Hello and welcome!
My name is Dawn. I still work a full-time job, so for now, I don’t have a last name to give you. I’m sure that will change in the near future though, so I’ll reintroduce myself soon.
I am a full-time single mother to an amazing 13-year-old boy. I know I’m his mother and every mom will say that their child is amazing, but seriously, my son is amazing. He continually motivates me to be a better person.
Traveling together in Belgium
We have both been through more hardship than typical, and through these struggles we have become better individuals. I have learned so much, and being on the other side, at a place in my life where I am finally comfortable and happy, I can better appreciate everything in my life that I am grateful for.
One of the hardest lessons I learned when I first became a single mother over 10 years ago is that life has a way of getting in the way. Let’s be honest. Shit happens. And then you spend your time dealing with one crisis after another, large and small. I spent years feeling like I was on never-ending damage control. The dreams I had as a child and young adult were swept away by the day-to-day struggles of just getting by.
But I have learned something over the years. While I’ve dreamed big and allowed my dreams to get swept away by time, I’ve also made tremendous progress. And that is worth reflecting on, learning from and utilizing in the future. My dreams haven’t been addressed, but if I’ve made progress in life, I have what it takes to revisit those dreams and start making them come true.
My dreams have always centered on creating income streams so that I can quit my day job and explore all of the fun things that this world has to offer. But it wasn’t until recently that the Financial Independence (FI) seed was planted.
Yosemite!
The idea that through budgeting and smart investing, there exists the real possibility that I could be free of my paycheck and able to focus on the things I love. This is FI.
FI is unique to every individual in what it means for quality of life and how much savings it will take to achieve. For me, FI is defined as freedom. The freedom to make my own schedule, freedom from my horrible Bay Area commute, freedom from a W2 job, and the freedom to shape my day and my life however I wish. It’s being home to enjoy breakfast with my son and then going wine tasting in the afternoon with friends and loved ones. It’s enjoying my life, the people in my life, and spending my time on the things that provide meaning and purpose.
Once this seed was planted and I discovered that there is another way to think about my finances and plan my life, there was no going back. This IS something I WILL achieve. There is just no other option. I will discover my path to FI.
So how will I do this? How will I prevent this dream from getting swept away by life and time just like my dreams in the past?
Here’s where I fall back on the successes I have had thus far.
Just 10 years ago I was pretty much at rock-bottom. I went from a married, stay-at-home mom to a widowed single-mom with a son that didn’t cope with life’s changes very well. I had no savings, no job and no practical career training.
But, within 5 years I was considered successful. I was able to build a successful career. I traveled, won awards and gave talks. I was respected in my field. I had a nice home to live in, savings in the bank and a nice car. My son was able to attend a small private school that could help him succeed. This is what I needed and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Moving into our first real home!
I was able to grow and become successful because I was very focused and knew exactly what I needed to accomplish. I needed a certain income to support myself and my son and so I methodically set goals and tackled them one-by-one to get myself where I needed to be. So strong was my intention that I never stopped long enough to give into feeling overwhelmed or sorry for myself.
Then, one day recently, I realized that I was finally comfortable. I had crossed off all my immediate goals and life was good. Now what? In my post The Financial Fitness Test: How do You Stack Up? I answer this question in more depth. But what I came to realize was that it was time to revisit my dreams.
And so the dream of FI was born. I already know I have the ability to go after my dreams. I’ve made it here, how much harder can it be than what I’ve already accomplished?
I waited 10 years to finally meet this amazing man.
I will research any and all options and I will plan very specific and targeted goals to get myself where I want to be. This blog will track my journey along the way, and pave the path for you to follow along on your own personal journey to FI.
I want to plant this vision of what financial independence is for all my readers. Everything I learn, I will write about. Every goal I set will be laid out into actionable steps. Every step closer will be documented. I will cover everything from the foundations to the steps necessary to achieve success and all the small wins along the way.
And I will focus on the fact that this can be done without sacrificing the little joys in life. This isn’t a journey paved with minimalism and frugality. I’ll save and invest my way to FI and have my wine too. Life is hard enough as it is.