Character Strengths Resources Mentioned in this Podcast PERMA test (stands for Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships and Meaning Assessment) Via Character Strengths Personal Values Inventory 340 Ways to Use the Via Character Strengths What are Character Strengths? Character strengths are truly the essence of who you are. They encapsulate how you show up in the world,…
For most adult women who grew up in the 60s, 70s and 80s, ADHD was not a “thing”. Schools didn’t know that girls who struggled to pay attention could be suffering from ADHD. Instead they were viewed as disorganized, lazy or not very smart. As a result, many women remain undiagnosed until later in life. …
How to get what you really want is a juicy topic, so grab a glass of cab and settle in. It’s a powerful concept and it works! Desire is a funny thing. It directs our intentions and actions, but it also comes with a ton of baggage. We desire things/people/experiences and therefore we attach an…
I watched this video today that talked about how our internal narrative determines who we become as people. It’s also a frighteningly accurate measure of how successful you’re going to be at pretty much anything, including: Career Romance Health and fitness Finances I actually did my master’s thesis on the development of personal identity through…
I could write a novel about ADHD burnout, specifically related to passion projects. You rarely hear of ADHD people complain about burning out at jobs they don’t like, because they struggle to find the motivation to even get started! Passion projects, side hustles, and newly seeded dream careers on the other hand, are capable of…
“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Confucius I don’t love that quote. It not only goes against everything my parents valued (which was hard work at any cost), but it also creates a sense of failure if your job feels like work. And the truth is, I’ve never…
From the moment I heard about the F.I.R.E. movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early), I was hooked. The idea of early retirement immediately resonated with me not because I wanted to stop working and do absolutely nothing all day, but because I wanted the freedom to do whatever I want – for the rest of my…
Today I’m sharing my ADHD diagnosis journey (and yes – it’s a journey!). If you suspect you might have ADHD, my story might help you take the next step. I hope it helps! Now that I know what ADHD looks like, I can clearly look back over the first 50 years of my life and…
2020 needs no introduction. It was the year of the burning dumpster fire that scorched all four corners of the earth. It was nuts. But amidst the craziness, there were so many little blessings. Rather than focusing on the pain this year caused from a global health crisis to civil unrest and a bizarre…
It’s been a while since I updated ya’ll on our move from California to Austin. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here for a year already! Today I’m going to cover some common questions I get from readers. Hopefully it will help make your decision a little easier. Living in Austin – One Year Later…
Lately I’ve been thinking about the FIRE movement and it’s attitudes toward home ownership. Ask any FIRE-driven millennial and they’ll probably tell you that homeownership is not a fast-track to FIRE, but I disagree. Homeownership has Accelerated my Path to FIRE In fact, I’ve owned 5 homes (2 in Canada, 3 in the US) and…
I recently picked up the book Quit Like a Millionaire, and next to Glennon Doyle’s Untamed, this is by far the best book I’ve read this year. While I don’t agree with all of it, it certainly taught me new some new life-changing money strategies (that I’ve already started using). I was schooled in tax…
My head is exploding as I read about yet another young fire blogger hitting her FI number enabling her to retire at 30. I’m virtually fist-pumping her while also wincing at the same time. Why Anyone Who is ABLE to Retire at 30 is a Badass Assuming you built your wealth yourself, if you can…
Amidst the COVID-scented dumpster fire that this year has been so far, there have been a few nuggets of gold – like having the opportunity to practice FIRE (that’s financial independence retire early – not pyromania) and learning some important lessons. Dabbling in FIRE Now, to be clear, I’m technically not retired, although I could…
Are you thinking of moving from the Bay Area to Austin? In my last post, I talked about the pros and cons of moving from California to Texas. In this post, I want to drill down a little further and share some of the realities of living in Austin that I wish I had…
I picked up the audiobook Love Your Life, Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze because the title intrigued me. I love money books that go beyond the numerics of financial success and talk about the mindset and juicy psychological piece. I fundamentally disagree with many of her points, but here’s where we see eye-to-eye I love…
Last year, we made the move from California to Texas for reasons I’ll explain in this blog post. Overall it’s been a smart move financially, however I’ve also had moments of regret, mostly because moving can be socially isolating. Then the world changed in early 2020 and I’m 4000% convinced this was the right…
I first learned of minimalism through the minimalists. At first, I thought it sounded boring and unappealing, but the more I listened with cautious skepticism, the more sense it made to me. As someone with ADHD, I have also found it to be incredibly calming, self-assuring and it has helped me feel more in control…
If blogging as a full-time career has ever crossed your mind, then read on. It took me over 10 years to get to that goal, and had I invested in these resources sooner, I would have reached my goal in half the time. Thinking of blogging as a full-time career? You’re in the right…
Hey guys! Today I want to share the takeaway that has caused a major shift for me this year. I have to admit, it was learned the very long and hard way. Ready? Apparently, you have to love and radically approve of yourself and the work you do in this world before success will ever…
If you’re planning to retire early, be sure you’re not overlooking the value of self-awareness and life experience when making life-long commitments. #FIRE #retireearly #personalfinance
I just took Gretchen Rubin’s 4 Tendencies test. To my surprise, it turns out I’m an Obliger. I thought I’d be a Rebel because while I’m great at making elaborate to-do lists, I absolutely suck at following them. But I shouldn’t be surprised. Obligers are good at being accountable to other people because they’re…
Have you ever heard of Simon Sinek? He wrote that book about knowing your “why”. Honestly, it never really resonated with me when I read as an entrepreneur, but when I think about it in the context of Funding Happy, it makes total sense. All the things I teach – from saving money to…
It’s labor day weekend as I write this. I’m sitting here on the couch (still in my jammies) poking around the American Eagle website. They have a holiday sale and I’m of course going to take advantage of it, not because I need new clothes (I don’t) but because it’s a sale, so I want…
