Are my Goals Worthy?

Do you ever sit back and consider your decisions, wondering if the choices you make are the right ones, or, more importantly, made for the right reasons? I'd rather make a wrong decision for a right reason than a right decision for a wrong reason. That's easy to say, but what does it mean? Lately, I've been thinking. I want to go back to school. Why? To get a better job. Why? So that I can make more money? Uh oh. Why? So that I can support myself, pay my debts, and be financially secure enough. The first two are good reasons, but what is "financially secure enough"? A million dollars?

In my mind, "financially secure enough" means that if something happens to me, such as accidents, becoming disabled in some way, becoming unemployed for a time, something happens to my car, etc, I can support myself for at least a little while until I can improve my situation or move closer to those who can help me, or both. Is this a bad goal? No. I've had to rely on charity before this and I do not relish the idea of being unable to take care of myself. So no, I do not need millions. I wouldn't have the faintest idea what to do with them, though if you give me an evening I could probably give you some ideas. *grin* However, I do not wish to spend my time considering a probable impossibility. My odds of becoming a millionaire are slim and not even close to necessary.

Is being self-reliant a worthy goal? I believe it is. But, my new major is Business Administration. I will make money in my life by either directly selling something, or helping others to sell something. Will being a salesperson of some kind be my legacy? I doubt it. One, I'm not a great salesperson in that I do not want to nor will I sell anyone something they either don't want or don't need. Granted, if they haven't seemed to have made that decision themselves, I have no problems in influencing the decision, but if they say "no" once, then I take them at their word and do not push. I've gotten in trouble for this in department store settings. I'm sorry, if I say "no" to something, I do not wish to be pushed further. I've given my answer. I will not annoy other people in that way.

What do I want to sell? You can sell three things in life, really. A "product" is the first thing that comes to mind, but after that you get a "service" and an "ideal". Schools sell ideals and services in teaching and training others, educating them to better their lives. Products can also be ideals and services, such as washing machines and toasters provide services to better our every-day lives in some way, and books and music can be ideals as products, depending on the content, as they can influence our minds and our spirits. I would prefer not to sell a product unless I believe in it, which makes it either a service product or a product of ideals. With this kind of breakdown you could potentially classify any product as having an ideal or service behind it, but there are items that are purely one or the other.

I didn't mean for that to go off in a random direction like a teacher's lecture, but my brain went there to explain itself.

So, I've been thinking. I pay my tithing every paycheck, and I pay it in full. I pay it first because it is a commandment, and don't get me wrong, I am not paying out of my excess or because it is easy. I don't have any excess. I don't make enough; I can do a lot with that money! My other reasons for paying my tithing are because at one point, I was supported by the efforts of others' tithing. I was unemployed and had nothing to live on and could not find a job. Nevertheless, my rent was still piling up, my car loan still needed paying, I had car insurance I could not legally do without, I had to eat, and my unemployment times always seem to come around when my car registration is due. How could I possibly be so ungrateful as to not pay my tithing now?

I am confident that where my tithing money goes is to a good cause and will be used in noble endeavors. I cannot say the same as to where my taxes go. Thirdly, I pay it because I am promised blessings, and it's true. When I pay my tithing, my week, my month, my year goes by easier. I am led in ways I do not understand to better decisions and better and better opportunities.

So yes, at the end of the day, I can justify and feel confident in my decision to go back to school (yes, this was the goal I'd been talking about this whole time). I felt I needed this kind of consideration because of the massive amount of potential school loan debt I'd be taking on. As an LDS church member, I am advised not to go into debt with two exceptions: education and a house. Note that "car" is not listed here, neither is "that cool appliance I'd die without" or the latest iPad/iPhone/iPod/whatever. Now, I am in debt with my car and a hospital bill, and some school loans. My car I'm working on (I'm hoping to refinance next month and have the car placed solely in my name, so I may be out of debt faster). The hospital bill could not be helped and I will tackle it one day at a time. The school loans are being consolidated and deferred until I graduate, and I'm anxiously waiting on the paperwork to go through.

As for longterm goals, I have no intention of buying a house until I am otherwise out of debt, including with my school loans. That means my loans will be more than just another bill every month, but something I intend to tackle aggressively and pay down as soon as possible, with or without a husband and kids (neither of which seem to be on the way in any case). If time passes and no husband or children come into my life, I still won't buy a house. I'd rather travel and see the world in a slow, enjoyable way.

So, my goals to get out of debt and get educated are deemed worthy to me. If I am in debt, I am not in control of my life, my debt is. And I want the ability to control my life and devote it to God, not the dollar. Funny how a degree in business will allow that to happen.

Comments

Nicole said…
I miss you, Glenna! I don't know if this is up your alley, but if you are at all interested in selling awesome products, check out www.nuskin.com. I just signed up to be a distributor a couple weeks ago and if you want some additional money on the side and are ok with network marketing, let me know and you can be on my team! No pressure, whatsoever... I'm just throwing it out there.
adarhysenthe said…
I grew up with my mom doing her Avon thing and at the moment, I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to do that kind of marketing. Everyone I know can't afford it, unfortunately, so I end up being a nuisance and spending money I don't have to start it up. So for the moment, no thank you, but maybe later!

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