Sunday
07Dec2008
Marathon of Debt Reduction
Sunday, December 7, 2008 at 06:00AM
I am a runner. I am not setting any world records but my last Half Marathon was 1:47:06, which is not too shabby if you ask me. I came in 286th
place out of about 2100 runners, so I was pleased. If you had asked me three years ago if I would like to run 13.1 miles I would have laughed in your face. I had ran in the past (Mainly while serving in the Air Force), but nothing serious in 10 years. I was 30lbs overweight and had too much going on (or so I thought). But I got started. That is the key, you can never accomplish anything if you don't start.
When I first started running it was a huge hit to my ego. I thought I was still in decent shape (I wasn't) and that I could run the pace and distance that I had done while younger (I couldn't). My first venture out, I laced up and managed to make it a whole 0.8 of a mile. When I got back to the house I thought it felt like my chest was going to cave in and the next morning I hurt all over. I seriously questioned whether I could ever be a runner.
This is how many people feel with debt. They have so much of it that the end doesn't seem to be in sight. The shear amount of the debt is a mental obstacle to getting started.
The key to both of these scenarios is to generate a plan and to get started. After that first 0.8 mile run I started Googling and found several different versions of the Couch to 5K plan. It gets you started taking small runs and works up to the point of running your first 5k (3.11 miles) race. The key to success is to have a plan and the discipline to execute it. If I had plopped my then larger but back down into the E-Z chair instead of setting goals, finding a plan and executing it, then I would have never felt the satisfaction of finishing and endurance event.
The same is true with Personal Finance and especially debt reduction. Find A Plan! Whether it is Dave Ramsey's "Debt Snowball", David Bach's plan laid out in the "Automatic Millionaire" or some other plan it doesn't matter. What matters is that you have a plan and a goal and you Get Started!
Photo Courtesy: Igh75, Tracy O
place out of about 2100 runners, so I was pleased. If you had asked me three years ago if I would like to run 13.1 miles I would have laughed in your face. I had ran in the past (Mainly while serving in the Air Force), but nothing serious in 10 years. I was 30lbs overweight and had too much going on (or so I thought). But I got started. That is the key, you can never accomplish anything if you don't start.When I first started running it was a huge hit to my ego. I thought I was still in decent shape (I wasn't) and that I could run the pace and distance that I had done while younger (I couldn't). My first venture out, I laced up and managed to make it a whole 0.8 of a mile. When I got back to the house I thought it felt like my chest was going to cave in and the next morning I hurt all over. I seriously questioned whether I could ever be a runner.
This is how many people feel with debt. They have so much of it that the end doesn't seem to be in sight. The shear amount of the debt is a mental obstacle to getting started.The key to both of these scenarios is to generate a plan and to get started. After that first 0.8 mile run I started Googling and found several different versions of the Couch to 5K plan. It gets you started taking small runs and works up to the point of running your first 5k (3.11 miles) race. The key to success is to have a plan and the discipline to execute it. If I had plopped my then larger but back down into the E-Z chair instead of setting goals, finding a plan and executing it, then I would have never felt the satisfaction of finishing and endurance event.
The same is true with Personal Finance and especially debt reduction. Find A Plan! Whether it is Dave Ramsey's "Debt Snowball", David Bach's plan laid out in the "Automatic Millionaire" or some other plan it doesn't matter. What matters is that you have a plan and a goal and you Get Started!
Photo Courtesy: Igh75, Tracy O
Reader Comments (1)
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.