This is day 5 of the 30 Days of Financial Affirmations challenge. If you missed any of the previous days, check out the overview page for links to the other affirmations.
I used to feel imprisoned by my debt. I was very young and had school loan debt, credit card debt, AND a car repossession under my belt. I was a new wife and mother, and it felt like I couldn’t make enough to make ends meet.
The real deal was that I was working 60 hours a week, making really good money, but I wasn’t valuing what I was making. I ignored the fact that I was making more than enough to get ahead and put my family in a great financial position. I paid attention to the fact that I was in a bad way when it came to debt. The debt owned me and it caused me to become paralyzed.
What was my problem? My problem was that I needed to understand that I may have owed a debt, but it didn’t OWN me. I didn’t appreciate my finances right in front of me. I valued the negative more than the positive.
In my defense, this is the way the first world is set up. We’re always reminded to check our credit, pay attention to our debt, keep track of what we owe. Yes, these things are important, but they shouldn’t control our lives and take over our minds. They shouldn’t keep us up at night and cause anxiety. They are things, not entities. They can’t own us.
It’s the same with our funds. How much we make or save doesn’t define who we are. Now, this will take you a while to change in your mind. Today’s affirmation will just be a start for you. I suggest saying this one when you receive a bill or sit to pay them.
Here’s today’s affirmation:
I know what I owe, but it doesn’t own me.
Today’s task is pretty simple: know what you owe. Do you? Do you have a tally of what your full debt is? Sometimes the anxiety comes from not knowing the exact amount we owe, or thinking that some surprise bill or emergency will come out of nowhere and hold our money hostage. This task may take you more than our usual 5 minutes, but it’s a very important step in our challenge. In a few days, we’re going to amplify this with another great affirmation and task. Get ready!
Knowing what I owe (in CC debt) and that it is larger than the number of months I left until retirement is what causes me anxiety. I know, though, that in just a few months, it will be fewer (in thousands) than what is left (in months) so I keep that in my sites. Come the end of 2015, I know it will be gone for good and I’ll have just the mortgage.
Nichole, you are so inspiring. It’s a big feat to actually know what you owe and understand that the anxiety will subside. You are rocking this challenge!
Knowing what I owe causes my anxiety. It just hangs there in the balance of life, saying look at me, I’m still here. What! you purchased those blouses when you could have paid me down… Yep lots of anxiety.
Yes Lisa! But the best part is that we can get rid of that anxiety by removing it’s power. We got this. We WILL get rid of that debt, and it WILL decrease.
Day 5 and feeling good! It does cause me anxiety to think about it but owning my mentality is NOT where its at!
Love this, Taalibah! You are changing your financial future!