I Chose To Be Poor And Here’s What Happenedfeatured

I was born and raised extremely spoiled. My parents were never super rich but they made sure I had everything I wanted and more. Santa always got me every single thing on my list. I grew up expecting to always be surrounded by nice things and people.

When I was 17, my dad offered me a rent-free condo, a car, and tuition. He told me if I stayed in one of his (local) rental properties I could have all the luxuries from home away from home.

I thought about it. I considered it. I quickly realized that wasn’t me.

I wanted to forge a future of my own. I wanted to get an education while chomping down on ramen noodles every night. I wanted the struggle. I wanted to earn my freedom.

Crazy, right?

I traded in the car for a bike. I traded in a free condo for a dirty half dorm room. I traded in a comfy allowance for some minimum wage scraps. I wanted to live the true American dream and escape the trenches of my childhood home. Yea and that made a lot of sense since my childhood home exuded comfort. Oh, what a tortured soul I was.

I “roughed” it in my own way throughout college. I ate Dino nuggets from Costco and had a cup of noodles at least once a day. Life was beyond amazing! I could do whatever I wanted without answering to anyone… or so I thought.

Life caught up with me and my reckless ways of life but I continued to choose a minimalist way of life. The longer I could stay out of my parents’ pretty house, the better. They even replaced me with a dog.

I lived the “poor” life up. I loved having only enough money to buy eggs, milk, and cereal at the market. Every day was an adventure, a chance to find a really good steal at the local thrift store.

I gave up all things sparkly and traded them in for hard work and long nights. I thought nice things were the devil. I thought I would never give in to the “system.” Haha, yet there I was at a state university studying to become something socially acceptable that would one day pay plenty of tax dollars to the “man” each year.

Upon graduation, I decided to move into a box in a rough part of town. It was the smallest little room you could find. It had only a bed, a bathroom, and a mini-fridge. The kitchen consisted of a hot plate and a toaster-oven. Now, this is luxury I thought!

The point of the box was to never have to depend on my parents for anything. The box was pretty amazing until it wasn’t. Eating on your bed everyday can get really old and it did. I grew out of my box and wanted more space to think and grow.

Don’t get me wrong, I got my Master’s degree in that tiny little box. Although the box was great, I realized I was settling for less in fear of not becoming successful enough to ever pay for more. I literally had boxed myself in. I was frozen in place with no signs of advancing in life.

I decided it was time to take a leap of faith and stop running from my past. I wanted to create a future much like the one my parents created for me. I decided I would get a house. I decided I would take on the risk of a mortgage.

I decided I would be relentless on my journey to achieve more, do more and be more. Even if I had to become a credit card abuser statistic, I was going to make this next step happen. The box made me want so much more from life.

And so I did it! I am sitting in my house as we speak (or type). I am sitting on the couch that I bought. I am looking at a kitchen that I hired a team to make pretty.

I have love surrounding my physical and energetic space. I have welcomed people into my home  and they can feel all of the love I have within my heart. That alone makes this huge risk worthwhile.

I have yet to really use a credit card as abundance has come my way. I willed it and I worked for it and I am now currently enjoying it. Being poor was extremely fun and liberating but accomplishing and reaching for more makes my life so much fuller. I am now able to share love on an entirely different level as I come home to it every single day.

I am now able to share love on an entirely different level as I come home to it every single day.

Choose to take on risks. Choose to take on more. Choose to laugh in the face of fear and doubt.

Love Deeply and Forever,

Karen

Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2017 Karen  Pierik