Nourish Your Soul. Manage your Money

How do you choose to nourish yourself? Do you seek out healthy ways to rejuvenate, or do you lean more toward distractions? Sometimes, when we’re just trying to let go and feel free, turning a blind eye to how we choose to unwind can have a big impact on our finances.

These days many of us are pushed to our limits. We face stress from work, lower than desired pay, and diminished personal connections. To make ourselves feel better, we often lurch from the newest thing to the latest thing to the hippest thing, all things external.  That can be fun — sometimes too much fun because a high price tag can come with that behavior. Often times, when we chase moments of materialistic pleasure, we find ourselves far away from who we really are and what we truly want. And, when we try to buy our way to contentment, new stress arrives when we open our monthly credit card statements. 

What does it feel like when you nourish yourself in a healthy way?

That answer may not come easily.  When we spend large amounts of time disconnected from our true selves, we often turn a blind eye to what’s not working.  That can take a toll on our personal, spiritual, physical, and financial lives. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can nourish yourself and at the same time, build wealth.

In my book , I tell a story about my client, Jordan. He was a single, sexy guy who seemed to have the perfect dream life. He was traveling extensively, wearing designer clothes, driving a vintage Ferrari, and enjoyed a bevy of beautiful girlfriends.  But beneath the alluring Instagram images, his life was a total train wreck, emotionally and financially.

Jordan’s reality was he led a very shallow life built upon a cracked foundation. Jordan had no idea how to nurture himself or what was important in his life, and his financial situation reflected that. 

Jordan’s salary was in the same range as everyone else he worked with, but they seemed far less stressed about money. Once we started speaking, it became clear that he had a very common problem. Jordan grew up in a family of limited means and covered his bills from an early age. As a young man, he adopted the personal philosophy of “fake it until you make it!”  Unfortunately, that reasoning perpetuated his childhood reality: the poor me Scarcity story. Being “poor” and in debt, he stayed in his job, not because he loved it but because it gave him the salary to pay most of his bills and appear to be living the high life. 

Over time, work seemed more like a prison sentence—until a personal crisis in his family became his catalyst for change. Jordan finally admitted to being dissatisfied and committed to creating a happier and healthier lifestyle. 

He turned out to be an eager student, happy to embrace my PACT ™ process as a roadmap toward action. He laid out a realistic accounting of his debts, current cash inflows, outflows, and assets. Within weeks, he took the steps needed to come to terms with his emotions behind money. Once he figured out his true life goals and priorities, he set up a series of financial buckets to help him monetize and energize his life. PACT™ provided him with a clear path out of his childhood’s limiting beliefs and into his own desired future. 

Jordan figured out how to identify and nourish what was essential to him, which energized his entire life – including his finances.

What about you? How can you truly nourish yourself and what’s important in your life?

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