Runway

You don’t need wheels once you’re in the air, but you can’t do without them on the ground. (SDASM archives)

In my early twenties, I moved to Atlanta with no job lined up.

I had no job in the town I was leaving, either. I had been cobbling together a few part-time things, so I really didn’t see the point in trying to save up money before I left. I just peaced out.

This actually sort of worked for me, but only because my standards were so low. I didn’t expect to have nice things, financial security, or stability. I had already tried a full time job with benefits, but I had been bored beyond belief and barely scraped by anyway with what they were paying.

So I did what so many of us do when we’re young: I embraced the uncertainty as an adventure.

Unfortunately, I embraced my credit cards as well, and the damage took years to unravel. Once you are willing to live beyond your means, it’s a tough habit to break.

These days, I still benefit from a high level of comfort with uncertainty, but I prefer to work from a more stable foundation.

I’ve noticed that when I begin with a more stable foundation, I am more likely to do what it takes to keep it. I understand now that if I had saved up some money prior to moving to a new city, I would have made different choices from there about timing, living arrangements, and employment.

I would have made a game out of living within my means and prolonging my savings instead of giving up completely on making ends meet and relying on loans instead.

If I had intentionally started with three months of runway — money set aside for expenses — I would have been more creative about living within those constraints. Ironically, I would have worked harder to increase the financial cushion because I would have seen that it was not only desirable, but possible.

Some people thrive on a deadline and need to be constantly on the edge in order to accomplish their best work. Not me. I do my best when I’m running ahead, whether that means getting two hours of work done by 8:00 AM, ensuring that I have two weeks of blog posts scheduled ahead of time, or stocking the fridge with healthy food before I need it.

It took me a long time to learn this about myself because I rarely experienced the feeling of getting ahead. I didn’t even know what it was like. However, now that I understand what I’m going for, I’m cultivating runway in every area that I can.

At my best, I’m doing things like building up retained earnings in my business, going to bed early so that I can be well-rested when I start my day, and scheduling all of that preventative medical and dental care.

At my worst, I’m broke and exhausted, my house is a mess, and I have an empty pantry. I’m very used to that after years of practice. However, I prefer not to hang out at my worst. I am better now about recognizing the slippery slope and taking the steps to prevent that slide downward. I have a responsibility to build a buffer between myself and chaos, and I understand how I can use my resources to create that. That requires curtailing my tendency to move on to the next thing without cleaning up the last one.

Planes need runway to take off and land safely, and so do we. While we can make do with less than we need, life is easier and less stressful when we don’t have to. We can make big changes in our lives without worrying that we won’t make it. That means we have space for even more adventure.