I hear that the road paved with good intentions leads to nowhere good, and having missed a turn along the way, that’s where my budget snowball was heading.

Long story short – I’ve written plenty about the details already and don’t want to bore the regulars – I’ve fallen off my snowball.  The good thing is that I do know how to get back up, and now firmly (or nearly so) on my feet, muscle memory will help me kick the non-mortgage ass of my remaining debt.  Follow this series to watch it happen.

And so the steps I take now are likely ones you can deploy if you find yourself in a similar setting:

What Had Happened?

 For me it was easy.  I had built and refined my debt repayment muscle like so many hours in the gym.  When I was between jobs I contracted my expenses, including my snowball payments.  When I subsequently landed a new gig, my diligence had atrophied and too many buyout dollars were promptly spent on pleasures and rewards.

Get Mad!

Following the workout theme, going from lifting heavy weights for reps one day to being helplessly pinned under it later is a humiliating experience.  Some of that is muscle-head ego, but most of it is simply in knowing that you are better than your current actions – or inactions.  When that conclusion finds its mark, it is motivating.

Get Busy, Get Even!

Taken in sequence, the third step is always the easiest.  You know what you are capable of and you know how good it feels to execute at those levels.  Get back into that same groove – push that extra rep or save that extra dollar and climb back on top and back into control.

Fitness – be it physical or fiscal – just feels good.  It just feels right.

Photo By: mpburrows

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