I was pissed today.
I mean, really, really worked up. My employee came into work and I just glared. He went to his room pretty quick and got to work. Good move on his part.
My main issue: I had lost perspective.
I was pissed because the month isn’t starting out great business wise, and even though I know I’m doing great, there is a chance revenues will dip this month vs. the last.
And a monthly decline hasn’t happened in about 8 months.
So, I was pissed.
Even though, looking at year over year numbers, we are doing really well. Really well. In fact, if I had told myself 8 months ago the #’s we’d be today, I probably wouldn’t have beleived it.
And so, I had lost perspective.
If numbers are down this month, it’s not the end of the world. I’ll be able to pay my bills, cover payroll, and even pay down a little more debt.
I just want everything to be over with now. And so ANY step back seems to set me off lately. My poor employee. He tolerates my mood swings well.
Thankfully, a man outside the grocery store reminded me of how lucky I am, and what I have to be thankful for.
He was homeless. I am not.
He was selling newspapers outside a grocery story. I was leaving my air conditioned gym.
He probably has his life savings on him. I have an emergency fund.
Sometimes I just want to punch myself.
{pow!}
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Humble pie tastes best served cold. We all need a slice from time to time. Thanks for sharing.
We all need those attitude adjustments once in a while. Sometimes I’ll get annoyed that I can *only* put $1000 or less towards debt/savings in one month and then I’ll think – $1000 is nothing to moan about! I should be grateful I have *any* left over money to do with as I please!
I googled how to get out of debt when you don’t have any money. Your blog popped up amongst other sites. I took a chance and clicked on yours. I guess you could say I have hit a wall and don’t know how to turn around to get out of this vicious cycle. I have bills and income is getting less with this economy the way it is. My husband is paid strictly on commission and he is in the car business with NO work coming in. I pay our bills on time but usually never have enough to make extra payments on credit cards that don’t seem to go down. What would you say to me that is realistic right now, besides quit spending what you don’t have. I have heard that before. I am just seeking help cause I am really having a bad day. Thanks for listening.
@ weakonomist: I like that quote!
It’s so true though, sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we deem the big things that we forget to appreciate the little details. But it’s truly amazing what sweating the small stuff can do. The Power of Small, a book I read a few weeks back, really emphasizes this and has caused me to look at life with a whole new outlook! Guess I should take another slice of humble pie!
Maybe you should work on money being less emotional for you. If something becomes overly emotional, we lose the ability to make rational decisions in our own best interest. I remember reading a financial article a few years back that stated that it was good to be even a little bored when making critical decisions. Your left brain kicks in, and your emotional right brain quiets down. It can cause you to pause before making some decisions which could hurt you. The article even suggested shuffling cards or tapping your fingers while in emotionally volatile situations to stimulate the left brain. One guy I knew did this- he shuffled cards, and he was always cool under pressure, and never missed a beat, even with the most demanding customers.
I, on the other hand, need to ramp my right brain up. I’m so dispassionate that I can’t get upset over much of anything, and spend my late night time commenting on blog articles.
We all get upset. It’s great that you were able to adjust your mood, when you saw someone less fortunate than you. A lot of people never realize how fortunate they are, so kudos to you. Have a good weekend.
@Rhonda: One thing I would suggest doing is seeing what kinds of work can be done on the internet where you might be able to make some extra money. Even in the bad economy, there are some ways that you might be able to do that. Check out craigslist and perhaps even do some more blogging and try to start selling advertising there.
@DebtKid: Thanks for sharing this story. I think that it can be really difficult for everyone to stay focused on the good things and be grateful. I’ve had my own experience of this recently so I am glad to know that I have not been alone in this predicament
Take care!
wow dude…. count yourself lucky…. we’re off 40% from last year.
if we do 60% of what we did last year, we’ll consider it a win