Responsibility is the terrain of adults. From handling your own housing situation, to providing food for yourself somehow, to managing your money, you are responsible for yourself out there in the big bad world. No one holds your hand through every adult interaction. You have to face each challenge and surprise that comes your way.
Sometimes it sucks:
But sometimes it’s exhilarating! There are some really great highs that come from responsibility, believe it or not. Regardless, that’s life as a grown up and getting good at being responsible for yourself is guaranteed to make your life better.
First and foremost is this rule: you are responsible for your own money. That means earning it, spending it, saving it, and investing it. No one is going to put the kibosh on your reckless spending for you. No one is going to invest your money for you. No one will earn your money for you. No one will dig you out of debt except for you. You are in control of your own purse strings.
This is a great and scary thing. Being the final say in where your money comes from and goes is exciting. You have control over every decision. Want to buy cookies and have them for dinner? You can! Want to shovel a bunch of cash towards your debt? You can! It’s all up to you.
The power is in your hands. As Uncle Ben told Peter Parker though, with great power comes great responsibility.
…But seriously, you have to develop responsible habits for yourself or you will end up being your own worst enemy.
For example, if you turn a blind eye to your spending habits you can easily end up in credit card debt or over drafting your debit account and paying fees. If you ignore those student loans you could default and hurt your credit score. Sticking your head in the sand is not an option for someone managing their own money.
Ask yourself what you want to do with your money. Do you want to earn more of it? Do you want to invest it for retirement? Are you interested in building up your savings? These questions will determine your money goals. Once you know your money goals you can figure out what kind of action you need to take to see your goals become reality.
See, the thing about being responsible is that your the one handling your own business. You are the one that is affected by your money, no one else is. What you put into it is what you’ll get out of it. If you ignore your money and pay it no mind, you will be the one to feel the negative repercussions. If you nurture your money and treat it like a lady, you will be the one to benefit from it.
You are responsible for your own money. Say that out loud. Say it again, just so that it really hits home. Notice one word in there: your. It’s YOUR money. It belongs to you. Not to some fast food restaurant or to some bar. Not to your credit card company or to the latest video game manufacturer. What do you want to do with your money? How are you going to care for your money?
Notice one other word in there: you. YOU make and control that money. You traded part of your life for that money. You put time and energy into making that money. The decisions that you make about what to do with that money will come back full circle and affect YOU. No one else. Just the person who makes the money.
So what are you going to do with your money? Be responsible for it. Take control over your own finances today. Tale ownership of every aspect of your money. No one else will do it for you.
