EOD Challenge: Need Motivation To Pay Off Debt?

Hike To Debt Freedom

Daddy and Isaac - Spring 2009

Have you thought about what it would be like, and what it would mean for your family if you decided to aggressively pay off debt? If you haven’t,  I think you should.  As someone who has recently become debt free, I can testify to the many benefits that comes with taking the debt free plunge.

I am back with another challenge for you to try.  Recently I have been thinking of a way to help motivate all of you to become debt free.  Doing so, got me thinking about what becoming debt free was like.

Becoming debt free:

  • is challenging but extremely rewarding
  • requires discipline and hard work
  • has immediate and future psychological benefits
  • strengthens your financial health
  • provides a tremendous sense of accomplishment
  • gives you many more options in life

The other day I asked a good blogger friend of mine to inspire me to get back into a healthy routine.  As most of you know I joined weight watchers not to long ago and lost about 17 pounds.  You also may remember that I recently had the H1N1 flu and was incapacitated for about 8 days.  This threw a monkey wrench into my weight loss plan, mainly because I didn’t get back on the wagon like I should of after I got well.  Dave over at Life Excursion, because of my request, wrote this article to help motivate me back into action.  His article got me thinking.

I love to go hiking, but have not done it in a few months.  I thought about the benefits I experience when I go hiking regularly.  It was then that I realized that taking a hike is much like becoming debt free.  I receive the same above mentioned benefits when I go hiking, that I did by becoming debt free.  As always, I started thinking about all of you and how I could help motivate you to become debt free.

Wanna Know How It Feels To Become Debt Free? Go For A Hike!

Yep that’s right!  I said go for a hike, but not just any hike.  You need to challenge yourself because becoming debt free is not always easy.  The more challenging the hike the more it will mirror becoming debt free.  My challenge for you is to go on a nice hike near you and find out how it feels to become debt free.

As you are on your hike, consider the challenges and visualize reaching the top.  The climb will sometimes feel overwhelming but continue on.  Set yourself some time goals.  You know when you make it to the top the reward will be great.  You know that the motivational boost you will receive will give you strength.  Think of each uphill section as one of your debts and when you start to feel the burn and want to give up—DON’T!  Keep climbing!  Keep moving!  You can reach the top!

You can become debt free! Believe in yourself!!! Climb your mountain of debt and experience how it feels to be on top of the world!  Experience accomplishment and freedom!  Experience PEACE!  Take my challenge and climb that mountain!  Give you and your family OPTIONS!  What are you waiting for—start today!

Tools and Resources For Extra Motivation

  • 12 Steps To Debt Freedom – Admit your addiction to becoming debt free!
  • A “Go Green” Personal Finance Challenge – Use cash more than plastic…
  • Debt Snowball – Staying Motivated While Paying Off Your Larger Debts – Do you have large, intimidating debts?
  • This Is What Debt Free Looks And Feels Like! – Be sure to watch the movie clip!  “Give me your VERY BEST!, your VERY BEST!”  It’s about not giving up when you think you have no more fight left.
  • Your Comfort Zone – Is It Really Your Friend Or Actually Your Foe? – Is it fear that is holding you back?
  • Have You Ever Had A DEBT FREE Christmas, And Will You Accept My Challenge? – Change your habits one step at a time.  Start by having a credit card free Christmas!
  • The Dream Budget: Your Debt Free Potential! What’s Yours? – If you had NO DEBT, what would your budget look like?  More importantly, how much more would you be able to accomplish financially?
  • “Financial Independence” Ceremonial Speech – What giving a speech about becoming debt free sounds like—in my head!

Take my challenge and come back to share your results.  Did your hike motivate you?  Can you see how the two accomplisments have similar benefits?  Let us know…

About Brad Chaffee

4 Responses to “EOD Challenge: Need Motivation To Pay Off Debt?”

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  1. KelsaLynn says:

    Living a debt free life and a healthy life really do go hand-in-hand. It’s amazing to me how the characteristics that build one foundation build the other and the consequences of both are very similar.

    To me, it all about discipline and always trying to be better than you are, whether that’s financially or physically speaking, yet at the same time balancing that with contentment.

    Be happy with what you have, but not who you are… don’t try to grow your number of possessions, try to grow as a person.

    Whoa, that was deep. Someone get me a beer. Quick.
    😛

  2. I’m ready.

    I’m currently saving $1000 as part of Dave Ramseys first step in the total money makeover. I need only a few hundred dollars more and I’ll be on step 2, paying off all of my debt except my mortgage. I currently have $4650 of debt on a car loan which I’m shooting to have paid off in the next 6 months.

    I know my debt isn’t as bad as some people but I don’t want it to get any worse. You know how it goes you think you got everything under control and then all of sudden the car needs something done to it or the water softner goes out and before you know it I’m back at square one again. This time I will beat it.

    Thanks for the motivation.

  3. Brad Chaffee says:

    I know I responded yesterday to both of your comments. Now either I am losing my mind, which is totally possible, 🙂 or I forgot to send it and shut down the computer before sending through.

    Chris – Keep fighting my friend! You will get there and it will happen before you know it. Time flies when you are having fun paying off debt.! 🙂

    KelsaLynn – I do not remember what I typed yesterday, but it basically agreed with your deep thoughts and insight. A beer sounds nice! 🙂

  4. Hey Brad – Thanks for your post. Good luck with your weight loss goals. I got down from 180lbs to 162lbs with this experiment I did over 6 months, spent nothing on any kind of gimmick, and saved money.

    Not sure if you saw it, so here it is “Losing Your Way To More Money”. I’m pretty darn confident if you follow this advice, you’ll lose a lot of weight.

    Funny you talk about hiking, b/c my wife and I are up at The Resort At Squaw Creek, Lake Tahoe, and we’ve been hiking every day for the past 3 days!

    Best

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