Your Financial Growth Requires Reflection

Growth & Reflection

Life is a strange affair full of oddities and randomness, which consequently shape and colour our lives to form the basis of our perception, reality, and self-image.

Often, we view ourselves as the product of our actions and separate from the outside world. But really, that is only half of the equation.

The other portion of ourselves draws definition from our environment and the various stimuli interacting with us, both past and present. Because, after all, you cannot grow a flower without light.

Nor can you define light without dark.

And to perceive light takes sensory organs, such as the rods and cones in our eyes, which decode the differences between day and night.

Finally, without life, the universe wouldn’t have been able to perceive itself.

Thus, you cannot have one thing without the other because everything shares the same fabric that makes this ground of existence, well, this.

Inverses are married, and emptiness provides each form of matter with the space needed to distinguish itself from one congealed mass.

For personal finance, this means you cannot master your pocketbook unless you start from a place of lesser knowledge. Nor can you create a fortune unless you start with a lesser amount. And, you cannot find the perfect spending pattern without non-ideal spending behaviors first.

I attribute my financial persona to the habits I have formed and fostered, but I also know that my friends, family, culture, and the broader world have influenced me. Therefore, to say that I am alone in my casting would be a lie and a lack of acknowledgment for every input I have had.

I used to be a big spender, saving only for the next purchase. Then, I became extraordinarily frugal, pinching my pennies into thin sheets of copper. Finally, I have found a pendulum where I balance my spending.

Nowadays, sometimes I overpay. Other times I underpay. But, importantly, my spending no longer dictates my lifestyle. And I finally feel like I can focus on what matters, which is the experience of life.

Regardless of where you find yourself in your personal finance journey, realize that you can always learn more and that it is okay if you aren’t an expert.

If you are an expert, don’t take yourself too seriously. Otherwise, you will likely become prejudiced and resistant to change.

And, life is constantly changing, so sooner or later, you likely will be wrong by holding antiquated views.

Sometimes, you will live in different financial personas, which is okay if you don’t commit economic sabotage, occasionally splurging and skimping.

After all, life is rarely static.

To me, the most rewarding part of chasing financial independence has been both the journey and the destination. It was thrilling to get my finances and life in order, tracking towards a goal that empowered my future.

Having now reached that destination, living a life of my own accord is liberating – even when I realize that I could have lived such a life earlier!

Plus, I no longer think of my financial future in fixed terms. I realize that it will constantly change because nothing is predictable. And that is life.

So, where are you on your personal growth and financial liberation journey? Have you been lucky with the choices you have made? Have you learned that it is okay to make mistakes? Do you hold regrets?

Regardless of what has happened in your life, I would love to hear in the comments below, and as always, have a great day.