Are You Taking Out the Trash?

I used to think checking the amount owed on my student loans was extremely overwhelming. I had negative thoughts and emotions around the idea of paying them down and thought I'd be paying the minimum balance for years, just throwing my money away at interest.

Until one day, I decided I had enough worrying about it! I made a promise to myself to pay them off early. I had to learn how to budget, and I had to learn how to change the dialogue with myself and how to feel the negative emotions I had associated with the debt in order to reach my goal. I had to allow myself to feel bad in order to shift my mindset. 

During this time, my coach suggested that I start journaling. Journaling helped me learn how to manage my thoughts by uncovering why I had the spending habits I did and how I felt about those habits. 

… It was extremely difficult and uncomfortable.

But, I soon realized that the more I sat with my negative emotions, the more comfortable I felt with them. 

I started to  shift my mindset in order to reach my goal, so I built excitement around paying off the loans instead of allowing thoughts that didn’t serve me to take over. I learned how to budget and how to say no to myself when I wanted to spend. I journaled to manage my emotions and taught myself how to let go of negative thoughts or how to “Take out the Trash.”

Taking out the trash allowed me to create new patterns and beliefs which motivated me to take steps closer and closer to my goals. Before long, my loans started to shrink and then one day…

They were gone.

Man, was I relieved. While it was amazing that the debt was gone - I had something even more valuable: My new budgeting skills and new self dialogue techniques helped me save for a townhouse and then a rental property. I shifted my mindset to establish new patterns and beliefs. 

I am so proud of myself for pushing through the discomfort and want you to know that there is no reason why you can’t do this, as well. If you can persevere through your discomfort as you learn and grow, then no goal will be off limits to you. Think of how positive impact this could have on your life and on the lives of others!