Blog – February 2021
As the days begin to lengthen ever so slowly and the last few Christmas chocolates lay resentfully at the bottom of a once-heaving dish – the days creep towards the first exciting event on the calendar in our house (it’s actually the only thing on the calendar for February this year) – Pancake Day! With several pancake-loving children and a dog that is always glued to my legs when food is being prepared it used to be a source of some stress until I invested in a proper pancake pan and it remains one of the best kitchen-related purchases I’ve ever made.
The main stress of pancake day was the almost-guaranteed failure of the first pancake. It almost felt like some sort of penance – the waste of that first one whilst standing at the stove watched by expectant children holding their knives and forks at the ready. So universal is this stress that the Russians actually have an idiom about it – ‘the first pancake is always a lumpy one’. It’s telling us that we won’t always get things right at the first try and not be too disappointed. I’ve always remembered this comforting advice and applied it to many different situations.
When it comes to sorting your finances it’s easy to be demoralised by your first attempts –perhaps you tried to set a budget and overspent? or perhaps you wanted to understand your expenditure but gave up before you came to any understanding and decided it was best not to know? It could have even been trying to achieve better returns with your savings or investments but being put-off by all the options and information available or being unable to take any action for fear of doing the wrong thing.
We all have setbacks at times or experiences where things didn’t go well the first or even the hundredth time – whether personal or business – it’s just life! If you are struggling perhaps it’s time to seek out help. In my case I was aided by a pancake pan, in your case it could be new equipment/tools, or even finding a coach or expert to help you along the way.
As with all things in life – and just as much in the financial world – it is important at times to ‘check in’ and see if you are on track or whether you can outsource to an expert in the field to save you precious time, money, and provide some helpful guidance along the way.
Jennie