Melissa, Jack and I were on a flight and a few rows up was a toddler with his mom.
The toddler was in a testing mood that day.
The mom made a bold statement to the boy (mid flight)âŚ
âIf you donât sit down, weâre not going on this trip anymore.â
Of course he didnât sit downâŚ
As a parent on a flight, this is your worst nightmare.
âPeople are going to think my child is feralâŚand they canât think Iâm not a perfect parent.â
But in my short time as a parent, Iâve noticed that as long as youâre trying, the crowd is forgiving.
As long as youâre tryingâŚ
When you try, you receive grace.
Itâs not expected that youâre perfect.
Because we all know perfection is impossible.
In reality, we canât control much.
Perfect is debilitating.
Itâs impossible.
Everything is a learning experience.
And there is nothing wrong is asking for help.
We all start at square one.
And there is something powerful about staying in that beginnerâs mindset.
The key to conquering perfection
Acceptance.
Its about accepting this fact.
Youâll never be perfectâŚespecially with your money!
It just is what it is.
The point of a budget isnât to make you have no fun with your spending.
Itâs to give you some guardrails.
Once you accept this, you free yourself from the mental block of perfection.
Are you ready to commit?
Hereâs the cycle I see over and over.
- Iâm gonna create my budget this month and follow it perfectly.
- 1 week later⌠I spent money not like I budgeted.
- F it, budgeting isnât for me.
The budget thatâs created is often an âidealâ budget.
You tell yourself that you feel bad about how you spend $1.5k per month eating out so you budget only $400 next month.
This setup is a recipe for you to break your commitment.
Hereâs how this method Iâm suggesting comes together to help you conquer perfection.
- Iâm going to learn how to create a budget THAT WORKS FOR ME.
- Iâm going to accept that Iâll never be perfect with my budgetâŚand thatâs okay.
- Iâm going to commit to reviewing my finances for 30 minutes once a week (pssst....put it in your calendar for the ultimate hack).
The budget you create needs to work for you.
Itâs not a dream budget.
Itâs the way you actually are planning to spend your money.
Your guess on how you spend your money wonât be perfect and thatâs okay.
As long as your committed and trying, youâll make progress toward your financial goals.
And trying yields giving yourself grace.
Action Items:
- Accept youâll never be perfect and this is a learning experience until you find a method that works for you.
- Try a free trial of YNAB and begin to operate based on your cash plan (you'll never be perfect and that's okay!)
- Mark 30 minutes per week in your calendar to review your finances.