Advice Some Money Coaches Give That I Disagree With
I’ve been in a learning cycle recently.
This is why focusing on small money wins pays off big.
Okay...actually, I’m always in a learning cycle but this one is going deeper into money, investing, etc. Naturally, when I go into a more intense discovery phase I will run across other Money & Life coaches etc.
Why does that matter?
I actually try to avoid reading other money coaches’ materials. Not for lack of support (I’m a loud cheerleader), but because I want to be sure that I am teaching from an authentic place...meaning teaching you what I do or have tried myself.
My gift is to make the complicated easy and relatable and I’ll probably make it relatable in some weird way...and the weird way works so...I want to stay weird ya know?
LATELY, in this discovery process I’ve come across lots of “don’t worry about the latte, go big” business….and well…
I disagree, and here is why.
Starting at the latte is powerful, because:
#1. It’s freaking relatable.
Most of us are addicted to the juice and spend too much on it. But more importantly, focusing on the latte is making us look at a daily habit we have that is triggering a spending behavior.
Did you hear that?
I’ll repeat it.
IT IS FOCUSING ON A DAILY HABIT THAT IS TRIGGERING A SPENDING BEHAVIOR.
(sorry, didn’t mean to yell...I care about this)
And THIS is the step that you don’t get when you “GO BIG”.
#2. For most, money is crazy overwhelming and “going big” is usually something equally overwhelming.
Oh HEY COMPOUND FREAK OUT!
The small actions and habits where we are spending money, are way less scary, right?
I mean, messing up and buying an extra latte doesn’t have the stakes that selling a house does.
#3. The small stuff is less about the money and more about YOU and your emotions and self-esteem.
WAIT WHAT!?
YEAH friend. There have been studies that connect our low self-esteem with having more debt. I’m straight up over here raising my hand because in NYC when I was racking up $30k in credit card debt, I was NOT a confident person. Side note: I’m grateful for running into my now husband in NYC (we met in college) because a not confident Bri on a dating app (true story) is not a good combination.
IN SHORT:
The everyday things we spend money on, are most likely connected to a habit. When we recognize that and become mindful of what we spend our money on, we actually just become REALLY mindful and present in our daily activities and this is powerful medicine.
Mindfulness and being present, can lead to incredible fulfillment and overall happiness and those two things have nothing to do with money (yes, insert “money can’t buy you happiness”. I agree. Can it make life easier? For sure)...and that’s the game that I’m in.
So, focus in that latte friend because it’s packing a really big life punch!
Have a great week!
Livin’ & Lovin’
Bri
