Living Unshakable GRIT Through Financial Stress
Man oh man, do I know what it’s like to be broke.
I was living in a friend’s foreclosed home, sleeping on a deflated air mattress with my three beautiful dogs curled up beside me. Every morning, I woke up with the same knot in my stomach: financial fear. Fear of not having enough money to buy alcohol. And an even bigger fear that I wouldn’t be able to feed my dogs, the only ones who loved me unconditionally through it all.
Hopeless doesn’t even begin to cover it.
I had drained my 401(k). I had burned through every resource. I was too ashamed to call my family, because I knew my own choices had landed me here: broke, broken, and stuck.
I knew something had to change. I had to change. And that started with honesty, admitting I was an alcoholic and beginning my sober journey.
Now let me be clear: getting sober didn’t magically fix my bank account. It didn’t erase debt. It didn’t hand me financial freedom. What it did was give me the strength to show up for my life every single day,clear, honest, and willing. And that, over time, started to shift everything.
I’ll never forget sitting in an AA meeting when a guy said:
“I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.”
I laughed out loud, because damn, that was me. Probably made you laugh too.
And here’s the truth: the moment I stopped obsessing about myself and started being of service to others, opportunities began to show up.
And being of service didn’t mean grand gestures or some big, world-changing act. It was simple. It looked like giving someone a ride to work when they didn’t have a car. Offering a smile to someone who looked like they were carrying the weight of the world. Or just sitting quietly, being an open ear for someone who needed to talk.
Those little acts mattered, not just to the other person, but to me. Every time I stepped outside of myself, I got a little more clarity, a little more peace, and a little more strength to keep going.
What I know is this: financial stress didn’t break me. It grew me. It forced me to practice GRIT:
Growth: Facing the truth about how I got here.
Resilience: Showing up every day, even broke and scared.
Integrity: Doing the next right thing with money, even if it was small.
Tenacity: Refusing to quit, no matter how hopeless it felt.
I’m not saying it was quick. I’m saying it was worth it.
If financial stress is weighing heavy on you, try this question from the 30-Day GRIT Challenge:
What is one thing I can do today that my future self will thank me for?
Because here’s the truth: the way out of financial fear isn’t found in one big leap. It’s found in the small, honest steps you take today, one after another until you’ve built something solid under your feet again.
