LOOKING FORWARD WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
So its not the end of the world but this week my husband and I just realised we unfortunately made a “not so great” choice with our savings and pretty much just flushed BIG bucks down the drain. (or so it feels)
However I am faced with two choices. Be consumed by regret or move easily forward without resistance.
Im not an ungrateful person, but isn’t it strange when we focus on what we don’t have or what we’ve lost, it makes us forget about what we DO have and the magnitude of wealth and abundance that surrounds us.
Long story short, three years ago we made a decision to buy an investment property.
To put it into context, in Sydney Australia you need around $100,000 - $200,000 for a home deposit before the bank will lend you any money. (crazy right?)
We worked hard and saved as much of a deposit as we possibly could but my choice to only work part time whilst I had my babies, up until my daughter was five and my son was two (something I don’t regret) meant we weren’t able to afford a mortgage for a basic family home in Sydney, where we grew up. We chose to invest our hard earned deposit in a smaller property to get us kick started. As it turns out. After making up for the short fall of the invested plus expenses and an unfortunate decrease in property value, it’s costing us big money just for the privilege of owning it.
It was an EPIC fail and basically we need to get out, cut our loses are move on.
When I look at loosing a big sum of money over the three year period that we struggled to stay ahead, I see many things. Having this extra cash flow could have meant not missing one of my best friends overseas weddings. It could have meant not feeling guilty or stressed when spending money. It could have meant wholeheartedly enjoying my young family and not worrying deep down about savings and It could have meant we would be a hell of a lot closer to saving the money for our actual family home deposit.
As I write these things however, I feel the unease creep into my body. Dwelling on possibilities, can only serve one purpose. To make me feel dissatisfied and ungrateful. Neither of which are feelings I welcome or states of mind that are healthy and inline with the life I want to live.
I am the first to admit how good we have it. We have food, fresh water, a beautiful environment that surrounds us and a safe country. I have two happy, healthy kids. I have a small business that I’m passionate about and a husband who I adore.
I also have a choice. I can choose to think this loss over and over again and let it create stress and tension in my mind, my physical body and in my relationships or I can choose to be free of any attachment to the results of our decisions in the past and look forward with a grateful heart and a lesson learned.
I choose the later, and I hope anyone out there in a similar situation can chose the later too. Don’t let regret or loss consume your thoughts as it will only turn your thoughts against whats best for you.
May you look forward with a grateful heart!
