Budgeting.

I struggle with self-awareness for a lot of reasons, and budgeting made me face a lot of straight facts:

  1. I have limited financial resources. It doesn't matter how much money I make, I am always going to have a limit.
  2. I have limited time. I get $X per month, and yes, I could hustle to get more per month but $X/time is more or less the truth.
  3. This is true for everyone.

The very real implication of my budget is that it forces me to put my money where I need it most, and to prioritize my needs versus desires, and to envision what I want my life to look like. Savings? Travel? Self-maintenance? Etc. Etc.

When I go about my day, I use this mindset to also prioritize tasks at my work, my relationships, and even the objects around me. I used to be a slob but am highly organized now, simply because it saves me time and frustration.

Is this a perfect system and am I a perfect person because of it? No. But it's taught me that I can make mistakes, see the damage, bounce back, and still be okay. It's okay to try too hard or not enough and to fail. Budgeting has taught me that it's totally fine, and sometimes necessary, to let situations go that don't belong anymore.