“I could probably float you $60 to avoid the overdraft fee. Do you want me to put it in your account?

“Yes”, I grumbled while standing at the cash register at deLendrecie’s, the department store where I worked part-time through college. I stared at the pile of mock turtlenecks I had been folding and managed to eek out a “thank you” to my sister before hanging up.

My overspending habits had caught up with me again. Jennifer, a bank teller & junior parent, was calling to inform me that I was once again overdrafted.

I unfairly took out my frustration on my sister because I felt like a failure. Just a couple of months prior, I had literally bounced 2 checks for $2 each at Hardee’s. Those cheeseburgers were expensive lessons that I had failed to learn.

Being a lover of fashion, working in a department store was a dream. Unfortunately, giving employee discounts to someone with zero financial self-control was like putting a problem gambler in charge of the craps table.

I was irresponsible with money & it felt bad. Really bad.

It took way longer than I care to admit to change my ways but avoiding that feeling drove me to make sure it never happened again.

I took the “stop buying the lattes” advice seriously. I packed lunches. I became slightly obsessed with my finances spreadsheet. The less I spent, the prouder of myself I became.

Did I still spend money? Heck yeah. And I would shove the guilt down & vow to do better.

It wasn’t until I started learning about money mindset that I realized I’d overcorrected. The habits that kept me from overdrafting were also making me overly cautious in other areas of my life.

My saver mentality didn’t just affect my bank account. It affected my willingness to take risks. I stayed in situations longer than I should have because they felt safe. I was quick to calculate the cost of an opportunity & much slower to consider the cost of missing it. I often chose certainty over possibility.

Once I realized I had these default tendencies that could have unintended consequences, I could question them instead of letting them make decisions for me. That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being a saver. It just means I try not to let “safe” automatically win.

Moving out of my leadership role & into a part-time gig at the bank is evidence of rethinking my saver tendencies.

Looking at how people’s financial mindsets play into their careers is one of my favorite parts of the coaching that I do. The money itself is rarely the most interesting part. It’s the beliefs underneath it.

P.S. I did eventually give my sister a proper thank you for always looking out for me. But just in case….thanks, Jen! You’ve been a fantastic sister. Now, if only we could have worked in some more Monopoly & Barbies….