Wealth and Wisdom
Monday's

You can be grateful and still want more.

Here’s what I mean: There’s this quiet pressure this time of year to feel nothing but gratitude. Like if you’re not overflowing with thankfulness, you’re somehow ungrateful. But let’s be real: sometimes you’re thankful and tired. You’re proud and still a little scared. You love what you have and still wish some things looked different.

Gratitude doesn’t erase struggle. It holds space for it. You can say, “I’m grateful I paid rent this month” and “I’m exhausted that it took everything in me to do it.” Both can be true.

Your emotions around money, relief, resentment, pride, fear. . . they all belong. Gratitude is not pretending you’re fine. It’s pausing long enough to notice the small proofs that you’re growing.

Dollars and Sense

I was on the phone with a client, who said, “I know I should be grateful, but honestly, I’m just tired of stretching every dollar.”

We unpacked that word {should}. Gratitude that comes from guilt never soothes you. So instead, I asked, “What’s one thing you’re genuinely thankful for, not because you’re supposed to be?”

She thought for a minute. “I’m grateful I didn’t swipe my credit card this week.”

We both smiled. That was it. Not performative gratitude, but honest gratitude. It wasn’t about pretending the struggle didn’t exist. It was about finding peace inside the reality she’s already living.

That’s the kind that changes you. The kind that says, “I’m still here, still learning, still trying.”

List three things you’re genuinely grateful for about your financial life right now. Not the picture-perfect stuff, but the real moments of growth or grace.

Maybe it’s paying a bill without panic. Maybe it’s asking for help. Maybe it’s learning to rest even when money feels tight.

Gratitude grounded in truth regulates your nervous system. It reminds you that progress is happening, even if it’s quiet.

YOUR NEXT MOVE:

✨ Come Talk with Us

If money’s been feeling heavy lately, let’s talk. We offer a free 15-minute consult to help you figure out if financial therapy is the right fit and how we can support you in making things feel a little less hard. No pressure, just a real conversation.

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