How Emotion Affects Your Financial Goals - #moneyhungry (2024)

posted on 12 February, 2018

I remember it like it was yesterday…having yet another anxiety attack as I thought about going to work. The job that I loved so much had become a huge albatross, weighing heavily over all the decisions that I was making in my life. Also, I was not in the best financial shape and felt like (knew that) I had to continue working in a job that was slowly killing me off. Seriously. I began gaining weight. Five pounds settled on me one year, seven pounds the next. I would cry out of the blue, and I was angry ALL THE TIME. My hair started falling out and then my tooth broke. It was then that I decided something had to change. My body was talking to me. But, what I didn’t realize was that emotion affects your financial goals. I would soon realize that in years to come.

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Get Me Out of That Place

I felt like I was trapped in a never ending maze of dealing with everyone else’s needs instead of my own. On a daily basis, I would run around like a crazy person, trying to do everything perfectly, for everyone. It didn’t work. In fact, it made my life worse. But, I had debt, I owed people money, and relearning my financial habits was proving to be pretty freaking hard.

I began focusing on paying off my debt and killing my shopping habit (addiction?) so that I could lower my overall spending. I was able to reduce my yearly spending by $13,500 a year and it felt incredible.

• Same lifestyle? Check!

• Lowered monthly expenses? Check!

• Vague idea of what I would do when I decide to take the leap? Check!

There was one tricky little thing that I didn’t realize would become an issue. The emotion behind my goal would affect how I viewed my finances and future earnings.

I Just Need to Make “X” Amount

And then I can work for myself. If I make “x” amount, that will be enough. I will be satisfied and life will be great. What I didn’t realize at the time was that by setting the following goal: I just need “this amount”-I accidentally lowered my personal expectations about the following:

• How much I could earn

• The type of actions I needed to take to grow my income

I achieved the goal of making just enough so that I could leave my job, not starve to death, and pay a few bills. But, after a few years I was dissatisfied with my financial reality-I wanted MORE. Let’s be clear, I loved my lifestyle for the past 3 years:

• No commute

• Not having to ask other people’s permission to focus on what is important to me.

• The ability to prioritize where I focused my time and energy.

• Traveling when I felt like it.

• Being able to give back to the community that I live in.

Life has basically been pretty damn good. Until I had to admit to myself that I was dissatisfied with my finances. When I quit my job I was satisfied with making “ok” money because my goal was to be free of my job. And, I achieved that goal. And, I also had the idea that “I had to make enough” so that I could quit my job. I did that too.

It’s Not Enough

And, even though I’ve achieved some awesome things including paying off thousands of dollars in debt. I miss the intensity of working towards a really hard goal. When I was focusing on preparing to take the leap, it was a huge deal because it felt unattainable.

In fact, in my life, I’ve felt most alive when I’m working towards ridiculously hard goals that feel impossible. So, I’ve decided to own a goal that I’ve thought about every since I discovered that people could make life changing money blogging. I want to make life-changing money blogging. I would like to create content that helps my readers:

• Live happier lives
• Pay off debt
• Save more money

I would love to have monthly earnings reports that are in the 6-figures. And, when people ask me why I want to earn so much, I’ll say the following:

• To prove to myself that I can

• I would like the experience of earning A LOT of money. I’ve tried the other experience and we’re good.

• I want to pay off my debts! I have seven debts left (including mortgages). I was in the double digits before. I had so many debts I didn’t know what to do. Now, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a REALLY faint light. But, it’s a light.

• I’m kind of addicted to payment notifications. I LOVE getting them. Now, I want to get MORE.

• Why not?

• To help other people!

• To slay an emotional issue connected to underearning. I never want to under earn again.

• To show other People of Color that it IS possible.

• To share my insights and help OTHER people make more money. A rising tide and all that.

Emotion Affects Your Financial Goals

And, the emotion behind my earn more money goal included fear and imposter syndrome. Who am I to dream so boldly? Well, I’m a bada@@ and it’s time to manifest the following:

• In 2018 I will begin making high 5-figure months with passive income

• In 2019-I will be able to double or triple those efforts

I love this goal because it’s HUGE. And scary. And, audacious. What do you dream about? What do you hope for financially?

Let me know,

Michelle

P.S.

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