If you’re not on top of your finances already, you probably feel like you never will be. The debt feel overwhelming and saving feels impossible. Fight this despair by switching from failure to “not yet.”


As personal finance site She Picks Up Pennies explains, framing the financial goals you haven’t achieved as “not yet” can help you maintain a more productive perspective on your future. If you feel like it’s impossible to pay down your student loans or save for retirement, well you’ll probably fulfill that belief. However, if you view those goals as things you simply haven’t accomplished yet, you’re more likely to look for practical ways to accomplish them:

As someone who obsessed obsesses over failure regularly, removing the notion of failing from my mindset has been liberating. I haven’t flunked personal finance. I haven’t failed a goal. I’m just not there yet. I’ll get there. I might be on mile two while everyone else is eyeing the finish line, but I’ll keep trudging on.


This can apply to many areas of your financial life. Maybe you can’t pay off your debt today, but you will at some point. Maybe you can’t afford to buy a house now, but some day. The goal here isn’t to throw yourself into denial, but rather to view your goals as achievable so you don’t ruin your chances before you even start.

Harnessing the Power of Not Yet | She Picks Up Pennies via Rockstar Finance