Permission Granted
I used to be the Queen of Cheap. I would search and search for the best deal possible before buying anything.
I would keep stuff far past its lifespan because I didn't want to take the time or spend the money to replace it.
Monthly payment programs for apps and websites seemed so frivolous.
"No thank you I'll just keep the free version (even though I really like what the paid program has to offer and it fits my needs better."
If I was asked to go out to dinner or go on a trip or ______, my mind would immediately ask "how much is it?".
When considering anything (a pair of shoes, a desk chair, a book, a trip), money was the common denominator on whether I purchased it.
And then one day I realized I used money as an excuse for everything. I heard myself saying my usual line
"I don't have the money for that right now."
And I got a little pissed. I had been using the excuse of not being able to afford something for far too long.
I once read that the only way to stop is to stop.
So simple, yet so profound. So that day I promised myself that I would stop. I would go cold turkey on that old favorite of mine.
Because honestly, being cheap was wearing me out. And not in a good way. I was so tired of looking for the deal, tired of feeling guilty for spending the money, tired of siting in the ratty old office chair.
There is that old saying that you get what you focus on. Instead of focusing on being cheap, I wanted to focus on being fruitful.
It is never *just* about the money.
Today, I invite you to look at your relationship with money and it's justifications. Perhaps you find yourself saying similar things
"I can't afford that right now."
"I would really like to buy that/go on that trip/paint my house, but I just don't think I can make it work."
"I need to check my finances to see if this makes sense."
Those little negatives feel insignificant and in fact they feel very responsible. Yet they begin to clutter our conversation and the total effect of this attitude is that it negatively conditions the mind.
What we are doing is giving ourselves permission to stay where we are. We are telling ourselves that the thing we want is awesome but it is not attainable. We are feeding our scarcity dog, instead of feeding the abundance one.
Guess which dog wins the fight? The one you feed the most.
Permission has been granted for you to invest in you, in the thing that you want, in the life that you want to experience. The money will be spent on something so why not invest it in you, in the thing you want, in the experience that you so long for.