I’m reading the book “Soulful Simplicity” by Courtney Carver. She’s the blogger/ author who came up with the idea for Project 333, the minimalist wardrobe project. In this book, she shares her experiences learning how to live with less debt, clutter, and stress in order to live with more time, space, and love. In the beginning of the book, she gives five signs that you’re ready for a “wake up call.” In other words, it’s time to refocus and reframe how you’re approaching money and life, because it’s simply not working for you anymore.
5 Signs It’s Time for a Financial Reframe
Here are here five signs that it’s time to make a change. If I’m honest, several of these unfortunately resonate with me right now.
1. “Your life is on autopilot.”
I wouldn’t necessarily say that this one resonates in a bad way for me. I’ve definitely got some habits that aren’t ideal. Therefore, I’m not consciously choosing in every area that I can. But I wouldn’t say this one is a big red flag in my life. Is it in yours?
2. “You never put yourself first.”
This one doesn’t really apply to me either. I live alone. I don’t have kids. Moreover, I’ve increasingly been working on choosing work that I love. Therefore, I do often put myself first in my life. I’m lucky in that and also have structured my life that way because I know that when I don’t structure it as such, I tend to put others first.
3. You don’t recognize yourself as you chase success.
Either you’re people-pleasing a lot or your chasing “success” that others have defined for you. You’re out of alignment with your real wants, desires, and goals.
This one rings true a little bit. I realized recently that I achieved many of the work dreams I had in my twenties. However, now that I’m in my forties, my dreams have changed. It’s time to redefine success because of that.
4. Self-Medication
Carver notes that food, shopping, substances, television, and other distractions are all forms of self-medicating. Ugh. This one resonates. Mostly I numb myself with TV and podcasts. I constantly have words coming into my ears. When I try to quit or scale back, I have a lot of trouble with it.
In some ways, I also self-medicate with food.
I’m working on both of those things. In recent months, I’ve really re-committed to choosing healthier options. I’m walking more. I’m eating less sugar. Definitely, I’m trying to turn the TV off. When I can’t, I choose shows that support some of my goals. For example, I want to learn Italian and so I’m watching Italian language tv shows more. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a start.
5. “You are worn down, beat up, stressed out, and completely depleted.”
I can’t meet all of my deadlines. Many are self-imposed, but I still stress over them. I’m constantly exhausted. Something definitely isn’t right. And I agree with Carver; this is a wake up call.
What To Do With a Wake Up Call
This whole book is about choosing a simpler way of life so that you can fill your days with the things that matter to you. So, as I experience this wake up call, I’m working on defining and redefining what those things are. How do I want to spend my days? My time, my energy, my money? I want to get really clear on this. Then I can make choices, financial and otherwise, to support that.
What’s your wake up call?
Read More:
- Favorite Minimalism Quotes
- Favorite Frugal Living Quotes
- 5 Treats I Should Probably Stop Spending Money On
Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer who loves to live a balanced life. She appreciates a good work-life balance. She enjoys balance in her relationships and has worked hard to learn how to balance her finances to allow for a balanced life overall. Although she’s only blonde some of the time, she’s always striving for total balance. She’s excited to share what she’s learned with you and to discover more together along the way.