Finances is something that doesn't come easy to me. I never learned how to manage it, so I just did the best I knew. Four years ago, we went to a budget bootcamp class, and it was the first time Jeremy and I actually were on the same page, saw that we could save (we just weren't) and more! We created a plan to finish paying off our student loan debt, and anything else that was outstanding.
Now that we learned how to budget, and paid off of our debt, I was still feeling a disconnect b/t our finances and our budget. Almost as if, no matter how hard we worked, our budget felt tighter and tighter. I came to realize that I wasn't financially literate. I didn't know what it meant to create a plan for it, how to invest or anything.
I remember sometime in Dec. of 2017, I asked God to teach me about money. And literally within 30mins, He places a someone in my life who says she wants to mentor me. Let me be honest, the first week we met, I heard some hard words that I needed to hear. She told me I had limited thinking when it came to money.
What I mean, is that, I had a poverty mindset. Now I'm about to get real and vulnerable here. I hope this is a safe space for me to not feel judged, but I truly believed that my life was meant to be one of struggle, and never having enough. When I thought about God and all of who he is, I believed that He is who He says He is for everyone else but me. I had no idea how much it controlled me, my thoughts, my actions, and how I perceived other people. This is one of the many topics I get to talk, process, and heal from with my therapist.
So when She said I had limited thinking, it was almost as if the scales on my eyes fell off. And I was immediately intrigued. I wanted to learn more!!! So she gave me homework, and told me to start educating myself on the world of finances.
So I love to share with you what I'm learning!
1. Read Poor Dad Rich Dad
THIS BOOK!!!! I believe every entrepreneur should read this book. I mean, every business owner should be reading books on finance! Why? Well because we are in business to make a profit, and if we don't understand how money works, or how to make it work for us, how can we profit off of it? Anyways this book revolutionized my mind. My one big take away, was to to stop saying," I can't afford that."
2. Started Reading Unstoppable by Tony Robbins
I had heard of Tony Robbins before, but if I'm honest I didn't ever really know much about him. All that came to mind was seminars and a Netflix documentary?!? In which I could be totally wrong. Well, he popped up on my facebook feed in a private entrepreneur group I'm in, and was mesmerized by him, and everything he was saying. So I bought his book, and am more than halfway through it! It's been so good learning about investing, how to find an advisor who would be a fiduciary, and more.
3. Signed up for a Real Estate Flipping workshop
You know how FB can get creepy sometimes right?!? Well, this couple popped up in my feed about flipping homes, and Jeremy and I have had several conversations about us starting to flip homes, but we always pushed it to the back burner. Well, this couple popped up and they were offering a free workshop. Now I knew they may be selling something, but wanted to dip my toes into the world of real estate and see what I could learn from it. Rick from Poor Dad, Rich Dad, talks about learning a formula and sticking with it! So the goal here was to learn their formula of real estate, see if it's a good fit for us, and then put it into practice! Flipping homes here we come!!!
4. Had lunch with my dad and chatted about investing
Both Rick and Tony talk about getting around people who know more than you. I have heard my dad talk about investing in stock, and wanted to have a one on one conversation with him, about what he's learned, and any nuggets he can give me, as I continue to learn, and decide which route I want to go in when it comes to investing in stock. It's all about diversifying baby!
5. Started Reading The Money Type.
This book is amazing. It's based on 7 biblical characters in which you take a test to see which one you identify with. He then goes through each money type and shares who they each feel, think and act with money. I've learned soooo much about myself, and how God created me. I especially recommend this book if you are married, because you will learn such great insight on how your spouse sees money, and how your differences aren't wrong, but different.
