It started out as some kind of a fairy tale dream. I imagined what my life would be like if I could somehow eliminate all my debts. The debt hole I created was deeper than the one Mike Mulligan dug in the children's classic, "Mike Mulligan and His Steamshovel." Most people give up when they can't find a way out. My wife checked out a book by financial guru, Dave Ramsey, and we started our journey to financial independence. I came up with a game, "Par for the Course," to keep me motivated along the way. The first twelve holes (months) were rather challenging. I recorded pars fewer times than I logged bogeys. Finishing the game in the time 36 months I allotted seemed impossible while I was doing my best to avoid hacking, slicing, and hitting pretty much every obstacle one can face.
Something changed in the second year of the game. I found my groove and made par almost every month. It's year 3 now. I know where all the hazards are. I have a really good grip on my club and I'm doing something I dreamed about when I came up with my debt reduction game – I'm finding a way to get consistent eagles and finally get to par. If I can keep up the eagles during these last ten months of regulation play, it's game over on the 36th hole on the 36th month. The one thing I refused to sacrifice was a family vacation to Hawaii this summer and that added a great deal of pressure. Maybe that's what the original Mike Mulligan was experiencing when he struggled to meet his deadline with his beloved steam shovel. He had a crowd watching his progress. I have a cyber audience. I'm going to keep going all the way to the finish line. When this is over, I'm going to share my game with anyone who wants to achieve financial independence. Thanks for checking in. Stay tuned for updates. The 36th hole is looking promising. Have a great day.
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