I’ve heard people talk about age being a barrier to finding a calling. I’ve heard people talk about physical limitations creating a barrier to finding a calling. And I’ve heard people talk about money being a barrier to finding a calling.
Baloney.
Money is a tool. You can use that tool in the most effective manner to achieve your dream – or you can choose to be the slave of money. If you commit to your goal, you’ll find a way to achieve it. For example:
Excuse #1: I can’t afford the tools/training/resources that I need. Baloney! Maybe you can’t go to that expensive MBA school. But can you take one class at the community college – or even online? Can you take your training in small shots, like 2 day seminars? Can you plan to take the training after 6 months and make a plan to save what you need? With respect to tools or other resources, can you buy second hand or borrow from an experienced practitioner? Can you acquire a basic set or just one piece (the most versatile piece) and then add to your collection over time?
Spending your money on tools, resources and training is an investment in yourself. Once you commit to making that investment, you find ways to cut back on other expenditures (okay, you can buy the finger paint – but you have to give up the lattes until you start making money), to come up with creative ways to finance the investment (partner and share with another beginner?) or to time the investment (ok, can’t do it this month but will do it in September) to work with your finances. It’s okay to start small, so long as you have your plan to work your way up. Just get started!
Excuse #2: I can’t afford to leave my job. Well, maybe. So don’t. If you have a dream that is NOT your current job, if it’s really your dream, then figure out a non-disruptive way to pursue it. Keep your current job – but spend your evenings and weekends building your dream. Read personal finance blogs like Get Rich Slowly and learn how to adjust your lifestyle. Live well below your means – and start building your war chest. Again, have a plan. Remember, you’re not saving money just to have a pile of money – how fun is that? You’re saving money so that you can eventually live your dream. And once you take that first step – whether it’s creating a savings account for the dream, identifying the first investment or expenditure and the date by which you will obtain it – things will start to fall into place. Just get started – Commit!
Excuse #3: I won’t be able to make money doing my dream: Time to get creative. The world is changing so rapidly that there are markets for just about everything now – but you may have to adjust your view of the possibilities. Are you an artist? Maybe, rather than trying to show things in your home town, you need to get a big web page and share your talent with the Big Ol’ World Wide Web. Maybe you need to think about graphic design, Etsy, corporate brochures. My point is – try to imagine all the different permutations possible with your talents and your calling, don’t limit yourself. Anything is possible.
Diversion #1: I need to buy that pretty watchamackallit to pursue my calling. No, you don’t. Think about your purchases and how you plan to follow your calling. Will the money you spend (1) help increase your skill, (2) increase your marketability, (3) provide critical inputs for you and therefore enable you to pursue your calling? If the answer is no – think carefully about the expenditure. Will buying the pretty hooha today mean that you have to defer buying something critical? Maybe there’s something better to spend your money on that will help you get closer to pursuing your calling.
Bottom line: There are a LOT of ways to get bogged down with money on the way to finding and pursuing our callings. Just remember:
- Money is not a barrier. Money is a tool. You are in charge, and you can choose to use it to advance your goals – or not.
- It’s okay to start slow – just get started!
- Sometimes you may need to get creative about how you finance the dream. That’s ok.
- Be flexible in how you pursue your dream. Flexibility may enable you to follow your dream sooner.
How does YOUR relationship with money affect your ability to pursue your calling? Please share in the comments!
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thanks, Ami.
If you liked this post, you may like the guest post I wrote for Get Rich Slowly, entitled ‘Are We There Yet? How Will You Know When You’re Rich?‘
40 Days to Change 
Joy
April 21, 2010
Thanks, Ami! I’m having LOTS of money thoughts lately. I seem to have traded bad body thoughts/food issues for bad money thoughts and issues! I’m working through them (and I have an awesome life coach who is helping me). Your post was spot-on. Thanks. Money is a tool. Money is a tool. Money is a tool.
Ami
April 21, 2010
@Joy: I have no doubt that, if you tackle money the way you tackled food, you will OWN your money (well, you know what I mean – not trying to suggest you don’t own your money :)) You’re in charge!
Kim at MMI
April 21, 2010
Ami, I agree with you 100%. To so many people, money has meaning. When you take away its power, the power becomes yours.
Ami
April 21, 2010
@Kim: Hi there! It was almost hard to get my brain around this idea – it seems too simple to be true. Yet, it can provide some interesting perspective for decision making. Thanks for commenting.
onedadslife
April 21, 2010
Hello. I really enjoyed your blog. I certainly can appreciate your take on change and getting to your goals. Your outlook on life is one I hope to emulate. I have linked your blog to mine so you may get a few pings.
I will be keeping an eye on you.
Thanks for blogging.
Ami
April 21, 2010
@onedadslife: thank-you for visiting and commenting. I’m starting to wonder if keeping a positive outlook might be a habit that one can develop. It’s easy to get dragged down, but to paraphrase someone, can’t remember who, in the space between stimulus and response there is choice. If I consistently choose to act like a positive person, perhaps I can re-route my own negative impulses and, eventually, not just *act* positively but start to actually *think* positively. It’s an ongoing challenge, for sure.
As to ‘keeping an eye on me’ – yikes, nothing like public accountability to keep the goals moving, eh?
BTW – I surfed over to your blog, and I think you have a very important message. Keep up the good work.
Jean at The Delightful Repast
May 5, 2010
Maybe it’s the Idealist temperament, but I too have to work at keeping a positive attitude. I think there are two kinds of optimists–not just the kind to whom it comes naturally, but also the kind who must work at it. At least we’re not pessimists!
Andrea
April 21, 2010
Great post!
Sometimes it’s easy to get in a rut of complaining and not taking action. Great reminder that we’re capable of making things happen, even if it doesn’t happen overnight.
Ami
April 22, 2010
@Andrea: thanks for the comment. Absolutely. I came from a Big Bank where the internal messaging was kind of like a continuous Nike Ad: think big, go for the gusto, just do it. But for me sometimes it’s easier to do big things by starting small and just getting going. Starting small makes everything seem possible.
poetrynprogress
April 23, 2010
Great post, Ami! It’s true that we let the stress we feel about money become an excuse for not pursuing our dreams. I know I did that for years, until I finally faced my real fears and took the leap into writing full-time. Sure, I’m broke, but I get by and most significantly, I’m happy. Thanks for the reminders that we don’t have to let anything set limitations on our dreams!
Ami
April 23, 2010
@ami: I think it’s time for poets and writers to create a new business model. Suffering and starving for your art is passe! I’m intrigued by a fellow named Robin Sloan (http://robinsloan.com/), who writes short stories on the west coast. He’s not a full time writer but he does publish and sell his fiction online – and he seems to have success even selling individual short stories on Amazon (suitable for the Kindle) – I think he sells them for about 99cents until he hits a certain number, say $99 or so – then releases to the public for free. Doesn’t seem like it should work, but he has enough of a fan base that people will pay the 99c for an early edition of his stories.
I could see a poet doing something similar – releasing a .pdf of a poem, perhaps with the podcast of the spoken version and some ‘bonus’ material – background, thought process, etc.
Let’s think about making some money!
Girl Startup
April 28, 2010
Heh heh! The business I am starting, is with hardly any money at all. I just found creative ways, to produce a product to a nice standard. I forced myself to think outside the square. I’m creating a bag range, I didn’t know or like to sew, so I went on the lookout for a sewer. I didn’t want to waste money driving everywhere to drop of material, I didn’t even want to advertise. So I did a letter box drop in my surrounding streets. I now walk to the sewing ladies house and all it cost me was, some printer ink to advertise. I figured out a unique way to print out my fabric designs, so I can print designs that I want without forking out ridiculous amounts of money for expensive fabrics. I think all up so far I have spent maybe $400 bucks that includes labour and material and prototypes…I think I have done pretty well.
Ami
April 28, 2010
@Girl Startup: Wow! You make things happen, that’s wonderful. I love the way you killed off the typical constraints that most people would point to as excuses NOT to do something risky. Bravo!
Girl Startup
April 28, 2010
I’m making things happen now, but in the past I held off on everything, but I decided to take a leap and actually do things, even if they are ridiculous. I’ve found out that it was the best thing for me to do. I’ve learnt so much, and things spin off from one idea, plus people like to get involved and help out with suggestions. If I never did anything I would never able to learn and grow 🙂
I was looking at your blog too, I see your on a journey to find something that suits you, have you got closer to that goal? How’s it all going? What have you learnt so far about what you can and cannot do?
Ami
April 29, 2010
@Girl Startup: my goodness, you get straight to the point, don’t you? I’ve learned a lot about what I don’t want to do (e.g., teach little kids), and I’ve been surprised by things that I’d previously written off that I might want to do (entrepreneurship, practicing law). And I’ve found new loves (writing and blogging!) So I’m definitely still on the journey – but every attempt teaches me something new.
Girl Startup
April 30, 2010
Heh heh! I am sorry. I tend to not mince my words online, more for the fact that I think if one is blogging they probably want to grow and learn, and so I get straight to the point. I think it must be my online persona, because I don’t do it so much in the “real wold” 😉
No I was just really interested in your challenge. Maybe I haven’t read enough of your articles to see what you have done so far…but I love the idea of a “40 day change”, but I couldn’t find the posts where you have eliminated certain things.
By the way, I’ve also have learnt that I don’t want to teach kids 🙂 I thought I wanted to be a kinder teacher, but I didn’t want to waste a year of extra study…just to find out that being a teacher was not my true calling. So instead I took on a job in a kinder as an assistant once a week (with no experience what-so-ever). The director that hired me, said my “letter was so sincere that she had to meet me”.
So glad I did it this way, because I found out working with children was not challenging and creative enough for me. I am quite technical and arty and although I love children, a job as a kinder teacher would just would being challenging enough.
Ami
May 5, 2010
@Jean: love that – at least we’re not pessimists. but I’ve never met a pessimist who would admit to being a pessimist – they uniformly insist on being labeled ‘realist.’ I wonder why?