Progress Over Perfection: Why Small Wins Matter in Your Financial Journey
- brownmoneysolution
- Feb 26
- 3 min read
2/25/25
Last year, I set a personal challenge: read 12 physical books in a year.
As someone constantly on the go juggling kids, business, and life. I saw this as a way to carve out quiet time for myself amid the hustle and bustle. Plus, I realized I wasn’t fully absorbing audiobooks the way I used to. I’d have a book playing while driving, but my mind would be racing with a million this I needed to do. More often than not, I’d have to replay the book multiple times just to grasp the key points, that wasn’t the experience I wanted.
So, I committed to sitting down and reading real, physical books. No distractions. No multitasking. Just me and the pages.
I worked hard to meet my goal, but when the year ended, I had read 9 books instead of 12. That bothered me. Why? Because when I set a goal, I hold myself to it. Keeping my word to myself and others is something I value deeply.
But after some deep reflection, I decided to give myself grace.
Reframing the Narrative: From “I Failed” to “I Made Progress”
I had two choices:
Focus on the lack—I fell short of my 12-book goal.
Acknowledge the progress—The previous year, I had only read 3 books. Now, I have tripled that number!
That’s a 200% increase in my reading habits. That’s growth. That’s success.
Instead of focusing on what I didn’t accomplish, I chose to celebrate where I started versus where I ended up. And that small shift in perspective made all the difference.
And it got me thinking… we often do the same thing with our finances.
The Financial Lesson: Look Back to See How Far You’ve Come
How many times have you set a financial goal and then felt discouraged when you didn’t quite hit the mark?
Maybe you planned to save $500 in three months, but you only managed to save $400.
Maybe you wanted to pay off $5,000 in debt, but you only managed to clear $3,500.
If you only compare yourself to your goal, you might feel like you failed. But if you compare yourself to where you started, you’ll see something different: progress.
Three months ago, you had $0 in savings, now, you have $400.
Last year, you were drowning in $5,000 of debt. Now, you’ve chipped away at $3,500 of it.
That’s not failure. That’s forward movement.
Be Intentional, but Give Yourself Grace
Yes, push yourself. Yes, set ambitious goals. But if things don’t go exactly as planned, don’t quit. Financial growth just like personal growth is a journey. The only way to truly fail is to stop trying altogether.
As Mark Twain once said:
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
So, instead of beating yourself up over what didn’t go perfectly, ask yourself:
Where did I start?
What progress have I made?
How can I push myself further moving forward?
Final Thoughts
This year, I’m challenging myself to 12 books again, not because I “failed” last time, but because I know I made progress.
And I challenge you to do the same with your finances. Stay committed, stay intentional, and keep going, even if it’s not perfect.
What financial goal are you working on right now? Drop a comment below, I’d love to hear how you’re making progress!
About Petra-Ann Brown
Petra-Ann Brown is the founder of Brown Financial Solutions, LLC, a financial coaching practice that empowers individuals to take control of their financial lives. She is also the host of Island Money 365 podcast, where she shares inspiring immigrant stories and provides invaluable financial resources to the community.
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