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Introduction: From Pain to Pleasure

I still remember the pants.

They were too tight. Too short. They belonged to a boy whose family my mother worked for. I was just a kid — maybe seven or eight — and I was already learning what it meant to feel less than. My dad was trying to wrestle me into those pants, probably doing the best he could with what we had. But I didn’t care about his intention. All I knew was that they didn’t fit — not just physically, but emotionally. They told me I was secondhand. Not enough. That other people had options, and I had whatever was left.

That moment stuck with me for years. It was about way more than pants.

It was about shame.

It was about lack.

And eventually, it was about rebellion — the kind that makes you spend more than you have just to prove to yourself (and the world) that you’ve made it.

This Isn’t Just Another Money Book

I didn’t write SMART Money Makeover to help you clip coupons, deprive yourself into submission, or hustle your way into burnout. I wrote this book because I’ve lived both sides of the financial spectrum — the pain of not having enough and the pleasure of creating more than I ever thought possible.

But the most powerful transformations I’ve seen — in my own life and in the lives of my clients — don’t come from just budgeting better or earning more.

They come from finally understanding why you relate to money the way you do.
They come from shifting your identity, not just your spending.
They come from rewriting the invisible story you’ve been living out every time you swipe a card or avoid checking your bank account.

That’s what this book is about.

Who this book is for

This book is for very person who knows they can do more, be more and have more.
It’s also for everyone who is finally sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Lastly, it’s for anyone who is tired of blaming everything and everyone around them for their situation and is ready to start taking charge of their own lives and their own money.

Who this book is NOT for

This book is not for someone looking for a quick fix.
It’s also not for anyone looking to get rich without putting real work in, especially on themselves.
Finally, this book is NOT for anyone who can’t put their big pants on and take personal responsibility for their own mess.

What “Pain to Pleasure” Really Means

Pain is overdraft fees, late-night anxiety, arguments about money, and that sinking feeling when payday hits but it still isn’t enough.  I know each of those pains and then some.

Pleasure is peace.
It’s options.
It’s knowing you can handle what life throws at you, not because you’re lucky, but because you’ve built a system that works.  It took me a lot of trial and error to figure that out.
It’s buying what you want without guilt — not because you’re being reckless, but because you planned for it.  That part took some real internal rewiring.
It’s being generous — not because you feel obligated, but because you can.

Financial pleasure is possible, and it starts with a makeover — not just of your money, but of your mindset.

What You’ll Learn in This Book

In the chapters ahead, I’m going to walk you through a system I developed after years of coaching people just like you — entrepreneurs, business owners, side-hustlers, professionals and everyday people who are great at making money but secretly struggle to manage it.

It’s called the SMART Money System, and it’s built on five unchanging core principles:

• S – Self-Knowledge: Understanding your relationship with money and your money personality.
• M – Monetary Awareness: Knowing your numbers — income, expenses, net worth, and cash flow.
• A – Allocated Spending: Creating an intentional spending plan that reflects your values.
• R – Ready Cash: Building the right savings for emergencies, seasons, and long-term goals.
• T – Targeted Credit Use: Using credit strategically — never impulsively.  And blasting away at debt that was accumulated unwisely.

These aren’t just financial tactics. They’re mindset shifts. Behavior resets. And ultimately, they’re the blueprint for taking control of your money — and your life.

Please do the exercises where indicated.  They are not just busy work.  They are a critical part of remaking your mindset and your life.

Also, please follow the chapters in order and read the accompanying short-story.

Speaking of…  I’ve also included something different, an extra treat for you:  A very true-to-life short story chronicling the journeys of two people who may or may not seem familiar to you.  You will come to know them both, Robert and Kia, in short installments showing each stage of their transformation at the end of each chapter.  You can choose to read it, or not.  You will still be able to follow the principles in this book regardless. 

But, I guarantee you that should you choose to read their stories, they will touch a place in you that will make your own financial journey hit a bit differently.  You will find that you identify in some way with either, or both, of these brave souls who are struggling to overcome their own shortcomings.  Shortcomings that are common to so many of us.  And it may just give you that little extra push and hope you need to take the actions you must take in order to finally transform your money experience from one of pain to that of pleasure…

And here are two samples from the Robert & Kia fictional short story…

CHAPTER 1 BONUS STORY: From Pain to Pleasure

ROBERT
Robert sat on the edge of his mattress, scrolling through his bank app with a sinking feeling in his gut.

$92.16. That’s all he had left — and rent was due in four days.

His phone buzzed.
A group text from his boys:

“Vegas next month. Let’s run it back. YOLO.”

He sighed. That used to be him — bottle service, new Jordans, never missing a trip.
Now? He could barely afford gas.

He threw the phone on the bed and opened the mail.
Credit card past due. Utilities threatening to shut off.
And the worst part? He made decent money. But somehow, it never stuck.

He blamed the divorce. He blamed the economy.
He even blamed his ex for the car note he co-signed on.

“I just need to hustle harder,” he muttered.

Maybe one of those finance YouTubers had the secret.
Or maybe he could flip sneakers again.
Or maybe, just maybe, one more loan would buy him time to figure it all out.

He lit a cigarette, looked around the cluttered room, and made a silent promise:

“I’m gonna fix this. On my own.”

KIA
Kia stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Eyes puffy. Hair wrapped. Shirt from a clearance rack she couldn’t afford when she bought it. Divorce papers on the kitchen counter, still unsigned.

She was tired — not just physically, but soul-tired.
The kind that comes from pretending you’re okay when you’re anything but.

Rent was late. Again.
The daycare lady gave her a “gentle reminder” that she couldn’t keep watching her daughter if she didn’t catch up.

She opened her laptop to apply for another “urgent cash” loan and paused.
There, in the corner of her browser, was a tab she forgot she’d left open:

“SMART Money Makeover – A Step-by-Step Guide to Moving Your Money From Pain to Pleasure.”

She clicked.
Scrolled.
Read the description again.

“From pain to pleasure.”
“Your story isn’t over.”
“You don’t need perfect credit. You just need a decision.”

She sat still for a moment.
Then opened her notebook and wrote:

This ends here.

Not just the bills.
The shame.
The silence.
The sinking feeling that she’d never get ahead.

Kia didn’t know how long it would take.
She didn’t know where she’d find the money.

But she knew one thing:

She was done surviving. It was time to rebuild…

 

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