Emotional Kick in the Butt

I have been such a slacker lately.  I haven't been living as frugally as I would like, but on top of that, I have hardly worked at all.

Life sure likes to present small, frustrating challenges that are easy to use as an excuse.  I was hit with another small cold, plus my TMJ is acting up horribly, leading to some pretty bad headaches.  Headaches plus computer work equals nightmare.  It does not make it excusable though.  I could have forced myself to work through it, but I chose the easy route. 

But a couple of days ago, I happened across a blog of a family living the exact dream that my family is working towards.  Reading through their stories and seeing the way they live today really pulled at every fiber of my soul. 

Each word I read jumped off the screen like a smack in the face, screaming at me to get moving.  Pay off the debt so we can live the life we are working towards, no matter what life throws our way.

When it comes to long term goals, it can be so easy to be rerouted by immediate gratification.  Losing sight of the big picture is almost guaranteed to happen if you don't have methods of constant reminders.  The graphs on the refrigerator help, but they are factual and do not pull at my emotional heartstrings in order to push me through the harder times.

So, along with reading my favorite blogs regularly, I have also decided to put up some pictures of our long term vision.  I need to keep my emotions fueled in the right direction.  I know what I want in the next five years and I know how desperately I want it.  Visual reminders of our five year plan hovering in front of me when I would rather sit on the couch instead of work or when I want to opt for McDonald's instead of a homemade dinner will reign me back in, stunt the need for instant gratification and keep me on the right track. 

Goals for the remainder of the week:
- Make some money to make up for all the I have been slacking on (meaning a couple extra hours of work even when I don't want to).
- Skip the Taco Bell craving that has been plaguing me all week.
- Print some visual reminders of our long term goals and plaster them on the fridge and in my wallet, right in front of my debit card.

Emotions are tricky, but they are controllable.