What Are You Investing In?

About two weeks before my Big Chop, my husband and I bought our first house.  It was full of all the usual emotions. Excitement. Fear. Confusion. Hand cramps. (Yes, after two hours of signing papers, hand cramps transcend the realm of simple physical pain and become an actual emotion. Trust me.) Thankfully, all of those emotions go away - or at least allow you to stop shaking - shortly after you get the keys.


Another emotion I still occasionally feel is that not-quite-regret "what if" feeling.  Did we choose the right house? Did we pay too much?  Would we have found something bigger or better if we'd waited a little longer?  
Is this a good investment?
 

The other night while daydreaming my way through a bone-chilling Chicago-in-February commute I started thinking, "what if we'd just taken our money and bought a house in a warmer climate? Like, hmm... just throwing out the first thing that comes to mind... ummm... Rio...?" 
That would have been a much better investment, right?
 

Well, that got me thinking about the investment I'd placed in my relaxed hair:  Ten years of my adult life spent going to a professional every six weeks to grow it and keep it "healthy". I'd invested time, money, and truthfully a good portion of my my self-image in my hair. 
What was I thinking cutting it off?  
 

The better and more telling question, I realized, was what did I have to show for it? 
And what did I expect to get from continuing to relax my hair?
 

Before my Big Chop, my hair hung straight and limp about two inches past my shoulders.  My goal? To grow it long and keep it straight. The plan of action? Relax it regularly.

I rationalized the pain of chemical burns on my scalp as a means to an end, and I preserved my valuable length by never cutting my hair into any styles.
 

After a decade of time and money, relaxing my hair had become an investment that yielded very few rewards. I was tired of burning, and I was bored with my style. 

When I decided to cut my hair and go natural, I was literally cutting my losses.  
 

What I learned from my hair was this:  Never be afraid to abandon an investment that isn't working for you anymore.  This doesn't mean to stop paying your bills or to leave your spouse - unless of course, you've thought about it and realize that it is no longer good for you or aligned with your path. 
 

Don't let fear stop you from building something new, especially if what you're already dong isn't, well... doing it for you. 

As for my new home... Maybe in a few years, hubby and I will decide that Chicago winters aren't really our thing and invest in a more tropical address...  What?  A girl can dream can't she?
 

Here's to a more inspired life!
~Erica