Oprah’s Lifeclass brings life front and center tonight with telling us, “You are not alone.”  “The plague of America,” as Oprah calls it, talks to the disconnection of life and finances.  Financially fragile…yes, this is what the world is dealing with.  Do you spend what you don’t have?  Do you think about planning for the future?  Do you SEE what is going on?…and if you do, what are you going to do?  Today, Oprah’s talking about it…and teaching us with some Lifeclass lessons

• Case Study: 2007 California Mom, Felice –  Are you living a life that you cannot afford?  Spending $300-$400 at Starbucks per month, this mom talks about shopping and spending and how this is impacting her life.  What it looks like on the outside isn’t always what it looks like on the inside.  Shopping her family broke, Felice shopped and spent money on tanning and nails and at the mall while her kid’s went without health insurance. A cultural disease that many have, so learn from this and pay attention to your own world.  How are you handling your own home?
  Lessons from Suze Orman – Oprah brings Suze in who quickly tells us that “I have never seen such disrespect for money as in this family here.”  Three months later, in January of 2008, the couple comes back to give a progress report.  Taking Suze’s advice, the couple is changing their lives and on the track to recovery.  Amazing…but taking a look at your life can change your life.
• Don’t be attached to things that you think will bring you worth.
• Anybody that is pretending to be something other than who you really are will never reach your fullest potential.
• When will your day of reckoning be?  Don’t spend what you don’t have.  Don’t worry about what it looks like on the outside to others.  If you SEE the problem, don’t turn away from them.  Work on FIXING them.  Don’t disconnect and live outside yourself.  Don’t live a lie.
• Don’t be ruled by the money that you have or the money that you don’t have.
• Lesson: If you’re living a financial lie, you’ll never realize your full potential.
• Lesson: Spending money you don’t have is an attempt to fill a void in your inner life.
• Find out what’s important.  Your family.  Your children.
• Focus on relationships, not things.
• “I loved her through it.”  Love yourself thought it.  You don’t course correct by beating yourself up and making yourself feel terrible. You do it by recognizing it – when you know better, you do better…then doing better.
• No thing ever defines who you are.
• Lesson: Your desire to improve creates the energetic path that allows you to do better.
• Parents – What message are you sending your kids?  Are you feeding the ego beast and setting your children up by placing value on things that don’t matter?
• Case Study:  2006 Mom who “spoiled her kids.”  – Trying to keep up with the wealthy people, a single mom talks about buying to make sure her kids dress in the latest fashions because they are a reflection of her.  When you reward your children with gifts, you are sabotaging them.  Just because you have money doesn’t mean that you should.  Are you damaging the spirit of your child.  Are you teaching them that they are not enough?
• Being enough – children learn from their parents and the adults in their lives.  What are you saying to them through what you are doing in your own life?
• Your value – “We don’t’ have an IPod because we can’t afford it.”  Wanting to give your kids everything?
• Dr. Robin – Give your kids something that money can’t buy – internal security. To over-indulge your children is to injure them.
• Kids are just little people who need to hear the word no and they need to understand when you say it, you mean it.  You should be the one in control. You are the one with the life experience to know better and operate from a place of being clear on who you are and what you want for your family. You’re the CEO of your family.
• When you say”No” because you know “No” is the right answer,  it is the most loving thing you can do.  For your child or anyone else.
• Case Study: Maintaining an Image You Cannot Afford ~ 2008, Hannah.  After graduation, Hannah finds herself in debt with student loans, car expenses, etc…  Trying to keep up with friend’s spending and life, Suze tries to help Hannah figure it all out.  Over spending.  Over  committed to finances.  Spending more than she’s making, Suze is helping Hannah to understand how she got herself into this situation.  Don’t say “I don’t know.”  Be honest with yourself and commit that you will do whatever you need to do to set the record straight.  Be honest about your financial situation.  Cut expenses.
• It’s important to respect your money.  When you disrespect your money, it slips through your fingers.
• Lesson:  Respect money, and teach your children to respect it too.
• Don’t lie to yourself to justify your spending.
• Stop trying to keep up with the Jones.  Status is pretend. It doesn’t matter.
• What is going on financially is a reflection of your spirit….
• Living authentically – you can’t talk about it, you have to live it.
• Lesson:  Help your children learn the importance of making smart money decisions.
• If you are not being honest in your life about your finances, that’s a recipe for disaster.
• Case Study: 2009, Marriage and Wedding Debt – Don’t go into a marriage with a wedding that you can’t afford.  “Before you get involved in a relationship, FICO first them,” Suze Orman.  Turn your financial situation around…
• Suze Orman will change how you think about money in “Money Class” coming to OWN.  We can’t wait!