I’m not “gazelle-intense”, and that’s OK

Are you “gazelle-intense”?

When I first started this debt-free journey, I read about becoming “gazelle-intense”. Picking up side-hustles, selling personal items, slashing as much as possible from the budget – all of these were touted as ways to be gazelle-intense and a necessary part of becoming debt-free. And I’m not stupid – I recognize that maximizing my earning as well as minimizing my expenditures will help me reach my goal of becoming debt-free faster than if I did not do those things.

I get the concept of “living like no one else now, so I can live like no one else later”; but whenever I hear that phrase, I always wonder, “What about now? What about living now?” I don’t want to be in debt forever, but neither do I want to be drudging through life. I want to enjoy my life as I pay off debt and make smarter financial choices. For me, part of enjoying life is having down-time. I love being able to just sit and read a book. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are my jam. I’m not a fan of rice and beans and I appreciate having a decent ‘fun money’ budget each month. I’m 37, live alone, and my family all live far away. The only person who takes care of me IS me. And something I’ve learned over the last 20 years is that it is important to take care of me.

Of course, it’s not all about ‘taking care of me’. For one thing, my job as a teacher is time-consuming and emotionally draining. That makes it difficult to pick up a second job. Not to mention the fact that I live in a very rural area, and even if I could find another job, chances are it would be 20 – 40 minutes away from where I live. And I don’t have a lot of stuff to sell. Again, my rural location presents a challenge here as well because most people wouldn’t drive here to purchase a small item [and I can’t drive to them either], and shipping is often cost-prohibitive.

But I’m not making excuses. I’ve finally come to peace with the fact that I’m not gazelle-intense, and that’s OK. This journey is my own, and I’m doing what works for me. I truly admire those who are able and willing to work second and third jobs, that ruthlessly comb through their belongings to see what they can part with, and who reduce their budgets to the lowest possible amount. You guys are awesome! Way to go! But I know that I can’t [and won’t] do that.

The debt-free community is so wonderful – and I appreciate how much everyone supports each other, even when we make different choices about how to move through it. Daily, I see examples of people lifting each other up even while disagreeing about the methods. That’s a part of what makes this community so great. I hope that this post can help others feel better about not being as gazelle-intense as possible. If you can do it, great! Keep up the good work! But for those like me, know that I’m in your corner, cheering you on even when you’re not being a gazelle.

The world needs both gazelles and turtles, cheetahs and snails. That’s what makes it so interesting. As long as you’re moving in the right direction, it doesn’t matter how slow or fast you’re going. All that matters is that you’re moving.

The Intelligent Zebra