Money Drives Us: How to Succeed in Life + Money to Allow You to Create the Life You Want to Live

Money is in pretty much everything we do. Our decisions, whether we like it or not, have to be thought of in terms of money, do we have it, should we borrow it, should we save for it? Should we start a Go-Fund-Me and raise money?

Money drives us, whether you want a lot of it or you are content to have enough to get you by, money is a driving force for our decisions, so we need to know how to manage it responsibly, while also letting it allow us to create the life you want to live.

I am a firm believer, after years of not living a fulfilling and happy life, that you can create a life you want to live, not just live the one you are supposed to live. And money plays a role in this.

So, how do you have enough money to allow for this? Does that come at a cost, what does it mean to succeed in life? Well, we are going to talk about all of these today.

First, what does success mean? Success means something different to everyone, it’s more of a feeling than a measurement. When you decide to do something, get a promotion, become a Mom, get married, quit drinking, or build a business, if you do those specific things that is being successful at that specific thing.

However, what does it mean to succeed in life? Are you successful in life when you make $100,000? Or how about $150K, or one million dollars? Is success related to money, or is it a feeling? Can you make one million dollars a year and not feel successful? YES! Can you make six figures a year or a million dollars and not be fulfilled and happy? Yes! Money in itself doesn’t equate to success, happiness, and fulfillment.

So, does the amount of money we make equal success? I don’t necessarily think so. I believe success is a feeling and it differs between people. What I deem to be successful in my life might be different than yours.

I want to make enough money to be able to pay all of my bills, have all my needs paid for, and be able to save up for my short-term and long-term goals while enjoying life, feeling fulfilled, and helping others. This is what I think of when I think of success.

So, what does success look like to you? Think long and hard about this one.

Now, let’s talk about how you can ensure that you have enough money to allow you to create the life you WANT to live.

It starts by taking an inventory of your life, your money, your goals, your aspirations and being honest with yourself. What do you want your life to look like and feel like? Go back to, “What does success look like and feel like to you?” Not to your best friend, your boss, your sister, or your mother, but to YOU?

I want you to figure out how much money you need to pay your bills and meet your goals and then determine if you are on track with your current paycheck. If you are on track- congratulations that is amazing, next, ask yourself if you are truly happy and content with what you are doing. If you are like most of us, and your current salary and paychecks are not enough for you to feel successful and fulfilled, welcome to the club, it can be a dark and lonely place, but don’t feel alone, you are like most of us, myself included.

But, I don’t want you to stay in this lonely place. So, what are you going to do about it?

You just realized that you are not making enough money to meet all of your goals and aspirations. This can be scary and anxiety-provoking, but it doesn’t have to be AND you are in the right place if this is what emotions this topic is bringing up because I am here to help.

You see, there are many ways to increase your income, decrease your expenses and spending, and be able to create the life you want to live. I have a membership program that dives into these topics and it is cheaper than your Netflix membership! Just head to https://www.jesswaynecoaching.com/ to sign up!

My 1:1 coaching program also dives DEEP into these topics and so much more. So, be sure to check that out, same spot, https://www.jesswaynecoaching.com/.

But, let’s dive a little deeper here. Most of us can find ways to decrease our spending. You can cut back on a few of your subscriptions that you aren’t using daily or need, decrease your food bill, and commit to eating out one time a week or a month less. That will save you money!

However, many of us really should be focusing on increasing our paychecks or bringing in additional income into our lives. But how the heck do you do that? Well, I am here to give you some suggestions.

First, though, I want you to know something and this is important, there are ways to make money WHILE enjoying, truly enjoying what you do. It might take time to build up your income to where you want it to be, but with some strategy and dedication it will happen! I can help you with this, strategy is my jam! Along with finances and empowering you to do more of what makes you happy and lights your soul on fire!  

Ok, so ways to bring in some extra money could include asking for it. Yes, you read that correctly, ask for a raise at your current job. Whether this is a job you will be keeping long-term or not, you can always ask for a raise. I will be doing a whole podcast episode on HOW to do this and the best way to ask for more money at your job, so be sure to listen in to that at https://pivottoyourpassion.buzzsprout.com .

You can also pick up a second job. I know, I know, life is already busy, and you are thinking, “When am I going to be able to work more hours?” Well, if you have decided that you aren’t making enough money to feel successful and meet all of your goals, you need to increase your income, and that isn’t going to just magically happen. I wish I could wave a princess wand over you and me and have cash just appear, but life isn’t a fairytale Disney movie. I am so sorry to crush your dreams.

But the cool thing is, YOU get to create the life you want, including making more money. Sometimes to get started, a short-term, quick fix, is to pick up a second job. This doesn’t have to be a long-term solution, in fact, I don’t think it should be. But for now, can you babysit, dog sit, dog walk, clean houses, wait tables, or bartend for a while to bring in some extra income to get you one step closer to your big vision of what you want your life to look and feel like?

I also suggest you think long and hard about a type of hobby you love, what is your favorite thing to do? Is there a way to make money doing that? Probably not drinking wine or beer, I mean, maybe, but that probably isn’t the best option. For me it was photography. I loved taking photos and what started off as me getting a “nice, big camera” when my second son was born, turned into an entire side business that I’ve had for 11 years. I grew my photography business from the ground up and it has been a nice side hustle to supplement my income.

I didn’t quit my day job to do photography full-time because that wasn’t my dream. To be completely transparent, it was my dream for a short time, at one point in my life, but I realized pretty early on that I didn’t want to do photography full-time. So, it stays as a part-time biz for me, bringing in additional income for me and my family.

So, do you have a hobby you can monetize? Or can you come up with a hobby you can turn into an entire business? It will take time to make big bucks with a new business, but in the long run, would it be worth it?

If you had told me before 2021-2022 that I would have been teaching others about money I would have laughed in your face and called you crazy! Becoming a Financial Life Coach, or a coach of any sort, wasn’t even on my radar. In fact, I didn’t even know what a coach was besides my kid’s youth sports coaches!

Life has a funny way of leading us to where we are meant to be, but we also have to take the steps towards what we want. You have to take action to make your dream life, dream career, dream business, and dream income happen. It isn’t just going to appear.

Ok, so you can ask for a raise, get a second job, or start a side hustle or business to bring in additional income. But does this come at a cost?

Sometimes, yes. I will be the first to admit that sometimes being too busy, doing too much, and wanting too much, can come at a cost. For me, my mental health was the cost for a while and I still struggle with anxiety, but I am in a much better place than I was.

So, I want you to remember that burnout is real, it can sneak up on you and you might not even realize it. This is what happened to me. I didn’t understand or realize that I was getting burnt out, so I just kept going and going and going, and then my burnout led to a mental health breakdown, which I didn’t realize was a mental health breakdown, imagine that! For months the doctors and I thought it was something else, medical, well, not mental health related. Anyway, that is a story I’ve shared before and will continue to share to help others, but that isn’t what this blog post is focused on.

I do want to say, that working multiple jobs, and building a business while also working full-time is for a season of life, not for the long-term. You can work and work and work really hard and long hours when there is an end in sight and you are super dedicated and motivated to reach your goals, I did this AFTER my burnout when I was focused on paying off our debt, BUT I knew that it was only for a short time frame.

Please, don’t get into the habit of working 50, 60, or 70+ hour work weeks for a long time. That is not going to get you where you need to be, that will get you a fast ticket to burnout and worse.

If you are feeling burnt out, please message me, you can find me on Facebook and Instagram at Jess Wayne Coaching, because you do not want to continue down the path of burnout. It will get worse if you don’t do something to change your ways.

There is a way to have enough money, to feel successful, and to create the life you want to live, all while NOT coming at a negative cost to you. I want you to be able to live a life where you are happy, fulfilled, and purpose-driven, but that balance is tricky, just ask me about it. So, after many lessons learned the hard way, of course, I am on a mission to help women manage this balance and strategize on the best ways to have enough income to meet their goals and aspirations while truly enjoying life because life is way too short to continue doing things that you don’t love and doesn’t bring you a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

I hope this has helped you get one step closer to living your true authentic life while making smart money moves. Until next time friends, remember, we have so much to be grateful for.

xoxo

Jess Wayne