Year in Review & Anticipation of Another

December 26, 2009 1 Comment

Last January I started writing this blog as a way to share my thoughts and feelings about the process of getting out of debt and changing my life.  Writing about goals and money has been a great way to strengthen my committment to turning my life from just saying something to actually doing something.  Without this outlet to share my experiences, I imagine that I might not have had the same passion.

Still, not everything went as planned.  I didn’t make it to the Apostle Islands to go kayaking.  I didn’t climb Mount Whitney as I had hoped.  Eldon, Iowa continues to elude me.  I didn’t learn to tie a tie.  For the most part, the opportunity to do these things didn’t present itself nor did I go out of my way to make them happen.  If there is one lesson that I will take away from the past year it is this: If I wait for opportunity, it may not come.  In order to accomplish anything I must make an effort, take the first step, make plans and arrangements, research, make phone calls, send emails.  I must do something if I expect to get past the point of just thinking about doing something.

Despite the list of goals that I did not accomplish this year, I was able to complete many of the goals on my list in addition to doing a lot of awesome things that weren’t on my list.  I finished my Associate Degree and moved to a new city to begin working on my Bachelor Degree.  I spent a month traveling around the western United States and Canada.  I climbed my first mountain and jumped out of an airplane.  My girlfriend and I went on our first international vacation.  I shot a fully automatic machine gun.  I paid off my car loan and eliminated my credit card debt for the first time in almost ten years.  I took a road trip with my friend Noah to California where we went backpacking in Yosemite and slept under the stars.  I was there while he completed his goal of climbing Half Dome.  I flew to Las Vegas and went to “a show” and gambled a few dollars in the slot machines just to say I did it.  We drove around the Colorado plateau admiring the scenery and visiting some of the most amazing places I’d ever been.  I hiked the Narrows and climbed Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park.  I went on my first rollercoaster that went upside down.  I ate sushi and hated it.

The list of things I did this year is really spectacular.  I am proud of the things I’ve done and I am more proud in knowing that I’ve contributed to people accomplishing some of their own goals.  These same people that I’ve helped motivate have also been a motivation to me.  Thank you to Erin, Noah and AshLeigh for being the catalyst of my accomplishments.  Without the friendship and love you have all shown me, I might not have had the courage to do some of the things that I did.

While I am proud of what I have accomplished this year, I am focused on the future.  I expect the list of accomplishments to be no less spectacular.  While the list will be different, I expect great and many accomplishments by the end of December 2010.  Already in the plans are a trip to Belize where I will climb ancient Mayan ruins, a trip to Iceland to eat rotten shark fin and a trip to Germany to visit one of my good friends.  I will complete my first year of college at my new University and begin my second.  I will continue paying down my student loans.  Who knows what else is to come.  I tend to keep my mind open to opportunity if it presents itself but like I mentioned before, I have to be proactive and make my own opportunities.

Have a great holiday season and a happy New Year!  I’ll see you next year!

Filed under Life

I am Going to Die

December 19, 2009 14 Comments

Have you ever known something but not understood what it meant?

The other night while I was lying in bed I began to think about life and ultimately, death. I was struck with the realization that I am going to die; someday. Since that night I have been overcome with an almost sick feeling and I haven’t been able to shake the thought that, in fact, I will die.

It isn’t that I will die that bothers me so much as the feeling of isolation that comes with the thought of death.  When I pass over the threshold, I will leave behind everything and everyone that I have ever cared about.  The thought of being physically trapped in a box buried beneath the ground goes against the spirit of my being and the thought of cremation seems morbid.

I have always rejected the thought of an afterlife, though now I find myself seeking comfort in the idea that there may be something more beyond my worldly existence.  In a way, these thoughts are selfish.  They serve only as a way to alleviate my fears of death.

I find myself struggling to accept death as a part of life.  I know death is inescapable, that we were born into a game we cannot beat, yet I find myself trying to ignore reality.  At the same time, this understanding is an awakening.  So many people never realize that they have never actually lived until they are already at the end of their life.

With this knowledge, I will live my life as a gift not only every day but every moment.  I will follow my heart, live ambitiously, love purely, share freely  and give abundantly.  Only then will I live life without the concern of death.

Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.
     -A. Sachs

Filed under Life, Random Thoughts

Your Struggles Give You Character

December 19, 2009 2 Comments

A goal isn’t a goal if it is easy to accomplish.  A goal is something that you have to work at.  A goal means challenging yourself, facing a fear, overcoming disadvantage, taking charge, living proactively instead of reactively.  Goals require hard work and perseverance.  At times, you will falter.  You will struggle.  You may fail.  Through it all, it isn’t the accomplishment that is important but that you pushed yourself through the challenges in order to succeed.

It is easy to stand on the sideline and watch the world move around you while you wish away your life.  I know, I’ve done it.  A large portion of my teenage years were spent smoking pot, listening to rock n’ roll and sleeping.  While none of these things individually are the reason why I was unmotivated to be successful, they were my escape from reality.  It was my way of ignoring the fact that I was failing to live up to my potential.  I was insecure, I doubted my ability, I was afraid.  Worst of all, I was comfortable.  I had become complacent and accepted my mediocre existence.

It took a long time for me to realize that life has so many opportunities to offer and that I was missing out.  Getting thrown in jail really helped me to understand the path that my life was taking.  In many ways, sitting in a jail cell with no one to talk to, coming down from my high, was the best moment in my life.  I knew that I needed to change my life.

Just like people struggle to lose weight or struggle to finish running a marthon, I struggled to get away from drugs.  I lost all of my friends and it was hard to change my lifestyle.  I fell back into drugs a couple of times before finally walking away from it for good but the struggle was worth the effort.  I am able to reflect back on that moment of my life and appreciate the lessons I have learned.

It is easy to be discouraged when things don’t work out as we had planned or if results are not as immediate as we would like.  We forget that success isn’t something that happens overnight.  When we think about climbing a mountain, we envision ourselves standing at the summit, casting our gaze towards the distant horizon but forget about the six hour hike to the top.

Success comes to those who are willing to persist during moments of struggle and pain.  Our struggles and perseverance are what set us apart.  Those who stick it out will see the rewards of their efforts and those who don’t, won’t.  It is your struggles that give you character.  Your struggles make you who you are today.

Filed under Attitude, Determination, Goals, Motivation, Success

So, You Want to Travel the World?

December 12, 2009 2 Comments

"golden moments" by ajax8055 @ Flickr

It wasn’t until I was 18 years old that I really became interested in world travel.  My motivation to travel wasn’t to explore the world or to broaden my horizons.  I had different reasons to want to trek halfway around the globe; a girl.  With my teenage hormones in overdrive, I promised myself that I would save enough money for a plane ticket so that I could sweep the girl of my dreams off her feet and live happily ever after.

It never happened.  It wasn’t for lack of desire but instead, like most people who never traverse the globe, I made excuses about why I couldn’t.  I couldn’t get away from work and even if I could, I didn’t have the money to afford to travel around Europe.  I continued to perpetuate this myth in my mind until the days since I had last seen her turned into years.  When I finally did see her again, I realized that we were no longer the burning flame of lust and passion we had once been.  Time and distance had changed us.  None the less, we remain friends to this day and for that I am grateful.

This is not a story of lost love or teenage angst.  Instead, I want to share with you some insight I have gained since the time I filled my mind with excuses why I couldn’t travel to a time when I can’t find a reason not to.

I want to mention that not everyone has an interest in traveling.  Some people could care less about being in unfamiliar places, amongst unfamiliar cultures & eating unfamiliar cuisine.  That is okay.  I may not be interested in some of the things that you find to be immensely enjoyable.  Our differences contribute to the wonderul diversity of this world.  For those people who have ever wanted to travel the world, this is for you!

Stop using money as an excuse not to travel!  As a matter of fact, stop making any excuse for why you can’t travel.  If you think about something long enough, or hard enough, you can be certain that you will always find a reason not to do something.  In our minds we tell ourselves that a trip to China is too expensive but how do you know?  Have you ever taken the time to check the price of a plane ticket to Beijing?  It might surprise you at how affordable international airfare can be.

Accomodations can be as affordable or as expensive as you would like them to be.  The mistake that most people make when traveling is that they don’t shop around for the best deals.  We prefer convenience and we pay for it.  Take the time to search for local hotels in the area you will be staying.  More often than not, rates are comparable to the smaller hotels found in the United States.  When my girlfriend and I stayed in Aruba, our rooms were about $75 a night compared to the hundreds or even thousands that the larger hotels charged.  A two week vacation, including airfare and hotel accomodations cost me approximately $1,200.  Not bad for “the most expensive island in the Carribean”.

An option that I don’t think many people consider when traveling overseas is camping or hosteling.  These are bare bones operations, and for people who can’t camp without an RV, these are probably not viable options.  Something that is on my wishlist is a compact tent which is small enough to fit into my backpack, or at least be small enough to be portable.  I’ve heard that many cities in Europe have parks where people can pitch a tent for the night.  That is something I look forward to doing someday; getting on the Eurorail traveling from country to country, sleeping in a tent in an old city.

While I have stayed at multiple hostels in the United States, I’ve never done so outside of the country.  I would expect the conditions to be relatively similar to what I experienced in the United States; a bunk bed in a dormatory setting and a common bathroom area.  For about $35 a night, it isn’t a bad trade off.

Maybe you don’t feel like you have the time for a trip around the world.  My advice is simple; make time.  If something is important enough, you will find a way to make it happen, even if that means leaving the office for a week to spend some time in a foreign country.  It is so convenient to convince ourselves that there is no time for a trip, that our work is too important to step away from.  There is time, and your job will not self-destruct without your constant monitoring.

It is important to take a break every now and again.  I’m not saying you need to quit your job entirely and travel the world.  What I am saying is to just make time for other things in life.  If travel is something that you have always wanted to do, start planning today.  Schedule your vacation for next Spring.  Time is more precious than any amount of money and is the only thing in life that we can never get back.  Don’t take it forgranted.  Use it to your advantage.

What else is there?  If you stop using money and time as an excuse, what are we left with?  Your neighbors can watch the dog.  Your mother-in-law can water your plants.  You can hire the neighbor kid to mow the lawn.  Send the kids to Grandma’s house or better yet, take them with you!  Immerse them in the beauty of our world and show them the possibilities that exist outside of the borders of their own country.

Most of all, have fun!  Traveling the world is a great experience and you learn so much in doing so.  Don’t try to plan every moment, take time to relax and absorb the world around you.  This is your time, you’ve earned it.  Enjoy!

Filed under Travel

The Last of My Debt: Student Loans

December 5, 2009 6 Comments

Contractually I am under no obligation to begin repaying my Student Loan debt.  I could care less about contracts.  I want this debt gone and I want it gone as quickly as possible.  That means I must create a plan.

My Student Loan balance is currently at $29,241.94, not including accrued interest which is $1,735.50 for a grand total of $30,977.44.  Owing this much money does not make me feel good and I have a burning need to eliminate this debt.  The good news is that now that I have paid off my car loan, I have an extra $328 a month to apply towards my Student Loans without making any changes to my lifestyle.

The problem with only paying $328 a month means that I won’t be out of debt until 10 years from today.  That is too long.  The thought of paying down debt for the next ten years is overwhelming.  I don’t want to hand my paycheck over to some faceless company for “the rest of my life.”  Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I have decided to focus my attention on the “most important” portion of the loan, the $15,102.94 in Unsubsidized loans at 6.8% interest.  I hope to be able to eliminate this debt by the time I graduate in May 2011.  That gives me 18 months and a challenging, yet possible, goal to work towards for a short period of time.

In order to accomplish this task, I have to come up with $839 a month.  That is going to be hard but I hope it will not be impossible.  The budget that I have drafted up allows $619.50 a month for debt repayment.  My budget currently includes saving 10% of my Gross Income for my Emergency Fund because I drained that account in order to pay off my car.  Now it is time to build that back up to a reasonable amount.  I probably won’t reach my goal of saving $5,000 since I’d rather put my money towards debt repayment.  I’ll boost my EF to an amount that will equal 3 months of living expenses after which I will begin using the money that had been going into savings for debt repayment.

During this period of debt reduction I will adjust my budget on occasion to allow for discretionary spending such as travel expenses and unexpected costs such as clothing.  I know that this is not an ideal situation in terms of “proper” budgeting however, since I rarely buy clothing (I finally broke down and bought a new pair of jeans after the butt on my favorite pair of jeans literally fell apart) and I don’t usually plan very far in the advance for travel, these expenses are too random to plan for effectively in the long term.  Still, by the end of 18 months, I want the Unsubsidized Loans gone and that is my goal.

This begins today and to prove that I’m serious, I sold one of my most prized possessions, my 5-string bass guitar and the amplifier that went with it.  Once I put the check in the bank, that money is going directly to paying off my Student Loans.  I sacrifice today so that I won’t have to sacrifice later.  Selling that guitar was one of the most difficult things I have had to do.  I focused on the emotions attached to it, how hard I worked washing dishes for $5 an hour in order to earn enough money to pay for it and how much I loved playing it back in the day.  The reality of the situation was that I hadn’t played it in years and having it sitting in the closet wasn’t doing me any good.

Debt sucks!

Filed under Budgeting, Debt, Education, Goal Updates, Money, Preparation

A Limited Time Offer

December 5, 2009 Leave a comment

"Wish" by Bri Doll @ Flickr

By their very nature, goals are almost always one step ahead of where we are today and while our eyes are perpetually focused on what will be, we lose sight of what is.  We plan for the future and think about tomorrow yet we are guaranteed neither.  Our life is a limited time offer.

Too often our focus rests upon what we do not have or those things that are not ideal in our lives.  We set goals as a way to better our lives, not realizing that our focus on improvement is the reason we are dissatisfied with our lives today.  We trick ourselves into believing that happiness can be found in a pay raise or that a boob job will make us beautiful.  This isn’t the truth.  Happiness cannot be found “out there”, it comes from within.

We are under the wrong impression.  We think that we can be happy “if only things were different”.  Things can be different and maybe even bring about positive changes in life but external forces, no matter how significant, are not the creators of happiness.  We need to realize that our life, as imperfect as it may be, is a gift.  We need to stop focusing on what we don’t have and be grateful for what we do.  If we are able to accomplish only these few things, happiness is sure to follow.

Stop focusing on tomorrow.  Quit worrying about the way you want things to turn out in life.  Forget about your goals.  Instead, live in the moment.  Focus on now.  Let the stress of the future melt away from your life today.  This is your one chance to live, this moment in which you are currently occupying.  You are not living one second ago nor one second from now.  You cannot predict the future and what will be so stop worrying about it.

It is important to have goals in life but goals are not everything.  Goals will help you in accomplishing your dreams but once you have accomplished one there will be another, then another.  Know when to forget about your goals and learn how to focus on the moment without concerning yourself with anything else.

Make plans for the future but don’t spend so much time focused on tomorrow that you forget about today.  Who knows…you could get hit by a bus the next time you cross the street.  Don’t forget to look both ways.

Filed under Goals, Life, Prioritizing

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