I overheard a colleague telling her daughter, “Remember to pay yourself first.”
And instantly, was reminded why the principle mattered especially when life feels tight and time feels like it’s working against you.
I was taken back to the day a friend also gave me that very same advice. I remembered nodding politely while thinking quietly to myself:
“Pay myself first? With what? From where?”
At that time, I believed that advice was meant for people who were already ahead of the game, not people trying to survive, not people lying awake at night, wondering how they were going to make ends meet while the bills kept coming in like clockwork. The pay cheque already spoken for before it even landed, and there was more month than money.
So when someone said, “Pay yourself first,” it felt like they were talking to the wrong person.
But deep down, I knew I had to confront something important:
Paying yourself first isn’t about having excess, it’s about making ME a priority, even when the numbers don’t look friendly.
For me, it started with tiny amounts, sometimes $20, sometimes $10.
Sometimes nothing but the promise to try again next paycheck.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.
And with time that small, uncomfortable habit, became something more.
I realized that tiny deposit wasn’t just about money saved, I was choosing myself, rebuilding, reshaping my mindset, moving forward step by step.
I wish I could tell you that my finances quickly changed, they didn’t. But I changed, how I made decision changed and that made all the difference.
To anyone lying awake at night with your mind racing:
• Start small.
• Start scared.
START
Your future self will be grateful you did.
Image Credit: Canva
#WomenAndMoney, #PayYourselfFirst, #WomenLeadership, #MoneyMindset, #RealLifeLessons
