Hey, Life with Justin Stephens community! Justin here, with a journal entry on recent reflections and adjustments. As we document this journey through personal finance, success, business, sales, and marketing, these updates help me stay accountable. This week, I had some honest conversations and realizations about priorities, budgeting, and pushing forward. Let's break it down.

Facing Reality: Can't Do Two Full-Time Jobs

I had a great meeting with my parents this week, talking about the reality that I can't work two full-time jobs at once—there's just not enough time in the day. We discussed my experiences trying to juggle everything, from night shifts at WinCo to my handyman side hustle, and how it's been stretching me thin. It was eye-opening to admit I've done a poor job of scheduling lately, leading to exhaustion and scattered focus. The key takeaway: Prioritizing what matters most and creating a plan to make it work.

Setting Priorities: A Clear Path Forward

We broke it down to my top priorities:

1. Being a dad and there for my kids—that's number one, always. My experiences as a father remind me why I push so hard; it's all for them.

2. Maintaining a good sleep schedule with my night work at WinCo—to stay healthy and effective.

3. My job at WinCo—for stability and that ESOP ownership building for the future.

4. My handyman side hustle—for extra income and growth.

5. My daily blogs—for long-term vision and sharing my journey.

I added these to my weekly vision board update, so I can track how I'm investing my time and ensure it aligns with my goals. This clarity has been a game-changer—it's like creating a roadmap instead of wandering.

Budgeting Insights: The Cold Hard Truth

We also talked about budgeting, and facing my experiences there was tough but necessary. Updating my budget showed I'm extremely close to breaking even right now, which made me optimistic despite the tightness. The hard part was looking at whether WinCo alone can meet my basic needs and those of my family—it's very close, but without my handyman income, I'd not be making progress. I'm scheduling more focus on handyman gigs to ensure consistent support for my family. In the grand scheme, I'm still at the starting line with rebuilding, figuring out how to comfortably provide while chasing my dreams of growing the blog.

Reflections: On the Verge of Breakthrough

My handyman experiences have taught me that persistence pays off—small jobs build to bigger opportunities. Overall, I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough. Before too long, people will start to see what I've been building, but until then, I'll keep pushing forward and taking action. If you don't have a plan, you'll default to someone else's, and that will rarely get you to your goals. So, I want to encourage you to create a plan, no matter where you are today, that you can work and build on.

Why This Matters for Your Journey

Reflections like this show how prioritizing and budgeting are foundational to success—balancing immediate needs with long-term dreams in finance, business, and life.

At Life with Justin Stephens, we share raw Journal Entries like this, alongside Point of View stories, Life Strategy tips, Resources, and Great Causes to inspire your path in finance, business, sales, marketing, and beyond.

Call to Action: Subscribe at justindcstephens.com for daily motivation. Share if you're resetting priorities, and comment: What's your top priority right now?

P.S. Tomorrow, a Point of View post from a budgeting expert on practical plans. Stay tuned!

To your success,
Justin Stephens