{"id":2392,"date":"2009-03-20T17:32:31","date_gmt":"2009-03-20T22:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/?p=2392"},"modified":"2017-01-30T13:33:18","modified_gmt":"2017-01-30T18:33:18","slug":"my-friday-late-afternoon-paying-down-debt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/my-friday-late-afternoon-paying-down-debt\/","title":{"rendered":"My Friday late afternoon, paying down debt"},"content":{"rendered":"

We had the mailing for the April Horizons<\/a> today, and I surprised myself by getting some of the billing done before everyone got here.\u00a0 It feels good to have that part of the job done each month.\u00a0 Now I get to sit outside and enjoy the weather and watch the sun go down, without having anything else to do or anywhere else to go.\u00a0 Nice!\u00a0 Right now I\u2019m sitting in my west woods, in what is typically known as the firepit area, however there is no fire tonight.\u00a0 It\u2019s very windy and my favorite big giant kitty Izzy is sitting here with me.\u00a0 I can hear several sets of birds all around me, and can see the plaster Buddha winking at me as the sun sends shadows thru the mulberry leaves across his face.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t see any squirrels out right now, but they are usually over here closer to sunset.\u00a0 They\u2019re probably in the east woods right now, or in the mulberry or loquat trees in the backyard.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been watering the bay tree, the eucalyptus and 2 young oaks in the firepit area here and they are really growing quickly.\u00a0 Everything in my yard has new growth on it.\u00a0 This is definitely a favorite time of year for me.\u00a0 This is when I remember all over again why I love living here.<\/p>\n

I’ve been revamping my finances.\u00a0 I called my one credit card company to see what kind of interest rate my card would go to when its 0% runs out next month.\u00a0 I think they are all willing to negotiate because they don’t want to lose anyone’s business.\u00a0 That’s good news for us.\u00a0 Last year I made extra payments on my big balance cards, so now it’s all nicely manageable.<\/p>\n

That’s one of the best things I ever did for myself, was to learn to enjoy keeping up with and organizing my finances so I always know what I owe and to whom.\u00a0 That way I don’t forget anything and don’t “accidentally” get myself in debt I’m not prepared to take on.\u00a0 I think I’m lucky I learned my lesson early on about debt and credit.\u00a0 It’s such a relief to not have that to worry about.<\/p>\n

My suggestion to everyone is: pay off your high interest credit cards as quickly as you can.\u00a0 Make a game of it, to see how quickly it can happen and what creative ways you can think of to make extra money.\u00a0 Change your lifestyle for 6 months and put every extra cent toward paying down some item of debt you have.\u00a0 Don’t look at it as denying yourself a treat, but rather, ask which choice will bring you closer to the financial freedom you seek, and make your choice from there.<\/p>\n

I’m hopeful about the stock market and really wrestled with myself before liquidating an investment in order to clear out debt.\u00a0 I like being in the market because it gives infinite potential for the Universe to deliver to me in the form of dollars, whether now or down the road.\u00a0 Pulling it out removes that avenue, but the idea of me paying off a particular debt so excited me that I did it.\u00a0 And yes, while it did remove a safety blanket, the trade-off in the freedom I felt was so worth it.<\/p>\n

And if I think my dollars can only come to me in the form of that particular investment, or only from my job, that is very limited thinking on my part.\u00a0 If I start thinking, well, there are no rich relatives going to die and leave me anything, then I simply have a very limited understanding of how the Universe works and my part in attracting the reality I experience.<\/p>\n

The worst things that ever happened to me?\u00a0 I never anticipated them.\u00a0 The best, most amazing things that have ever happened to me?\u00a0 I could never have imagined them.\u00a0 I just know that when I place my faith in knowing that it always works out better than I ever expected, I know I’ll be just fine.\u00a0 This has been on my refrigerator since the 70’s:<\/p>\n

“I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
\n‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’
\nAnd he replied, ‘Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
\nThat shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
\nFrom “The Gate of the Year” by Minnie Haskins 1908<\/p>\n

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