One of my clients, Molly, is someone who tends to be too hard on herself. She is an accountant, so she’s all about the numbers and loves her spreadsheets. Molly worked as a banker in Cleveland when she realized she wanted to become a CPA and eventually move to Southern California with her husband.
But, Molly fixated on repaying her student loan debt before she moved out west. During a planning meeting, she expressed frustration that she wasn’t further along in that goal. The fact is, she had already made a huge dent in it. I told her, “Look, you’re measuring wrong.” I pointed out that she had a lot of valuable skills and career experience. I explained that she and her husband were actually well situated to make a move, and together, we measured backward to prove it.
Feeling more confident, Molly and her husband took the plunge, and it paid off. She got a great job at an accounting firm in Los Angeles, and they quickly made a life for themselves. Recently, Molly made partner at her CPA firm, and they bought a house. By all accounts, they’re doing it right.
But at the end of the day, Molly is still a numbers girl and still worries about paying off her college loan debt. And that’s ok because I continue to take her through the process of measuring backward—and now she has even more to show for herself.