Money Mindset

RENT vs. Mortgage —

Are You What You Own?

A question for you:

Where would you go if you had the entire world at your feet?

A lyric from one of my favorite shows, Rent — Jonathan Larson’s hit rock musical from the late 90’s.

Loosely based on the Puccini opera “La Boheme”, Rent won multiple awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical (1996) and flourished on Broadway for 12 years.

It then expanded into multiple national tours, a hit movie in 2005, and also a live TV presentation starring A-list celebrities in 2019.

via GIPHY

But sadly, Jonathan Larson never had the opportunity to enjoy the worldwide prosperity of his work. He merely kindled the flame, that ignited an entire era. In a tragic twist of events, Larson passed away unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm, the night before Rent was to make its premiere debut off-Broadway in 1996.

Some may argue the show is no longer relevant. But it was definitely a reflection of 90’s pop culture, and the overall social & political environment at the time.

It essentially embodies everything that was loved, hated, endured, provoked and questioned throughout an entire decade of evolution and angst.

A coming of age narrative, before everything became so technologically-dependent and “smart”.

The show centers around a circle of friends trying to navigate their lives through challenges, love interests, money woes and health crises. And it has a main focus on the AIDS epidemic, which plays heavily into many of the character progressions.

I, for one, choose to embrace the multiple messages woven throughout the storyline and within the score. Knowing it was a reflection of the day, and absolutely imperative to that very specific point in time. So that’s why I feel it will always be a musical classic.

But present day relevance aside, the lyrics below are what have recently sparked my interest, to result in this blog post.

It’s about the past, and it’s about the future. And it’s also about taking advantage of what is now sitting there in front of you —

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Requiem for the New Year…

* 2020 *

We’ve seen all the memes, the parodies, and the tongue-in-cheek satire.

Poking fun at what an overall sh*t show the entire year 2020 had been.

For me, it was a little disappointing — Because I was *supposed* to kickstart a “new” life this past year.

I was supposed to bounce back from a long-lasting, crappy situation.

I was supposed to redefine myself. Come into my own. Lean into my discomfort & emerge from the other side as a whole new me.

What happened? Well, 2020 happened.

Covid. Global pandemic. Sheltering in place. No socializing or in-person gatherings.

Don’t get me wrong — I 100% believe in the science behind it.

I support the reasoning for remaining safe while in self-isolation.

But it sure was NOT the fun year of self-discovery and metamorphosis that I *thought* it was going to be.

And after much reflection — now that this dumpster fire of a year is finally coming to an end —

I realize I’ve been internally beating myself up for not writing more. For not socializing more. For not putting myself “out there” more often, so I could kickstart my new life.

Feeling slightly inadequate for*not* becoming that new person I set out to be, toward the end of last year.

Because at that point in time, everything seemed fresh and new and altogether attainable. The year 2020 would be the clean slate, a new beginning.

And just look at what the universe did with that plan… With everyone’s plans, really.

BUT, when I look back and really examine this intense desire to catapult this “new person” into existence:

The funny thing is, I’m just now realizing — I already have.

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The Reason For Your Season

You’ll see many blog posts around this time of year talking about the true meaning of Christmas or whatever holiday you happen to be celebrating. While I thoroughly enjoy those types of holiday-themed posts, this is not one of them.

This blog post is more about you. The reason for your season. Whatever phase of life you happen to be in.

Whether you’re just starting, recently graduated, making a career change, or settling into your groove.

Perhaps you have built a solid resume of specific experiences or have bounced around like a Jack or Jane of all trades.

Or if you’re embracing a new phase in life, ready for retirement — whatever that specifically means for you. That may mean you want to slow things down, or it could also mean you’d like to be more active, traveling the country or even the world.

And it could mean nothing is changing work-wise. Just that you will now spend time doing the type of work that makes you smile.

Whatever season of life you are in at the moment –

What motivates you? What makes you tick?

It’s finding out your “why” —

 

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