Hi everyone!  This week I want to talk a little about journaling.  You may think this has absolutely nothing to do with your finances but it most definitely does, especially when it comes to your spending habits.  Often, and you’ve heard me say this before, our spending habits are a buffer for other underlying things.  We spend because we are bored, mad, sad, celebrating, or maybe because you grew up not having much – there can be many reasons and one of the most effective ways to deal with this is thru journaling.

I encourage you to start the habit of journaling (daily would be the best method) – write it all down-Why did you buy that item? How did you feel once you bought it? How did you feel the day after? How did you feel when you received it? If you didn’t have the money why did you think you HAD to buy it and had to buy it NOW? What feeling are you looking for? What persona are you trying to put out there? Why?  Is the debt you keep putting yourself in worth the reward you are getting? Are you even getting the reward you are looking for? Did owning that item REALLY make you happy? If so, did the happiness last?

I could keep asking questions but you see where I’m going here.  Really dig deep, look inside and ask yourself questions then take time to think them thru.  Don’t just write on the paper to be writing – get honest with yourself, keep digging, keep asking and you will start to see a pattern; you will start to find answers and see areas that are the root cause.  Once these come to light then take the next step and address them.  This could easily be a lengthy “project” and for some may be a good practice to put in place indefinitely.

If you’d like to talk more about this and/or apply it to your specific situation let me know-we’ll get a Coaching Call scheduled and get you started taking the steps that will get you closer to your goals!