I know it is mentioned from time to time in the media and the politicians in Washington like to mention it around election time, but have you noticed we have a FINANCIAL CRISIS on our hands in America?  It kind of seems to me like everyone is aware of it, but we are all too scared to talk about it.  So what do we do?  We ignore it, pretend like we do not have a financial crisis, and things continue to get worse and worse every year.

I am not making a political commentary about our government’s spending.  It is easy for the liberals to blame the conservatives and vice versa.  The reality is any of the problems we have in Washington are just a reflection of the values we have in our homes.  It is easy to point the finger and blame the other side for our nation’s financial problems, but true solutions are seldom easy.  Before we start criticizing others we must first take a look in the mirror and honestly evaluate our financial habits.  This is not fun and it is not easy, BUT it is necessary if we want to make any positive changes.

If we Judge A Tree By The Fruit It Bears let me offer a few statistics to consider which illustrate my point:

The average American household has a credit card debt of $15,607.

The average American household has $32,650 of student loans.

76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

I think we could all agree the average American’s plan is not working.

Now I know we could all come up with a number of reasons why we are where we are and most of them would involve us blaming others.  I am sure every reason and excuse we could come up with would have some validity and truth in it.  If I rewind the tape back seven years ago I can tell you I had all sorts of reasons why I was in a horrible financial spot.  At 24 years old I had a four year degree from a state university, two teaching certifications, four years of experience as a head coach, a 70 hour work week, $20,000 of credit card debt, $30,000 of car loans, and I was $60,000 upside down in my mortgage.

Clearly my plan was not working like the financial plans of the majority of Americans today.  I had a LONG AND HARD process I had to go through in order to fix my financial problems, but that journey started when I took responsibility for my problems.  In the The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews, the number one decision that determines personal success is “The Buck Stops Here”.  Once I realized it was my thinking and my actions that got me into my financial mess I realized that I could learn to think differently and act differently to create a different result.

In seven short years we have been able to pay off all of that credit card debt, car loans, and we paid off a mortgage 23 years early.  It was not easy, but it was worth it.

Financial distress is ruining families.  It is the number one cause of divorce in our country.  Just think about what could happen in your family if you chose to stop living like “everyone else” and you started thinking and acting differently.  What if you starting seeking out financially successful people who have Fruit On The Tree and started to follow their advice?  Chances are you will receive ridicule from some friends, relatives, or co-workers.  Why is that?  It is because they are living like everyone else and doing what financially successful people do will seem different and awkward to them.  It may be challenging and frustrating to be ridiculed by people we have relationships with, but we do not need to focus on that.  The most important thing we have to focus on is, “Would it be worth it?”

What if you lived like others won’t for the next few years so that you could have complete financial and time freedom with your family in the future?  Would you rather have that new gadget or would you rather get out of credit card debt?  Would you rather go to that college bowl game or would you rather buy your first investment property?  Would you rather watch that movie or would you rather read a book by Robert Kiyosaki and increase your financial IQ?

I am not offering you the answers, but I am encouraging you to begin your journey down a different path which could lead to financial freedom in a few short years.  Here are a few resources I encourage you to checkout if you want to improve your financial life.

www.DaveRamsey.com

www.RichDad.com

The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class

Stop Acting Rich: …And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire

Why “A” Students Work for “C” Students and Why “B” Students Work for the Government: Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Education for Parents

Question: What is one financial goal you REALLY want to accomplish?  Comment below