This One Habit Protects Your Wealth (Especially During the Holidays)
As we move into the heart of the holiday season, you may be feeling something along the lines:
“I want this season to feel generous and joyful… without sabotaging my future self.”
The holiday season can ask a lot of us: emotionally, socially, and financially.
There’s the sincere desire to be generous and joyful, and then there are the undercurrents of guilt, obligation, and overwhelm that can start steering the wheel without us realizing it.
And it’s easy for old behaviors to slip in quietly: extra purchases, rushed decisions, internal bargaining, and the promise to figure things out later.
We live in a culture that romanticizes “holiday magic” while normalizing overspending, financial stress, and consumer debt that lingers long after the decorations come down.
But you and I?
We can do money differently.
We can design a life, and a holiday season, that is beautiful, prosperous, and fully aligned with long-term wealth and sustainability.
What financial recovery looks like are holidays that hold intention, generosity, and a plan.
What Solvency Actually Gives You (That Debt Never Will)
Solvency is an underrated orientation around finances and simply means this:
You spend in alignment with what you have, without relying on consumer debt to bridge the gap between desire and reality.
It may not sound flashy or sexy, but it creates priceless outcomes:
1. A calmer mind and more spacious planning
You’re not carrying that low-level hum of “I hope this works out.”
There’s space to think, to forecast, and to make decisions that actually support the long-term vision you’re building.
Your nervous system settles, and your mindset gets stronger.
2. Clear, values-led decisions
When you base your spending on real cash—money already earned, not anticipated—you naturally make choices that feel aligned, intentional, and far more satisfying.
This clarity can then spill into every part of your business and financial life.
You feel more connected to your money and to yourself.
3. Wealth that actually compounds
Credit card interest is one of the fastest ways wealth leaks out of your life. It quietly erodes financial momentum.
Even if you pay your cards off each month, many people still feel the stress of wondering what that January bill is going to look like.
Solvency keeps more of your money working for you, and flowing into your reserves, your growth, or your personal wealth.
The Holiday Challenge: Slow Down the Spending Spiral
Holiday debt usually comes from the emotional intensity of the season.
The desire to be generous. The impulse to make things special. The pressure to show up for family, clients, team, and community.
The underlying belief that creating a meaningful experience may require spending more than you planned.
And underneath it all, that familiar whisper of, “I’ll sort it out later.”
This time of year activates old money patterns quickly and subtly. It pulls on your heart, your responsibilities, and your desire to give.
And when you’re already holding the weight of running a business or managing cash flow, preparing for year-end, thinking about taxes or payroll, forecasting for next year…
It's very easy to cross your own financial boundaries without realizing it.
Solvency brings you back to center.
It anchors you in what is real and available now, so your generosity, your spending, and your plans all flow from a grounded place.
Solvency protects your energy, your profit, and your long-term vision, allowing the season to be meaningful without creating a financial hangover for your business or your future self.
A Simple Solvency Practice You Can Start Today
A solvency practice doesn’t have to be complicated to be powerful!
One simple habit can shift the entire tone of your holiday spending and bring you back into alignment with the way you actually want to move through this season.
I call it The 24-Hour Cash Alignment Check.
Before you make a holiday purchase, whether it’s a gift, travel plans, a festive outing, or something you want to bring into your home or business...
Pause for a moment to check in:
1. Do I have the cash available for this today and is it in my plan?
Not future revenue. Not “once a client invoice clears.” Not money you hope will come in soon.
What you have available right now.
What currently works in your spending plan.
And then:
2. Does this choice reflect what genuinely matters to me this season?
To hone in on what matters to you most, ask yourself:
"What's one word that represents the experience I want to have through the Holidays?"
Some example words are: grounded, clear, prosperous, peace, simplicity, or conscious.
This one word can bring you back to center, back to your original intentions, and back to what matters most.
For any purchases, ask yourself: is this aligned with my one word?
When the answer is yes to both questions, you move forward with a grounded sense of certainty.
When something feels off, you simply give the decision space, at least twenty-four hours of breathing room, so your conscious decision-making and values can lead, not the urgency of the moment.
Those two questions create a surprising amount of clarity.
Many of my clients tell me this single check-in has changed the way they spend, plan, and show up for both their life and business.
If you want to take this even deeper, a short intentional break from credit cards can be incredibly illuminating.
Three months is often the sweet spot. It’s long enough to reveal your patterns, your impulses, and the places where you use debt as a bridge without thinking about it.
Counting the days becomes a form of accountability.
Most people find themselves feeling clearer, steadier, and more in integrity with their financial choices long before they reach the end of the practice.
Here is to the things that really matter to you this Holiday season!