So as 2014 is coming to an end and the next year begins, I looked back and wondered how did I end up doing this year as far as personal growth and development goes? The answer I found was quite a bit, but never nearly as much as I'd like it to be.
But hey, you have to start somewhere to get to where you want to be.
1. LIFE WITH A REGULAR FULL TIME JOB is something I'm still getting used to despite having had it for a year and a bit by now. Maybe I just worked too many temporary jobs for too long, but it is a bit novel still to have guaranteed working hours every week as well as guaranteed money, no matter how relatively small it may be to start.
The other thing I'm getting used to in my life? The option of benefits as a full-time employee and not a contractor of some sort. And as I found out this year, having various expenses paid for as a result of benefits is a magical thing to have.
2. FINALLY GOING AND GETTING MY G2 turned out to be far more expensive and costly than I ever expected it to be and I don't even have car ownership to speak of impacting my finances! Between the lessons and the classes and the testing itself, I paid the equivalent of the university full credit course by the end of it.
But with that said, I was always somewhat aware of the costs to get the license and for that reason procrastinated it for as long as I did not to mention my stubborn resolve that living in a city with regular transit generally signifies a limited need for a car.
But in the end, driving is a skill and is a skill that I lacked until now. And I'm really glad I did manage to earn it. It was a huge goal to get the licensing to drive a car (if not a full G licence yet) and it ultimately does open various doors for me as an individual. And it's a big step to gaining a sort of independence in my life. Even if it does open me up to sisterly abuse of my new-found skills.
3. GETTING MY CREDIT CARD BALANCE DOWN TO ZERO, ANNIHILATING THE INTEREST COSTS ended up being a big big thing for me this year. I mean, the goal of completely paying it off has always had lingered in my head as something I would like to accomplish at some point, but it was always a day shrouded in the distant future.
Really, I had no excuses for waiting as long as I did to pay off my credit card anyway. I mean, by the time I started I had no uncertainty of employment for well over a year and the money I made was enough that I should be able to pay it down while still getting some what I wanted every month and pay my bills. I didn't really have to pinch too much to get it done in a timely fashion.
I may have done it quickly, but it wasn't easy. Seeing those big pay cheques from working like a dog basically paying off for things that I don't even remember spending money on was a hard pill to swallow.
With that said, nothing made me smile or was a bigger relief than seeing the account in the positives for the first time since getting the card. A moment worth remembering for the year.
4. FINANCIALLY AND MENTALLY I AM ACTUALLY STARTING TO FEEL POSITIVE ABOUT WHERE IT IS ALL GOING.
Sure I still have mountains of student loan debt and sure I make a pittance against it. But in the same breath, I feel as if I have my money actually working for me now whether it is retirement or other things. But there is a positive to be gained in what it is I am looking to do going forward. There is a path to move towards and I strongly feel there is a chance whatever is holding me back now won't be an issue in the near future.
That isn't to say life won't throw me a terrible bone in the future (in fact, there is a chance I may get a less than desired bone in the not-too-distant future) but I feel better prepared to face it now that I'm aware of what options I have. I just now have to get things done about it.
So that's it. That's 2014 in one big nutshell for me as far as development goes. I can't say I really go into the new year with much regret. Not that there aren't things I could work on, financially and otherwise, but I'm in a good place that I can build on.
And it's a start.
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