Robert A. Belle: The emotions behind your money habits | TED

Transcriber:

翻译人员: Meredith Law 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

我是一名有数字问题的会计。

我的意思是，我擅长跟数字接触、 用数字反映正在发生的事情，

但我也关心那些数字 背后的整个故事。

I am an accountant with a numbers problem.

I mean, I'm good with numbers and using them to report what's happening,

转述过程中消失的部分、

数字不能完整表达的部分。

but I'm also concerned with the full story behind those numbers,

这些故事不只是

一些如何存钱和赚钱的策略。

the part that gets lost in translation,

the part that numbers can't quite tell,

如果没有这些故事， 我觉得我没有把工作做好。

the story that goes deeper

than mere strategies for saving and earning money.

所以我把我的事业

奉献给了探索我的会计工作

And without that story, I don't think I'm doing my job well.

如何诉说人们的故事，

而这些故事最终能 改善他们的生活。

That's why I've dedicated my career

to figuring out how my work as an accountant

让我解释。

can tell stories about people,

这一切始于有人跟我说： “你对巧克力太上瘾了。”

stories that will ultimately help them improve their lives.

我就说：“什么？我没有啊。”

Let me explain.

但是我仔细想了一下， 我是不是在否认我的痴迷？

It all started when someone told me, "You're obsessed with chocolate."

And I was like, "What? No, I'm not."

我是不是花了很多钱买巧克力， 但是连我自己都没发现？

But then I wondered, could I be in denial about my own obsession?

那好，我现在有机会测试这个理论。

Was I actually spending a lot of money on chocolate but blind to it?

通过会计师的视角，

我开始追踪我巧克力花费——

Well, here was a chance for me to test this theory.

我找到了

我对巧克力的爱。

Using my accountant lens,

我每月要在巧克力上 花掉大概 50 块，

off I went tracking my spending on chocolate --

尤其是在我压力很大

and there it was,

和很开心的月份。

my love for chocolate.

I was spending about 50 dollars a month on chocolate,

分析我的花费让我理解了

especially in months when I was overstressed

我有一种情绪规律： 每当我挣扎或庆祝的时候，

and months when I was overjoyed.

Analyzing my expenses helped me to understand

我就会暴食巧克力。

that I had an emotional pattern where when I'm struggling or celebrating,

我从很久以前就有体重问题，

而我认为我的饮食 不是这个问题的源头。

I binge on chocolate.

我说服了自己是我没有多锻炼，

I had struggled with my weight for a very long time

and I was convinced that my diet was not the problem.

一定不是巧克力惹的祸。

然而，追踪了我的巧克力花费

I was convinced that it was my lack of effort in exercise,

让我意识到我害怕看到 镜子里的自己，

and certainly not chocolate.

从字面上和比喻上，

Tracking my spending on chocolate, though,

而我不敢去面对 真正的问题：我的饮食。

helped me realize that I was afraid of facing myself in the mirror,

所以我继续运动，

literally and figuratively,

但是在运动上花略少一点时间，

and that I lack the courage to deal with the real problem, my diet.

把我的焦点和精力放在 培养比较健康的饮食上。

So I continued to exercise,

but devoted less time to it

那年我瘦了 50 磅。

and instead shifted my focus and energy towards developing a more healthful diet.

我们和钱的关系 代表了我们和生活的关系。

我对巧克力消费习惯的核算

That year I lost 50 pounds.

告诉了我一个否认自己问题的故事。

Our relationship with money represents our relationship with life.

我意识到我可能也能帮助我的客户

The accounting of my own chocolate behavior

看看他们生活中有什么忽略的事情，

told me the story of my own denial.

I realized that perhaps I could also help my clients

帮助他们通过追踪和消费

来了解他们自己情绪上的规律。

see what they were overlooking in their own lives

所以我开始专注于 我客户消费背后的故事，

and help them realize their own emotional patterns

through their tracking and spending of their expenses.

这些故事可能连他们自己都不知道。

So I started to pay close attention to the story behind my clients' expenses

我有个客户，一名重症监护护士，

认为她的个人预算合理

that may be hidden to them.

而花费是名正言顺的。

One of my clients, a critical care nurse,

她一直存不下钱，

was convinced that her personal budget was reasonable

而我发现她很少记账。

and expenses justifiable.

我指出她存不下钱可能

She had struggled to build up her savings

不仅仅是因为她的金融知识 有漏洞，而且另有原因。

and I noticed that she had minimal records of her expenses.

我给她提供了援助， 帮她找到问题。

I suggested to her that her lack of savings

我鼓励她开始追踪 和记录她的花费。

could be due to more than just a gap in her financial knowledge

几个月后，她的财务记录 显示她的钱

and offered to help identify the problem.

大多花在昂贵的衣服和鞋子上。

I encouraged her to start tracking and charting her expenses.

After a few months, her financial records revealed

我们坐下来谈的时候， 她看到她的预算

that most of her spending was on expensive clothing and shoes.

这么多都花在服饰上时， 真的很吃惊。

她说：“哇，这些都是 冲动消费，对吧？

As we sat together, she was genuinely surprised

to see just how much of her budget was going towards fashion.

看来我没有意识到这一点。“

她进一步分析后发现她买衣服

She remarked, "Wow, these are impulsive purchases, aren't they?

是为了让她的朋友觉得她很厉害， 看起来很成功。

I guess I didn't realize that."

She analyzed further and realized that she was buying clothes

而且在她缺乏自信时， 买衣服可以短暂地让她激发自信。

in an attempt to impress and appear successful to her friends.

她告诉我买衣服是她在生活中

And also when her confidence was low, buying clothes temporarily boosted it.

寻找意义和感到有价值的方式。

她叹了口气，然后为她自己 和她的财产设定了目标。

She told me that buying clothing was her attempt

to find meaning in life and feel valued.

六个月后，她打电话给我告诉我

She sighed, and she set a goal for herself and her finances.

她通过减少在购物上的花费， 攒下了一笔钱。

而且她想购物的时候， 会选择去运动。

Six months later, she called me to tell me she had saved a bunch of money

她跟朋友在一起开心多了。

by reducing her spending on shopping

and instead choosing to exercise when she felt the urge to shop.

三年后，她即将有能力买房了。

但是有时候，

记录花费并不会显示具体的情况，

She's much happier around her friends.

Three years later, home ownership is on the horizon.

如巧克力成瘾或购物问题，

却能显示同样重要的东西。

Sometimes, though,

charting expenses may not reveal something specific,

一位营销策略师和未来的音乐家

as a chocolate addiction or shopping problem,

需要我在税务方面帮助她。

but what it reveals can be just as valuable.

我见到她的时候，立刻注意到了

A marketing strategist and upcoming musician

她在看财务记录和支出时 脸上露出的恐惧。

needed help with her taxes.

我问了一下，而她告诉我

When I met with her, I immediately took note of the fear in her face

她的生活中有些事不是很顺利，

as she looked through her records and expenses.

尤其是感情方面。

I checked in with her and she expressed to me

她害怕面对交税后会失去多少钱。

that some things in her life didn't quite seem to work out,

including her relationships.

我们继续谈她的财务，

She was afraid of facing how much money she was about to lose after taxes.

她发现她对失去钱的恐惧

和她对失去感情的恐惧之间有联系。

As we continued talking about her finances,

她还告诉我她因为不想受伤

she started to notice a connection between her fear of losing money

而害怕与人有稳定关系。

and her fear of losing relationships.

她表示她已经有超过七年 没有与任何人亲近，

She went on to tell me that she was afraid of committing to anyone

因为她害怕失败。

because she didn't want to get hurt.

She expressed that she had not been close to anyone in over seven years

可能她对于她的钱和感情

都采取了回避策略。

because she feared failure.

我开始帮她记录她的财务 至今已有六年了，

And maybe she might have an avoidance strategy

around both her money and her relationships.

而她还是每次都跟得上 她的电子表格。

It's been six years since I first help her chart her finances,

她通过直面自己的会计情况，

在每个纳税季前先攒下一些钱，

and she's still consistently keeping up with her spreadsheet.

她已经不在那么害怕失去， 也比较能接受感情生活了。

As she confronted her personal accounting

and grew her savings in advance of each tax season,

她告诉我她甚至勇于

she developed less fear of loss and grew more open to relationships.

离开一段不让她满意的感情。

她最近告诉我：

She tells me that she even has the courage

“我的电子表格简直 记录了我生活的进展，

to walk away from a relationship when it's not serving her.

我能透过数字看到它。”

She recently told me,

"My spreadsheet is basically a story of my life's progression

我相信我们都能通过这种对 自己理财状况的审计，

and I can see it through the numbers.”

通过追踪和记录我们的花费，

I believe we can all do this type of audit of our own financial behavior

了解到让我们自己意外的事情。

让我告诉你们如何做到这点。

第一，看一看你过去六个月的

and that we can learn surprising things about ourselves

银行对账单，

through tracking and charting our expenses.

通过按类型分类花费

Here's how.

有一个全面横向的概念。

Number one, take a look at your bank statement

例如，

你的购物花费对比交通费 对比娱乐费用。

for the last six months

and categorize the expenses by type

第二，出现了支出增长时，

for a more holistic view.

For example,

your spending on shopping versus transport versus entertainment.

看看那个现象说明了你的什么情况。

要有好奇心。

Number two, when an expensive pattern emerges,

刚开始不会很明显，

see what that pattern says about yourself.

但是你要问自己，是什么让你 在那时候做出那样的决定，

Be curious and inquisitive.

这样可能会提供一些线索。

At first, it may not be that obvious,

你每个星期三都买比萨饼

but asking yourself what led you to make that choice in a given moment

是不是因为高压的每周例会后 太累了，不想做饭？

can provide some clues.

第三，观察有没有任何

Do you buy pizza every Wednesday night

because that's when you're too tired to cook after a stressful weekly meeting?

订单项的价格或量让你吃惊，

看看有什么规律会出现。

Number three, observe if there are any line items

例如你有没有 为了博得朋友的关注，

that you are shocked by in terms of value or volume

在一场重大的活动或项目之前

买了一台新手机？

and see what patterns emerge.

或者你要求自己 只可以在深夜坐出租车，

For example, did you buy that new smartphone

just before a major function or event

但你发现你每个月 坐出租车的次数

so that your friends would notice?

比想象中还要多？

Or do you tell yourself you only take taxis late at night,

你有没有比想象的更常加班？

我们如果花时间去看的话，

but then realize that you're taking way more taxes every month

能发现很多关于自己的事情。

than you thought?

而有时候我们的钱比 我们自己还要了解自己。

Are you working late more than you thought?

There's so much that we can learn about ourselves

追踪我们的花费 能透露我们所否认的、

if we take the time to look.

And sometimes our money knows us better than we know ourselves.

我们隐藏的偏见、

我们的恐惧 和可能在阻碍我们的东西。

Tracking our finances can reveal what we are in denial of,

虽然这个过程可能会 很困难、不舒服，

our hidden biases,

但是通过深入地观察 我们的消费习惯，

our fears and what might be holding us back.

我们能得出一些深刻的情感真相。

Though it can be difficult and uncomfortable

有些真相可以帮助我们 重新地评估我们的职业、

to take a good, hard look at our financial behavior,

it can reveal some deep emotional truths.

我们的感情和我们的优先事项。

Some truths that can help us re-evaluate our careers,

所以试一下， 可能会有很多收获。

our relationships and our priorities.

谢谢。

So give it a try. The payoff could be huge.

Thank you.