My Money Story

Nobody arrives at adulthood with a neutral relationship to money. You inherited a story - from how money was talked about (or wasn't) at home, from years of trying hard without a name for why it was hard. You didn't choose the story. But you can read it, and decide what to keep.

A slow, private one: No scores, no right answers. This is just space to notice where your money feelings came from, at your own pace.

The messages I absorbed

What money felt like growing up, and the lines that stuck ('we can't afford that,' 'money is stress,' 'don't talk about it'):

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

The late-recognition layer

Years of money struggle before you had the explanation often leave a self-blame residue.

What not knowing cost me - and what I can hand back to the wiring, not my character:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

My money scripts

Check the patterns that run in the background.

• [ ] Money is always about to run out
• [ ] Spending soothes
• [ ] I don't deserve nice things
• [ ] Looking at it makes it worse
• [ ] If I ignore it, it's not real

The script that runs me most:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

A memory, re-read

One money memory that looks different through an accurate, kinder lens:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

The story I'm choosing now

The belief about money I want to carry forward:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

You get to revise the story: The story you inherited isn't a life sentence - it's a first draft written by other people. You're allowed to keep what's true and rewrite the rest.

Go deeper

Ready for more? These lessons pick up where this worksheet leaves off.

• Money, from The Neurodiverse Couples Repair Program. The money session for a neurodiverse couple: two money brains, where each came from, what each protects, and one system with room for both.
• Self-Esteem, Identity, and Late Diagnosis, from The Neurodivergent Brain. Why misunderstanding erodes neurodivergent self-worth, what late diagnosis really feels like, and how to reauthor your story.