Do You Need a Safety Net?

Photo by Betsy Talbot

You’d think someone who is willing to get rid of all her worldly belongings to travel the world would not be so focused on safety nets, but I am.  Lately I’ve been thinking about the small ways the idea of  a “backup plan” keeps us from reaching farther toward our goals and actually reaching them.

In other words, the potential pain of not having a safety net (or having a very small one) could make us work harder to reach our goal.  After all, there is no soft landing if we fall.

We’ve all seen this past year how a financial safety net can come unraveled with an economic crisis.  And getting a degree is no guarantee of a job.  With layoffs you can’t even guarantee that the job you dislike so much will be around to pay your bills.

So, what’s an optimist with big dreams to do?

I am an advocate of laying the basic groundwork for a healthy life.  This means a regular savings plan, appropriate insurance, and marketable job skills.  But beyond that, everything is adjustable.  Everything.

• If your bills are too high for the job you love, adjust your lifestyle.
• If your degree is in accounting but you long to write a book, become an accountant for a publisher.
• Are you saving for a rainy day or obsessively saving for an upcoming disaster? Remember that your safety net is a backup plan for your life, not the goal of your life.

Lately I’ve been considering getting a tattoo on my forearm.  It sounds like a small thing, but the voice in the back of my head is saying “but what if it prevents you from getting a corporate job later on?”

Newsflash:  I don’t want a corporate job.

And knowing that should make me work harder at successfully making a living working for myself.

What are the safety nets you have in place that might be preventing you from reaching farther toward your goals?

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Betsy Talbot writes about carving the lifestyle you want out of the life you already have. When she’s not writing, she’s paring down, saving up, and getting ready for a year of travel with her husband Warren.