I had an epiphany a couple of years ago while driving through the beautiful Virginia mountains.
It was 2pm in the afternoon, but I was full of energy, joy, and life. Typically at this time in the day, and especially on road trips, I was used to feeling sluggish and in desperate need for a coffee. So I felt part shock, part pride when I realized I didn’t need an afternoon coffee to enjoy the rest of my afternoon.
In the last few months, I started a workout routine, researched and modified some of my eating and drinking habits all in an effort to “feel better.” Up until that moment, I didn’t realize that my routine and my consistency was working. I increased my energy and my ability to access joy; I felt on top of the world.
So, you ask, how did it all start?
If you are looking for inspiration, I may have a hard truth for you.
Starting the workout routine was actually painful, both physically and mentally, and initially drained me of energy. My body was not used to the new workout and I certainly hadn’t learned yet how to eat or drink to support this new routine.
However, I kept up with it. I showed up every day to be active and I got curious about how to support this new routine with nutrition and sleep hygiene. With time and consistency, I slowly noticed differences, until I was sitting in the car just a few months later knowing that I changed my life and opened up possibilities I didn’t even know were available to me.
I believe that establishing a routine and being consistent (not perfect!) is one of the key factors in changing any part of your life. And even when I know it to be so powerfully true, I often have to relearn it when I fall out of my routine. Just as with mindfulness though, when you come back to your routine and your consistency, it is like coming back to your breath, your center, and the foundational practices that will change your life in incredible ways.
Routines and consistency apply to a successful financial life as well and I personally have a couple of routines that have made a huge difference in building my personal finance literacy and confidence.
One routine that happens every month is that my husband and I check in on our income, progress to goals, and upcoming life events.
As with working out, I struggled with this routine at first. My money fears would come up and it would throw off my mood and how I showed up for those conversations. In many of our first meetings, I would come in wanting to be productive and positive, but some small thing would throw me off and my fear-brain would take over. We ultimately were able to finish those conversations and I was able to reflect on where my fear was showing up retrospectively. Like getting curious about how to make my workouts easier, I got curious about my money fears and how to get regulated in those conversations.
Within a couple of months, I started to notice a difference in our check ins. We had a set agenda so I always knew what we were going to touch on and could prepare myself ahead of time. We also started getting ourselves a treat (a fun coffee or a pastry) to enjoy while we talked. I noticed over time that I was more confident and even looked forward to these chats!
We are not perfect, but we are consistent in that our check-ins aren’t always as productive as they could be, but we show up and do our best. When it does get difficult to write the agenda or sit down for our conversation, I ask myself what small shift would make it more enjoyable or easier. Sometimes it is going down in weight if I am particularly tired or finding a new coffee shop to try out for our finance chat. Whatever that thing is, committing to it and showing up gets you most of the way there.
And who knows, you may look back on your routines and realize that with consistency you changed your life. And when you do it once, you can do it again and again.
What is one financial habit or routine that has helped you or you would like to try? What would make that activity or task more fun?
Let me know in the comments!
Ever onwards,
Your personal finance friend