Lessons I learned Playing the Debt Reduction Game

Truth:  I've been in debt since I was old enough to get a credit card.
Lie:  I will be in debt until I die (unless an unforeseen event takes place in the next 20 months).

There's a lot of fear going on in the world right now.  Many of the stories are hauntingly familiar to my dark days when the economy took a nosedive while I was residing in Southern California.  Moving to Iowa was an opportunity to take a mulligan and start from scratch.  My wife checked out a book from the library by Dave Ramsey about how to get out of debt using a step-by-step approach.  I modified it to make the steps more fun.  Instead of steps, we're playing virtual golf, keeping track of our monthly performance on a scorecard.

The most important lesson I learned playing the game is that if you put in a serious effort to improve, you can win.  This is true in any endeavor.  Measuring your performance is critical.  How can you know if you're winning or losing if you don't know the score?  Not giving up is crucial no matter how far away you are from the final hole.  Yes, I drifted in the first seven months, all of them bogeys.  You know what?  No one kicked me off the virtual golf course.  I gained a few readers because my story resonates with regular people who want financial independence.  They're watching.  A funny thing happened.  My wild swings turned into refined shots.  My hooks and sliced disappeared.  I started getting pars, meaning I was hitting my monthly accelerated payment goals for my mortgage.  Life is good.  Continuous improvement is my new mantra.  I believe I can do this.  If I can do this, anyone can do this.  Don't let outside distractions get in the way of your goals.  Don't allow excuses to creep in.  It's really easy to get sucked into the daily news cycles.  I refuse.  I'm too busy playing virtual golf and finding ways to get better with my finances every month.  The best present I can give my wife is financial independence.  How about you?  What area of your life would you like to improve today?  Put that goal on a scorecard, set a date for completion, and get started today.  Have a great day.