Shift Your Focus, Ditch the Debt

Once my beliefs around money started to shift, so did my reality. I went from spending to more than I earned to saving more than I spent! I shifted my mindset and became more conscious with my financial decisions and watched as the number in my bank account started to grow and my balance on my credit cards continued to diminish. 

Here are key shifts I made:

I Made Do With What I Had

When I quit my job and moved in with my Dad, I was feeling lack in all areas of my life, so I went shopping and spent money as a means of not feeling so miserable. It didn't work, and I contributed more and more to my debt, alas, my miserable state.

In order to reverse these habits and undo the financial harm I had caused myself, I turned my focus towards working on myself, and became obsessed with personal development / starting my company. 

Basically, I replaced my short lived desire for new clothes with a long term desire of a fulfilling, happy life. I knew in order to be taken seriously in business I would need to work on the number in my bank account, so that's what I did. I viewed clothing and shopping as an extension of my sentence in North Carolina, and started saving money as means of making my next move, literally and figuratively. My goal became more important than my temporary discomfort of passing on a good sale. 

I Sought Help

I literally hid my debt from everyone. I was so embarrassed by it. I was in denial. This finally changed when I confided in my Financial Coach, Wilson, at SmartPath. It felt liberating to have someone help me as opposed to judge me, because my inner critic was quite harsh about my financial situation. 

Having Wilson to help me meant I wasn't on my own anymore and he gave me permission to accept my current state, as undesirable as it was.

I highly recommend telling someone you trust about your debt, because if I hadn't done this, it would have continued to follow me around until I did. When we shine light on our fears they tend to become smaller.

Shifted my Focus from Paying Off Debt to Growing my Savings

Under Wilson's counsel, I set a savings goal that was my sole focus before even going after the debt. After having been in debt for so long, it felt liberating having a goal that wasn't solely paying for a past mistake.

I then saved enough where the choice to pay off the debt became my choice as opposed to a choice of circumstance; it was my decision to prioritize cash over a $0 balance, and this gave me the power to shift my mindset. 

I hope this helps you, wherever you are!

xoxo,