How do you know you're going to fail if you have never taken action? One mans action can change the world.
There are many things that drive me to complete this project
There are many things that drive me to complete this project
When I say the word complete, I'm not saying that I have to "trade my way out of debt" in order to complete the project. To me, it means that I don't want to just give up. I want to take on the whole 3 years and finish what I started, regardless of the difficulties I may face. It's so easy to give up when things get hard or discouraging. I don't want to give up just because something is not going my way.
As a result of me writing this blog, I feel like it holds me to a higher standard. I have no excuse for why we got into some of our stupid debt when we were newly weds. We've had our emergency fund built up multiple times, only to have it wiped out completely with one bad thing and then some after that. Digging us deeper into debt. I am driven because I want to put an end to this whole thing we call debt: The D word. I don't like it, in fact I hate it! I am tired of being in it, and I want to help others get out of it!
I am driven because I don't want to raise my family to believe that it's okay to just go charge whatever you feel like or that you should buy something with cash just because you can. I'd love to see credit cards just go away! I want my kids to learn how to save and budget their money. I'd like to see my children want to have some sort of a job when they are teens. I really think it would mean more to them earning their own money, rather than it just being handed to them.
Even though I plan on helping our kids out on some stuff, I don't want them to think that things will just be handed to them. They will have to earn it! It won't be from just doing a chore and getting paid (a chore is something that should be expected of your child). They will learn that if you need money, you can do "X" to get "Y" amount of money. I had a strong work ethic instilled in me as a kid, but I had everything handed to me when I "needed it" (more like I just wanted it).
Money 101 was not something we learned growing up. I had ALOT of it because Isaved it (more so hoarded it in my little bank). I would smell my money and count it in my closet with the door closed. I would figure out what I wanted to get, then I would dream about it until I had it. I'd even make pledge charts for the family to fill out so I would not have to spend all my money. This is how I got the family pool table and trampoline many years ago. I had THOUSANDS saved up in cash as a 12 year old.
I'd do odd jobs for people here and there. I even bought suckers from my elementary school for 25 cents and then turned around and sold them for 50 cents around our neighborhood, that is until they tried to shut me down! I just wish someone would have told me, "hey you should really save your money for a car or set up some kind of investment."
Even though I plan on helping our kids out on some stuff, I don't want them to think that things will just be handed to them. They will have to earn it! It won't be from just doing a chore and getting paid (a chore is something that should be expected of your child). They will learn that if you need money, you can do "X" to get "Y" amount of money. I had a strong work ethic instilled in me as a kid, but I had everything handed to me when I "needed it" (more like I just wanted it).
Money 101 was not something we learned growing up. I had ALOT of it because I
I'd do odd jobs for people here and there. I even bought suckers from my elementary school for 25 cents and then turned around and sold them for 50 cents around our neighborhood, that is until they tried to shut me down! I just wish someone would have told me, "hey you should really save your money for a car or set up some kind of investment."
Why are you really doing this project?
I have to constantly check my inner self to make sure i'm not doing this for selfish reasons. I'm doing this project and writing this blog because I love the adventure of it!. It's fun to me. I like the idea of not knowing where in the world this thing could go next. Now as far as life in general, I like to have a plan. I don't like things out of my control and not knowing what a situation will bring.
A prime example was when I went 3 months without a job because of layoffs. The other example was my back surgery; We had no idea that I'd not be able to work for over 7 months and not get paid! This was something that was out of our control, and yet again another kick in the head. The amazing thing is, God has provided for our every need, time and time again, not ever going a day without. This project is an outlet for me, as it allows me to express my thoughts and just write for fun, not because I have to. Even though our past challenges have been difficult, we have learned from them and have become stronger through it all.
A prime example was when I went 3 months without a job because of layoffs. The other example was my back surgery; We had no idea that I'd not be able to work for over 7 months and not get paid! This was something that was out of our control, and yet again another kick in the head. The amazing thing is, God has provided for our every need, time and time again, not ever going a day without. This project is an outlet for me, as it allows me to express my thoughts and just write for fun, not because I have to. Even though our past challenges have been difficult, we have learned from them and have become stronger through it all.
What if you fail? I will have only lost 1 mustard seed and just a little time. If I fail, it will have been because I did not try. I don't see failure as whether or not you completed the end goal, I more so see failure as a lack of not taking the initiative to try something new. I feel like I have succeed already for trying something that seemed so crazy and still seems crazy! My life has already been changed from this project, hopefully others will be too.
Below you will find what truly motivates me to keep holding on to the thought of, "what if this project is successful? What opportunities would that open up for me to bless and help others in need?"
"I'm not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:11-14).
I have lived very extravagant and I have lived with very little. I have seen both sides. I have also been blessed to have gotten to spend a year of my life helping to prepare others to be sent into third world countries all over the world. I myself, was blessed to get to spend 3 months living in the poorest parts of Peru and Venezuela. Just months prior to my family tragedy in 2002, I had arrived back from Peru and was so disgusted with the way we lived as a family. We had SO MUCH, but gave SO LITTLE. This gave me a passion to want to help others in need.
I had a best friend named Graham (he actually went to Metro) when I was a kid and we did everything together. He moved away and we lost contact with one another over the years. I was blessed to have been able to get back in touch with him within the last few years and rekindle our friendship after nearly 16 years of being apart. He shared with me what his family had been doing over the years for some of the poorest people in the world. My heart was truly broken. If by chance I am able to "trade myself out of debt" or somehow eliminate our debt by other means, this is the organization I want to give to. They are what drive me to succeed.
I had a best friend named Graham (he actually went to Metro) when I was a kid and we did everything together. He moved away and we lost contact with one another over the years. I was blessed to have been able to get back in touch with him within the last few years and rekindle our friendship after nearly 16 years of being apart. He shared with me what his family had been doing over the years for some of the poorest people in the world. My heart was truly broken. If by chance I am able to "trade myself out of debt" or somehow eliminate our debt by other means, this is the organization I want to give to. They are what drive me to succeed.
Please take the time to check them out
The Radler Foundation has touched many lives throughout Africa. Particularly South Sudan, East Africa and Uganda. They have built orphanages, schools, above industry standard fresh water wells, leadership training for pastors, medical clinics, churches, and among much more. I love this family for what they are doing for the world! They are making a difference!
