Wrastling

Sometimes, your life will feel like a slow train wreck. One that anyone with eyes could see coming, but is impossible to stop. Your car is stalled on the tracks and even though the conductor has applied the breaks, traffic in either direction has you blocked in and your car is not going to move in time.

You might have the nicest, most enviable electric vehicle in the world, that anyone would love to have, with all the best features… but what does it matter if your whip is about to be pulverized?

The good thing is you are not your car. In this example, you the driver can exit said vehicle, and walk in the opposite direction from the oncoming train to avoid the impending carnage.

Maybe a decade ago, in debt from school and having a car loan, I learned the saying, “If you are in a hole, the best thing to do is quit digging.” Likewise, René Descartes stated, “Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.” When I came across that philosophy as a young man I realized that no matter what people face in life, they can overcome it incrementally.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

First, think about what in your life you want to change. It might not be something that can happen right away, but imagine what your best life would look like. Write it down. Maybe make a dream board.

Next, decide on the steps you have to take to get there. You might have to get creative. You might have to change your whole scene but this is the rest of your life we are talking about.

Track your progress. When we paid off our mortgage, I made a spreadsheet to track every bit of spending down to the penny and would update every week with the amount I put towards the principal.

Finally, when you achieve don’t forget to stop and see how far you have come. Pause and congratulate yourself. Bask in your accomplishment before asking yourself what is next.

Every so often, evaluate your goals and question the direction you are headed. If it isn’t where you want to go long term or you decide that the price is not worth it be willing to change directions again.