One of the most interesting things about owning a blog is being able to go back in time and read about the mindset I was in year’s past, and nothing like a birthday that will get you all nostalgic. Notwithstanding, I rarely go back into my archive because if it is a personal post I sort of cringe when reading it. I either feel like whatever I was writing about ended up not being the end of the world, or more often than not, I think why the hell did I share that.
My Past Birthday Posts
Regardless of my personal feelings, last year I chronicled my previous birthday posts
My 27th Birthday Post – Personal finance wise I listed my original debt and how much I had paid off since I had started the blog a few months earlier. The intensity The Wife and I had to get rid of nearly $17,000 worth of credit card debt was amazing. I think I need to rekindle that fire for other goals.
My 28th Birthday Post – I didn’t focus on personal finance on the post, rather focusing on my family. That year we suffered a miscarriage so I was really intent on starting our family.
My 29th Birthday Post – I was 30 days from the baby’s due date (he came 10 or so days early). It seems at the time we were clearly in operation horde cash for the future home purchase. I was also about 6 or 8 weeks away from starting my most successful (by far) stream of income.
My 30th Birthday Post – I took the time to share what I was thankful for which is mostly the people in my life. I still feel the same way I way I do about all those people.
My 31st Birthday Post – I mentioned the house that The Wife and I have been in for the past 22 months. Amazing how time flies! I remember how stressful of a time it was, and am glad not to be doing that again anytime soon!
My 32nd Birthday Post – I put it out there that I would really like to have our second child before I hit 33. Well we succeeded 7 weeks ago! Very excited about that.
My 33rd Birthday post could be summed up with the throwdown I gave myself,
I have been giving a lot of thought lately to the extent that “good is the enemy of great.” I think a lot of the projects that I undertake stop at being “good” rather than “great” and I’d like to change that. This is clearly a different kind of theme then “have another child” but nonetheless that is what currently on my mind.
Going to be honest with myself here. I have not lived up to the challenge. It feels like I have been coasting when it comes to the main point of this blog – Personal Finance – and that is just fucking terrible. Don’t get me wrong I am not bitching about life – I wouldn’t have much to complaint about. In my personal life, I have never been happier with 2 amazing kids, an awesome (and understanding) wife, and a house that is starting to feel like my own. Professionally, I have never felt more secure in my job my bosses pay me market rate and have provided perks that really show they care about me and my family. Rather it is this nagging feeling that I could be doing more to better my personal finance world.
Despite my 33rd birthday post about not letting good be the enemy of great it feels like I have been complacent when it comes to my personal finances. It wasn’t until about 2 months ago where I started to really step up my focus on side income – this has had a direct impact on my stress levels. Call it bad or good, but when I have a surplus of money coming in I feel much better about everything.
I’ll focus on how to do that when I write my 2016 goals and objectives, but I just want 35 year old to read this post and think – wow you did all you could to reduce that stress in your life.
Well, lemme put it this way, Evan: you are the single smartest 34-year-old I know, whether virtually or in the real world.
The kids, the wife, and the home are more important than any quantitative thing.
Many happy returns!
Thanks! No where near the smartest but try to do “good” most days