How Jealousy Stopped Me From Building Wealth

How many times have you said to yourself, “once I make more money we can start paying off debt” or “I could pay off my student loans if I made as much money as (insert name).”

Unfortunately, I know that feeling all too well and it didn’t do me any good! I was constantly making excuses as to why I wasn’t making progress or why I wasn’t further ahead in life. 

I would blame it on my income or the fact that I didn’t have parents that paid for my school. But in reality, it was because I didn’t use the money that I was making efficiently. I was still spending tons of money going to restaurants or out on the weekends. I was young and I deserved that, right?

Looking back, if I would have dedicated a portion of my income to debt, I would have been able to pay off my student loans so much quicker than I had and, this is the important part, I would have had so much less stress around money. I could have afforded to make less money because I wouldn’t have had student loan debt and I wouldn’t have had to miss out on trips because I had to work.

When I was comparing my situation to those around me, basically having an enormous pity party for myself, I wasn’t able to make progress in my life.

Once I decided that it was time for a change I immediately saw a shift in my stress and the clarity that I had around money. I wasn’t making any more money but I was seeing my debt total decrease so much more quickly than I ever had. All because I was actually using my income to change my life, versus wishing I had more income or less debt.

When we stop wishing for things to improve our lives, we are actually able to see what we can do to live happier lives. Stop worrying about the new car your neighbor bought or your friend that is looking at cabins up north. This is your life, use your resources to curate your version of happiness.