8 Key Lessons from Maria Wendt's I Love Money and Money Loves Me

Maria Wendt's I Love Money and Money Loves Me is a conversational, anecdotal take on manifesting wealth, built on one simple framework and a decade of her own practice. Below are the eight lessons from the course that do the most work — the ones worth remembering whether or not you consider yourself a believer in the law of attraction.

1. The whole thing is three steps

Know what you want, say what you want, stop worrying about it. That's the entire framework. Wendt is clear it's simple but not easy — and that the third step, releasing, is the one most people skip and the one that quietly blocks everything else. If you take nothing else away, take the three steps.

2. Knowing what you want takes courage

The hardest step is the first one, because declaring a real desire means facing the possibility of not getting it. You also have to separate what you actually want from what you think you should want. The signal you've found the real thing is a "full-body yes" — a want so strong it's almost physical. Don't rush it; the clarity deepens over time.

3. Say it once, not fifty-five times

Wendt rejects the rigid manifesting rules — write it daily, repeat it 55 times — as counterproductive. Constant repetition signals doubt, not faith. Get clear, declare what you want one time in whatever form works (writing, a vision board, saying it aloud), and then let it go. Think of it like ordering a pizza: you place the order once, then get on with your day.

4. Detachment is the engine: 'this or something better'

The line Wendt has kept on every vision board for a decade is "this or something better." Attachment to one specific outcome repels it; genuine openness to that outcome or an even better one attracts it. This isn't passive — it's trust. She points to her own divorce as the hardest, clearest proof: the thing she'd never have chosen turned out to be the better path.

5. Stop trying to control how it arrives

Get all eight lessons plus every framework and example from I Love Money and Money Loves Me in one organized document you can read in under an hour. Maria Wendt's I Love Money and Money Loves Me — Full Summary.

Wendt calls forced "aligned action" a control mechanism in disguise — and control is the opposite of manifesting. You decide what you want; you don't get to dictate the route it takes. The million dollars might come from one chance meeting rather than the 300 sales calls you assumed were the "right" path. Say what you want, then don't put limitations on how it shows up.

6. Create space — starting with becoming debt-free

Money needs somewhere to go. The most emphasized version of "creating space" is becoming fully debt-free, which Wendt did while still broke — paying off around $113,000 before the serious money came in, not after. Whatever you think of the spiritual framing, the underlying advice is solid: get your financial house in order first so you're ready to steward what comes.

7. Reset scarcity with a gratitude list

When the tight, anxious, scarcity feeling hits — and Wendt says it's physical, you feel it in your stomach — grab a lined notebook and write down everything you're grateful for until the feeling lifts. At her lowest, the only thing she could write was "the clouds," and that was enough to start. It's free, repeatable, and one of the most practical tools in the whole course.

8. Love people and use money — not the reverse

Wendt's "secret hidden in plain sight," drawn from the Paul Santisi audio she credits with her first seven-figure year, is this: love people and use money, never love money and use people. Practically, it means creating more value than you ask for in exchange — the reason she gives so much away free. The flip side may get you the stuff, but it leaves you empty. Pair genuine wanting (hoping and wishing push money away) with full detachment from what money buys, and you've got the core of her money teaching.

Put it into practice

These eight lessons share one thread: want it fully, declare it once, and then release it with genuine trust — playfully, not anxiously. Get your finances in order, learn to receive, and keep your relationship with money rooted in service rather than grasping. These are the backbone, but the full course includes Wendt's vision-board walkthroughs and her complete commentary on the audio that shaped her approach. If you want the entire framework in one place you can revisit anytime, our full summary is below.

This summary touches on money mindset and personal goals. If you're navigating real financial stress, the ideas here are one person's philosophy, not financial advice — and it's worth pairing them with practical money guidance from a qualified source.