You know life can be full of pressure or even seem overwhelming. These pressures can come in the form of relationships, careers, the raising of kids and even one's physical health. One of the biggest pressures or what seems to be overwhelming a lot of people in our culture today is in the area of finances.
When you hear the following statistics it can be overwhelming.
78% of people live paycheck to paycheck
Approximately 66% of people would struggle to pay for a $1000 emergency
The number one reason for marital discord or divorce is money fights
The average household income is $56,516, 24% of income goes towards consumer debt on average
Student Loans have become the largest debt consumers are paying off at over a trillion dollars
Over 60% of Americans have less than $25,000 saved for their own retirement
Many people in financial frustration have thrown up their hands stating "There is no hope!" I strongly disagree!
There is hope!!
Hope simply is an expectation of something. Believe me...I get it! Being in a financial hole, having collectors calling you, facing a foreclosure, having more bills than money, robbing Peter to pay Paul, and living from paycheck to paycheck is no fun!! I've been there and done that! But it was when I started to expect something different that things begin to change!
You don't have to settle where you are! There is hope but it will take some work and being intentional with what you do with money on your part. There is a saying, "Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes".
One thing I want to encourage you to do is not beat yourself up over past mistakes. We've all made them. Looking back will not help you to reach where you want to go. Yes we can reflect back but just don't keep looking back. That's why the windshield is bigger on the car than the rear-view mirror. The intent is to see more in front of you and little behind you!
One change for starters is to live on a monthly written cash-flow plan (a budget). This will help assess where you are financially and give you hope of where you want to go. This will cause you to look weird in the eyes of many in our culture because for our culture debt is normal...to be debt-free and winning with money the right way is weird. I challenge you today to BE WEIRD!!
There is hope! All you have to do is put one financial foot in front of the other. You need to realize YOU CAN DO THIS!! Make the change so that you can be the change! Remember that focused intensity over time multiplied by God equals unstoppable momentum!
My friend there is hope!
