• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Umami Girl logo

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Topics
    • Family
    • Food
    • Home
    • Adventure
  • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • About
  • Shop
  • Favorite Things
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Lifestyle » Family + Life » Career + Money » Our Financial Independence Journey: Purpose

    Our Financial Independence Journey: Purpose

    June 13, 2017 / Updated Jun 05, 2020 / by Jonathan Cope / Leave a Comment

    Umami Girl is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more here.

    Here's the second post in Cope's new series about our financial independence journey. (I'm so kvelling.) You can read the first one here.

    Carolyn xx

    Cope Family at Dina's Wedding 1180 | Umami Girl
    Photo credit: the wonderful Lollylah Wedding Photography

    Breathe deep. Forgive. Sleep.

    Some nights when my head hits the pillow it feels as if I will sink through the bedding to the floor with the weight of exhaustion. My chest feels heavy and muscles defeated. Sleep is near instant and my mind is all but mute. Calm.

    Days that rank as worthy with work and purpose bring calm. I did enough, maybe even just a little more, and there is nothing left with which to do well. I need sleep and it is deserved. Peace.

    Those are my favorite days. Strength exerted, smarts employed, help rendered, thanks given, lessons learned, bar raised. Love. 

    Not every day is that day. There was time ill used, exercise avoided, something dumb eaten, little learned or risked, things put off, frustration-annoyance-exasperation felt-thought-expressed. Not calm.

    Same pillow, no sleep. Mind races. Frustration compounds. Purpose questioned. Worthiness unconfirmed. Not the best, Cope. Not the best.

    Okay, move on. Acknowledge failure. Hold yourself to account. Give thanks for your blessings. Honor those who've helped you become you. Plan the first steps of the purposeful day ahead. Wake, stretch, push-ups, shave, shower, dress, water, leave...

    Breathe deep. Forgive. Sleep.

    Purpose is powerful. It provides reassurance and it fuels resilience. It offers distant focus and weakens imminent threats.

    I will be the finest owner operator of real estate. And we will own and operate the finest real estate portfolio.

    My mantra. My daily affirmation. I say it in the morning. I say it before addressing a tenant need at one of our properties. I say it at night as I step out of the car. I say it as I give thanks before sleep. Purpose.

    Umami Girl chose a Cavafy poem for our wedding that concerned our journey. Ithaca. We were not to fear. We were not to rush. The journey to Ithaca would fill us with the riches and sweet perfumes of knowledge, memory, and travel. Our journey together would give us purpose and resilience. Ithaca itself would likely offer little, if anything. So be it.

    As we have sought financial independence we have followed Cavafy. We have looked for purpose. Focused on the journey, the moments, the struggles, the learnings, and the triumphs. We've looked to how best to render help to whatever or whomever wanted it. We've looked to add value and be of value.

    When my mentees ask about establishing financial independence we start near purpose.

    What do you want?

    What are you working for?

    Are you really working toward that?

    Who are you working for?

    Do they know it?

    What are you trying to change?

    Are you really serving?

    In many respects I am asking if they know where to find Ithaca? Not the exact path. But that there is a path to find and a journey to take.

    Establishing financial independence is not a math exercise at its core. It is an exercise in deciding that you intend to make a difference. You intend to serve others by doing, trying, learning, and risking. You acknowledge that Fortune favors the bold.

    If you are just getting your start to financial independence, consider the questions above. Answer them as you can. They will aid your plan. They will help with purpose.

    Have no fear. Be bold. Do not rush. Be calm. There is time. It's a journey.

    Thank you for joining us.

    Cope

    Hungry for more?

    Subscribe to our email updates, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube.

    « Our Financial Independence Journey: A New Column by Cope
    Raspberry Prosecco Popsicle Recipe (Hellooo, Poptails!) »
    • 48

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    WELCOME TO UG

    Welcome! I’m Carolyn Gratzer Cope, and Umami Girl is your guide to a life well-lived. UG is a lifestyle site for curious, thoughtful people who seek to make every day a little special and have a great time doing it. Learn more

    THE FRIDAY NEWSLETTER

    Start every weekend off right with our Friday newsletter.

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Most Popular

    sirloin cap slices with chimichurri

    Reverse Sear Sirloin Cap (with Chimichurri, If You Like)

    How to make an epic fruit platter

    Fruit Platter 101: How to Make an Epic Fruit Tray

    sushi rice in a shallow white bowl over a napkin

    How to Make Sushi Rice (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

    neiman marcus cookies stacked on a plate

    The Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe

    Spring Favorites

    Nobu miso black cod on a plate with shredded carrots and parsley

    Nobu Miso Black Cod

    sour cherry frozen yogurt scooped into small bowls with spoons

    Sour Cherry Frozen Yogurt

    shirley temple recipe with sour cherries in a glass with a straw

    Shirley Temple Recipe with Sour Cherries

    Southern style coleslaw in a white bowl

    Southern-style Coleslaw

    Footer

    As seen on

    a few examples of where umami girl has been featured

    Make It Tonight

    refried bean and cheese enchiladas with red tex mex enchilada sauce

    Refried Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

    tex mex enchilada sauce in a jar with a spoon

    Tex Mex Enchilada Sauce

    chicken and black bean enchiladas with green enchilada sauce in a pan and on a plate with a fork

    Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

    green enchilada sauce in a jar with a spoon

    Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe

    4 ingredient guacamole recipe in a molcajete

    4 Ingredient Guacamole Recipe and Variations

    vegan black bean soup in a bowl with a spoon and napkin

    Vegan Black Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    © 2008-2022 UMAMI GIRL LLC