The road to debt freedom is not a cake walk.  There is a saying that “You can have your cake and eat it too”.  The depths of what it takes to get to the place where you can have your cake and eat it too is often unspoken of.  I am a firm believer that this can be true for those that are willing to make the necessary life-style and behavioral changes.  However, there are stark differences between them both, at the same time there is a direct correlation.  Behavioral changes of any kind (good or bad) will dictate what your life-style looks like.

For example, a life-style change can mean that in order to become debt free you might have to downsize your home or vehicle or up-size your place of employment.  I recall counseling a young couple who discovered that 60% of their income was being allocated towards their beautiful home and 14% towards their truck.  I hated to be the barrier of bad news, but downsizing their home was recommended.  Sounds drastic?  It was life-changing for them, they decided to down-sized and began on their journey towards financial wellness.  Living above their means was obviously problematic when it was time to pay the rest of their bills.  Making drastic changes are necessary, including the behavioral changes that leads to becoming overextended.  It was not enough to identify the problem area(s).  However, the behaviors that attributed to the problem needed to be addressed and changed.  How you respond to your discovery, determines your outcome.

I have listed some behaviors that could be the culprit that has led you to an unwanted place in your finances:  Compulsive spending, excessive costs for entertainment/eating out or trying to live like the Jones’s.

Becoming debt free requires:

• A decision – Where there is no decision made – there’s no opportunity for a debt free life.

• Implement a strategy – Where there is no strategy, there is no way out.

• Be willing to make drastic changes – If you are living a life-style to impress others, decided to make the necessary adjustments to reach your planned goals.

• Stick to the plan – Don’t lose sight of the reason why you have decided to start your journey towards debt freedom.

I challenge you to identify why you want to become debt free.  Do you want to start a business?  Invest in property?  Give more?  Sponsorship – paying for a child’s college tuition?  Take more mission trips?  Live your dream of traveling more?  Or build that dream home and give your current home to a family in need?

Check your motives and remember, the truth is that it takes sacrifice, determination and hard work.  While it is possible to have your cake and eat it too; there is a price to pay.  Is it worth it to you?

I would like to hear from you!  Please feel free to leave your comments.  E-mail me at christineroebuck@livemylifedebtfree.com.