February 2024

Personal Finance – Doesn’t Have to be Scary

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Money doesn’t have to control you. We live in a world where everything costs more than before and sadly our wages aren’t going up with it. This doesn’t mean we go into debt. It means it’s time to take control and tell your money where to go.

Money is a tool or resource that we have and that’s how we need to treat it. Just like any other tool we need to learn how to use it.

Know Your Numbers

This is the first step. You need to understand what your income and expenses are. Fear is likely impacting how you are spending, saving, or enjoying your money. When you know what you have coming in and what you need to spend it gives you confidence to make informed spending decisions.

Wants vs Needs

Next you need to think about what financial goals you have. Where is your money going? Are you spending it on needs or wants? We have the required bills to pay, but what do you do with the leftover? That’s where the “wants” come in. Think about the coffee shop, groceries, going out to eat, etc.

Make and Stick to Budget

When you know your numbers, it is easy to make a budget. The hard part is sticking to it. Track your spending throughout the month. Don’t wait until the end of the month to figure out where you spent. Know where your money is going. I really like the Ramsey Every Dollar app. You can use the free version to make and track your money. There are other great apps out there too. Find one that works for you. The best part is you carry your budget around with you. No excuses that you have to wait to get home.

Have Some Fun

Make sure to include “fun money” in your budget. This is for something you truly enjoy. We work hard for your money so make sure you give yourself a reward.

#107 Become Your Own Cheerleader

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Increase your chance of success of meeting your goals by becoming your own cheerleader. So often we depend on others to motivate and keep us going. After the initial excitement, those comments usually stop and our motivation goes with it. Who’s had this happen?

That’s why this week I am going to challenge to become your own motivator. Think of why you are so convinced you can be successful. Invent several phrases that reinforce your determination.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • I’m totally determined because….
  • I’ve got a plan and I am sticking to it!
  • I’m capable of meeting this goal.
  • I can do anything I put my mind to.

If you are still struggling to motivate yourself, find some stories about others that have completed the goal you are after. Let them inspire you to keep going.

Practice by saying, “I CAN DO IT!” 10 times in a mirror.

Put sticky notes around your house, car, or work to remind yourself that you are strong and capable. You can meet this goal!

Leading or Going for a Walk

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Our culture loves talking about leadership. We have so many resources at our fingertips – books, podcasts, articles, and blogs discussing the next best leadership solutions. I love John Maxwell’s saying, “If you think you’re leading, but no one is following, then you are only taking a walk.” Leaders need people. Without people to lead there’s no leading happening. So, before adopting the label of leader or climbing new ladders of leading, we have to ask ourselves a question: “Do I value people?”

Another way to ask this question is simply, “Do I care for people?” Or, “Am I motivated to lead for the prestige or power I can gain?” Our world contains enough self-interested leaders. Will you value people first, before trying to lead them anywhere?

Think about the people you consider leaders. What made you think of them as a leader? What actions did they do to have influence over you?

God gives us guidance in what great leaders do. They live righteously. Meaning, they do the right things. In other words, they live by a higher standard than the shifting cultural trends. Additionally, great leaders do not compromise morally. Great leaders live a life according to God’s standards and let God’s morals shape every decision. Cracks in a leader’s character will widen to crevices that will grow to craters, then become canyons. Following God’s standards keeps leaders doing the right things consistently. 

Questions to Ask Yourself:

  1. Who have been the best leaders in my life? (e.g., coaches, teachers, parents, pastors, etc.)
  2. What qualities make them leaders worth following?
  3. Have I ever been frustrated with a leader who did not do the right things morally? Why did he/she fail in this way?
  4. Do I find myself compromising morally in my leadership responsibilities by playing favorites or not addressing problems? How so?

#106 – The Magic Notebook

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The week’s challenge involves getting a fun notebook! If you are not a paper/pencil kind of person – find a great app like one note to start your notebook.

The challenge is ending your day with journaling. This could be writing down what happened during the day, the emotions you are feeling, your worries, etc. Basically anything that comes into your mind – write it down. If you try and struggle with this, set a timer. Start with 1 minute. Don’t think about it – just start doodling if you have to.

We all have busy lives with lots of things going on. At the end of the day, we need to just “brain dump.” This is one of my favorite things to do especially with to do lists. Just write it all down and get it out of your head. Having your head cleared of all the things allows you to settle down to a good nights sleep.

Here are some more journal ideas:

– Write down specific things you were grateful for today.

– What is something you are most proud of today?

– What is something that didn’t go the way you wanted it to go? How could you have reacted differently?

– What are the most important things you need to get done tomorrow? What can stand in your way? What will you do if that happens?

– Reflect on your day – Who made you happy today? What did they do? Who did you make smile today?

#105 Do It Anyway

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When you are committed to a challenging goal, there WILL be days that “you don’t feel like it…”. That’s what this week’s challenge is all about.

Last week we made sure we were “committed” and not “interested” in the goal that you set. Now we are going to make sure you can stay committed even when you don’t feel like it. The trick to doing this is to take the action anyway. After about 5 minutes of doing the action, your attitude will 95% of the time turn around from not feeling it to I’m doing it. When you let the feelings take over and don’t do the action you will 100% regret it later.

You committed to the goal and just tell yourself I can and I will.

Committed Means:

– Sticking with your plans no matter what

– Taking action whether you feel like doing it

– Know that if you stay motivated, results will follow

– Take responsibility for your actions

– Keep going in spite of challenges and setbacks

CHALLENGE: Make a list of actions you plan to stick with this week regardless of how you feel.

Potiphar’s Wife – Bored to Distraction

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Being bored often leads to temptation. Temptation usually comes in the form of new and exciting. It’s something that gets us out of boredom that our lives can become. Temptation can be good as it can get you out of your comfort zone to join a group or do that thing that you always wanted to do. It can also be bad where you may do something you later regret. It can happen to any woman every day with tragic consequences.

”So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.“
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So let’s do a little back story. Potiphar was the captain of the palace guards which means he was a well respected man. He bought Joseph as a slave when Joseph’s brothers sold him due to jealousy. (More of that back story read Genesis chapter 37) Potiphar brought home this handsome slave and made him responsible for everything he owned. It says in Genesis 39:6 that he only worried about food which probably means he may not be giving attention to his wife.

”So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,“
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭39‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now Potiphar’s wife is not innocent in this situation, but she was probably bored and this Joseph was handsome. And he rejected her…. Sometimes when you get rejected it makes you want it more. It’s now a challenge to get that temptation.

I have empathy for her because I spent my youth chasing and being with the bad boys. And the funny thing is that is how Joe (my husband) got my attention in the first place. I was hanging out with his sister and he came to ISU for a concert. I remember sitting in the food court area and he ignored me the entire time. Guys did not ignore me…. That got my attention and made we want to get to know him. He was a challenge where if he did act interested I may have just ignored him. God works in funny ways like that.

Back to Potiphar’s wife’s story where she comes up with a plan to get what she wants. She sends her servants away. When we don’t want someone catching us doing something bad, we usually push them away. We don’t want to be judged because we know we shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.

Lesson 1: Don’t push your friends away when you are tempted. Bring them closer and lean on them. Have that authentic vulnerable conversation.

Tip: When you are at work, leave the office door open. Don’t go to lunch, dinner, coffee with just the two of you. One of the guys I work with actually did this with me. I invited him to coffee during covid and he brought his wife every time. At first I thought it was weird and now I have more respect for him.

Joseph being a man of God rejected her, but she somehow managed to grab his coat. (Joseph cannot keep his coats….). She made up a story to make her look innocent. She had to cover up what she knew she shouldn’t be doing in the first place.

Lesson 2: When we stumble, confession beats a cover-up. How easy it is to blame someone else when we’re tempted to sin. It’s “his” fault, “her” fault, or when all else fails, it’s God’s fault. Potiphar may not have seen through his wife’s lies, but the Lord we love looks straight into our hearts. Instead of going for a cover-up, let’s confess and repent.

Inspired From: Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs

A Problem, A Challenge, Or An Opportunity

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We all run into things that don’t go our way every day. It’s how we CHOOSE to see those things depends on our mindset. Yes! You GET to choose how you show up to each and every situation in your life. This is one of the things we have control over. You control YOUR reactions and actions.

Your mindset allows you to see in 3 potential ways:

A Problem

You say to yourself, “How am I ever going to get out of this situation or get this done….”

You focus on the problem and not the solution which most of the time makes the problem seem so much bigger.

A Challenge

You have the mindset of solving this problem will be fun. You go into problem solving mode. You pump yourself up and go for the challenge.

An Opportunity

This is taking the challenge mindset with an upgrade. You not only focus on the solution, but also focus on the long term goal. What will you learn by solving this? How can this make you better?

What mindset will you choose?

#104 – Interested or Committed

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We set goals with the best intentions and then after a few weeks those good intentions become just that….good intentions.

This week I want to challenge you to really think about what you want to achieve and WHY you want to achieve that goal. That “why” is how you go from being interested to being committed.

Interested = Good Intentions

When you are interested in a goal you will tend to stay with that goal until something better comes along. You are interested in losing weight, but someone brought doughnuts into work. You are interested in reading more books, but a new Netflix series just came out. You are interested in getting up and working out, but your bed is just so warm and comfy. Did I make any of you go…ouch!

When you are interested you depend on seeing results right away. As long as you see results you stay motivated. You hit a plateau or results are not fast enough you throw that goal out the window.

When we struggle, we tend to use the blame game. The “if only…” starts to come out. Your challenge is to turn those “if only’s” to a “I will..”

Committed = No Matter What

This week’s challenge is about truly committing to the goal you set. When you truly commit you have an entirely different outlook. Being committed means you don’t let those distractions be just that…distractions away from your goal. You stick with it no matter what.

Having the no matter what attitude means you have a game plan. You think ahead of what will distract you and plan what you will do if that happens. Then you are not thinking about impulse, but more following through with what you already planned to do. It is seriously satisfying when that happens. It shows how strong you can be. And it if is still hard, repeat why you are doing that goal in the first place.

Make the why stronger than the distractions!