Money Musings

When I said changes, I meant serious business. My husband and I have recently both put in resignations at our current day jobs, and are starting our respective new ones on the exact same day in july. There is substantial risk here, for we are taking a pay cut and leaving the comfort and safety of insurance and benefits. The exchange? More flexibility with our hours, which means increased creativity and more time with each other and our loved ones. For once, we are shifting focus away from the worry of the dollar sign and toward the light of our intuition. Like I said in the previous entry: Simplicity and joy. Bottom line.

For the Me of even one year ago, all of the changes necessary for a life overhaul would not just have seemed terrifying, but damn near impossible. Back then, it was a good day if I took a shower. But conscious growth and intentional living are powerful tools, indeed, and I now find myself poised and ready for whatever life brings. 

So far, I've found true change isn't pretty or comfortable at first. It requires you to sit and marinate in your crap for awhile. It requires you to detach from yourself and look at the situation to see where you may have screwed up to get you here in the first place. It requires you open the closet and let the skeletons fall out on top of you. It requires forgiveness. 

In short, change requires you to be really, really brave. And brevity isn't about not being scared—quite the opposite. It's about feeling the terror and walking through it anyway, a yearning to be on the other side of the pain. And it is in this holy instant that pure alchemy takes place, for it is through even the smallest willingness to see things another way that miracles occur.

For me, a big block in the way of my happiness has been finances. Like many, I grew up with parents who were not always wisest with their money (they would tell you this themselves if you asked!). Many of these habits have slowly and unconsciously seeped in, going mostly unnoticed or ignored for my entire adult life. It is only through going through the discomfort of facing the mistakes I've made, and looking at the numbers objectively that I felt moved to change the story, once and for all. This meant taking a long, hard look at our spending, resulting in an overhaul of our entire budget. We are looking at the situation through different lenses, and are spurred to embrace what we once ran from: paying bills on time, massively cutting expenses, and actually picking up the phone when Sallie Mae calls.

i've enlisted many helpers along this new path. One is the book "Peace and Plenty: Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity," by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Comforting, yet practical, this little gem has had a marvelous impact on the way I see abundance in my everyday life. It is divided into short, daily chapters, allowing you to take her sensible advice in bite-sized chunks. I don't know about you, but just thinking about finances can get me tense, and this book certainly eases the pain. It helped me to understand that I have it within me to face my past hardships while still being kind and loving to myself. Also, this book is chock-full of thrift and household tips to help you improve your living on a budget.

Which leads me to the next tool that has aided me in my financial overhaul. Living Well, Spending Less is by far my newest blog addiction. Writer Ruth Soukup is a thrifty mom of four with a beautiful story and a fabulous voice. Her user-friendly site has advice on everything—clipping coupons, Do-It-Yourself home projects, organization, and wellness. The website has way too much content for one visit; I recommend starting with her series, The Beginner's Guide to Savings. Make sure to download these awesome free budget worksheets! 

Overall, I am feeling more confident about my financial future than I ever have before. I've faced the demons, and now there's nowhere to go from here but up. 

I'd like to encourage all of you to seek freedom from your money woes! Ask yourself the question: "What small step can I take today toward financial serenity?" One small step. That's all it takes.

xo, Morgan

Emerging From the Fog.

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. 
It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” 
― Albert Einstein

For the past ten months or so, my husband Tim and I have been emerging from what I'm now calling the "Mid-Twenties Fog." Looking back, it's as though the past three years were a party we threw to forget that we are growing older. While going through growing pains and loss, we made irresponsible choices, or sometimes just ignored the tough stuff completely. We turned up the music and danced faster, ignoring adulthood and the doom it would undoubtedly bring. And ignorance was certainly bliss—for a while.

Now that the bumping base has been turned down, the smoke has cleared, and the guests have gone home, we have awoken from our ego-medicated dreams to the reality of the life we have: debt, bad spending habits, and jobs that leave us unsatisfied. We are looking deeply at our lives and find ourselves on the same page. We are agreed in our spirits that it's finally time to get real and grow up.

Don't get me wrong, I am certainly aware of every single blessing: wonderful family, friends, food to eat, and an apartment that we have made our home. My creativity is thriving. I am healthy. I have a great dog. The list goes on. I will say one thing about a spiritual journey: it will teach you gratitude. Joy and gratitude go hand in hand—I've found it's impossible to feel one without the other. When one fully allows herself to appreciate the abundance that already surrounds her, joy multiplies and the universe always brings more.

This newfound awareness of the value of what one already has does come with a flip side: "I want more. I deserve the best life possible for me here on this earth." After all, if we're not at our best, how can we ever expect to give our best to others?

So here we are, ready and willing for change. And we're not playing around here. I find myself now addicted to money-saving and thrift blogs, pouring over their contents for ways to cut our expenses. My husband is venturing into the foreign world of car mechanics. We are leaving no stone unturned; there is no idea we won't listen to, no book we won't read, no method we won't try. We are looking for ways to simplify and add joy. Bottom line.

And the results so far? Abundance and blessings are falling in waves. I recently accepted a new teaching and directing position at a local children's theatre, which will certainly add to our monthly income. I'm auditioning like crazy. We are looking at houses.

And, oh yeah...
Yesterday we brought this guy home to join our family:

World, meet Bandit!
Changes, indeed. :)

xo, morgan

the morning question

“Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.” 

― Lemony Snicket, The Blank Book

i'd like to open with a simple question: how do you spend your morning? no really, i want to know.

if you'll allow me, i'd like to go back about two years and tell you the typical start to my day:
open eyes angrily. roll over and immediately check the smartphone for the ten million INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT things that have occurred in the 8 hours i wasn't connected. scroll through the initial barrage of emails and check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and Tumblr. feet finally hit the floor. go into the kitchen and immediately turn on the news to see the big headlines. pour a giant cup of coffee (with milk and TWO spoonfuls of sugar, thank you very much). stumble into the bathroom to jump in the shower, texting the boss as i go.

and BAM, just like that! i'm already at my mundane little day job...and i haven't even washed my face.

so now, let's paint a different picture. what if your morning was quiet and without disruption? what if you had a moment or two to begin your day with thanks? what if you acknowledged the incredible miracle of life that allows you to open your eyes and take your next breath? how would this impact your day?

for me, the morning practice carries incredible priority. over time, this routine has taken many forms that have changed and morphed and will continue to do so: i pray, i sit, i read, i stretch, i write. i can always sense an acute difference between the Morgan that is rushed out of bed and into her task (screaming and kicking the entire way), and the Morgan who begins the morning in quiet gratitude and meditative joy. i have come to cherish this time of day. it is here that i connect with the Divine, thus paving the way for peace, regardless of what circumstances may arise.

one particular exercise that i find useful is the "Morning Pages," taken from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. this exercise allows the very first part of the day to be spent writing, stream-of-consciousness, longhand. anything that pops into your head is acceptable, from "I need to get a gallon of milk," to "How will we afford the mortgage this month?" i find this form of journaling incredibly therapeutic, as it allows me to completely empty my brain of all the thoughts accumulated while sleeping. i am then able to move into my morning with literal peace of mind, which always puts one ahead of the game. i mean, seriously: how can you pray for someone else when you can't get your own crap out of your head? if you're interested in morning journaling and looking for a place to start, it's here.

don't get me wrong. there are many days when it doesn't go so smoothly for me, when my "ideal morning ritual time" gets cut short by some circumstance or another. most times i'm able to adapt somewhat successfully. but there are those days (typically once every couple of weeks) when i can't get past the world. when, for whatever reason or another, my brain starts yelling at me from moment one, and i can't get the train back on the tracks.

and those days are ok, too. we need the lows to fully appreciate the highs.

what i know for sure: my day can veer rapidly off course when i roll out of bed and am connected to my phone from moment one. this brings me to a goal i'm setting for the next week: no technology for at least the first hour that i'm awake. wish me luck!

so now i beg the question: how do you start your day? honesty is appreciated! if you have a morning practice you would like to share, please post any tips or recommendations below. if you don't have any sort of routine, but are willing to start with even 5 minutes each day, please share, too. whatever it is, i encourage you to talk and get it out there. transparency is the first step to healing and change!

i'm grateful for everyone out there reading this! thanks for the love.
xo, morgan