It’s going to be uncomfortable
Photo by Gary Sandoz on Unsplash
It feels weird when your income jumps and you suddenly have extra cash on hand – especially when you’ve been used to each dollar having a “job” for so long.
It’s hard to watch your cash cushion decline when you actually take that summer sabbatical – even though that’s precisely why you built up your cash cushion in the first place.
And it’s still difficult to “spend the money” in retirement when you’ve spent most of your life “saving the money” so you wouldn’t have to worry about running out of money in retirement.
Moving to a new stage of your money life is going to be uncomfortable. There’s no way around it.
But in reality, feeling uncomfortable is actually a sign that you’re doing it right. It’s both normal and expected.
However, it doesn’t always feel good. So what’s the best way to overcome that tension?
You need to practice sitting with that sense of unease.
To do this, first you need to notice when that tension shows up. As you start to notice, ask yourself…
‘Am I doing something wrong or is this just different and uncomfortable?’
This is how you can identify habits that might have served you well in the past but are no longer the ones you need moving forward.
You can then start to build new habits that match the life stage you find yourself in right now.
For example…
You might have previously stewed over whether or not having a house cleaner was worth it but that was before your higher income could easily support it. So stew no more and just do it!
While taking an extra family vacation during your sabbatical feels irresponsible because you don’t know what your next gig looks like yet, it’s not. This is why you saved the money and this is when you have the time to do it. So do it!
And you should practice spending what your planning allows for in retirement even if it initially makes you nervous. Trust me when I say your kids want you to enjoy your retirement and prefer you spend on family activities and trips together while you’re still around to enjoy it with them.
These are just a few examples of why feeling uncomfortable as you move into a new money stage is normal, expected, and more than worth the struggle that comes with it.
The more you practice, the better life tends to become.