WHAT'S IN A NAME?

As the title suggests your name is what takes you to where you want to go and it can make you or break you. Below is an excerpt from acclaimed author and financial adviser Suze Orman who explains the importance of establishing your name.

While growing up I was always known as 'Annie'. My family established that to be my name then and still to this day. I was determined to make that nickname go away, but the constant calls at work asking for 'Annie' to the countless of letters addressed as 'Annie' I realize I have allot of work to do. I would let my family know that my name is Anthea and their response would be "who?".

I also grew up with a very popular sister who was like an Antiguan Icon. Her name was Denise and she modeled, sang, did make-up for photo shoots, interior design. You name it she did it! For a very long time, besides being called 'Annie' my name also became 'Denise Sister'. My sister unfortunately passed away in 2001 however I am still known as 'Denise Sister'. I was and still is proud to be called 'Denise Sister', but I have a name.

So school came and I was registered under my true first name, Marilyn, so I was known as Marilyn throughout high school. But having another sister named Sharilyn was kinda a tongue twister. So I had to make a decision and I ended up choosing all of my names. Let me explain.....

To my family I am 'Annie', to my friends I am Anthea and when I want to be a star I am Marilyn (Monroe if you nasty!) and when I don't want my identity revealed I am 'Sunshine'!!!!!

Enjoy this excerpt from Suze Orman's book, Women and Money.....

"Think about this.When I ask women to state their name, do you know what they say to me? They say which name? My maiden name,my married name, or my divorced name? When my mom got married, she became Mrs. Morris Orman.What happened to her first name, her last name? They were gone forever within a few vows. My dad died more than twenty-five years ago, and yet to this day mail comes addressed to Mrs. Morris Orman. My dad never had to think about whether he would keep his birth name or change it to his wife’s last name, or do a hyphenated combination of both. Men never have to think about that, but even today, it is still a question that gets put to every woman, young or old, who is about to marry—or remarry. Are you going to change your name? It’s hard not to see the persistence of this tradition as an unspoken agreement in our society that a woman’s name is not as important as a man’s.

As for me, I never thought my name would matter. I was born Susan Lynn Orman. But to my family and friends, I was always Susie. I thought Susie was a plain name that didn’t match my 244 WOMEN & MONEY adventurous spirit. I wanted to be different from everyone else. I wanted to change my name, but I didn’t want to hurt my mom’s feelings.When I was in college, I came up with a plan to change the spelling of my name to S U Z E. I thought it was cool and different, and best of all, my mom would never know about it, because when would she ever see my name in print? Who knew?

To this day, she has never asked me why I changed the spelling of my name, because to her I will always just be her Susie. Don’t you love that?"