Finding the Balance

Balance has always been a struggle for me. I remember someone once asking what my goal in life was (I was just a teen at the time) and my answer was "to find balance". They weren't very satisfied with my answer.

I am an "all or nothing" type person. I know it isn't healthy to be that way, and so I work on it.



A lot.



I want to accomplish so many things. Simple things, really. I want to feed my family home cooked food that is chemical and hormone free. I want to spend less time in front of the TV and more time outside in nature. I want to be debt free. I want to have the confidence of knowing that I can take care of myself. I want to feel prepared in case of job loss or illness. I want to know that I can repair or make things on my own rather than having to depend on others to do it for me.

Some of my other goals aren't quite so idealistic. I would like to have a pretty home furnished with things that I enjoy aesthetically. I would like to be able to have just a few of the nicer things that my little heart lusts after.

Sometimes, the ways to accomplish these goals conflict with each other. Sometimes my goals conflict with those of Mr. Barefoot. It makes for a difficult line to walk, and I often get frustrated. I come from a generation of people who are accustomed to instant gratification, and it goes against my grain to wait and do things slowly.

I just have to keep reminding myself that I am making progress.

Right now my main goal is to get debt-free and set up a "cushion" in case of mishap. To accomplish this goal, I have had to put some of my other goals off to the side (not too far!). I am still working on them, but I am focusing more on accomplishing one thing at a time.

I think it is working.

I am feeling less stressed about not being able to accomplish everything that I want to. I am feeling (finally) like I am moving forward instead of just treading water.

It helps that this is one of the goals I have that Mr. Barefoot is willing to be on board with. He is willing to help me make the changes needed to get us debt free and sees the wisdom of having something set aside in case of the unexpected. I am grateful, because Mr. Barefoot is not a planner. He is the type of person who just coasts along through life doing his daily thing, and deals with whatever comes his way. It drives me nuts, as I am a born planner.

I am interested to see where this new focus will take me....