I Can’t Believe I Almost Did This….

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Lack of impulse control can get you a house full of stuff you don’t need. Pair that lack of impulse control with a credit card and you’re just asking to end up neck deep in debt. Add to the mix the ease of online shopping and the road to debt ends up a slippery slope that’s easy to slide down. For those of us with weak impulse control, we have to understand that we can and will live without the things we want so desperately in the heat of the moment. Let me show you what I mean. All of […] Read more »

7 Ways You Can Stay Motivated to Get Out of Debt

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7 ways to stay motivated to get out of debt resources

Over the years I’ve seen plenty of people get motivated to get out of debt, but they never end up following through with the process.  They are usually pretty fired up about getting out of debt and start out very motivated.  But not long after they start the process, their energy flags and it’s not long before they lose their motivation. I’ve seen a lot of other people make decent progress in paying down debt, but for whatever reason, they end up losing their focus and go back to their old habits, never finishing the get out of debt process.   How to […] Read more »

How to Talk Yourself Out of Debt By Creating a New Script

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How to Talk Yourself Out of Debt By Creating a New Script

Could it really be possible to talk yourself out of debt?  Can getting out of debt really be that easy? Actually, no, I don’t believe it is. Getting out of debt is not as easy as talking to yourself using the right words.  You have to take action as well. Even the bible says “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty”- Proverbs 14:23   The Right Self Talk Helps But using the right kind of self talk can get you into the right mindset to change habits and get out of debt for good. […] Read more »

What Motivates You? (And Why it Matters!)

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What motivates change? Think back to all the times you were motivated into action and try to remember what it was that triggered that response. I’d be willing to bet that most of the time the changes were made in order to solve a problem. It could have been to lose weight because of a concerning doctor visit or to get out of debt after looking at a credit card statement. Our desire to solve a problem motivates us into action so we give it our “all” until our stress levels reach a tolerable level and we no longer feel […] Read more »

Psychology and Money – If You Know Something Isn’t Good For You, Why Do You Still Do It?

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I’ve long been a fan of dealing with the psychological and behavioral issues related to how we manage money. It’s the things we do with money that take us to where we ultimately end up. One of my favorite websites is The Psychology of Money. I also like Psyblog – Understand Your Mind. 😀 Having recently stepped up my efforts to lose weight and become healthy, I’ve been facing my own behaviors when it comes to my eating habits. I have a history of binge-eating which has ultimately led to this vicious cycle most people know as the “yo-yo diet” […] Read more »

Do You Have the Mentality to be Wealthy?

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Winning the lottery

You may have heard that the Mega Millions Lottery has a HUGE Jackpot tonight! You did hear that right? It’s not really talked about all that much. If you are anywhere near the television, internet, radio, a store or people in general then you’ve heard. The internet is full of blog posts where people talk about all the things they would buy if they won. I wrote a post today too. I didn’t focus on what I would buy because I found out something about myself. I’m not mentally ready to be wealthy! I know it sounds weird to say […] Read more »

The Danger of Marketing

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According to the American Marketing Association, the definition of marketing is “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” Basically, the purpose of marketing is to let you know about the products and services companies offer that have value for you. The first problem with marketing is that the catch phrases are often misleading and may cause you to buy inappropriate and expensive products. The second problem is the marketing message may blind you to the reality that no product is, in itself, […] Read more »

The Psychology of Getting Out of Debt

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One week ago many of you started working on your financial resolutions for 2012. Hopefully those of you with debt resolved to put together a solid plan to destroy it once and for all. There are many factors that go into the process of debt elimination but one that is often overlooked or underestimated is the psychological side. Anyone can say they want to become debt free but it’s our emotionally-driven behaviors and attitudes that will grant us final passage into the world of financial freedom. Math is only a very small component in the game of debt yet it’s […] Read more »

Where Do You Focus When You Invest?

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Let’s have a little fun and begin with an exercise. Begin by taking a break and go sit anywhere outside. Once your comfortable, take your hand and hold it about a foot in front of your eyes. It’s probably been a while since you really looked at your hands so focus for at least a minute on every detail. Study your nails or the lines in your skin for at least a minute. This next step may be challenging but it is critical that you keep your focus on your hand without allowing your eyes to refocus. Now while focusing […] Read more »

Shredded Cards, Weight Loss, and My Reality Series!

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Hello everyone! I do not say this enough, but THANK YOU for reading and continuing to support Enemy of Debt! It really does mean the world to me. This week I received an email that really makes what I do here COMPLETELY WORTH IT! “Hi Brad, Marvelous site! “Enemy of Debt” has not only saved me a tremendous amount of money, but the peace of mind from the extra money in the bank has been life changing! I have been captivated by your blog because the posts are relevant and touch all the ‘real’ areas of my life. Your motivation […] Read more »

Your Interview With Local Psychologist Dr. Matthew Bowen Part 3

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Okay so here we are. The third and final installment of my interview with Dr. Matthew Bowen. I hope it helps answer some of your questions and inspires you to take a more in depth look into your financial behaviors. Be sure to check out part one, and part two if you haven’t already. Thanks! I have been working on this interview with my Psychology of Money and Wealth Professor, Matthew Bowen, PhD, to take a deeper look into why we misbehave the way we do with money. He graduated in Berkeley, California in 1986 and is a licensed psychologist. […] Read more »

Your Interview With Local Psychologist Dr. Matthew Bowen Part 2

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As many of you already know, a few weeks ago I published Your Interview With Local Psychologist Dr. Matthew Bowen Part 1. I told you that I received so many questions that I had to break the interview down into three parts. Here’s the second installment. I will be wrapping it up with part three either next week, or the week after. Stay tuned for that. I am doing an interview with my Psychology of Money and Wealth Professor, Matthew Bowen, PhD, to take a deeper look into why we misbehave the way we do with money. He graduated in […] Read more »

Your Interview With Local Psychologist Dr. Matthew Bowen Part 1

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Have you ever wondered why you behave the way you do with money? Perhaps if you haven’t you should, because getting and staying out of debt is all about your financial behavior. The way I see it, there are tons of “mathematicians” out there that are “in debt up to their eyeballs”. In a recent article I wrote called Becoming Debt Free Is 99% Intensity and 1% Basic Math, I made the case for why becoming debt free was more about your behavior and attitude, than it was about doing math. So if you really want to get out of […] Read more »

The Psychology of Money and Wealth

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The results of my research for my guest lecture to the class: The Psychology of Money and Wealth. I was researching material for this lecture and came across this question. What stops people from succeeding financially, and having ongoing prosperity in their life? The answer is something I have addressed many times on this blog. The answer is believing that it is not possible to succeed financially, or even be prosperous in other areas of your life. A persons attitude about money is the number one hindrance to acquiring wealth and prosperity. Your attitude affects your behavior, and your behavior […] Read more »