The following blog post is part of The Road to Financial Wellness blog tour. The Road to Financial Wellness is a three-month, grassroots campaign promoting financial empowerment on a national level and encourages people to pursue their dream lifestyle. Find out more about local events near you.
“The only way you will ever permanently take control of your financial life is to dig deep and fix the root problem.” – Suze Orman
The Road to Financial Wellness
I probably thought about money more than I should have as a kid. There never seemed to be enough of it to do the things I wanted to do, get the things I wanted, or go where I wanted to go. I really hate to admit this, but I was a jealous kid.
My mind couldn’t process why it seemed like other kids did more or had more than I. I couldn’t stand to see other people happy because I believed there would never be enough for me.
I wonder if my mindset would have been different simply by being taught the value of a dollar? Or how to be happy without the consumption of material things? I’m certainly not in the same frame of mind now, but it took a lot of trial and error for me to get there.
At such an early age I was conditioned to believe credit was a necessity because it seemed to be the only way you could get things you wanted. Savings? Nobody who had a direct influence on my upbringing knew anything about saving and what little we did know about savings seemed to be impossible to achieve on a low-income. So, if you wanted a vacation or new clothes for the school year, money had to be borrowed to make it happen. It didn’t matter if it was from the loan people or your people, money was borrowed and sometimes it was paid back.
I believed if there were more money, then and only then, would it be possible to make better financial choices.
At the time I didn’t know that poor money management was behind our scarce resources. More money came in, but it never felt like it because it ran through fingers like water. More money, more problems definitely rang true, but for different reasons often proclaimed by the rich and famous.
I didn’t need more money to make better choices, but that’s not something a financially illiterate child would understand.
A child who is financially illiterate needs to learn the basics of saving, spending and giving before they can feel empowered to overcome a “lack of” mentality.
Thirty-two years later, I know to experience abundance, freedom, and independence, your choices and values have to be reflected in that which you’re seeking.
If you want to retire, you won’t get there while spending all of your money and neglecting to pay yourself. If you want to invest, you can’t finance cars and furniture at interest rates that are so high it will negate any potential earnings. If you wake up one morning and decide you’re ready to tell your boss to shove his ridicule and senseless demands, you can’t be out there depending on one paycheck or income stream to maintain your standard of living.
Those types of actions do not add up to financial freedom. I hate the fact it took me so long to learn this and I hate even more how loved ones still can’t comprehend this simple concept. Fortunately, you’re here for a reason and you don’t want to take the extra miles to financial freedom. Or perhaps you’ve taken a detour and you’re ready to make a big ass scary u-turn so you can get back on the right path.
If this is the case, there are simple choices you can make that will eventually add up to the outcome you’re seeking. I encourage you to start today, no matter where you’re at on your journey. One better choice today and you will slowly begin to feel empowered once you see your finances change for the better. Just one choice, one you can build on daily is all it will take to reach financial freedom.
Here are two choices:
- Before you buy something, ask one simple question. “Do I really need this?”
- Look in your wallet. Take whatever amount you have in there and set it on the table. I don’t care if it’s 50 cents, $1.00, or $5.00. This is not extra money for you to just spend on whatever. I want you to take this money, sit down with pen and paper, and make a plan for it. Did that? Good. You just created a budget. Keep doing this for all of your money and make sure you save some for yourself.
I can’t remember the exact events that put me on the road to financial wellness. In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is my transition from believing there wasn’t enough for me. Now I know this to be further from the truth. Thankfully, I’ve learned how to manage my resources more responsibly and indulge in the abundance of life. The abundance has clearly been there all along, it just took a little financial education for me to see it.
What experiences empowered you to make a change to your financial situation? Are you on the road to financial wellness? Please share in the comments.
