I have spent the past 3 years learning how to live within a budget. I never took the time to learn about money. I avoided the subject at all cost. I just unconsciously paid bills and then charged everything for the rest of the month. I took on more and more side jobs in order to account for the short fall but I never really could make ends meet. I never cut back my spending or set a limit. I just worked harder. After 15 years of wayward spending I was in over my head to a tune of $45,000. This is a perfect example of living with no boundary. When I could not work any more hours in a day and my credit cards were at their limit I made the struggle public and set a budget. I became a student of a friend who had made smart financial decisions. I made graphs and posted them all over my house and classroom. I read books and listened on the radio to financial experts such as Dave Ramsey. I became the cash queen and my mantra was “Credit Cards are Bad!” I lived within a budget and paid cash for everything. Every dollar had a purpose and destination. Believe it or not I had freedom within that boundary. I had “if then choices.” I worked it so I could choose where the money would go and shuffled as needed. I was determined and unrelenting. To this date I have paid off 90% of this debt.
I bet you know where this is going .
Isn’t it interesting that my financial history is very similar to my weight story? It’s amazing to see the similarities. My family knew that my weight gained was not a topic up for discussion. It wasn’t fair to them because they were coming from a place of love. But I would become very hurt when the topic arose. When I spoke with friends about my weight I approached the subject as if I was a victim, “Oh whoa is me.” I felt defeated because I believed that this was an area in my life that I would never achieve significant success in. I tried to white knuckle it many times but I would always defeat myself once again. I would reach that certain milestone and then turn around and eat more and more. I’d learn about healthy eating but I would never take any ownership in what was going on, so the pounds just piled on and on and on.
Financial and Weight Gain Similarities
1. Topic off the table
2. Continue as if nothing was happening
3. Play the “Whoa is me,” card
I made the connection today when I was talking to a friend about my success this week. I was reviewing with her my calorie options and if I budget correctly I could have certain foods according to my calorie allotment for the day. She had witnessed my financial journey and said, “If you can be on a cash budget you can surely budget calories. Lets see can you say “LIGHTBULB MOMENT?”