Thank you! Yeah, I found it very interesting how much this willpower came through like this. Maybe it's the constant reminders of what I want for my future self and remember what I enjoy most about sneakers (history, art, the tech) and what I don't (the hurdles and hoops of buying it, the numbness of enjoying buying a pair of shoes after doing it constantly for so long). Of course, there will be the few instances where I'd really like it so much to where I can make exceptions.
I don't know if anyone's watch "How to Get Rich" on Netflix by Ramit Sethi, but I found his show and his podcast really inspiring. Even though it still revolves the basic money principles, he spins it by talking to people in an inside-out manner by having people talk about what they want in a "rich"/fulfilling life and how to achieve it using money principles as a tool. His mantra is about "spending extravagantly on the things you love, and cutting costs mercilessly on the things you don't," and that reminded me to reinvent my enjoyment for shoes by my perspective I just mentioned. Most personal finance stuff is just that straight up tactical method of "pay off debt, save for retirement, etc" stuff which is still fine, but it takes more than just straight logic at times.
