While I may be on sabbatical for the summer, today’s is a story that can’t wait until I return. The woman you’re about to meet has one of the most inspirational stories I’ve ever heard. Deanna (Recovering Women Wealth) has had a very rough life, but the real value in her story is how she dealt with it.  It’s an amazing story of recovery.  Knowing I’d be traveling this summer, I asked her if she’d be willing to share her story with you.

I was pleased when she said “yes”.

I think you will be, too.

Today, an amazing story of a woman who changed her life. From Addiction To Feeling Like The Wealthiest Woman In The World. An inspirational example of the power of our mindset. Share on X

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Falling to the Bottom to Find Victory

Firstly, I’d like to thank Fritz for asking me to write a guest post for The Retirement Manifesto. I am humbled and honored!

Note From Fritz: You’ve got that backward, Deanna.  I’m the one who’s honored.  Thanks for your willingness to share your amazing story with my readers during my summer sabbatical.

I grew up in a middle class two parent Christian household. I wanted for nothing in the materialistic sense. However, I lacked & craved emotional security in particular from my Father.

We all are just doing the best we can with what we’ve been given. I recognize that now and blame no one for the twisted path my life took. It’s so typical for people to react out of the wounds of our past and I’m no different.

However, if things get bad enough and a person is allowed to hit their bottom and suffer the consequences, they just might be blessed in doing the type of soul searching work which will allow for a different trajectory on life.

That’s what happened to me.

My life has become incredibly rich as a result of it.

In August of 2009, I made the best choice of my life and asked for help both in prayer and in the natural. As a result, I got out of a destructive relationship and quit drugs.

On February 1, 2010, I committed to full sobriety and haven’t found it necessary to take a mood or mind-altering substance since.

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Embracing a New Mindset

All my life, I had thought there’d never be enough. Never enough drugs nor enough alcohol. Certainly not enough good times. I had doubts that there was enough love for little ‘ole me. And I never ever had enough money.

All my life, I had thought there'd never be enough. Never enough drugs, alcohol or money. I've embraced a new mindset. The amazing story of Ms. Fiology. Share on X

I lived below the line in so many ways and embraced a scarcity mindset.

In recovery, I did a lot of work to look at my habits, thought patterns, and the roles I played in relationships. All of this work was to break free of old habits and form new ones. However, that can seldom be done, without getting to the root of things. 

So I dug deep.

Out of that deep well, I’ve found riches. I’ve found my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Furthermore, I’ve learned (and am learning) to embrace a growth mindset.

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The Riches of this World

Being and feeling wealthy can come from many different sources. As Henry David Thoreau says, “wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” Certainly, money is a resource that can make that possible.

“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” – Henry David Thoreau

However, alongside money, I’m going to share the 3 other ways which allow me to feel like the wealthiest woman alive:

1. Being Above the Line Financially

So yes, wealth certainly does include financial wellness. It should come as no surprise that when I got sober, I was bankrupt in every sense of the word – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially.

About 4 years into my sobriety, I became ready to work on my finances. When I asked for guidance, I was steered towards the Dave Ramsey baby steps. As a woman in recovery, I love steps!

I found a great amount of freedom in budgeting and telling my money where to go. Furthermore, as I started to work the debt snowball, I gained the confidence to believe that someday I might actually be debt free.

Well, on December 29, 2017, I paid my final payment and became 100% debt free for the first time in 23 years!!

I started out 2018 maxing out all the tax-advantaged accounts I had access to:

• Employer-Sponsored Simple IRA
• Individual IRA
• Health Savings Account

Now I have fun balancing my asset allocation – something I never thought possible!

Furthermore, I grew my emergency fund to cover 6 months of expenses and stored away enough money to replace my old car when it dies.

Mostly I’m on autopilot with my retirement savings but I do like upping my game and throwing more money into post-tax investment accounts.

I’m above the line and have HUGE financial peace!!! Reason #1 for feeling rich.  

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2. Reconciliation with my Past

Through recovery, I’ve had to reconcile with my past. In doing this I’ve uncovered my greatest character defects. Furthermore, I’ve revealed the lies I had believed about myself since I was a little girl.

In dredging up this stuff, I’ve replaced the lies with truth, forgiven a lot of people (including myself) and became ready to have God remove all these character defects.

As a result, I no longer regret the past but recognize how it’s shaped me into the woman I am today. Moreover, God lets me use my story to help other women find their victories. How is that not awesome?!

There is redemption in this life!! Reason #2 I feel rich.

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3. Healed Relationships

As I eluded to earlier, my Dad & I had a strained relationship when I was growing up. In recovery, I’ve had the opportunity to make amends to him for all the strife, fear, and worry I’ve caused.

Additionally, he’s made a couple of amends to me. The most meaningful one came shortly after I did some ministry work to really forgive him. He knew nothing about this work I did but one day, he called me up and apologized for the exact things I felt were lacking in our relationship.

It was one of the most beautiful moments I’ve experienced in life yet. I suppose I needed to first learn to forgive him without expecting results. Amazingly I was blessed a hundredfold.

Additionally, when I was paying off my debt, I was able to move in with my parents. There is no better way to face any lingering resentments from childhood than by being back home!

I faced and slew some more demons from my past. In turn, I was able to show my parents the respect they deserve.

My family relationships are deep and meaningful. Reason #3 I feel rich.

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4. Living a Life of Purpose

I believe we are all created with a unique and distinct purpose. Sometimes, it can take a lifetime to figure that out but when we do, it’s incredibly fulfilling.

Have you ever witnessed a dog doing exactly what they were bred for? There are different classes of dogs and how they are bred: working, sporting, terrier, toy, hound, non-sporting, and herding. If you’ve ever watched the Westminster Dog Show, you know.

Anyway, if you watch a dog doing what they’ve been bred for, be it pulling a sled, herding sheep, or sitting on a lap, they are happy. Why is that? Because they are on purpose.

People are the same in that when living a purposeful life, they feel happy.

I know my God given gift it to teach. And with all my life experiences, I now get to teach women in recovery. Additionally, I get to teach financial literacy through my blog and hopefully in new ways this year (stay tuned).

Sure I look forward to retirement but I’m also satisfied now because I’m living on purpose. Each day is a gift and while I do have to work through shadows of my past thinking, I get to embrace a rich life.

Find a way to see the beauty in every day, and you’ll feel rich too.

I know my purpose. Reason #4 I feel rich.

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Closing Thoughts

Life is really good and hard work pays off. I work hard in my career, hard in my recovery and additionally I play hard.

I feel like the wealthiest woman alive and yet my net worth is only in the 5 figures currently. The good news is that it’s growing exponentially thanks to compound interest.

However, I’ve discovered that my life’s richness is tied to relational things. If I were to die tomorrow, I know that I will die feeling like the richest woman alive. 😉

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Conclusion

Fritz here again.  I told you Deanna had an amazing story, and I hope she’s inspired you today. My biggest takeaway is this:  No matter how tough we have it in this life, we have the ability to change our life for the better.  One of the biggest factors which impacts the quality of our life is the mindset with which we approach each day. By moving from a mindset of scarcity to a mindset of abundance, Deanna was able to overcome an addiction that few of us can imagine to a life of true wealth.  A life of wealth characterized by:

• Being Above The Line Financially
• Reconciliation With Her Past
• Healed Relationships
• Living A Life Of Purpose

If she was able to slay her dragons, what’s keeping you from slaying yours?