By Leo Babauta
Before we launch into what we’ll be doing during this month’s module, let’s start with a crucial topic: the Why.
Why should we spend a whole month working on our finances? Why are financial debt, savings and investment worthy of our focus and attention?
The simple answer is: peace of mind.
I know this from experience (more on my story soon) — when you’re saddled with a large amount of debt, it can be a huge stressor, a huge restriction on your freedom, a big worry every single day. Something you don’t want to think about, but even if you ignore the problem, it doesn’t go away. It just gets worse and worse.
This stress and burden build up until you either 1) start addressing the problem, or 2) things collapse into ruin. I’ll let you decide which is the better path.
For me, addressing my finances was something I never wanted to do … but when I finally took the reins and took action, things got better and better. I felt less worried all the time, and more at peace. This is an amazing change.
I don’t like thinking about finances, but I do like the peace of mind. These days, it’s not something I think about more than briefly each week (to check on things) and about half an hour each month (to take an assessment and make adjustments). That’s way less than I used to think about finances, let me tell you.
I’ve automated my finances for the most part, and they just keep getting better and better. We’ll talk about how to do that this month, but the key takeaway is this: I don’t have to worry about it all the time.
The key reasons to focus on our finances this month:
- Less worry and stress.
- Less financial restrictions means more freedom.
- Automation means your finances get better without you needing to think about it too much.
- Taking action on finances is a better path (in my experience) than financial collapse.
- It feels great when you see your debt go down, your savings go up, and your investments make money for you!
Those are my reasons, at least. What are yours?
ACTION STEP: Take a minute now to think about your finances, and why you might care about improving them this month. Ideally, you might reflect on your reasons in a journal entry.