Since moving from Utah to Pennsylvania, I’ve been undergoing a bit of a fresh start. I have a new routine to go with my new living arrangements, and I’m looking at my life, and deciding if it’s what I want it to be. The good news is that I’m mostly satisfied with the things are going. After all, I enjoyed living in the East 10 years ago, and I enjoy living here now.
Of course, my life isn’t perfect — no one’s is. But things are working out nicely for my family now that we are getting settled in. My son has found some friends and some activities that he enjoys. My husband is working for a school that actually values his ability to teach and connect with students. I’m close to New York City and Washington, D.C., and there are bloggy buddies all over the place. (Now I just need to make time to visit with them.)
If you are considering what you can do to transform your life a little bit, here are some things to consider:
What Do You Want to Do?
One of the first things to consider is what your preferred lifestyle would be. After much thought, and trying out the whole buying a house thing, we’ve decided that it’s not really our cup of tea. Right now, we enjoy renting, and living in an apartment community. We might decide to try a condo or town home next, or even a rented single family home, but I don’t know that we will buy a house again.
We also like being able to work fairly flexible hours. My husband is a college instructor, but he isn’t interested in the tenure track because it means focusing on things that aren’t important to him. Working as a three-year appointee, or as an assistant professor without tenure, means a little more flexibility for him. I like my freelance career, since it means that I can work from anywhere and set my own hours.
Stop worrying about what society says you “should” do, and figure out what you actually want to do. What would fulfill you as a family? Those are the things you should focus on in your life.
Be Realistic and Make a Plan
Next, you need to make a realistic plan that can help you achieve your goals. Think about what makes sense for you and your family. I’ve always enjoyed travel, but there was a two-year period in which it wasn’t very feasible for me. We were digging ourselves out of debt, and it just didn’t make sense. I had to spend some time getting our finances in order before I could start remaking my life.
Take a look at your family and financial situation. Look for the small things you can do to work toward your long-term life goals. It’s important to be realistic about what you will accomplish, and acknowledge that patience and hard work might be necessary. You might also need to make compromises, since you might have slightly different goals and expectations from others in your family.
However, once you start moving in that direction, you will start to see positive results and be encouraged to keep moving forward.
We’re still trying to get enough in savings, but overall our lives are pretty good. It’s pretty cool to be able to say that.
I like the idea of recognizing that your life is pretty good. Sure, there’s always room to improve, but it’s nice to say, “It’s mostly good.”