Not a Financial Unicorn - youramericanmoney
Author: Michelle
Description: It's time we celebrate the financial stories of people who are not a financial unicorn. I'm not a financial unicorn and my story is important
Date: 2022-01-03T10:00:00+00:00

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# Not a Financial Unicorn

posted on 3 January, 2022

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On New Year’s Day I like to wake up and think about the year ahead. I stretch and then snuggle a little deeper into my bed. When I finally decide to get out of bed and get dressed I take my time. Usually, it’s a sunny day and with luck there’s some snow on the ground. But, there are two other rituals that I observe on the first day of the New Year. The first is eating Black-eyed peas, greens and cornbread on the New Year. Each food item representing prosperity in the upcoming year. And the second tradition is checking my bank accounts and reviewing my overall financial picture that first day of the New Year. I like to see what I’m starting with and where I’m at. So, when I tell you that on at least 2 different occasions I’ve woken up and had my accounts overdrawn on New Year’s Day-I don’t share this with you lightly. Can you imagine, waking up and it’s New Year’s Day and your bank accounts are in the red?

And there is this painful feeling in your gut like…everything is closed and what in the hell am I going to do now? When you’re living on the financial edge and you’ve miscalculated or some unexpected expense has come in before a side-hustle check has come in and you’re just so damn tired. That financial storyline isn’t sexy. In a world of financial content that pushes the Financial Unicorn Trope-you know the “I paid off $100k in 7 months or I retired at 32 years old or I changed my income by $100k in 8 weeks.” It’s important to me to share the unsexy financial stories.

A financial unicorn is that mythical person who has achieved what feels like the unattainable and the unimaginable. The things is, I know a surprising number of financial unicorns. But, I know even more people who’ve achieved great financial success and don’t get the accolades that financial unicorns tend to get in media.

I want to talk about the fact that the majority of people making life changing financial changes aren’t financial unicorns and that their efforts are just as valuable to know and hear about-if not even more so. If you’re making significant financial changes in your life and are wondering if it’s worth it? It is and I want to share what the other side of constantly putting your financial foot one step in front of the other looks like. I’m not a Financial Unicorn but my unsexy financial journey has changed my life for the better. For those of you who are on the other side of some epic financial goals, listen to the show and share with a friend or family member who could use some encouragement going into the New Year.

In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please read my disclosure here.*

## Listen to the Show

## Related Episodes

- Michelle’s Business Goals for 2022 (The Brand Building Lab)

- Thinking About Moving Abroad? What You Need to Know

- How to Shop Black 365 Days a Year

- Pretending Like it’s Business as Usual

## Show Sponsor

I’m excited to tell you about my first personal finance book “Not a Financial Unicorn” which is available for pre-order now. If you’re looking for inspiration, validation and ideas on how to better your financial life “Not a Financial Unicorn” has been written with the other 92% of us in mind. If you’re investing $1 a week, this book is for you. If you’re doubting if you should continue your painfully slow debt freedom journey-this book is for you. If you’re wanting to make more money and it feels like it’s taking forever to reach that goal-this book is for you. I’m sharing the behind the scenes process and bonus content via my Buy Me a Coffee membership. Your financial support helps me to pay for editing, marketing and time spent working on this project. Tentative publishing date is May 2022.

## Not a Financial Unicorn (Show Notes)

- For the past couple of years, the idea to write “Not a Financial Unicorn” has been percolating in the back of my mind. But, I kept feeling like the timing wasn’t right so I put it off. I felt like my finances weren’t good enough to host this financial conversation

- Then 2020 happened and all of the hard work that I’d focused on since 2015 paid off. All of the side-hustles, the financial sacrifices, the tiny debt repayments that eventually increased over time. The slow and steady belief in the moves that I was making financially, paid off during (of all things) a Global pandemic. And during a time that had the potential to devastate me financially I made more money and I was ok without having to put myself in harm’s way.

- Then I had a series of conversations and social media interactions that made it clear that now was the time to write this book.

- One day I was speaking with someone who basically said that “I always see these stories online about people who had financial success fast. I find it so discouraging and I’m wondering why am I bothering?” This person had and continues to work so hard and they felt so discouraged because their story wasn’t sexy enough. In fact, their financial story has been HARD and painful…until it wasn’t.

- I spend a lot of time on Twitter and I noticed so many financial takes from influencers in the personal finance space that had the unintended consequence of discouraging people from taking any financial action because the financial action that they could take felt too small, too boring, not sexy enough. Need some examples? Here are a few.
  - Why aren’t you side-hustling? Maybe because I’m exhausted and am hoping to earn more at my primary place of employment.
  - Why aren’t you investing more? Well, I only have a few dollars a week to allocate towards investing. Right now I’m trying to pay rent and keep my car running.
  - Why didn’t you…invest earlier, save more, or take this action before? Well, I was doing the best I could with the information, tools and mindset that I had at that moment.

- It is 2022 and there are a few financial words and lessons that I want listeners to keep in mind as they focus on their financial goals for this year.

## Momentum

- Momentum is not talked about enough in the personal finance space. The fact that over time small consistent actions build up and increase your connection with the goals that you’re focused on-isn’t talked about enough. This is the same with fitness or building and thoughtfully nurturing relationships.

- I had so many freaking bills and so much debt at the beginning of my financial journey. It was hard for me to imagine that my financial life would ever be different. I share my financial journey because it has been SO FREAKING MESSY. I had over 30+ debts when I started. I was being called, emailed, text messaged and sent actual letters from all of my creditors. It was scary, overwhelming and exhausting. In fact, there are some of you listening to this episode who are currently dealing with this experience now.

- And if I’m being candid, I wasn’t sure that being reasonably debt-free was even a realistic goal for myself. I just knew that I didn’t want to be dealing with this anymore.

- So, I created a simple spreadsheet and I slowly started working on the process.

- Then, I quit my job.

- This was an insane risk to take. But, I was dealing with extreme burnout and I was legitimately worried that I would have a heart attack and die at work. Weirdly enough though, quitting allowed me to rest but it also saved me a lot of money because I didn’t have the additional expenses associated with work. Such as lunch, work wardrobes and other random expenses that come up. My emotional spending also dramatically dropped at the same time.

- Before I go further into this episode I want to make it clear that I am PRO 9-5 and I am NOT advising people to quit their jobs. Don’t be crazy. Have a job lined up or some other way to make money lined up.

- Your small and consistent actions build momentum overtime.
  - Negotiating to earn more or optimizing over-time opportunities is the gateway to applying for a job that pays significantly more and leaving your current situation.
  - Paying off tiny bills that take up financial and mental space. This one action will free up cash to put towards paying off a bigger bill.
  - Investing $1 a week to build up the investing habit and then switching to $5 a week and so on because you have the habit, cash and goals in mind.
  - Reading a Tweet, blog post or listening to a podcast or vlog about money. Begins the slow ongoing process of educating yourself about money. Reading books is high on that list too.

- It’s Monday, January 3rd, 2022 and I am sharing this episode with you to encourage you to stay the course. Don’t quit. Do rest and keep moving forward. I’ve literally woken up at least 2 times in my adult life on the first day of the New Year and had my accounts overdrawn. The thing to remember is that this is just one moment in time. What happens next?

- My mission with Michelle is Money Hungry is to create an empathetic financial space for listeners looking to change their financial lives and to have nuanced and deeper conversations about money. I want to have financial conversations that don’t gaslight people into feeling like they are bad or wrong for feeling the way that they do about their money or access to financial resources.

- The system that works for you is the system that you can stick to. You don’t need to justify that you opted to pay your smallest bill first or the one that energetically stressed you out. Did you get it done?

- This year I checked my accounts and I was solidly, blessedly in the Black. The one Black thing that people talk about positively. I do still have some debt, hello student loans. But, I’ve paid off the 30+ creditors that I owed that were significantly in arrears. I no longer get calls, emails, text messages, or letters about owing money to people. In December 2021 I also made 4 times the amount of money in one month than I used to. It has not been easy getting to this point and you can listen to my Brand Building Lab episode about growing my online business income and my financial goals for 2022. There’s a link in the show notes or you can look for The Brand Building Lab on Spotify/Apple Podcasts or my brand building lab website and listen to it there.

- I share this episode to say that regardless of where you are-you don’t have to stay there. However, I also want to validate your experience and feelings about where you’re at right now. Your financial experiences and financial truths are your truths.

- I’m also sharing this episode because I remember when a lot of your favorite personal finance influencers began their financial journeys. For the majority of the people that you’re liking, subscribing and following their content it has taken them YEARS to get to the point that they are at now. Even if they don’t actively talk about their journeys anymore.

- You deserve the best. You deserve joy, fun, good quality food and rest. For American listeners in particular, it can be hard to believe this. But, I’m telling you now-you deserve good things that aren’t connected with endless struggle.

- I look forward to being a part of your financial journey in 2022. Having deeper financial conversations, sharing cool people and celebrating your financial wins. Because you will have them.

Don’t forget to order your copy of “Not a Financial Unicorn” to be released May 2022. Or, if you’re interested in the behind the scenes conversations specific to the writing of this book sign up for my Buy Me a Coffee Monthly membership where I will share bonus content connected to this project.

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#### Michelle

I am an obsessive foodie, but not self-righteous with it, love travel, meeting new people, helping you look good, and am freaked out by people who don't enjoying reading...something! Grab a Perrier, read my blog, feel free to drop me a line! Hope to hear from you soon.

#### Latest posts by Michelle (see all)

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