The Miasma of The Nothing

I'm on a children's story roll this week. I've been sorting through the kids' picture books as I pick out titles for Tash's baby, Toni. Now I'm in deep mommy mode.

Have you ever seen the movie (or read the book), The Never-Ending Story? The majority of the story takes place in the parallel world of Fantastica, a world being destroyed by the Nothing. As The Nothing creeps across the land, everything is consumed, leaving behind desolation and emptiness. The protagonist is a young warrior, Atreyu, who is charged with finding a way to stop The Nothing.

I've met people who have The Nothing in their lives when it comes to their money. They are living in a miasma of inaction, the desperation of their circumstances paralyzing them. They're afraid to look too closely at the mess they've made because that'll crystalize just how dire their circumstances really are. Sometimes they feel helpless. I've actually had people say and write to me, "Gail, help me. I can't do this myself." They may even avoid seeking help because they're too embarrassed by the mess they've made to fess up and get help.

If you're sure that what you're doing now isn't working for you then it's time to face up and make some changes. For as long as you remain mired in The Nothing, you will be eaten by the misery you're feeling. Be strong like the warrior Atreyu and face The Nothing head on and you will not only overcome the fear and the embarrassment, you'll no longer feel helpless. You'll be moving forward.

It won't happen quickly. It'll take some time. It took time to make the mess, so it'll take some effort to fix what's broke.

And you're going to have to set aside the excuses you've been using for why you're in a mess. Here's one of my favs:

"Gail, I want to make things better but I just don't know where to start. How can I take money out for the jars if I'm always in overdraft?"

I get this questions ALL THE TIME. Hey, just because you're in overdraft, does that stop you from buying groceries?  I don't think so. And that's the money you're putting in the food jar.  Using the jars isn't about finding "extra money", it's about taking the money you'd normally spend out of the bank (yes, even off your overdraft) and putting it into your jars, and then not spending any more than that.

Eventually, if you've done a budget and you're cutting back on your expenses, you'll have the money to pay off that overdraft because you're watching where your money goes and you're focused on getting ride of the OD.

Here's another excuse I hear pretty frequently:

"I can't figure this out.  I just don't really have a brain for money. It's too hard. Where can I go to get someone to help me?"

Seriously? You don't own a pen and a piece of paper, and you can't add and subtract. (If you really can't add and subtract, I'm not talking to you.) So many people see the "math" of money as overwhelming. It isn't. It's Grade 4 math. That's all you need. Well, not all you need. You also have to have some self-control.

You can change your life. You can work out your money problems. But you have to want to do it. And you have to be willing to get up off your ass and do the hard stuff it takes to figure out where you are now and where you want to go. If your distrust of the industry, your sense of being overwhelmed, your lack of time or willpower get in the way, The Nothing will eat you.

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