Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money and Build Real Wealth by Bola Sokunbi

PART I
The Start
Clever girls know … It starts with you and where you are right now.
Your What and Your Why
Decide that you can and then you will.
#CLEVERGIRLSKNOW

Have you ever tried to lose a few pounds? You probably decided on a
workout plan, and started out on a high note, only to find yourself, a few
days or weeks later, indulging in a fully‐loaded carb and sugar party? And
those workouts … well, they became fewer and farther between – maybe
even nonexistent. Sound familiar?
I'm sure we've all been there at one time or the other…at least I have. Go
on, it's okay to admit it.
I've been the girl who's said, “I'm going to lose 10 pounds no matter what!”
I got the gym membership, signed up for the classes … I even went out and
got my retail therapy on by getting brand‐new super‐cute neon‐colored
workout gear. I was totally convinced that the mere (blinding) sight of the
neon in my closet would be the motivator I needed to get me to the gym
every day.
Yeah, right.
When it really came down to it and the euphoria from buying that hot neon
mess – that I'd never be caught dead wearing at the gym – wore off, I was
back to my carb and sugar party, singing, “Woe is me, I'm just not meant to
fit into those size 27 jeans.”
The real problem? I just wasn't ready. I didn't want it bad enough.
Losing weight is not always easy. It takes a certain level of determination,
working out (ugh), eating healthy, and a strong resolve to keep going, even
on the suckiest of days when a tub of ice cream is the only thing that can
make you feel better.
However, when you do stick to your plan and see the numbers on the scale
going down, you're fitting into jeans that you could barely zip up a couple
months ago, and people are complimenting you about how fabulous you
look, you feel great! You realize that putting in all that effort was worth it,
and you are happier for it.
Well, when it comes to your finances and building wealth, things work in a
similar way.
Just like with getting in shape, getting your finances in order does not
happen overnight (if it did, we'd all be rich by morning!) and it's certainly
not always fun. Sometimes it can be downright annoying, frustrating, and
stressful – but getting things in order is 100% worth it. What's more, it's
very possible for you to do. The thing is, you first have to decide that you
are ready. You have to want to get to a better place with your money badly
enough.
So, where do you begin?
You begin with the thoughts you think and the decisions you make around
what you want to accomplish. In this case, it's wanting to get to a place
where you achieve financial success and have peace of mind about your
finances. Yes, as you work on building wealth it's super important to focus
on having a plan for emergencies, learning to budget, paying off debt,
savings goals, and investing – but before you start making those plans, it's
important to have the right mindset in place.
In other words, you have to, first and foremost, decide that you can.
That debt you have that seems so incredibly large – you can pay it off.
Those savings goals that seem so out of reach – you can reach and even
surpass them.

Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money and Build Real Wealth by Bola Sokunbi