Why I’m Ecstatic About The $56 In My Savings
By: John Broadway
Tags: Finance, Life Lessons, Money, Self Improvement, Life

I categorize my yearly goals so I can analyze which areas I need to focus on more. In 2019 I achieved none, zero, zilch, of my financial goals. I decided to focus on my finances this year. I decided that 2020 would be the year I begin to lay the bricks that, in time, would form a structure of financial well-being.

I started this year reading The Richest Man in Babylon, one of the best financial success books out there. If financial success is on your mind, I encourage you to read this; or heed the spark notes version offered in these bullet points:

Own your domicile, renting for life is foolish.

Discern the difference between needs and wants. Focus spending on your needs, not wants.

Create a budget. Stick to it.

Don’t take financial advice from people who aren’t financially successful. Duh.

Don’t invest in something you don’t know about.

Don’t invest in get-rich-quick schemes (although not explicitly stated I’m going on a limb and stating this includes pyramid schemes).

Save at least 10% of your income.

In January I finished this book and could not wait to employ its lessons and reap the benefits. There was just one problem though: I was homeless. Well, not entirely, I had my car to house me. Still, not a situation conducive to saving considering all my money should be focused on affording a roof over my head; you know, one that also had a bathroom and kitchen under it.

In February I could finally afford a roof that came with a bathroom and other basic essentials. I also had a bit of a dilemma: should I choose my financial goals over my professional goals?

I was working a job that was meaningful, raising money for the Humane Society, but it still wasn’t right for me. My boss presented me with a promotion that came with much responsibility and committment, along with the usual benefits and a 50k salary. Not too shabby. This salary meant I could have at least $4,000 in my savings by the end of the year.

But I’m an aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker; my heart was set on being employed in something related to film or at least where I’m utilizing my writing skills. I wasn’t comfortable taking a role that would require 50+ hours a week, a whole lot of passion and attention, while at the same time diverting my passion and attention else, seeking other job opportunities as soon as they came.

This job was perfect for my financial goals but not conducive to my professional goals. Ultimately, I listened to my heart and not my wallet.

Shortly after declining the promotion, I was offered a job as a production assistant on a feature film: a job with less money, stability, responsibility, and no benefits, but perfect for my professional goals. I took it in a heartbeat. This was my first opportunity to work on a feature film. Plus, I had the chance to foster relationships with film industry folks who had connections with major companies like Lifetime Networks (who this movie was pegged to be sold to).

I quit my job and decided that after the production wrapped I would not go back. I would only seek work in something related to film or writing. My calculations told me I would have enough money to last me at least two months. Plenty of time to find work. But still, considering my financial future was uncertain, I wasn’t able to start saving just yet.

In March, three weeks into the production, my eyes lit up when an assistant director asked me if I wanted to work with him and the production company he works for. The company consistently produces movies about once a month and needed a consistent production assistant; it was a job in the film industry, conducive to both my financial and professional goals. You know what I said.

Unfortunately, while I said yes, one can easily guess what the COVID-19 pandemic had to say about this.

Our production was shut down early and so were my prospects of working with the assistant director. Apparently, his boss wasn’t keen on adding people to a team that needed to keep its numbers small in light of the new COVID restrictions.

In June, riding on optimism, my spirits remained high while I had put my head down and went to work. Not for money, but the simple passion writing elicits. After three months in quarantine, I had written three Ebooks, established a website, started freelance script reading through Fiverr, started blogging on Medium, established a bi-weekly e-newsletter, finished drafts on two different screenplays, and applied for dozens of jobs. None of which I received.

The application rejections continued to mount and my confidence continually dissipated. Despite the slight professional progress I had made, my financial goals were in a regress. The money I received from script reading wasn’t enough for rent or much else honestly.

As I borrowed money for rent and basic essentials, homelessness loomed…again. Financial success was laughably far removed from reach. I began to question my competency as I wondered how I could strive for financial success when I could barely be self-sufficient enough to avoid homelessness.

At that point, I would have said yes to taking my old job back, but again, COVID said “Nope.”

In July, after four months of unemployment, I got a job as a Google Pay (G-Pay) brand ambassador. I was getting paid to take pictures of the G-pay stickers I placed on the windows of businesses. An easy, decent-paying job, yet something that made me feel underemployed and far from where I wanted to be. I appreciated the money but still felt the urge to quit. I needed something that aligned with my passions and professional goals.

Patience and perserverance turned things around. After months of fostering a relationship with the Senior Vice President of Partnerships of Roadtrip Nation (a non-profit production company), he offered me an assistant role: a ten-hour per week remote job in which I would utilize my research and writing skills to craft proposals to current and prospective partners.

With these two jobs, I was slowly climbing out of the financial hole four months of unemployment placed me in.

In August, everything coalesced to bring my financial and professional goals together. I received news that we would resume production on the movie that COVID had canceled in March. Plus, the assistant director reached out to me with more great news. After passing a COVID test, (finally winning a battle against the son of a bitch) I was part of the production team for the company that produces movies monthly. I instantly quit my G-pay job.

Now I have a job with Roadtrip Nation that pays for my bills, freelancing that offers me fun money and a production assistant job that offers me opportunities for professional advancement.

Best of all, I was finally able to start saving.