“It’s not the money you make, it’s the money you keep.”
“Losing weight is easy, keeping it off is the hard part.”
Making money and losing weight are actually extremely easy and everyone knows at least one path to get some. Keeping the money we make and staying lean year after year…
Well, most women find that more challenging.
There’s always something that comes up.
A special occasion, a 3 PM crash, a doctor’s appointment, a bad day at work, the tires… I’ve so been there.
And that’s life, we can’t blame it.
There will always be some very important and justifiable thing come up to completely derail us if we don’t have laser focus, crystal clear clarity, and a sustainable strategy to turn good intentions into reality day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year.
It was so depressing to work so hard, make so much progress and then, BOOM, I’m right back where I started. I’m surprised my nose isn’t smushed flat from the times I’ve tripped and fell flat trying to keep the weight off and a positive balance in the bank account…
This common mistake that most women make and how to flow with the feminine stream of keeping results (instead of against it) is exactly what we’ll be digging into next Tuesday evening at the “Fit & Financially Fierce.”
How to keep the results you’ve worked your booty off for (literally!), how to independently stand on your own two stylishly clad feet, and how to trust the choices you make are for your own highest good…
Because the real secret sauce isn’t on making more money – you have PLENTY – or losing the last ten pounds – honey, you might as well have lost it yesterday! – but it’s about keeping those results while living the life you love and loving the life you lead.
I really hope you’ll join us Tuesday, October 1st for “Fit & Financially Fierce,” but even if you’re away or can’t make it, I worked up the top lessons I’ve learned after keeping the weight loss off for 3+ years and leaving the paycheck-to-paycheck life.
1. It’s got to be a lifestyle you practice.
In our age of temporary quick-fixes, it isn’t any wonder why we have such a hard time making change stick. But the simple truth is that eating healthy, moving your body, and making wise choices with your resources must be a lifestyle, something you do day-by-day. It’s important to think like this because, A) it take some of the pressure to be perfect off, and B) it’s just what you do, no thought required. You’re probably thinking, Gerilyn, I know this stuff. Yep, are you doing it though? Practicing means you have freedom to mess up, make mistakes, get dirty, and come right back to the next right choice at the next opportunity. If you find yourself playing the blame game or guilt trip after slip-ups, or thinking you must be perfect or it’s a wash, then you need to be with us at “Fit & Financially Fierce.”
2. Support and accountability are your BFF’s.
No successful long-term change that I have ever made has been on my own – with weight loss, eating habits, or money. We are designed for community, women even more so when it comes to change, and we need to share the experience for it to stick. Sure I’ve tried often on my own, but the accelerated results, excitement, and bonding that also occurs with others is powerful juju. We become like who we hang around, so finding one person who shares a common interest – for living a healthy life or for growing your assets is super important, essential even.
When keeping the change we make, we still need our BFF’s as we grow. Your goals will morph and mature because, let’s face it, you’re at a new level now and you may no longer care about weight loss, but care more about clear skin. Great! Let your goals mature too to keep you excited and engaged in the process. If your BFFs have been along for the right, they will be at this level too.
3. Make the first goal easy, realistic, and quick.
When beginning to create and keep change, we need confidence and motivation yesterday. An easy way to do this is to make a big juicy goal and then break it into small pieces. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you won’t make a million dollars overnight… at first. So choose something you know you need to do to improve your life and that you also know is real and attainable. For instance, my hubby and I knew we spend excessively on food in a month… we actually spent $1000 on groceries in May (!). What a wake up call for me. Instead of saying, “We’ll only spend $400 per month from now on,” effectively setting ourselves up for instant failure and lots of misery in the loss of enjoyment, we instead looked at where the money was going, what we wanted more, and declared $600 a month was plenty. This was much more realistic for us and we have stuck to it. This reinforces our confidence in our ability to change incrementally.
It took 7 years to figure out how to keep off the weight I lost and I’m still working on my money story. But it’s so exciting to know that life doesn’t have to be such a struggle. And I LOVE that Cheryl and I have this evening planned to share our best strategies with you! 🙂 There are plenty of things that will come up to struggle about, but our body and cash shouldn’t be one of them.
If you haven’t registered yet, snap up one of the remaining seats at our “Fit & Financially Fierce: Feel Strong & In-Control of Your Body & Finances” next Tuesday, October 1st. You’ll walk out with your unique plan for vibrant health and financial finesse.
Can’t wait to meet you there!
LIVE your adventure,
P.S. I’m listening to Grain Brain on Audible right now (LOVE IT!) and he quoted someone, “Tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you who you are.” This is so true when it comes to food and finances. Tell me your lifestyle and I’ll tell you your priorities, goals, and values. Maybe you’ve done this, and you know the values you want to express aren’t the behaviors you choose day-to-day. Bringing behaviors we love into consistent existence is EXACTLY what we’ll be covering next Tuesday. Reserve your seat (& bring a friend!) here.