Name: Carmen McIntosh
Attended: Life Planning Workshop, Canberra 27 March 2010

My greatest achievements so far are… graduating university, travelling around America by myself, owning my own home, and establishing the basis for a successful career.

I joined 10thousandgirl because… I found that I was writing a lot of lists about my goals, but I was not actually achieving any of them. I have also never saved a cent in my life and am in a lot of debt. I hoped that the workshop would inspire me to take action and be the kick up the butt I needed.

My personal goals for the next 12 months are… to lose weight (15 kilos would be nice!), to have worked / volunteered overseas, and to have made a solid contribution to others’ lives.

My financial goals for the next 12 months are… to be in a position to use rental income to pay off my mortgage (instead of getting into even more debt), to have established some sort of investment portfolio (I would have to save first!) and to achieve a higher grade in my career (meaning higher pay).

In 3-5 years I’ll… have worked overseas in aid, because I see it as a great way of contributing to the world while also contributing to my own life lessons. I will be living in a town I love, because I really need to settle down and prepare for the future rather than moving every year. I will also have met Mr Right – because I would welcome love into my life – and I also need him so I can have kids.

And financially, in 3-5 years I’ll be… financially stable and in a position to raise a child, have well-established savings, and be on the way to paying off my gigantic debt.

It’s my birthday in the year 2020 and I… own a small farm, because I want to settle in rural community – I love the people, the open space, and the lifestyle it entails. I will have a family – even if it has meant adoption or by other means. I also would have made a difference, whether to my community or someone else’s, or to just one person’s life. I believe my life will be worthless and wasted if I don’t utilise my opportunities to help others.

The very first steps I’m going to take right now are… well, last week I gave notice at my job and paid for a big trip overseas. I am travelling to Mae Sot in Thailand to volunteer at a school for Burmese refugees and have not set myself a time limit – if my finances are sustainable then who knows – I could move there forever!

This is where you can find more about me: You can find me on Facebook