I’m saving money in a jar to buy a
house near the beach. I probably don’t
have enough yet, but it’s okay, because I’m not ready to buy yet. But I will be ready one day. Emotionally ready. Logistically ready. So I also need to be financially
ready. A problem I’ve often had is
that I was not always ready for the big moments.
Once at work, when
I was an elementary school teacher, the night custodian walked into my
classroom and said, “The principal’s coming. She’s really mad about how messy the rooms are.” Looking around at my disaster and at
the frightened look in my eyes, he said, with some pity, “You’d better clean
yours quick.”
It was too little,
too late. The window in front of
me announced her imminent arrival. There was nothing to be done but stay frozen
in fear like a rabbit and await my doom.
I wasn’t doomed, but it wasn’t exactly a comfortable interaction
either. She came in, looked around
in disgust and exasperation and said, “Mr. Farrell, please! Clean this room.” This was a big moment and it was a bad
one. It was one more bad moment in
a year of them. In fact, it was
one of the worst years of my life because it was consisted of moment after
moment like that.
Many of those
moments were bad because of other people’s decisions, or that’s what I’d like
to believe. The truth is that
most, if not all of them, were bad because of my decisions. And they were all momentary
decisions. Here are some of the
decisions I made that year:
·
I took classes that I had no interest in.
·
I stayed in a job that I was not well-suited for.
·
I did not spend enough time trying to improve my work.
·
I spent a lot of time complaining and blaming others.
·
I stayed up too late doing nothing.
·
I didn’t take a good look at how unhappy I was.
·
I didn’t take care of my health.
·
When I did try to make some changes that were true to
who I was, I didn’t stick with them.
·
I didn’t write down my goals.
·
I overcommitted myself to other people’s agenda.
·
I allowed my room to get messier rather than keep it
clean.
·
I let many, many moments slip by when I could have been
doing more.
Every time one of
these things happened it was because I made a decision in the moment to not do
my best or to not follow my heart.
Perhaps I thought I was doing my best, but I really wasn’t. As I said, I decided to make some
changes in my life and when I did, I felt happier than I had felt in
years. That happiness should have
been the clue. That should have
been the turning point. Instead, I
got scared and kept things the way the way were. And I did this for five more years! How many moments was that?
Still, no lesson truly
learned is wasted. Though I don’t
always practice it, I understand the power of the moments, when decisions for
action or inaction are made. I
understand that they add to or subtract from our lives. I understand that every penny I put in
my jar adds up. I also understand
every penny I save or spend poorly adds to or subtracts from my life as
well.
So I put a little
in every day. It adds up quickly
and I don’t miss the money I contribute on a daily basis. There are other ways I can add to my life:
·
I can smile kindly at others.
·
I can speak kindly.
·
I can exercise for just 30 minutes a day.
·
I can read a little more.
·
I can get up and go to bed a little earlier.
·
I can drink a little more water.
·
I can spend a little more time with my girls.
·
I can be a little more thankful.
·
I can write a little more.
Who knows what the
pay off will be for doing these things?
I don’t want to do them because I think there will be a payoff, but
because they’re the right things to do.
But if a big moment comes, then it won’t be too little, too late. I will have been saving for
it. Every time I Get Started and
Keep Going, I’m creating the potential for good moments, like money in a
jar.
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