Author: Dardhcii

Research shows that money is one of the major causes of divorce. It’s quite sad that money, which is a medium of exchange is now the destructive tool in many marriages.  It was revealed that money problems began in some cases even before couples headed to the altar. This simply meant that a loan was used to finance the wedding. I heard the story of a lady who took out a loan, a huge amount to finance her wedding.

Five years after the wedding, she was still paying the debt and the unfortunate thing was, the union had been dissolved through divorce proceedings. Some other cases were about personal debt that puts unnecessary pressure on the Union. At a point I began to search within, about my attitude towards money. I was in the same category with people who would not care less about their finances. I knew that if I did not do something about this as soon as possible, this could create serious problems during marriage.  I came up with a plan to get rid of the debt accumulated through foolishness and unforeseen circumstances. I believe if I did not take a stock of my finances, then things would only get worse.

Confronting reality was one of the most difficult things to do and one of the most rewarding. Clearing most of my debts meant delaying lots of gratification. I had to learn how to turn a blind eye to the latest technology. I had to resist the temptation of the beautiful alligator shoe in the shop because of the outstanding debts that were hanging over my head. The transformation from a bad habit to a new one was like a death sentence, but in all honesty, it was worth every strive.

Today I looked back and was glad that I went through the process. This process had boosted my confidence to face the outstanding student loan head on and pay it off as soon as possible. I’m so glad that I no longer suffer from financial cancer. One main thing that has helped was a statement I heard a while ago. The person stated that the more you get into debt, the richer some people become, this statement was heavy on my mind for a while. My foolishness were enriching someone else, this propelled me to start making drastic changes to my finances.

The self-discipline process is also preparing me for the future, thinking more often about retirement and children’s education. A wise man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, I don’t want to pass on my bad spending habits to generations to come, therefore I was forced to embrace the truth and embarked on the debt free journey. This is one of the legacies that I’ll pass on to the next generation.

I had to embrace the truth about the challenges and obstacles that comes as packages while pursuing my dreams. My coach told me that to achieve my dream I needed daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, they all summoned up to be yearly goals. The most important of all is self-discipline. My coach said that Discipline must be a major force in my life.

Each goal must be accompanied with daily actions, as the Chinese proverb says: the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. I’ll suggest that each single step is celebrated so that it becomes much easier to keep pressing on to achieve one’s dream. The saying goes that life is not always a bed of roses, there are times life feels like a bed of thorns.

The thorns can be so painful that many end up giving up on their dreams. This was exactly my experience with the daily single step needed to bring me closer to achieving my dreams. The thorns were not only painful, but the pain could last for days. I refer to the statement no pain, no gain, which is indeed the truth.

What I usually do to make headway and overcome these obstacles is to dig around for sources of encouragement. I’ll search and read stories about people who has achieved their dreams, talking about what they went through and explaining how they managed to conquer all obstacles. These stories have helped me a great deal to renew my strength and gave me more energy to keep pressing on.

One of such stories was one written by an eighty-two-year-old woman who just published her first book. As an upcoming writer, I knew that the process of writing a book required a lot of dedication. If this was a story about someone within my age group or a bit older, it would have been a different feeling, but reading from someone over eighty years old, wow! Pretty amazing.

The eighty-two-year-old narrated her encounter about the various publishing experiences she acquired through this project. What if she had listen to people who offered her 101 reason she shouldn’t get into publishing. It’s much easier for someone that age to give up, what a courageous woman! She might not be on the best sellers list but what she’s done will be more encouraging compared to a best seller.

She encountered some obstacles, and from her story those obstacles became her steppingstones to become a published author. Stories like this never fail to thrill me and offer a renewed hope.