Wow, what a journey it's been these past 2 1/2 years! I started this blog in August 2019, shortly before I started a humble free course from Springboard called "Intro to User Experience Design." Now, 2 years and 9 months later, I started a new job working in tech. The job is a perfect match for what I was trained to do. My schedule is a bit different than my old "day job," and the pay is much better. Hopefully after a few months I'll be back on track and won't have to worry about debt anymore. I'm on my way to Learning Gold Can Stay for real! So, um... now what do I do?
I still feel anxiety over my spending. The anxiety hasn't really gone away yet. I was so busy building my UX design portfolio and interviewing that I still haven't worked through the exercises in The Financial Anxiety Solution Workbook by Lindsay Bryan-Podvin. That is on my list of things to do. What are some of the things I fear?
Being raised in an environment of scarcity, then moving to sufficiency or even abundance, brings its own challenges. There are so many judgments involved. True, compared to the 1%, I'm still poor haha! But when some family and friends have the mindset like it's easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than a rich person to get into the kingdom, it doesn't make it easy to share your news. At a time when I want to go out and celebrate, I've been keeping this recent success quiet. Well, in reality I just got over covid, so I'm still a bit in quarantine-mode rather than party-mode.
Also, I've (unintentionally) dated two millionaires in my past, and I remember how having money changed things. (Unfortunately they were both the uber-frugal type of millionaire haha! Actually my most generous boyfriend lived in a trailer after a messy divorce, far from millionaire status.) Anyway, there were times where we really didn't know who our true friends were. If we wanted to go to a concert, but couple so-n-so couldn't afford to go, then the only way we could have their company was to treat them by buying their tickets. Always awkward. I haven't seen that movie Friends with Money, maybe I need to watch it.
Really, most of my friends & family have been happy for me, only one judgmental comment so far. Probably my harshest judgments come from within. I fear how having money will change me.
Another concern is where to save and invest. I need to educate myself! This blog has traced some of my learning journey, but lately I'm suffering from information overload and don't have a clear idea of where to turn and whose advice to take. The economy feels so precarious now, no investment seems that great. Even real estate, which I like, carries risks from weird storms, floods, freak tornadoes in areas that didn't get tornadoes before, etc.
Have you ever experienced a change in circumstances financially? How did you cope with it?
P.S. I don't dread Mondays anymore! Not that I'd ever say it's my favorite day of the week, but I at least look forward to them now.
