Broke-Ass Financial Coaching: Are You a Sell Out?

While being young, broke and beautiful is all well and good, some people’s finances are more jacked than others.  That’s why we’ve invited Betsy Crouch (aka Coach $izzle) to come onboard and dole out some much needed advice.  She is a professional financial coach after all.  If you’ve got a question you’d like answered please email her at coachsizzle@brokeassstuart.com.  Maybe your question will be the next one answered.

“I am considering doing some work for a company that I do not support or believe in.  I am tempted because it pays significantly more than the other work I do.  What do you think I should consider to help me make this decision?” – O.C.

Ideally we would all be spending our time doing things that fully align with our passions and values.

The story that we commonly buy into is that in order to get “x” thing that we want, we need to “sell out,” give up our dreams and work for a company that we don’t believe in.  That is not absolutely true, just like following your dreams does not mean you have to be broke.  What’s worse is that some of you feel like you are “selling out,” AND you are broke.  What if you could do what you love AND thrive in all areas in life?  Don’t be a naysayer.  If you are reading this and it pisses you off, are you looking for reasons that I could be right about this or all the reasons I am wrong?

1.  Identify your values

What do you value?  Which values are the highest priority for you?  Use the prioritization exercise I shared with you in this article and instead of making a list of things you spend money on that are not bare necessities, make a list of your values.  At the end of the exercise you will see your values in order of priority.

2.  Listen to your gut

Frankly it doesn’t matter what I tell you to do.  What feels right to you?  Are you looking for someone to give you permission to do what you know you really want to do?  I give you permission to do whatever you want.  Doesn’t that feel good?  That may mean working for the company you do not support and working to inspire change.  It may mean working for the company and giving more money to causes you support based on your increased income.  It may mean doing what you really love and thriving doing that making a lot of money or making a little.  What do you need to feel relaxed?

It is hard to hear your gut if you are filling in all of your down time with phone calls, television, video games, texting, fussing with apps on your phone.  Check in with yourself, only you know what is right for you.  How about sitting in stillness?  Or not listening to the radio while you drive/walk/public transport?

3. Get to know yourself better

In this article I wrote about one of my favorite books What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles.  I mentioned the book in reference to straight up “finding a job,” when you know pretty much what you are looking for.  The other part of the book that I just love is the sections on helping you gain clarity on the types of work environments you like, the types of people you like to work with and the skills you love to use.  So it may not need to be a matter of you taking a job you don’t want to take because you could tweak your perception of yourself and accept that you could do something else and really love it.

Questions?  coachsizzle@brokeassstuart.com