My truth: i am a furloughed government employee and single parent with very low confidence. I look at other people everyday who have supportive partners and steady incomes flowing into their respective households. I hate my situation not for the lack of money but for what it shows my child: Mommy does not have much money and she cannot depend on her job. I want my daughter to have a solid emotional foundation so she can live the adult life of her dreams but not at the expense of living in scarcity and watching her mother struggle to survive. The end of the year, Oct through December and basically until spring, are death months and typically always bring sadness and strife with them. It never once dawned on me that having what I thought was a stable a federal job would one day be the reason my family struggles to no end. This post about the difference between being broke and poverty opened my eyes to my ability to change and showed me i always have choices to make that are not based on having money.
It would be helpful if there was a donation you can make to grant your book, “The psychology of your spending” to those negatively impacted by the government shutdown. Thank you
That’s such a powerful and honest share Sunny — thank you for opening up. What you said about wanting to give your daughter a solid emotional foundation really hit me. You’re already doing that by being so self-aware and intentional. I’d love to connect with you directly about your idea for making The Psychology of Your Spending available to those impacted — I’ll send you a quick DM.
It's interesting how you break this down! 'Broke Is a Season. Poverty Is a System.' This distinction is incredibly insightful and so important for unserstanding these issues. Such a great way to put it!
Thanks for this thoughtful piece. The distinction between being broke (temporary) and living in poverty (systemic) is crucial because it shapes not just our bank balance, but our entire decision-making framework. While mindset absolutely matters for financial recovery, we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of suggesting that poverty is simply a thinking problem—the psychological research is clear that financial stress itself consumes cognitive bandwidth, making optimal decisions harder for anyone in that situation. Your point about confidence being the rope is spot-on, though I'd add: sometimes people need a ladder too, not just encouragement to climb.
My truth: i am a furloughed government employee and single parent with very low confidence. I look at other people everyday who have supportive partners and steady incomes flowing into their respective households. I hate my situation not for the lack of money but for what it shows my child: Mommy does not have much money and she cannot depend on her job. I want my daughter to have a solid emotional foundation so she can live the adult life of her dreams but not at the expense of living in scarcity and watching her mother struggle to survive. The end of the year, Oct through December and basically until spring, are death months and typically always bring sadness and strife with them. It never once dawned on me that having what I thought was a stable a federal job would one day be the reason my family struggles to no end. This post about the difference between being broke and poverty opened my eyes to my ability to change and showed me i always have choices to make that are not based on having money.
It would be helpful if there was a donation you can make to grant your book, “The psychology of your spending” to those negatively impacted by the government shutdown. Thank you
That’s such a powerful and honest share Sunny — thank you for opening up. What you said about wanting to give your daughter a solid emotional foundation really hit me. You’re already doing that by being so self-aware and intentional. I’d love to connect with you directly about your idea for making The Psychology of Your Spending available to those impacted — I’ll send you a quick DM.
This was an amazing article
Thanks for being here Daniela.
Love that take: broke is a season poverty is a system
It's interesting how you break this down! 'Broke Is a Season. Poverty Is a System.' This distinction is incredibly insightful and so important for unserstanding these issues. Such a great way to put it!
Thanks for being here Rainbow!
Beautifully said!
Thanks for being here Vero.
Thanks for this thoughtful piece. The distinction between being broke (temporary) and living in poverty (systemic) is crucial because it shapes not just our bank balance, but our entire decision-making framework. While mindset absolutely matters for financial recovery, we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of suggesting that poverty is simply a thinking problem—the psychological research is clear that financial stress itself consumes cognitive bandwidth, making optimal decisions harder for anyone in that situation. Your point about confidence being the rope is spot-on, though I'd add: sometimes people need a ladder too, not just encouragement to climb.