This is going to seem like the most obvious small shift ever. But it’s overlooked, underused and forgotten in the day-to-day shuffle so you might need a reminder.
I have had some very financially insecure times in my life. And boy, financial stress is a whole other thing, isn’t it? It looms large. Not saying there aren’t worse stresses, just saying this one hits different. And though I am now in good financial standing, in control of my finances and happy with my savings account, those feelings, and the fear of ever feeling them again, tends to hang around.
My latest worry was saving money for a down-payment on a home versus saving money for retirement. Retirement money compounds over time, but I’m paying rent when I could be paying a mortgage, which will also come back to me in the future when I sell. What to do?
Y’all, I have worked at this. Hypothetical budgets, pay down rates, interest calculations, math upon math, Excel sheet upon Excel sheet. I been stressin’. One day after a walk where my mind ran over every possibility six ways to Sunday, I remembered the advice I have given to others multiple times but had completely forgotten myself.
Everything you have ever thought, experienced, or questioned exists on the internet. The great things about being alive is that we’ve got shared humanity with 7 billion other people and no matter how unique you might think your issue is, statistically speaking, someone else has already been there.
You can google ANYTHING, and I promise, within 10 minutes, you’re going to have context, ideas, perspective and be closer to a decision. You might even just have the answer, clear as day.
“how to stop feeling bad for breaking someone’s heart”
“how to tell my mom to butt out”
“how to feel better about my back fat”
“how to make my cat like me”
“how to stop feeling so fucking overwhelmed about savings options and just create a god damn financial plan that makes sense”
In case you’re wondering, I should put my money in a TFSA so that if I need to pull it out for a down payment, there are no penalties, but if I don’t need to, it’s already compounding interest like an RRSP.
Eight clicks on google and my problem was solved.
small.shift: Google it. Your biggest problem, your smallest pet peeve, your existential crisis, your workplace conflict…start with a quick search. We’re not in this alone, and sometimes a bit of expert advice from a stranger on the internet is the perfect place to start. Just don’t google the lump on your neck. WebMD is not your friend.