Thursday, July 28, 2011

It's all about choices

While watching one of my favorite shows, White Collar, I heard a little nugget of inspiration:"Ultimately choices are sacrifices. We sacrifice what we want for what what we want more."
This hit me square in the forehead. I have been pondering my choices for the last little while and whether or not my choices reflect what things are truly are important to me. I hate to admit that until recently they did not.
There are three things I want out of life:
1. I want to be healthy.
2. I want to be financially stable
3. I want my family to be spiritually and emotionally fulfilled.

Over the last three weeks my husband and I have been going to the gym five times a week. The first two weeks were HARD. It hasn't gotten much easier. I have had some discouraging setbacks including severe pain to by shins and knees. This forced me to get more creative about my routine. Instead of running on the treadmill, which I was starting to enjoy, I am using the elliptical because it puts less pressure on my knees and shins. Hopefully when the pain goes away I can have another go at running.
I have found that working out with my husband has given us quality time together that I was expecting. We are usually at the gym for an hour and a half - the gym has free daycare- and it's nice to be able to talk and encourage each other to get better.

Financially we have been stuck in this cycle. We get in debt and when taxes come we pay it all off and sure enough by the next year we're back in debt again. A few months ago we went to talk to a financial adviser about getting a home. Our credit is excellent but our debt-income ratio was a little too high. This has given me the incentive I needed to get our finances under control. We want a house and we need to pay off our debt to do it. We have a solid plan and we found a job opportunity that allows us to work together part-time and help others get their finances in order. Our struggle has been an inspiration for me to help others.

I am excited about the changes we are making even though most days are a struggle. I still have to work to push past a lot of anxiety and stress that is extremely suffocating but every time I make even a little progress I find that the next day is just a little bit easier. I am totally committed to making my life better and I am looking forward to a new me!