Have you ever done something that made you really uncomfortable? I mean to the point of making you think, “why in the world am I doing this? I am scared out of my mind!” We are creatures of habit and therefore we like to stick to our comfort zone. We like our routines. We like our group of friends. There is nothing wrong with that. Although, what would your life look like if you began to make changes that were uncomfortable? Would you finally ask that guy/girl out on a date? Would you start that business you always wanted to start?
I worked at a company for 6 years before deciding to try something different. The job I had lined up didn’t work out. It wasn’t until 3 months of being unemployed that I started to get nervous. However, I was able to land another job shortly after that. After a year at this new position, I realized that there was no mobility, no chance of getting significant pay increase, and the work itself wasn’t thrilling. So I made a decision to leap – into a world of the unknown where the potential was great and the work was interesting.
I sold copiers for just over a year. If you ever worked in the industry you know the business is cutthroat. When you are locked into a lease on a copier, there is no chance at cracking the account for 2-4 years. Stepping into this new role was super uncomfortable because I was making cold phone calls to the C-Suite and formulating words that I didn’t fully comprehend in order to get the appointment. How could I sell them if I couldn’t sell myself? They had no clue who I was, what I was trying to sell, or why they picked up the phone in the first place. I had to get their attention, handle objections quickly then close for the appointment with high level executives.
I also needed to learn quickly how to get over rejection. Day-in and day-out I would have the phone slammed in my ear, asked to leave, and had many people tell me that I was a good salesperson but they went with the other vendor. It was tough! I say this because I also grew quite a bit while doing the daunting tasks of making dials, showing up in person for cold calls to try to get appointments, and solidifying my close. Through the growth, I started to get better at handling phone calls. I got more creative. I researched. I learned.
The purpose of being uncomfortable is to stretch you; to make you grow. Think about when you are working out at the gym or running long distance. You are pumping iron and usually increase the weight, drop the reps and gain muscle mass. When you are long distance running, you learn how to control your breathing, your legs get stronger, faster and you increase your stamina. If you practice consistently and constantly, you will grow.
Think about how this applies to personal finance. When was the last time you saw progress in your personal finance journey? Maybe you make a lot of money but you don’t keep a lot of money. Maybe you make little money and are an everyday millionaire (having a net worth of $1M due to assets). If you continue to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results, you will go insane.
Budgeting takes practice. You may not be very good at it the first few times you do it – but doing it consistently and constantly will allow you to fail enough times until you start to succeed. When you start to succeed, it becomes more fun. When it becomes like a game, you don’t stress over little things that occur; they become little bumps in the road on your way to financial wellness.
Get uncomfortable. Do things that you never thought you could do before. Hire a financial coach! We are here to push you to become the best version of yourself. We want you to achieve your goals and dreams. We will be your biggest cheerleader along the way. We can help guide you to success, but you will have to put in the work. Do it while your nervous. Do it while you are scared. Most importantly, to coin a phrase from a well known shoe company, “Just Do It!” (Nike).
Madsen Financial Coaching 