Good Morning, Bob Ross
Hello, Bob Ross! Yes, you! You're an artist, you know. Today is the first of the month, which means you woke up to a blank canvas. Whatever happened last month is gone....it's on that old, messy canvas. My May canvas was a disaster. We had surprise expenses, mishaps, and oversights. We screwed up. I didn't like the painting we ended up with.
But today? Today we each wake up with a clean, white, beautiful canvas. For the next 30 days, we'll curate a new piece of art. We'll make money, spend money, save money, give money, and invest money. Thousands of transactions and events will slowly paint the canvas, stroke by stroke.
We have two choices today. We can either grab brushes and haphazardly begin tearing across the canvas with reckless abandon, or we can make a plan. Many people attack their clean and beautiful canvas with chaos, reactivity, and urgency, resulting in crazy artwork akin to what my toddlers used to bring home from pre-school. Others will take a few minutes before picking up a brush to determine the objective of this potential masterpiece. Where the trees will go, how fluffy the clouds will be, and where the water meets the horizon. No, it won't be perfect; perfect doesn't exist. But when the painting is complete, it will be beautiful.
Here's my encouragement for you today:
Reflect on what happened last month: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Learn from it. Celebrate the wins and forgive yourself for the losses.
Put the past behind you. You can't drive forward by staring into the rear-view mirror. That's a recipe for a disastrous crash. Eyes forward!
Take 15 minutes to create a plan for your money money. How much is coming in, and from where? What are your needs? What debts need to be paid? How much will you give? Make sure to add some fun in there. Determine which saving initiatives need attention. Make sure every dollar of income has its marching orders. No soldiers left behind. Each is important.
Commit to yourself (and if relevant, your partner) to follow your plan. After all, it's your plan.
Execute with confidence and conviction. Paint that canvas!
Repeat the same process next month.
This money stuff can suck. It can be the source of so much pain, suffering, turmoil, and tension. But if done well, it can also lead to some beautiful places. Perfect, no. Beautiful, yes. Instead of viewing it as dollars and cents, see it as bringing your values, aspirations, and meaning to life. Treat it like a blank canvas, just waiting for a Bob Ross masterpiece to be painted. Your masterpiece.