I am thinking a lot about foundations- literally. I am in the process of building a second home that I will rent out. (I’ll write future posts on alternative ways to think about retirement, income streams and going “work optional”. Once you are in command of your money, there are many ways to do it.)

I had underestimated the importance of the foundation part of the project. But not anymore. My back lot is a sea of mud, there is an excavator parked in the middle, and concrete forms are rising up out of the earth. Water and sewer pipes are being trenched in. (Is that a verb?) The picture is complete with a honey bucket in my front yard.  Wow.

As I gaze upon my queendom, I realize that this foundation will stand strong for my entire life, regardless of whether the house that appears on top is remodeled and changed over the years.

I sat with a client recently, coaching her on how to manipulate her annual income and spending plan to give her more of what she wants- more time, more savings, less debt. But she was able to engage at this high level because she had worked hard on her foundation. She had spent several months with me learning how to be in touch with her money– track it,  use savings to manage her cash flow (instead of debt) and work at the monthly planning level. She had also fully engaged in exploring her emotions around money. And while the initial stages were a bit messy, like my back lot, her foundation is now very strong.

So it goes without saying that a healthy foundation is key to building the house- and life – you want. But in money, we often want to rush to the “sexy” stuff. So we build a gorgeous room on dirt or sand, and then it eventually sinks and falls apart. We want to move to investing, or focus on making large pots of money from big projects etc. But without a strong foundation, these things will simply not give us lasting impact. A year later, we often find ourselves in the same place. (Stressed out and anxious about money.)

The cornerstone to the foundation for a healthy relationship with money is tracking the flow of it. If you can track the flow of money in and out of your life, then you become in charge of that flow. You can direct the flow, like a conductor leading an orchestra. And once you learn how to direct the flow, pure magic can happen. (It’s also easier to increase the flow once you are in control of it. Trust me.) You become the conscious creator of your life- your own life architect.

From strong foundations, pure magic can arise and you can build the house of your dreams.

(But oh man– I can’t wait for the honey bucket to get carted away.)