Music Mondays - Anyway You Want It
Anyway You Want It
My very first Music Monday song was “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” by the Rolling Stones, I shared this song because I love including it on every single one of my client’s inspirational playlists. I include the song on their lists not to depress them but rather to remind them that despite the fact that they can’t get what they want does not mean they can’t have a good life.I love this song as a financial lesson so much that I often play it for my son, Will. When he starts to whine or complain about something, I find my phone, pull up the song and play for him the first few lines. Every time I play it, he pouts a little bit, but stops the whining and moves on.One day I was driving in the car and the song “Anyway You Want It,” by Journey came on and my son said from the backseat, “I wish you would play this song more than the other one.”
Having it anyway you want it
After I finished laughing, I realized that my clients would probably want me to play this song versus the Rolling Stones song. After all, who doesn’t want things when they want it and how they want it? Burger King built a franchise off the philosophy of “having it your way.”The truth is, I am trying to get my clients to this point of having things anyway they want it, they just have to realize that they can’t have EVERYTHING anyway they want it, but you can have just about anything, it’s all about making choices.
What I Want
I have chosen to live in New York and in a school district with high taxes. I complain every time I see my bill; however, my son thrives in this school, and I have never felt more comfortable in my own skin than when I come home to this home. I want this house and I want this school.Because of this, though, I can’t afford to sustain the wardrobe that I used to, I can’t drive the Lexus that I really wanted to drive, and I can’t eat dinner out four nights a week. Before becoming fiscally responsible, all of these can’ts in a row would have driven me crazy. Now I know that it’s not because I can’t, it’s because I want something else anyway I want it.Staying financially healthy is all about mind games that we play with ourselves, if we think that we can’t get what we want, it may distract us from achieving our goals. However, if we think we have it anyway we want it, it sounds so much more positive.
Do you have a list of what you want?
If you feel as though you are cutting everything to the bone and all you are hearing is you can’t, think about getting what you want. Do you even know what you want? I know I want a great school district for my son and that gives me focus. If you don’t know what you want, take the time and think about it. Create a list of what is important to you. This list is the positive focus you need to make the hard decisions where your money is concerned.I remind my clients to remember their list all the time. Recently I met with a client who had just overspent on something she did not plan on, and she didn’t see it as a problem. I reminded her that she had bigger goals, including something for her health and livelihood that she needed to focus on. Even though these were goals that she shared with me, she had forgotten them.
When you lose sight of what you want, you are more likely to get thrown off your financial course.
A great example
On Friday’s podcast, I am talking to Mr. and Mrs. Frugalwoods. They are on the road to financial freedom, and they plan to get there by the time they turn 33. Despite the fact that they have made cuts in their life, they passionately believe that they are living a fun and fabulous life. They are living a life anyway they want it and it’s not a chore for them because they have their goal of financial freedom as their focus.If you have forgotten your goals, take the time to remember, keep your list on your bathroom mirror or save it on your phone so you can look at it and visualize it. The more definition you can give to what you want, the more you will stay focused. You can have things anyway you want it; you just have to remember that you can’t always get what you want at the same time.