It’s the perfect time of year for scary stories told around a bonfire. I’ve got a spooky story for you that’s 100% true.

When you’re bogged down by debt, it can be difficult to see the “big picture.” When debt is constantly on your mind, it’s hard to plan for success. Debt is like a giant knot in your stomach that’s always there. Always reminding you that you owe something to someone. It doesn’t matter how much or how little – it’s still there. And when you’re in debt, it can feel like everything you encounter is an obstacle getting in the way of success. Debt is the ghost of all your past foolish financial decisions, hiding behind every corner; haunting you and making it hard to get to sleep at night. At least, that is what it’s been like for me. I’m in debt.

There are lots of things I’d like to do – travel, make some upgrades to my house, treat my family to an incredible Christmas, save for retirement, update my wardrobe. But right now, I can’t even think about my “like to do” list until I’ve addressed my “must do” list: pay my mortgage, pay my monthly bills, make my student loan payment, make sure I have enough food to feed my family, and cover any medical expenses. My debt is getting in the way of my goals. It’s interfering with my relationships. It’s causing undue stress. And, it’s been really scary.

Here’s what’s been so eye-opening for me: it wasn’t until very recently that I recognized my debt as a real problem. I just thought of it as a way of life. My debt was something I carried around with me – from year to year, town to town, house to house. I’ve been lugging around this ghost for a long, long time. Never addressing it. Just bringing it along with me, haunting me wherever I go.

For years, I’ve been focusing on my debt: how much I owe; how I can get a higher spending limit; who I need to pay first; the things I can’t afford to do. All because I refused to address my debt as what it really and truly was: a big scary PROBLEM.

Here’s the not-so-scary part of my spooky story. If you’ve read First Steps To Wealth or attended First Steps To Success, you already know what Dani says about focus: “whatever you focus on, you get more of. Focus on problems and you’ll find more problems. However, focus on solutions and you find SOLUTIONS.” The only way to solve my debt problem is to focus on a debt SOLUTION. My problem has truly revealed the solutions I need.

So that’s where I am now: focusing on solutions rather than focusing on the problem. I’ve found comfort in this verse from Proverbs: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, it is in your power to act.” (Proverbs 3:27). I have the power to act upon my debt problem and, perhaps more importantly, I have the power to solve it. And now that I’m focusing on solutions, things aren’t as scary as they were just a few months ago.

I’m waging my own personal War On Debt. And because my focus is where it needs to be, I know this tale will have a happy ending.

(Not quite) THE END!

Wishing you lots of success,
Laura Comstock
DaniJohnson.com