The number one reason people don't get out of debt is they
don't try. This may apply to you. You want to, but never
seem to do it. You put it off for whatever reason.
Sometimes, you want to wait for your life to be just right before you
make the attempt. You tell yourself, when I get the new
job, when I receive the next promotion, or when I get my
next raise, I'll go to work on my debt.
Perhaps you are waiting for some artificially set date. You
tell yourself the first of the year will be a good time to start
or when you get back from vacation. Whenever it is, it is
always in the future.
I call this “perfect situation procrastinating.”. This allows
you to put off any action, while you wait for your situation
to be perfect. It reminds me of a story I read the other day
about a mother registering her daughter for kindergarten.
The mother, a school teacher, took her daughter to register
for kindergarten. They were greeted by the kindergarten
teacher near a table outside the room. On the table she had
some paper and crayons. The mother stood back while the
teacher did, what the mother recognized as, a simple
screening of her daughter's abilities.
The teacher asked the child to choose her favorite color
crayon and write her name on one of the pieces of paper.
The mother hovering in the background, knew her daughter
could not only spell her name, but the names of all her
family members. She was pleased her daughter would do so
well.
However the child just stood and stared at the crayons. The
teacher again asked her to choose her favorite color and
write her name. The child remained still. Her mother knew
she could do this but stayed back to allow the teacher to
handle it. The teacher then put her arm around the girl and
told her it was all right, she would learn to write her name
during the school year.
As the little girl and mother rode home the mother asked
her why she didn't write her name. Her daughter
responded, “She asked me to write my name with my
favorite color and there was no pink crayon.”.
The little girl, very capable of doing what was asked of her,
didn't do it because the situation was not perfect. Many
times we are the same way.
As you get ready to tackle your debt, do that of which you
are capable, not waiting for the perfect situation. While it is
important to have a plan, it is more important to just begin.
A plan may be adjusted as you go, but if you continually
adjust your start date, you will never put your plan into
action. So, start now, don't wait for your pink crayon.
About the Author
David Wilding has for the past ten years worked with groups and individuals to help get rid of their debt. Visit his website
http://www.debtattack.com for more ideas, tools, and strategies to help reduce your debt.
