What You Expect Is What You Become

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Morning everyone,

Thank you for your kind words over this past week as we deal with Pancake's cancer diagnosis. You all are awesome.

What do you expect?

I read an article many years ago that changed how I go on vacation. The author wrote about how to maximize your enjoyment of the time away.

Expect to have a great vacation before you go on vacation.

So in practice, before you leave, you think about the memories, the sun, the breakfasts with your kids, the smells, the sounds, the warm sand on your feet, the feeling of freshly groomed ski runs, and so on.

The more you think about it beforehand, the more you'll enjoy it.

If you were a fly on the wall in my head in January, you would probably find me dreaming of sunsets at the lake, watching Lucy tube with her cousins, or playing at the beach together in Florida.

From experience and practice, this has worked wonders for me. I've enjoyed our times away with family immensely and have memories that my 80-year-old self will cherish.

Let's tie this in with money.

Because as the title suggests, what you expect is what you become.

First off, in my experience, most people have a strange relationship with money. The foundation for many is based on stress, comparison, and uncertainty, among other things.

I've seen this from every income level, age level, and everything in between.

And it's backed up with research: people struggle with money, which then places them on a shaky foundation.

This foundation becomes the expectations of their future state. If you are stressed now, you will be stressed later; if you compare today, you'll compare tomorrow; if you spend too much money today, you'll spend too much in your 80s.

If you think about this in your own life, you'll probably find a lot of areas where this is true. What you expect is what you become.

Second, most people do approximately zero planning with their financial lives. They just roll with the punches. Take it week by week, paycheck to paycheck.

People expect a lot, or a little, without a lot of execution.

As someone who has done this professionally for a decade, I can tell you that there have been times where Camila and I have done just this. We go on autopilot and check out.

This weekend, take a moment and examine your expectations you have for your financial life.

If they are great, well done. If they are something you are not proud of, consider making a change.

If you know someone who is down on their luck, encourage them and paint a new picture for them to look at.

If someone is riding high, tell them nice work and keep at it.

What we expect is what we become. Let's expect well this week.

Thanks for taking a few minutes to spend with me today. I hope this was a helpful reminder for you and your family.

See you next weekend.

Tom

PS, if you found this valuable, please let me know or forward this to a friend. I am trying hard to take my unique experience and knowledge to help you and our community build a better financial futures. Thanks!

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