No one is born with better money habits than anyone else. Dealing with money is an ability that we all have to learn at some point, and the sooner the better.
Once you get acquainted with financial terms and skills, though, it can still feel daunting to begin your journey toward financial wellness. Even if you have a lot of money at your disposal, you might not know what to do with it — and that can cause a lot of stress and attendant emotions, which usually don't help the situation.
"My first step to getting to where you want to be financially is that we have to release that shame," Tiffany Aliche, a financial educator known as The Budgetnista, tells CNBC Make It.
Aliche went through her own "financial shenanigans" before she charted her own path to financial wellness and wrote a book about it to help others.
Whether you need to pay down a mountain of debt or just don't know where to start building wealth, here are the first three steps to take to begin your financial wellness journey, according to Aliche.
As part of its National Financial Literacy Month efforts, CNBC will be featuring stories throughout the month dedicated to helping people manage, grow and protect their money so they can truly live ambitiously.
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1. 'Shed that shame'
Everybody has to start somewhere. Some folks have the privilege of growing up in families that teach financial literacy from an early age, while others get well into adulthood without a strong grasp of basic money management.
Feeling embarrassed that you lack some of the knowledge to be where you want to be financially won't improve your situation.
"Shame shields solutions," Aliche says. "If I say, 'budget,' you're not hearing [that], all you hear is 'I'm bad, I'm wrong, I made a mistake.'"
Many people fall into the trap of thinking they have to be perfect with money in order to make progress toward their financial goals. Trying to follow a super-strict budget or debt payoff strategy to a T often doesn't work because humans are prone to error, financial experts say.
"One of the best ways to shed that shame is to give voice to it," Aliche says.
She recommends having a friend or loved one you can talk to when you're stressed or confused about money, because often you'll find out they are having similar feelings themselves. Recognizing that you're not alone can help you feel more empowered to try and take the next steps in your journey.
2. Ask for 'specific help' with your money goals
Since personal finance is all about you, you need to get some personalized assistance to know what your next money move should be.
"Identify what you are actually struggling with so you can ask for specific help," Aliche says.
Some folks are stressed about debt, others may be concerned they're not saving enough money, and plenty of people are trying to figure out how to get out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle. Each of these scenarios may require a different action.
Aliche gives the example of a friend who called her because he was awarded $2.5 million as a settlement, and he didn't know what to do next. She asked him what exactly he wanted out of the money.
"'I want to make sure that my son doesn't have to worry. I want to make sure that my bills are paid. I want to make sure I'm comfortable,'" Aliche says her friend told her.
She encouraged him to hire a certified financial planner who could help someone navigate the often-jarring experience of suddenly having a lot of money.
3. Focus on what you can control right now
Once you come up with the plan you need to accomplish your goals, the next step is to put it into action.
It can be daunting, especially if you're trying new techniques or still getting an understanding of money concepts. The best way to stick with the plan is to focus on the areas you can control, Aliche says.
"You have your levels of control. [Over discretionary] expenses, you have the most control. You can make your changes there first," she says. "Bills [like for housing and utilities] typically take bigger life changes."
You may have to start smaller than you want. Big financial goals like saving for retirement or starting a business take a long time. But your journey has to begin somewhere.
"Starting is critical to movement," Aliche says. "So if your big goal … seems so far away, we have to break that goal down to, 'What can I do today?'"
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