Motivation

Everyone has got to have some sort of motivation pushing them to do things. Saving money takes a lot of things (discipline, commitment, hard work) but without strong motivation I think most will fail in the face of temptation. There has got to be something bigger and better out there that will justify continually making sacrifices. For some, it is the desire for financial freedom, the freedom to quit their job, or a hatred of their creditors. For me, it is my dream of owning a chateau and living a simple and uncomplicated life.

I know that may sound like an oxymoron, "A simple life in a chateau," but I assure you it is not. The reason that I really want a chateau is so that I can run it as a sort of bed and breakfast, or a "gîte" as they call it in France. You can buy a chateau in France for probably about the same amount you can buy a nice house in southern California. The property that I am absolutely drooling over at the moment is "La Maison Verte" which has 16 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms PLUS 4 indepedent apartments on the grounds. Can you guess how much this would cost? Only $1.2 million! That may seem like a lot but I checked around to see what $1.2 million would buy you in my town. A nice 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house! So, the French property sounds like a great steal in comparison.

So, whenever I start feeling the urge to spend some money or get disillusioned by my debt, I quickly start looking at pictures of nice chateaux for sale. The open countryside, the gardens, the beautiful buildings, all make me start fantasizing of my life in my chateau. A typical day: Waking up to make a nice breakfast for my guests. Having breakfast in my dining room with people from all over the world. Spending some time in the garden. Lounging by the pool. Making tea. Perhaps planning a trip to visit the Mediterranean Sea or the mountains nearby. Bike riding. Wine tasting. Reading a book by my fireplace.

Then I start getting even more pumped up to make my debt go away as fast as possilbe. I look around and think of what I can sell. I scrutinize my budget to see what expenses I can get rid of. And hopefully with all of this motivation, I can make my debt go away in just 9 months!