She's On The Money - Setting Intentions For The New Year

Episode Date: January 10, 2023

The new year is abundant with both the pressure and opportunity to turn over a new leaf! So on today's show Victoria and Jess discuss setting positive intentions for the year that lies ahead. What are some solid ways to get in touch with, and also set your goals? Join us on today's episode to find out! Acknowledgement of Country By Natarsha Bamblett aka Queen Acknowledgements. The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs.  Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708,  AFSL - 451289.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello, my name is Natasha Nabanunga-Bamblett. I'm a proud Yorta Yorta, Kernai, Wolperi and Awadjeri woman. And before we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this podcast is recorded on Awadjeri country, acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through. As this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and the storytelling of you to make a difference for today and lasting impact for tomorrow. Let's get into it. She's on the money.

She's on the money. Hello and welcome to She's On The Money, the podcast for millennials who want financial freedom. We are two weeks into the new year, which means, I don't know about everybody else, but I'm thinking hot and hard about my goals. Last week, we spoke all about setting up your investment goals for the year, but this week I wanted to get a little bit more personal because Victoria and I are both super goal-oriented people. Speaking of which, Victoria, I haven't even said hello to you yet. Hello. Oh, thanks for having me on your show, Jessica. Oh, you're welcome. Anytime. I feel like this episode is a goodie because I talk to so many

people about goal setting and I love a good goal. You love a good goal, but they're not always that achievable for other people, right? Like goals are not something that absolutely everybody resonates with, which is why today we're talking about intentions because sometimes intentions are just a softer way of setting yourself up for a really successful year without having the overlying pressure of a specific goal. It's also one of those things where sometimes you just can't think of a goal. You're like, I don't have anything right now. Victoria, my life's at a place where it's just not working to set them. And I think that this content is one for you guys who are setting goals and are really excited about it and also want to overlay an intention because to

Jess and I, this is really important. But also if you're not a goal setting kind of gal, maybe you can set an intention and pick a word of the year and be a little bit more intentional about things without the added pressure of having a really structured list of goals. So we'll kind of touch on both today. Yeah, absolutely. Something that I did this time last year, if anyone follows me on Instagram, is I spoke about how I picked a word for the year, like you just mentioned, and it was really fun because I got to put up a question box and I asked everyone to kind of, if they did the same thing or if they wanted to do the same thing, to share that word with me. And it was one very inspirational. I got a list of words that I really, really liked. And I actually picked my

word for this year from that list from last year. Oh, so you used the community to pick your intentions. So you didn't even set your own, you stole someone else's. I copied their test. I'm on, I'm on to you. But I really enjoyed it because picking a word for the year really helped me to kind of ground myself when I was making decisions. So last year people suggested things like gracious or purpose or heal or serene. And I ended up going with growth. And every time I was making a choice or every time I wasn't sure what to do, I would kind of come back to that word and go, what is the growth option? Yeah. Are the decisions that I'm making helping me to grow in some way? And that kind of, I picked a word because I wanted it to apply across the board,

like personally and professionally in my career, in my social life, in all different aspects, I wanted to grow and develop. And I felt like having that word really centered me when I was trying to make those tougher choices. Did you do something similar? Yeah, as you guys know, that is something that I have done for the last few years and absolutely adored it. It's evading me literally right now what my word was because I feel like I've just spent so long picking the word that is going to be 2023. So I'm a little bit embarrassed to say that, but yes, that's where I'm at, Jess. All right. Well, tell me about 2023. What word have you picked? So I have spent a very long time picking this and I feel like it makes a bit more sense if I give you a little bit of

context. So obviously last year I had a really big year, really big. I launched a book. I did a whole heap of PR. I was working my butt off. We bought a mortgage broking firm. We started a collaboration between Kate and I to run Zella Money, which was obviously in the background far bigger than I guess what you guys see on social media? I got married. I went on a honeymoon. I did a Europe trip. Like I had it coming out my ears. But during that period of time, I also wasn't being my best self in a way. I wasn't putting myself in a position where I was still putting myself out there, even though you guys see that there were a lot of things I wanted to do that I wasn't doing. So I wanted to do more video content, but I wasn't comfortable enough to do it. I couldn't

find a way to, you know, find the theme that I wanted to talk about. I'd like scroll through TikTok and be like, oh my gosh, I feel like I could have such an impact in this space, but I haven't done it yet. So I feel like giving you that context that as much as I did achieve a lot of shiny things, that's not really what I wanted for this year. I think it's about being gritty for me. So I feel like somebody who is gritty is someone who, if they get knocked down, they just get back up and try and try again. They're not the type of person that are, you know, worried about what other people think because they've got grit and they've got substance and they're actually the type of person that will just go for it. And I feel like I haven't been

that person. I mean, it sounds like I have. Please don't get me wrong. Like, I mean, a book is really impressive. Please don't get me wrong. But also I'd written one before, so it felt like a really safe option. It felt really comfortable for me to do that because I kind of knew what I was going to get. And this year I really want to try new things, but I don't want it to be like new things. So I have chosen the word grit this year. And so for me, it's about being a bit more gritty and being who I want to be and showing up as me on every platform that I have and in person as the person that I want to be, not necessarily the person that other people expect me to be, if that makes sense. I love that. That's a really good word. And it kind of like leans a similar

path to mine as well. Last year, I chose growth, which I feel like served me very well. And for 2023, I have chosen the word assertive. People who know me personally and V, you would be the perfect example, know that I'm a little bit more introverted and a little bit more shy. I always describe myself as a bit of a doormat. And I really want to work on that for 2023 in, I guess, my social life, because I'm always that friend who will be like... I was about to be like professional Jess real assertive I don't think any of our clients listening to this are going to be like Jess a doormat or nah but like when you said personal life I was like oh that makes sense because professional me and personal me they're different people so that makes sense for you as

well yeah and I want to apply it across the board it's not just socially but I think that really focusing on being confident in what I believe in or confident in what I think is right and wrong and not necessarily defaulting to agreeing with people because it's the easy option. I do not like conflict and more often than not, I find myself playing the peacekeeping role. And while there's definitely something to be said for that, because I'm sure a lot of people are listening to me saying this, being like, I'm a peacekeeper, like, I feel like

that's a good thing. And it absolutely is. I think it can be for sure. I think it's gotten to a point though, where I'm not making choices or I'm not doing things that would make me happiest because I'm trying to avoid conflict. And so just like everybody else, I know that my thoughts and my opinions are valid and I think that they're good a lot of the time. And I just want to be more confident and comfortable sharing those with people in like all different settings. I totally agree with that.

And as much as you say, oh, it can be good, it's actually a really big emotional burden to carry to be the one that's always trying to keep peace with everybody else. Because it's like you're trying to take both sides of the story and weigh on that and carry that and feel as though maybe that's, yeah, I just feel like that's a really big burden to carry and it's not actually your responsibility. But today we're going to actually put a thread in our Facebook group because I actually want to hear exactly what you guys are up to and what your intentions are and what you're picking and what you maybe have picked before. And like, maybe if you're a little bit stumped, maybe put some comments in there that are like, oh my gosh, so I can't really pick a word, but these are the types of things that

I want to go for. And we can all help each other find our intention words for this year. I'm looking forward to picking next year's year from this list. Just like screenshot and save them so that we don't have to do the hard work next year. I think that's really smart. Let's get into setting intentions for the year because I feel like not everybody wants to necessarily set a goal. It might feel a little bit overwhelming where intentions are a little bit easier to approach.

Where can we begin with that? All right. So first, let's define what an intention is because it's something that I feel like a lot of our community engage with without realizing. it's kind of like a little bit subconscious, but we can actually be really intentional with our intentions. So essentially an intention, Jess, is more of a like how-to for making your life better, for making your life the way you want it to be, for being in a mindset more consistently that you enjoy and to keep yourself accountable for that process. So while a resolution, I feel

like at the start of this year, everyone's been talking about new year, new me, like let's set resolutions for the new year. I'm not going to, I am going to, like, I just feel like that tethers you to the future with absolutely no clear path forward. It puts you on a trajectory where you're like, I am going to go to the gym every day. Like, okay, great. If we change that from a resolution to more of an intention, you could say, I want to be more healthy. I want to make healthier decisions this year. So even if you don't go to the gym every day, we haven't failed that quote goal. We haven't failed that intention. So I think it's more about, well, why do you want to go to the gym every day? And as you know, at She's On The Money, we're all about the deep lying issue

rather than just like surface level things. I want you to dig a little bit deeper. And, you know, I use gym as a good example because I feel like it's the most stereotypical one. I don't think people should go to the gym every day. Jess, you can jump literally in any type of lake if you think that I am going to ever be the type of person that does that. But I have been guilty historically of setting a goal like that because I think that's what's going to create me into this person that I want to become when in reality, I just want to be a little bit more holistic. I want to be a little bit healthier and I want to consistently make healthier decisions. So from my perspective, I think that by setting an intention, you're taking the pressure off yourself as opposed to

a resolution that I think is quite bound. So for me, I think that this is less black and white, less do or die and more, hey, this is like the flow of where I would like to go and I can make decisions along the way that align to that. Because sometimes you just need to stay in bed and you need to look after yourself and you might go, oh, far out. Like my intention was to make healthier decisions. Oh, I'm feeling pretty flat today. The healthy decision here is to give myself more rest. Whereas if you had chosen to go to the gym every single day and that was your resolution, that might not actually be the best holistic decision for you. All right. Sounds incredible. Sign me up. I'm ready to go. How do I even begin about figuring

out what intentions I want to set? I feel like you've already done it. You've set your intention. You've set your goal word. You'd be all over this. But what I come equipped with that you didn't come equipped with today, Jess, is a laundry list. I love a list. We love lists. Not so much laundry. But I think it's important to actually start working out and let's Marie Kondo this a little bit. We did an episode a little while ago on Marie Kondo-ing your finances, which I'd recommend going back to, but find what sparks joy. Find the things that make you really happy. Have you heard of the law of attraction? Yes. It says that by focusing on the things that spark joy, you attract more of it. So if we focus on the things that we

are really excited about, more of them are going to happen and you're going to bring more positive experience into your life and actually put yourself in a better position. And my favorite example of this is really lame. Are you ready? My favorite analogy of this is actually an inside joke that I'm going to share with you guys that I have with Amy Lenardi, who you guys might know from the property playbook with Jess. And it's a yellow Honda Jazz. Very specific. Yeah, it is, right? But they're like niche cars, right? Like when have you seen or you would have seen a bright yellow Honda Jazz. But they are so much more common when you're looking for them. And Amy and I have this entire text message thread of me taking a photo of every single Honda Jazz that

is yellow that I see and her doing the same. And it's just like, we might not have talked for a few days, but then I'll send her a picture of a Honda Jazz and she'll be like, what a beast. That is a nice car. Because I just don't understand that color. Like, did you want to be a mini taxi? Like, I don't get it. But it is a car that before we started this little trend together, I was like, they're never around. I don't think I've ever seen one. You have. You actually have. You just haven't noticed it. And the reason I'm giving you this analogy is because now, Jess, you're going to go home. You're probably going to drive past one. You'll be like, oh, yellow Honda Jazz. But the important thing about that is actually law of attraction. You are looking for it and

you find what you are looking for. It's kind of like, you know, you talk about manifestation a lot and this is really aligned to, you know, something that you're about. It's kind of like if you're looking for something, you're more likely to manifest it. And I guess that's where the law of attraction kind of comes from because you're trying to attract something and it's so much easier to attract something you can see or something you're fully looking for. It's kind of like when you go to the pantry and you're looking for a snack, but you're not really sure what you want and how it works, you're probably likely to not notice something that you would have been interested in. And then later I'm on the couch with Steve and he walks in with a packet of

Tim Tams or something. And I'm like, what the hell? Where'd you get that from? He says, oh, they were just in the pantry. I didn't see them because I wasn't looking for them specifically. So I think if you work out what brings you joy and happiness and what gives you purpose, honestly, you're going to be able to bring more of that into your life and spark more of that joy more consistently because you're actually really clear on what you're looking for. So whether that is in your relationships or in your workplace, or it is a dress that you really, really want, you're more likely to find it if that's what you're looking for. So I think it's really about not just saying, oh, here's this goal. It's like, well, what do I like? Do I really like being

healthy? Oh, I'm more likely to see healthy options. Do I really want better friends? You're more likely to see traits in people that you're really attracted to. So I think it's about actually finding those things, being aware of them. So when we start looking, like we're looking for yellow Honda Jazz's, honestly start blowing up my inbox with yellow Honda Jazz. I promise they are everywhere. Also, really sorry if you drive a Honda Jazz and people start taking photos of your car and you're a bit confused because that's me. Yeah. That's why I really like mood boards is because I feel like when you can visually see something, it's like that reminder of like what you want and I feel like unless you want a specific item like if you want a Chanel bag

like that on my mood board and you had Paris on your mood board last year and we went yeah and we went but it's one of those things that if it's visual you're more likely to achieve it and it's not through like I don't know I'm I'm a bit of a manifestation skeptic I'm all about it but the reason I'm all about manifestation is because I genuinely believe that if you start looking for something you will find it yeah and that can be more abstract in concept as well as kind of where I was going with that because you might not be able to find a photo of wanting to be kinder. Like how do you sum that up in a photo? But I think if you build out that life that you want and those things and maybe something reminds you of kindness or reminds you of balance or

whatever. Can we do a mood board workshop? Oh my gosh, that would be so cute. I don't know if she's on the money. People want to do it, but I want to do it with the team. And I think that you're right. It's hard to visualize that, but you can put words on your mood board. Like you've got words on your mood board. Last year you had the word growth on your mood board. And I feel like you could write it in a cool font and stick it front of mind, like kind, great. Chuck that on your mood board, like a picture of someone laughing and being happy. Maybe that's what you're looking for. But yeah, no, like let's talk about this after the episode. I want to do a mood board sesh. Oh my gosh. Sounds fun. What is the second thing that we can do to help us on our

road to setting great intentions? All right. So again, I'm a little bit fluffy. We're going to said a mantra, Jess. So I am very big in the space of positive affirmations and what you tell yourself you become. So if you think you are awful and your internal narrative is always that you are awful, you are always going to feel awful. But if we start coming up with mantras that are aligned to the goal that we are setting, you are more likely to achieve that goal. So we want to make sure that our mantra isn't just like a random one that just sounds good. It's actually a mantra that you can say either when you're meditating in the mornings or taking five minutes or I do them when I'm curling my hair because I have to use both hands and so therefore can't play on my

phone, can't do anything else, have a whole heap of time with myself that I need to use. But it's basically a daily self-care practice that I, you know, put into force to remind myself like I am happy, I am healthy, I am kind. And those are the things that I want to be consistently. And I want to remind myself of that. Like, I am so grateful that I have a body that works for me. And these things come from my history with eating, my history with not being the kindest to myself, with not being the person that I want to show up with. I think that we can set mantras that become the reality. So it might be a financial mantra. It could be a mantra that is, I am great at budgeting. I am great at finance. I am great at setting goals. And even if you're not, you can

start with you. If you tell yourself enough times, you'll become that because you'll start believing that. So if you can consistently remind yourself and your body that you are good at something, you can actually change your entire perception around what that looks like. Even if historically you've not been good at budgeting, even if historically you've never actually reached a savings goal, like you keep it front of mind and it absolutely will happen. Well, on that note, I would like everybody to know that I am really wealthy because that's what I would like to attract into my year this year. I love that though, that everyone can do that. I'm healthy, wealthy and kind. Incredible. Let's go to a really quick break because when we come back,

I want to hear more about how I make my dream life a reality. Don't go anywhere. Welcome back, everybody. Today, we are talking all about setting intentions for the new year because I feel like we've all got that positive vibe right now. New year, new me. I'm ready for it to be a good one in 2023. Nothing's going to stand in my way. Victoria, what is the next step I can take to make that happen? We are going to be so wildly optimistic that it will make you sick. I love it. Oh, probably not. You won't love that, but that's all right. But we are going to be optimistic. We are going to be positive because too many times we keep telling ourselves that I don't want to do this. I don't need to do this or like, oh, I have to do this. Like we get into

this negative mind frame where, oh, I just want to be healthier. Oh, I have to eat a healthy meal. No, baby, you get to eat a healthy meal. We are going to change the narrative around the stories that we tell ourselves to make them more positive. And it would be crazy how many times a day you talk to yourself in a negative way without noticing it. So it's not, oh, I don't want to do that. It's not aligned to my goals right now. So if a friend invites you out and you're like, oh, I don't really want to do that. No, no, no. It's not aligned to my goals. It's not aligned to my values or it's not aligned to my budget. It's not a negative thing. Not I don't want to, which can innately feel very, very negative. Instead of saying that you're not going to live

in fear, you'll just be like, I'm going to trust things more freely this year. So changing the narrative around the way we speak to ourselves is really important, but it's also one of those things that it will put you back in control and you are far more likely to achieve far more things because I hate that I do this so often. And the thing that I do so often that I don't like is compare budgeting with diets, but I feel like it's really relatable. Jess, have you ever put yourself on a diet? Once or twice. Yeah, I'm really good at it. I'm not proud of that, but I used to do it all the time. The first thing that you do when you put yourself on a diet is like, oh, I can't have that. Why do we focus on what we can't have as opposed to what we can have? Instead of focusing

on the things that are being taken away from us when we're setting a budget, why aren't we focusing on the big goal of like, oh my gosh, I've just taken coffee off myself. I can't have a coffee. I'm budgeting. That's negative. That's not just saying something negative. It's making you feel like you are suffering from the decision that you have made instead of going like, oh, I'm not going to do that because I am saving for a car, a house. I am saving my emergency fund. I'm doing something far greater. It's not, I can't do that or I don't get to do that. It's like, I get to do something different. I get to put myself in a different position. So I think it's really around changing our mindset from always immediately being negative. And I guess this is why when we talk

about diets, it makes a little bit more sense because the second you tell me, Victoria, you have to go on a diet. I'll be like, so you can't eat Macca's chips? Can't have Coke? Oh God, I have to have Coke. Do you know what I mean? Like you start thinking about the things that aren't really able to be accessed right now instead of being like, oh, well, what can I have? What are the delicious options that, you know, really align with my values so that you could be excited about it? So keeping positive and keeping optimistic is actually going to mean that you're one, again, more likely to achieve this goal, but how much healthier are we all going to be if we start really focusing on the positive instead of focusing on what we're missing

out on. Yeah, I feel like naphthol as a like nice little byproduct would make you just feel good because like feeling sad or like you're missing out on something just isn't a good feeling in general. So switching that mindset might have a nice little flow on impact of making you feel just better in general as well, which is nice. And I feel like there's this underlying narrative of this episode that is kind of about positive self-talk and actually putting yourself in the best possible position by starting with yourself. And that's not an accident. That's absolutely something that I truly believe in. And it's really about starting with yourself. I saw an Instagram quote the other day, and obviously Instagram quotes the most legitimate, Jess. And it said,

try saying nothing negative about yourself for one day and then one week and then one month and then one year. And I feel like that was a really good quote that resonated with me because you can't immediately just not be a negative person. And I'm not saying that everybody in our community is a negative person, but I'm guilty of this too. Instead of focusing on a part of my body or a part of me that I don't particularly like, I should really focus on the things that I am grateful for. Like I am happy. I am healthy. Like I am in a very privileged position at this point in my life. And I think that I need to focus on those things instead of always highlighting the negative things about myself. And we can all do that. We can all shift our mindset, but the more positive

you are watch your life change literally from day one to one week to one month to one year like your entire life will shift and you will become that glowy happy person that everyone gravitates towards because they can't help but wonder like how is Jess just so happy and healthy and glowy and accepting honestly it'll change your life oh my god that sounds like the dream sign me up for that a hundred percent I believe you might have one more thing on your cheeky little laundry list for me? I do. There is one more hot tip. You're going to like this one. It's recruit your friends. I'm not going to do this on my own. I'm not going to be positive while negative Nancy across the table is being negative Nancy. That makes my life way too hard. And I am in a position where I want

everything to be as easy as possible. I want to be positive, but I also want to share it with friends. And I feel like it's a really good piece of reflection time to go, all right, do I have friends that support me? Do I have friends that support my financial goals and my life goals? If I'm planning on saving for a car, like why don't I share that with my friends? If I'm saving up for my emergency fund, like Jess, I know if I said to you, oh, I'm going to save my emergency fund, you'd be like, yeah, Quinn, let's do it. What's your plan? What's your goal? How do we do this? You know, come to my place. I'll make you a hot choccy and we'll make a plan for it. Like I want that type of friend in my life. I don't want the type of friend that's like, oh, so does

this mean? You can't go out for breakfast next Saturday. Oh, the worst. Literally the worst. Like I don't want that negativity in my life. So not only are we sharing things, because if we share our accountabilities, it's more likely that we're going to be held accountable. But also, can we find friends or mentors that are going to have our backs during this process? Like I know I'm not the only one that has negative self-talk. So Jess, why don't you and I go, all right, if I hear you say one negative thing about you. I'm going to slap you silly and tell you to stop doing that. Does that make sense? I think that we need to keep ourselves accountable, but also question it. And I think that you need to actually give someone permission to do that, right? So if I said, Jess,

I'm trying to save this year. I want to save $10,000. I'm finding it really hard. Can you help keep me accountable? Well, that's you giving that person permission to kind of question you like, oh, Jess, like I know that we did X, Y, Z, and you know, we've got this party coming up. like do you really need the new dress oh no I don't like let's have a chat about staying accountable but if I hadn't been given permission to do that kind of inappropriate of my friend to be like um questioning your purchase here yeah like that's really weird yeah it's a bit weird and it's a bit rude and it's none of their business but if I said to you Jess oh I'm really really trying can you please help me stay accountable I'm all right with you giving me

the feedback and I might be like oh Jess I budgeted for this don't worry and you could be like, great, no worries. Or it might be a little bit of a reflection to remind me of my bigger goal that I'm way more excited about than a new dress for the weekend. Yeah, I really like that. I feel like there's strength in numbers. And especially if you have a friend who's wanting to do the same thing, you can help each other out and keep each other accountable. And it's just a really nice way to do things when you're not doing them alone. I love it. Last point before we go, because I know we're trying to wrap it up, is let's go. Let's do it. We mentioned earlier this episode that we're going to put a thread in a Facebook group about setting your word for the year. Let's talk about

intentions. I want to know yours. I want to know your word of the year because maybe it's better than mine and I should swap. But I really want to start this conversation because often we struggle with this step and often we struggle with finding our niche and finding our group of people that are going to really support us. Jess, it's guaranteed She's On The Money community is going to support you. So share it there. Absolutely. And if you're not in that Facebook group, please come and join us. There's over 200 and what is it? 60,000 people. Are you joking? Search She's On The Money to find us. And if Facebook's not your thing, we're on Instagram as well. We're at She's On The Money AUS. If you enjoyed the episode, we would so appreciate it if you would

leave us a review. We would love to kick the year off with some nice little positive affirmations of our own. And that seems like a fun way to do it. 10 out of 10 idea, Jessica. Thank you so much. Should we skedaddle off? Yeah, let's go set our intentions. Bye guys. the advice shared on she's on the money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances she's on the money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision if you do choose to buy a financial product read the pds tmd and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs victoria divine and she's on the money are authorized representatives of money

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