Freedom from Financial Clutter and Chaos

As I write this, I am reminded about a conversation my husband David and I
recently had about the clutter of finances and in particular, debt. We'd been
talking about our financial goals for the next year and how we wanted to spend
and save our money. We had been spending more on our wants (bad debt), than on our needs (good debt) in the past few months. I have never liked debt (a value) and when I have any, there is a great deal of mental clutter that accompanies it.

Now let me explain further what I mean about financial clutter. Financial
clutter is things like bad debt and by bad debt I mean debt that is incurred
through wants not needs. Here are some examples: buying clothes and things that you do not need on your credit cards, particularly when you cannot pay for them when your statement arrives. Generally these things have a short term feel good effect and the debt a long-term negative effect on your self-esteem. There is a direct link to our self-esteem and the debt-load we carry. This is mental clutter. It gets in the way of us feeling good about ourselves which in turn shows up negatively in our work and personal lives.

Say you need to purchase a vehicle that will support you in the work you are
doing or wanting to do. Good debt would be buying a vehicle that supports you in doing that work and will fit with your budget. Bad debt is purchasing a
top-of-the-line vehicle with all the bells and whistles that may impress others
and will not impress your financial abilities. I.e. the cost is much higher than
you can afford. When we carry around this financial clutter for any length of
time it shows up in every aspect of our lives; relationships (it gets in the way
of our relationships with others), our self-esteem, our health (we stay awake
thinking/worrying about finances) and in our meeting our financial goals.

One exercise in removing financial clutter is to make decisions about how you
want to use your money to support your goals, financial and otherwise. Next step is when it comes to purchasing anything remember the want vs. need aspect and ask yourself questions about how this spending will support your goals. If you are serious about your choosing you will begin to see and experience amazing results. Ensure you have a championship support team behind you with your financial goals; those are people with the skills, knowledge and dedication to you reaching your goals. By doing just these few things you will notice the immediate freedom from financial clutter and chaos and the increasing possibilities and energy in your life.

By: Linda Oprica

Linda Oprica, personal, business and executive coach is the publisher of the
popular newsletter, More Results with Less Clutter. She is the founder of Ascent Coaching and is a sought after conference and workshop speaker. To find out more about Linda and her one-of-a-kind programs, visit
https://www.AscentCoaching.com.