It is easy to fall into the trap of busyness – constantly going from one thing to another – from demands at home to demands at work to emails to exercise to relationships – with no time for stopping, reflecting, or recharging.  We can become like a carpenter who doesn’t have the time to stop and sharpen his or her tools.  As a result, the tools become dull; more and more effort is required; less and less is accomplished. We think we must move faster, work harder.  It’s a vicious circle.

We are all creatures of habit. Everything we repeatedly do, say and think is as a direct result of our entrenched habits. Habits are those actions or reactions which are on auto-pilot, which we do without consciously having to think about them. The success you enjoy in your life, or the lack thereof, is directly related to the nature of your habits while your habits are the product of your beliefs. To enjoy permanent, positive change in your life, you must change your negative beliefs and their associated habits.

“The mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” – Confucius

With any undertaking, it’s important to have the right tools. The same is true when you simplify, scale back, live more frugally and sustainably, and make room in your life for things you love.

We’ve already discussed several key tools. The Short List:

1. Determining your essentials and eliminating the rest.
2. A “thriving” mindset where you focus on what you love, not what you don’t have.
3. An “enough” mindset, where you realize you already have enough, and stop wanting more.
4. A plan to reduce expenses, both small and large.
5. Sound financial habits.
6. Debt-elimination strategies.

“Debt is the worst poverty.” – Thomas Fuller

It was only a few years ago when I was overloaded with debt – so much so that I couldn’t make all my payments and I had numerous debts sent to several collection agencies. I had creditors calling me for late payments, and I was juggling them, constantly stressed about how I was going to make my car payment and make rent. It’s hard to imagine those days now – the unbearable burden of that debt – because as of this year, I am debt free!

It’s an amazingly liberating feeling to be free of debt. Your money is your own, and you have breathing room in your budget for saving, investing, and buying what you need.