It seems that just about everyone has some kind of issues with money. Many people would say that their only issue with money is not having enough of it, and yet there are many examples of people who create ample streams of income and can't hold on to any of it. A famous speaker and trainer once told me that the first year he made over $1 million it was all gone by the end of the year and he didn't know what happened to it.

Why does money consume our attention for so much of our life? It's because we haven't mastered it; money has mastered us! The sad part is that we will never learn to master money if we operate under the illusion that more money will solve the problem. What we don't realize is that if you can't manage a little, you can't manage a lot! No matter how much you get, it flows through your fingers like water until you change your relationship with it.

What really governs our relationship with money? Not logic, not understanding, nothing rational. Our relationship with money is emotional, and it's run by our subconscious mind. Our money programming comes from our family history and from the world around us. We learn as little kids that money is scarce - "We can't afford it." Rich people are "greedy and snotty." We're told that we "have to work hard for our money" because "money doesn't grow on trees." Most people go to their graves never learning that none of those old sayings have to be true. So be aware that when you set out to master money, you may have some deep pockets of resistance in your mind to reprogram.

Most of us create more than enough income to become financially free if we managed what we earned properly. I believe that almost anyone could be financially free by age 50 or earlier if they had a plan to do that when they entered the work force. The secret is to develop a system to manage money, and then FOLLOW IT. Simple, but not easy. It's not easy because it requires us to develop new habits, to exercise discipline, to practice self-restraint and delayed gratification. How popular is that?

I like the system described in the classic book, "The Richest Man in Babylon." In it, a simple plan of paying yourself first, living within your means, investing your savings and continuously improving your skills is presented. Anyone who follows that process will master money. This kind of system has been updated and systematized even further by T. Harv Eker, who created a specific money management system to track all income and expenditures, coupled with a plan to build passive income and create financial freedom. It's simple, it's effective and you can start right now at any income level.

So why don't we all do something like this? Part of the reason is that we weren't taught to manage money, and no one modeled it for us. What we usually saw modeled for us was some form of struggle with money. So that's all we know. The other reason is that it's just a lot more fun to spend it all! Eventually, of course, the party's over. So why don't you decide to change now? If mastering money is something you need to do, get going on it. Study "The Richest Man in Babylon" and Harv Eker's book, "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind." Start your system of managing money. Simplify your life. Eker puts it this way, "If you do now what other people won't do, eventually you will be able to do what they can't do!" That's what financial freedom means.

You'll need to insert some new beliefs into your subconscious mind. Teach it that you do live in an affluent, abundant universe. There's no shortage of ideas, opportunities, resources or money for anyone. Begin to see yourself as an excellent money manager. Create a vision of what financial freedom might look like for you. Burn these ideas into your mind and watch your relationship with money change. Take charge and master money. You'll be very glad you did.