, every nickel need not to be ignored. Robert Killen has written an economical, elegant, yet effective book that can help us start to free our time by rewriting our financial story, Building Credit Friendly Habits: 10 Keys to Better Credit Scores and Financial Empowerment.*

A banker by training and profession, Robert knows his way around money. He’s helped hundreds (thousands?) of people turn around financial failings and credit problems. But that doesn’t mean that Robert writes in incomprehensible, financial jargon. His book is a recipe for the layman’s bread, but leavened with learning. It’s ten keys to financial empowerment, but it’s more than just a list. It is a story.

Each chapter is illustrated with a personal anecdote, highlighting simple financial mistakes made by smart people, average people, and Robert himself. The book is also about the story that our credit score tells, and how, through a little diligence, we can start to tell a different story. To the bank. And to ourselves.

The stories we tell ourselves define us. From the book,

“Life happens. We create the meaning.”

“A bad investment doesn’t make us ignorant, it makes us better educated, preparing us for the next opportunity.”

“Re-envision your financial self. Choose a new identity and build new, reaffirming stories to replace those that seep out of your subconscious.”

This speaks to the heart of our financial problems. We tell ourselves we’re poor, and we become poor. We tell ourselves that we can’t manage our money, and we can’t. We tell ourselves that we are not employable, and we then wonder why we do poorly on interviews.

Couple good stories with sound, practical advice – each of the ten keys in the book has at least three, easy practical tips, to turn things around – and you’ve just found the foolscap needed to start rewriting your financial story. This time with a happy ending.

I’d encourage you to invest a bit of time with Robert’s book. Then, once you’ve faced down some of the monetary demons in your life, try implementing a few simple actions to get your credit under control. At that point, I suspect you will find yourself with more free time.

Time you might want to give away.

Yesterday’s gifts of time … Tired mommy + mounds of dirty dishes + a once-again broken dishwasher = dishes for daddy. It was a happy story, believe it or not.

*(Full Disclosure – Robert is a friend of mine and an excellent speaker. My endorsement is genuine based on my belief that his book will help you. It has already helped me. –  As an example, I have already implemented one of his specific suggestions; pay the nominal fees and get my credit scores. – The book is $3.99 on Amazon.).