If you’ve ever filled up your gas tank and felt your stomach drop at the total — you’re not alone. This week I’m getting real about something a lot of people are carrying quietly right now: financial stress. And more specifically, how I personally think about provision without spiraling into full panic mode.
This isn’t financial advice, and it’s definitely not a “just pray about it and watch the money appear” episode. This is about mindset, stewardship, faith, and learning to trust while still being wise and proactive.
Fear Isn’t the Same as Fact
FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real
I’ve been in seasons where every unexpected expense sent me into a spiral. And as someone with what I’d call inconsistent income — golf lessons drop off in the Florida summer, direct sales income can vanish overnight (hi, Beachbody), and UGC has its own ebbs and flows — I’ve had to learn the difference between being responsible and just living in flat-out fear.
Fear shows up as fear of losing opportunities, fear of things slowing down, fear of not having enough. And panic? It creates terrible decision-making. It makes you say yes to things out of desperation, compare yourself constantly, overwork, and attach your worth to your productivity.
“I do not want to build my life from a place of fear.”
The Scarcity Mindset I Had to Unlearn
A lot of this scarcity thinking was deeply wired in from my network marketing days. There was always this pressure that if you weren’t answering DMs at 11pm, you were falling behind. Someone else would sign up with another coach. You’d miss the opportunity. I had my Do Not Disturb turned off constantly.
Over time, that creates anxiety — because you start believing everything depends entirely on you, that you can never slow down. And urgency is not the same thing as purpose. I’ve had to learn that operating from peace leads to better decisions than operating from panic ever did.
What Social Media Doesn’t Show You
Keeping Up with the Joneses — at Scale
Social media has made the “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality so much worse. We’re constantly seeing luxury lifestyles, massive months, designer everything — and it creates this pressure that if your life doesn’t look like that, you’re somehow behind.
Here’s the truth: they’re not showing you the debt, the anxiety, the burnout, the instability, or what they had to sacrifice to get there. And I say this as someone surrounded by extreme wealth every single day — I work in country club environments in Palm Beach. I’m around people with private planes and mega mansions. And honestly? There are very few people I’d actually trade places with. Behind a lot of that wealth is unhappiness, broken families, addiction, and failing health.
“External success and internal peace — they’re just not the same.”
What You Don’t See in Someone Else’s Blessing
I saw a reel recently that really hit me — it talked about how sometimes we look at people getting things instantly and assume God is favoring them more. But it made the point that the enemy gives out gifts too. We rarely stop and ask what someone had to sacrifice to get the life we’re envying. Is it their peace? Their marriage? Their integrity? Their family?
That’s why I’ve become very careful about what I envy now. Not every blessing is something I’d actually want the cost of carrying.
Practical Ways I Stay Grounded
Stop Building Your Lifestyle Around Temporary Highs
The old me felt like I needed to reward myself every time I hit a milestone. For me, that looked like designer bags — Louis Vuitton, jewelry, things that symbolized success. And I still love my things. But since becoming a mom, I barely use them. And I think that’s really shifted my perspective on what adds actual value to my life.
So much of what we buy is tied to identity and validation — especially in online spaces. Now I care more about peace, flexibility, and time. Time is my love language.
Build Multiple Streams of Income
This didn’t happen overnight for me. I’ve been building multiple income streams since college — I always worked multiple jobs and was taught by my parents never to rely on just one source. And it’s saved me more times than I can count.
When golf lessons slowed down in the summer, UGC opened a door. When Beachbody closed its doors, I had already started pivoting. The connections I’ve built in the golf industry have even opened up opportunities like house sitting. When seasons shift, having multiple streams means you’re not white-knuckling through every dry spell.
Pray Before You Panic
My husband and I started a morning practice about four months ago — we text each other things we’re grateful for before the kids are up and the chaos kicks in. Because it is so easy to just complain and worry. Gratitude shifts perspective. And when I pray before I panic, it doesn’t instantly remove the stress, but it resets how I see the situation.
I also try hard to limit comparison online, have honest conversations with my husband about finances instead of carrying it silently, and remind myself that panic doesn’t make me more productive — it just steals my peace, tanks my sleep, and creates a domino effect of garbage days.
Provision Doesn’t Always Look How You Expected
Sometimes provision is financial. Sometimes it’s an opportunity. Sometimes it’s wisdom from a mistake, or peace from a door closing that you thought you really wanted. When Beachbody ended, it stung — but I’ve found so much peace in not being tethered to network marketing. That was provision too.
Faith doesn’t mean ignoring reality. And financial wisdom doesn’t mean living in fear. The goal is learning how to hold both responsibility and trust at the same time.
“Panic doesn’t actually make me more productive. It just steals my peace.”
If you’re in a financially stressful season right now: your situation is not your identity. You’re not behind because life feels hard. You’re not failing because things are taking longer than expected. Fear clouds decision-making — peace gives you clarity. Focus on stewardship over appearances, consistency over perfection. And remember: provision isn’t always a microwave moment. Sometimes it’s more like sourdough — it takes time, attention, and trust in the process.
Key Takeaways
- FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real. Panic creates bad decisions; operating from peace creates better outcomes.
- Social media shows the highlight reel, not the cost. Not every blessing is one you’d want the price tag of carrying.
- Multiple income streams aren’t optional — they’re a safeguard. Build them before you desperately need them.
- Provision doesn’t always look like you expect. Closed doors, pivots, and unexpected opportunities can all be forms of provision.
- Gratitude is a practical tool, not just a feel-good habit. A daily practice resets perspective and keeps fear from taking over.
Action Steps
- Audit where your financial stress is actually coming from — is it real, or is it fear-based comparison?
- Identify one new income stream you could start building now, before you need it.
- Start a daily gratitude practice with someone you trust — even just a few texts in the morning.
- Unfollow or mute accounts that consistently make you feel behind or less-than.
- Have one honest, non-panicked conversation about finances with your partner or a trusted person this week.
Bottom Line: Provision and panic can’t coexist — choose stewardship, build multiple streams, and trust that operating from peace will always serve you better than fear.
