A Motivational Story for Getting Your Financial Sh*t Together

pexels-photo-4 It happened again yesterday, as it’s happened a couple of different times over our journey to get out of debt. I was talking with someone when they shared a story with me that firmly established in my heart why it’s so important we keep on our journey toward debt freedom.

In this most recent case, the story was about a friend of ours. The friend is quite a bit older than us: late sixties or so. He’s been struggling with Type 2 Diabetes for several years now, and had to go into the hospital last week to be monitored as he waited for removal of a severely infected toe.

For those of you who don’t know a lot about Type 2 Diabetes, I’ll share a bit about it. I heard a doctor who specialized in treating Type 2 Diabetes describe the occurrence of the disease this way: What happens with Type 2 Diabetes is that basically your body simply gets worn out from trying to burn off over-consumption of calories, especially sugar calories.

Part of the ramifications of Type 2 Diabetes is that it inhibits the body’s power to heal. In my loved one’s case, he got a cut on the toe that got infected and the infection spread to the bone in spite of antibiotics given to prevent infection. Now the toe has to be removed in order to stop the infection from spreading further.

Thankfully, all of his medical expenses are covered because he’s a vet.

The problem is that he really can’t afford to be out of work for a week. He has no savings, debt to pay on and is self-employed. So for him, no work means no pay. No pay and no savings means he can’t pay his bills.

Instead of being able to put all of his focus on getting well, he has to focus on how he can get out of the hospital as quickly as possible so he can get back to work.

Whenever I hear stories like this they scare the crap out of me. I don’t ever want our family to be in that situation. And while I don’t believe in letting fear control me, I do like to use fear as a motivator.

We’ll Be “Just Fine”

It was just two or three years ago that I heard another similar story about one of our loved ones. Consistently working, the couple was easily able to make the payments on their heavy debt load. They were doing “just fine.”

Then he came down with cancer and wasn’t able to work for many months. With little to no savings and a heavy debt load, they needed those paychecks. They were running on balder-than-bald tires because they didn’t have the money for new ones. Again, decisions were made not on need but on the need of money.

Eventually they had no choice but to file for bankruptcy and allow the bank to take their two rental properties. Luckily, they were allowed to stay in their primary residence.

“You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” –Dave Ramsey

It’s been difficult watching two of our loved ones go through such hard times and have those times be complicated by a lack of money and a crap load of debt.

After we got the phone call about our friend with the toe removal surgery yesterday, two thoughts went through my head:

You’d better seriously keep at this journey to financial wellness
You’d better seriously keep at this journey to improve/maintain your good health

You see, there are two big problems that run rampant throughout my family. Not everyone is afflicted by them, but LOTS of people are.

The first is largely preventable health problems such as Type 2 Diabetes.

The second is largely preventable financial problems such as heavy debt loads and anorexic savings accounts.

While some family traits are unavoidable, others can certainly be conquered with hard work and commitment. There are traits you have no control over, such as your bone size or the shape of your nose, and there are the traits you get to choose whether or not you’ll follow, such as poor money management choices, anger issues, how you take care of your body, etc.

As I shared with the kids the happenings with our friend, I also drove home the importance of getting and staying out of debt.

“This is why we do what we do with our money,” I told them. It’s why we rarely go out to eat. Why we budget. Why we spend money on needs and work to avoid many wants. Why we keep sugar consumption to a minimum and work to eat largely whole foods.

Let’s read the Dave Ramsey quote again:

“You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” –Dave Ramsey

Has your lack of money been controlling you for far too long? I know it has for us. And I am sick and tired of making decisions based on money instead of based on the need itself. This is why we do what we do. Many people shake their heads at us in disbelief, because they can’t understand why we are foregoing YOLO opportunities in search of what seems to them to be an impossible dream: financial freedom.

You CAN Change Your Financial Family Tree

If you are sick and tired of being stressed out about money too, consider starting your own journey to debt freedom so that you don’t have to fall into a lack of money forever controlling you. Read this awesome series about how and why you can and should get out of debt, starting today:

How and Why You Should Get Out of Debt: Intro

How and Why You Should Get Out of Debt: Part 1

How and Why You Should Get Out of Debt: Part 2

How and Why You Should Get Out of Debt: Part 3

I’ll warn you right off the bat that it’s not always easy getting out of debt. But I can tell you that it gets easier over time once you develop your new money habits. It also helps to keep your motivational list of whys right at the forefront of your mind.

Please, for the sake of your future, stop telling yourself you’ll be “just fine” if you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck with a heavy debt load and non-existent savings. Although that may be the easiest route to choose in the short-term, it could be disastrous in the long term.

Don’t let your debt define you or control you any longer, my friends. It’s only money, and you deserve to be in control of it instead of having it control your life. Your debt does not define you, my friends. Or at least you don’t have to let it define you. Choose today to take back your money and take back your life at the same time. You deserve the BEST.

Is there a story that scared you into getting your money under control? Do you find that the problems you are working to overcome seem to run in your family?