The Daily Meaning

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“Your daily blog posts have become a great part of my morning routine, waking up and reading your posts challenge me to reflect on something that matters in my life or view something from a different perspective.”
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Daily Meaning Reader

Travis Shelton 7/26/24 Travis Shelton 7/26/24

The Culture of Can’t

I don't know if it's always been this way, but we live in a toxically negative culture. A culture of "can't." Voices that echo throughout our lives, day in and day out. You can't get out of debt. You can't start the business. You can't get a better job. You can't afford to give that money away. You can't save for that big upcoming purchase. You can't have a job that doesn't suck. You can't, you can't, you can't.

Travis Shelton 7/22/24 Travis Shelton 7/22/24

The Problem With Worry

There's a lot to worry about right now: unprecedented political unrest, massive layoffs, a job market that feels like it's teetering on the edge, the miserable results of several years of rampant inflation, and a stock market that continues to defy the odds by hitting more all-time highs. It just feels weird....and worrisome.

Travis Shelton 7/20/24 Travis Shelton 7/20/24

How We Were Silently Molded

The very first conversation I have with new clients is about what their childhood looked like. Whether we want to admit it or not, what we experience in our childhoods and how we were raised deeply influence our present-day relationship with money. If I can understand what someone went through when they were kids, I can understand why they have XYZ tendencies and behaviors around money in adulthood.

Travis Shelton 7/14/24 Travis Shelton 7/14/24

The Scales of Meaning

Money is finite. Each month, there’s only so much of it to go around. For every dollar we spend on one thing, it’s one less dollar we can spend on another. While it’s true there are dozens of categories and thousands of transactions at play, sometimes it boils down to a few major decisions. That’s where the scale comes in. For the sake of this post, I’ll refer to them as the “Scales of Meaning.”

Travis Shelton 7/12/24 Travis Shelton 7/12/24

Being Ungrateful Beings

Do you ever think about how much we take for granted? I think about this topic a lot, but never more than I have this week. Post-hurricane Houston has been a mess. I've spent most of the last three days in a 90-degree office with no electricity, no A/C, no lights, and no WiFi. Nothing. I didn't have a hotel for two days. Very few restaurants were open. People were waiting in line for hours to get gas. I sweat through my clothes for three straight days. It felt like my brain was melting onto the table.

Travis Shelton 7/2/24 Travis Shelton 7/2/24

The Dip Is a Myth

I have a strange hobby. Occasionally, I'll set a random reminder on my phone for the distant future. These reminders usually stem from conversations with buddies or goals with clients. It's always a fun treat to get a random, obscure reminder. Yesterday, I woke up to a memorable one: "Remind Ryan the dip is a myth." That's it. That's all it said.

Travis Shelton 7/1/24 Travis Shelton 7/1/24

Forgetting the Plot

In many ways, this is a close parallel with life. Amidst the chaos, busy, and unforeseen events, it's easy to forget the plot. We say to ourselves that x, y, and z are our primary objectives. Yet, if we were honest with ourselves, our actions may say otherwise.

Travis Shelton 6/24/24 Travis Shelton 6/24/24

But at What Cost?

It's not a matter of IF we will get bit by the jealousy bug, but WHEN. It's going to happen. As such, we must be ready to face it head-on. That's where the "but at what cost?" question can be so handy.

Travis Shelton 6/20/24 Travis Shelton 6/20/24

Putting THEIR Money Where MY Mouth Is

One of my clients recently received an unexpected $2,000 (after-tax) bonus. Excited about this newfound money, they quickly commenced negotiations about where this money should go. There were several options on the table.

Travis Shelton 6/18/24 Travis Shelton 6/18/24

Never-Ending Highlight Reels

What we see on social media isn't real life. It's a tiny sliver of real life, carefully curated and ever-so-intentionally massaged to suit the palette of an outside audience. It's posted primarily to generate a specific feeling or response.

Travis Shelton 6/15/24 Travis Shelton 6/15/24

The Arms Race of Materialism

We have an arms race on our hands. It's a sexy, intoxicating endeavor: the violently aggressive pursuit of more. Bigger houses, newer cars, grander trips, trendier clothes. More, more, more. The problem with more is that every time we get more, more is still more. Ironically, it's an unwinnable race.

Travis Shelton 6/12/24 Travis Shelton 6/12/24

Leading Kids to (Financial) Hoarding

Do you see a theme? Guilt and shame. Not intentionally, usually. Slowly but surely, we're chipping away at their hearts for spending and generosity. We're trying to help them be "responsible" with money, but what we're really doing is grooming our kids to financially hoard. Get more. Have more. Build wealth. Become "independent.”

Travis Shelton 6/7/24 Travis Shelton 6/7/24

The Irony of Debt and Income

Debt DOES discriminate based on income.....but in the opposite way you probably think. This is a dynamic I've seen play out over and over again (and it shocks me every time), but the higher income a family makes, the more likely they are to be crippled by debt. It's tremendously ironic.

Travis Shelton 5/29/24 Travis Shelton 5/29/24

The Claws Tighten

The claws of status! I introduced yesterday's post by vaguely teasing my experience in KC, which triggered my introspection about status. Instead of sharing about what actually happened, I invited you to take a look in the mirror and conduct your own introspection about where status might have its claws in you. Thank you very much for the feedback. Your answers proved one major point I wanted to make. We all have our own. Here are yours……

Travis Shelton 5/28/24 Travis Shelton 5/28/24

The Claws of Status

Travis Shelton 5/27/24 Travis Shelton 5/27/24

One At a Time

At that moment, I triggered my motto, which I find helpful when these anxious feelings creep in: "One at a time." I can't categorize 68 transactions at once, but I can categorize one....then one.....then one.

Travis Shelton 5/15/24 Travis Shelton 5/15/24

Move the Decimal Left

Far too often, we burn ourselves out by dwelling on the minutiae. We spend so much of our time and energy trying to get the tiny details right that we lose sight of the big picture. Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about!

Travis Shelton 5/14/24 Travis Shelton 5/14/24

Desperately Seeking Accountability

In a world where we don't want accountability, we really, really want accountability. We're desperately seeking accountability.

Travis Shelton 5/13/24 Travis Shelton 5/13/24

Never Let a Phone Do a Laptop’s Job

Travis Shelton 5/9/24 Travis Shelton 5/9/24

Stepping Over Quarters

This is a perfect example of how a scarcity mindset can cost us. In an effort to save a few bucks, we inadvertently cost ourselves far more than we were trying to save in the first place.

The Daily Meaning

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“Your daily blog posts have become a great part of my morning routine, waking up and reading your posts challenge me to reflect on something that matters in my life or view something from a different perspective.”

"Love starting my morning with a daily dose of positivity or perspective!"