Three years into my business, I found myself crying on my bathroom floor, wondering if I’d made the biggest financial mistake of my life.
I was living from one payout to the next, one bill to the next, because I had put every dime and ounce of myself into my business.
Yet, there I was, waiting for the next payout and panicked that I wouldn’t make payroll.
I worried that, without that payroll, my business could collapse. Everything I’d built could be over.
But when I shook myself off and got off that bathroom floor, I knew I had two choices:
One: Close the doors and walk away from my passion.
Or two: Trust that voice inside of me that kept saying: ‘keep going…’
So I dusted myself off and broke the one rule I told myself I would never break:
I delayed payroll by a few days.
That decision kept my business going. And it changed everything about how I think about money, risk, and what it really takes to achieve what you want.
That was years ago. Today, I run a thriving wealth management firm helping women build the financial lives they want. But I had to break a lot of rules to get here.
Since then, I’ve shattered every ‘responsible woman’ rule I’d ever been taught.
Was it hard? Yes. It was very hard.
But the more rules I broke, the more I understood it was okay. You can break these rules too. In fact, you MUST break them to follow your passion and build the life you want.
The 3 Bad Money Rules That Keep Women Small:
Bad Money Rule #1: “Stay in Your Lane”
This rule says: Don’t step outside your assigned role. Don’t ask for more than you have been given.
It sounds responsible, but it’s actually limiting.
We avoid taking financial risks, pursuing bigger opportunities, or making changes because we’ve been taught that stepping out of line is dangerous.
And here’s the cost: 59% of women express regret for not having been more ambitious at some point in their lives.
My new money rule: Create your own lane
I was in a meeting bored to death and day dreaming, when the idea to quit my job and start my own business popped into my head: WatersEdge Wealth Management.
So I just did one very simple thing: I went to GoDaddy and I bought the URL for WatersEdge Wealth Management.
It took five minutes, but that simple action set everything in motion.
You have that same power. That vision you have? That passion you feel? That’s your lane.
Buy the URL. Make the call. Send the email. Five minutes can change everything.
Bad Money Rule #2: “Wait Until You’re Ready”
This rule says: Don’t make big changes until you have enough money saved, all the skills mastered, and every detail figured out. Wait until the timing is perfect.
But here’s what happens when we follow this rule: If you’re letting fear decide when you’re ready, you’re giving up your power.
You could wait your whole life (and some do) and never do the thing.
“Ready” becomes an excuse that keeps us stuck.
My new money rule: You’re already ready
When I decided to leave my job to start WatersEdge Wealth Management, I wasn’t ready by traditional standards.
I was a single mom who’d been told to play it safe. I didn’t have enough saved. And I had no equity. I was walking away from security and a steady paycheck.
But I knew I could figure it out as I went along.
I’d failed before. I knew I could sniff out signs before I failed again. That taught me I could handle whatever came next.
But your grit has monetary value. Your willingness to take calculated risks has monetary value.
You create value that doesn’t yet exist, and that value becomes money.
Bad Money Rule #3: “Fake It Til You Make It”
This rule says: If you don’t feel completely successful yet, just pretend until someday you finally arrive at “real” success.
Put on confidence you don’t feel. Act like you have it all together.
But this keeps you feeling like an imposter in your own life and career. You disqualify your current achievements because you don’t look perfect from every angle.
My new money rule: You’re making it, not faking it
I spent decades not feeling successful even while building something incredible.
Because I had debt, because my life looked messy, I told myself I was faking it. But risking everything is actually an investment.
Your grit, perseverance, tenacity, vision, and passion have real financial value.
Every sleepless night, every risk I took, every moment I chose to keep going, that was me building equity in my future.
I wasn’t faking it. I was making it.
All that worry was wasted time and energy that could have gone into my family, my clients, my work.
Real success is using your God-given gifts fully, even when life is imperfect. It’s letting nothing (not money rules, debt, or chaos) get in the way of what you’re meant to contribute to the world.
You’re not faking it either. You’re making it, even when it feels messy.
It’s Time to Write Your Own Rules
Here’s my challenge to you:
Reflect on these three questions, even if the emotions they bring up feel uncomfortable:
- What’s one thing you can do today to create your own lane?
- What would you do differently tomorrow if you believed you were ready?
- What is one way your tenacity creates value in your life?
Your answers to these questions are the beginning of a roadmap to the life you really want.
Don’t let these insights sit on the shelf. Pick one rule. Break it this week
Your future self is waiting for you to stop asking for permission you don’t need.