60-Day Financial Fitness Challenge: Day 57

Emily Reno

March 9, 2023

Today’s Task:

Audit your financial personality

I feel like there’s probably a lot of quizzes out there that put people into some kind of prototype regarding their finances. Are they a ‘super saver’, a ‘thrifty shopper’, or the ‘live in the moment’ kind of spender? As I was summarizing my takeaways from a Joe Dispenza video (linked in yesterday’s post, I believe) and realizing that ultimately what I was doing was asking people a series of questions regarding their personality with regards to wholesale production and markets for farmers, I thought it would be a fun exercise to do a quick audit today of what I’m dubbing your ‘financial personality’.

A note on context – I just put 1800 on my credit card last month because my debit card expired, and the temporary one that I received right before I left the country ALSO expired after 60 days. It’s very hard to have an idea of what I have in my bank account when I’m spending on my credit card. And because my consulting monies lag so far behind when I do my work, I had to pull from savings to pay for it. I put my consulting dollars directly into my savings account as soon as I could pay myself. Reflecting on this intense moment just this week – after I’ve written about all the progress I’ve made! – I think it’s important to take a moment to look both at where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Did you know? Something like 90% of the thoughts we have today are things that we thought about the day before. We tend to run on autopilot without taking stock of our thought patterns and behaviors

– When we give ourselves the opportunity to think about who we WANT to become versus who we are, we can start evaluating/checking in with ourselves and our self-talk.

Some questions to journal about:

What are the stories that you’re telling about yourself? Is that fair? And is that helping you achieve your goals?
What does the version of myself who is wealthy (in more than just finance) look like, talk like, behave like? What are THEIR habits? Can you see yourself becoming that person? And if so, what would you have to do differently TODAY to start becoming that person?
What’s something that you’re proud of that you’ve accomplished in the last 57 days that aligns with the person who you’re striving to become?

I recommend splitting the answers into ‘old’ and ‘new’ if it makes sense for the question.

I’ll take a stab at some of these just for the fun of it.

What are the stories that you’re telling about yourself? Is that fair? And is that helping you achieve your goals?

Old: That I suck at finance. That I can’t be both financially stable AND run my own business. That I’m a failure because I’m doing consulting work instead of offering courses through my own business. That I don’t deserve the lifestyle that I want to create for myself.

New: I can achieve anything I set my mind to. The only source of change is within me. If I want to change my surroundings, I need to change my internal environment. I won’t get anywhere by being so hard on myself. Instead, what my soul is actually craving is a kind and supportive, compassionate and loving voice that says ‘keep going, you can do it, rest, believe in yourself, and repeat’. The quality of my life will be determined by the depth of my breath. Checking in with the tension I hold in my body on a daily basis is necessary to maintain equilibrium. When I’m not doing this on a regular basis I quickly get out of balance and fall back into old habits that reinforce an unhealthy lifestyle and addictions.

Is this fair?

The old stories are definitely not. The new ones feel much more expansive and open in my body. Even as I write it, I can tell that I’m speaking my truth. That’s definitely a sign that I’ve grown and changed! And that these new thought patterns and neurons have connected in my head.

Is this helping me achieve my goals?

The old thought patterns definitely weren’t. The new ones, yes!

What does the version of myself who is wealthy (in more than just finance) look like, talk like, behave like? What are THEIR habits? Can I see myself becoming that person? And if so, what would I have to do differently TODAY to start becoming that person?

That person is loving, caring, affectionate. They’re generous with both their time and their money. The way they spend their time is in alignment with their values. They go out of their way to show others that they care, even if it’s not through monetary means. They show up for the people they love. They have a rich social circle filled with people that reflect the joy and passion that they bring to all that they do. This person first and foremost takes care of themselves. They are a role model to others in maintaining their physical fitness and filling their body with nourishing foods.

They have a lovely slowness about them that comes from recognizing the importance of quality time with others. They’re never the one to rush off to a next meeting and instead are the ones to encourage others not to be so ‘busy’.

This person is wealthy in the way they shower others with their words.

Their habits:

Daily meditation/mindfulness practice of some kind
Taking time for themselves to reflect, ground themselves, build up their own energy reserves to take on the day and other people around them
Engaging in activities daily that bring them joy
Spending in alignment with their values. Spending on others when appropriate and desired, but not too much.
Humility. Not feeling a need to show off to others their level of financial wealth in any way (through conversation, what they wear)
Healthy daily investment in the relationships that matter – communication, time, activities together
Daily gratitude & forgiveness practice
Setting stretch goals and challenging themselves to get out of their comfort zone on a regular basis
Spending time daily in nature
Embracing moments of hygge, even if it’s just a deep breath while waiting in line or at the beginning of a meeting

What’s something that you’re proud of that you’ve accomplished in the last 57 days that aligns with the person who you’re striving to become?

Definitely the setting of stretch goals and getting out of my comfort zone. There have been so many moments in the last couple of months where I questioned my ability to figure things out, or literally survive physically. Getting stuck in the river several times, on the side of the road, going to a foreign country without a fully fleshed out plan and having it turn into one of the most beautiful experiences of my life….these are the moment when I realize how much I’ve grown, and navigated some serious financial discomfort. I did all of these things DESPITE the fact that I was on strong financial footing because I believe in myself and my ability to figure it out.

Two months ago, I held the belief that I would have to depend on others more for my financial stability, even though I’d had a track record of paying for seven years of college through scholarships that I applied for, working several part-time jobs, etc. I’m not really sure where the disconnect came from…maybe it started after I landed my first salaried position, where things were predictable and I felt so much emotional relief from having a steady paycheck, that it became easier to plan, save, and work towards my next goal.

What I’ve found, though, is that in some ways stability came at a steep price – burnout, first and foremost among the many things that weren’t going well during that time. With little direction in my position, I didn’t have a sense that what I was doing was really helping people or had a concrete end point at which I could point to and say “Yes! It’s done!” My work is anything but that now, and for the doors that have opened to allow me to be here, doing this work, abroad, immersing myself in a completely different world, I am eternally grateful.

And I’ve also found that the ‘risk’ of becoming an entrepreneur has some kick ass rewards that I could seriously get used to. We choose the reality that we want to live. And if that means working 6 hours a day, three days a week, so be it! That will be my reality. If that means working 70-80 hours a week and killing myself to get that last penny, that’s an option, too. But highly unlikely to be the route I go.

An affirmation I wanted to share as I round out today’s post is a piece of the Self-Confidence Formula from the Proctor & Gallagher Institute that a friend sent me:

I will cause others to believe in me, because I will believe in them, and in myself.

Thanks for reading, and keep up the great work!

Today’s resources to keep you inspired: