Family or Marriage • Finances & Money

Overworked, Overwhelmed and Underpaid

Aren’t we all feeling a bit overworked, overwhelmed and/or underpaid? Well, actually I’m only feeling one of those, but I’ll get to that later.

Louis Barajas has taken his nearly 20 years of experience as a financial planner and determined that people always complain about the same three things. “Overworked, Overwhelmed & Underpaid” tackles those complaints head-on.

In my current job, I’m actually feeling underworked and overpaid, but that seems to be an enviable position for many. However, when you find yourself without any new skills after a year of work, you begin to get worried about your marketability. I’m also very anxious about finally making some positive improvements at my current client, but external forces are preventing all our attempts at effecting some change. I do feel overwhelmed, though, with all the possibilities I have to change my life, but lack the prioritization of any of them.

But for the rest of you who need some help getting your life in focus, stepping back to see the bigger picture, and perhaps even getting your marriage, family or general personal life in order, I’d take a look at Louis’ book. Unfortunately, the people who need it the most will probably be the same ones who say “I don’t have time listen to a book much less read one!”. Well, I’m sorry but if you don’t take a time out, you’ll just run out of time.

Financial Stress and Relationships

Louis has seen it all when it comes to marital or dating problems, but from a different perspective than a couples counselor. Couples, and singles, come to him with their financial problems, and how they’re affecting their relationships (spouse, significant other, family, coworkers), or how their relationships seem to affect their financial situation.

Money is both the root of all evil and the means to lifelong happiness, but you need to have a handle on three important things before you can truly appreciate the money you earn, or are trying to earn:

Mindset, Money, and Meaning

In Louis’ own words”

The 3 M’s are Mindset, Money, and Meaning. I want my clients to work from an abundance (loving) mindset, not from a poverty (fearful) mindset. This opens the heart and the head to endless possibilities of how they can achieve their financial dreams. The Money is the focus on how to create, leverage, use, or manage money for the third M. That is Meaning. Money is to be used to express your full potential and live your highest purpose. For many this is just being the best mom, or spouse. It’s about living a happier life.

Basically, Louis explains the process of changing your perception (mindset) before tackling the money issue. And at the same time, you need to find some meaning in what you do. If you’re always running the kids around without a break, or always working to put out fires at the office, stop and ask yourself why you’re stressing yourself so hard.

People think they’re underpaid when really they’re just in the wrong profession, or are missing something else in their life. They’ll take it out on their employers, coworkers or family simply because they don’t know the root of the problem. Louis explores numerous potential causes of relationship and employment conflict and provides many handy activities to help you both understand yourself better as well as progress away from the overworked, overwhelmed and underpaid mentality.

“Overworked, Overwhelmed & Underpaid” is certainly yet another self-help book that’s there to help you explore the internal in order to change the external. I’d ask what can it offer me that other books can’t. Whereas many self-help books just help you to find meaning in your life, Louis’ approach also includes your financial life as a key motivator and enabler. It’s part self-help and part “get rich” (not get rich quick though). Louis recognizes that a person happy with their finances is happier in general, and I agree wholeheartedly. While money doesn’t provide meaning to your life, it’s hard to attain your dreams without it.