Friday, January 03, 2014
Goals for the year...
There's an unspoken question I've asked myself when preparing for hard times, and it's what approach to take. Fight or flight: do I stay in the USA and wait out the coming collapse or do I flee the scene of the crime(s)? There's something else unspoken at work, and I heard it in Chile. The expat and expats in training believe the hard times will affect other parts of the world less than they will in America. I feel there is some truth to this. The conventional wisdom states that China had a better time of it because of the silver standard during the Great Depression as an oft-mentioned example, and there are nations where banks are solvent, and the population is more productive and younger (and, hopefully, desperate to learn English). Nevertheless, all the nations of the world, so interdependent in this age, will be affected by this, so that's not my main concern. I don't fear hard times so much as I fear the average American's and the American government's reaction to them. I don't feel that I can hide my way through this coming turmoil, and shouldn't want to do so anyway. There will be opportunity through all of this, but not in the USA, with far too much debt, entitlement programs, and over-capacity that needs to be eliminated. Higher Ed has as much over-capacity as any industry, so I include myself in that statement. Soon, I will be either obsolete or irrelevant. I've stated these beliefs in earlier posts, so let's not belabor the point. The answer is then flight, and almost all of the work I did in 2013 dealt with expatriating, and with good reason.
Nevertheless, I had an epiphany of sorts. Preparing only on the one side and utterly ignoring the other is wrong. I say this because I did all the heavy lifting I felt I could in 2013, but very little to show for it. I just turned 43, and the clock is ticking. Also, there's at least some chance I could meet someone, and I doubt many women here in Westchester are as eager to leave the USA as I am. So, with this in mind, I will try to be a little more balanced in my efforts. To wit the list below is listed in chronological order, and the approach each goal will fulfill: fight, flight, both, or none. Note the list is in the order in which I begin working toward these goals, not when they'll be completed.
1) Upgrade my appliances. An odd place to start, no? Well, it is in chronological order. I could hit Sears or Home Depot right now; slap the credit card on the counter; arrange delivery and set up, and have a new dishwasher, stove, and fridge. Few things will make me happier than getting out of the Man-cave. If I could remember to take measurements of the items in question, I'd have done this already. Approach: Both.
2) Hitting the gym. Amorphous goals are rarely completed, so I have to define this a bit better than just some blanket statement. I'll go this weekend, and come Monday 1/6/2014, the Spring registration kicks into gear, and I will be working like a lunatic once more. I can't work the insane OT like 2010, but I'll still make plenty of extra money. I even spoke to my Warcraft guild and let them know I'll be scarce. With that comes an opening to hit the gym after work to reduce the stress and lose more weight. It seems like I have the psychological space to do this, if that makes any sense. The goal is to hit the gym after work 2-3 times a week, probably Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as once on the weekends. Approach: Both.
3) Getting an ESL class. The class would be on going, but getting the assignment begins on Monday. I don't know why I didn't teach last semester other than some hesitation to push the issue, but that resistance is gone. I enjoy teaching, and I'll certainly enjoy the extra money. If the college doesn't work out, I'll try EF and Berlitz. Approach: Technically both, since the extra money and different work experience will help in all my efforts, but flight much more than fight.
4) Completing an FBI background check. The is where the list gets interesting. For a myriad of reasons, but one in particular, this is needed. The timeline is long, similar to teaching the ESL class, but the process needs to begin next week. I'll print out the application on Monday and get my fingerprints done next week. I'll get the paperwork in 6-8 weeks. Approach: Flight, as if that wasn't obvious.
5) I'll know by then end of the week if I'm teaching or not. If I'm not, then I'll volunteer at the ELI as it's convenient and I will sign up for a few Cont. Ed. courses come Friday 01/10/14, since they're free. The ones I'm most interested in are First Aid & CPR (which should be easy for me, since I know them already), even potentially upgrading to EMT certification. I'll also check out any entrepreneurial classes, and perhaps most importantly, Spanish classes. Approach: Both, with a slight tilt towards flight if I take Spanish classes.
6) Open an EBay store. This is another lengthy process more than worthy of its own post, and I'll work on that after this never-ending essay is completed. To sell on EBay, you need to buy on EBay, so that's first. In fact, I'll so buy something now. I'll begin this... right now. Approach: Both.
6) Pay off debt. Again, vague declarations are rarely completed, so let's take that noble pursuit and convert it into bite-sized pieces. Now that the credit card is paid and my monthly expenses are lower thanks to the Corolla, I can dedicate myself to finishing paying off the remaining retirement loans. Add to this the overtime I'll be earning, 3 of the 4 loans remaining will be gone by summer. The start will occur with the Jan. 30th check, as I'll need to pay bills earlier than normal due to a quirk in the calendar. Approach: Both, with a nod to fight.
The above list is merely for January, if you can believe it. Of course, these won't be completed in January. With that I'll stop and begin another post.
Nevertheless, I had an epiphany of sorts. Preparing only on the one side and utterly ignoring the other is wrong. I say this because I did all the heavy lifting I felt I could in 2013, but very little to show for it. I just turned 43, and the clock is ticking. Also, there's at least some chance I could meet someone, and I doubt many women here in Westchester are as eager to leave the USA as I am. So, with this in mind, I will try to be a little more balanced in my efforts. To wit the list below is listed in chronological order, and the approach each goal will fulfill: fight, flight, both, or none. Note the list is in the order in which I begin working toward these goals, not when they'll be completed.
1) Upgrade my appliances. An odd place to start, no? Well, it is in chronological order. I could hit Sears or Home Depot right now; slap the credit card on the counter; arrange delivery and set up, and have a new dishwasher, stove, and fridge. Few things will make me happier than getting out of the Man-cave. If I could remember to take measurements of the items in question, I'd have done this already. Approach: Both.
2) Hitting the gym. Amorphous goals are rarely completed, so I have to define this a bit better than just some blanket statement. I'll go this weekend, and come Monday 1/6/2014, the Spring registration kicks into gear, and I will be working like a lunatic once more. I can't work the insane OT like 2010, but I'll still make plenty of extra money. I even spoke to my Warcraft guild and let them know I'll be scarce. With that comes an opening to hit the gym after work to reduce the stress and lose more weight. It seems like I have the psychological space to do this, if that makes any sense. The goal is to hit the gym after work 2-3 times a week, probably Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as once on the weekends. Approach: Both.
3) Getting an ESL class. The class would be on going, but getting the assignment begins on Monday. I don't know why I didn't teach last semester other than some hesitation to push the issue, but that resistance is gone. I enjoy teaching, and I'll certainly enjoy the extra money. If the college doesn't work out, I'll try EF and Berlitz. Approach: Technically both, since the extra money and different work experience will help in all my efforts, but flight much more than fight.
4) Completing an FBI background check. The is where the list gets interesting. For a myriad of reasons, but one in particular, this is needed. The timeline is long, similar to teaching the ESL class, but the process needs to begin next week. I'll print out the application on Monday and get my fingerprints done next week. I'll get the paperwork in 6-8 weeks. Approach: Flight, as if that wasn't obvious.
5) I'll know by then end of the week if I'm teaching or not. If I'm not, then I'll volunteer at the ELI as it's convenient and I will sign up for a few Cont. Ed. courses come Friday 01/10/14, since they're free. The ones I'm most interested in are First Aid & CPR (which should be easy for me, since I know them already), even potentially upgrading to EMT certification. I'll also check out any entrepreneurial classes, and perhaps most importantly, Spanish classes. Approach: Both, with a slight tilt towards flight if I take Spanish classes.
6) Open an EBay store. This is another lengthy process more than worthy of its own post, and I'll work on that after this never-ending essay is completed. To sell on EBay, you need to buy on EBay, so that's first. In fact, I'll so buy something now. I'll begin this... right now. Approach: Both.
6) Pay off debt. Again, vague declarations are rarely completed, so let's take that noble pursuit and convert it into bite-sized pieces. Now that the credit card is paid and my monthly expenses are lower thanks to the Corolla, I can dedicate myself to finishing paying off the remaining retirement loans. Add to this the overtime I'll be earning, 3 of the 4 loans remaining will be gone by summer. The start will occur with the Jan. 30th check, as I'll need to pay bills earlier than normal due to a quirk in the calendar. Approach: Both, with a nod to fight.
The above list is merely for January, if you can believe it. Of course, these won't be completed in January. With that I'll stop and begin another post.
