Can we do a visioning exercise together for a moment?
Ahem.
Ready?
Deep. Breath. In. And...Hold it for a moment.
Still Holding.
And...Breathe the financial stress out.
Can you smell the sage burning?
Ahhhhhhhhh.
No? Not feeling it?
Ok, fine, I agree, a blog post is a weird way to achieve financial mindfulness.
And yet - here we are.
What else are you doing reading a finance blog than trying to create a moment of financial calm through self-education? Are you sick of being anxious about money? Are you exhausted by the daily grind of not knowing whether it’s all going to work out financially, or whether it’s going to get out of control? Well, that’s you and frankly, like, Every. Single. Person.
Learning what you need to know about your finances could have two major goals.
Goal One: Get Rich! (BTW - I don’t recommend this as the goal.)
or
Goal Two: Get Calm and Confident about Money (I do recommend this).
The calm and confident approach requires doing something that not enough people do.
First, understand that shortcuts to financial wellness are illusions. Try to ignore financial gurus or gambling your way to wealth.
Next, dedicate yourself to learning what you don’t know about your finances even if you don’t love thinking about money.
Third, set yourself up to make small changes now that will add up to big changes later.
The bad news: There is no “get rich quick” plan. At least, not a reliable one.
The good news: There are, however, plenty of reliable and reasonable paths to “get rich slow.” If you’re willing to educate yourself, make a reasonable plan and stick to it, you create the conditions not only to make ends meet, but end up well ahead, financially.
