It Only Matters Where You Are Going.........
I have received several emails stating how much they appreciate my open honesty here on this blog. One of the reasons I started this blog as through our struggles at such a low income, it was not only us. Since 2008 I have read and heard so many others struggles, many being people who thought they would never see the day where such hardships took over their lives. Anxiety, tears, frustration, fear, not knowing what their future held for them, depression. This all came with the territory of economic collapse.
I started this blog with the intent of full disclosure and honesty because I thought it may help others as this kind of struggle is not a stranger to me. Being honest to a very vulnerable level and knowing I may open myself up to a lot of criticisms of those who can not relate or fathom this kind of life did not concern me.
I felt the only way to help others was be disclosing our income levels, the sources of those incomes, how we spend it, credit scores, mistakes, splurges that perhaps should not of been splurged...... all of it....it could only help if open and honest about every aspect of our financials and style of living was out in the open for all to see.
Regardless of the economy, I wanted to show that no matter where you are at in this very moment is not what matters. The essence of this blog is where you are going that matters and if you have a goal to work towards there are no limits to where you can go.
I was told on a comment in another blog that my view that everyone has the same opportunities here in America was a ridiculous statement, that not everyone plays on the same playing field. That those who are raised in poor, high crime areas are not given the same opportunities as those raised in rich households that go to private schools and better educational opportunities.
They missed the point and I do not feel my view here is ridiculous, I refuse to let someone else tell me that because we are poor we do not have the opportunities to climb the ladder to one day be financially free or reach a level of success we strive for every breathing moment we are awake ( an in my case in my dreams as well as my mind is always working it out.....)
Perhaps as children not all have the same opportunities but that was not my point. I believe every ADULT American has the same opportunities in this freedom loving land of opportunity as every other ADULT American. We are where we are from the choices we make and we are all free to make choices, grow and learn. Opportunities come every day whether we recognise them or not, whether we act upon them or blow them off.......that is our freedom of choice. We all have the same opportunities to IMPROVE our circumstances and become successful, reach our dreams, set and accomplish our goals. Failure is NOT an option, something many immigrants coming over with nothing more than a dollar in their pocket are well aware of.
Our past does not define us today, nor does it tell us who we will be tomorrow, who we will be tomorrow is up to us. Our past is simply a reminder, a tool to learn from to grow from, to make better choices from. Once we realize we are free to make the choices that define our life..........we can go anywhere anyone else can and it is where we plan to go that is the essence of what really matters.
If someone may not have had an opportunity to get a good education.........libraries are free and within lies a free education to become a life long learner. As long as we continue to learn.....we continue to grow and our choices become more abundant. Our choices become wiser, once you realize learning can be free and that it is not necessarily only confined to 4 brick walls with a high cost.
I am well aware I have been called an Idealist, but I don't feel my views of opportunities for all is an idealist view. Rather I think it is a practical view that only a few may understand. Some may not know how to make different choices, they may of become so lost in the realities of their neighborhoods , they are not aware of anything but how life is in their general surroundings. Perhaps drugs have taken over their life and clouded their ability to make choices. Perhaps some just have blinders on to opportunity because change is hard for humans. It is easier to stay with what you know than to change and face the unknown.
Some may even ask, if I truly believe everyone has the same opportunities as we live in an abundant universe........then why are we so poor, why have we not succeeded yet. The answer? OUR CHOICES!
We have made many choices over the years that have led us to where we are today, not all of them good choices. Some choices were made to sacrifice monetary gain in lieu of building strong family bonds and keeping family value at the front. Homeschooling versus working, low paying wages rather than heart attacks..........
We are where we are from the choices we have made in our life journey. But where we are today is not what matters. We have a solid plan for where we are going and it is where we are going that matters. You can do it too!
I personally choose hope for I refuse to think where I am at today is where I will be at 30 or 40 years from now. THAT IS NOT AN OPTION!
WHERE WE ARE GOING IS WHAT MATTERS
where we are going is full of opportunities and the chances to make decisions to improve the quality of our life, our income levels, and experiences along this wonderful life we have been given.
You can do it too and I will continue to blog with complete and open honesty as if it can help even one more family then this blog has been worth everything I have put into it and will continue to put into it for a long time to come as you follow us from a poverty level of income to a successful where we are going!
I have received several emails stating how much they appreciate my open honesty here on this blog. One of the reasons I started this blog as through our struggles at such a low income, it was not only us. Since 2008 I have read and heard so many others struggles, many being people who thought they would never see the day where such hardships took over their lives. Anxiety, tears, frustration, fear, not knowing what their future held for them, depression. This all came with the territory of economic collapse.
I started this blog with the intent of full disclosure and honesty because I thought it may help others as this kind of struggle is not a stranger to me. Being honest to a very vulnerable level and knowing I may open myself up to a lot of criticisms of those who can not relate or fathom this kind of life did not concern me.
I felt the only way to help others was be disclosing our income levels, the sources of those incomes, how we spend it, credit scores, mistakes, splurges that perhaps should not of been splurged...... all of it....it could only help if open and honest about every aspect of our financials and style of living was out in the open for all to see.
Regardless of the economy, I wanted to show that no matter where you are at in this very moment is not what matters. The essence of this blog is where you are going that matters and if you have a goal to work towards there are no limits to where you can go.
I was told on a comment in another blog that my view that everyone has the same opportunities here in America was a ridiculous statement, that not everyone plays on the same playing field. That those who are raised in poor, high crime areas are not given the same opportunities as those raised in rich households that go to private schools and better educational opportunities.
They missed the point and I do not feel my view here is ridiculous, I refuse to let someone else tell me that because we are poor we do not have the opportunities to climb the ladder to one day be financially free or reach a level of success we strive for every breathing moment we are awake ( an in my case in my dreams as well as my mind is always working it out.....)
Perhaps as children not all have the same opportunities but that was not my point. I believe every ADULT American has the same opportunities in this freedom loving land of opportunity as every other ADULT American. We are where we are from the choices we make and we are all free to make choices, grow and learn. Opportunities come every day whether we recognise them or not, whether we act upon them or blow them off.......that is our freedom of choice. We all have the same opportunities to IMPROVE our circumstances and become successful, reach our dreams, set and accomplish our goals. Failure is NOT an option, something many immigrants coming over with nothing more than a dollar in their pocket are well aware of.
Our past does not define us today, nor does it tell us who we will be tomorrow, who we will be tomorrow is up to us. Our past is simply a reminder, a tool to learn from to grow from, to make better choices from. Once we realize we are free to make the choices that define our life..........we can go anywhere anyone else can and it is where we plan to go that is the essence of what really matters.
If someone may not have had an opportunity to get a good education.........libraries are free and within lies a free education to become a life long learner. As long as we continue to learn.....we continue to grow and our choices become more abundant. Our choices become wiser, once you realize learning can be free and that it is not necessarily only confined to 4 brick walls with a high cost.
I am well aware I have been called an Idealist, but I don't feel my views of opportunities for all is an idealist view. Rather I think it is a practical view that only a few may understand. Some may not know how to make different choices, they may of become so lost in the realities of their neighborhoods , they are not aware of anything but how life is in their general surroundings. Perhaps drugs have taken over their life and clouded their ability to make choices. Perhaps some just have blinders on to opportunity because change is hard for humans. It is easier to stay with what you know than to change and face the unknown.
Some may even ask, if I truly believe everyone has the same opportunities as we live in an abundant universe........then why are we so poor, why have we not succeeded yet. The answer? OUR CHOICES!
We have made many choices over the years that have led us to where we are today, not all of them good choices. Some choices were made to sacrifice monetary gain in lieu of building strong family bonds and keeping family value at the front. Homeschooling versus working, low paying wages rather than heart attacks..........
We are where we are from the choices we have made in our life journey. But where we are today is not what matters. We have a solid plan for where we are going and it is where we are going that matters. You can do it too!
I personally choose hope for I refuse to think where I am at today is where I will be at 30 or 40 years from now. THAT IS NOT AN OPTION!
WHERE WE ARE GOING IS WHAT MATTERS
where we are going is full of opportunities and the chances to make decisions to improve the quality of our life, our income levels, and experiences along this wonderful life we have been given.
You can do it too and I will continue to blog with complete and open honesty as if it can help even one more family then this blog has been worth everything I have put into it and will continue to put into it for a long time to come as you follow us from a poverty level of income to a successful where we are going!
Look at Oprah. She rose well above welfare. And sorry to say,Obama came from nothing and became president of the United States. (how good of a president is immaterial)
ReplyDeleteIf you have 15 dollars in your pocket, you are 'richer' than 95% of the world population.
If you have a comfy bed to sleep on at night, a roof over your head, a hot shower every day and 3 square meals a day, baby you're a rich girl, rich girl, rich girl (or so the song goes)
Thanks for being honest. Screw the rest!
Cindy
http://cindyonrhinebeck.wordpress.com
I agree... I think you have to work hard & do what you can! We live off of around $40K (family of 6) and I know we are well below the "poverty level" here, but we budget well, my husband works hard, and we've prioritized in order to live within our means. Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteCarrie, I think it is refreshing that you are able to look at your situation and see it for what it is. The ability to make changes and improvements in our lives is in part what makes us tick. Otherwise I think we would all still be in caves!
ReplyDeleteHow often have people scoffed at the work of others, ( I am thinking of artists at the moment. Do you think for example Grandma Moses was thought of as a great talent painting her first picture? Even later? )
I have a yard, and I garden some of it. Why? I like to garden and enjoy being outside. I grow lots of flowers , and I grow them in my veg. garden. I've had people say , Oh, you have a flower garden with a few veg thrown in. Well , I love colour, and I don't use pestisides. The flowers help my veg. garden, and look nice at the same time. Later in the season, those same people will often come by and say how did you grow such big onions or what ever, you don't really do much work in your garden. ( and I don't, I have a bad back so I do as little as I can and if a good eating weed grows I eat it. I found I love lambs quarters, and it's a good thing as it will take over here, but since I found how good it tastes cooked with a little butter, I am having trouble finding enough to get a big feed! LOL).
That's the same thing with growing anything. You have to cultivate it. Habits are hard to drop and you need to replace it with something different to change ( ask any former smoker, part of the problem is what do you do with your hands if they are not holding a cigarette? My hubby's hardest time was when he was driving.... my fiend found that it was after a meal when she was sitting having a coffee. Both had to find something else to do or think about ... till that became the new habit). so it is with self improvement.
Kudo's to you for seeing it and going after what you want in life for yourself and your Family. You seem to have an entrepreneur spirit, If they don't succeed the first time they just try again and learn from the past. If they aren't honest about themselves and where they are and where they are going, then how will they ever learn and inprove?
So Keep on Keeping on.
That's my 2 1/2 cents worth ( inflation creeping up even on 2 cent's worth! LOL)
Pat in Kitchener
My mom raised three children by herself on roughly the same income (adjusted for inflation) for quite a while. She even put herself through college and made it to the middle class. Your view isn't idealistic -- I think it is realistic. Great job to you and good luck with everything!!
ReplyDeleteThankyou all ladies for your comments and encouragement, it is really nice to hear sometimes :)
ReplyDelete