Look How Far You’ve Come

In personal finance, we’re always looking ahead. So often we think “I’ll be happy when I’m debt-free.” or “I’ll be happy when I have X net worth.”

We can become almost pathologic in our obsession over these numbers that we forget to actually enjoy the moment and where we’re at. In some cases, we are so enmeshed in the personal finance echo chamber that we’re completely divorced from the financial struggles of most people, robbing us of precious perspective.

Many Americans can’t handle a $400 emergency. Many of us are doing so much better than the general populous but we get stuck in the comparison game.

I’ve fallen into that trap myself. I paid off my debt right as some of my peers were retiring early…at the same age. It can be easy to ruminate on your perceived mistakes. The failures that contributed to your financial problems.

It’s easy to get discouraged when you see how far you have to go. I think having larger-than-life goals is great to push you on your financial journey but not at the expense of your joy or perspective in the present.

Also, while we obsess about paving the path to freedom in our future we can get lost in problem-solving mode. We can get so lost that we actually forget just how far we’ve come.

Though I am so far away from what would afford me to retire early, I’ve come so far. I paid off $81,000 in debt — which to be honest, was probably closer to six figures with all of the interest. At one time, I made $10 to $12 per hour with a master’s degree.  

I now have a positive net worth. A fully-funded emergency fund. Investments! I now have a business earning far more than I ever would have made in the nonprofit sector and I earn enough to live alone in LA.

I earned enough to support me and my ex-partner. I earned enough so that my lifestyle could stay the same after the breakup. I earned enough so that I could throw money at my problems, namely in the form of therapy and exercise. If that isn’t true wealth, I don’t know what is.

I’m now in a much better place in all aspects of my life. I am no longer in crisis mode or maintenance mode, which feels really good. It feels like a breath of fresh air after a long, exhausting run.

I look ahead now, thinking about my financial goals in earnest. I look at my numbers and they’re not where I thought they’d be after paying off my debt.

But instead of being paralyzed by how much I still have to do, I’m grateful to see just how far I’ve come. And I hope you are too. Just for today, don’t obsess about everything you have to do. Oh my dear, look how far you’ve come.

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Melanie

Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health. Every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide. In addition to her love of personal finance, art and music, she is also a karaoke master and a cat mom to Miles and Thelonious.

Latest posts by Melanie (see all)

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