I struggle with finances. My family and I have ZERO in savings, and we live check to check. We filed bankruptcy about a year ago, and do to hospital bills we are back in debt, though not nearly as bad as before. We make plenty of money, but as you may know, there are a lot of challenges when it comes to correctly handling your finances.
It has started to occur to me this morning is how similar financial issues are to eating/weight issues. Recently I have made an amazing break through in my weight loss journey (trust me, you'll be hearing about that as well) with Weight Watchers. And since Weight Loss and Financial Freedom are so similar, couldn't I have success if I treat the journey to my financial goals similarly to my journey to my goal weight? Here are just a few of the things that I think are similar among the two:
Daily Points = Daily Spending
Weekly Points = Flex Spending
Meal Planning = Budgeting / Planning Ahead
Learning From Mistakes
Giving Yourself some Grace
Creating Habits that are Maintainable
It has started to occur to me this morning is how similar financial issues are to eating/weight issues. Recently I have made an amazing break through in my weight loss journey (trust me, you'll be hearing about that as well) with Weight Watchers. And since Weight Loss and Financial Freedom are so similar, couldn't I have success if I treat the journey to my financial goals similarly to my journey to my goal weight? Here are just a few of the things that I think are similar among the two:
Daily Points = Daily Spending
Weekly Points = Flex Spending
Meal Planning = Budgeting / Planning Ahead
Learning From Mistakes
Giving Yourself some Grace
Creating Habits that are Maintainable
But there are a few other pieces to the weight loss puzzle that I think apply to financial freedom, and potential success in both areas of my life.
Attendance vs. Performance
Instead of focusing on the 'performance' goal of how much weight I lose, I'm focusing on my blue dots which are an attendance goal of tracking/planning and coming within my point range every day. There is a quote that says "If you focus on results you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results." And I think that is what I'm doing. The change I'm focusing on are my blue dots -- and therefore I'm seeing results on the scale.
So what if I approach finances the same way? What if I focus on the daily change instead of focusing so hard on the results? If every day I focus on my financial allowance for the day, on designated bill pay days I focus on those bills, if on payday I focus on making my plan/etc...well then, I will SEE the result of eliminating debt, improving my credit score, and having savings. If I focus on those things first I get deeply discouraged and it feels hopeless because they seem so HUGE. In Weight Watchers there is a calendar on the app, and each day I eat within my point range I receive a Blue Dot. I am making a calendar for my financial daily goals, and giving myself a Green Dot.
The WHY
I get kind of annoyed with the whole WHY thing, because it can be so ambiguous. But, as I have more and more life experiences, I think I'm finally emotionally mature enough to realize it is important.
Yesterday we were watching HGTV and there was a house that had a swimming pool. My daughter Willow, who is three, got SO EXCITED! She thought it was the coolest thing ever and started asking if we could have a pool like that. She went to bed smiling thinking of what it would be like to have that pool! How can you explain to a three year old that you can't afford a house with a pool like that? Especially, when if we had our sh*t together, we could! I wanted to say yes SO bad...but right now I can't. I can't because we don't have the credit or savings to buy a house like that.
Then I started having some flashbacks to my childhood. Driving through fancy neighborhoods with my mom, dreaming of living in one of those beautiful houses. Memories of talking about the home we could have if only we could afford it. My mom saying no to the yearbook at school or going to Prom, because we just couldn't afford it. Eventually I learned to stop asking for things, because I knew the subject of not having the money would upset her.
And BAM, it hit me, my WHY. The reason WHY I want financial freedom. The reason all the hussle, and planning, and living minimally will be worth it. Why I want to be financially sound and successful. I don't want to say no to those things for Willow, or myself. This hit me so incredibly deeply. Just like my WHY for weight loss (which is rooted in knowing that I need to live my life to the fullest in honor of my daughter Rowan who passed away in 2016 from SIDs).
This has really lit a fire in me, and at the same time brought me down to earth knowing that I need to do some daily work and 'attendance' goals for finances.
I Believe I Can Fly
Hopefully you have that song stuck in your head now :)
Something else that has changed in my weight loss journey is I actually believe I will get to 154 pounds and that my life is going to completely change. I believe I am going to get on the scale someday and not want to lose any more weight. Can you imagine? Well, I think today I have started to believe for the first time that I can be debt free, have a good credit score, and have money in savings. The timeline isn't important, if I do the daily work I WILL get there.
Someday I will look at my finances and not feel the need to stress about it.
Wow - I can't wait!
Thanks for reading. Wishing you Happy Focus!
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