Adjusting to a New Lifestyle

Date: Mar 30, 2009

Adjusting to a New Lifestyle

Date: Mar 30, 2009

Sometimes it's hard to change from focusing on our "standard of living" to focusing on our quallity of life instead. The best place to start in the transition is by carefully examining our real values and priorities. I heard someone say once that we only have one life so don't waste it on things that really don't matter. When people take the time to carefully examine what they value most, most find it's their relationships not the material things in life they really care about.

There is an article I read on Dave the Debt Doctor's website that put some of this in perspective for me. Here is the link:

http://www.davethedebtdoctor.com/debtdr_articles/can_i_borrow.html

I hope this helps

Date: Mar 31, 2009

Wow,

That article ought to wake a lot of us parents up. Sometimes we get so caught up trying to give our kids a better lifestyle that we forget that what they really need is attention and guidance. I was going to leave some deeply insightful reply here, but now I think I'll go home and play with my kid instead.

debt-inator · Posts: 19

Hi Mark C.

Just a couple quick thoughts for you. I know it can be tough to take a step backwards (been there and done that) but sometimes you have to take 1 step back to take several steps forward. I'm guessing that you haven't really lost everything. the fact that you were able to post a comment indicates you still have at least three things:

You are still alive, so you haven't lost the most precious thing of all - life itself.
You probably still have your vision or you couldn't read these posts
You also have your hands, fingers and dexterity or you couldn't be posting.

Learn to appreciate those things, there are a lot of people who have lost their sight or are paralyzed and would give any material posession to have them back.

Date: Apr 10, 2009

I guess sometimes we get so caught up thinking about what we don't have that we forget to be grateful for what we do have. One of the first steps to a prosperous life is to appreciate all that we do have. When we do that we realize that we actually have a lot more than we realize. The bible says that those who have will be given more and those who have not, even the little they have will be taken from them. I used to think this was pretty unjust until I realized it's not some form of punishment but a natural law. If we focus on lack we get more lack, if we focus on abundance we receive more abundance. It's called reaping what yoou sow, or some call it cause and effect. so start being grateful for what you do have and soon you will be amazed at all that you have.

Date: Apr 21, 2009

Anonymous wrote:

I guess sometimes we get so caught up thinking about what we don't have that we forget to be grateful for what we do have. One of the first steps to a prosperous life is to appreciate all that we do have. When we do that we realize that we actually have a lot more than we realize. The bible says that those who have will be given more and those who have not, even the little they have will be taken from them. I used to think this was pretty unjust until I realized it's not some form of punishment but a natural law. If we focus on lack we get more lack, if we focus on abundance we receive more abundance. It's called reaping what yoou sow, or some call it cause and effect. so start being grateful for what you do have and soon you will be amazed at all that you have.

I know that what you say makes sense, but how do you keep an attitude of gratitude? It seems like something always happens ( unexpected bills, expenses, or set backs) and I'm right back to feeling worried or stressed.

the Debt Doctor · Posts: 46

Struggling wrote:

I know that what you say makes sense, but how do you keep an attitude of gratitude? It seems like something always happens ( unexpected bills, expenses, or set backs) and I'm right back to feeling worried or stressed.

It is easy to let our minds be influenced by circumstances. When things are going well it's easy to be positive, but even when things are going bad we can still keep our mind focused on positive thoughts. However, this is often easier said than done until you develop mental discipline. Training our minds to remain focused during tough times requires some practice. One of the best exercises to develop this is to simply spend time keeping your mind focused on one thing and blocking out all other thoughts. Think of it as a form of meditation. Pick something to concentrate on and as other thoughts pop into your mind recognize those thoughts and then push them out. Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. As you increase the length of time you can focus on the thing you want, you will find it easier to refocus your mind when you need to.

Also, the more time you spend really thinking about what you have to be grateful for, the easier it will be to recall those things when you do lose focus. Here is a great tip: every day devote some time to identifying what you are grateful for. As you look around just ask yourself what things in your life you would really miss if they were gone. Then when times are tough, refocus on the things you identified as important and be grateful.