I'll Buy That.

Question to you, Reader: Are you renting or buying? A pretty simple question when you think about your living situation.

But what about other aspects of your life?

Okay, let me back up a little bit. My sweet friend, Sam*, brought this up to me in a conversation we had recently. She and I used to work together, but have both since moved to different (crazy, fun) cities. She was talking about her job and mentioned that she was "merely renting" her current job. What an interesting concept, right? Renting versus buying. Applied to life situations, rather than just your living situation. What does it mean to be "renting" versus "buying"? 

To me, renting means you are willing to change some small things - you know, change a light bulb, nail decorations up on the wall, and maybe even paint the walls. But when things get hairy (the sink backs up, the water heater breaks, etc.) you aren't responsible to make things better. You get to call your landlord and he/she gets to foot the bill of new disposal that has to be installed. Renting is short term, potentially even month to month.

Buying then, means you are willing to change not only the small things, but the big things as well. To buy, you must be willing and able to tear down walls, purchase a new water heater, and spend significant amounts of time adding personal touches all over the house. When you buy, you aren't looking for something better; you are looking to improve what you have. Buying means you are in for the long haul. When you buy, often you are committing to 15 to 30 years.

So, it begs the question: Are there areas in your life where you are merely renting?

Here are the areas of life I've come up with so far: Relationships (with parents, other family members, your friends, your partner). Your college major. Job. Career. The city in which you live. (Please let me know if you think of any others to add to the list.)

In so many aspects of my life I am completely buying. Although I've had some friends who have been rentals, I tend to work very hard on my friendships and relationships in general. I would say 85-90% of my close friends will be in my life for the long haul. I feel like I can say this with confidence because I currently do not live within proximity to many of my close friends and I still feel very close to them. 

I believe there have been times in my life where I haven't been ready to date guys who are anything but rentals. Not that I thought of the guys I was dating as such, I just wasn't ready for a long-term relationship. Be that as it may, I don't think I ever intended to treat someone I was dating like a rental. I know girls who have treated guys in that way (dating guy A, until guy B is available) and guys who have treated girls in that way. My opinion: if you are feeling like the person you are dating/your partner is a rental, Get Out! No one should be with someone who isn't worth buying (Okay, that sounds wrong... but I hope you see where I am going with this). Plus, it doesn't feel good to be the one who is looked at as the rental. I've definitely been there, and honestly, I would have rather just ended the lease early and given up my deposit, instead of waiting it out until that guy finally found the relationship worth buying.

Sure, I've had some jobs that were rentals, including every job I had in high school and a few in college. But if I'm being honest with you, I'm renting my current job. Not my career, just my job. I wish this wasn't true. And I've tried for the last several months to push through this, but I just haven't been able to, yet. What makes this job different than my previous job? I'm really not sure. In essence, I have the exact same job. Same type of hospital, same until in said hospital. But, it's the people, the facility, and the ways in which things work (or don't work) that make my job so much different than my last. 

I am currently living in Austin, Texas: a city I'm buying, for sure! I've had such a great experience moving here, making friends, and making a home for myself here. I've renewed my adventurous spirit, explored new places in this awesome city, I've done many of the "must do" Austin adventures, and I’ve broken out of the mold in which I previously had put myself. This town speaks to my very heart and I would buy the crap out of it, if I could.

So, dear reader, what are you renting? And what are you buying? And is there any way (or reason) to change it? Do you have any advice on how to evolve from renting to buying (in relationship to my job)? I'm interested to hear your opinion.

* Sam is brilliant, and she should have her own blog. This is my way of encouraging that.