Confidence issue !

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  • #4280
    relationshipa1
    Keymaster

    Dear April,
    I am 40 years old and my boyfriend is 48 . We have been together for 8 years with all the beautiful times or difficult times that love relationships go through. I admire and love him a lot. He has a great personality, takes good care of himself and looks and behaves great for his age. He’s got all my respect for that. And not only for that . . . He is very successful in his work and very well financially. He takes his pride in taking me out , on holidays . . . He is very generous and always makes sure he is the man !
    I am financially ok ish . . . That means I am independent and have a decent income. I respect myself and have a very strong pride when it comes to finances. When I am in money trouble I don’t like to ask him or anybody else but when it comes to worse I prefer to borrow from my friends , never from him. And I don’t think that this is wrong, I only want you to have an idea about my principles when it comes to money issues.
    All throughout our relationship I ve had this issue with myself and I would call it a complex of inferiority because financially I am not where I want to be as yet . Right now I am going through a transition : I am self employed and setting my own business.
    Let me be more specific: I ve always suffered because I earn much less then him. Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t envy him, I am proud of him , but in the same time I have this nagging feeling that i am not well enough , not only for him , not even for myself ! I think that men loose respect and admiration for a woman who asks for money or is financially clumsy !
    I never tell him about my financial issues or ask any kind of help, ever ! I recall one instance when we were traveling and money had not been transferred in my account on time . I tried on shoes and chose several pairs and at the cashier my card did not work. He paid for the shoes of course but I felt so embaressed that I feel uneasy even now writing this to you. There were other few instances when I felt terrible . . .
    For me as an individual I believe strongly in being financially strong and independent no matter how wealthy the partner is. I believe that love can conquer everything . . Except lack of sufficient money and maybe toothache.
    I am talking from a strictly personal point of view , not trying to make it sound as a piece of advice for anyone .
    My question is : am I a bit crazy in this matter ? Am I being somehow too self centered , or . . . I just don’t know
    what to think about this attitude of mine ! Is it ” healthy ” to be like this when in a long-term relationship ?

    #18916
    April Masini
    Keymaster

    Sex and money are the two most common relationship problems — and in order to address them, you have to be honest. I mean honest with yourself and with him. It sounds like you’re very honest with yourself, but you’re stingy with your emotions. 😯 I’d like to see you share your feelings with him — and be more honest by doing so. This is what creates intimacy — not the sexual type, but the emotional type. It’s one of the cornerstones of relationships that last.

    For some reason you feel that you have to present a “front” to people and that belief has kept you from being vulnerable. You sound like you want him to think of you as a certain way instead of letting him see your weaknesses, your flaws, and your humanity. I want to encourage you to open up and let him see the real you. Eight years is a long time to be with a man and not let him see all of you.

    Let me know how it goes, and please follow me @AskAprilcom on Twitter and on Facebook at this link: [url]http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001113133958[/url]. 🙂

    #18518
    Anonymous
    Participant

    Dear April,
    You are one of the most generous people I ve read from in my entire life. It is amazing how you take the time to concentrate and read our letters, how you involve yourself mentally in our love issues and then write to each of us . I ve read through a lot of your replies. You are truly complex and in the same time very concise in your answers. I believe I can already see you in Heaven for all the work and good you do to us.
    I am touched by your generosity. It is beyond words .
    Tell me if there is something I can do for you.
    With infinite respect and admiration,
    Green Valley

    #19599
    April Masini
    Keymaster

    You made my day with your kind words. Thank you. 😀

    #15789
    Anonymous
    Participant

    I am trying very hard to have a change of perspective on money issues in my relationship. I still feel I would like to have intimacy on emotional level only that revealing to him where I exactly stand scares me to the point that I am getting depressed over it. . . Not really depressed but sad. I am scared April, because I know that he likes woman financially strong and I am not there yet.
    Recently I found out that I need a surgery that needs a bone transplant and all my decisions regarding it Are already done in my mind . . Unfortunately with the underlying thought that I ll be my own woman and go and have it done even without him being there and insisting that I don’t want him to be there and see me in such a circumstance.
    And this is not the only aspect where I am not transparent with him. I filter most of the information I give him in general and mostly my emotions. I filter everything in fact. The way I react , to way I feel. . . I talk very little about my family problems , my own problems . . . Sometimes I say some facts but most of the times No !
    I have always been secretive and extremely careful with what I say , even with my friends , even with my parents. Nobody really knows much about me and I never talk about my love relationship with any of my friends except in a few instances when I was too upset and I talked and then regretted . And I did not talk to my close friends I talked to someone that I don’t see or talk on regular basis.
    I was planning to have some psychotherapy, only that yesterday I realized that I won’t be able to completely open to the therapist.
    It is impossible for me at the moment to disclose myself . Sad. . But true.

    #16390
    April Masini
    Keymaster

    This anonymous website and forum is probably going to be good for you. Your fear of being known is probably based on some idea that you’ll be rejected if people know your weaknesses. The best way for you to break through this fear is to face it. If you don’t tell your boyfriend that you’re going to have surgery then you’ve lied to him by omission. This is a form of dishonesty and it means you put your own needs before his. You’d rather preserve your fear than offer him the gift of truth. At the end of the day it’s selfish and it won’t get you intimacy unless you let go and start giving of yourself.

    I don’t think there are many men who will want to be with a woman who is dishonest — not for the long term, anyway. If this man feels you’re not financially secure enough for him or not healthy enough for him, accept the rejection as a guide and a gift. You’ll never find Mr. Right if you don’t let go of the Mr. Wrongs in your life. Let him know who you are, so he can reveal who he is.

    Let me know if that works. 🙂

    #18973
    Anonymous
    Participant

    Dear April,

    I followed your advice and told him about the surgery, but did not ask anything. And then something amazing happened. Not only that he was very supportive , within one hour he made sure I had all the finances needed. But it is not only about the money. It is about the way he made me feel and what he said. ” I am your lover, your friend and your man .” 🙄
    You are so much right. April, you are an amazing expert wizard.
    All that conflict and tension within myself dissappeared and that is because you helped me going out of that stupid comfort zone.
    All my gratitude and respect for all the precious time and effort you spend for me. And lots of love for you.
    Green Valley

    #18269
    April Masini
    Keymaster

    I’m so glad I could help. 😀 Thank you for the compliments. I’m glad this relationship is going so nicely for you. 🙂

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