Recently, our very own Coach Britt got engaged. Instead of gushing about her exciting life ahead, she wanted to reflect on how she got here, and share her wisdom with others. This is her account of how she took advantage of being single.
I loved being single.
As an engaged woman, that probably isn’t something anyone expects to hear from me. I always wanted a real relationship, of course. I knew there was someone out there who I would want to spend most of my free time with. But I didn’t want to spend my whole life waiting. Limbo doesn’t suit me.
I spent about five years being single prior to meeting my fiancé. So trust me, I really do understand the struggle of balancing where I was with where I wanted to be.
As it turns out, being single was a blessing.
Instead of hyper-focusing on my relationship status, I decided to focus on bettering myself as a person so that if the day came when I would be a wife and mother, I had a repertoire of skills, tools, and knowledge to prepare me for that role. I knew life would only get busier – and while it would still be possible to tackle them once there, it would be EASIER to start earlier. I wanted to be proactive, and if marriage didn’t come to fruition, I would at least reap the benefits of the fruits of my labor. So my five year journey was jam packed to say the least. And that’s what I want for you. If you’re single, make sure that you are focusing on yourself instead of a “potential” mate. To get you started, here is what I chose to focus on in order to take advantage of being single:
A free eBook with a step by step guide for moving on.
1. Finances
I spoke to a Financial Advisor and found easy ways to eliminate a huge chunk of my student loans, which I finished paying back in February (YAY!). We all know debts are a *pain*, so not having that to worry about has been a HUGE blessing. I didn’t have any credit card debt, but the process is pretty similar according to many of my female friends.
Most marriages struggle, and sometimes even end, over financial hardship. Taking care of what you can now is the smartest financial decision you can make. I also learned about better retirement plans, home ownership, how to teach kids about income, how to plan for college, and how to properly save, give, invest and spend with generosity and wisdom. I learned all of this through the financial peace university workshop, and am so glad I took it.
Now as I embark on marriage, I can rest easy knowing that my finances are organized and I won’t be burdening our first year with debt. If I hadn’t taken this time to concentrate on the unpleasant process of cleaning up my finances, I probably would be bringing debt and chaos into my marriage. It may not have been the most exciting endeavor, but trust me, it’s worth it.