Forget The Secret and like principles for the time being – the sad fact is that The Secret's principles won't work for you if your belief system is working against them. The way we treat money is rooted in the values, thoughts and beliefs that we have about it. When I embarked on my personal journey of why it was I never seemed to have any money, let alone enough, I had to start at the very beginning – and I would suggest, very strongly, that it is a good place to start for you, too. Where is the beginning? In the family home.

So, before reading on, grab a pen(cil) and sheet of paper. Give yourself just 2 minutes to jot down anything you learnt from your parents about money. This is called a 'speed writing' exercise - a very effective way of accessing the subconscious and forgotten memories.

The only rule to this exercise is simply: don't worry about what you write, or what you think you 'should' write, after all, you only have one hundred and twenty seconds! As a guide, you may write a list of words … or you may have jotted down phrases … or you may be prompted to recall situations regarding money, in which case you may write short sentences. However, because of the short length of time you have in which to do this exercise, you will probably find you concentrate on words and short phrases. All you really need to know is this: the key to this short exercise is not to think about what you write. Just write whatever comes to mind … for a whole two minutes.

Ah, you're back. How did it go? I'm sure you've read your list through. Did you find your eyebrows lift themselves at least once? And how many items were a surprise?

Let me share my experience of this exercise: I realized my mother was the greatest influence on my acquired beliefs about money. She used phrases like 'filthy lucre', 'money doesn't grow on trees', and 'we can't afford it' constantly. She knew exactly – and I do mean exactly, right down to the last halfpenny – how much money she had in her purse at any given time. She had absolutely nothing nice to say about successful people: to have made a large amount of money they must all be crooks, swindlers and con men. I also found that the two minutes I'd invested in the exercise was only the tip of my financial iceberg.

So, on one very wet Sunday afternoon in the middle of winter, I grabbed a notebook and wrote like my life depended upon whatever would be revealed. And in some ways, that was the truth. This exercise was definitely the best thing I ever did. Two hours and five A4 sheets of paper later, I think I covered everything, and believe me when I say, I was really, really shocked at the beliefs I had been acquired. Perhaps the same can be said for you.

Which brings me to the next step … Are you ready for it? Your challenge is to read through the list you made and see how each item you wrote applies to your life right now. You may find some things are glaringly obvious; others not so much. What matters is that you've discovered your core beliefs about money and it's probably rocked your world a bit.

Let's assume that one of the points on your list is the phrase: I can't afford it. (I'm choosing this phrase because it's the most common reason people ensure money stays away.) There's a consequence to saying, "I can't afford it" – the Subconscious takes on board the belief and it then conspires with the Universe to ensure that belief is supported. In other words, they make certain that money stays away (so you "can't afford it"). You can counteract these words by replacing them with ones of power. Simply saying, "I can afford anything I want" for instance, will counteract the negative belief you hold. If you are not comfortable with that, because it doesn't feel right, then add "I choose not to buy it just yet". By giving yourself a choice – to believe or not believe whether you can afford something – is to give yourself power.

Have you noticed how much emotion you use when thinking about the things you'd like but can't afford? Emotion is the fuel of our beliefs. Instead of concentrating on what your money CANNOT buy, acknowledge and be grateful for what you CAN buy. This will help change your negative feelings about money into positive ones.

These couple of tricks worked for me …. I hope they work for you, too.

There's an added bonus to making money your friend - by treating it with respect it loses its hold over you …. Which will free you up to enjoy more of what Life has to offer.

About the author: Barbara Rose is a mentor, coach, teacher and alternative therapist who specializes in helping people reach their potential at all levels (spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical).

Please visit www.barbaras-library.com for a complete list of Barbara's articles and books. You can find out more about Barbara by going to www.barbara-rose.name.