Janetta 2.0, Or Something Like That

This pandemic taught me a very valuable lesson:

I am lazy as hell.

Now hold on—before you judge me—let me clarify.

I’m not physically lazy.

I get up. I move. I handle what needs to be handled.

But financially?

Oh, I was coasting.

And I didn’t even realize it until it mattered the most.

When everything first started shutting down, I went into preparation mode.

I was focused.

Cold medicine.

Allergy medicine.

Frozen foods.

And poultry—listen… a lot of poultry.

(Sorry pork and beef… y’all didn’t make the cut this round.)

I filled my freezer like I was preparing for the end of the world, and stocked up on enough frozen vegetables to personally offend my 11-year-old son.

In my mind, I was doing what a mother is supposed to do.

Protect. Prepare. Provide.

And I did that.

But what I didn’t do… was think beyond the moment.

Because while I was preparing for the pandemic…

Life was still life-ing.

The pest control man was still coming.

The lawn service still wanted their money.

And Comcast? Oh, they were definitely about to send that bill.

And that’s when it hit me:

“What have I done?”

I overspent.

I had about $2,300 in savings.

Had.

Because baby… I blew through that.

Between stocking up, paying what I could, and not fully thinking things through—I found myself standing there looking at my account like:

“Now what?”

And just when I thought I could breathe…

I realized something else.

We were about to run out of breakfast food.

Shizzzzzzzzz.

And let’s not even talk about masks, gloves, and disinfectants—because they were nowhere to be found.

Not in the stores.

Not online.

Nowhere.

At that point?

Yeah… go ahead and resume panic mode.

But right in the middle of that panic… a truth sat me all the way down.

I wasn’t just unprepared.

I was financially lazy.

I had gotten comfortable.

I was making just enough to live.

Just enough to handle things.

Just enough to treat myself every now and then like a “normal” person.

And I convinced myself that was enough.

Because I didn’t want to become one of those people who loved money more than people.

I didn’t want my family to think I was uppity.

I didn’t want money to change me.

So instead…

I limited myself.

I chose relationships over financial growth.

I chose comfort over expansion.

I chose a smaller life… on purpose.

And at the time, I thought I was doing the right thing.

But looking back?

I was doing myself—and my family—a disservice.

Because what happens when something real happens?

What happens when you need to travel for a loved one?

What happens when your family needs you in a way that requires more than love… but resources?

What happens when life hits—and you don’t have the financial cushion to soften the blow?

That realization changed something in me.

Because while I couldn’t go back and fix what I had already done…

I could absolutely change what happens next.

So I made a decision.

No more financial laziness.

No more limiting beliefs.

No more shrinking myself to stay comfortable.

I started putting together a plan to build multiple income streams.

Not just for me…

But for my children.

For my family.

For the moments in life that don’t give you a warning before they show up.

And here’s the truth I had to finally accept:

Money is not the problem.

Mindset is.

I had already let go of the idea that having money meant losing my soul about three years ago.

But I hadn’t acted on it.

Why?

Because I was comfortable.

And comfort feels good…

Until it costs you something.

This pandemic showed all of us something.

Not just about the world…

But about ourselves.

It exposed the areas where we were lacking.

Mentally.

Physically.

And yes… financially.

So now the question becomes:

What are you going to do with what’s been revealed?

Because we can’t change the past.

But we can absolutely build a better future.

While organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention work to stabilize the world around us…

We have to take responsibility for stabilizing ourselves.

Work on you.

Fix what needs fixing.

Strengthen what needs strengthening.

Because you can’t pour into others if you’re running on empty yourself.

Let’s stop ignoring the gaps in our lives.

Let’s stop settling for “just enough.”

Let’s stop being comfortable in places that can’t protect us.

And let’s start building lives that can sustain us…

No matter what comes next.