When was the last time you thanked yourself for getting on top of this money stuff? Have you thought about how far you’ve come since starting? If not, give yourself a hearty pat on the back right now. Whether you’ve been rockin’ it for 10 days or 10 years, the fact that you’re currently acting on it and getting involved is HUGE. Be happy with your success so far! :)
The thing I’m realizing about personal finance is that it’s always a continuous set of goals. In the beginning, it’s trying to figure out a budget or where exactly all our money is going. Then, we might be workin’ on nixing our debt or starting that emergency fund. And then comes savings and investing, Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, retirement, and on and on and on. Honestly, it never ends! And you know what? That’s a GOOD thing! It means we’re constantly trying to improve our financial (and normal) lives, and we’re getting closer with every action we take.
But we also have to step back and realize how far we’ve come too. In between each of these steps we gotta pat ourselves on the back and acknowledge our inner financial rock star. Buffett, Oprah, J. Money, we all started somewhere ;) No matter what stage you’re at right now, be thankful you’re paying attention and workin’ toward a better future.
A good blogging friend of mine once said that money “must be watched, nurtured, [and] constantly counted and put to work,“ and I couldn’t agree more. Yeah it’s annoying/frustrating/etc at times, but it’s a part of our lives and the sooner we accept that the better. The best part about it all is that once we get past the initial crappier phases (dealing with debt, learning how to budget better, getting comfortable with our money) the light at the end of the tunnel gets much much clearer. I call this the “Money, Money, Moneyyyyyy!” phase ;) When your pot is now actually increasing every paycheck instead of the opposite! And EVERYONE can get there. Not at the same time, but at our own paces.
So whether you’re in the “where the hell’s my money?” phase, or you’re already big pimpin’ into retirement, be sure to acknowledge how far you’ve come. Financial Freedom will be yours, baby! Go grab yourself an award and take a breather. Then get back to hustlin’.
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Its def necessary to CONSTANTLY take a step back and evaluate where you are from your PF standpoint. Regardless, if you are doing great or doing horrible. Then it just comes down to whether you are content with where you are, even if you are making progress. I must say, when you do take a step back and look where you come from, its a humbling experience b/c my financial ass was in trouble 2 years ago. It takes time, but the constant look-sie in is the only way to make progress. Morning J.
Thanks for reminding everyone to recognize their success! Sometimes all you need is that extra vote of confidence!
It is definitely great to see progress! I JUST finished paying off the first of my 2 nearly maxed out credit cards!!! I payed down almost 3k over the last 4-5 months, and I am SO excited to get started on my bigger card, although this is going to be a little steeper climb… at 6.5k to pay off. But having completed my first big milestone is a great feeling, and I budgeted in a little extra for the weekend to reward myself with. Drinks all around! ;)
This is a good reminder! Two years ago I was out of debt but still bleeding money on hobbies I didn’t have time to enjoy, chasing after things I didn’t need or really want and didn’t even know what I spent. I was without a goal and only dealt with money in a reactive way. The sum total of my retirement plan was to die early in a way that would make for a good ghost story.
Now I’ve got a slick budget, an emergency fund and when I look at my finances it’s because I’m looking at how to improve things or move towards a goal, not reacting to some financial emergency (which wouldn’t have even been an emergency if I paid attention!). My wife constantly says she’s amazed at how I work with out finances, especially given who I used to be.
Money up, stress down and goals in sight. It’s pretty sweet. Thanks for the reminder to celebrate this!
i am at a good place or should i say night and day from where i was 3 years ago. today i have money in the bank and probably should pat myself on the back. but that is not how i am wired, i will always be wanting more and more and more.
I try to put my money to work and it goes on strike… EVERYTIME! I must learn better techniques to force it into labor. Maybe I can fool it into think it’s just going to rest but all the while having it do work. I’ll let you know how that goes.
I second Suzanne! I am particularly guilty about beating myself up over current missteps, but I am in a TOTALLY different place than I was and I get better daily. So I’ll take a break from the self-flagellation and get back to work. And thanks for the holla :-)
Doctor S – Haha…you said “look-sie”. And I agree :)
Suzanne – Yup, and a vote from yourself counts even more!
Anne – Hell yeah girl!!! CONGRATS! You are doing right :)
Kevin I – “The sum total of my retirement plan was to die early in a way that would make for a good ghost story.” That’s quite an explanation good sir. You are the man!
James – Well, wanting more and more and more is just fine too :) It’s the only way we move ahead, right? But I just know for me that if I don’t stop and acknowledge what I’ve been accomplishing I don’t appreciate it as much.
Que – Haha, I have nothing but faith in you brother :)
Debt Hater – Yeah, you only got DEBT-FREE lately!!!! Proud of you girl. A perfect example of a financial rock star ;)
We have finally exited the ‘cc debt phase’ and are now firmly entrenched in the ‘let’s save all we can for a fun future’ phase. It has helped considerably that somewhere along the way I fell off the ‘consumer wagon’ and when it stopped and backed up to get me…I RAN the other way screaming…
Now when we write those monthly checks it is no longer hearty-wrenching because the money is going to US each month! How great is that!
Hah! yeah, who needs a Consumer Wagon anyways? :)