I can pretty much justify anything.
It’s both a blessing and a curse. Full disclosure: most of these justifications pertain to traveling, clothing, and shoes. While there are many things I’ve since drawn the line on (as my budget is a little tighter with this new gig), there is one purchase I can simply justify til Kingdom come:
It’s both a blessing and a curse. Full disclosure: most of these justifications pertain to traveling, clothing, and shoes. While there are many things I’ve since drawn the line on (as my budget is a little tighter with this new gig), there is one purchase I can simply justify til Kingdom come:
Doug.
No, you didn’t read that wrong. That is, indeed, a man’s name. And no, I didn’t purchase a boyfriend. I did, however, purchase a membership at a gym downtown because of Doug. One of my co-workers, Megan, prompted me to do a free trial week at a gym called “The Firm” because she’d heard they have amazing fitness classes. Anyone that knows me knows how much I love Zumba, so this was an offer I simply couldn’t refuse. So last Tuesday, Megan and I trekked off to Zumba. 60 minutes of hip shaking and profuse sweating later, I knew I’d found my gym.
Megan and I left class, dripping with sweat and smiling from ear to ear. She said, “Well if you loved this, you’ll LOVE Step class with Doug tomorrow.” Although Megan had told me hilarious stories of Doug from previous class sessions, I was still a bit skeptical, as visions of old women wearing sweatbands and holding 2 pound weights danced through my head. Nonetheless, we made the journey to Step class the next day. And the rest, my friends, is history.
My jaw dropped as Doug rolled into class, clad only in a white t-shirt and a black Speedo. To get a grasp on the aura of Doug, think “Richard Simmons’ energy minus the brown curly hair.” Ten minutes into the class, I glanced at Megan with the “Holy smokes, I don’t know if I can last fifty more minutes” face. While I consistently work out, my previous workouts would never have prepared me for the butt kicking Doug threw down on me. After leaving class, we chatted with Doug for awhile about how great the class was and how it was almost certain I’d have to join the gym, despite the outrageous price tag. Simply put: I was hooked.
We continued going to classes throughout the free week. Then, it was decision time: cough up the exorbitant amount of money to work out with Doug and have fabulous Step classes each week or continue on the monotonous pace of workouts at Life Time? After a lot of justifying in my head, I took the plunge. I mean, there are far worse things I can spend money on than amazing workouts that kick my booty, boost my confidence, and put a huge smile on my face, right? And let’s be honest, watching Doug dance around in a Speedo is straight up entertaining. Side note: during an intense portion of class last week, he hollered “YEAH JILL HEUER!” into the microphone. At that moment, I knew I'd made the right decision.
While my father, Mr. Money Sense, is probably thinking I’m insane, I know I made a worthy investment. So often, we get caught up with life, work, and relationships that we don’t take time to do things for ourselves. After our seemingly endless To Do list is nearly complete, we might squeeze in a personal reward. Some might treat themselves to a fun vacation. Some might treat themselves to a day of vegging out. Some might treat themselves to a shopping spree. I’m treating myself to not only a gym membership, but to an inspired attitude and newfound confidence. Take some time to figure out something that will make you truly happy, adjust finances if necessary, and in the words of Aziz Ansari “Treat Yo Self!”
