staying positive
The last time I had a big money goal, it was to pay off the last of my old credit card debt. I worked on it for many months. Sacrificed for it, planned for it… scribbled on the backs of countless envelopes… I came so very, very close. I had even started to save a little bit of money from each paycheck towards My Own Home. And then I was laid off from my job.
I didn’t panic, even though part of me wanted to do exactly that. Instead, I took my entire severance pay and put it into the My Own Home account, but I didn’t do it with a lot of enthusiasm. I figured that since I wasn’t employed, there wasn’t any point in getting too attached to the money, because financial need might make me have to raid the account. In case you were wondering, that’s why I put the word "tentative" next to this blog’s My Own Home progress bar.
Here I am, seven months later, making more money as a temporary employee than I’ve ever made before, and saving at a faster rate than I ever anticipated before I was laid off. I am blessed. Today, I am 94% of the way towards my down payment goal, and given my prospects at work, I can reasonably anticipate that I will meet my goal by the end of this month, enabling me to move on to beefing up my Emergency Fund. I am in awe - I’m on the cusp!
But I did have these fleeting thoughts: What if my project ends earlier than I think it will? What if I have to dip into my savings? Last time I got soooo close without actually finishing - what if it happens again? Maybe I shouldn’t get my hopes up too high, too fast.
Guess what? I can’t afford to do this to myself. I have to stay positive and not get pushed around by fear. When I was laid off, I wasn’t able to pay off the last of that debt for another two months, but that wait didn’t kill me! When it was all said and done, I did eventually reach my goal. If for some reason I’m not able to save any more for a while, I’m still 94% of the way there. And even if I wind up having to dip into the account, it can be replenished when (not if) I’m able. What’s to fear? Only a negative attitude.
I’m just going to continue to push and push enthusiastically until that progress bar gets all the way over to 100%! That’s where my head is at. And that’s where I’m going to keep it.
