Work/life Balance And The Debit Card

Work/Life Balance and the Debit Card

If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life. —Reverend Billy Graham

POLITICS. Religion. Money. Of the three, which are you least likely to discuss with close friends? Money, of course. Your close friends probably already know how you vote and what you believe from a spiritual standpoint. But I bet they don’t know how much money you make or how much money you have.

Money is a topic that is fraught with emotion—both good and bad. I’ll show you. When you read the word money, how do you feel? Disinterested? Frustrated? Anxious? Panicky? Angry? Depressed? Engaged? Intrigued? Hopeful? Secure?

Depending on your age and experience, you might have experienced all these emotions at one time or another. When I was a young single mom, you could say the word money and I’d break out in a cold sweat. Pure panic was what I felt, 24-7. But that was just for a life season (which felt like the winter that wouldn’t end).

I’m embarrassed to say that for most of my adult life, I have been rather disinterested and somewhat neutral when it comes to money; it just never mattered much to me. I always wanted to be paid a fair wage for the value I contributed to the corporation that I served, but that was more about the work and honor—less about the accumulation or the spending of the green stuff. I only became interested in money when I realized it would play a significant role in my ability to choose balance.

Making the decision to leave the safety net of my monthly income and stock options was actually a nonevent when I decided to open my own company in 1994. Was it scary to launch my own business? Oh, sure. But I had something working in my favor that some folks don’t enjoy: Steve and I had been living far beneath our means. We had managed our finances in the early years of our marriage as if we lived on one salary. What did that look like? For starters, we bought a far less expensive home than what we qualified for (allowing us to pay it off early); we didn’t drive impressive cars (we often bought used); our kids didn’t get everything they wanted (they survived); and I didn’t wear designer clothes (but Steve said I looked cute anyway). We were into building financial security for our family, not a financial facade for our friends and neighbors.

Because of a few basic financial principles we followed early on, I had the opportunity to make a life-changing choice. And, girlfriends, having the opportunity to choose your career path and alter your lifestyle to find balance is liberating!

Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life. (Proverbs 1:19)

Have you considered living beneath your means? Uncommon joy is the payoff.