My Journey
Hi and welcome to my blog! This has been a long time in the making and I am so happy to finally be able to share everything I have been learning and practicing for so long. I have not always had a good relationship with money. In fact, from my first step into adulthood, I had a really unhealthy relationship with money.
At 18, I went to the bank and applied for my first credit card. I know that might not seem like an unhealthy decision and this might sound funny but I had no proper education into the world of credit. I thought, “Wow, I can go spend whatever I want and pay it all back later.” Of course that got me into all kinds of trouble. I got into loads of debt; not once, not twice; yes, three times. I had a shopping addiction, several store credit cards (because, duh, store discounts when signing up), a leased car, and a bank credit card. I had no business spending the way I was spending, yet I was. The one thing I will be forever grateful for is my college fund. I was so lucky that my parents were able to do this for me. It wasn’t a ton of money but it was enough for me to get the education that I wanted. The amount of money in my college fund formed my decision to go to community college for 2 years and transfer to a state university to get my Bachelor’s Degree. The one thing I did not want at the time was student loans. While all my friends were out of state at expensive schools having “the college experience” that I wanted so badly, I lived at my parent’s house to save money on housing and completed my degree without student loans.
I majored in Economics and added a minor in Finance. In one of my finance courses, I found Dave Ramsey’s book, The Total Money Makeover, through an assignment. This book completely changed my life, as it has for so many others. One by one, I began to make changes in my life. Mainly, get out of debt and start growing my wealth. About a year later, I was out of debt and my money mindset had been changed for the better.
In 5 years, I have learned a lot about my own money mindset, my relationship with money, and how to create a healthy balance that works for my life. I am sure you’ve heard the phrase, “you only live once.” I have a big issue with this phrase. It is overused and has become an excuse for people of any age to live as if there is no tomorrow. Well, let me be the first to tell you, more likely than not, tomorrow will come and it will not be pleasant if you blow all your money away today.
With that said, there is a balance, and that is exactly what I want to help people master. How can you find the balance between, live like there’s no tomorrow and save every penny for retirement? It’s true that tomorrow is not promised, but if it does come, we all want to be prepared and feel good about where we stand financially. It’s about working towards your goals while also living in the moment. As hard as it sounds to do both, it is POSSIBLE and you CAN do it! All it takes is a big shift in your money mindset, prioritizing your wants and needs, and big preparation.
I created “The Cognitive Currency” not only to help people financially but to inspire and help people reach their goals, even when it feels impossible. I use the word “cognitive” because it will not just be actions that get you to your goals, but your mind has to get there first. It is going to take a big shift in your thoughts to accomplish these goals. Follow along to learn how to shift your mindset, find the balance in your life and regain control over your money.
