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Doing What You Want. With Purpose

02.20.2012 by Matt Jabs //

“Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still.” – Henry David Thoreau

Hiking during the week

Now that Betsy and I write books and run websites full-time we’re able to work, serve, and leisure when we want. It’s a blessing from God and a result of hard work and preparation.

One key pursuit of Debt Free Adventure is living our mission and helping you learn to live yours. This means seeking purpose while doing what we love. I’m convinced the righteous desires of our hearts – no matter how frivolous they may seem – are part of a compass, bestowed by God, to help steer our lives. One of mine is hiking, I love it.

Having recently moved to Hendersonville, NC I’m endowed with enough hiking to make me sick. I joined a local hiking club and am going on my maiden hike this morning; I’m excited. It could be pure leisure, but could also present an opportunity to serve Christ, however small. Being sensitive to these opportunities is part of my purpose.

When I was first born-again I created my own opportunities. I would slam open doors and shove God in your face whether you liked it or not. No longer. Nowadays I aim to judge myself against His word and wait for Him to open the doors.

Long story short, regardless of what I’m doing I try to follow the righteous desires of my heart (like hiking), enjoy myself, and remain sensitive to any opportunity to share the glorious grace of my Lord Jesus.

With that always in mind, the topic of today’s article is being able to do what you want; in this case, me hiking during the week.

Forgive me as I take a minute to lose myself in the details of preparing for my hike, being prepared and going over my gear is something I enjoy almost as much as the hike itself!

Being prepared on the hike

When I hiked in Michigan it was hard to get lost; I carried little more than water and a snack. That’s not the case here; Western North Carolina is home to millions of acres of mountain wilderness that can easily confuse an unprepared hiker. It deserves the respect of proper gear and a well thought out pack.

Tomorrow’s hike is a moderate 6.4 mile day hike that should take approximately 3 hours. Here is a picture and list of the contents in my pack. Am I properly prepared? You be the judge.

Starting horizontally from the top left:

  • mini binoculars
  • bowie knife and multi-function tool
  • signal mirror
  • mini survival kit with all sorts of goodies
  • reflective emergency blanket
  • bible
  • flashlight
  • compass
  • first-aid kit
  • rope
  • whistle
  • flint and steel
  • lighter
  • trail and road map of the surrounding wilderness area

I will also carry plenty of water and food, and be properly dressed in layers.

Note: My kit should include a good quality water filter, which I intend to add soon.

Doing what you love with purpose

I love to hike, but I also love to help others.

We’re blessed to be able to earn a living writing about holistic stewardship, but it took a lot of hard work to get there. For years I built this business on the side while working a full-time job I didn’t care for. Now rather than working a job I don’t like and living for the weekend, I’m doing the work I love and living every day to the fullest. Are you?

“I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.” – Carl Sandburg

It’s okay if you don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing, but it’s not okay if you’re not seeking. It took me the better part of 2 decades to find a road that feels right, so never stop searching.

Don’t be afraid to think – and live – outside the box, and don’t be afraid to go your own way.

Remember, if you’re always trying to fit in, you’ll never stand out.

*******

Categories // Earn Money, Spirituality Tags // dream, motivation, spiritual, Work

Cool Ways to Cover Summer Expenses

07.23.2011 by Guest Author //

Summertime is certainly here, and with it come barbeques, outdoor sports, and vacations – as well as the inevitable increase in household spending. Kids need something to do, gas prices skyrocket, and the electric bill climbs up along with the rising heat. What almost never accompanies these summer month expenditures is the increase in household income. Kids can mow lawns to make their ends meet, but what about you?

You’re already hard at work during the day and so is the spouse. You’ve streamlined the summertime expenses, but don’t want to be forced to cancel the annual trip to see some family in Florida. Coupons are cut out, the air conditioning is monitored diligently, and still gas prices rise and your bank account lowers. What’s a family to do?

Depending on your particular situation, you could consider trying one of the following ideas. Some are simple, some seem a little too simple, but none are complicated and they all do a good job putting you back in black during the red hot season.

Keep the fridge stocked

The refrigerator and freezer consume nearly 17% of a home’s energy, more than any other appliance. You can cut down the amount of energy it takes for your fridge to keep cool by keeping it full. By doing so, the cold temperature of the fridge can be better re-established after it’s been open on account of the cold items already inside. Keep several pitchers and other containers of water inside to take up space and to always have cold water available.

Recirculate air correctly

We should all know why the recirculation button accompanies most automobile air conditioning systems – it allows for colder inside air to be re-used which saves your engine some trouble. But not everybody knows the best way to go about using it properly. You should start your car with just the A/C running for at least ten minutes before applying the recirculation function in order to build up enough cold air for it to function the right way.

Look for online work

I can’t say you’ll be able to find a way to make stacks of cash by sitting at your computer, but if you’re spending money on keeping your home cool why not try and earn some money while you’re inside of it? Sites like Survey Head are always looking for people to take surveys through their home computer. Cold hard cash takes several surveys to amass, but these sites tend to always provide very useful product giveaways and other gifts and promotional items. What’s an hour worth of clicking “yes” or “no” while you watch TV if it means you can get some free toothbrushes for the family?

Use a clothesline

There’s no reason why anybody should be drying their clothes in a drying machine when it’s hot enough outside to fry an egg on an engine block. Clotheslines can be assembled pretty much anywhere on Earth where there are two walls next to each other or any other object you can tie a string to. Spend an hour assembling yourself a clothesline apparatus and enjoy free clothes drying for several months. Take a survey to net yourself some fabric softener.

Shop online and save

Whenever possible, shop online. It saves you a lot of cash. Coupon codes are a lot easier to find than the ones floating around newspapers and junk mail, and so long as you order something from another state there’s no state sales tax applied. When you consider all the time you spend driving from one place to another finding the right “bargain”, burning fuel to do so, it’s crazy still wanting to stick to traditional mall rat tactics.

You don’t need to cancel the family trip to save on summertime costs. You just need to know which corners to cut and where you can find opportunity when you otherwise can’t find the time. The summer shouldn’t be synonymous with spending money. Start associating the season with saving starting today.

Categories // Earn Money, Expenses Tags // Reduce Expenses, Work

You Always Have Options

09.29.2010 by Matt Jabs //

Even if it doesn’t feel like it, you always have options.  Trust me.

Options are all around you

Right now some of you may be feeling as though you need a change.  Shoot, chances are you’re not even sure what that change should be.  Further yet, you may even be laboring over whether or not your strong feelings of wanting change are “okay”.  Don’t worry, in my experience this is all pretty normal.

That said, I have one question for you: do you feel this way because you are living a life out of line with your purpose?  Have you ever defined what your purpose is?  Are you actively working to do something to affect change, or are you just sitting around complaining about it?

Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself

Why do you think you are having these feelings?  Can you key in on some of the main sources of displeasure in your life?  If you haven’t yet, sit down and make a list of what you like and dislike about your situation.  About where you are and where you’d like to be.  About what went wrong, and what needs to go right from here forward.

Perhaps you feel as though you’re a poster child for the sin of discontentment.  Been there.

Maybe it’s worse.  Perhaps you feel abandoned, alone, misunderstood, over worked, under appreciated, under valued.  Sound familiar?  I’ve been there too.  Heck, in a lot of ways, I’m there now.  Sure, some things are good, and I should probably be focusing on those things rather than the things that exacerbate discontent… but, whatever… sometimes I just want to wallow in my own self pity for awhile.  And that’s okay too – as long as I don’t stay there.

To help ourselves out of places like this we need to analyze our situation unbiasedly, examine what went wrong, then humbly accept fault for past improper decisions, and forge ahead with purpose, strength of resolve, and character.

It is easy to become fearful at this point, to be afraid of the course we know to be right, to sink back into a corner and carry on with the daily routine that got us here in the first place.  But that’s not the right thing to do.

“Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get.”  – George Bernard Shaw

Be patient

Many times, overcoming an undesirable situation takes longer than we wished it would take.  Much longer.  This is okay, patiently working our way out of bad situations builds the character we’ll need as we move on to pursue future plans.

Just make sure you do something to affect change in your life.  Analyze, plan, then act… and do it all with patience.

Remember… you always have options.

This is worth repeating.

If you don’t like your debt, you can always make changes.  Save money, sell stuff, rent out your home and live in a mobile home.  Whatever you do, don’t be too proud to lower your standard of living as a way to free up resources. Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University is well worth the $100, perhaps you should enroll.

If you don’t like your job, you can always walk away from it.  You’re not an idiot, you can get a different job while putting your plan in place.  Better yet… stick it out a little longer while formulating your next moves.  Just be sure you do something.

You always have options… it’s just a matter of doing something to create change rather than wallowing in the piggy mud puddle of discontent while doing nothing to change it.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

Categories // Debt, Spirituality Tags // Debt, goals, save, wisdom, Work

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