At the end of each month on my podcast (Circle City Success), my co-host Jason and I recap the episodes for the month and speak about some of the common themes and things that we learned. Last month, we had a special guest host (and former podcast guest) do the recap with us, which was really fun. As I was thinking about the recap, and the theme that we heard of intentionality, it made me think of a question that people should be asking themselves more often: Are you intentional with your money?
Intentionality
As I mentioned, one of the themes that we spoke about was intentionality. We heard 4 stories over the month of people who have been intentional in their careers which has led them to success in what they’ve been seeking to accomplish.
This means that they went out of their way to do something, whether that was a salesperson for the Pacers being sure to say “hi” to people during a basketball game, building relationships with leaders of organizations that they were presenting to or had sold something to, or focusing their efforts on one specific project.
No matter how you look at it, what they have done in being intentional took extra effort. It was hard. They didn’t just sit back and relax and let their careers take course naturally, which they could have. They didn’t just do what was necessary to get the job done.
They set a plan and a course of action and they were intentional about the tactics and strategies that they implemented to achieve more.
Intentionality Is Difficult
But that’s exactly why most people won’t do these types of things. They don’t want to go out of their way. It takes extra effort. There are roadblocks that make things difficult. And that’s exactly why it has been so valuable for these podcast guests and has led to success.
Doing difficult things often leads to positive outcomes.
Maintaining a consistent gym schedule is hard. You might be tired, you might not be motivated, you might not feel like going. Do it anyway. We know that getting our workout in, no matter whether it’s excellent or average, is better than not getting it in.
However, we can sometimes fall into the trap of all-or-nothing. (I say “we” because I’m guilty of this, too.) It’s important to be intentional about a consistent gym schedule and reminding yourself of your goals and what you’re working towards. And it’s equally as important to remember that just because you’re being intentional doesn’t mean that success and results will come overnight. It takes time.
Being Intentional With Your Money
Why do I share this?
Just like the stories that we heard on the podcast of how being intentional led to success in the guests’ careers, intentionality leads to success in personal finance as well.
It’s easy to work, get your paycheck, and spend it all. It’s difficult to set up an automatic savings plan and make short-term sacrifices of not spending all of your money so that you benefit in the future. Intentionality is required to be successful at this.
Also, I think it’s important to be intentional in what you spend your money on. Don’t compare yourself to others. You have our own goals, dreams, and aspirations. As the saying goes, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
What you do see is your neighbor with their brand new car, fancy house, and vacation pictures on social media. What you don’t see is their net worth statement. What do their assets look like? How much debt do they have? They could absolutely be in a good spot and have the resources to do all of those things, but for most of us there has to be a trade-off somewhere.
(And, for clarification, you shouldn’t compare your net worth statement to theirs, either.)
When you compare yourself to someone who, in your eyes, has a dream life, all you see are your shortcomings. You feel like you’re doing something wrong. Like you’re not enough. Like you need to do something to compensate and make yourself look like you have a dream life as well.
But intentionality tells you otherwise. Intentionality tells you that you’re working towards a more significant goal that could take longer to accomplish. Intentionality tells you to ignore what’s comfortable or easy in the short-term because doing so often leads to greater long-term results.
Be Intentional
Be intentional about not always taking the easy route. The easy route gives into impulses. The easy route makes excuses. The easy route is to spend all of your money today. The easy route tries to keep up with the Joneses and spends money on things that you don’t value and which aren’t truly fulfilling to you.
It’s your money and your life. Be intentional about charting a path that’s meaningful to you (not anyone else) and doing what’s necessary to achieve that goal.
