Struggling on Your Financial Journey? How About Progress Over Perfection?

Hey, after taking all these financial action steps, maybe you've stumbled a few times. Feeling like you have to do it perfectly or just not do it at all. Today as we wrap up this block of action, let's talk about the power of grace and celebrating progress. Hey there. Welcome back to Your Daily Ask Ralph. I'm Ralph. It's been an incredible journey going through these action items together in our series, the Joy of Living Below Your Means.

We're still working hard to break that cycle of financial shame with confidence. Now, yesterday we tackled a deep topic of financial idols, but today I wanna focus on a crucial mindset for long-term success. We've covered a lot of ground. We talked about tracking. We talked about budgeting, we talked about needs versus once we talked about debt, we talked about savings. We identified our idols. And as you've tried to implement these things, maybe you've had some great successes.

That is fantastic.

But like most of us, maybe you've also had some moments where you slipped up. Maybe you overspent your budget category, or maybe you forgot to track for a few days, or you gave into an impulse by you.

You just felt discouraged looking at that debt list you put together again, do you sometimes fall into that trap of thinking, well, I messed up so I might as well just give up. Or do you focus so much on how far you still have to go, that you forget to acknowledge the positive steps that you've already taken? See that tendency, That tendency towards an all or nothing thinking, Getting derailed by perfectionism, or feeling discouraged by setbacks, instead of focusing on overall progress.

well, that's the single difficulty we need to address today for sustainable change. Here's the thing. The journey towards financial freedom and faithful stewardship is a marathon. It's not a sprint. There will be bumps in the road. Nobody does this perfectly. Lemme say that again. Nobody does this perfectly, but the good news is God's grace is sufficient for us. Look at the book of Second Corinthians, chapter 12 verse nine. And his mercies are new every single morning.

That's from the Book of Lamentations, chapter three, verses 22 and 23. See, what he's looking for is faithfulness, and he's looking for a willing heart, not flawless execution, beating ourselves up over mistakes. It just paralyzes us, but extending grace that allows us to learn, it allows us to get back up and keep moving forward. See progress. However, slow is still progress. So what can we do? How do we cultivate the resilience needed to stay the course, even with imperfect execution?

How do we stay motivated for the long haul? Those are tough questions, but in my view, the single essential solution is to intentionally celebrate your progress and embrace grace over perfection. And this means consistently and consciously shifting your focus. You gotta acknowledge the wins, you know regularly. Take note of the positive steps you're taking, no matter how small they seem.

Did you pack lunch just once this week? Celebrate that. Dig you track spending for three days straight. That's awesome. Celebrate that. Did you pause before buying something fantastic, and then you've got to extend grace when you slip up. And guess what you will. I do. Don't condemn yourself, acknowledge it. Maybe take some time to figure out why it happened, and then accept God's grace. But more importantly, give yourself grace and try again tomorrow.

This is when you focus on direction, not the speed. Are you generally moving in the right direction? See, 'cause that's more important than how fast you're getting there or whether you stumble occasionally. Consistent effort over time yields results. The solution is a mindset shift. Celebrate progress and embrace grace. Well, let's practice this right now. Here's your one action step for today or sometime this weekend. I want you to reflect on your journey.

I want you to take 10 or 15 minutes and think back over any of the action items from these past episodes that you've engaged with or even just thought about. And then I want you to just list your wins or list your progress. Grab paper or your phone and write down three or five positive steps or changes or insights or just small victories you've experienced, no matter how minor they seem. Maybe an example is I listed my debts. I identified my why. Here's a great one.

I started praying about money. I canceled a subscription. I packed lunch three times This past week I set up automatic savings. 'cause here's a simple truth. No win is too small. And then I want you to celebrate and give thanks. Read that list, acknowledge your effort. Thank God specifically for the progress he's helped you make. And then I want you to verbally give yourself credit for showing up and trying. Then I want you to recommit with grace.

Acknowledge any areas where you stumbled and receive God's grace and recommit to simply taking the next right step forward. Starting now. Now you're thinking Ralph. Why focus on progress and grace? 'cause it directly fights the frustration of perfectionism and discouragement that makes people give up. You see, celebrating wins reinforces positive behavior, and it builds motivation. Grace allows you to learn from mistakes and keep moving forward.

It helps you to keep going and listen. It makes this financial journey sustainable, less stressful, and ultimately more joyful. Well, let's pray. Father God, thank you so much for your amazing grace, new every single morning. Thank you for the progress, however small that my friend listening right now has made on this journey. Help them today to see and celebrate those steps forward. Fill their hearts with gratitude for your work in their life. Lord, free from the trap of perfectionism.

Remind them that you value faithfulness, not flawlessness. Lord grant them perseverance to continue seeking wise stewardship fueled by your grace and motivated by love for you. And we just thank you so much for walking with us every step of the way, and we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright, well, I want you to take that time this weekend to reflect and celebrate your progress. You've taken significant steps just by listening and being engaged. I want you to be proud of that.

And I want you to keep practicing progress over perfection and be sure to join me. Tomorrow we'll do a recap of automating savings, reviewing insurance, setting smart goals, finding your why, identifying idols, and this crucial

topic of progress over perfection. Plus, we're gonna have some great listener questions. You don't wanna miss it, and if this episode encourage you to be kind to yourself on this journey. Share it with somebody else that needs to do that as well. You can find resources and links in his show notes at our new website, financially confident christian.com. So until our recap tomorrow, celebrate Progress, walk in grace and keep seeking him first.

We're still making progress to becoming financially confident Christians. Stay financially savvy and God bless you and trust me, celebrate those victories. Extend yourself, grace. Practice progress, not perfection. You can do this. I truly believe in you. Have a great day today.