By Mormon.org
You're in Charge
Most people these days have experienced what it feels like to be shackled with debt. When you’re living month to month, paycheck to paycheck, spending more than you make, and sinking ever deeper in debt, you know what financial prison feels like. Thankfully, there’s a way out, and an optimistic outlook is the first step to a bright financial future. Remember, you’re in charge.
Visualize It
Have you ever pictured yourself being financially free? If not, consider what financial freedom looks like. Financial freedom is largely a feeling of peace, and anyone can improve their financial situation through visualization. If you’re in trouble with debt and want to get out, it helps to start thinking differently and filling your mind with hopeful thoughts. Picture where you’d like to be in 1, 5, or 10 years, and make a plan to get there.
Spend some time each day or each night before you fall asleep picturing in your mind what it would feel like to be in control of your finances and to even have the means to bless the lives of others. Studieshave been performed that back up the efficacy of this practice, and there are many creative visualization websites online to help you hone this valuable skill. The famous writer William Arthur Ward was spot-on when he said, “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”
Keep It Simple
When Mahatma Ghandi left this world, he had very few material possessions: a watch, glasses, sandals, an eating bowl, and perhaps an article or two of clothing. Yet Ghandi was rich because he understood that materialism is a form of bondage. He said, “You may have occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in never missing them.”
Don’t be afraid to simplify. The more you own, the less freedom you have. It may seem extreme, but when you consider that the most basic human needs (supplied monetarily) are simply food, water, and shelter, you begin to realize that everything else is mostly fluff and, to a large degree, expendable. Are there things you can eliminate from your life that are sapping your resources and siphoning your energy?
Discipline Is Key
Discipline may feel confining, but long-term it has the opposite effect for the human soul—it is freeing. Brutus Hamilton, an American track and field athlete, coach, and writer, observed the following: “It is one of the strange ironies of this strange life that those who work the hardest, who subject themselves to the strictest discipline, who give up certain pleasurable things in order to achieve a goal, are the happiest men.” This observation holds especially true when it comes to mastering money.
Don't Forget Faith
The Lord knows the fastest way for you to gain control of your finances. Invite Him to help you and teach you. With financial freedom on your mind and a prayer in your heart, the Lord can bless and inspire you with the guidance and discipline you’ll need to get where you’re going. Always remember, “The future is as bright as your faith” (Thomas S. Monson).
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