Back to Blogging
Getting back on track
Back to Blogging
As with many other things in life, I have fallen off of my blogging habit the past few months. The easy excuse is that I am expecting another baby this summer, and those early months of pregnancy were just plain old not fun and I didn't have the bandwidth for my blogging habit. However, like most things that are good for us and important to do, even a reprieve from them is not reason to abandon the practice. Instead, I am openly admitting the inconsistency, asking for any reader's forgiveness and wanting to get back on track!
What habits are good for you that you have swayed away from? Given my profession, the easy example is checking your budget! We have found time and time again speaking with clients that by making them just track their spending, they have a tendency to spend less. It may be partially because they know they will have to be accountable for their purchases, spouses/significant others may be shared this information in a more transparent way, or simply because the act of tracking makes them take pause before making a spending decision. Sometimes, that momentary break to think before taking action is enough for us to break a bad habit or start a good one!
The other easy parallel with finance is fitness! We all know we should move more and eat less to be in better shape, but if it was so darn easy, why do so many of us struggle with our weight and nationally do we struggle with unprecedented obesity levels? Because these habits are linked to deep emotional and psychological identities we have created for ourselves. The same thing is true with spending - so think about the habits you created for yourself, the habits of your spouse, and the habits your parents displayed in your childhood home. Chances are you are mirroring the spending habits you were raised with, or "othering" that behavior and acting in complete contrast to what you saw exhibited in your households. And, like with fitness, tracking your actions is the best way to identify these actions. Knowing that you have to write down every calorie or workout out each day certainly seems to be enough for many of us to change our actions.
So keep me accountable, and keep yourself accountable! Take pause before action to ensure you are acting with intention - and track the actions you want to change.
What habits are good for you that you have swayed away from? Given my profession, the easy example is checking your budget! We have found time and time again speaking with clients that by making them just track their spending, they have a tendency to spend less. It may be partially because they know they will have to be accountable for their purchases, spouses/significant others may be shared this information in a more transparent way, or simply because the act of tracking makes them take pause before making a spending decision. Sometimes, that momentary break to think before taking action is enough for us to break a bad habit or start a good one!
The other easy parallel with finance is fitness! We all know we should move more and eat less to be in better shape, but if it was so darn easy, why do so many of us struggle with our weight and nationally do we struggle with unprecedented obesity levels? Because these habits are linked to deep emotional and psychological identities we have created for ourselves. The same thing is true with spending - so think about the habits you created for yourself, the habits of your spouse, and the habits your parents displayed in your childhood home. Chances are you are mirroring the spending habits you were raised with, or "othering" that behavior and acting in complete contrast to what you saw exhibited in your households. And, like with fitness, tracking your actions is the best way to identify these actions. Knowing that you have to write down every calorie or workout out each day certainly seems to be enough for many of us to change our actions.
So keep me accountable, and keep yourself accountable! Take pause before action to ensure you are acting with intention - and track the actions you want to change.
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