Newton's first law of motion states that an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
I find this true of my life. For most of my 36 years, I have lived with the mindset of wanting to do and be more but not being willing to do whatever it takes. I sought the path of least resistance, the path that required little or no hard work, the path that would not require me to give up comfort activities or change my habits. So of course I stayed "at rest" - stuck on a plateau, safe but going nowhere.
Decisions have always paralysed me into a state of frozen inertia. Even something as trivial as what to pack in the baby's bag before an outing can take forever. Will a romper do or should I add a fleece jacket in case the weather changes? Does she need an extra pair of shorts? Should I pop a raincoat in just in case? What if it's hot? What if it's cold?
Recently, I was struggling with a sense of failure over what I clearly knew to be the results of this inertia. Because I wasn't willing to take the initial step, important decisions about our finances were left dormant and festering like the weeds growing out of control in our backyard. I had a reason for every non-decision. No time. Can't find contact number. Don't feel like calling. Don't have info at hand. Too tired. Another time.
I had all sorts of internal conversations as I batted the case for and against action back and forth inside my head. Finally, I was ready to take the first step.
It started with calling VicRoads to make an appointment to take the driving theory test and vision test. Surprise! They have Sat appointments! So hubby doesn't have to take the day off to drive me there and back and mind the kids.
Next, I started applying the action exercises Suze Orman recommended in her book The 9 Steps To Financial Freedom. I went online and found a bank offering the highest savings rate for online accounts and applied straightaway, linked the account to our existing account and set up a RSP and DDA to fast track our savings. I also did a funds transfer to take advantage of the high interest offered for keeping a minimum balance in our online account. I repeated the process with my Sg funds.
I checked out the Australian Scholarships Group, a non-profit org that pools parent contributions for the education of kids till tertiary level. I liked what I saw on the website and emailed for details. A consultant came the very next evening to tell us more. We ran the numbers, came to a joint decision on the monthly contributions and filled out the forms to enrol the girls. We only need to pay the contributions till they hit Year 7. After that, we will receive an annual cheque that will be enormously helpful in covering their school fees, books, uniforms and whatever else they need. Once the girls reach tertiary, they will each receive a monthly allowance direct into their accounts.
Another major decision made, another step in the right direction. The more action I took, the more excited I got. I was finally breaking free of my inertia and moving towards financial freedom!
It's amazing how empowered and strong and alive I felt as I gained personal momentum with every little decision taken. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. As in physics, so in life.
Right now, I'm researching private health insurance options. Just last night, as a few other ladies and I worked at cutting and laying out platters of sandwiches, slices and sweets for our church's Floral and Craft Festival, I discovered the lady I'd teamed up with to do sandwiches is a HBA insurance sales agent! I'd already checked out the HBA website and liked what I saw and was ready to find out more, so this was perfect timing. She'll be getting us the brochures and walking us through the application process. Isn't that great?
One thing I've noticed: when you start making a step in the right direction, you set certain processes in motion, and things - whatever is helpful to achieve your desired outcome - start to fall in place. Lots of writers and motivational speakers describe this phenomenon as "the laws of the universe" conspiring to help you.
It is like the parable of the growing seed in Mark 4:26-28. "A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain - first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head."
But the man first had to do the work of scattering the seed. Likewise, it is only when I'm finally willing to do the work of making that first tough (or simple) decision that I will start the chain reaction to allow other good things to come into my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment