This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
The truth you don’t want to hear
You frequently need financial help from friends or family.
You keep running straight into financial binds.
You can’t avoid living paycheck to paycheck.
You’re frustrated about money all the time.
You avoid taking financial responsibility.
You consistently live above your means.
You don’t respect your dollars.
You’re constantly in debt.
If you can relate to any of these categories and you’re not consistently doing anything to change your status, then you’re likely addicted to being broke or financially impaired.
What is an addiction?
An addiction is simply a pattern that we repeatedly engage in – that’s it.
Most people don’t realize that they are addicted to poor money habits, which is why they never have enough money, never have any money, and constantly experience financial anxiety and lack.
If you’re unwilling to shift your patterns and improve your financial predicament, you are addicted to living in financial mediocrity.
The Way To Escape Financial Mediocrity
How does one escape financial addiction and mediocrity?
They must get creative and focus on inventing a new way of managing their finances.
Old patterns are not producing productive results, so the only way to create a new outcome is to create a new pattern.
If you consistently ask friends and family for financial assistance, how can you become financially independent?
If you consistently live paycheck to paycheck, how can you start living less reliant on the next paycheck?
If you consistently increase your debt load, how can you start decreasing your debt load?
If you consistently live above your means, how can you start living below your means?
If you don’t know how to manage money, how can you start learning how to manage your money? (Hint: self-education through books)
Your answers to these questions are pivotal to your financial success.
You likely already know what to do, but how can you make the pattern shifting easier?
For me, it wasn’t decreasing my expenses that helped me escape financial mediocrity; it was two primary strategies:
Spend intentionally on the things I care most about: experiences, travel, and food.
Consistently increase my income, so I’m constantly creating and living in financial excess.
Stop Taking Your Financial Addiction Lightly
Most people greet their retirement years with insufficient money because they were financially addicted to being broke throughout their lives.
If you don’t start shifting your financial habits, you will end up in the same place as most people: broke and reliant on governmental or familial financial aid (which is never guaranteed).
GET YOUR BAG by shifting your financial habits and cutting out all the bullish*t financial habits and beliefs that are financially limiting your success.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.