I’ve counseled people and I’ve use the term many times before:  “Getting into debt is like B.AS.E. jumping into the Grand Canyon!”  Sure it takes a bit of preparation, but at the end of the day It doesn’t take all that much effort.  You walk to the edge and take the massive plunge.  The ride down is thrilling and exhilarating, then you pull the chute and you begin to slow down.  You soon land softly at the bottom, now your left with a treacherous hike up and out of the canyon.

Think about the it for a moment.

You walk into a dealership of some sort.  You carry a decent credit rating (some preparation) and you take the massive plunge - BUY SOMETHING ON CREDIT.  Whatever you bought has it’s initial thrills and excitement, but it begins to fade quickly.  Then you have months and mabye thousands of dollars of debt to cover, from money you haven’t even earned yet!

I like to use the analogy because it give people a reference that makes sense, something you can visualize.   And if your not aware of it you can fall right into the trap by getting “caught up in the moment” and making a purchase that you might soon regret, i.e. BASE jumping into debt!

Being aware is the first step to getting control of your finances and achieving financial freedom, “The ability to make the choices that you want to make.”  It’s funny, as I have counseled my clients on their finances in general and specifically their financial goals, most of them have absolutely no plan of any kind let alone a basic sketch of what they are trying to achieve.  Which is why most of them fail.

I’m not going to lay the cliche on you, but it is the absolute truth and getting started is the most important step.  I can talk to clients for 15 minutes and it never fails that they udder the words, “I never thought about it like that.”  My first goal is to create awarness and that is a huge step.

Become aware of what your doing with your money and you are already moving in a massively positive direction.  If you’re not sure what to do or how to start, go to the drug store and small spiral pocket notebook.  Change nothing about what you do and how you do it, except carry it with you everywhere for one month and record everything you spend money on, literally everything.  Then at the end of the month put it on a spreadsheet and take a look.  I guarantee that you’ll have an awareness about your money that you’ve never had before.

I did this and couldn’t believe my eyes.  I dare you to try it!

Sean