"I’ve recently had to acknowledge that my pride has been holding me back. For a year and a half I’ve stayed in this house, struggling every month to raise money for rent, repeatedly falling behind on my bills, and wondering if I was going to be able to feed my kids every time they came home from their dad’s house. It’s felt like I was drowning all this time. All because I felt like I had something to prove.
Now I’ve finally admitted to myself that my pride is what’s been drowning me. I’m letting go of my 4 bedroom house and moving to a small apartment in a more affordable city. It may not be my ideal living situation, but I’m not even allowing myself to think of it as a downgrade. Instead, it’s an opportunity to make life more affordable, to finally save some money toward a better future. The moral of this story: let go of your pride before it drowns you.

- Margaret Irene