It was a frosty day. It could have been a hundred degrees outside and I still would have had that sickening chill. Suddenly I had discovered what I had suspected was just microns away: we were broke, our credit cards were maxed out, and we had menacing red numbers in our bank accounts.
REALITY WAS THERE, TAPPING ITS FOOT, DEMANDING ATTENTION. I REALIZED (AND YET HAD ALWAYS KNOWN) THAT WE WERE LIVING IN A SWAMP OF LIES. THESE WERE LIES TO OURSELVES. IT HAD TO STOP.
LIE NUMBER 10
10. I’ve always been unlucky–why should my finances be any different?
LIE NUMBER 9
9. Why not run my cards up, I’ll just go bankrupt. (Read some stories about bankruptcy today. It is not a smooth sail but more like a ride on a hurricane. And you very likely will have to repay your debts anyway.) I suggest you visit a great site, Get Out of Debt.org and watch the video of Steve and his wife.
LIE NUMBER 8
8. Things will improve in the future…I’ll put my rose-colored glasses on…and buy one of those “how to make a million dollars in two weeks” kits on TV and I’ll get out of debt in no time.
LIE NUMBER 7
7. I work hard. I deserve nice things. I’ll pay these cards off with no trouble.
LIE NUMBER 6
6. It’s the economy.
LIE NUMBER 5
5. I can’t handle this right now, I’m having a crisis. I’ll deal with it later when I feel better.
LIE NUMBER 4
4. My job (girlfriend/boyfriend/friends/family/customers) require and expect me to drive a certain kind of car, wear designer clothes, go to the best restaurants, etc. It’s just a “what is” for me.
LIE NUMBER 3
5. Everyone’s in the same boat right now. Why or How could I be any different? (It’s true that more than 50% of Americans worry about money, it is also true that about 50% don’t. I’d rather find out what they’re doing and do that! It’s true that people are losing their homes, a whopping 92% are not.)
LIE NUMBER 2
2. The credit card companies are really looking out for me…they tell me to call them when I have a financial crisis, they’re so nice on the phone, they even increase my credit limit without me even asking. (Now, if you believe this I have a bridge I might be able to interest you in.)
LIE NUMBER 1
1. It’s not my fault! (This translates into one of my Cosby tales” “a man climbed in the window, started jumping on the bed, took my credit cards, ran up a bunch of charges, then climbed back into the window, and put them back in my wallet, and ran away. Honest. He did!”)
We can begin to build a wonderful life for ourselves…not just “sufficient” but absolutely wonderful. But first we must not fool ourselves about how we got to where we are. If we don’t learn from our past we will repeat it. In order to get out of debt we have to be brutally honest with ourselves.
NOW ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.”
Bill Cosby
Your comments are welcome.
FACE YOUR DREAMS, EMBRACE YOUR LOVES
