Minimalist to an Extent

I found a blog called The Surprising Truth About the Stars and I picked out the main thing that got to me. Here an excerpt:

A number of factors contribute to permanent workplace servitude among them:

• Expensive car payment and insurance

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5. Move to a city where you can live without a car.

Cars are the second most expensive purchase you will make in your adult lives. Did you know you can live without them? Well, you can. There are a number of cities in America where cars aren’t the norm, move to one of them and suddenly you’ll have huge hunks of cash that you forgot you had. Go car-free and the possibilities start to open up.

It’s a myth that living in a city is more expensive. It’s not, because you don’t need a car. Check out Portland, OR for amazing quality of life. Brooklyn, NY for amazing opportunities. Both of these cities are walkable, bike-able, and awesome.

More at SuburbanShift: How Cars Rob Americans of their Retirement.

Ok I get it. I got a car that is my ball and chain to work. No, I don’t have some  Suburu wrx STI or a Mercedes or a Lexus, I have a Civic… SI.

I like that little car. It’s fun to drive. But let’s get real, it’s no crazy ass rocket it’s no Suburu (one of my dream cars) and I’m not about to do some little Fast & Furiousness in the streets of S-vale. But insurance is still a pain because it’s a “sport” car.

It would have been a smart choice to get a lower end civic, with four doors because really, a Honda will last until I have kids probably. But when I knew I should get a new car, all I could think about “F— being smart, this is my life to live. I like driving (to my desired destinations). I like how it’s small and fun.” Also, I don’t plan on having kids for another few years so I figure, I shall  live my youth until the little brats come along! However, that fun has a shadow looming nearby called “payments.”

The post said move to a city where you don’t have to use cars. Yes, I totally agree with public transportation. When I was in NYC, that was the coolest discovery! I wondered why we don’t have a better set up like that here. However, I ‘m not a city girl and the city is just as expensive. But I guess if you’re living like that guy above, you can live in a closet in the city and be happy with that. I don’t know, but I need windows, light, trees, grass… I need nature to pull me out of depression every once and a while. Concrete does not make me happy, Pocahontas moments is what I like to escape to.

I understand that living a minimalist life is probably better and stress free, but to a certain extent. I believe it is best for people who cannot limit themselves. That’s not me. I know my limits with somethings such as spending money and I know when to say when. I’m not looking for debts by splurging on crazy things all the time. I’m just looking to have what I need, but that the things that I need also be good quality, lasting, fun, cute, pretty, and nice. Especially if I’m only going to be buying ONE. I just gotta find being a minimalist in a different way.

Make a Resume Blog

I was reading about creating a blog that involves an interactive resume. You can post about your skills, achievements, volunteering, and past work experience etc. So I created another blog for my resume, it’s not public though (yet) and it’s going to include all the awesome things I have done in my “career life” and how great I am in my “field.” But wait, I don’t have neither of those. I feel like I am just working to work. There is nothing I am really passionate about at this point, it has been squashed and is slowly drying out. There are several things I would like to see done and I have so many ideas, but of course my ideas require time and money, which I don’t think the company I work for would support me in. If only I worked for an awesome company that made millions, but no, I work for a non-profit and we do events where we charge $30 per person to attend and most of the people we know make minimum wage.

Anyway, back to the original topic. I have that other blog there and hopefully I will realize that those empty spaces, I can fill up. I would want to fill it up with projects that I am currently working on AND my volunteer work… both which I have to somehow start. Maybe what is scaring me is that I don’t have time or energy to do that. The secret truth is, I have a lot of time at during work. I just need to be more creative, maybe there will be some cut back in my little weak paycheck I even get now. But maybe I need to look at those dollars lost as investments made. I’m investing time in myself to reap the true benefits later.

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

So I am going to prepare for my next step in finding what job I can tolerate and not be so affected by it mentally and physically. Currently, I am not so happy with work, which is a light way to put it. I have some crazy mood swings which may actually be caused by other things, but my work situation is strongly affecting my mood. Last Friday I really broke down. It’s been an ongoing thing and I hate Sunday nights and can’t wait for Monday through Friday to be over. I just hope that I don’t work the weekends to have some freedom, but then that freedom seems to make it harder to go back.

I know I need to move on, but I also know that I have things that I want to take care of.  I also have that time to prepare for something because work can be so annoyingly unproductive at times. I am not sure what I’ll be preparing for exactly, but I want to make sure I go into something that I’ll be OK with. At this point, I feel like I am not hoping for much,  just something more tolerable than what’s happening right now. I feel guilty for wanting more than I have because it is better than nothing. But I know there is an opportunity out there that will offer me so much more, so why not strive for that?

At least I know I am not alone in this search for what I need to be doing career-wise. I am perfectly categorized into that whole Quarterlife Crisis that other kiddos are going through. So it helps a bit knowing that I am not alone. We all want something more. We have been ingrained with this stupid fantasy that going to college will open so many doors to the dollar signs. We have been taught to make a change and now we feel thrown into a world with so many boundaries difficult to break. We weren’t given skills for the work place, just things we have to work harder convincing prospective employers we can apply in the workforce.

I know my weaknesses and I have to work at it. I am going to keep track of my preparation with  posts  in hopes that I’ll be more proactive in my search for my next move in my career path. Whatever that is.

-P

*Some of this may not  make sense, it’s 4:00am and I am soaking up every minute of my weekend