Argus Courier Post

Sometimes the things that drive us in life are the things that we sit on. In this case, I'm talking about a car. Motivation is one of those emotions that help us in life, either when things are great, or when things are getting worse. Both are great areas to find motivation, but I'll cover motivation in more depth soon. Anyway, the thing I was sitting on, my car, was one of those things that was making my life sink in many ways. I was like a cat in water, fighting to stay afloat, and looking really uncomfortable (this is how my cat is, so if your cat swims great, you still get the point..). I kept ignoring that I was paying more than $35 a week. I ignored the fact that my car kept shaking at stoplights, that it wouldn't start up more than half of the time without me revving the car, and that the engine would randomly die while driving on roads. I was only driving up to Santa Rosa Junior College four times a week, plus once or twice to Rhonert Park to see Monique. Driving in my 1984 BMW 325e was costing me a fortune. I guess I never really thought about it, thinking that getting a new car would be more pain than just toughing it out with what I had.

Well, the thing that motivated me, besides my gas costs, was the idea of passing smog in a few months. Thats when I knew, it's never going to pass, and I really don't want it to pass. The car was in such bad shape, I didn't feel good about driving it around at all. So, what do I do, I got a job. I figure, "Hey, I'll get a job, earn the money to buy a $5000 car, and then it'll be all good". Then I start the actual work part of getting a job. To my prediction, the job is very uncomplicated and easy to do. It feels like this job could be done by anyone with half a brain, though I don't want to be rude to the people who worked with me. Just frankly, I knew I wasn't the right match for my job. Instead of complain, I take action. I work my butt off for the company to impress everyone. Not that I had to make myself get into action, it just came naturally. I found out how much I could do and get ahead. I meet some awesome people at my job, and found out what it's really like to work part-time in college. I'm glad I got the experience.

Back to the car, I get my mom to work the car hunt for me. For those of you who don't know my mom the way I do, you won't find a better car seeker. Although you would never know it by looking at her, she's got major talent in the right areas. The hunt for a car for me started out slow, then come together this last weekend. We tested out a few cars, and I found one that we all linked. An older Honda, it had many miles, but drove so smooth. With two minor problems, I took the car for two grand. I was so happy, I had done it, I had finally gotten a decent car for myself. I was able to pay off part of it right away with money from my job, and planned to make payments to pay the rest off. It was two days after I got my car when the rest of it all hit me.

It was sitting in my Econ class when my teacher was talking about resource allocation. Talking about how everything and everyone should be specialized in a certain trade in order to better themselves and others around them. Right away, I thought of my job. I'm working 21 hours a week, making a dollar or so more than minimum wage. I kept thinking, I'm a very talented guy, and my field is in music. I make %150 more money working only 10 hours a week, compared to working that part time job. It seemed so simple. I looked over my income without my job, and my liabilities, all my expenses, and saw that I could not work my job, and pay off my car in 6 months. I further thought, I have these great plans to be making even more money by working in music, and the only thing that has been holding me up is the number of hours that I work at my part-time job. Later that night, I told one of my managers that I was giving to two weeks notice. Like that, I had made a huge change in my life. I know how productive I am, and I know I can reach my goals with every step I take in the right direction. Yesterday was the first, and probably hardest step I had to take. I didn't seek anyone's opinion, I made my own decision as fast as snapping my two fingers together. Yeah, my expenses will be tight for a while, but the more I work to getting my other goals, the faster I can pay off my car and enjoy the work I do in my life. I see myself being much more than I am today, and everyday I take a step in the direction I want. Cause everyone's going somewhere in life, wether you plan it out or not. I'm lucky enough to be going where I want.

Hey! that's all. Thanks for reading my first post here and be sure to come see me soon. Please leave me comments, I love to hear what you have to say, and maybe we can get a conversation going. In the future, I'm sure I'll talking about my 69 pound weight loss, how things are going, and all my thoughts on life and the community. Have a great day everyone!

P.S. - I added a few of my photos from around Petaluma below. Hope you like them. If anyone wants bigger coppies, let me know.