It’s human to consider talent is the most important requirement for doing something well. But take it from money expert, UNE Bachelor of Laws student and new author Victoria Vivente – success is often more about just putting in the hard yards.
“Success comes from resilience, rather than from talent or confidence,” Victoria explains. “Resilience – the ability to dust yourself off and try again – is what often makes the difference.”
Victoria has plenty of first-hand experience with setting and achieving difficult goals through grit and determination.
She was working as a financial counsellor, supporting people in community organisations in financial difficulty, when her boss and mentor suggested a law degree would help her progress into leadership roles.
Working through her Bachelor of Laws while also writing a newly released book on developing financial confidence and freedom called Know Your Worth, Victoria has some sage advice on setting up good habits for success.
Whether you are improving your money habits, or learning course material and writing assignments, there will always be times where it does not work out like we wanted it to. That can be really disheartening, and it can be tempting to give up. Sometimes progress is not in a straight line upwards.
Victoria says it’s important not to be too hard on yourself when setting ambitious or long-term goals.
“Your worth as a person is not determined by how good you are with money or how good your grades are. Picking yourself up and trying again, whether that is having another go, or trying a different approach, is progress in itself. Best of all, resilience is a learned skill. You get better at it by practising.”
On money management, the subject of her book, Victoria says it’s never too early, or too late, to take control.
“If you have come to further study straight from school, it can feel like sorting your money out is a ‘future you’ problem. However, if you can nail your money basics while you are studying, including when you have less income to work with, you will set yourself up with great habits for when you are working, or when you progress through your career.
“We have a lot of older students at UNE. It is never too late to start improving your relationship to money and how you feel about it. Especially if you are at a crossroads and deciding what your next stage of life looks like. Understanding your own money psychology and life values can light the way forward.”
Just as Victoria has found, the skills and knowledge that help develop good financial habits can also provide a strong foundation for other areas of life.
“Knowledge is power,” Victoria says.
The confidence you will gain from understanding how your money works and what is important to you will transfer into other areas of your life too.
Though Victoria is very driven to achieve, she insists even she needs to dig deep to find the motivation to keep going, and that she doesn’t do it alone.
“The biggest achievement and the biggest challenge have been the same – persisting through each trimester. Working full time and studying six units a year is a lot of brain power every day, not to mention then writing the book as well.
“I have received a lot of support from the Law School. Every unit coordinator has had an email from me at some point, and they all take the time to reply with kindness and generosity. Nola Holmes, the Law School Advisor, hears from me at least once at trimester, and is a wealth of support and knowledge. I have also been extremely lucky to have two great work leaders in a row, and colleagues that patiently listen to me talk about assignments week in, week out.”
Image: Victoria Vivente presenting at a panel session with Scott Pape.
With end of the law degree in her sights, she has set her heart on a new goal.
“I am hoping to Associate for a particularly brilliant NSW Judge in 2026. After that … we will see what happens. It is a blessing and a curse to be interested in so many things!”
Meanwhile, she continues to have many projects on the go, and all while “often studying on planes, trains and in the passenger seat of the car” when traveling for work and leisure.
“Outside of uni, I have my money confidence projects. I own a company which produces social media content, co-host a podcast, and write a fortnightly newsletter, all about our relationships with ourselves, with others, and with our money.”
If that’s not enough to keep her busy, Victoria is also determined to give back through mentoring fellow students.
“I previously worked as a PASS Mentor at UNE, and currently work as a mentor in the new peer assistance mentoring – PAM program for students, which I love. I volunteer as a student member on the UNE Academic Board. I cannot recommend getting involved in uni beyond your studies highly enough.”
Her final encouragement to others on the precipice of taking a new action or direction is that the time spent pursuing that goal is worth the effort.
“The days are long, but the years are short,” she says. “The time will pass anyway, regardless of if you do the thing or not. May as well do the thing.”
Victoria’s book, Know Your Worth, published by Affirm Press, is available now.
