Our world is changing and so must we. Your first step, and mine, is to forgive yourself for past missteps – financial and otherwise.
These are stressful times. From a powerful election season to natural disasters, no one and nowhere is immune. This is also a personally challenging time for me.
At the beginning of the month, I got the message to slow down. A broken foot will do that.
In order to grow as human beings, we need to understand our reactions and tendencies. And accept our shortcomings while attempting to improve them. Much like I know I can be short with friends, family and others when I am stressed out – I know I make financial errors when I am busy, overwhelmed and lacking rest.
When I am so preoccupied that I may react without a kind or human touch, I apologize to those I have offended. Because I have learned what tendencies I have, I do it less today than twenty years ago. And correct quicker. When it comes to the fleeting mismanagement of money, I am disrespecting the person I most love and value – myself. And this happens when I am stressed, overcommitted or grieving.
When my finances go haywire, even for a fleeting month or two, I equally need to forgive myself and ask for help. Whatever the reason, I need to pause to give myself attention before I give my finances attention. Acknowledge and accept what happened.
I want to share my process to see if it helps you:
First, I take the time to process the underlying hurt and pain, then I can attempt to get track.
Next, I clear the air by understanding what I could do differently.
Then, I correct the situation with some attention, planning, and paperwork.
Have you made past financial mistakes? Or perhaps made decisions you wish you had not? Welcome to the club. You got this. I got this. Financial missteps is not an uncommon situation. You can fix it by looking internally, then understanding what happened and then move ahead.
All it takes is one step, one day at a time to improve any situation. Most importantly, put parameters in place to prevent it from happening again. I no longer go willy nilly and have piles of piles of bills paper or digitally adding up. I have stop gaps whether credit card limits or cash restrictions – one reason I love cash.
For me, clearly the message is slow down. When I take the time to stay present, I am much more organized and detailed oriented. My financial plans chug along smoothly. When I am busy and overwhelmed, I am thinking of the future and leave a trail of disarray. That may result in unpaid bills, overspending or unnecessary debt, despite my knowing better. I am human. We all are.
I know myself. I know finances. And I know some extra time invested will get me pack on track, as it will with you. Just clear the self-judgement and forgive yourself so you will be ready for the next step.
Keep on learning and growing. When it comes to finances, knowing yourself is first in the line of money management.