In a recent post about developing Money Muscles, I discussed the first three out of six money muscles a woman ought to develop to get financially fit. Learn something new about money every day, get comfortable with your bank and investment statements, and calculate your net worth. The details are all here.
Before sharing muscle developing strategies four through six, let me tell you about my last visit to my mom before she passed from this world in April 2014. And a peek into how ice dancing built my money muscles!
How Ice Dancing Built my Money Muscles
It was February 2014 and I made the long trip from Israel to Arizona. My mom, in a lot of pain and pretty much housebound, did what most people in her situation do – she watched television. A LOT of television. And I was fortunate thrilled that my visit unintentionally coincided with the Sochi Winter Olympics. It had been many years since I had last been glued to the tube watching skiing, figure skating and…ice dancing.
With its roots in ballroom dancing, ice dancing is a captivating mix of speed, power, precision, artistry and theatrics. Always one of my favorites, in 2014 I was treated to a wonderful display of athleticism and grace watching Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White face-off for the gold medal against their long-time-competitors Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
To mention casually that the Americans took the gold would instantaneously whitewash 17 years of day-in-day-out practice sessions, gallons of sweat and the steadfast faith in their coach that Davis and White invested to reach the podium.
In 2012, in a pre-gold medal interview with Fitness Magazine, the ice dancing champions described their weekly workout routine:
- 5 to 6 hours of skating, 5 days a week
- Cardio, weight and agility training, 3 days a week
- Ballet sometimes, “a necessary evil” to improve posture
So what’s my point here?
In order to get good at something, in order to get really, really good at something, you need to be persistent, consistent and work through the tough stuff. You need to keep your goal in mind. And, finally, you need to recognize that you can’t do it alone. No one is going to do the hard work for you. But working with a coach who looks at you from the outside in, highlights your strengths and your weaknesses, pushes you and guides you, demands accountability and asks from you more focused and intentional behavior than you will invest on your own.
So against that background, here are money muscles four through six that Every Woman Over 40 Must Develop.
4. Transformational Tracking.
While there are a few money geeks in the world that dive into tracking with gusto, most people hate/despise/loathe/would rather be sipping a martini than tracking their spending. But ladies, this is the tough, consistent stuff that empowers you. Most people hate writing down their expenses because they don’t know what to do with their numbers. The transformational power of tracking comes from what it teaches you about yourself – your money patterns and your money behavior, where you’re sabotaging yourself, what’s working and what’s not, what’s in alignment with your values, where you’re falling short and what needs to change. Transformational tracking gives you choice.
5. Focus on the goal.
Many people have trouble relating to the goal of a cushy retirement lounging on the beach, traveling the world and playing with their grandchildren. It’s too far away, a tad surreal. So they don’t connect the dots between their spending decisions today and the future they desire. Focusing on the future is an exercise, a workout where we engage super clear, laser focused vision on what we want. And don’t want. Caviar or cat food?
Spend at least 5 minutes a week visioning, meditating on, feeling, touching and smelling the future you desire. Hang up a picture on your bathroom mirror or refrigerator. Your ability to conjure up a vision of what you want to achieve can make all the difference between stepping into that reality and not.
6. Get support.
Our lives are busy. Frantic even. We are blessed and saddled with commitments to our family, our employers, our community and G-d. We’re serious about making a change. But when the going gets tough, about 4 days into tracking, most of us drop out.
Athletes have coaches. CEOs have coaches. Public speakers have coaches. If you’re really serious about your finances whether it’s taking control of your spending, building up your retirement nest egg, overcoming money anxiety or going for the gold, a Money Coach is going to help get you there faster and smarter than you can do on your own.
So that is my story. How Ice Dancing Built my Money Muscles. Unless you try, you won’t succeed.
If you’re ready for a gold medal, send me an email at Debbie@debbiesassen.com to sign up for a FREE 20-minute Money Chat.
If you just want to dip your toes in and start learning something new about money, sign up here for my FREE 5-day Money Chats e-course.
