Wholeness Over Withholding

There's something special about September!

Do you feel it?
For me, it carries that quiet hum of transition. 
Back to school. Back to rhythms. 
Back to the parts of life we may have paused during summer.

But if you look a little deeper, especially in our spaces and places, September isn't just about returning.
It's harvest season.
 

And therefore, a great time to ask: What have I actually been sowing into myself?
 

I've been letting this question cook lately.
In particular, I've been thinking a lot about the difference between saving and investing.

Growing up, my amazing and no-nonsense Nana—my great auntie—would give me five dollars for my birthday… and then take back four to “put in my savings.”

That mindset stuck and became a strength of mine. 
Save coins. Save time. Save energy.

And listen, saving has its place. It protected me. That savings account bought my first computer for college. Thank you, Nana! 

However, over time, I began to notice something else: saving and investing are both important, but they are also two distinct skills, like two muscles. Saving keeps you safe. But investing? That's what helps you grow and grow exponentially.  And that kind of growth, well, that can feel vulnerable.

Not because we're not open to it—but because of what it demands from us: Presence. Intention. Courage. Risk.

For many of us, we may have only learned how to save and withhold. But I've learned—sometimes the hard way—that when that mindset becomes unbalanced, it can spill into every part of life: delaying joy, rest, growth, and relationships. Rationing energy until it feels 'earned.'”

And that, comes at a cost….

In fact, I'm learning that excessive withholding can erode our wholeness not just now but for our future selves.

This month, I invite you to join us not just in preserving what we have, but also in planting what we need.

Not just surviving, but tending to the parts of us that want to thrive.

Now, you don't need to go big. You just need to begin.

I keep thinking about something financial expert Mellody Hobson said in an interview I watched a few months ago (she's an auntie in my head, y'all):

The key to starting a new financial habit—and I expanded it to all areas of life—isn't the amount. 

It's the actual practice of building the muscle.

Start small, be consistent, and you will grow. That's the shift, the habit we're strengthening this month.