I have a lot to be thankful for this year but today, PF Pro contributor, Kali Hawlk shares what we can all feel grateful for!
Happy day-before Thanksgiving! In honor of the holiday, I thought it was only appropriate to spend some time thinking about gratitude and expressing appreciation for the good stuff.
But instead of telling you what I’m grateful for, I wanted to share what we can all be grateful for this Thanksgiving.
A Wealth of Resources
If you participate in the personal finance blogosphere — whether as a writer, reader, or both — you have access to a wealth of resources, information, and crowd-sourced knowledge about money. And all for free!
As bloggers or blog readers, we can tap into countless personal stories and experiences to help us navigate our own financial decisions, problems, and emergencies. This is no small thing, even though we may sometimes take it for granted. After all, we don’t think of blogging as terribly serious most of the time.
But with no formal personal financial education requirements in the US, it’s important we have somewhere to turn to get information and advice. Blogs, while still informal, are an excellent place to start when we have questions and want to find the answers.
Knowledge is power. Be thankful you have so much of it from various sources right at your fingers.
A Strong Community
On a similar note, if you’re part of the blogosphere you’re a member of a big, cuddly community. Okay, maybe not cuddly, but certainly friendly, warm, and welcoming.
My favorite thing about being a financial writer is that I’m surrounded by intelligent people who are always willing to help others, provide answers to questions, and engage in thoughtful conversation.
Again, it’s something that we may take for granted. But it’s something to feel grateful for if you don’t have family members you feel bringing a financial problem to, or friends who don’t have the patience or interest to get nerdy about money.
You know you can always come here to engage and chat about problems, questions, or just topics that interest you. That support is a wonderful thing!
The Motivation to Keep Going
It can be hard to feel grateful around personal finance if you’re in the progress stage of a goal right now — and not at the end of the journey, at the “success” stage. But just the fact that you’re still here, still working towards your financial goals, still working to create good money management habits, is something to feel grateful about.
Be thankful that you have the drive and motivation to set goals and then work to achieve them. That’s huge, and not everyone shares your determination and dedication.
Don’t discount the steps you have to take in your efforts to get out of debt, create diverse streams of income, and establish financial independence. Every challenge you overcome is a lesson learned that can help you continue to better your financial situation.
It may sound fluffy, but it’s true. These experiences will change you in a good way. Appreciate them — and if you can’t now, make a note to look back in the future and appreciate them then.
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What are your plans for Thanksgiving — and what are you grateful and thankful for this year?
Happy Thanksgiving to you guys! I’m always thankful for my family who never left me behind and who takes good care of me especially when I got sick.