I just saw a job description listed for a part time project-based assistant for a photographer out in California.

He is seeking someone who is “passionate, enthusiastic and sees life as the best adventure and best gift ever!!!”

Yep. He used three exclamation points in a job listing.

Love it.

But isn’t that a great listing for a lot of people in our lives?

Husbands/wives
Best friends
Bosses
Coworkers

If they are passionate, enthusiastic and see life as the best adventure and best gift ever, that pretty much makes everything else just a learning curve.

I wouldn’t mind that as my obituary.

What do you want your obituary to say?

Our brains are wired to think, “What if this doesn’t work out?!?”

What if I go broke and end up out on the street like a hobo?
What if he/she finds out who I really am and dumps me like a hot potato?
What if I never figure out what I want to do with my life?
What if he dies and I am left all alone?

It’s okay to think those thoughts.

Our brains are just trying to prepare and protect us.

But we can use the executive part of our brain to balance the alarmist part of our noggins.

When alarms are going off in your head, that’s the time to gently ask yourself, 
“What if it all works out? 
What does that look like? 
Sound like? 
Feel like?”

Ground yourself in that sensation.

Chances are good the universe is working in your favor.

If you want to change your financial trajectory, stop asking $3 questions.

Questions like, “Ellen, can I have a latte every day and still have the rich life I want?”
Or, “Is it okay if I have Netflix AND Hulu?”

Yes, those little things add up.

But when you spend all your energy on $3 questions, you aren’t focused on things that could save you tens of thousands of dollars.

When you are fighting with your partner over buying the expensive brand of beer, you miss the fact that you are paying 90% of your expenses on fixed costs like housing and insurance, leaving you one paycheck away from a financial pickle.

When you are spending your time driving across town to save ten cents a gallon on gas, you probably aren’t spending your time educating yourself on how to invest for your retirement.

It’s micro thinking about a macro problem.

And don’t get me wrong… I love a great find at Goodwill. But the next time you are sweating the small stuff, take a breath and ask yourself what you would like to change about the big picture.