Clearing the Financial Clutter: 2021 Resolve
Hello, friends. We’re already three weeks into 2021. I know, I can’t believe it either it seems to be going so fast and slow at the same time. Many things are in stagnation, not seeming to move forward which sometimes leaves me a little sluggish at wanting to continue my own journey of creating positive change in my life.
When I wake up with a defeated attitude and not wanting to press on, I take a deep breath. I get up. I take another deep breath. I meditate or pray—whichever my heart needs. I ask myself, “Why don’t you think you can accomplish your resolve(s) today?” The chatter starts in my head. I can certainly come up with excuses of why something won’t work like making it easier for me to abandon my resolve. Thoughts like, “ it’s too hard, or too much work, or I don’t have enough time, or that I’m not equipped to do it this year, or is it really that important to me?” Yet, my soul won’t believe that defeatist chatter because all those things are untrue. When I finally work through all the lies I want to tell myself, I gain the courage and stamina to keep looking up and keep pressing on.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the next Resolve I’m incorporating into my life. The key to staying on track to accomplish your goals lies in choosing the right goal. For me, the steps to help me choose a Resolve is determining that it is a smart goal which means the goal is attainable, immediately beneficial and benefits my future self. I rely on a few things to help my success in achieving a Resolve: motivation, removing obstacles, planning, and execution. I can definitely check off those key factors for success with my next Resolve.
My third Resolve—clearing the financial clutter. Yep…this requires a little deep breathing and maybe some mediation to get ready for this venture. This is where I have to look at all the purchases of needless things I thought would bring me joy. Scary because I have to admit to making mistakes and not following through with whatever it was I purchased.
One thing that motivates me to clear the clutter of my finances is that I LOVE saving $$$! Another motivation is that during this point in my life, I’m reassessing the purchases I make and also those that I’ve forgotten purchasing. I generally forget about the timeline to cancel because I have so many irons in the fire and I don’t take the steps to alert me to revisit the subscription before it goes into effect. This is where the “decluttering” begins.
I’m starting with reviewing each credit card statement I have. One by one, I’m checking to see each purchase. Do I have reoccurring purchase? What are they for? Do I need them anymore? Did I cancel it already and didn’t follow through to make sure the refund was issued? Then, I go to my Apple purchases… yes… all those “games” I like to play. I discovered that the money I paid to those silly little games that appeared to occupy my time could be better used to decreasing my payments to relevant debts in my existing credit cards, car loans and mortgage payments.
Knowing this is a great motivator for me to take the time to go through each statement from the past year and cancel all the subscriptions, classes, magazines, insurance, etc. where I’ve been losing money. Yes, it’s taking some time. But, I believe it’s worth it. I had to ask myself, “Why did I purchase all of these subscriptions, classes, etc???” I meant well for myself thinking that I was going to do everything and attend every class I purchased to better my life. During the quarantine, I became bored and also insecure with where the world was going and looked for new things to redefine who I am.
But you know what? This goes deeper than that. Yes! I admit that I’ve been doing this for years.
I realize that I have to dig deep to the WHY I purchase all these items. I have to admit that I am an overachiever and want to do everything perfect. So, I am in the process of choosing what is realistic, beneficial and attainable for me this year. When there are a fewer goals, it’s easier to achieve and I feel more successful which leads me to attaining success in my personal and business life. I have to say that I have more space in my house now, too.
Everyday is a new day to rediscover myself and to change what no longer benefits my dreams or goals. I’ve learned it’s up to me (so that means it’s up to you, too) to change what I don’t need in my life to move forward with my goals. Each month from this day forward, I am dedicating up to 1 hour a day to review my statements and reduce my debt. It won’t take long for me and I know that this is just for a season. A season is a measurable small moment in time. Doing a little each day makes it easier for me to accomplish more because I don’t feel overwhelmed. In fact, I feel successful.
I know that you’ll feel successful, too. Just take your resolve one step at a time. Don’t let those defeatist attitudes get in your head causing you to quit. You got this. You know how I know? Because I’m rockin’ this first month along with y’all.