I have a confession to make: I don’t really like golf. I mean, it’s okay. If I were forced to spend an afternoon playing golf, I wouldn’t hate it. I’d probably enjoy being outdoors and socializing as I made my way through 18 holes. But I don’t love it. The few times I’ve played a full round of golf, I got pretty bored by about the 11th hole. Golfing is okay, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for how I want to spend my free time and money.
Over the past few months (years?), a thought has occurred to me with increasing frequency: I spend a LOT of time, mental energy, and money on what I wear. From reading fashion blogs, to planning the next day’s outfit, to trying to find the perfect companion for that unique item I bought, to online shopping, to trying on and returning purchases, clothes and accessories have claimed too much of my life. So I’m ready to say enough. It’s time to refocus all that energy and money on more important things.
A couple of months ago, about eight years after graduating from law school, I used my tax refund to pay off the remainder of my law school loans. It felt amazing. I have a few student loans left from undergrad, and I’m on track to pay those in full by the end of this year. (I paid the law school loans first because their interest rate was higher.) Watching the balances shrink as I’ve thrown money at them has been exhilarating, and I’m excited to be able to focus more on saving and meeting other big financial goals going forward. I began attending college in 2002, and more than sixteen years later, I’m finally almost finished paying for it.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of conducting mock interviews of law students in preparation for the upcoming interview season. They were eager and well-prepared, looking out at the endless possibilities that lay ahead if them. I asked them where they saw themselves five years after graduation, and I answered their questions about my job, including what had led me to it, what I loved about it, and what, if anything, I might change.
When I was in their position ten years ago, I hated the “where do you see yourself in x years?” question. I had no real vision for my future. I guess I figured if I followed all the recommended steps — work hard, get good grades, network, get a good job at a big firm — everything would fall into place and I’d end up with the life I was supposed to have, whatever that was. I really didn’t know enough about the world or myself to know what I wanted my life to look like. I could recite answers to interview questions, but the visions I described were really other peoples’ ideas of what a good life and career looked like.
A couple of months ago, I heard an interview of Cait Flanders talking about her year-long shopping ban and her book The Year of Less. I was intrigued by the concept of giving up shopping for a year, so when I saw that the book was Audible’s Daily Deal last week, I decided to check it out. I’m so glad I did, because it is a fantastic read.