November 1, 2015 • Newsletter
Somehow it is already November. Allegedly. I’m still a bit suspicious.
Nevertheless, I’m going to use my extra hour of saved daylight time to finish a few more pieces of Halloween candy and ponder gratitude in the context of financial habits and health. (Two of those three things pretty much only happen in November. Bonus points for guessing which one happens year round.)
I’m grateful for financial wisdom (regardless of how many zeros that wisdom entails), and the growing financial literacy I see in the creative industries.
I’m grateful for the growing communities of support—personal and professional—I observe. What a privilege it is to be immersed in creative communities, business communities, neighborhood communities, and more.
With gratitude in mind, we’ve listed three things to focus on this month ranging from budgetary gratitude (really) to familial gratitude (double really).
Check Your Budget.
Halloween is over, but that doesn’t mean your budget isn’t still spooky. Take a moment this month to update your budget with actual results through the end of October. What is working within your budget? What budgetary victories (big and small) have you had? What might you need to tweak over the next few weeks before the end of 2015?
Early November is a great time to refresh your memory too. What have you budgeted for travel for the holiday season? What have you budgeted for gifts? What have you budgeted for turkey and wine? These amounts may or may not still be reasonable based on all that has unfolded for you during 2015, so if you need to revisit those amounts (honestly), now is the time to do it so you can make your budget work through the end of the year.
Thus, your November Budgeting To-Do: Compare your budget to the actual results for the year so far and prepare for the last two months.
Be Thankful.
What goals have you accomplished this year? I am incredibly thankful for sending this newsletter each month (so far) during 2015. I love connecting with the recipients, and I love even more your responses. I am incredibly grateful for being invited to nag you gently about your financial awareness and health, and by extension supporting your creativity.
Sometimes we unintentionally hinder ourselves by waiting for moments of major gratitude. The little moments of gratitude can be just as powerful. This month, I suspect your social media feeds will be filled with peers, colleagues, and friends following various gratitude challenges. This one is even simpler: List three things you are grateful for. One should relate to money or financial health; one should relate to your community of support; and one is for you to list freely.
Your November Gratitude To-Do: List three things you are thankful for, big and small.
Support Your Supporters.
Some months we think about connecting with other professionals or supporting each other virtually during particularly busy times. This month, we’re focused on supporting our supporters: Our closest family members who know us well enough to drive us crazy and still love us anyway.
Sometimes we forget about those closest to us, but this month is a great month to focus on them again. Check in with them, especially before the holiday craziness begins, and learn about what is going on with their lives. Listen to what matters to them, even if you couldn’t possibly care less about it.
This month, your supporting your supporters. And you may even find you enjoy it. Your November Assistance To-Do: Support those closest to you who love you no matter what.
Recap.
To recap, in this month of thankfulness, we’re focused on gratitude for those around us (especially those who know us well enough to drive us crazy), gratitude for our financial health, regardless of how many zeros it contains, and our overall financial mindfulness as we enter the holiday season and the end of 2015.
- Budgeting: Update your budget with actual results and refresh your memory on budgeted amounts for travel, gifts, and indulgences as we enter the holiday season.
- Gratitude: List three things you are grateful for, including one related to money and one related to your community.
- Assistance: Support your supporters this month, the ones closest to you that love you no matter what.
Happy November! (Don’t mind me; I’m just finishing the Halloween candy.)
Gobble, gobble.
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