The Donut Calling My Name

The donut calling my name. 

I was sitting at the Toyota dealership waiting on an oil change minding my own business when I turned to the right and was accosted by a tower of sprinkle donuts. Now on the one hand I knew that donuts were not the healthiest snacking choice, but on the other hand they did have sprinkles. 

I told myself no several times, but unfortunately that little donut lover on my shoulder kept insisting what would it hurt to have just one? After all, several people had already stopped by to indulge in their early morning sugar rush, so why shouldn't I? 

In my attempt to remain strong I looked up the points value of a sprinkle donut, and found it to be a whopping eleven points. So rather than indulge I started writing about my dilemma. I wish I could take full credit for resisting, but to be truthful before I could give in my car was ready. As I look back on my supposed act of heroism, I'm beginning to think that sometimes you just have to answer the siren call of the sprinkles. 

Options

Options.

I came across an interesting quote the other day while reading a blog post written by Millennial Money Man. "Every time you make a purchase that you can't pay cash for, you are giving away a small part of your ability to experience change in your life." 

There is much truth in theses words. Once you have locked yourself into debt payments your life really isn't your own anymore. I found there to be a lot of relevancy for not only Millennials, but for Baby Boomers as well. As we near retirement having options can be very freeing. Not having our choices limited by the debt we have entailed might allow us to leave behind the golden handcuffs of an unfulfilling job. 

Many of the things we aspired to in our younger days no longer hold the appeal they once did. We may find ourselves paring down, simplifying and making opportunities to do the things we only once dreamed about. Having freed ourselves from debt can make these things possible while we still are young enough to enjoy them. 

If you are ready to "experience change" in your life you might want to reconsider how you spend your money, and get away from debt. 

Perseverance

Perseverance. 

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." 

In looking for some words of wisdom about perseverance I couldn't help but smile when I came across this quote. It seemed to describe exactly how I was feeling at the moment. I got an even bigger kick out of the fact that Newt Gingrich was its author. My politics are showing now, but I always enjoy hearing his take on the state of the country. 

By the end of the day I was both physically and mentally tired. It had seemed in decluttering my home that I'd taken one step forward and two steps back as I tackled each new area. Quitting was really looking appealing at the moment as I found myself running out of steam and momentum. 

However, I knew  that I would not be happy with myself if I gave up half-way through the job. So tomorrow I'll just continue on with the "hard work after the hard work" until I reach my goal. To be honest, perseverance is easier said than done. 

First Things

First things. 

Olympic skater Scott Hamilton, who is facing cancer for the third time teaches his students the following: "The first thing I teach my skaters at my skating academy is how to get up because we're going to fall ."

Wow! How hard have I tried not to fall in my life? How many times have I made not falling the main objective? It seems I have put my emphasis on the wrong thing. Instead of spending my time trying not to fall, I should have been practicing how to get up. As my grandson is starting to take his first steps, I'm noticing that part of the process is falling down. Now luckily he is close to the ground, and when it happens he just picks himself up and tries again. 

It seems that falling down is inevitable, it's just built in, a DNA of sorts. But for some reason we have convinced ourselves that it should be avoided at all costs. Scott Hamilton has fallen again, and is facing another fight. However, he knows how to pick himself up and does so with joy. Rather than avoiding the fall, I'm going to practice getting up. 

Less

Less.

I'm not sure where I got the idea that if I had one of something, then two should be better? 

I've spent the last week purging through more things in our home, and have come away with the realization that too much stuff gets in the way of any real action. When my desk was crowded with who knows what, I rarely found myself there. When my bookshelves were overflowing I found myself beginning several books, but never finishing any. When you own as many CD's as I do you literally would have to do nothing else, but listen to music twenty-four seven to hear them all. 

It wasn't until I started editing my possessions that I realized that my reluctance to take action had something to do with feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of things that I owned. More over, when I removed a few pieces of furniture from my bedroom, the room took on a whole new feel. It somehow seemed lighter and more inviting. 

Limiting what I choose to keep has allowed me to know what I really have, and to only own the things I really want. This whole experience has opened my eyes to how I want to view possessions in the future. 

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."  William Morris

Opportunity Cost

Opportunity cost. 

Opportunity cost is an economics term that has to do with the loss of potential gain based on choices made. Basically, it refers to the cost of a missed opportunity. As I thought about the term, I considered it more in relation to time than money; especially when it came to squandered time. You see, I'm bad about this. I have missed many opportunities that would have benefited me because of my use of time. 

Unfortunately, this resource can never be refunded. Sometimes we willingly trade our time for things of relatively little importance. How many hours of my life have been spent watching television? Has my life really been improved watching the train wreck lives of the"housewives?" Often times our work has taken control over our time. We have allowed ourselves to be overly stressed, overly worked, and overly fatigued thinking somehow the trade off would be worth it in the future. Unfortunately, we fail to realize how easily we can be replaced when we leave our places of employment.

We convince ourselves that the greater our financial gain the better our lives will be. We willingly trade our time for this monetary gain. However, people who make more are not necessarily happier than their counterparts. There comes a tipping point where financial gain does not contribute any more significantly to happiness. More is not necessarily better. In choosing your opportunities be aware of your potential losses based on your missed opportunities of nonrenewable time.

Letting Go

Letting go. 

Psychologist Havelock Ellis is credited with saying, "All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on." 

This has been my life for the last few weeks. Attempting to decide what to keep and what to discard. However, in the scheme of life there really are bigger fish to fry. Ellis is correct that in life we have to let go even though we would love nothing more than to hold on. 

What makes our possessions hard to let go of are the memories they hold. As much as I want to hold onto my daughter's childhood I have to let go. As much as I want to hold onto my time as a teacher I need to let go of my old teaching tools. However, what I don't have to discard are the many fond memories. I've kept a record of my daughter's accomplishments throughout the years, and I've made a scrapbook dedicated to all the wonderful students I have taught. I take pleasure in pursuing them both. 

I remember once hearing that you could not receive with a clenched hand. I think I'd rather approach life with an empty hand ready to be filled with future memories. Letting go has become easier already.