Overcoming Financial Stress by Redefining Success in Different Life Seasons

Financial stress has a strange way of sneaking into our lives, especially for parents, entrepreneurs, and purpose-driven professionals trying to do the right things with limited resources.

Even in seasons of blessing. Even when the numbers technically work. Even when we’re doing meaningful work, raising our families, growing in faith, and moving forward.

I know this because I live it.

There are nights when my body is exhausted, yet my mind refuses to rest. Nights where old fears surface in the form of broken sleep or vivid nightmares, echoes of childhood instability and a poverty mindset that learned early to whisper “help, help” whenever uncertainty appeared.

Yet, if I step back honestly, I am deeply blessed: I am a present father, a husband, a business owner, a coach. I am a person who can take his family camping, enjoy the occasional meal out, and invest in learning, all on a single income in a demanding season of life.

So why does the stress still show up? The answer, I have learned, lies at the intersection of money, mindset, and personality.

Financial Stress Isn’t Just About Money

Most people think financial stress is solved by earning more. Sometimes that helps, but often, it doesn’t address the real issue. Financial stress is frequently about how our minds organize uncertainty.

3-Bucket Mental Model:

1. Stability Bucket – covering essentials, safety, and obligations

2. Growth Bucket – investing in learning, tools, and future opportunities

3. Reward Bucket – intentionally enjoying life and celebrating progress

   
   

When stress spikes, one of these buckets is usually neglected, or over-prioritized. For me, when financial pressure increases, the Reward Bucket is the first to feel “unsafe.” Enjoyment begins to feel irresponsible, even when it’s earned and reasonable and that’s where personality comes into play.

How Personality Traits Can Amplify Stress

Through my work with clients and through honest self-reflection, I’ve seen how different personality styles respond to financial pressure.

In my own case, three traits often collide:

• Driver – wants results, momentum, and measurable progress

• Expressive – seeks encouragement, feedback, and relational affirmation

• Analytical – scans for risks, gaps, and what could go wrong

A small example? Google reviews.

When clients express gratitude for my work but don’t leave a review, my Expressive side feels discouraged, my Driver questions efficiency, and my Analytical side starts creating unhelpful stories:

“Maybe they weren’t actually satisfied.”

That same internal pattern shows up with finances. Even when things are objectively stable, my analytical wiring searches for threats, my driver energy pushes for faster growth, and my expressive side longs for reassurance that I’m doing enough. Without awareness, this combination can quietly erode peace.

Reframing Stress Through Perspective and Gratitude

Perspective doesn’t eliminate stress, but it grounds it. When I zoom out, I recognize something important: many families don’t have the option to camp, many don’t have discretionary spending. Many don’t have the time, health, or flexibility to invest in learning.

Gratitude doesn’t dismiss financial responsibility, it reframes it.

Instead of asking:

“What if it all falls apart?”

I practice asking:

“What has already been entrusted to me and how am I stewarding it?”

This shift doesn’t come naturally when childhood instability taught survival-first thinking. It takes intentional structure.

That’s where my 5 Steps to Build a Profile of Success has been more than a coaching framework, it’s become a personal anchor.

The 5 Steps as a Boundary-Setting Tool

The 5 Steps aren’t about hustling harder, instead it's about staying aligned:

1. Self-Discovery & Awareness – understanding limits, triggers, and strengths

2. Career & Life Clarity – defining what success looks like now, not later

3. Strategic Planning – creating realistic paths instead of reactive decisions

4. Skill Building – investing consistently without burning out

5. Sustainability & Evolution – protecting energy, values, and relationships

Right now, success for me isn’t explosive growth. It’s stability with direction and setting boundaries that protect my roots:

• Faith – my source of perspective and peace

• Family – my primary responsibility and joy

• Community – meaningful connection beyond productivity

These roots don’t slow progress; they anchor it.

Redefining Success for This Season of Life

One of the most freeing realizations I’ve had is this:

The skills I’m building now are not wasted, even if they aren’t fully monetized yet. Learning compounds.

As my children grow into adulthood, my capacity, time, and creative bandwidth will expand. The knowledge, tools, and insight I’m developing today will be ready to deploy, whether through expanded services, new business ideas, or adapting to an ever-changing job market shaped by technology and innovation.

Success isn’t static; it evolves with seasons, and peace comes from honoring the season you’re in, not forcing the one you’re not.

Moving From Stress to Stewardship

At this point, it’s worth pausing and asking yourself:

What definition of success are you still holding onto that no longer fits the season of life you’re in?

Losing your grip to overcome financial stress doesn’t mean you’re failing, sometimes, it means you care deeply. The goal isn’t to silence concern, but to channel it into intentional planning, healthy rewards, and self-awareness. When we align money with personality, boundaries, faith, and values, stress loses its grip, and purpose takes its place. To me, this is real success.

If you’re navigating financial stress, career uncertainty, or redefining success in your own season of life, you’re not alone. This is the work I walk through personally, and the work I guide others through every day.

Overcoming Financial Stress in Your Next Career Season

Yules Chan (BFA, CWS, CCS) is a CPC-registered career development professional based in Calgary, Alberta, passionate about helping clients discover their hidden genius through strategic, creative, and practical career planning. Brilliant Person Career Coaching offers in-person and online services to support your career journey.

Call +1 (403) 891-2673 or visit www.brilliantperson.ca for a 15-minute complimentary consultation.