How is it that some people, who don't necessarily earn a great deal of money, always seem to have money to spend? On the other hand, there are plenty of people who earn a lot of money, yet they are constantly in debt. So clearly, it's more than a simple question of the level of a person's income.

It's to do with your financial jigsaw. It's all the underlying thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and pre-conceived ideas that someone has about money. It's the total sum of everything you picked up as a child – from hearing and watching your parents' attitude to money; from your friends at school, and observing their parents, through your first job, and your colleagues' attitude towards their income; right up to the present day.

Here's an exercise for you: Take 2 minutes to write down the first thoughts that come into your mind about money.

Have you done it? OK, so what sort of things came up for you?

A lot of people are familiar with the adage: "Money doesn't grow on trees." or "Save it for a rainy day."
Whereas other people might come up with "Money is for spending, you can't take it with you."

Can you see how these simple thoughts about money have a huge influence on your attitude towards saving and spending? Debt in our society is at an all time high. And worryingly, it is now teenagers who are adopting some reckless spending and debt habits. They are bombarded by a constant stream of advertising messages, and are encouraged to spend on the latest fashions, accessories and gadgets.

One of my friends' daughters recently asked her mum for a new toy. When her mother said they couldn't afford it, the daughter went off and came back with her mother's cheque-book. "Look, Mum," she said, "There's still lots of cheques in here..!"

Now that could be a child's simple misunderstanding, and it's a funny story. But that's how an addiction to debt begins. So if you need help to get out of debt, you need to find someone who can look further than simply balancing your cheque-book. You need to start examining your deeper beliefs and attitudes about money.

Here's another exercise for you: When you see an expensive car, what is your first reaction? Do you make some instant derogatory comment about the driver? Or do you silently congratulate the driver for being financially astute enough to be able to afford such a luxury? Please be honest with yourself. Or if you can't think of the reaction you would have, then notice what it is next time you see a really expensive car.

So a final thought for you. In the above example, if you have a somewhat negative reaction to seeing an expensive car, for instance, you think, "What a jerk!" yet on the other hand, you hold a desire for yourself to own such a car. What does that mean? By your own admission, it means that you have to be a jerk before you can own a car like that! And I can guarantee that most people would prefer to suffer the indignity of driving an old banger, rather than admit to being a jerk!