…may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. I don’t think anyone believes this anymore, or at least the vast majority don’t.
I have always leaned toward a saver personality. I get excited when I find great items at bargain prices. I always set aside the money I plan to save and invest before allocating the balance to various expense lines. Seeing my net worth increase brings me a level of satisfaction and security that I just love. I am a proud saver.
Good fruit, bad root. That is how I would describe the origins of my saver personality. Fear was the root; savings was the fruit. The fear of making it financially and then losing it all was the cogwheel that drove my financial decisions. The narrative I carried was: “Money is not loyal. Money is scarce. If you aren’t careful, you will end up poor.” So what did I do in response? I saved, invested, and saved some more.
And then what I feared most happened. I lost my savings and investments when I went into a business I had no business pursuing, and it failed. “Failure.” That became the new narrative I added to my list. With it, my hope to start again, to dream again, evaporated. My narrative was proven.
So, what did I do when I started earning an income once more? I saved. I saved for security. I saved for safety. But always with a tiny voice whispering, “You can still lose it all just as easily.”
I was imprisoned by my narratives. A prison I needed to break out of. I needed to be free. Free to live. Free to enjoy my money. Free to try, fail, and try again. Rewiring my mind was a tough journey, one I am still on. Now, I am rewriting the script with intention and prayer. And yes, My Wealth Journal has greatly helped me with this too!
It turns out I am instinctively a saver. But now my savings are no longer driven by fear, but by hope.
Your Turn
What narrative is driving your financial decisions?
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8