When All You Have Is You.

By Ja’Net Adams

When I was going through the journey of paying off my $50,000 of debt in two years, I wanted everyone to be involved. I wanted everyone to go on the journey with me, and it didn’t matter if they wanted to or not. They could have been debt-free, saving money every month. I wanted them to cut back on eating out during the week. I wanted them to stay away from shopping and going on vacation.

Why?

It was because I didn’t want to go through that hard journey alone. Yes, it was my household paying off the debt, but when you see friends around you “living life” you want to be doing the same. In order for me not to have that feeling of being left out my solution was to just stop them from spending money.

After much pushback from friends, I realized that it was my journey to take and not theirs. I had to realize that I would have to make the sacrifices alone. It was up to me to stop going out to eat and cook more at home. It was up to me to stop shopping every week and buying another piece of clothing that I didn’t need. It was up to me to stop going on vacation when I owed other people $50,000. It was up to me to stop buying everyone a gift! All of it was up to me!

I’m not going to say that it was easy, because it was not. There were times that I felt lonely because I was not out doing the things that I had become accustomed to doing for so many years. What kept me going was knowing that it was all for a better tomorrow. It all was for a tomorrow where I could travel the world and go to new restaurants just to try out a meal that I seen on social media. It was for a tomorrow where I provide for my children some of their wants in addition to their needs.

If you are trying to pay off debt, don’t force others outside of your home to make the same sacrifices that you have to make. That person you are trying to force finances on may be great, and they are on track to be a millionaire. Or they may even be in a mountain of debt and need to sacrifice with you, but they just are not in the same place as you are.

Either way, your journey is your journey and all you have is you!Ja’Net Adams- Speaker, Author, Consultant
Owner of Financial Wellness Firm EMACK Consulting http://www.DebtSucksUniversity.com