Erika is a 24-year-old former shopaholic-turned personal finance blogger who writes about finding the perfect condo, trying to get into law school, saving money, shopping, and fitness and saving money for it all on her blog at From Shopping to Saving. She works as a Contracts Analyst in the legal department of a Fortune 500 company, lives with her boyfriend of 6 years, and when she's not at the gym or at work, she is playing with her dog and studying for the LSAT.
My dad told me to become an environmental engineer when I was filling out college applications, so I took his advice and somehow got accepted to one of the best engineering colleges in the US. I thought everything would pan out the way I thought it would with no speed bumps in the road. Well, it didn't exactly happen that way.
I started college when I was 17. I was in no way, shape or form ready to endure hard work to become the successful person I foresaw myself of becoming. I had no path and I had no guidance. As a result, I was academically dismissed (a fancy way for saying kicked out) from college. I thought my dreams were shattered and I thought that I would be forever known as a college drop-out, but I soon learned that there is always a way in which you can learn from failing, and that is how to pick yourself back up again.
I ended up taking 7 classes a semester at 2 community colleges, working 30 hours per week, and re-applied to the college I was kicked out of. Despite everyone telling me that I could not get back in, I proved everyone wrong and was accepted into the same college (but for a business degree) because I told myself I could.
It’s so easy to let that “Negative Nancy” in your life ruin your day, or actually make you believe that what he/she said was true. People will tell you that they have overcome significant obstacles in life, but my hardest obstacle was learning how to listen to myself instead of others and finding my motivation.
How does this relate to personal finance you ask?
Getting motivated is the first step in achieving financial freedom. I am a huge advocate of getting inspired and preparing yourself – by coming up with a plan of attack to tackle anything you decide to take on, no matter how insurmountable it may seem.
Here is a guide for finding motivation:Let’s take for instance – saving for retirement, saving for a wedding, paying down credit card debt, paying down student loans, or planning to start a family or a big move. You won’t begin the journey to achieve your goal unless you find what truly motivates YOU.
- What is your ultimate goal? Think of your future self after you have reached your goal. Imagine the happiness that will fill you up and imagine the satisfaction you will achieve.
- What inspires you? I find my inspiration through music lyrics, quotes, movies, books, and by looking up to people whom I admire. Make an inspiration board on Pinterest or at home and think of why you are trying to achieve your goal. What gets you fired up, riled up, pumped up, and ready to kick some goal-achieving butt?
- How will you continue to remind yourself of this? Motivation is not something you find and keep in your pocket. You must continuously think about why you are doing what you are doing-keep reminding yourself of why you are doing this.
- Involve those you love. Whether it’s a family member, your significant other, or just sharing it with the blog world – people are there to listen to your trials and tribulations. Good or bad, you will succeed in the end and you will need positive reinforcement.
- Repeat!
What is one thing that we PF bloggers have in common? We all have that motivation to prosper and make our money work for us, and that is the key to success.
This can apply to everything, not just personal finance. I have applied it to school, studying for the LSAT, applying to law school, and getting back into shape. So let me know what you have done to find your motivation, and will you keep this in mind until you achieve your goal?
Michelle's comment: Thanks so much for guest posting for me! Being motivated is definitely important. I try to think of a goal and that helps me achieve what I want. Check out her blog please!
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MIRTE says
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Jordann @ My Alterna says
March 16, 2012 at 3:18 amGreat post! Motivation is probably the only barrier to achieving basically anything in your life.My two areas of high motivation right now are fitness and personal finance. My main motivation for personal finance is the freedom to have purchasing power one day. I don't want to be tied to my debt for the next 10 years, I want to see it gone. I stay motivated by being vocal with my goals to my friends and family and on my blog.My motivation for being fit just stems from wanting to be healthy. There is a lot of illness in my family due to poor diet and weight. I've seen the toll it takes and I have no interest in going down that road. I recognize that being fit is only going to get harder as I get older, so I'm working to lay the ground work to a healthy lifestyle now, when I'm young.
bogofdebt says
March 16, 2012 at 3:52 amI have that handy letter I just wrote to myself to motiviate me! I don't want to be buried under debt my entire life–I grew up extremely poor and would rather be comfortable. Not wondering if I should eat or pay a bill is really helping my stress level out.
shopping2saving says
March 16, 2012 at 4:29 amYay! This is so cool that it's up 🙂 Thanks so much Michelle for having me! As you know I was so excited to write this post because it is something that I rely on each and everyday for any type of obstacle, big or small.
Neely says
March 16, 2012 at 4:46 amThis is great and I am now following her blog too!
inbudgetswetrust says
March 16, 2012 at 5:05 amGreat post! My current motivation is from a Randy Pausch speech on time management before he passed away from cancer: "Time not money is the most important commodity… Don't waste it".It's been helping me put a lot of things into perspective: I'm trying to get out and see more of the new state I live in, I'm trying to stay in extremely good touch with people who are dear to me, and I've been trying to get into the best shape of my life so I don't have any regrets when I'm older and wiser. Good luck with all of your own motivations, Erika!
life-accomplished.co says
March 16, 2012 at 5:11 amYes I'd like to make more money from what I do, but ultimately I'd like to feel peace and contentment about money. And feel in control. I'm a health and fitness junkie and so I emphasize doing things to better your health, but I was missing out on one of the biggest causes of your health to go bad; stress!! And the biggest thing I was stresses about it money, yet I was spending more than I'm making and somehow justified it. Well I'm changing all of that, and I appreciate these kinds of blogs to keep me motivated!!
Mackenzie says
March 16, 2012 at 5:12 amI am trying to pay off some consumer debt, but I seriously have been lacking the motivation to just do it.Great post!
{[Jessica]} says
March 16, 2012 at 6:34 amshe makes a very valid point. & at the same time if she never had those people who was negative saying she couldn't get back into school maybe she wouldn't of pushed herself so hard to prove them wrong and proving herself she can do it!!! just remember to always push forward and make goals. thank you for sharing!
MyMoneyDesign says
March 16, 2012 at 7:25 amThis is a great story. I have known many people who were kicked out of college their first year. Fortunately, you had enough fire to get back on the horse and go for it again. That will be very important throughout your career because that won't be the last time you're "kicked out" of something; whether someone rejects your ideas or passes you up for a promotion. Fight!In terms of my financial freedom, my motivation comes from seeing older people and loved ones still working into their 60's and 70's. Not only are they missing out on the golden years of their lives, they're jeopardizing their health and losing time they could have spent with loved ones. My motivation is to not let that happen to myself, and therefore I use all my energy to put my money to work for me. If done right, I want my retirement to start FAR sooner than that.
WorkSaveLive says
March 16, 2012 at 7:33 amGreat post Erika!It sounds like we were similar in college. However, instead of me proving people wrong that I could go back to school and finish, I wanted to show people you don't need a college degree to be extremely successful.Like you listening to your dad tell you what to become, I think it's ridiculous that we all buy into the notion that EVERYBODY needs a college education (of course there are some professions/people that need it, but not a majority). The fact is that isn't true and I'm willing to bet that the education bubble will be the next thing to burst in this country.Anyway…thanks for the provoking thoughts!Anyway…
Nell @ Housewife Emp says
March 16, 2012 at 11:40 amWow, you sound JUST like me back in undergrad. I failed as a freshman and went back for 21 hours back-to-back to get out quickly. You sound like a really ambitious person. Keep up the good work and AWESOME job on your net worth so far. Many people your age do NOT have the financial profile you do.
Analytical Planner|P says
March 16, 2012 at 1:56 pmI have a similar story where I didn't finish college in the timeline everyone else seems to have. I finished my BS when I was 27 and promised myself I would finish a Master's by the time I was 30 year old. Everyone thought I couldn't do it because I had a small toddler at home. Well, I accomplished it about 6 months before I turned 30. It was the greatest accomplishment of my life. I did it for my kid(s)(I just had another a few months ago) and for my family. They are my greatest motivation.
femmefrugality says
March 16, 2012 at 2:02 pmLOVE LOVE LOVE! You're so right…this can be applied to everything. I also find that when I'm motivated, or at least moving, my problems/goals don't seem as big and scary anymore.
Young Professional F says
March 16, 2012 at 7:11 pmMotivation is something that's hard to hold onto! In the winter, I find motivation by snowboarding. Every time I'm in the mountains, I get so happy and I remember that this is why I work. So I can have moments like that.
jenny michelle says
March 16, 2012 at 9:27 pmdreams don't work unless you do. that's so incredibly inspiring!thank you!followed your blog!! check mine out?xxxojenny <a href="http://www.jennymichellely.blogspot.com” target=”_blank”>www.jennymichellely.blogspot.com
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Kari@ Small Budget B says
March 17, 2012 at 4:37 amGreat post. It's easy to lose motivation over the long-term. Our biggest goal right now is to close on our condo and start paying it down as fast as possible.
Savvy Scot says
March 17, 2012 at 11:56 pmGood Post – I think my method is (as you say) remembering the end goal while making sure I can still enjoy the ride. Nothing worse than setting goals that are boring or dull to get to!
BrokeElizabeth says
March 18, 2012 at 2:22 amGreat post… I'm still trying to figure out my 'big' goals, but I am starting to be able to make little ones for the year, which way more than I've ever done before.
Rafiki says
March 19, 2012 at 5:02 amMy motivation is a future full of freedom, where even big choices like taking a random week off to travel would be insignificant.I also have a quote in my collections about motivation“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar