Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Finding Your WHY

Finding Your WhyI've told you all about me and how I got into debt. I've also shared my 2014 goals, relating to my debt, clutter, and life in general. But one thing I've haven't yet talked about is the big picture of why I want to get out of debt. I haven't shared this partially due to fear, but also because I'm still figuring everything out myself, like my life goals and priorities, and what my purpose is in life. These are things I've been thinking about a lot lately.

Hayley at A Disease Called Debt has been writing a series of posts about the emotional stages of debt. One of them is about using passion to pay down debt. I don't think I'm at the passion stage yet in my journey, but it is still something I am exploring. I think finding and sharing my big picture WHY will really help me stay motivated when it gets hard in the day-to-day.

In her post, Hayley says, "Debt freedom in all its glory can offer you opportunities, options and choices in the future... Debt restricts our choices in so many ways, but if you can eliminate your debt, you can allow yourself some breathing space to think about what you want your future to look like. Life is so short; wouldn’t it be great if you could live life the way that you want to?"

She also stresses the need to find and define your WHY. WHY do you want to get out of debt and what will your future look like?

I don' t yet know my life's purpose, or my higher calling, but I do know it does not ultimately involve working 40+ hours a week at a desk doing a job I don't enjoy. That's not to say I hate my job by any means. The people are pleasant (for the most part) and the job isn't hard. The pay and benefits are very good but it is not my dream job to be sitting in an office crunching numbers and doing monotonous work day in and day out.

I am hoping that by paying off my debt and having a larger savings I will be free to pursue something I am truly passionate about. This is the end goal I must keep in mind to help my self-discipline during the tough parts of my journey. I must remind myself that this goal of freedom and not being chained to a desk is why I am making the day-to-day sacrifices. I know the sacrifices are temporary and things will get better after I achieve debt freedom, but I must remind myself of that along the way.

If you are working to get out of debt, what is your WHY?

6 Comments:

At March 12, 2014 at 3:03 PM , Anonymous Hayley @ A Disease Called Debt said...

I'm glad my post inspired you - finding out your reason for wanting to be rid of debt is so important! Debt does restrict us in so many ways, but also it provides a good lesson too. By paying back debt and getting over the hurdles that will inevitably come along, the end result will be very sweet. You will be able to pursue your passion soon enough. Really enjoyed this post! :)

 
At March 12, 2014 at 3:21 PM , Blogger shoeaholicnomore said...

Hayley, Thanks for your comment. I am really loving your series on the emotions of debt. It is great! I am looking forward to the day I figure out my true passion and have the freedome to pursue it. Until then, I will continue paying down my debts while still trying to have fun! (Cheap fun of course!)

 
At March 12, 2014 at 9:40 PM , Anonymous KK@ Student Debt Survivor said...

I'm debt-free now, but when I was still in a boatload of student loan debt my "why" was similar to yours. I didn't want to find my passion and then not be able to follow it because I was stuck to a normal 9-5 job for the money.

 
At March 13, 2014 at 8:54 AM , Blogger shoeaholicnomore said...

KK, I'm always glad to hear it can be done! Thanks for stopping by :)

 
At March 15, 2014 at 9:38 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

For someone as young as I think you are it's so great that you're already asking yourself all these questions. Some people don't figure these things out til middle age or after. Good for you! Keep it up!

 
At March 17, 2014 at 8:58 AM , Blogger shoeaholicnomore said...

Thanks for the support! I do seem to do everything in life early. I am turning 23 next month!

 

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