I feel like someone will never truly appreciate their community or where they live until they’ve seen it from the sky.
I had the honor and privilege to get to ride in a private plane today, and see aerial views of the community I’ve resided in for the last two and a half years. One thing I can say is that while I knew that there were a lot of lakes in the area, I didn’t know quite how many until today.
According to Otter Tail County, there are 1,048 lakes just within the county lines. We flew out from Becker County, went as far south as Fergus Falls, and then came north again, passing Erhard, Pelican Rapids, and several other small towns, plus a thousand lakes. Which is funny, because normally people say that and it’s an exaggeration. But today it’s not.
This bring us to today’s task:
Change your plans.
This has by far become one of my favorite habits, which I believe is in line with my aspiration to create more spontaneity in my life. “Today might be a last chance to fly for quite a while” is what the pilot wrote to me this afternoon. And while I knew I needed to be working on getting my taxes organized and packing up all my stuff, this wasn’t one of those opportunities where I could ask to reschedule for tomorrow. So I said YES. HELL YES. And changed my plans.
What does this have to do with financial fitness, you might be asking?
First, life is always unpredictable. Stuff hits you from left field all the time. You don’t see things coming. And then you have to figure out a new game plan. A new strategy. What worked one day doesn’t even come close to working the next. For this reason alone, it’s important to create some kind of emergency savings for yourself. Because you never know what’s going to happen, and when that unexpected things does…well, you want to be able to take a deep breath and say “This is why I’ve been putting away money every month”. That happened to me a while back when I was told I needed to get new tires for my car. If not for putting aside money every month, I wouldn’t have had the cash for ‘maintenance’.
When I was in graduate school and I got in a bike accident, my bike was totaled. The cost of repairs was going to cost more than the bike was actually worth. And I had little to nothing in savings. Certainly not enough to buy a new bike. I cried and cried as my primary mode of transportation disappeared. It was the first time that I asked my parents for financial help. And it was one of the most challenging conversations to have. I felt like a failure. How could I be so ‘book smart’, get good grades, etc., and yet not even have enough money to buy myself a new bike? I think after that moment the importance of getting myself in a better position financially became even greater. Because I hated that feeling of being helpless, and not feeling like I had any backup plans.
Secondly, it’s important to be able to change your plans because sometimes the best things come from jumping off a cliff. That is, taking a chance on something that has an unpredictable ending. This is where intuition can come in handy. Knowing how to read the signals your body is telling you, whether from a sinking feeling in your stomach, an expansive feeling in your chest, a lightness in your shoulders…your body is so intelligent if you just learn to listen. So often we’re going too fast to even take notice of those subtle hints.
Today’s adventure in the plane was unforgettable. And I honestly didn’t know what it would be like. But I trusted that I wouldn’t die and that I would get the rest of my things done, even if it meant staying up a bit later in the evenings this coming week. I also was thinking a lot about what I’ve been writing for this challenge, and truly wanting to align my priorities with my actions. Spending time with people who make me happy is one of those. And having just done a meditation earlier that morning where I visualized myself spending quality time with people I love, I knew that this was an opportunity to create alignment for myself.
There’s countless other examples of the positive side of changing my plans…deciding to invest in a long-term, long-distance relationship changed my life in so many good ways. Deciding to move out to West Central Minnesota without knowing anyone has been an incredible journey, resulting in amazing friendships, professional networks, and a deep connection to nature. Going down a new path on a hike. Cooking a robust brunch on a Sunday morning for myself instead of launching into chores and errands right away. Deciding to prioritize my happiness first versus giving my energy away to others.
It can be so hard, changing plans. Especially when you find such joy in the habits that you’ve created for yourself. But for me, one of the best things that can happen when you get out of your routine and your comfort zone is a new stimulation of creativity. New neurons will fire in your brain when you’re engaging in something different. And that will help you get out of your thought patterns that you tend to loop on everyday anyways.
Lastly, it’s important to change your plans because it forces you to not get too ahead of yourself. Bringing us back to Day 12 – cultivating a sense of peace and presence. When you change your plans, you’re more likely to be living in the moment, unsure of what’s coming next. You kind of have to just go with the flow. For most people, that’s extremely uncomfortable. And also a very good muscle to build.
If you become more comfortable with discomfort, or uncertainty, you handle change in general better, regardless of whether you chose to make that change or not.
I’d like to end this post by sharing a few subtle things that happened today that I’m paying attention to, not because anyone said I needed to, but just because I always like to identify synchronicity in my life.
Yesterday, I had a great conversation with a good friend and we talked about my geographic mobility. I described the tension that I often feel living in Minnesota and traveling abroad and feeling deep down inside me that I just don’t belong here. That there’s another culture and future that’s in store for me, and the longer I stay the longer I prolong this future from occurring.
I couldn’t help but smile as I drove to Detroit Lakes today and passed a billboard that said “You belong here.” I think that for as many times as I’ve made that drive, it’s the first time that I’ve paid any attention to the billboard. I laughed and said to myself, “Okay, universe. I hear you.”
The other thing that I’m still laughing about as I write this were the words of the pilot, who clearly is not up-to-date on my relationship status:
“Now you can say that you’ve seen more of Minnesota than most people, and you can convince your boyfriend to move up here.”
I feel like this is not the first time that I’ve felt like the locals have been searching for ways to woo me into staying in this area. The first time was probably when I got an offer to stay at a cabin for the winter when I needed a short-term apartment. And the owner of the place said something to the effect of “It’s not every day that we stumble across talent like yours. So when we come across people like you, with your skills, we try to find ways to keep them here.”
To this day, those words have stuck with me. And I don’t take any moment of the six months that I spent living at that cabin for granted. Time and time again, I feel like people out here have made it clear that they want me to stay. And I guess the question is, if I keep asking myself “under what circumstances would I commit”, do I really belong here? Should there be any doubts in my mind if I’m in the place where I belong?
The thesis statement here is you can’t ever really know what’s coming, or if the decision that you’re making is the right one. It just needs to be the best one. For you. In that moment. And if you can let go of the FOMO and trust that everything is working to support you, you’ll be 10,000 times better off than the person who makes the same decision and questions themselves every day for it.
I’m sure you can guess where I stand on that spectrum right now, and I’m not saying this because I know 100% what I want, but I do know from that experiences in the past, confidence in yourself and trust in something bigger than yourself is essential.
Today’s videos & podcasts to keep you inspired:
- La MEJOR MEDITACIÓN para MANIFESTAR ft. Mar del Cerro | Infinitos con Martha Higareda
- Foro Mujeres Poderosas 2017 – Martha Debayle “Las 10 lecciones que toda mujer poderosa debe saber”
- Episode 265: Choosing to Prosper By Facing Your Crossroads – Clever Girls Know podcast
- Episode 258: How Many & Jay Leverage Accountability To Achieve Their Financial Goals
