Wohoo! And a recentralization.

FIRST
Wohoo! I just got a $500 bonus at work. It will be deposited into my account on Friday, and will go straight to my CC debt :). Now, I really haven't been working that hard, and I was joking to my friend that they're rewarding the wrong kind of behavior, but I'm not going to argue. With the $500, I'll be able to pay off my Chase bill (see here for my last budget recap), and start working on the AMEX bill. Thank GOD. I'll give a better recap on Friday, when I get paid.

SECOND
I came to an epiphazation the other day. I've really enjoyed working on this blog, but it's taken away from my fiction. I'm going to keep it, but I'm not going to be updating it that often. I've decided to start a new blog that allows me to concentrate more on my writing. I came to all of this while reading over Ramit Sethi's great blog, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. I kind of summarized my feelings in an email I sent to Ramit. I'll just post my email and his brief but appreciated response.

Subject: I think I get it
From: Starving Artist
To: Ramit Sethi
Date: Mon, Apr 9, 2007 at 3:46 PM

Ramit,
I just started reading your site a few days ago. The first thing I did was listen to Pamela Slim's interview. It gave me a good idea what you're all about. I have a blog I started a couple of months ago (http://indebted2you.blogspot.com/ ). It's about my personal finance journey as a writer, and about getting myself out of debt. I think it's pretty good, but it wasn't RIGHT, and paging through your site today, I realized why.

It's not my blog.

A blog, or really any successful venture, is about a center of purpose. Your blog fits your life. Your success is due to your ability to concentrate on your objectives. As much as you're teaching others with your blog, it's really about your personal learning experience. That's why you're successful.

I have a sister who is a surgeon at Harvard. Why? It's not because she's a genius; it's because she immersed herself in her job. She doesn't want to be a lawyer, she doesn't want to be broker—she wants to be a surgeon.

I want to be a writer. I'm dedicated. I've written a few books. I've written dozens of short stories. I started a magazine. I freelanced at some small papers for a couple of years. My blog has to be about that. In making my blog about my writing, I can address my finances, but right now it's backwards, and it draws away from who I am.

Thanks for helping me understand that. I love your vision of "just do it." That's really what it's all about. It's not about perfection, it's about getting something on the page.

Best Regards,
The Not-So-Starving Artist

--------
From: Ramit Sethi
To: Starving Artist
Date: Mon, Apr 9, 2007 at 4:04 PM

You got it!

Thanks for this great email. I really appreciate it.

-Ramit

Cheers to all. I'm off like a prom dress.