Hey girl, hey!
January has definitely been the month for new connections and awesome collabs, because today... I have another wonderful guest post for you from the lovely and multi-talented Marliceia Chavers. She is the author and creator of the lifestyle blog, Love Marliceia, where sheshares personal stories that describe how she's grown in her journey of self-love and re-discovery. She encourages women to live their best life, love with their whole heart, and laugh until they cry... all of which are right up my alley!
So without further ado, please give a warm 'hey girl, hey' to Ms. Marliceia as she dives deep into how our love for ourselves (or lack thereof) can manifest into our money.
Let's chat!
I know you are probably thinking, how does money and my love for myself relate in any way? Well, that’s what I am here to explain...
Are you an impulsive buyer? When you feel down, does buying something you want release endorphins that make you happy? Do you have a savings account that you contribute to regularly? Is instant gratification more appealing than long-term gain?
These are all questions I had to stop and ask myself because living paycheck to paycheck was becoming a painful existence.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul is no way to live for anyone, but unfortunately this is very true for many, especially in the African American community. Outside of this instant gratification lifestyle becoming an epidemic among Americans; I felt like my personal struggle linked to something deeper.
I pondered this seemingly daunting plague of my finances and then I had an “Ah ha” moment. I said aloud, “I don’t love myself or at least not like I should”. You see... when you love yourself (or someone else), you create a space of safety and comfort... an environment where everything is alright and all your needs (and even some desires) are met.
Well, it hit me that I had not done that for myself and if I loved myself the way I should, then I would prepare for a stable future and not just the “feel good” moments that bring me joy.
This is the exact moment that I began to chart my course for loving myself better by creating a safe place through financial freedom. I watched YouTube videos about successful budgeting, paying off debt, saving, and even investing. I then invested in a deluxe planner from Erin Condren once I decided upon my plan of action in budgeting.
Now, I’ve always been one to budget, but my issues has always been actually sticking to the budget I created. One of the things that I believe helped me get off track was keeping my budget in an excel spreadsheet where I could easily delete or change something... so I decided to switch to a notebook.
There is something about having to scratch out or white out things in a notebook that makes you come to a screeching halt knowing that the physical appearance of your well thought out plan brought to life is about to be wrecked with permanent ink. Let me tell you... that will definitely make you think twice about making potential changes.
Seeing scribble on my perfect pages would give me hives and this is how I knew that this plan will work for me. It made me uncomfortable... and in order to grow, you have to get a little uncomfortable.
So, let’s discuss the different ways your self-love and money correlate a little deeper. When we are in a state of “not enough”, it causes a ripple effect of so many negative things to happen to us. For example:
Stress levels and anxiety increase.
Your lack of planning ahead limits you in the activities you can enjoy.
You didn’t budget your grocery money, resulting in unhealthy eating.
Due to the increase in stress and anxiety, you are now losing sleep.
Losing sleep causes you to be lethargic and now you are missing out on the benefits of waking up early and getting things done before work (i.e. workouts, planning, meditation, etc.)
Your overall well-being suffers and your productivity decreases because the burden of not having enough is working against you.
Remember... our love for ourselves is shown through creating a stable environment of existence with our money.
Now, let’s think about how we feel when we have taken the time to budget, save, and spend our money wisely.
We are living life like it is golden because we understand that short term inconveniences equate to long term financial gains.
Stress and anxiety are minimal.
All of our bills are paid on time; therefore, helping us to avoid late charges and interest fees that would rob us of even more money.
Sticking to our budgets allows us to have money for every need including groceries, and now we are eating healthier.
Waking up refreshed and alert because stress about money is not causing us to lose sleep.
An increase in productivity because our minds can focus on the tasks at hand and not our money problems.
Now I know what you are thinking... just because I am mindful of my money doesn’t mean that my life will be peaches and cream, but just try looking at it from another perspective!
I just captured how the lack of financial prowess affects every area of your life... and I really mean every area; spiritually, emotionally, mentally, socially, and physically. It can be hard to find a balance in life, but trust me, when money is the least of your worries... the sun shines a whole lot brighter.
Money literally makes the world go 'round, whether you are blue collar worker trying to feed your family or a world leader calling all the shots.... money is in everything we do and is a part of every pivotal decision made in the world. So how can we not be mindful of how this valuable resource relates to how we value ourselves?
Simply put... it’s impossible not to.
It is time now that we renew our minds and our love for ourselves by revisiting our spending habits. It is only when we take the time to be truthful with ourselves and make the necessary changes, that we catapult into living our best lives.
In my personal self-love journey, I am inspecting every nook and cranny to ensure that I am loving myself in the best way and my finances was definitely one place I did not want to deal with; however, now I am so glad I did. I am well on my way to living a life for the love of Marliceia instead of for the love of money.
When you love YOU in every way, your money will align in just the right way!
ABout Marliceia
Marliceia Chavers also known as “The Beauty-Preneur” is an Internal Auditor, Entrepreneur, and “Lovestyle” Blogger. Marliceia envisions a world where women love themselves so undeniably that everyone around recognizes them as a force to be reckoned with. Her goal is help everyday women develop into extraordinary women by way of inspiring and empowering them to create their best life through self-love and pursuing their passions with purpose.
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