The $27 apron that made me (feel) rich

The $27 apron that made me (feel) rich
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Do not index
A few years ago, while I was working through my own financial trauma, I really wanted an apron. Not just any apron, but one of those pretty, flowery ones you see on Amazon.
It was priced at $27, and I felt I couldn't afford it.
In my mind, an apron fell into the luxury category. It was something I didn't need, something nice to have, something only those with disposable income could afford.
I was never hungry for food and we always had money for groceries. We even bought a house with inheritance money, but that felt like it belonged in a different category in my mind.
It was different because it wasn't money I had earned; therefore, it didn't feel entirely mine. I believed I couldn't afford a $27 apron. I know it sounds absurd, but the feeling was overpowering. It led to feelings of self-pity whenever I thought about it.
I thought it would be irresponsible and reckless to make such an unnecessary purchase.
In the The Millionaire Fastlane, MJ DeMarco categorizes people into three groups:
  • People who never have money, whatever they have they spend right away; they don't save.
  • People who believe in saving every penny for a rainy day and to buy a house someday, believing that money is security and binding themselves to it.
  • People who take more risks, build businesses, make money faster, and invest it to have more of it.
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Slowly through reading the book, introspection and many conversations, I came to understand that saving money won't make me rich.
Saving money will only keep me in the comfort zone of a scarcity mindset and will keep me small forever. I concluded that I would never work a regular day job and I had to figure out how to make a living from my gifts and passion.
So the only way for me was to have a successful healing business, with no other way.
I realized that I needed to challenge my comfort zone to see things from the perspective of the woman I wanted to be, not the woman I was with all those limiting beliefs I held.
The woman I wanted to be trusts her needs and wants. She is wise and not reckless but allows herself to make mistakes because mistakes are learning jumps and are way better than being stuck in a comfort zone.
And so, I bought myself an apron from an expensive shop for $27!
I didn't know if I would ever use it, but it was a message to the universe and to myself that I had had enough of this poverty mindset. I was taking ownership of my needs and my life and I wasn't waiting for things to change naturally; I was making them change.
I also bought myself fancy bagel salt for $8!
Starting with those little things, preventing them made me feel poor and sorry for myself.
Making these changes made a huge difference.
It can make a difference for you too.