Financial Wellness
You Are Not Alone
Ready to gain balance and growth in this dimension?
Let us match you with one of our vetted professionals.
What is Financial Wellness?
It depends on who you are and how your life is unfolding. One person’s description is often vastly different than the next person you ask. It’s not the size of your bank account,
- Answer from one of the ‘privileged’. ‘Having a financial advisor who knows the best financial strategy for your finances”
- Answer from what may be called the middle class “The means to take care of everyday needs with enough left over to have some lifestyle options.”.
- Answer from someone who is on the lower end of an abundant life. “Learning how to juggle finances in order to live, eat, manage health care, help others, afford to fix the car within the parameters of your available income/savings.”
WHY DO I WORRY ABOUT MONEY?
Our upbringing gives us lots of clues not only how we view money but how we view life and how we live day by day. It may be difficult to become successful financially if you didn’t grow up in a prosperous environment but you have the ability to break the tradition.
Rich Paul, famed vocalist Adele’s boyfriend, grew up in a 1 bdrm apt above his father’s candy store in Cleveland. They had almost nothing. At age 40, he is a sports agent for some of the biggest names in pro basketball and runs a company worth over $1 billion.
Both Oprah Winfrey and Dolly Parton were raised in shacks located in the deep south. They didn’t let their upbringing stop them.
Many CEOs, including Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks, came from nothing, started with nothing and rose to great success.
ASK YOURSELF WHAT YOU WERE TAUGHT ABOUT MONEY?
Have you ever found yourself saying or thinking any of the following?
There’s more to life than making money…Of course this is true but wouldn’t it be nice if you had the means to enjoy the more and let go of the less?
Money can’t buy happiness…Again true but it can help you afford what does make you happy.
I’d rather be happy than rich..Financial wellness is not an either or situation
FINANCIAL ‘UNWELLNESS’ ISN’T ONLY ABOUT MONEY
Financial strain, no matter the level of your finances, can and often does show up in anxieties, depression and other psychological challenges. And prolonged mental challenges can also manifest in compromised physical health.
No matter what level your finances are, it’s important to acknowledge and address any money related situations you know are coming in the future that may cause you stress. Waiting until the last minute is like not going to a doctor when you notice unusual health symptoms. By the time you get there you often wish you had handled it before.
When you take care of what could be stressful upcoming situations, whether it’s money related, relationship related or health related, the upcoming event loses strength and becomes more manageable. Acknowledge the events, make a plan to handle them and watch what happens.
First Step Towards Financial Wellness
Financial wellness isn’t merely a reflection of how high your bank balance is. It’s a combination of setting your goals, taking care of immediate necessities and making good decisions about your finances – whatever amount that may be.
- Let go of the past as a reason for not being able to succeed in the future. Choose your future, visualize the future you desire and put it in writing. Realize that just because you had trouble juggling bills yesterday and today, it doesn’t mean that tomorrow has to be the same.
- Educate yourself about opportunities available including classes – in person or online, cultivate friends who are at the level you want to be, read biographies of people who came from nothing and succeeded financially.
- Seek out professional financial advice. In many cases there are no or low cost advisors.
- Live with the knowledge that today’s decisions (about anything) affect tomorrow’s results.
- Lastly and most importantly, give to someone else. The act of tithing is not only biblical, but psychologists will agree that helping someone else raises your level of happiness. If you can’t give money, give your time. The amount of either method doesn’t matter – the act of giving does.
Financial wellness isn’t just the size of a bank balance. It’s a spectrum that spans all around fiscal health and confidence in the future.. It’s about having the wisdom to make informed decisions, the ability to navigate fiscal strains, and the assurance of creating a path to your financial future.
Support our efforts in creating self advocates with a small donation or by sponsoring our mission!