Thought for today:
“Feelings aren’t facts,” a wise person said once. If we feel panic or dread at the thought of opening the mail or answering the telephone, we can remember that the panic is real only to the degree that we take part in the game that the disease of compulsive debting has set up for us. We remember that only we can allow this drama, through the disease of debting, and it is up to us to follow simple suggestions to get back on track.
A member shares:
“Following suggestions from other members, I requested that my creditors stop calling me on the phone every day. I asked that they each put everything in writing instead.
“All heard was silence on the phone. After a few minutes, most creditors would say, ‘ok’ and warn me one last time of the error of my ways. But by now I had some strength to stick with my agenda…
“I continued to explain – sometimes in writing but other times on the phone – that I needed to take a one-month moratorium from debt repayments in order to better get a handle on our financial situation with the help of the Twelve Step program.
“These simple actions were the basis of recapturing my self-respect and sanity after my stormy life of debting. I never could have imagined taking these steps without the DA.”
Courage beyond understanding:
It takes courage to stop participating in the game of debting. Where does this courage come from? There is no logical reason for it. What do they think the bank will do, say “OK, no problem”!?
People find a sustaining faith and kindness when they work the Twelve Steps repeatedly . They develop a higher consciousness that puts their debt into perspective when they work the Twelve Tools. They can actually say “it’s only money” and mean it.
Ask:
“Am I willing to seek courage with the help of my Higher Power?”
Meditation for Today:
The Proverbs say “As a man thinks, so he is”. Can that mean that our thoughts influence the material world in ways we don’t fully understand?
Science tells us that all creation is, in essence, thought. So, turning our thoughts and actions over to a divine power puts us on a path where we rely on inspiration stead of debt and despair.
Students of the “AA Big Book” suggest that turning “our will” over to our Higher Power really means turning our thoughts over, and that turning “our lives” over means turning all our actions over to our Higher Power as well.
Affirmation for Today:
I am willing to think my Higher Power’s thoughts, and act as my “higher self” would have me.
“…I offer myself to Thee – to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!”(1)
(1), Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A.A. World Services Inc, pp 63.
Recommended reading:
Ever feel like everyone else in the world must have been given “The Rule Book” except you when it came to your work life and increasing your income? The following books by Jerrold Mundis help under-earners overcome blocks to true fulfillment in career and life:
Earn What You Deserve: How to Stop Underearning & Start Thriving by Jerrold Mundis.
Making Peace with Money by Jerrold Mundis.
How to Have More Money by Jerrold Mundis.
There is a new Twelve Step fellowship specifically for Underearners, called FinancialUA:
Financial Underearners Anonymous is a new fellowship we heard just started in Baltimore, MD USA. We learned about them during a workshop at the DANYC.org ShareADay event in NYC earlier this month. We wish them great fellowship!
About Mint:
Mint is a free application written by Intuit (the makers of Quicken). You can register using this link: http://Mint.com. You can also download the app on the Apple app store, or using the Amazon app store here: Mint.com Personal Finance.
How to Use Mint.com
Recommended reading for de-cluttering:
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
Helpful links on PlentyTML.com:
See our Fourth Step Template which helps us to take a fearless moral inventory.
Some members, with the help of their Pressure Relief Group, take a moratorium from debt payments in order to get their spending under control. See this Debt Moratorium sample letter to creditors for one example.
If you are new to this blog, check out our overview of the program of recovery from compulsive debting. If you like this post, please click one of the like/share buttons on the site. If you would like to receive daily “Thoughts for today”, enter your email and a username in the subscription form at the top of this page. Some links on this page bring you to other sites. Clicking a book title or image brings you to information about purchasing it. If you buy something it will help support this blog with a small commission – which does not add to your cost! PlentyTML.com does not give specific financial advice and makes no guarantees about the books or concepts it recommends.
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