Hot take lakjsd,
Being broke is 100% a skill issue.
Now, stick with me because it's actually really good news:
If you're bad with money, it's not because you're stupid or destined to be poor forever.
It's just because you haven't developed the skill yet.
That's it.
Being good with money is a SKILL.
Just like shooting a basketball, playing guitar, cooking, or LITERALLY anything else you’ve ever had to learn.
Because no one is born magically knowing how to get rich.
Some people just started practicing with their monies early.
Here's the best part: if it's a skill, that means you can learn it.
And you can get really fucking good at it when you practice.
You just need reps.
How bout a little analogy?
Everyone knows Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.
(He’s the GOAT. Fight me.)
Six championships, five MVPs, and the most iconic shoe line ever.
The guy was unstoppable.
But here's what people seem to forget: Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team as a sophomore.
He wasn't good enough to make the team.
So what did he do?
Did he say "Guess I'm just not a basketball person" and give up?
Hell no.
He practiced.
He shot thousands of free throws, ran drills until his legs gave out, studied film, and worked on his weaknesses.
He treated basketball like a skill he needed to develop, not a talent he was supposed to magically have.
And that's how he became the greatest to ever do it.
Not because he was born with some special gift, but because he put in the work to develop the skills.
The same goes for Kobe Bryant, who’d show up to the gym at 4am and shoot 800 jumpers before practice even started.
Serena Williams. Tom Brady. Simone Biles.
Every single person at the top of their field (sports, business, etc.) got there the same way: relentless practice and skill development.
Because greatness isn’t just handed out like a participation trophy…
It’s earned.
So why do we treat money differently?
Why do people say "I'm just not good with money" like it's a personality trait they were born with and can't change?
You weren't born knowing how to ride a bike either.
But you learned.
You weren't born knowing how to read.
But you learned.
And money is no different.
Being good with money is a just set of (very) learnable skills:
- Tracking your spending
- Setting a budget and sticking to it
- Saving before you spend
- Saying no to impulse purchases
- Planning for irregular expenses
- Paying off debt strategically
- Building an emergency fund
None of these things require you to be a genius, come from money, or be "good with numbers."
They just require practice.
And the more you practice, the better you get.
So here's where most people go wrong:
They treat money like it's just gonna work itself out.
They avoid looking at their bank account because it’s “stressful.”
They don't track their spending because it feels like too much work.
And they don't set a budget because budgets "never work."
But imagine if Michael Jordan said, "I don't like looking at game film because it stresses me out."
Or if Serena Williams said, "I don't track my serve percentage because it feels like too much work."
Or if Tom Brady said, "I don't study defenses because it never works for me."
That would be insane, right?
You can't get better at something if you refuse to engage with it.
And you can't get better with money if you're avoiding your bank account and hoping things magically improve.
THEY WON’T!
You need reps.
You need to actually LOOK at your money.
Track, budget, save, learn, fuck up, try again, and repeat.
That's how skills are built.
Here's what changed everything for me: I stopped treating money like this stressful, shameful thing I was supposed to already know how to handle.
And I started treating it like a game I was trying to get better at.
Think about it.
When you play a video game, you don't beat the final boss on your first try.
You play the game, learn new skills, level up, practice, and eventually get good enough to win the game.
It takes time.
Money works the same way.
Every month is a new level, every budget is a new attempt, and every time you resist an impulse purchase or hit a savings goal, you're leveling up.
And just like in a game, you need to check your stats.
You need to know:
- How much HP you have (your bank balance)
- How much damage you're taking (your spending)
- What your power-ups are (your income and savings)
- What enemies keep defeating you (your spending triggers, debt, and weak spots)
If you don't look at the stats, you're playing blind.
And you're gonna lose.
But when you treat it like a game and actually PAY ATTENTION to your numbers, suddenly it becomes way less scary and way more manageable.
You start seeing patterns, making better decisions, and finally WINNING.
Okay Pookie, if money is a skill, what do you need to do to get better at it?
Here are the big ones:
Skill #1: Looking at your money without freaking out
This is the foundational skill.
You have to be able to open your bank app, see your balance, and not immediately close it in panic.
Practice: Check your bank account every single day for a week.
Just look.
Don't judge, panic, or close your app in fear.
Because the more you look, the less scary it becomes.
Skill #2: Tracking where your money actually goes
You can't manage what you don't measure.
If you don't know where your money's going, you can't fix the leaks.
Practice: Write down every purchase for one week.
Every coffee, snack, amazon purchase, and bill.
At the end of the week, add it up and see where the money went.
You're gonna be shocked.
Skill #3: Saying no to yourself
This is the hardest one.
Resisting impulse purchases, delaying gratification, and choosing long-term goals over short-term wants is fucking hard.
Practice: Next time you want to buy something, wait 24 hours.
If you still want it tomorrow, cool.
If not, you just saved yourself money and regret.
Skill #4: Planning ahead
Good money management isn't proactive, not reactive.
Plan for expenses before they happen instead of scrambling when they show up.
Practice: At the start of each month, write down everything you know you'll need to pay for.
Rent, bills, groceries, gas, that friend's birthday.
Budget for it BEFORE the month starts.
Skill #5: Celebrating small wins
You're not gonna go from broke to rich overnight.
Progress is slow.
But if you don't celebrate the small wins along the way, you'll burn out and quit.
Practice: Every time you hit a savings milestone, resist an impulse purchase, or stick to your budget for a week, acknowledge it.
Text a friend. Treat yourself to something small.
Make it feel good to win.
Here’s the thing, these aren't complicated skills.
But they DO take practice.
The more you do them, the easier they get, and the easier they get, the better your results.
That's the flywheel of skill development.
Look, I know it sucks to feel like everyone else has their money figured out and you're the only one struggling.
But here's the truth: most people are faking it.
They're broke and stressed too, they just don't talk about it.
And the people who ARE good with money?
They weren't born with some magical money gene.
They just started playing the game earlier than you did and got their reps in.
But starting late doesn't mean you can't win.
Michael Jordan got cut from his high school team and still became the GOAT.
You can be bad with money right now and still build wealth later.
The only thing that matters is whether you're willing to put in the reps.
Are you willing to look at your bank account even when it's painful?
Are you willing to track your spending even when it's annoying?
Are you willing to budget even when it feels restrictive?
Are you willing to say no to yourself even when you really want that thing?
If the answer is yes, you're gonna get better.
Guaranteed.
Because money is a skill, and skills can be learned.
You got this, Pookie.
Taquitos,
Caleb "Money Is A Skill" Hammer
P.S. Remember: Michael Jordan missed over 9,000 shots in his career.
He lost almost 300 games.
He missed the game-winning shot 26 times.
And he's still the greatest ever.
You're gonna mess up your budget.
You're gonna overspend.
You're gonna have setbacks.
That's not failure!
That's practice.
Keep going.
And if you want a little extra support, a team to cheer you on, and a place you can go every day to practice, CLICK HERE.
Now go get some reps.
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