I spend a lot of time thinking about money, between work and my own personal interests neuroses. Here are some conclusions I've recently reached.
I work at the exact organisation I once imagined would be an ideal place for me, in a newly created role that perfectly suits my skill set, at the salary I was determined to reach.
There's something to be said for knowing where you want to go - how else will you be able to get there?
I believe in plans. But I also believe in taking little leaps of faith.
The two biggest financial decisions I've ever made - taking a six month leave to travel, buying a house - were not airtight. The general plans were pretty rock solid; I'd been working toward them for awhile.
But I didn't have quite enough saved by the time we left the country. I was pretty confident I could make it up while freelancing on the road (and I did, almost to the dollar...) and at the worst, I knew I had a job to come back to.
And in many ways I bought a house at the worst time, my accounts having been decimated due to circumstances beyond my control. But I felt secure in my job and was earning a reasonable income, and a down payment that met requirements.
Life is fickle and while we can - and should - do our best to plan and prepare, nothing is ever 100%.
As above, I honestly never thought I'd earn what I'm making now. If I'd stayed in journalism, I wouldn't be. But out of it, my skills are marketable enough to justify what seem like insane pay rates in comparison. (Not that these go all that far in NZ or Auckland, or impress mortgage brokers, but it's a huge step up from before.) I look back on the jobs I've done and the call centre and hospitality work I once did was so much harder and so poorly compensated.
Whatever you do for work, do it to the best of your ability, and remember that nobody else will fight as hard for your best financial interests.
What do you believe about money?