Hey friend,
2022 has been a wild ride for me. Dreams came true. Finance for the People was finally published, and I got to do so many cool things in its wake. My 2022 has felt like years in the making. So has the lesson I’ve learned along the way: Possibility lies on the other side of fear. Several years ago, I recorded a podcast interview at a studio in Hollywood. There were two hosts. One in LA and one that joined us remotely. After we wrapped and the LA host walked me out, she asked me if I’d ever thought about writing a book. I told her I was afraid that writing a book would change everything, and I wasn’t ready to blow up my life.
She told me that her co-host, who had joined us remotely, had published a book. And in its aftermath, nothing had changed, and therefore, there was nothing to fear. I remember thinking, “If nothing changed, what would be the point of writing it?” Although, in hindsight, I realize she was commenting on someone else's experience and not her own.
Since publishing Finance for the People everything has changed. The book-writing process has fundamentally changed who I am and how I think about my work and its place in the world. It transformed this quiet act of being alone in the early morning hours, hammering away at my keyboard, trying to say something about money, perpetually afraid to hit publish. Into an object; a vehicle for inspiration. In an attempt to kick the doors of possibility open for the reader, it’s also opened them for the author.
So now, whenever I find myself standing at the edge of a forest of fear, scared to walk through, but also afraid to stay on the fringe, often than not, I’m going to let the fear take me on that ride. I’m just too curious about what it’ll be like, who I will become and what lies on the other side.
So as you put 2022 to bed and reflect on how your year has been spent, here are a few things to ask yourself. What has your relationship with your fears been like? Are you scared to try? Does fear keep you from investing in a down market? Does it scare you to confront your spending habits because you know that pulling one thread will unravel more than you can begin to imagine? What is the possibility that lies on the other side of fear?
Don’t be shy; hit reply.
Your favorite finance friend,
