Posts Tagged ‘perseverance’

I am a big car enthusiast. I wasn’t always, but sometime in college I really got into cars. What’s interesting about cars (and especially working on them) is that they can teach you a lot. Especially when it comes to perseverance and patience.

The first time I learned this was around 15 years old. I had a dirt bike at the time and after a bit of time, I had saved up enough money to buy two new tires. About mid-day I started working on changing the tires. I had changed quite a few bicycle tires as a kid, so I figured this wouldn’t be too hard. As the sun went down (several hours later) I had managed to finally get the tires on, but I had punctured both tubes and damaged on of the tires in the process. The bike shop was pretty surprised I had gotten that far with the tools I was using. Even though it seemed impossible at times I was finally able to finish the project.

That lesson has stayed with me over the years. Anytime I come to a project that feels like it can’t be done, I know I can do it as long as I stay with it.

Last August I bought a used Mazda Miata (known as a Roadster) over here. I have had the car for nearly a year now, and it has been one of the funnest and yet most frustrated cars I have ever owned. Part of the frustration goes to the fact that the car is over 10 years old, and part of it goes to a few design flaws.

For example, to save on weight the window regulators were made using cables, which after some time break. I have actually had to replace the drivers side twice. The first time doing it, it seemed like removing the assembly was all but impossible. But I kept playing with it until I finally got it out. Now the other just broke a few days ago.

My initial response is to feel sad, depressed, or upset that it happened again. Sometimes it seems like everything goes wrong. But I could also be glad that it wasn’t raining at the time. However, I having already fixed one twice, I am now pretty proficient at doing it. With a little bit of patience I was able to order a new assembly for a great price. In fact, I was able to get two in case it happens again.

Now that I have put in the time of doing it twice, this time doesn’t seem near as difficult. In fact I’m not worried about the work, just looking forward to having my window working again.  I will try to fix a few other things while I’m at it.

I recently decided to quit my job, move to a tropical island, and start my own business. You can read the full story here. While I actually came to this decision quite easily, it required getting rid of the majority of my stuff and relocating my entire life. However, due to my financial situation this was actually quite easy to do and going through this process has really taught me what financial freedom means. There are a lot of books (several of which I have read myself) and sophisticated methods out there to tell you how to get out of debt and become financially free. After successfully creating my own financial freedom, I can honestly say it’s not that difficult. It just takes a good plan and some perseverance.

The Method

The first thing you need to do is honestly evaluate your situation. If you are deep in debt, don’t pretend that things are going well. This won’t help you get out of the situation. Add up your debt and bills and also figure out how much you bring in. You need to figure out how much is going in verse how much is going out.

The goal is to put as much into savings as possible. However, you must first pay off your debt. To pay off your debt, you must first free up some of your funds by reducing your spending. Look at your bills and find what you can go without. It may not always be the large things. Do you drink coffee everyday? That right there can add up to more than $20 a week or more. Also consider things such as cable or satellite TV, reducing your cell phone bill, buying store brands, eating or drinking out less, and of course driving less. These things may seem small, but when added up they can become several hundreds of dollars a month.

The next step is to look at the bigger items that you are purchasing. Whether it is clothes, electronics, DVDs, or anything else you might lay your eyes on. You must learn to realize that you can live without it. It is very difficult at first, but if you can do it for a while it gets much easier. One thing I have found that helps me is think that I have a very limited space and that I will soon be moving. Another is to keep yourself busy with other activities. And of course, don’t tempt yourself by going window shopping.

Now that you have lowered your expenses and freed up some cash, the next step is too put that money to paying off your debt. Start with the highest interest rates and work your way down from there. The quicker you pay it off the more money you save.

Now that you have paid off your debt, you will the original payments you were making each month plus the extra you were paying towards your debt by reducing your bills. This can now all go towards savings. I give my self a spending allowance each month. I take it out at the beginning of each month to make sure that I am not tempted to spend more. At first this amount was my spending allowance only. The food I used for lunch was a separate amount. I then decided that I could cut back my spending to include my lunch in my spending allowance as well. This allowed another $200 a month to go to savings.

The Results

After a year and a half of this program, I was able to save enough money to have a strong amount of savings in one account towards retirement, and also enough money in another account to quite my job and move to a tropical island and start my own business. Figuring the costs of expenses, I will be able to live for more than a year without any income at all without touching the money in the first savings account. I am by no means rich, but it is the first time in my life, where I can really think about what I want to do and not have to worry about paying my next months rent and bills.