The last few weeks have been challenging to say the least!
Just when things were starting to look settled and on course for being a chilled out year, fate decided to deal a great big “FUCK YOU” hand. I can’t go into too many specifics just yet, but suffice it to say it was a huge curve ball and a massive upset for my wife and I. Being forced to reflect on where we are in our life right now has been somewhat of a challenge, but I’m starting to see a glimmer of light at the end of a very long tunnel.
Following some days of panic came reflection. Time to take stock and think about what really matters in my life. Family, more specifically my wife and child are at the very top of the pile. They are my number one priority, everything and everyone else have to wait. I’m not saying that the other things and people in my life aren’t without levels of importance, it’s just that they have to be put on the back burner once again.
Two of our very good friends have stepped up and been more than generous with their offers of help. They (you know who you are) have taken the sting out of what otherwise is a painful set of circumstances. People (friends and family included) that I thought might have been able to genuinely do something to help our situation chose not to. That of course is their prerogative, I just wish now that I hadn’t bothered asking them and embarrassing myself in the process.
Further reflection over the last few days has made me realise that I don’t need a lot of the superfluous shit that I try to mange day-to-day & month-to-month. What I mean is the list of “stuff” is way too big and needs to be compressed and or trimmed to a much more manageable level. To give you an example, I need a really good internet connection, something that is fast and reliable and doesn’t break the bank. BUT my last bill from BT came in at £66 for the month, SIXTY SIX POUNDS!!!? What the actual fuck man? So I started to shop around to see what might be available. By doing this I found that I really don’t need to be spending that sort of money for my broadband and telephone service.
This was the catalyst that has started me down the road of making as many savings as I can financially. So the internet, telephone, mobile phones, random subscriptions to things like Netflix and Office 365 along with payments for my Adobe CC subs are costing me a small fortune each month. Crunching the numbers and looking for alternatives could yield savings in the region of £200 per month! That would pay for a kick-ass summer holiday each year or could be used to pay for fantastic experiences throughout the year, like trips to the zoo, day trips into Europe, going to watch a motorcycle race or eating out at a nice restaurant once a month. So that’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to make those changes as soon as I can.
The last thing that I need to do is make sure that I get paid for work that I do for others and get paid well. As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, I have too many fingers in too many pies, many of which I don’t get paid to do. Well that’s going to change once and for all. There are a couple of small projects that I have committed too for little or no money, those I will honour because they are for good friends of mine. Everyone else can do one and go and find someone else to do the work for next to nothing. If you’re willing to pay my going rate and value what I have to offer, then by all means get in touch.
So a kick in the balls has made me focus on the important things in life and made me realise that there is too much crap dragging me down. Saving money and getting rid of years of accumulated crap is a cathartic process. It’s helping me to find some peace and moving me forward towards lasting happiness. I’ll write about this situation in more detail later in the year, there’s a lot I need/want to say about that, now is not the time though.
Until next time…… adieu.
JP
