In a recent March issue of Time Out New York , the cover story is "My Secret Life". It features five or so people who are living a secret life. Some include a cabbie/JP Morgan analyst, an attorney/go-go dancer and a family guy/orgy enthusiast.
It's hard to know how many people are living secret lives and the untold hours people spend creating cover stories for their hidden worlds, but you can be pretty sure that it's more than you think.
For every person leading a very secret life, there are countless others who are harboring secrets, even minor ones that they spend precious energy keeping.
Essentially people are all the same, wanting to be accepted, as they are without judgment. Most people don't want to be seen as being different and they want to fit in with the people they care about.
For a couple who enter a marriage without discussing their financial expectations and goals, there might be a few unexpected bumps along the way.
Balancing marriage and financial issues can be daunting. Should she be allowed to spend $100 on a new handbag without discussing it with her husband first? Should he be allowed to buy sporting tickets to go to a game with his friends without discussing it with his wife first?
If one or both partners is used to spending freely, having to discuss purchases with his or her spouse once they get married, can feel restrictive and unfair. There are many decisions to make when joining into a marriage: should you keep your separate bank accounts or open only joint accounts? Some couples allow themselves a certain amount of discretionary spending, for instance: spending over $200 should be discussed.
The picture becomes more complicated when taking into account whether the couple has a dual-income or if one is a stay-at-home spouse. If one partner isn't working while staying at home to raise children, how should discretionary income be budgeted for? Each partner will need some money to spend freely in order to feel independent.
Financial infidelities can come in many flavors, including hiding a purchase or getting cash back when making purchases and pocketing the change. Another way couples commit financial adultery is by fibbing about purchasing something and telling their spouse that they've had it all along.
One particularly heinous example of financial infidelity is having a secret bank account, which many agree might be grounds for divorce. Another might be having a secret credit card.
A recent blog post on YouReveal.com, "Are You Keeping Money Secrets", discusses how confessing spending or financial secrets can be liberating. Getting to the bottom of why you are keeping the secret is a critical step in coming clean.
Keeping secrets is risky business in more ways than one. It can ruin your marriage, but it can also ruin your health. Confessing anonymously online is a great way to start the process of telling the truth without fear. Once the ball is rolling, confessing to your spouse could be the next step.
Last week I wrote an article on the upcoming movie, "Confessions of a Shopaholic", which is based on a novel with the same name.
"Confessions of a Shopaholic" (the novel) written by Sophia Kinsella, is a romantic comedy that centers around a compulsive shopper in Manhattan (Isla Fisher) is drowning in debt while having just taken a job as a financial advice columnist.
Since I wrote the previous article, two more stars have joined the cast. John Lithgow will star as a publishing magnate, and Kristin Scott Thomas will take on the role of magazine editor.
According to a Reuters blurb , "Leslie Bibb is on board as a fashion magazine staffer, Lynn Redgrave as a doyenne of a publishing empire, and Julie Hagerty as a business magazine assistant."
"Confessions of a Shopaholic" promises to be an entertaining and star-studded movie, adding humor to an otherwise distressing topic.
During her acceptance speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (one of the longest in the event's history), Australia's Herald Sun reports that Madonna revealed that "she once took ecstasy". Madonna said: "The night I met Michael Rosenblatt, who signed me to Sire Records, I jammed my demo tape into his hand, we both did a tab of ecstasy and then we danced the night away." She additionally confessed to smoking marijuana.
Of the marijuana, Madonna "recalled the night she met long-term publicist Liz Rosenberg, adding: 'We smoked a joint together.'"
It seems fitting for the pop superstar who named her 2006 tour: "Confessions". Madonna has always been controversial, and her penchant for revealing herself publicly has put her in the limelight time and time again.
When celebrities reveal themselves, it gives us a window into a secret world. We often discover that we are very similar to them with the secrets we keep.
After suffering from head injuries when part of the ceiling in her home fell down on her, she suffered a stroke. She pulled out of a movie called "Transsiberian" with little explanation and took a year-and-a-half break from filmmaking.
With the help of friends and family this Minority Report star was able to keep her illness and recovery a secret. Two years after the fact, the actress has chosen to reveal that she was near death, after her stroke.
Since then, she has had to learn to walk again. She has made a full recovery and she recently gave birth to her second daughter, Edie, in January.
It seems that there is a huge amount of pressure on celebrities to keep their illness and life challenges a secret. Facing a serious health setback would be challenging to anyone, but for those in the public eye, it's particularly difficult, because they have to garner the strength to put on a good face, even when they are struggling.
Ms. Morton said that she confided in Jason Price, singer for the indie group, "Spiritualized". Says Morton, "he was the only person I knew who understood what that was like, being near to death. He's just an incredible person. He's very courageous, and he helped me get through it all."
Pierce and his girlfriend, Juliette Larche looked after Morton after her stroke.
It helps to reveal your secrets to someone, especially someone who has been through a similar experience. Learning to open up and let go, even anonymously can be a great help and comfort in difficult times.
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