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The debt lifestyle is all around us. Debt is insidious, precisely because it is everywhere. In a way debt is like air — we don’t even think about air anymore. We just take using it for granted as a normal part of life, until we have difficulty breathing. But unlike air, debt isn’t something we actually need. In fact, debt can be bad for us. Having debt-related difficulties can be a wake-up call that results in an improved lifestyle.

Recognizing the extent that debt is intertwined with your life (and the effect that it really has on you) is the first step. Start with something obvious, like how you feel when you get the mail. I remember hating to get those credit card bills. It’d seem like I’d just paid one when another one would appear. Sometimes a bunch would come at once. Opening them was worse, because there were the fights afterwards — the accusations, the blame, the frustration at not having enough money to pay off the cards (or even to stay out of the red in my checking account). All of those things take an emotional toll on a person. If you think of debt as just an inescapable fact of life, try imagining how you’d feel if you lost your job today. What would having debts mean to you then? Then realize that no job is safe.

Identifying the day-to-day habits that result in debt is also critical. Make a mental note of every. single. time. you pull out a credit card or hear an advertisement for credit that tempts you. Focus on identifying WHEN you are using credit, HOW you get sucked in, and WHAT credit really is: debt. Debt means an obligation. A mortgage on your future. An inability to really enjoy the here-and-now. Worry, stress, and frustration. Guilt. Being unable to quit an unpleasant job unless you can find a better one. Spending 2 hours a day in your car so that you can commute to the job that pays for it. Missing out on time with your family, etc.

Those ads for 90 days same as cash? Debt. Home equity loans to pay off credit cards or add a pool? Debt. Overdraft lines? Potential debt. Car payments? Debt. Swiping your VISA credit card at McDonald’s? Debt. Sticking a plane ticket on your American Express because you’ll have the money to pay for it before the bill is due? Debt. Accepting an invitation to an event when you don’t have the money saved up, right now? Debt.

Turn all those thoughts of debt into “I don’t want that.” And then focus on what you DO want instead: to be debt free.

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