Evelyn Connors turned 36 last weekend. Before she turns 37, she’ll be debt-free for the first time in her adult life.
But here’s the twist:
She didn’t try to escape debt during her twenties. She didn’t think about retirement. She just … wasn’t paying attention.
If you’re a nerd like me, this is baffling. How could she ignore retirement? How did she imagine her future?
I genuinely want to understand, so I asked Evelyn to logically walk me through her thought process.
Yeah. I know. I tried to analyze the logic of not giving a sh**.
That’s absurd.
Yet she explained it. And her answer blew my mind.
She revealed a human tendency so simple I can’t believe I never noticed it before: Most people only pay attention if there’s a problem.
Money. Health. Goals. Even family.
Most people ignore everything that’s important but not urgent. They’ll resolve a crisis, but ignore the long-term maintenance.
If everything’s humming along the surface — no warning signs, no terrifying debt collectors, no ear-splitting sonic alerts — then there’s no reason to pay attention. Everything’s fine. Right?
- If you pay bills on-time …
- And your credit score is excellent …
- And you think a “reasonable level” of credit card debt is normal …
- And retirement feels faraway and fuzzy …
Why bother paying attention?
That’s not a rhetorical question. If you want your spouse, kids, friends to improve their finances, focus on their motivations … not your own. And don’t assume their motives are as simple as “spring break” or “better car.”
Why do people start paying attention? What’s the trigger?
Red pill? Blue pill? Why jump down the rabbit hole?
Evelyn’s story might unlock clues around the mindset and motivations behind “not paying attention …”
… and waking up.
