The Most Important Year of My Life

December 30, 2011 2 Comments

Rare are the moments when what happens next will influence the rest of your life.

But that’s exactly where my life is today. It’s both exciting, and frightening. After years of being in the classroom, I finally graduated last week. I guess that means I’m a scientist. (Weird.) And now that I’m a scientist, at least in my education, it’s time to change the world. How, exactly, I go about doing that is yet to be determined.

Even though I’ve graduated, I’m enrolled in classes for Spring semester. I haven’t had much luck (any luck) finding a job (any job.) Instead of hanging around the apartment feeling sorry for myself, I’m going to use that time to further my education. There were some classes that I didn’t have an opportunity to take before graduation, and now that I have the time, it’d be a waste not to use it to my benefit.

Enrolling in classes isn’t without problems. If I receive an invitation to serve in the Peace Corps, I may have to drop out of school as early as April. But that’s only if I receive an invitation, and my departure date isn’t delayed for any reason. I’ve heard horror stories about that. At this point, I still have to submit what I hope will be the last of my medical information, which I expect will be mailed out within a couple of weeks. I still have one appointment before the paperwork is complete.

For a while I questioned whether the Peace Corps was the right choice for me at this point in my life. I think it is. An opportunity like this rarely presents itself…I’d be a fool to turn it down. And after writing a research paper about the connection between poverty and the environment in Tanzania, I feel like I have a better understanding of the types of issues I might be dealing with during my time in Africa. Knowledge is power! And now that I know more about the problems, I feel empowered to do my part to help. I might not be able to save the world, but I can help dig a well, or build a school.

Two years is a long time, and I know it’ll put a strain on my relationship with Erin. How could it not? Long distance relationships are notorious for problems. As much as I’d like to think our relationship is strong enough to weather the time apart, I don’t take it for granted that we’re not immune from the same problems other couples face. That said, I really think that if anyone can do it, we can.

In the meantime, until I hear something from the Peace Corps, I’ll continue looking for work. My job search will be limited to jobs that I wouldn’t have any issue quitting at the drop of a hat. It’d be a lot more difficult to quit a job I went to school for, and those are the kinds of bridges I’m not willing to burn, even for the Peace Corps.

And if none of the above works out, I’ll begin applying for graduate school. My school of choice is the University of Denver where I’d study Environmental Science, and specialize in Environmental Health. If I can get in. This would knock out Goal #63) Attend college in another state.

What’s all of this mean for my goals over the next year? A lot. If I’m not living in Africa in a few months, 2012 will be the year of climbing. If I am living in Africa, 2012 will be the year of climbing. Next year I’d like to climb Mount Whitney, Devil’s Tower, Kilimanjaro, and Ancient Art. I’d like to spend some time in Yosemite this summer…climbing.

I thought I’d get to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon last July, but it didn’t work out. This year I’ll get my permit application submitted earlier than two weeks in advance. I’d also like to visit the last few states of America, and finally visit all 50. Alaska will be the most difficult, but who knows…it could happen. Anything is possible.

Are you looking forward to what the future has in store for you?

Filed under 50 States, Career, Education, Employment, Environment, Goals, Graduate School, Graduation, Life, Peace Corps, Preparation, Travel, Updates, Yosemite Tagged with ,

Just Do It: Five Steps to Create the Life of Your Dreams

August 14, 2010 4 Comments

Now that I’ve moved away from my hometown, I use Facebook to keep my friends and family up to date on what I’m doing.  Whenever I travel somewhere or do something exciting (like skydiving or rock climbing) I post pictures of my adventures on my profile.  Almost every time I post a new photo album, someone leaves a comment about how they wish they could do the things that I do, claiming they don’t have the time, the money or that their responsibilities as a parent or employee hold them back.

They’re wrong! And if you think you don’t have the time or money, or that your obligations are limiting your opportunities, you’re wrong, too!  The only thing preventing anyone, including you, from doing anything is the willingness to make it happen; to Just DO It! The doors are open and opportunity awaits anyone willing to reach out and grab it.  There are no gatekeepers preventing you from living the life of your dreams. You don’t have to ask anyone for permission.  The world is your oyster!

How!? How can you begin living the life of your dreams…RIGHT NOW?

Make a Choice: What do you want out of life?  Do you dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail or living in a foreign country?  Whatever your desires, if you ever hope to see them through to fruition you must make them your priority.  If you want to travel, choose to make it a priority.  Want to become a writer?  Choose to make it a priority.  Inside each of us there is an “on” switch that we must flip.  Make a choice, flip that switch, commit to your goal and pursue it ruthlessly, without hesitation or apologies.

Stop Dreaming: Dreams bring inspiration but dreams and inspiration will only get you so far.  If you ever want to accomplish anything, you must move beyond the visions in your head.  Dreaming, hoping and wishing don’t produce results.  Burgess Meredith in Grumpier Old Men said it best:

You can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets filled first.

Stop Making Excuses: There’s an excuse for everything and guess what, all of those excuses suck.  An excuse is just a way of justifying inaction due to fear.  It’s easy to say “I can’t” if you can blame it on some externality that you “aren’t able” to control.  It’s not easy to admit that you’re afraid of stepping outside of your comfort zone.  It’s so much easier to blame your situation on money, time or the kids.  And since those excuses are so universally accepted in our culture, no one is going to call you out on any of them.  No one, that is, except me.  All of your excuses are bullshit. You know it and I know it.  Stop making excuses, you won’t live forever.  These guys aren’t making excuses.

Prepare: Want to quit your job?  Sit down, take an honest assessment of your financial situation and create a plan to shore up any weaknesses you find.  Create a budget, eliminate all extraneous expenses, get out of debt, build your savings.  Prepare yourself in real ways that will help you to succeed.  No matter how much you hate your job, hate alone isn’t going to set you up for success.  Do something positive each day with that emotional energy, then smile as you walk through the door because you know that you are one day closer to walking away for good.

Take Action: Preparation leads you in the right direction but, like dreams, can only take you so far.  Once you reach a point where all the preparations have been made, it is time to take action.  Action creates change.  Change brings about opportunity.  Don’t count on luck to bring you the life of your dreams.  “Luck” is just opportunity presenting itself to those people who are prepared to act upon it.  You can create your own luck by taking action towards accomplishing your goals.  Want to become an artist?  Paint.  Want to learn a foreign language?  Take a class.  Want to travel the world?  Buy a plane ticket.  Action is the only thing that separates dreaming from reality.

Creating the life of your dreams isn’t difficult, it just requires dedication, determination and a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone to take calculated risks.  Success isn’t guaranteed, but failure only comes to those who quit. Turn your dreams into reality, make the choice to make it happen.  Give up the excuses and prepare for success.  Create a new reality; the reality of your dreams.

Filed under Attitude, Freedom, Goals, Inspiration, Life, Motivation, Opportunity, Passion, Potential, Preparation, Prioritizing, Success

The Life You’ve Always Wanted?

August 8, 2010 10 Comments

We all have our ideas of what the “perfect life” would be like but often the images in our mind are a far cry from the reality we are living.  If you were able to travel back in time and ask a younger version of yourself if this is the future they’d choose for themselves, what would their answer be?  Twenty years ago, could you have envisioned the life you have today?  Is it everything you’d imagined or have your dreams evaporated into thin air?

Chances are, the life you are living today is nothing like the life you expected to have.  You sold your ideals for a dollar bill.  Why?  “Because that’s just what adults do.” We have to make a living to pay the bills.  There’s food to buy and television to watch.  How are we supposed to save the world when we’re up to our eyeballs in debt?  The mortgage isn’t going to pay for itself, is it?

“It is what it is.” There’s no time for dreams.  Dreams don’t pay the bills or put food on the table.  Our younger selves didn’t understand what it meant to be adults.  We have obligations now and we’ve built our lives around some idea of what it means to be a “responsible adult” in today’s world.  What we ended up with is a career that steals our time and energy, a mortgage that drains our income and debt from all the Stuff we bought to furnish and decorate our home.  We have many thousands of dollars in Student Loans and a couple of cars to pay for.  Oh yeah, and the credit cards…

It looks like being an adult isn’t all that we’ve been led to believe.  All of our lives we’ve been told that adults are “responsible”, implying that it’s somehow more virtuous to fall in line and follow the leader than it is to follow our youthful ambitions.  The “responsible” thing to do is find a job, get married and have children, buy a house and a couple of cars, then keep your nose to the grindstone until it’s finally time to retire.  When that day does come, we hope that our health will last long enough to enjoy the life of our dreams; the life we’ve been waiting our whole life to live.

And what has it all amounted to?  A garage full of Stuff we never really needed in the first place, kids that seem to resent our very existence unless we’re buying them something, a spouse that we barely seem to know anymore and a huge house we aren’t able to enjoy because we are at the office earning a paycheck to pay the mortgage.

Sure, we have all the Stuff we could ever imagine.  We drive nice cars and wear nice clothes.  Our home is decorated like a magazine cover and on the weekends we are able to relax with a cold beer in the backyard.  On the surface things seem wonderful.  A little deeper though and things don’t look as good anymore.

What are we sacrificing to create this image of the “perfect” life?  Our time, our energy, our sanity?  If the average person starts working fresh out of college at the age of 22 and retires at 67, that’s 45 years of life sold for a dollar bill.  We’re trading our life to fill our garage with junk, for a heap of metal to take us to a job so that we can pay for that same heap of metal.

What if there were a different way?  What if you didn’t have to spend your entire life working?  Would you do it?  If you knew that in 10 years you could be financially able to walk away from your job with enough money to pay for all your expenses, would you have the ambition to make it happen?

There is a way, it is possible!  The only problem – of course there’s a problem – is that to get there, you have to minimize your spending and save.  “But that’s Un-American!” Our entire lives we’ve been told to “get out there and boost the economy.”  After the attacks on September 11 we were told to go shopping as a way to stand up against terrorism.  Does that mean we’re supporting terrorism by saving money?  Of course not!

What I’m talking about isn’t a new concept.  It isn’t impossible.  It’s been done before and it’ll be done again.  And not just by a few outliers but by many thousands of people.  Will you be one of them???

What’s the secret?

Live Frugally: Cut your expenses to the bone.  Anything that doesn’t offer real value to your life is out.  That might mean going without a contracted cell phone, cable television, TiVo or Netflix.  Find alternatives or other ways to occupy your time.  It may seem impossible now but you can live without these things.

Get Out of Debt: You can’t be financially independent when you’re in debt.  Get out, get out, get out! By adopting a frugal lifestyle, the extra money you’re able to save can be applied towards eliminating your debt.  After you’ve saved up enough money to cover six months of living expenses, every penny should be thrown at your debt.

Save: Once you’ve paid off the last of your debt it’s time to save like never before.  It may take you a few years, maybe even ten or 15, to save enough money to become financially independent but that’s better than 45 years!

Invest: This is where the magic is!  With the money you’ve saved, you can invest it into conservative investment vehicles which will pay you interest in fixed intervals over a specific length of time.  If you’ve saved and invested enough, this interest will cover all of your monthly expenses.  Now your money is working for you, not the other way around!

If you’d like to learn more about the process outlined above, I recommend checking out the book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez.

Filed under Book Reviews, Budgeting, Career, Consumerism, Debt, Employment, Family, Freedom, Frugality, Goals, Investing, Lifestyle Engineering, Money, Opportunity, Potential, Preparation, Prioritizing, Retirement, Savings, Spending

Feeling a Little Like John Kerry

June 10, 2010 2 Comments

I’m the type of person that when I make up my mind, I stick to the plan.  Lately, though, this hasn’t been the case.  I’ve struggled to stick to spending plans, failed to keep a balanced budget and have been indecisive about whether to save money or pay down debt.  Cue the Swift Boat Veterans!

Even more than you’re probably sick of hearing about my struggle with my spending and the battle to balance savings and debt repayment, I’m sick of struggling to reach a solution to the problems.  It is frustrating to continually fail at reaching my spending goals and even more troubling to realize that what had been a surplus at the beginning of the year has become a deficit.

Exposing these challenges fills me with fear and discomfort.  It is a lot more fun to share the accomplishments, the highlights of life and inspirational stories.  It isn’t as enjoyable to broadcast my weaknesses and uncertainties and I don’t like sharing my insecurities and self-doubt.  I don’t like it but I want you to know that I struggle with the same challenges as anyone and I want you to realize that doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest.

It is a battle always in perpetuity.

I will continue to struggle and fight these battles so that when I come out at the end of all of this, I will have the comfort of knowing that I have fought to do the right thing the entire time.  In the process surely I will make mistakes and maybe even fail.  I will be wrong and do stupid things at times.  I will satisfy my impulses one day and regret the decision the next.

Despite all of this, there is an end to the war and it isn’t over until I have won.  It isn’t over until I have defeated my enemy; debt.  It isn’t over until I am consistently reaching my savings and retirement goals.  This battle cannot be lost until I choose to give up and accept defeat and as much as I may vacillate from time to time, I will persist and I will win.

We must fight the battles in our lives that are worthy of fighting and realize that defeat only happens if we make that choice.

*     *     *

Check out Pop Economics’ Carnival of Personal Finance #261 which featured this Hundred Goals’ article!!!

Filed under Budgeting, Debt, Goals, Life, Money, Preparation, Prioritizing, Random Thoughts, Savings, Spending, Success

The Borrower is Servant to the Lender…Maybe Not?

June 3, 2010 3 Comments

I have $31,829.47 in Student Loans.

Even though my loans are in deferment, I am paying these loans back while still in school.  As I mentioned last week, I am paying $350 each month towards this debt.  I’ve been crunching the numbers and came up with some scenarios.  At the current rate of repayment, it will take 9.3 years to repay the loan in its entirety.  By increasing the monthly payment to $450, I can have the entire balance of the loan paid off in 6.8 years, a full two and a half years earlier.

In order to reach my original goal of paying off $14,417.68 by next year I would have to pay $1,246.19 each month.  In as few words as possible, “It ain’t happenin’.”  If I were to eliminate all travel expenses (estimated at $3,000 to $5,000 a year), as some readers have suggested, it would take 4.8 to 3.6 years to pay the loan off in full.  By giving up travel, I could cut the loan time practically in half.

Maybe of more concern than the length of the loan is how much money can be saved.  The interest accrued on the loan when payments are $350 a month comes to $9,363.24.  Adding $100 a month would reduce the interest charges to $6,634.26, a difference of $2,728.98.  The accrued interests at $600 and $775 are $4,637.04 and $3,444.60, respectively.  The savings on interest charges could be as much as $5,918.64.

I could be out of debt in 3.6 years and save myself $5,918.64 if I eliminated all travel and applied the money towards debt repayment.  That really sounds great but the question becomes, “At what cost?”

Should money be the only consideration when getting out of debt?

The benefits of paying down the debt as quickly as possible are obvious and living with debt limits our potential.  Debt forces us to make decisions based on servicing our financial obligations rather than making choices that will bring happiness and satisfaction to our lives.  We are slaves to our lenders.

Or so we’ve been told.

The phrase “the borrower is servant to the lender” has been around since Proverbs 22:7 and in so many ways, this idea has weathered the test of time.  As I mentioned above, debt limits our potential and becomes the driving force behind so many of our decisions.  If we are in debt, taking the risk of quitting a job to pursue a dream becomes almost impossible.  Our ambitions are stifled by our obligations to our lenders.

Still, I wonder…is it possible to live a rewarding life while in debt?  Can a balance be found?  If we are methodically paying down our debts and meeting our financial obligations by building our savings and preparing for retirement, are we slaves to our lenders?  If we are able to balance these financial responsibilities while enjoying the moment we are occupying, does that make us slaves to our lenders?  There must be something more to this idea of being a slave to our lenders.

We become slaves to our lenders when all of our life energy is focused on servicing our debts.  We become slaves to our lenders when each penny we earn is not able to be enjoyed because it must be used to pay off debt.  We becomes slaves when we go to work for the sole reason of paying the bills when they come due.  Slavery to our lenders means the money we earn doesn’t belong to us anymore.  We become the middle man, working for one to give to another.  That is slavery.

Can we escape the financial slavery while still having debt?

I believe we can.  Being a slave to debt is a very real situation for many people but for a lot of us, it is a self-imposed sentence.  It was an imbalance in our finances that got us into trouble in the first place and it is an imbalance that is forcing us into a feeling of slavery.  If all of our energy is being spent to earn money to pay down our debts, of course we will feel like slaves.  If we work to create a balance between paying down our debt, building our savings and pursuing our passions and hobbies, the feeling of slavery disappears.  Paying our debts no longer feels like drudgery.

It will take longer and cost more money to reach an endpoint but the end will come.  Does it make sense to put yourself through 3 years of pure Hell to get out of debt faster and save some money or does it make more sense to create a plan that falls somewhere in the middle while you are still able to enjoy the precious few moments we are given on this earth?

That is a decision each of us must make on our own.  As for me, I am going to try to fall somewhere in the middle to get out of debt a little sooner while still chasing after my dreams and ambitions.  I am going to review my budget, find areas that can be cut and use that money to pay off my debt.

And as for cutting travel?

…

Filed under Attitude, Behavior, Debt, Freedom, Money, Passion, Preparation, Prioritizing, Spending, Student Loans

Tax Time: Gucci Shoes or Your Life?

March 6, 2010 5 Comments

It is that time of year again;  tax season!

For many people, a tax return is more exciting than any holiday.  Tax returns mean shopping sprees and vacations.  We dream of Gucci shoes, Prada sunglasses and Coach purses with more anticipation than we do of sugar plums on Christmas morning.

A large return also means a chance to catch up on old bills, bulk up our savings account or pay down debts.  Instead of using your tax return to buy more Stuff, take an honest look at your financial situation and use this as an opportunity to begin your journey toward financial freedom.

A refund can buy an expensive pair of shoes or it can be a chance for you to set the stage for a new phase of your life.  Living with debt limits your potential.  Living without savings restricts your ability to capture opportunity.  Now is your chance to eliminate the limitations and prepare for opportunity.

Nothing you can buy at a store will change your life.  An expensive purchase may bring a rush of endorphins that make you feel on top of the world, but at the end of the day, you are no better off than you were before and another opportunity has slipped through your fingertips.

A tax refund is only the beginning.   A refund means little without a desire for real change.  Your good intentions of paying down debt or building savings can be undone in a moment of indiscretion.  Real change requires discipline and determination on a daily basis, the days when you make small financial decisions.

Tax time comes around but once a year and we are faced with the difficult choice of fiscal responsibility or personal indulgence, yet each day we are faced with countless financial choices that can accumulate and far exceed the value of any tax return, however, we don’t give them the same amount of consideration.  For real change to occur, we need to question the day to day expenses as well.

Financial stability does not occur as a result of once a year decisions.  Financial stability results from a daily diligence to save, to live frugally and spend wisely.  Financial stability is a result of living within our means and staying out of debt.  It isn’t an annual tax return that creates change.  This is only the first step in the journey towards a life of financial stability.

Will you use this year’s tax return to buy Gucci shoes or will you use it as a stepping stone towards improving your financial situation and changing your life?

Filed under Consumerism, Life, Money, Opportunity, Preparation, Prioritizing, Taxes

Resolutions for 2010

January 1, 2010 2 Comments

I don’t like New Years resolutions.  They are  shallow ambitions that we do not honestly value.  Each year is the same as the last.  We resolve to exercise more often, lose 25 pounds and stop smoking cigarettes.  We will stop using profanity.  Our focus is concentrated on our character flaws and personal failures.  This year, things will be different and that perfect person that hides inside of us all will make an appearance for the first time ever.

We buy a membership to the gym and start eating healthy.  Our promise to stop smoking is “coming along” and not cursing has proven to be more difficult than we had thought it would be.  After a couple of weeks, our resolutions fail and we return to our old habits and old routine.

Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, set meaningful goals that you value.  If losing weight, eating healthy and quitting smoking are important to you, set realistic goals to make this the year you kicked the habit, lost the weight and began eating well.  Changing your lifestyle doesn’t happen immediately, it requires discipline and constant vigilance.  Start the New Year by challenging yourself to succeed with one goal first before moving onto the next.  Changing your habits one at a time will increase your chances for success.

In 2008, before creating Hundred Goals, I laid out five specific goals I hoped to accomplish during the following year.  Those goals were:

  1. Graduate from Community College
  2. Move out of my Home Town
  3. Pay off my car
  4. Begin paying on my Student Loans
  5. Be nicer to people

I have done all of these things, though #5 might be open for debate.  I like to include this on my list every year as I think it is important to strive to treat each other with dignity and respect, something I have not always been the best at doing.

My personal “Resolutions” for 2010 include:

  1. Travel at least 50,000 miles
  2. Find Internal Peace
  3. Maintain a 3.5 GPA
  4. Continue paying on my Student Loans
  5. Be nicer to people

In addition to personal goals, here are my “professional” goals:

  1. Meet or exceed 500 email subscribers
  2. Write 52 quality articles
  3. A monthly Guest Post on another blog
  4. Daily traffic in excess of 1,000 views

What goals or resolutions have you made for 2010?

Filed under Goals, Holidays, Life, Preparation

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

Ten Commandments of Goals & Money

November 28, 2009 2 Comments

"Ten" by koDesign @ Flickr

“Accomplish Your Goals While Managing Your Finances.”

At times, the two seem to be at odds with one another.  How can a person manage their finances when goals are oftentimes lofty dreams of indulgence?  A waver in one direction has an immediate impact upon the other.  The secret to is to find balance.

For the past year I have been toeing this line in my own life.  I have managed to pay off the last of my credit card debt and paid my car loan off more than a year early.  At the same time I spent a month traveling North America, spent a night under the stars of a clear California sky and climbed Mount Saint Helens.  This experience has brought me to some conclusions.  I’ve singled out the ten most important things to consider when you begin your journey towards accomplishing your own life goals.

The Ten Commandments of Goals & Money:

1) Know Thyself: Any successful journey in life requires some degree of foresight and planning.  Your future is no different.  Take time to consider what your values are and where your passions lie.  Create a list of goals and search for a common theme.  Use this as a compass to help orient yourself in the direction you want your life to take.

2) Happiness Is NOT “Out There”: Our focus frequently 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.

3) Follow Your Heart: Too often we ignore what is in our hearts, opting instead to think with our head.  While our brains have great capacity for extraordinary intellectual achievement, sometimes they hinder our spirit.  Listen to your heart.

4) Money IS Important: Money does not equal happiness but money is important.  Without it, our focus would change from accomplishing goals to struggling to survive.  It is important to be fiscally responsible and to find a balance between today and tomorrow.  Seek harmony in your finances.

5) Know Your Priorities & Align Your Actions: There is a difference between saying and doing.  It is easy to say you value something.  It is not so easy to express your values through action.  It is crucial that we align our values with our actions if we hope to live a life which is in harmony with our priorities.  In doing so we are able to live guilt free, knowing that we are doing what we believe is the right thing.  At the end of the day we can rest our head upon our pillow with a clear conscious.

6) Modify Your Internal Dialogue: We are too hard on ourselves.  Instead of building ourselves up, we break ourselves down.  We focus on our flaws, the things that we need to improve upon.  We ignore our talents, our individuality.  Learn to love your imperfections, they are what make you unique.

7) Debt is Slavery: We may not be pulling a plow across the earth like our ancestors but we are no less of a slave to our debts, however, we are our own masters.  Whenever you feel it is time to break free from the binding chains of debt, you are in control to make that decision.  The more debt you accumulate and each dollar you waste is another day of slavery.  It doesn’t need to be that way…break free.

8) Stop Making Excuses: 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.  Making excuses is not productive.  Stop.

9) The First Step is Always the Most Difficult: The hardest thing about going for a jog is putting on the shoes.  After that, things tend to fall into place.  The same can be said for most aspects of life.  Overcoming inertia is difficult and may require a leap of faith, a request for assistance or admitting you don’t have all of the answers.  This simple act may be the catalyst to major change in your life.

10) Knowledge is Power: The other day I was reading a blog post and read the following:

Uncertainty is caused by a lack of knowledge.  Hesitation is the product of fear.

This simple thought struck a chord and as I thought more about it, Fear controls so many aspects of our day-to-day lives.  We hesitate out of fear and fear what is unknown.  By educating ourselves we remove the unknown variables.  We eliminate the uncertainty.  The more we know, the more confident we become as an individual.  Knowledge is power.

Filed under Budgeting, Confidence, Debt, Education, Goals, Life, Motivation, Opportunity, Passion, Potential, Preparation, Prioritizing, Savings, Spending, Success

What is Your Master Plan?

November 21, 2009 Leave a Comment

"Sail boat" by Nuno Vasco Rodrigues @ Flickr

Without goals, our lives are like a ship without sails.  The winds of potential blow strong against our mast but with no sail to capture the energy we are left stationary, floating quietly with no command over the direction the waves push us.

Having goals allows us to hoist our sails high into the air and in an instant we are skipping across the surface of the water.  Our sails are filled with energy from the wind and our eyes are focused on the sliver of land that has just peaked out from the ocean blue.  Our destination comes into focus and as we arrive upon the shore we have learned a powerful lesson; if we create goals and harness our ambition & passion, we will realize our dreams.

If we are ships upon the sea with no focus or direction, what can we do to raise our sails and capture the wind?

Something I don’t spend much time discussing is the power of long-term goals.  My list of 100 Goals consists mostly of milestone accomplishments, things that once accomplished can be crossed off the list.  Crossing a goal off the list is a moment of satisfaction; knowing that I’ve done something great and meaningful in my life but once that goal is crossed off, it is done.  The moment has passed & I am looking forward to the next milestone that I can work towards accomplishing.

While I wouldn’t change any of the experiences I’ve had in using this method to accomplish my goals, the question that begs to be answered is this: “What happens when I have accomplished everything I want to do in my life?  What will I be left with?”

The answer is to have a Master Plan; a series of successive goals that will ultimately lead to what we envision our Perfect Life to be.  A Master Plan requires knowing where you want your life to be and figuring out a way to get there from where you are today.   It requires you to be proactive and take intentional steps in order to make your plan a reality.  It requires discipline, determination and flexibility.

Creating Your Master Plan

Too often we find ourselves ignoring our dreams of a Perfect Life because we tell ourselves that they are not grounded in reality.  Before we allow our desires to blossom into anything more than a passing thought, we stifle ourselves.  We are blocking our own success and happiness.  There will always be a reason why we “can’t” do something and now it is time to ignore those excuses and begin to create your Master Plan.

Close your eyes and envision your Perfect Life.  What do you see?  Are you working with panda bears in a sanctuary?  Are you backpacking the Appalachian Trail?  Maybe you are relaxing in your backyard drinking lemonade watching your children playing on the swing set.  No matter what you see, you have found your destination.  Now it is time to figure out how you will get there.

Usually at this point you would push your dreams aside with thoughts of “reality”, all the reasons why you are unable to pursue your dreams.  I want you to consider all of these excuses about why you can’t follow your dream but I need you to change your perspective.  Instead of using them as reasons why you can’t follow your dream, think of them as challenges to beat.  Don’t use them as an excuse any longer.  Use them as motivation.  Instead of feeling overwhelmed, find a way to overcome these challenges.  Your plan should be ambitious yet realistic.

The next phase in accomplishing your Master Plan is to figure out what steps you must take in order to position yourself to make your dream possible.  Will your Perfect Life require a career change?  Do you need to further your education? If your Perfect Life requires you to get a degree or certificate, enroll in classes, even if that means taking one class a semester for the time being.  If you need to change your career, start submitting resumes and begin networking with people who are in the field that you want to break into.  Prepare to Quit Your Job.

Ultimately, your Master Plan is about having a long-term goal to pursue while using short-term goals as a means for making progress towards your Perfect Life.  A Master Plan is not something that happens overnight.  My own Master Plan has been in the works for nearly 5 years, and I am only now really beginning to fully understand what it is that I want in my own life.  Progress is slow but steady and each day is a new opportunity.  Today is your opportunity to make a change in your life, an opportunity to start working towards your Perfect Life.  No more excuses, no more hesitation.  Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  You decide what that means for you.

Filed under Behavior, Career, Education, Employment, Goals, Motivation, Passion, Potential, Preparation, Success

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 213 other followers