As with many resolutions, made at the New Year and beyond, we start out strong towards a goal. But as time goes by and glitches in the road trip us up, we tend to lose our steam. When our path to debt freedom is sidetracked by an unexpected expense or we fall off the wagon when we see something we just ‘can’t live without!’ we tend to get down on ourselves and blow our commitment towards getting out of debt and staying there.
Staying motivated is possible for all goals – but you have to work at it.
How To Stay Motivated To Get Out Of Debt For The Whole Year…
Be Reasonable
When you set a goal for debt freedom, be reasonable about your goals and expectations. If you are drowning in $20,000 in debt, being debt free within a year may not be reasonable. Rather than think so big, break it down into incremental pieces such as a commitment to reducing your unnecessary spending so more money can go towards you debt. Promise yourself you will find $300 a month put towards debts each month, even if it means bigger sacrifices.
Make a Check List
There is a great power to visual assistance. Make a list of your existing small steps toward the greater goal. You will be able to check off your accomplishments as they happen. Leave room at the bottom of the list so that you have a place to add replacement goals for each one you check off.
Keep Learning
To move forward, you have to be conscious of getting stuck in a rut. Keep using the available resources to learn new ways to do things. Financial education, especially where debt reduction is concerned, is a powerful tool and you should never stop trying to learn how to do better. In this day and age, the Internet has granted us a near-endless portal of information from people just like you as well as the top financial pros in the world.
Watch the Company You Keep
If you tend to hang around with the Jones’ who spend money like water, reconsider how these relationships affect your life. Even unintentional peer pressure can worsen your debt. Take to the interwebs and find inspirational stories of debt relief success from other people’s blogs and surround yourself with people who understand your mission to change your financial life for the better.
Is is your motivation at this point? What are you doing to stay committed to the process?
(A quick p.s. I'm super excited to be working with this company called Becoming Your Own Bank who is creating a sketch video for ATWS. The video is similar to the one on their home page. The video is all about the whole ATWS story and the motivation behind it so this post made me think about the video. It's very cool and I can't wait for you all to see it!)
P.S. Want to change your mindset? Here’s a game-changer alert! CLICK HERE for the Money Magnet + Abundance Affirmations Super List