Movies can teach us a lot about life and money. I have found that I now like to watch mostly uplifting movies, and tend to avoid movies that bring me down, such as violent or depressing ones. Last night, I watched Bridget Jones Diary as part of my annual holiday movie event. It’s one of my very favorites!
I get so frustrated with Bridget; she’s so pretty, naturally sexy, and smart, yet she keeps repeating the same mistakes. She so longs to be healthy and confident, yet she continually sabotages herself in every area that she longs to improve: her career, her weight, her unhealthy habits and her love life. Then I thought to myself: what a profound example of human nature.
What is it that calls us to stay the same? No wonder I love this movie, as I seem to write those same bloody resolutions every year!!
It’s actually our ego, I believe, that calls us to stay the same. It works to keep us safe, and in our comfort zone, a.k.a., stuck; I have been researching this exciting topic lately as part of my Increasing Income course, but that’s an article for another day….
Year end is the perfect time to examine our lives and discern where we want to change, just as Bridget did. Here are a few areas that I have been challenged during at least some point over the past 3 decades relating to money and investing.
- Establishing and maintaining simple, yet life changing systems to monitor and improve my net worth and monthly cash flow; this takes less than 2 hours a month once it’s set up
- Keeping my office space and files neat and pretty; pretty is good; it invites us to hang out and get things done
- Spending time on things that create the life I want instead of taking me away from that life, such as unconscious spending or negative conversations in my mind or with others
- Fully embracing responsibility for anything in my life, including my financial health
- Planning ahead; it saves time and money
At least some of these areas call for continuous improvement by most people, so there’s no “holier than thou” here, I can promise you.
So what’s the key to making this year’s resolutions more effective? The answer lies in the outcome, or those important results of actually doing those resolutions. For your finances, it’s what I like to call your money reasons. That’s the approach I am using this year; I’ll let you know how it goes.
Thanks Julie for sharing my article!
Thanks for sharing my article!
Thanks for sharing my article Naomi…love that name, by the way!
Thanks for sharing my article Rachel! Happy Holidays!