There were two reasons for producing this program. First, I wanted those battling a debt problem to know they can successfully conquer it. You just have to approach your debt situation differently is about adapting a new set of actions and disciplines. I cannot say that it will be easy, I can say that ultimately it'll be rewarding. My second reason is to educate people on the credit industry and give you the tools to get out of the credit trap. To escape the trap you have to know the rules of the game.
As you now know, this is a flawed system. The credit industry is not out to do you any favors. It is an industry that is about money and profit first, that collectors will go to nearly any lengths to get paid. Throughout the course I've given example after example of how the credit industry has done this. A theme of this course is taking your life back from the credit trap. Credit is a carefully designed trap.
Consumers are lured into that trap through illusions created by the credit industry. The credit industry wants you to stay in the trap of high interest rates and loan balances. The credit industry is always working toward luring consumers into the trap. They want you to feel stuck and it is easy to feel that way. You know, when you're looking at max credit limits and penalty interest rates in the mid to upper 20s you feel pretty stressed. You don't have to settle and you don't have to be stuck.
You can get out of debt. So what's next? Well, you now have the answers. Will you take action? Are you ready to change your life forever? Okay, you might be thinking really about change your life forever.
You're getting a little overdramatic, I've gone through a lot of time and effort to explain the game. Now I'm finishing with the most important message of this course. getting out of debt will change your life. Credit is an instrument that can be used to fill a void. It is the ultimate substitute for the money we don't have. This credit can become important to a person as money.
To make things worse, we buy into the biggest lie out there. We start to believe whether it be on a conscious or subconscious level that money creates. Happiness. Without money, we use the next best thing which is credit. We come to the conclusion that something material a gadget a trip, whatever is going to create happiness and fulfillment. It filled that unexplainable void.
That new car would build a sense of confidence when you others you pull up to the valet with a bigger house, life would be so much more comfortable and exciting. The latest high tech TV will sure make life better while watching television. The problem is that there is a payback in that search for happiness. debt has longer term consequences that go beyond finances. The ancillary problems of debt can affect health, marriage and other relationships. Considering the pain of that payback, why don't we even put ourselves in the trap by spending money we don't have.
Why do we spend money on vacations, expensive dinners, nice clothes, cars, big homes, we don't have it. Why don't we place ourselves in a position where we are so overextended that we work in work just to support a lifestyle that only debt Could have created, why put pressure on marriages and families for the sake of acquiring material possessions? Well, to get out of debt the right way it takes real personal growth is that said many times throughout the course, you can't get out of debt with the same set of actions and decision making that got you into debt in the first place, you have to change. And that change requires personal growth that requires you to get out of that comfort zone. It requires you to work on those parts of your life that you might be avoiding. Once you master that which mastered you, life takes on a whole new meeting, this is your chance to take action.
Just imagine the day when you have real financial freedom. You have no liabilities you owe nothing. Every dollar you make and go to good causes such as retirement or college education planning. Or you can start being generous and giving money away through gifts and tithes and offerings. That freedom can be yours. All you have to do is make a decision to commit today to take those steps and make those decisions to turn things around financially.
No more, you know, barely making it Each month because you're paying debt back, that's not the way to live no more guilt about bad financial decisions that you've made no more secrecy and living a lie no more missing out on what is important because all of your discretionary income is going to pay back debt. This can be the first step towards a new financial life. Most importantly, you're going to learn that material things and money are not a substitute for real happiness. I was listening to a local radio station the other morning and one of the DJs was being I was interviewing a homeless man. He said, If you could have anything right now, what would it be? Would it be a roof over your head a warm meal or money to create a better life?
The homeless man paused and thought about it for a second and said, You know, I don't need any of those things to make me happy. I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life. I wouldn't change the thing about my life. It is those things that can end up making a man miserable. Now, I'm not suggesting that everyone goes sell everything, move out into the streets and become homeless. I just love this man's perspective is easy to think we need these things and that they create happiness.
Unfortunately, our government has allowed the credit industry to get out of control. By creating this easy credit buy it today and worry about it tomorrow environment by using money and or credit to create happiness and to fill a void or just settling for a false sense of security and happiness that will quickly vanish. You most definitely will feel great for a period of time ultimately advantages because illusions never last. The problem with nice things and expensive purchases is that they come with an even bigger price tag. They can complicate your life they can end up robbing you of your time. They're expensive to fix when they break.
They can place limits on your freedom. Where's the happiness in that? The rewarding part of escaping that trap is that when you go through the process of changing those attitudes and facing those insecurities head on, you start to realize a few things in the process. A change begins, you realize that none of those things are important. Once saddle is such huge liabilities, you realize those things are not important do not deliver any value to your life. So the choice is yours.
If you're watching this part of the course that means well, you made it through from beginning to the end. At the beginning of the course I asked you a question. As we wrap things up, I want to ask it again. Are you ready to take that first step towards financial freedom?