On being a Goalie….
When I say goalie, I am not talking about a soccer goalie. I guess maybe goalkeeper is more appropriate. I have been giving thought to my “five year plan” and what it looks like, considering my path, and what it I want it to look like, based on the goals I want to reach.
The last 15 months has been CRAZY in an utterly fantastic way. I have gotten engaged, bought a house with Mel, planned the wedding with Mel (95% us!), sold both of our cars, bought a new car, worked on the new house some, found an awesome church to attend, got a HUGE promotion @ work, and got MARRIED. Those are the bigger items on the list, there are plenty of small ones that filled in the “gaps”.
So now that things have been slowly settling down, I have been asking myself “What’s Next?”. The only thing I have on my goal list right now is a long term goal, but it’s a big one.
Double my salary, if not more than double….
I had a goal in my late teens that I wanted to be making a certain dollar figure by the time I was 25. I didn’t make it by 25, but I did make it by 27, which was very exciting for me, because it was a substantial goal to complete. The moment I reached the goal, I replaced it with the new goal. At the time it was to simply double my salary, but now that I am married, it involves providing for my family, which is WAY more important that simply having more money. The main reason for doubling my salary is so Mel doesn’t have to work. We really want to have one parent at home once kids come our way.
Here’s the thing. I can only see one way to pull this off. I have to work for myself. The good news is that I have a ton of experience and ability, the bad news is that working for yourself, full time, is not an easy thing to pull of. Much less, doubling a very reasonable and somewhat comfortable original salary. I think I have to do it though. I have been looking for that ONE good idea for the past several years and it has never come to me, despite my knack for all things technical, I felt like my calling was elsewhere. I am pretty sure I was wrong.
So there it is, I now know the WHAT (All things technical – esp. computer stuff), but the how is only beginning. This is where goals are very important. If my only goal is to double my salary, I may not make good long term decisions if it allows me to increase short term returns. So my huge goal will now be broken down into many smaller goals.
My whole point of the goalie bit was this…..It may change later, but for now….
I am a Goalie. It’s the best way I know how to live my life. I am not ready to settle down and settle for what I have achieved. I’m almost 29, my work has only begun. If I stop now I could live a happy life, doing what I do until I retire or something, but I want to be working towards something and having fun doing it until I croak. I don’t ever want to board the mediocrity train and take a seat. I might end up on it occasionally, but I won’t ever willingly take a seat.
There are lots of people in this world and every one of them is different. This is MY take and I’m going to stick to it until GOD, or my wife I suppose, lets me know it needs to change.
Oh, and when I retire, I am pretty sure I will be THAT OLD GUY that spend lots of time making stuff. How grand it will be….
-Kamen