Thursday, October 22, 2009

Live Your Dreams

Live your dreams. These words float through my head several times a day. I thought I knew what that meant to me but over the past few months, I’ve learned that maybe it’s not what I thought it was.

A year or two ago, I started reading about personal finance. MSN Money and The Simple Dollar started things off and now, I keep up with ten or twelve sites on a regular basis. I came to realize that I’m in pretty good shape when it comes to personal finance so I treaded water, occasionally picking up a new tip or two.

Then I read Dave Ramsey’sThe Total Money Makeover” this summer and it was like my blinders were ripped off. I was someone who had a long way to go on her journey. Sure, I only had “good” debt (a student loan and a mortgage) but it was still debt and it was holding me back. So I got aggressive and mounted an attack on the student loans.

A couple of months later, I started reading “Tales of a Female Nomad” by Rita Golden Gelman and I realized just how much it appealed to me – learning, helping, freedom. It spurred me to work harder, pushing forward to eliminate that student loan debt.

Then my car bit the dust. I struggled with this decision (more on that later) and eventually, I came to realize that a cheaper, slightly older car would cause a shorter delay in my plan. This was a more difficult decision than I would have expected.

It was then that I realized I was on a major journey. My dreams and goals had become clear and I was working my way towards them. It was an exciting moment.

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