How Can I Build Momentum with My Money When I Have Zero Energy?

What do you do when you know something needs to change, but you just don't have the energy to deal with it when even thinking about your money feels heavy? Friend, Maybe today you don't need a full reset. Maybe you just need a restart.And today we're going to take one small step together to help you get restarted again on your financial journey. Hey, friend. Ralph Estep Jr. Here.This is Financially Confident Christian, where we break that cycle of financial shame with confidence, with clarity, and with God's grace. And today we're talking about how to build momentum with your money when you feel tired, when you feel behind, or you feel overwhelmed.I tell you what, there are days when I can check all those boxes. How about you? Well, let's get right to our listener question today. Listener writes this Ralph I feel behind, and it's starting to wear on me.I just don't have the energy for a full reset right now. I just need a win, something small that reminds me I'm not stuck. I want to feel a little steadier, even just for today.What is one simple step I can take in the next 24 hours that would actually move things forward? Wow. I love this question, and I'm glad you asked it, because so many of us find ourselves low on energy.And when you're low on energy, the last thing you need is more pressure in your life. This is not a time for some giant plan. You just need a next step that feels doable.So here's today's big idea, and you've already said it in your question. You don't need a reset. You just need a restart. And here's the best part of that. When momentum begins with small, faithful actions.So let's get practical. First thing you got to do, stop aiming for everything. So easy to find ourselves. Aiming for everything.When you feel behind, it's easy to think, I need to fix all this. There's so many things I got to do. To me, that's just overwhelming. And usually what it does, it doesn't help you at all. It just makes you freeze.I know there are days when I come into my office here and I'm thinking about all the things I got to accomplish today. And I can't accomplish anything because I'm looking at this mountain and going, man, this list is forever. So let's lower the pressure on purpose.Your goal today is to not fix everything. Your goal is to move just a little bit. So instead of asking, how do I get completely back on track?Because maybe that's the problem, maybe you're so far off track that even the thought of getting back on track isn't really practical. Today, ask yourself, what is one step I can actually finish today? Your question asked that.You said, ralph, I want something I can do in the next 24 hours. And that's why this question matters. Because a small step that you can finish is always more powerful than a big plan you avoid.A lot of times, clients will come in to me, they'll ask me for my financial assistance. They'll say, hey, Ralph, what do I do? Well, give me it all, Ralph. Give me all those things.And I'll say to them, I said, wait a second, I can give you all those things, but take one step at a time. Because I know from experience when you try to do 10 things at once, most of the time nothing gets done.So right now, I want you to choose one 5 minute money win for today. I want to make this super simple. Just pick one action. It takes five minutes or less. I got some ideas for you. Check your bank balance.A lot of people, we talked about this on the show the other day. A lot of people walk through life just ignoring the numbers. So maybe your win today is you log in and you look at that bank balance.And maybe I'm scared to do that, Ralph. I'm not sure what I'm going to find, but that's a move. That's momentum. Maybe you feel like you've got all these bills stacking up.Friend, go pay one bill. Just go pay one bill to take off of that mountain. Pull one of those off there. Maybe you're like so many of us.You've got this bunch of subscriptions you're paying for. You're not even using them. Here's something you can do in the next five minutes. Go out and cancel one of those subscriptions.Log in to that and say, thank you, but no thank you, I'm done with you. Maybe write down one expense.Maybe you feel like you're eating out too much or you're spending too much on meals and entertainment or whatever that is for you. Just write down one expense. Go work on that one thing. Maybe you're not good at saving. Move a small amount into savings. Five bucks.Hey, it starts somewhere. Made two bucks. Whatever you can do. Move a small amount.Or maybe you're one of those people that procrastinates and you keep on getting hit with late charges because you're not reminding yourself, here's a great idea. Go put a reminder on your phone for that upcoming payment. Give yourself five or seven days ahead. You don't have to choose the most impressive step.Just choose the one that's most doable. You're not trying to prove something today. You're trying to restart that motion. But here's the thing. Finish before you evaluate what you've done.This part is important. Don't judge the step before you complete the step. A lot of times when you're feeling tired, those small actions can feel like too small to matter.But big deal, Ralph, I'm going to go check my balance. What do you say? What is that going to do? Oh, yeah, Ralph, I'm going to go pay one bill or I'm going to put $10 in savings. Big deal.They don't even matter. But they do matter. They matter because completion builds confidence.That engine, that little engine that could just started with one little move forward, you can do the same thing. And when you complete that thing, that confidence is built and that momentum gets rolling.And even one finished action tells your brain something, does that. There's magic to this. It tells your brain, I can do this. It tells your brain, I'm not stuck. And that's not nothing. That's how momentum starts.Here's another thing I'm going to encourage you to do. Repeat what's working. You don't have to overhaul the whole system after you complete one step. You don't need to do 10 more tomorrow. Pick another one.Just pick one every day. Listen, if you pick one every day for the next seven days, what have you done? You've done seven points of action.I guarantee those seven things will be impactful. Just one small action today, maybe another small action tomorrow, another small action the next day. That's just how that steadiness is built.If you think about it, it's not through intensity. A lot of people think you got to be super intense. No, that's not the answer. It's through consistency.What I have found, when I've worked with people who have had true breakthroughs, momentum is usually not one big breakthrough. It's one faithful step stacked on another, stacked on another, stacked on another. But here's something you need to do.Let your faith go into this and let Grace set the pace. Because I want to talk about your heart for a moment, because we got to connect this to the heart.Low energy usually has a story behind it, and I didn't get into that, but I want to right now. When someone says to me, ralph, I'm feeling low energy, usually there's something they're not telling me.Usually it's things like stress, discouragement, pressure, maybe life feeling heavy. And that's a time when it's very easy to add shame to a season that's already hard. Because we're our own worst critics, aren't we?We're our own worst judges. We're the ones that judge ourselves worse than everybody else. But remember this. God's not asking you to sprint right now. I never forget I ran a 5K.I ran this 5K. I was almost 100 pounds heavier than I was now. Now, when I started this 5k, my goal was to finish. That's all. I just wanted to finish.I didn't care whether I ran, tripped, skipped, walked, somebody carried me. My goal was to finish. And how did I start that? I took one step forward.Now, I'm not embarrassed to tell you that 5K took me 45 minutes and 45 seconds. Yeah, I was being passed by people pushing strollers, but I finished. And that's what God's saying right now. He's inviting you to take one step.But the best part is that step, he's right there beside you. Maybe he's even carrying you right now. Because small steps still count.Because with every step, even those micro, super small ones, you're still moving forward. So here's your one win for today. Just one thing. Choose one five minute money action and complete it. Choose it and complete it. That's it.I'm not talking about some reset, some long, big overhaul of your finances. Not a. Not a full comeback story. Hey, you might be in that comeback story. Just finish one step.Because I promise you this, that one step, that's one win, will restart your momentum. Well, let's get into our Bible today. I found a key phrase from this verse. It's from Zachariah, chapter 4, verse 10.It's short, but it's to the point again, Zechariah, 4, 10. Do not despise these small beginnings. I remember I said this before I started that 5k.I looked down at the ground, I looked at my watch and I thought, I can do this. And I stepped out with that foot. Do not despise these small beginnings.Because listen, friend, God honors your willingness to start even in small ways. And trust me, he rejoices in the first faithful step, not the finished results. Let's pray together right now.Heavenly Father, I lift up my friend who feels tired right now, who's feeling discouraged, or maybe they're even feeling overwhelmed. Lord, you see exactly where they are. You see the pressure that they're feeling. You see the weight that they're carrying.And you do see their desire to move forward. And Lord, right now I ask that you would give them strength to just take one faithful step ahead. Not everything, Lord. Just one step.Help them release that pressure and receive your grace. And remind all of us that we're not stuck, we're not failing, and we're not alone.Lord, steady our hearts, clear our minds, and let this small act of faithfulness be the beginning of fresh momentum. And I ask this in Jesus name, Amen, friend. Here's the best part. You don't need more energy to begin. You just need one step.And you can take a step even when you're tired. And if today felt especially heavy for you, you're not the only one. And I want you to share what you're walking through.You can share that by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/voicemail just leave me a quick message. Tell me what you're going through. Tell me about the triumphs or the struggles or the questions that you have. Hey, maybe just share with me.Hey, Ralph, I really like what you said about this. Or why don't you talk about that? I may even be able to walk through it with you in a future episode that other people will benefit from.But leave that message today. Do it right now. As soon as you're done listening, go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/voicemail I want to thank you so much for joining me today.Stay financially savvy. Take that next step. You can do this. I have confidence in you. God bless you. And you have a truly great day today.