2017 is Just Around the Corner

How is your debt-freedom journey going?? Me: I’ve begun the process of preparing for 2017. And, yes, it’s a process. I’m going through my bank statements, assessing my financial habits, and working on my financial plan for next year. There is a saying that I’ve heard before that basically says the following: if you have no plan you’re planning to fail.

2017

Will be a very interesting year. We will have a new president, new policies, and changes to the economy. While in life there is always uncertainty I feel that for many people this feeling has been amplified. For me, this is the year when I need to make some significant inroads with my debt.

I’ve joked that the past 2 years have basically been a vacation. I’ve traveled, I’ve rested, I’ve gotten my mind right and I’ve learned why a financial journey can take so long for so many people. It’s emotional, you have to have the mental capacity to manage the process, and there is a level of energy that you have to tap into to make things happen.

I’m Scared

Yep, I’m afraid of what’s coming and that fear has been the greatest motivator that I’ve had in a long time. Like most people I got distracted. Things were…fine. Not perfect, but fine. I work for myself, am lurching towards self-sustainability and have been growing my businesses But, I noticed that the fat had begun to creep back into my daily life.

The notion of short-term sacrifices became a distant memory and I was enjoying my life without the distractions of my financial journey. And, as a personal finance blogger, it’s embarrassing to admit that I just got off track and I will be the first to admit that I didn’t seem to mind it. 

Now I do…I mind that I’ve put myself at risk by having debt.

Even though I’ve slashed my monthly cash outflow and basically killed my spending habit…I’ve allowed my debt to linger. I’ve long had the idea that I was afraid of a debt-free life. I’ve had debt since I left home at 17 years old and went to college with no financial skills.

I have no concept of what it means to be debt-free as an adult. But, the things that I’m afraid of are scary than the process of letting go of debt. You have, of course, heard this from me before and I understand that.

But, this time it’s different. I’m done. I’m tired. And, I feel that I’m at risk while I owe money to other people. So, I’ve begun committing to the process again. I’ve set a new debt-freedom date and for those of you who find yourself in the same position…I feel your pain. Start again. Keep starting again until you get the results that you are working towards.

July 2018 

Is my new debt-free date. My goal, of course, is to try to achieve this goal prior to July 2018. The distractions that I’ve worried about in the past:

• My social life-basically, not having one as I work to become debt-free.
• Travel-Not being able to travel.
• Not being able to work in the way that I would like to…for myself.

I’m not afraid to miss out on my social life anymore because I’ve embraced doing fun things that are basically for free. I schedule my business focused projects around my fun activities. In fact, I’m going hiking on Friday and Saturday with two different friends (who am I kidding…they are basically dates LOL!).

I’ve learned to travel for LESS, much less, than what I used to pay than before. And, as for losing income, I can work from anywhere.

These past 2 years were painful in many ways but I’ve learned a number of skills and processes that will enable me to re-engage in this journey without feeling like I’m missing out on things.

Steps I’m Taking

Every day is a day to hustle! My experience with this in the past is that the more you focus on your hustle it seems to grow hustle babies. Basically, the Universe notices and rewards your effort.

I’ve already begun to add new clients to my roster. It’s not as hard as you would think. In fact, it’s pretty easy to do once you’ve built up some confidence and gotten use to the process.  I’ve begun pitching for new projects and I’ve also begun to  on-boarded new projects that have been  referred to me.

I’ve also begun to aggressively track my expenditures and find areas where I can stop spending and reroute spending towards debt repayment.

I’ve also begun interviewing some amazing people who have kicked debt to the curb and have gotten motivated again via their stories. I’m looking forward to sharing those interviews with you during the New Year.

I’ve also begun to re-read all of the financial books that inspired me in the past.

I’m excited about working towards regaining a freedom that I haven’t experienced as an adult and I have to be honest and say that I even begun to imagine what it will feel like. If it is anything like how I feel after finally getting my driver’s license, then I think I will feel pretty awesome once I’m debt-free. But, I’m going to try (again). This time I’m ready. What about you?

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Michelle

I am an obsessive foodie, but not self-righteous with it, love travel, meeting new people, helping you look good, and am freaked out by people who don't enjoying reading...something! Grab a Perrier, read my blog, feel free to drop me a line! Hope to hear from you soon.

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