comments:
I grew up in a trailer park, and spent my teens living alone on the verge of homelessness and struggling to pay for food. I'm in my late 30s now and my NW is about $2M, my salary is $170K and I'm on a career path that will grow to a $250K salary over 5-7 years. I only share these numbers to say that I understand what you're going through and had to confront this massive change myself. I didn't realize how much of my identity was imbedded in being poor. It gave me a chip on my shoulder when I compared myself to others, made me feel unworthy of certain life luxuries, and limited what I could envision for myself. When I finally broke out of lower class living, I felt confused about why I still felt this way when my finances no longer reflected my attitude. I highly recommend the book The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. One of the major themes of the book is that our relationship with money is anchored around our own financial situation and overall market during our formative years or during traumatic periods. We then carry that perspective forward with us through the rest of our lives. As generalized examples, think of the Silent Generation growing up in the Great Depression, Boomers living through a high inflation era, Gen Z growing up in a period with poor career growth opportunities. My point is that you can change your relationship with money, but it takes a true, concerted effort. It will take a long time, maybe years, but it's a positive change and worth the time and energy.