How to stay motivated on your debt free journey.
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If you were anything like us, you were sick of feeling like you were drowning in monthly payments and decided to start your journey to financial freedom.
In the beginning it was probably super exciting, you had everything planned out, and were going to hit goals way ahead of time.
But then, something happened – you lost your motivation and little by little you started to slide back into that nasty pile of debt.
It happens.
It happened to us. We had been working on our debt free journey for close to 2 1/2 years and only put a small dent in our pile.
But then, something changed in us and we have been going in full force ever since!
I’m going to share with you a few things that have helped us get super serious and stay motivated on our debt free journey.
You have to get mad at your debt.
One of the best pieces of advice I have ever heard: In order to change anything, you have to get mad at it.
This can go for anything – losing weight, changing habits, getting out of debt, in order to change any of it, you must get mad at it.
If you’re not angered by it, then you are going to just settle with it.
You have to be mad that you are in debt. So mad that you will do anything to get out of it.
Get mad –
- That you are making credit card payments and have nothing significant to show for them.
- You will be paying on student loans practically the rest of your life.
- You’re paying way too much in vehicle payments when you could be using that money else where.
- All of your money is tied into monthly payments that it is holding you back from actually living.
Usually, I would say let go of anger, but in this case, you are going to let that fury motivate you to do better.
Let the madness motivate you to get yourself out of debt.
Make a plan and put it somewhere you will see it every single day.
This tip I have learned from #debtfreecommunity I follow on Instagram.
Make a plan for how you are going to get out of debt and put it somewhere you are going to see it every single day.
Make charts, checklists, calendars, anything that is going to remind you of why you are on this journey.
Hang it on the fridge, make a vision board, background on your phone, frame it and put it on the wall.
Whatever you need to do to remind yourself, do it.
For us, I have our dream home as the background of my laptop.
I use my laptop every single day, so having this reminder, that it’s possible to build our dream home without the debt, gives me a little nudge of encouragement every time I see it.
Set goal dates.
Set goal dates and have it in plain site. Again, this is like having a reminder for you.
Having your goal dates out in plain site will drive you to put your goals into action.
For example, if you have a goal of paying off XYZ by Friday, are you going to be spending that extra money on dinner or putting it towards your goals?
Most likely, the guilt will set in and you will be putting it towards your goals.
Again, I would say let go of the guilt, but in this case, the guilt is actually working in your favor.
Surround yourself with encouragement.
This is a big one.
When you are trying to get out of debt, you need to surround yourself with what is going to motivate you to stay on the path. If you are constantly around people who are spending money like it’s nothing, you will do the same.
If you are constantly watching people on Instagram buying this or going here, you are naturally going to get into comparison mode and need to do what they are doing to make yourself feel better. This will only keep you in debt.
Ultimately, who and what you surround yourself with is how you are going to act. Start following the debt free community instead of the influencers who will influence you to spend money you don’t have.
Listen to podcasts.
There are so many motivational podcasts out there that have motivated me on whatever it is that I am focusing on at the time.
Motivational personal finance podcasts are great to listen to when needing a push in your debt free journey.
You can listen to the Dave Ramsey Show here!
Podcasts are great motivators because you don’t have to take time away from your day to listen to them. You can listen while you are getting ready for the day, driving to work, cleaning the house, doing dishes or laundry.
There are so many opportunities for motivation with podcasts.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Being in a debt free journey can be super uncomfortable, especially if you are not used to sitting things out.
In order to stay motivated, you must get comfortable with sitting on the sidelines instead of being the life of the party.
You need to get comfortable with saying no and staying home. You have food and entertainment at home, there is no need to be spending extra money.
Side note: You should only need to explain to family and friends once or twice of your goals and why you are sitting things out. If you have to constantly remind them why you are saying no, you may need to distance yourself from them, they could very well be the influence that helped you into debt in the first place.
Remember this won’t last forever.
Right now, I am personally in this stage.
When you are working so much that it feels like you won’t ever see daylight again, or your spouse is working so much you feel like you’re single or a single parent.
When you feel like you are doing absolutely everything you can yet feel like you are getting nowhere – remember, it won’t last forever.
My husband always reminds and assures me, “short term loss, long term gain”.
You are going to miss out on a lot for a little bit, but it is for something that you know is going to make your future better. One day, you are going to be debt free and be able to do whatever the heck you want.
You will watch other people wish they took the path you did to get out of debt.
You will be thriving instead of in a constant worry about how much debt you have accumulated and how you are going to get rid of it.
Whether it takes 6 months or 6 years to get out of debt, it’s still a short term loss, long term gain compared to the rest of your life.
But you are going to need to stay motivated and do the dirty work first.
Hopefully, these tips will help you stay motivated to continue your debt free journey. If you have anything to add to this list, feel free to add it in the comments! I am always open to new ideas!
As always, you can follow along on Instagram @organizedchaoschronicles 🙂
