Get MAD!!

I have been re-reading a book by Dave Ramsey titled The Total Money Makeover. It has some great info in it, quite a bit of it from his personal experience from going from millionaire to bankrupt, and back. His examples range from humorous to downright heartbreaking, but they all get you thinking and put a lot in perspective.

One quote that stuck out was "Get Mad!!" I pondered what he meant about that statement for a minute before moving on. Why should I be mad about money? Money is amoral, it does what you want it to. You ultimately control it, by mastering it, or being mastered by it, by the choices you make, but they are your choices!

Reading further, he expounded a little. There are basically two ways to look at your financial situation, especially if it is a bad one, where you are drowning in debt. You can either look at it logically, or emotionally. Which one is the correct way? Most people would say logically.

That obviously makes sense, to look at something logically, because you are being unbiased (logically). True, you need to take a cold, hard, analytical look at your finances, but logic never propelled someone to action, or spurred them on. No, logic doesn't do that. Emotion does.

Everything I can think of that drives great accomplishments, is emotion. That is the fuel for the fire, the "why" that gets you going. It is your motivation for doing what you need to do. Logic will put the NEED into focus, but only emotion will get the train moving, in getting it done. You need to "GET MAD" at the debt you have, and get sick and tired of being sick and tired. That emotion will propel you into action, and will help sustain you, until you reach your goals. Every time you want to borrow money, think back to how much misery that consumer debt has caused you...how much it has robbed you of, when it comes to truly enjoying life.

Get mad, and get free.