I am the world’s laziest runner. I kind of hate it. Sometimes it’s my legs that hate it. Sometimes it’s my lungs.
Most of the time though, it’s my mind.
My mind really hates running. My mind wants to be at home binge watching Pretty Little Liars and eating chocolate chip cookies.
But running has taught me that my legs, lungs and mind are weak. They all want to give up before they need to. They don’t care how much they’re actually capable of achieving, they just want to be comfortable.
I want to be strong and healthy. I don’t always like the path to get there, but I do love the results. Working all day and still having some energy left over when I get home. Sleeping well at night. Clothes that fit right. These things are worth the running battle that I fight every time I head to the gym.
I am also the world’s laziest budgeter. I kind of hate it. Sometimes it’s my urge to take awesome vacations that hates it. Sometimes it’s my urge to buy everything at ModCloth.
Most of the time though, it’s my mind.
My mind really hates budgeting. My mind wants to buy. all. the. stuff. My mind wants to never pack another lunch and stop doing laundry altogether. Why can’t I just swing by Target everyday and buy a new outfit? This should be possible.
But budgeting has taught me my mind is weak and makes all the bad choices when left on its own. My mind wants to be lazy and do as little work as possible, even though all that work is building character – which used to just be some stupid phrase my grandma would tell me, but in reality is actually pretty important.
My budget-hating mind doesn’t want me to learn how to cook. It doesn’t want me to pay attention to where all the singles, fives and tens are disappearing each month when in reality they could be setting me up for a terrific retirement.
57% of Americans are struggling financially and I don’t really want to be one of them! I want to be financially healthy. A well stocked emergency fund feels as good as running up three flights of stairs without getting winded – even if the build up to being able to do both sucks sometimes. Maxing out my IRA each year means so much less stress overall, even if it means that I have to skip the Target $1 Spot. Let’s be real, how much stuff from the Target $1 Spot can you even find in your house six months later? I know I usually can’t.
Financial health means struggling through all the key personal finance exercises:
- Spending less than I make.
- Building an emergency fund.
- Saving at least 15% of my income.
- Saving for retirement.
- Avoiding debt.
None of them are particularly fun, but overall they add up to a pretty health financial lifestyle – and just like with my physical health, once I’m on a generally healthy roll, a cupcake or a few slices of pizza aren’t going to derail me any more than a carefully planned trip or a budget line for the newest ModCloth dress.
And that sounds like a pretty awesomely balanced financial life to me!
Sometimes I think the key to most kinds of health is a good support network. I do better with exercise when I have a buddy to push me and remind me to get up off the couch. I do worse when folks want to bingewatch Netflix.. I do better with finances with blogging about it and hanging out with people who are financially responsible. I do worse when I hang out with spenders.
Emily @ JohnJaneDoe recently posted…What Would You Do? I Can’t Decide How to Spend My Amazon Credit
Totally! I’m actually kind of a miserable wench about exercising, but I get it on the financial level – finding this group of personal finance bloggers made a HUGE difference in my financial journey!
Nope, no health is very fun to attain. (I do exercise videos because at least then you have someone to swear at.) I think I’m too paranoid to be very reluctant to track finances. It may be our money’s saving grace.
Abigail @ipickuppennies recently posted…What financial health means to me
HAHAHA. I think I track my net worth so I have something to swear at too. 😛 %@#@%, Mel, did you need to buy ALL the ModCloth dresses?!?
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…3 Years of Blogging Recap
I also love that running is a whole body workout. My arms won’t be as impressive as my legs, but they will work well in conjunction with them. If I want to focus on them, I’ll have to do a few other things, but focusing on running will make my whole health better. It’s the same thing when you spend less than you earn. It won’t automatically make you rich, but with a few little exercises (investing), you’ll be even healthier.
ZJ Thorne recently posted…What Financial Health Means to Me – Fincon 2016
Absolutely! Awesome analogy!
I dread running … but once I’m out and especially once I’m done it feels great.
I dread logging on, looking at my accounts, paying bills … but after, it feels great!
NZ Muse recently posted…I think I have financial PTSD
Yeah, I haven’t cleared that feeling great hurdle yet with running, but if I manage to find a pool – I dread it until I’m actually in the water swimming and then I’m really happy I’m doing it.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…3 Years of Blogging Recap
Congratulations Mel! I feel you…I need to start pushing past my dislike of running too. 🙂
Toni @ Debt Free Divas recently posted…Fiscally Fit II – Expert to the Stars with Basheerah Ahmad
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