This is not the best subject for me, because I'm not a finance wizard, and the feelings alone make me cringe, but I'm not going to avoid it for the mere reason I can't...none of us can! Let's compare $60,000 to $25000, big difference and yet this is what we've had to do. It all started, when my husband came home one day, practically in tears, and said he quit his job. He said that he was in so much pain and that if he didn't stop what he was doing, he would be disabled in a very short time. I'd like to tell you that I was loving and understanding, but instead I went into, "What the hec are we going to do?", mode. I panicked! Plus, I was mad, to say the least! How could he just quit his job? Now, years later, I'm faced with the same turmoil, that he faced. I've got severe osteo arthritis in my spine, multiple pinched nerves that even when unpinched, come back frequently, and working any kind of job has been a challenge in the past few years. On top of all that, we have no insurance! But disability is not in my vocabulary, quite yet! I feel there is many gifts God has given to us and many different ways in which to make money, so here lies the true test, what can we do and in the meantime learn to be happy and content with what we have? I believe there is an answer to everything; we just need to seek it out. So, my next step is to list some possibilities and things we can do to improve our situation, but I feel it will help others as well. I'm kind of looking at it as an exploration of self as well as an inventory if you will, so here goes.
- We have to believe in ourselves. It's easy for any one of us to throw in the towel when life has not panned out the way we thought, but we all know that is the easy way out. To quit or to maintain, or settle is to be ok with a less than mediore life. It is why we look back on our lives, and regret that we had not taken chances. Do we really want to be there someday?
- We need to analyze and ask ourself the question, "What do we want want?" Seems simple, but truth is, it's a big question. Most of us are so dissatisfied in our lives, that we get to the point where we get downright pissed. This can actually work in our favor. We need to take the time and write down what it is we want. Examples would be: I want stability. I want peace of mind. I want to have some fun in this life.
- We need to recognize what is not working in our lives. Unpleasant as this may be, this too, we should write down. Examples would be: severe depression taking over our life, wasting valuable time, totally exhausted, because we can't sleep at night, our relationship seems to be going in an opposite direction of our significant other. When we recognize and admit to these things, we are actually starting to take responsibility for our lives. It is at this point, we need to work on fixing what is broken. Sometimes we can't do it on our own. We may very well need the assistance of a professional or perhaps someone who is a good friend, or a middle man. The point is, don't continue to live with what's broken, fix it!
- How do we get where we are going? Every road leads somewhere, so it is up to us to find the road that is going to get us to where we want to be. It's much like an inventory of all the ingredients you need to get something done. We may very well need to do some work here to be able to achieve our mission. It may be education. It may be working two jobs for awhile, it may be doing something totally out of our comfort zone, but regardless of what it is, it's the sacrifice we have to make to get what we want, and there is no getting around it.
- I'm a firm believer that we were all created with a purpose, or we have built into us special gifts. Most of us can even list them. I'm good with numbers. I have a beautiful voice. I love to write. I'm a great teacher. This is an endless list. Ask yourself, what is your gifts? We are also people with great passions. They are the things that come from deep within our heart. Example would be your love for horses, or your love for cooking. You may also have a mission in life. My cousin at the age of twenty three became a missionary, and ended up taking over an orphanage of fifty children. Although not intended in the beginning, but more for an emergency need, her life's mission ended up being for the children of Haiti as a teacher. We also need to take an inventory of our assets. What exactly do we have under our belt in work experience that can take us to new horizons? If you've worked outdoors your entire life as a farmer, then your talents may be far more than you realize. It could stem off into dozens of work possibilities.
- Ready set go! Put a plan into action. There are many great books out there to help us figure things out, a trip to the library, research online, talk to people who have already went down the road before us. We can do this! I'm here to cheer you on and I'd like your support as well! Below, I'm going to list some of our strengths. This will be my starting point.
My husband is great at tile. This is his profession, so we feel that tile art would be a means for income. The key here is to keep it simple in the beginning, so as not to have high material cost. This means using scrap wood and tile left tile over from a job.
My husband also, (bless his heart, because I'm not!), is a great cleaner and organizer. He can whip things together in no time, where myself...it can take three days to do what he does in a few hours. Me, I get too meticulous and start going through every droor, every paper, till I've spent hours on one thing. Perhaps not a bad thing, but if you are looking for speed, you would not want to hire me.
My husband also has a great imagination. I actually think, if put to the test, could write poetry or a childs book. Sometimes I catch him rapping...I find that to be quite bazzar! Eminem, he's not! I think it's kind like singing in the shower, you think you sound good, but the rest of the household is giggling behind closed doors! That's ok honey, you can rap all you want!
Now, for me. What exactly am I good at? I'm a people person. I relate well to others. I'm a good listener, and I am a good encourager. I love to learn new things to the point where you could call me a learnaholic. My problem, however, is that I let the big word FEAR, get in my way. It's something I need to work on. It stems from childhood, and it's been the monkey on my back for years...no excuses, really, just what I know about myself!
I really love to plan and orchestrate. I worked for a catering company for awhile and was the Staff Director. I had to plan and oversee every detail, and hire and delegate others to get the job done. It was quite the task, but I enjoyed every minute of the process. I do have many years experience in hospitality, along with some education.
I'm creative in every sense,...well, except when it comes to being technical, this I'm not, and it's obviously not one of the things I've been learning about! Note to self...LEARN COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY! It simply frazzles my brain, but I can't use that as an excuse much longer, because if I want to be a blogger, I need to learn! But back to creativity! I love to decorate, but I'm not a cookie cutter decorator, I'm very eclectic, and I like to create originality, something that reflects us as individuals and our personalities. I love to find old furniture and reinvent it with artistic touches. I love to make things from what most people throw in the trash. I love to arrange flowers, (mainly silks), but have no schooling or certification. I love to make hemp beaded bracelets, and I'm just starting to explore making my own jewelry. I also love to cook!
This is a mission of need right now, so although I'm ending this at the moment, I'll be picking up on this at a later time. Peace.
