Take control of your life and your finances

Many Americans have found themselves in real financial quicksand over the past few years. Banks gave mortgages to people who couldn’t afford them. Many say it was the fault of consumers who abused credit, who bought more expensive homes than they could afford and who ran up credit card debt they couldn’t pay back. This has led to a large industry based around debt management, credit counseling as well as debt consolidation and relief. A lot of folks out there just need financial help in general.
Of course that is true. But most of us experienced times in America where people got raises, where home values increased. Buying a nice home in a good location was an investment that paid off for our parents and grandparents. What else did we know?
Now many have us have jobs that are taking us nowhere. We were told that buying a home was fundamental to a more secure future but, for some of us, led to financial ruination and credit or debt problems.
The truth is that these are different times and they call for a new plan. Those of us who try to continue with the old habits of consuming and living beyond our means will continue to sink into the quicksand.
Good jobs are now fewer and hard to get. We were also told that getting an education was almost a guarantee of a good future, but we know now that there are no guarantees. many people are turning to debt relief, credit counseling and/or debt consolidation as well as other types of debt help.
The best thing to do is to live consciously. We have a culture that tells us we should strive to be good-looking and drive an expensive car and live in a beautiful house, but that is not where the rewards lie.
Taking control, living within our means, treating people and the world with respect, will bring the kinds of feelings we want to experience. It is the only way to build any kind of security in a transient, complicated world that is full of illusions. In a way, we are looking at the effect and ignoring the cause, as they might say in the East.
When I see Lindsay Lohan crying in front of a judge in court, I know that our culture is based in part on false values. Here is a person who has everything we are told will make us happy. She is young, beautiful, talented, and capable of making a tremendous living, but this has not made this poor young woman happy.
Assess your situation and don’t apologize. Be grateful for what you do have, and focus on that. Be good to yourself and others and live with respect. That is what will come back to you. Furthermore, if you find yourself needing debt consolidation, debt management, credit counseling or some other type of debt help, by all means swallow your pride and just do it. Do not let your ego get in the way of doing what is right for you in the long run because it is not worth it.