Feels Like Loss

My goal in life is simple. I want to be at peace. I don?t want to have to worry about debt or whether or not I have the funds to pay the bills. I?ve been there, and it isn?t fun. It isn?t a life I enjoyed. More money seemed like the answer, but it really isn?t. More money brought more expenses. Even after escaping our debt problems I had to learn to be content where I was, and that?s where I found peace. 

When I stopped holding onto things I didn?t need, and stopped caring what others thought. I mean I drive a car that just surpassed 318,000 miles on it. It?s a bit beat up from years of hail storms, but it has been paid off for years. My wanting mind tells me to upgrade. I have the money and could afford the payment. It would be great to have a truck so I could haul lumber or whatever else I want. 

Instead, I push that desire back and remember that no car payment means I don?t have to worry about making that payment. I am closer to my desired state of being with it than I would be with a new truck, and a prius can hold a surprising amount of construction materials if you really want to. The occasional truck/trailer rental or delivery service  is also far cheaper than a payment. 

I recently ran into an old foe though. We had a storage unit that we?d had since we moved to the city following a job. It was packed with old ?treasures? that we hadn?t used in years. Everything from books or a microwave to computer cables. My wife and I went through each box to determine what to do with each item. 

I was shocked at how hard giving up some of these items, even cables, was. ?I might need that? I told myself as I pulled out a cable modern computers don?t even use. It?s true, I might, but even as an IT Professional it is doubtful. I had to let it go. ?We paid 150 for that microwave? I reminded myself. It?s true, and it was a great microwave, but it is too big for our kitchen now. 

It felt like a loss giving these items up so that we could save 1200+ a year with pointless expenses. I had to keep reminding myself that the sum total value of all this wasn?t worth another year?s worth of fees. We ended up keeping some of it, but as I swept out the unit I felt a sense of relief rather than loss. We were free of this expense. 

Sometimes people have to downgrade to give themselves a better shovel in order to dig themselves out of the hole with (more disposable income to pay off debts). When that happens, it is common for people to feel a great sense of loss. You bought that home you couldn?t really afford or that car that is eating up too much of your income. You carefully selected it, and paid good money for it. The thought of selling it and getting something more affordable hurts. 

I get it, but sometimes we have to push past those feelings and do what is best for achieving our goals. It certainly felt like a loss all those years ago when we were considering closing our retail music stores. Relief soon followed though. 

??

Know your goals, and keep moving in that direction. If that means you have to give up something that is holding you back, do it. You?ll probably feel better in the long run.