How often do the words “I can’t afford it” come out of your mouth? You so desperately want to go on your dream family vacation to Italy or Greece or Bora Bora, but every time you even think about it, here it comes: “I’ll never be able to afford that!” Or you hear of a family who can’t even put food on the table or doesn’t have coats and warm clothes for their children, and you want to help, but again, “I can’t afford it.” Maybe you learn about some training and tools to help you expand your business and bring true success, but there it is…“I can’t afford it.”

Are those 4 little words holding you back from achieving what you were placed on this earth to do?

Let me ask you this: how often do you go to the store and use your credit card for those adorable shoes, the brand new lawnmower, that “hot-off-the-runway” outfit or the new techno-gadget you’ve just GOT to have? In an average week, how many times are you popping into Starbucks for a pick-me-up or to a fast-food place because you’re on the run?

Have you ever really added it all up – $5 here, $20 there? It adds up so quickly! But in our consumer-driven culture, we don’t even give it a second thought. We just charge it and then don’t think about it, until the credit card bill comes… and MAYBE not even then!

Now let me ask you this: do you really need those cool boots you just picked up on sale? Or how about that iPhone you just couldn’t live without? Was this simply impulse shopping or what I like to call a “keeping up with the Jones’” purchase?

Listen, I was the absolute WORST with money. I was the biggest financial idiot around! I was a perfect example of everything NOT to do.

But then I figured out, life is all about CHOICES. We make choices about how we spend our money, our time and our resources.

For example, you can choose to invest your money wisely in education or blow it on a gaming system that will just waste your time and money and give you no lasting benefit. You can choose to help rescue kids from the sex trade, instead of purchasing clothes that’ll just end up sitting in your closet, collecting dust. You can choose to blow a ton of money eating out at restaurants or you can start saving for an investment property. And you can choose to quit wasting money on this and that, and save your money for that dream vacation instead.

What kind of return on your money are those things going to bring you? Do you live a more luxurious lifestyle than you can actually afford, all the while, drowning in a mountain of debt?

The truth is, you have the choice to use your money for the things of value. How would it impact your business and relationships if you made better choices with your money? Imagine what it would mean for you and your family if you banished that “I can’t afford it” mindset and started building REAL wealth! Just picture yourself supporting the causes you believe in and doing the things you truly desire to do, instead of settling for whatever life hands you simply because you believe that’s all you can “afford.”

Take a good look at your bank account and see where your money really goes. It will show you what you really value… not just what you say you value. And if you don’t like what you see, guess what? You can make the choice to change it! If your goals are to get out of debt and start investing, then stop wasting your money on useless stuff. If you want to go on that trip with your spouse, stop going for the “instant feel-good fix” and save for something that yields LASTING gratification.

Now, I’m sure you’re already making great decisions about your money, kicking debt’s butt and building true wealth, and I would love to hear about it! So, please leave me your comments below! However, maybe you know someone who might need some encouragement and inspiration to declare their OWN freedom, so go ahead and share this message with them!

Then, be sure to tune in for The Dani Johnson Show today, where we share even more of my personally-selected tips and strategies to make your journey to success quicker and easier! You can find the show on your TV and radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right here on our website.

In great faith,

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