by Andrew Bycoffe
“The only man who sticks closer than a friend during hard times, is a creditor.”
We might laugh at the quote above, but if you’re laughing while being in debt, you’re probably cringing on the inside at the same time. Debt, in itself, is not a funny part of life. Quite the opposite, small to large quantities of debt often hang like a dark cloud through life, casting shadows of foreboding and hopelessness wherever we go.
Like so many, when we come to a place where there seems to be no financial means to change our situation, we turn a deaf ear to the calls and throw away the collection letters from the mail. Essentially, we ignore the problem as best as we can while we continue to move forth into new stages of our lives.
Unfortunately, though we may apply all of the tricks in the book to successfully distancing ourselves from our debtor’s communications, our minds our often trapped within the heaviness of our new financial limitations.
You might ask, so what then can be done to move beyond debt’s darkness so that we can return to those more carefree sunny days of our past? Read on, and we will show you…
1. Face the storm – Time to let yourself take a good look at that annoying dark cloud, and finally start expecting to see the sun. By mentally addressing to your subconscious that you are about to find a solution to the nagging darkness, half of your struggle will already be won.
Stop doing the runaway two-step and stand instead with a power pose of authority towards your debt. Take your mind into a conqueror’s mentality…the undefeated Susan…the unstoppable Rick. Change that emotion of fear you feel into power instead.
Studies prove that we essentially will end up in the direction for which we aim our mind. Take that truth and run the other way with it. It’s time to stop hiding underneath that cloud and lasso it instead. Take your authority with it, and you can tell it where to go.
2. Unmask the monster – Time to see the collector’s differently. Remember that saying, “to kill stage fright, picture the audience nude?” Well, this begins as the same concept. Realize that your debt collectors are just people doing a job to make their living. In short, let yourself realize that they do in-fact have a soul, and work with that.
The wonderful truth is, we are all human at the end of the day. We all put our pants on the same way, just as we have all made both good and bad decisions. Keep the perspective on your debt collector’s humanity in the forefront of your mind as you approach step three, and get ready to smile.
3. “Kill” them with kindness – This third step will take some focus, some patience and a really great cup of hot cocoa. Well, maybe not the cocoa part, but it’s time to step into your happy zone and look at the debt collectors through rose colored glasses.
Get the conversations into the human friendly zone and treat them like your best friend. The truth is, when it is all said and done, there is nothing more powerful than human connectivity. Common grounds of understanding are powerhouses for negotiation…and blowing away your debt cloud.
4. Talk their ear off – This fourth action will require multiple actions, and will extend over a small amount of time. Once you’ve established your BFF status with your debt collecting peeps, you must maintain your relationship.
Call them OFTEN and keep them informed. If you are working out a settlement process with them, keep them up to date every step of the way. You want to build rapport with them and cause them to feel that you are keeping things honest, open and clear.
Doing this will maintain extra grace for your situation along the way and possibly even delay legal issues they would otherwise take against you.
It’s not always an easy road to facing our darkness and our fears, but it can be an absolutely invigorating ride when we do! Just remember to keep those sweet visions of sunny freedom within your mind as you go along this dynamic journey; and when you get to where you’ve always wanted to be…blissfully debt free, pass the energy on to others you know who are struggling as well. Before long, we will all begin to see, that we are the only ones truly powerful enough to change our own skies.
If you would like more refreshing financial guidance and food for monetary life, check out my book ‘Cu$hion Money…Look What I Found’ on Amazon.
