If you have debt then you know how much worry, stress and anxiety it can cause. So in this series I'm going to share some tips to help you eliminate some of those fears and worries so you can live joyfully and richly, even while you're in the process of paying down or paying off debt. 

First of all, it's important to understand that there are just 3 things you need:
Honesty, A System, and Motivation. 

With these elements in place you'll be surprised how quickly you can pay down or completely pay off your debt. 

Carrying debt can cause of a tremendous amount of guilt, stress, shame, resentment and anxiety.
So paying it down or paying it off can feel exceptionally freeing and liberating.
 
Just imagine how good you'll feel when you no longer have those debt repayments and finally get to keep all of your money!

In order to be successful in not only getting out of debt, but staying out of debt, it's critical not to feel impoverished while you're paying it off. 

Feeling poor is demoralizing and stressful, and you won't stick with it in the long run. If you try using an austere or strict budgeting plan, at some point you'll rebel or feel resentful and overspend. 

In order to avoid that, here's the first thing to do instead. 

Raise your hand if you have any financial guilt or regrets. 

My guess is that one of your hands popped right up into the air!

How do I know? 

Because I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't feel at least a small pang of regret about something in their financial past.

Myself included.

And it can feel really heavy.

And here's the thing: even if you don't think about it consciously, guilt runs in the background like a phone app that drains your battery in the background.

Because it's happening behind the scenes, you probably won't know why you don't have enough energy to pursue new ways of bringing in more money, or why you can't seem to get ahead. 

Then you're way more likely to give up on your financial goals and think you suck at money.
Which just isn't true! 

On the other hand, recognizing and letting go of any money guilt you may have will be a huge regenerative boost!

Not only will it lower your stress, it will give you more oomph to pursue your financial goals.

Plus, you'll feel more creative and resourceful, which means you're more likely to think of new ways to attract more money to you. 

So, since chances are if you're reading this and you're over the age of, oh I don't know, 5...that you have something you feel guilty about or regret when it comes to your finances.

Then the next natural question is how do you let go it go?

Let me be to the point and abundantly clear where I stand: BLACK LIVES MATTER.

Black Lives have ALWAYS mattered.

But saying that simply isn’t enough.

How can it be when George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so, so many others’ lives have been taken?

How can it be when black women pray every day their sons will make it to adulthood and thrive?
How can it be when here in the US a black man still only makes 69.7 cents for every dollar a white man makes, and a black women only makes 60.8 cents compared to that same dollar? *

There are centuries of pain and a deep wound that is calling out to be healed.

As a white woman, I have a lot to learn.

This last two weeks have been cracking me open and I’m being called to look deeper within myself and make changes.

I have been looking back through my life and career and seeing all the moments where I haven’t created real equity and inclusion in my business and my life.

Many moments when I could have done better.

It has brought me to tears many times.
​
It’s time, in fact it's long overdo, to know better and do better.

I have been listening, reading, having conversations and attending trainings so I can learn more about what it means to be anti-racist, and what steps I can take right now to create more safe space, reduce harm and take an even stronger stand for racial and economic justice.

I don’t have all the answers — I know I’ve made mistakes and will make more mistakes I’m sure — but I’m committed to developing a greater awareness of what’s going on and what black, brown and Indigenous people are experiencing so that I can best serve all of my clients and students with understanding, respect and dignity.

Kathryn

*Source: Economic Policy Institute. From 2017
https://www.epi.org/blog/black-workers-have-made-n...

If you're just joining me, I've been sharing some of the lessons I learned in the 2008 recession. They have become valuable life and financial lessons that I'm passing on to inspire and support you during our current unprecedented times.

To put it in official terms, that's when I got a real ass whoopin', financially speaking.

Thankfully, with good guidance and a lot of grit and hard work, I went from being bad with money to being a badass with money.

That recession turned out to be a wake up call and a genuine blessing in disguise (though, believe me, I did NOT know it at the time!).