Be Willing to Change
There was a moment that stopped me in my tracks.
I was told I didn’t have any money.
Not “you could have more.”
Not “you should budget better.”
Flat out—you don’t have any money.
And I remember thinking… how is that even possible?
How does someone with a master’s degree in finance end up here?
Where did I go wrong?
That question didn’t break me.
It woke me up.
The Lie About Education
We’re taught that degrees equal knowledge.
That once you’ve “made it” through school, you’re equipped for life.
But life doesn’t work like that.
Markets change.
Systems evolve.
Information expands.
Learning doesn’t stop at degrees.
If anything, degrees are just the beginning—not the destination.
So instead of being offended by the reality… I got curious.
There had to be a knowledge gap.
And if there was a gap, that meant one thing:
I had to be willing to change.
I Learned This Lesson in My Body First
Before I fully understood this in money… I lived it through fitness.
My third fitness journey started back in 2007. That alone should tell you something—this wasn’t a straight path. It was a cycle of learning, unlearning, and relearning.
I joined a gym and entered a fitness challenge. I wasn’t just trying to lose weight—I wanted to understand how to keep it off.
And the reality for Black women made that journey even more urgent. As noted by HealthyWomen, a large percentage of Black women in the United States are classified as overweight or obese, influenced not just by personal choices, but by deeper issues like access, environment, and systemic barriers.
So this wasn’t just about discipline.
It was about education and adaptation.
My instructor—a Black woman—guided me, but I did the work.
Eighty percent of it.
I lost 50 pounds and kept it off for years.
Then life shifted.
When What Worked… Stops Working
In 2020, the world changed during COVID-19 pandemic—and so did my habits.
I gained some of the weight back.
So I did what many people resist doing:
I changed again.
I hired another trainer → learned calisthenics
I discovered a new way to train my body
I adapted to something more aligned with me
As explained in Wikipedia, calisthenics uses your own body weight, making it adaptable to your unique structure. That flexibility mattered.
Then 2023 came—and with it, arthritis in my knees.
Another shift.
Another reality check.
So what did I do?
I didn’t quit.
I adjusted.
Physical therapy
A new trainer
Weight training
And in 2024, a program focused on nutrition
Because here’s the truth most people ignore:
70% of weight loss is diet.
Every stage required me to admit something uncomfortable:
What I knew before… wasn’t enough anymore.
The Pattern Revealed Itself
That’s when it clicked.
Fitness wasn’t the only place I needed to evolve.
My finances needed the same humility.
Even with an MBA, something was missing.
Because let’s be real:
No one should have to tell you that you don’t have money.
If you truly had all the information, all the systems, all the awareness…
You would already BE wealthy.
That realization hit deep.
So I started over—not from scratch, but from awareness.
The Financial Learning Journey
My next teachers weren’t professors.
They were practitioners.
People like Terri Couser, who broke down credit in ways that actually applied to real life.
And voices like Oprah Winfrey, who spoke about money, mindset, and ownership in ways that went beyond textbooks.
Because wealth isn’t just math.
It’s behavior.
It’s discipline.
It’s awareness.
It’s identity.
The Question That Changes Everything
If you step back and really look at it…
There’s only one reason you’re not where you want to be financially:
You don’t yet have all the information—or the application—needed to get there.
And that’s not an insult.
That’s an invitation.
Because it leads to one powerful, uncomfortable, life-changing question:
Are you willing to change?
Most People Say Yes… But Mean No
They want different results…
But keep the same habits.
They want wealth…
But resist new information.
They want transformation…
But avoid discomfort.
Change isn’t just learning something new.
It’s:
Letting go of what you thought was true
Admitting you don’t know everything
Being willing to look different while you grow
Final Thought
Your current results are a reflection of your current understanding.
Not your potential.
Not your worth.
Just your current understanding.
And the beautiful part?
Understanding can change.
But only if you are willing to.
So I’ll leave you with this:
If you had all the information necessary…
you would already be wealthy.
So the real question is—are you willing to become someone new to receive it?
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