Society smiles on “good” decisions– decisions that often follow certain rules– decisions that seem “right”, “correct” or “normal”.

These collective judgments are made on everything from nutrition to relationships to money.

But sometimes, the logical, sensible decisions just don’t work in real life.  For some, conventional wisdom is anything but wise.

In this series, Financially Dumb, Personally Brilliant, we’ll meet many bold risk takers who went with their hearts/guts over their minds/wallets.

First up is Tiffany from Money Talk with Tiff telling her story: Income is Replaceable, Health is Not!

From Tiff:

As I sat in my office, once again, waiting for 5 o’clock to come around, I thought to myself this can’t be life. I spent hours working overtime which, as a salaried employee, meant nothing and now I thought about my kids, school and everything else I was neglecting. Was this my breaking point?

Just a few months earlier, I had the worst asthma attack I’ve had in years. I have had asthma my whole life but never really had any major issues with it.

I had been in stressful situations before. I mean five years ago, my son was snatched away from me, and I couldn’t see him for eight whole months.

But this, this was different. I could control this situation. It seemed like the asthma attack went on forever even though it had to be only a few minutes. I couldn’t breathe, and now that I think back, maybe it was a reflection of my life at the time.

After that asthma attack, I realized that I was working myself to death, literally.

I realized that if I were to die on that bathroom floor, they would start looking for someone else to replace me the next day.

It was at that moment that I made a promise to myself that I would take better care of me and therefore take better care of my sons. I started blocking off my lunch breaks and blocking off a 15 to 20-minute walk every day. That helped for a while but then my health began suffering again.

About a month later, I started having severe migraine headaches. I had never had these before, and I honestly didn’t know what I was experiencing.

I had my yearly checkup a couple of weeks later and explained to the doctor my symptoms. I mean, it got so bad that one day I couldn’t even drive myself home after work. I had to call someone to pick me up and take me to my house.

The doctor looked at me and said, “Tiffany, those sound like migraine headaches.” She suggested that I take pain medication and try to slow down a bit. It was at that moment that I decided I needed to do something drastic and it needed to happen soon.

A few weeks after that, I put in my two-week notice. I didn’t have a job lined up, and I only had three months of expenses saved.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t worried. I knew I was doing the right thing for my boys and me. As my last day drew near, a sense of calm started coming over me.

I knew I loved finance and I knew I enjoyed talking about money, and I knew that that was my passion. I was in human resources not for passion but money, and this is what it got me. I decided it was time to pursue my love and I was going to make it work by any means necessary.

All of my coworkers were more worried than I was. All I heard was, “Tiffany, you are a single mother with two boys. How are you going to take care of them?” “How are you going to make it? ” “What are you going to do?”

And every time I was questioned, I said with a smile, I have a plan.

Fast forward almost three months later, and here I am today. I have been able to pay my bills and even pay down some more debt. We have not wanted for anything. It ended up being okay!

I now have more time with my kids. I have more time for self-care. I have more time for doing what I love to do, and that’s talking about money.

We all have a story, and we all go through circumstances, but life is all about how you work through them. It took a lot to walk away from a $60,000 a year, salaried position but it was best for us.

Thanks, Tiffany, for sharing the importance of prioritizing your health and family over making money!  I hope that everything continues to go well in the coming months and years!

To learn more about Tiffany’s decision, visit: https://www.moneytalkwitht.com/home/i-quit

About Tiffany:

Tiffany Grant is a single millennial juggling graduate school and studying for her CFP certification all while taking care of 2 boys (whew). She has been budgeting for years and, as a result, was able to buy her first house at the age of 26. Tiffany has also paid off over $20,000 in debt to date! She loves talking about money and encourages others to do the same. In December of 2017, Tiffany started a blog called Money Talk With Tiff with the sole purpose of helping other young people increase their financial literacy. She is on a mission to be debt free by 30 and wants to help others along the way.

Please visit her website: www.moneytalkwitht.com

And follow her on social media:

📷: https://www.instagram.com/moneytalkwitht/
🐦: https://twitter.com/MoneyTalkWithT
📌: https://www.pinterest.com/moneytalkwithtiff/
📺: https://youtube.com/channel/UCYQ8HDExD5_WllpSAfy_l9w
Facebook: https://facebook.com/moneytalkwitht

Stay tuned for the next installment of Financially Dumb, Personally Brilliant!