Three months ago, I dropped out of my computer science degree and moved back home with my parents. I only owe money for one semester.
Five days ago, I began my first full-time job. Bosses from three other jobs have kept me on payroll so that I can pick up other work at on nights and weekends if I would like.
Four days ago, I officially paid off my computer. It's a base model M1 MacBook Air I picked up at an Apple Store twelve monthly payments ago, but I feel as though I lived a lifetime in those twelve months.
Two days ago, my dad and I drove to my grandparents house and back, because they decided out of the blue to give me their old car. It has half the miles and gets twice the gas mileage of my previous vehicle.
Today, I am in extremely fortunate circumstances, circumstances that were unimaginable to me for some of last year, and most of last six. These circumstances are not because of my own merit, but the kindness of others. I will be taking full advantage of the opportunity.

My ultimate goal is to become a licensed architect. Most of my decisions are either directly or tangentially related to this goal. It's a massive, expensive, long term goal, so there will be smaller accomplishments along the way which hopefully will all make me a wiser and more capable person/architect by the time I cross that finish line.

No one will hand me the life I want. Even if they could, I wouldn't know it w/o working to it gradually. If someone handed me my current job the day after I graduated high school I would've failed.

I have to build the life I want, w/o the guarantees of sick days or paid leave or a 401k or a comfy chair. I have to take risks. I am building the life I want, by iterating towards it.

I am a creative person, and have been paralyzed for years now which has kept me from being creative. I've been paralyzed by fear, perfectionism, and indecision, which are all probably the same thing. I have decided that one day I will get over these things, so I have to start now, and I have to start small.

So I'm hitting publish and leaving this post up. No more deleting my drafts.
I'm finishing what I start, because I'm starting with small, achievable goals.
I'm working every day to my maximum leverage.
I'm building the life I want.
One step at a time, one word at a time, one line of code at a time, one dollar at a time.