The ocean had been calling for me for some time. It had been years since I last put my feet in the ocean. It had been years since I last walked along the edge of the ocean. It had been years since I looked far out into the horizon.
Growing up near the ocean and having lived much of my life near the ocean, I have often felt the pull of the ocean. There is something about the ocean that settles me, helps me find balance, peace, and a little bit of wonder.
With what had been going on in my life lately, I needed that balance, peace, and wonder.
My daughter had just been admitted into the hospital for the first time after having mental health struggles. While she has long struggled with anxiety, in the last few weeks she has been showing signs of something else going on.
It was stressful. I wanted to make it all better for her.
Having faced my own mental health struggles, the last thing I wanted was for my children to go through anything like what I’ve been through. Yet, here was my second child being admitted into the behavioral health unit.
It was the eve of my wife’s and my 30th anniversary and we were to travel to the beach; the beach that had been calling to me for some time.
With my daughter in the hospital, should we even go? Could we do more good for our daughter by staying home.
The short answer is, no.
With the nature of her stay, we couldn’t even visit our daughter in the hospital. We didn’t even know where exactly she was. She was admitted into one hospital and then spent a fair amount of the weekend being transferred to a different hospital, where she would receive better care and be in a better environment.
All of this was going through my mind as I followed my wife, Martha, into the ocean at Hunting Island near Beaufort, SC. The ocean had been calling to me, but in the midst of my own rising anxiety I was also hearing whispers in my head to beware the sharks swimming nearby.
There were no signs of sharks swimming nearby, the rational part of myself said.
I took a deep breath and took a good look around me. Nobody else who was enjoying the ocean and the beach was showing any sign of worries about sharks. Martha was playing in the ocean.
I could either let my fears overcome me, or I could tame my fears and play in the ocean.
While there were some real concerns about my daughter’s wellbeing, there was also much to enjoy about finally heeding the call of the ocean and the call to play and to let go of my fear and anxieties.
In hindsight, I’ve also realized that overcoming my fear of sharks was a lot like overcoming the financial fears that kept me from playing fully in life. Fears that have now, largely, gone out with the tide.
While my specific anxieties may be unique to me, a recent CreditWise survey conducted by Capital One, revealed that 73% of the respondents indicated that finances were their number-one cause of stress. Such stress often keeps people from playing full out.
Is it time for you to face your financial fears, so you can enjoy life more fully? I can help you have a more playful and less fearful relationship with your finances.
Shine Brightly!
Stef
(xe/xem)
P.s. Be sure to download Shark-Proof Your Finances: Strategies to Defeat Common Money Worries
Golden Nuggets
Golden Resource: Shark-Proof Your Finances: Strategies to Defeat Common Money Worries (Download PDF)
Golden Word: anxious from Latin anxius “solicitous, uneasy, troubled in mind” from angere, anguere “to choke, squeeze,” Example: By working with their coach, they were able to lower their anxiety and increase their prosperity.
Golden Quote: You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you. – Dan Millman
Golden Question: What financial shark will you release?