When Latasha asked me to write a post for her financial blog, my first reaction was: “That’s so awesome of you, but what on earth do I have of value to say on this subject?!”

She assured me that I was a great candidate since I didn’t not know all the technical jargon of the industry ‘insiders.’  Again, I was a little skeptical, but upon further contemplation, there are things I can talk about.  And honestly, we should all be talking about money and finance, whether we're in the industry or not! Money affects us all. 

We should all be talking about money and finance, whether we’re in the industry or not! Money affects us all. Click To Tweet

So let’s start a dialogue.

What is Your Why?

Let’s put money aside for a moment.  Yes, I did just say that on a personal finance blog, record this moment in history please.  

Being a young adult comes with a lot of pressure, from the outside, and even internally. Thoughts like: “I should have it all together by now!” or “Crap! I need to start adulting. I’m in the real world,” probably swim through our minds more than we care to admit.

It’s okay, that’s a natural feeling.  We’re not told this stuff in school, but if you feel like you were just tossed like a rag doll into the gauntlet race of life, that’s normal.  Just buckle up!

A few weekends ago, I decided to re-watch a TEDTalk that consistently inspires me to look at life in a bigger way. Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” talk, and book of the same name, has been one of the most powerful concepts I have come across so far.

This is something I highly encourage you to watch.  I won’t give away too much since the talk itself is extraordinarily powerful and you will get lessons from it that could possibly change your life.  I don’t want to screw that experience up. 😉

Take 20 minutes out of your day and watch it!

How does starting with your WHY effect your finances?

We all have hopes and dreams that come in many forms personal to us as individuals.  

Travel, paying off debt so you can be freed from that stress, a dream job, maybe a start up, or starting a cause to better a community you’re close to.  

Money is a tool that can help us get there. It’s not ‘important’ in the sense that life is about much more, but it’s a necessity we can use to better ourselves, and those around us when put to good use.  

So, WHY do you want to get your financial situation in order?  Most of us know why, but once you have money, once your debt is paid off, after you’ve achieved your freedom, what next?

There is a deeper motivation for each of us, a purpose that is typically greater than ourselves.  It can take a while to figure out, and sometimes we don’t even know our purpose in life until we get out and experiment.  

I encourage you to start thinking about your WHY tho.  Because even if it seems totally unattainable right now, this core meaning and purpose should motivate you when you feel your lowest.  When you feel like you’ve done all you can or when you're ready to give up, your WHY will center you.

This might sound insanely hocus-pocus, and it took me a while to really grasp the importance, but I hope you are left with some questions. in your mind about how you can make this process more enjoyable.

Let’s face it, learning about and fixing our finances can be boring, hard, and seems like it’s blocking us from all the instant gratification we want now.  But it’s so much better when we can open up the discussion to include all the dreams and goals we are reaching for! 🙂

What drives you to reach your financial goals? Whether your answer is to help your family, build your community, or to get the latest gadgets hit us below in the comments section!

Devani Anjali Alderson is a passionate millennial CEO who runs a marketing agency helping business owners, artists, and creative minded people spread their message in the modern online world. She is also an avid fan of science fiction, taking photos of nature, writing a fiction novel, master minding with like-minded people… And her Maltese dog Caspian (as in the Prince from Narnia, not the sea).

Check out her website and connect with her on Twitter.

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