As a financial planner, I do a lot of research on financial strategies and emotional intelligence so I can truly understand how to best help my clients master their finances and create the lives of their dreams. I could spend all day reading, writing and talking about this stuff—to say I found my dharma in life is definitely an understatement!

That said, one of the things I’ve noticed through my research and one-on-one work with my clients is that a lot of women still shy away from the idea of wealth—myself included.  It’s almost like we’ve been subconsciously trained to think of wealth as a bad thing, and to label ourselves as greedy, selfish or wrong for wanting to become wealthy.  Well, guess what?  That’s not true.

Being wealthy is not a bad thing.  It’s actually imperative to our overall happiness and fulfillment in life. When we’re wealthy, we have the ability to fully express ourselves, which is a goal we all share. As we head into a new year, I thought it’d be valuable to help you define what wealth really means to you so that we can all work together to become the wealthy, thriving Everygirls we’re meant to be.

In order to become comfortable with the idea of wealth, we first need to define what wealth means to us. At the yoga studio I belong to, there’s a quote on the wall that asks, Which is worth more, a pile of gold or your own genuine happiness? At first glance, one would (hopefully!) answer, “Genuine happiness.” But that answer would indicate that you actually have to choose between the two.  What this quote fails to convey (and what a lot of people fail to understand) is that that you can actually have both in life: piles of gold (or money) and genuine happiness. And that’s what being wealthy is all about: having abundance and prosperity in all areas of your life. But in order to become wealthy in this way, you first need to have enough money in your life so that it’s no longer an issue, and so that you can use focus your time and energy on what truly matters: your life’s work, your relationships with your family and friends, your overall well-being, and your spirituality.

In order to know how much money you need to live a wealthy, well-rounded life, you first need to get super clear on what brings you the most happiness in life and calculate how much those things cost. For example, maybe you define living a wealthy lifestyle as having a nice apartment in the best neighborhood in town. Or maybe what’s most important to you is having the ability to travel internationally once a year with your family. Or maybe wealth, for you, means buying the best designer clothes and handbags, or having the ability to hire a private chef to cook you healthy gourmet meals. You see, we all have different ideas about what brings us the most joy and happiness in life, and it’s incredibly important to get crystal clear on what living a wealthy lifestyle means for you.

Once you define what a wealthy life means to you and how much money you need every year in order to live that life, you’ll then have to figure out how to create that amount of money every year.  If you’re employed, you now know how much salary you need to take home each year. If you’re a business owner, you now know how much you need to make as a net profit or in income every year from your business. Sometimes you’ll need to ask for a raise, negotiate a higher salary if you’re starting a new job or raise your fees if you’re self-employed. If necessary, hire the appropriate professionals to help you do those things (e.g., a life coach, business coach or financial planner).

Realize that as you work toward living a wealthy life, you’ll also need to continue to grow as a person, learn the skills necessary to make more money and provide enough value to the world to earn that new amount of money.

Becoming wealthy is something we should all aim for in life. We all deserve to live wealthy lifestyles, and I hope that as we step into the new year, we Everygirls can also step into a wealthy new life and help others do the same.  Cheers to a wealthy New Year!

This post was contributed by Brittney Castro, a Los Angeles-based CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner and founder of FinanciallyWiseWomen.com. Brittney Castro, CFP® specializes in working with busy professional and entrepreneurial women who are passionate about life and want to gain clarity about their money. Brittney’s mission is to help women plan and create the life of their dreams, free from anxiety about money. Brittney Castro is not affiliated with TheEveryGirl.com. Brittney A. Castro is a registered representative with and securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. California Insurance License #0F33895. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.