Clear Out The Noise
Shushing your environment.
I don’t know about you but I can be easily influenced (…and I don’t think I’m alone in this affliction).
Whether it’s a good friend, family member, or people we don’t even know, messages and opinions have a way of worming their way into our brains to gently steer our decisions and behavior. And even if you’ve mastered erecting solid boundaries with certain people, I bet there are other influences or influencers out there that can sway you in one way or another.
Recently, I took time to reflect on all of the messaging, advertising and input (wanted or not) swirling around me. I was surprised by how easily I was being influenced (or almost influenced) into certain decisions and choices. It made me think about how I couldn’t be the only one struggling to make sense of the confusing noise that penetrates our brains on a daily basis.
So this week, let’s talk about auditing our environments to make it easier for us to reach our goals and live the lives we ultimately want.
Why Is It So Loud?
There is a lot of noise out there. We are constantly inundated with messaging and advertisements to make us feel certain ways. The din of capitalism can be deafening. But beyond that, there are thoughts, feelings and suggestions from people in our own lives that influence us into spending or not spending money as well.
As we all know, the people and messaging we surround ourselves with have outsized impact on how we ultimately behave - this includes our money habits as well.
So how can we set ourselves up for success when life is so loud?
Ultimately, we need to get really clear on what’s influencing us and doing what we can to minimize the impact. In short, audit our soundscape.
Soundscape? What this heck is this looney talking about?? (You may be wondering…)
Well! A soundscape by definition is “a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment.” It’s mostly used to describe music or environments in general, but for our purposes, let’s use it more broadly to include noise or things we hear aka messages we are influenced by.
By taking a bit of time to reflect on and become aware of the messages influencing our behaviour, we can take steps to minimize their impact.
People Audit
Are there people in your life that maybe get a little too noisy when it comes to you making certain decisions? Or are a bit too vocal about how they think you should or should not spend your money?
I think we all have well-meaning people in our lives who want what’s best for us. They may want to be part of the decision or help us not make a “mistake”. But here’s the thing, *we* get to decide what is best for us and how to spend and save our money.
Take note of people who may nudge you in a direction you don’t want to go, and reflect on ways you can quiet their influence. No one has a right to your personal experience, you get to share what you want with who you want (unless, of course, you’re writing a blog to countless people on the internet - ha ha haaa - I digress).
Keep your goal in mind, what you’re ultimately trying to achieve, and move toward those who want what’s best for you as defined by you.
Social Media Audit
Something I don’t see discussed enough in personal finance is the invasive nature of social media messaging and marketing and how it impacts our financial goals. Who among us hasn't been marketed to on social media to then go purchase that thing either through an ad or a discount link? I know I have.
We don’t yet know the full impact of social media on our mental or emotional health. And even less is known about how social media impacts our financial health. Everyone on social media (and elsewhere) wants you to part with your dollars whether through products, services or advice.
Perform a social media audit and be honest with yourself if accounts you follow make you feel a sense of lack, like you’re “missing out” on life. Or if they bring value or joy to your life.
Social media is particularly dangerous when it comes to us parting with our money because its power in making us feel things like envy, greed, or fear just beneath the surface of a seemingly positive message. These emotions are powerful drivers of behaviour.
So when it comes to auditing your social media, be honest with yourself about the accounts you follow and how they make you feel and what behaviour they have encouraged you to take. Think about if those feelings or actions bring you closer to or take you further away from your goals.
Once you have a clear idea, be ruthless in unfollowing accounts that take you away from what you want to achieve for yourself.
The Beauty Of A Quiet Life
When we become a bit more conscious of the messages and influencers that can subtly nudge us in directions that don’t serve us, we can then take steps to mitigate their impact.
But it isn’t an easy process. It takes a good amount of awareness and energy to check in with ourselves and take action. Sometimes it’s close friends or the content we love to consume that doesn't serve us. Deciding to navigate away from these influences and change our environment takes a lot of courage.
Truth be told, after almost a year of saving 50% of my income I can say that it isn’t easy. But doing the work to dim the volume of unhelpful messaging and noises reveals a particular beauty found in the quiet.
At the end of the day, no matter what noisy challenge you face, you’ve totally got this!
Over the past many weeks of creating content and templates, I realize that to help sustain this passion project I would be grateful for your support!
For those with a dollar to spare, I’ve set up a Buy Me A Coffee account for folks to contribute to here and there. For those frugally focused, I would be incredibly grateful if you were to share my work with your networks and folks you think would enjoy my journey (via email, social media, or homing pigeon).
A special thank you to those who contributed to my Buy Me A Coffee or shared a post! Your support means the world to me - truly.
Whether you're able to contribute or not, I’m so glad you’ve joined me on this journey!
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