Season 6 Blogs: Episode 2
While Gail will not be able to answer questions posted on slice.ca, you can visit her personal blog here.
The Road to Recovery: Mike & Sheila
Every single one of us has to walk our own road. Some of those paths are smoother than others. Mike and Sheila haven’t had it easy and their lives and finances have taken a beating.
Raised by a Grumpy Granny who thought Sheila was never good enough, Sheila had huge esteem issues that turned into a severe drug problem. She finally got herself into therapy, which is where she met Mike, the love of her life. They’re crazy about each other. And they’re crazy, too! Nuts enough to dump all the stuff they had before rehab and buy all new stuff—on credit—so they could start anew. Hmmm.
Sheila and Mike have big dreams: Sheila wants to have a baby but she’s got old eggs and it’ll take quite a financial investment to make that baby happen. Also, Sheila is in school and taking care of Granny; her income is zilch!
Mike wants to buy, renovate, and sell houses. Since he’s carrying the couple financially, he’s wondering if his dream will ever come true. He’s still hauling around debt from the wedding almost two years ago.
Mike’s not very happy with me for pooping on his parade. And then I take Sheila through an exercise to work out how she’ll pay for Baby. When it’s all over, I ask them a really important question, one that will shift their perspective and point them in a new direction.
According to The Book of Gail:
Dreams are wonderful. But if you want to make them come true, you have to turn them into goals. As long as they are not on paper, they’re pipe dreams and you’ll be wondering why you can’t seem to get what you want. Put those dreams on paper, set a timeline for when you’re going to make it happen, create some milestones so you can track your progress, and you’re way more likely to turn an “I wish I could” into “I did!”
Gail’s to Do:
Pick one thing you want to do. Write it on a piece of paper. List the steps you must take to make that one thing happen. Put dates beside the steps. Now tape that piece of paper somewhere you will see it every day. As you complete each step, give yourself a big checkmark. Now, doesn’t that feel good? You’ve got momentum. Keep moving!