Letters to the Editor
skblues
Published Letters: 4
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Volunteer
[Read the article: I'm an existential artist. People just don't get me!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The best way to get outside of yourself is to help another being. Bring a meal to a lonely old person. Clean house or buy groceries for someone who is sick. Pick up trash at the park. Walk the dogs at the animal shelter. Listen without judgment.
Whatever you do, stop focusing on others' shortcomings and instead ask how you can bring more beauty and compassion into the world. That is a truly authentic way to live. The world needs more compassionate people. We have plenty of self-righteous navel-gazers already.
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Sacrifice
[Read the article: My big, fat, unpaid credit card bill]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]That word is conspicuously absent from today's vocabulary. No American wants to be uncomfortable, even a little bit, even for just a little while. Our ridiculous addiction to convenience and instant gratification is why people refuse to make significant sacrifices for intangible, yet vastly more worthwhile goals -- what today we call "credit score" people used to call "reliability."
I'm not referring to catastrophic events that hurl people into staggering debt. I'm talking about a sustained commitment to living with integrity. Don't spend what you don't have. Learn to cook at home. Go to the library. Use things until they wear out, not until you're tired of them. Stop buying presents you can't afford -- volunteer your time instead. Be honest about the difference between what you want and what you need.
And consider moving out of the city for a while. Even having a roommate in NYC is still expensive. Instead, get a roommate and a part-time job in a much cheaper town outside of the city. You could still live close enough to take the train when you need to. Besides, what's so great about living in New York if you can't afford it or resist the temptations that hurl you into debt?
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Focus on what you need
[Read the article: I'm brilliant but I can't settle down. I can't keep a job. What's wrong with me? ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I understand exactly where you're coming from, and I am about ten years older than you. I have a graduate degree in writing, lived in other countries, and struggled to find a satisfying livelihood. For the past 11 years, I have worked in corporate marketing and advertising -- truly soul-sucking work if there is any. But I have tried to use that experience to my advantage: I have no debt, a decent retirement fund and a year's worth of savings in cash. And now, in my late 30s I am trying to use that breathing room to find more fulfilling work even if it doesn't pay corporate-level wages. I can't imagine doing this while saddled with crushing debt.
So my advice: focus on what you need right now, not what you want. Get health insurance and get out of debt ASAP. This may require you to take a less-than-fulfilling job, but you will have so much more freedom once your loans are paid off. You may accomplish this faster than you think by reducing your expenses and living as frugally as possible. Cook at home. Make presents instead of buying them. Use things until they wear out, not until you are tired of them. Commit to the activities that keep you healthy and sane, and remind yourself you are not putting them on hold while you pay off your loans. You are simply working to give yourself a better position to fulfill them completely. And you can still pursue work in your ideal field.
No matter what, start paying your debt. You won't regret it. Good luck!
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Do you like your career?
[Read the article: Help! I'm committing professional suicide!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Or is this just a job you've slogged through every day for years? Maybe it's time to consider a different, and more fulfilling, path. Can you possibly quit your job and take one that may pay you less but inspire you more? What are you passionate about? What are your dreams? You are still young; don't let corporate mediocrity steal your imagination. There are a lot of ways to collect a paycheck. Try to take some time for yourself and re-discover who you are and what you love. Life is too short to worry about marketing campaigns. The world doesn't need more advertising; it needs more people with the courage and faith to follow their heart.