Financial Crisis is characterised by a problematic financial position where all you seem to be doing is going from one financial problem to the next. Finances are tough. You are barely surviving from payday to payday. There is a strong sense of scarcity; there never seems to be enough and there doesn't seem to be any way out.
When my clients are in this stage, it is often all doom and gloom. It is extremely difficult to motivate them at first because this is when all their fears and doubts will rise to the surface. Any cut backs that are asked of them appear as huge sacrifices and many resist.
The remedial action for this stage is to break old patterns and, unfortunately, this is the hardest to do. Crisis management is the most difficult stage in personal finance, but the effort that you exert now is more than worth it. The strategies for managing this stage and moving forward are:
1. Establish a debt-free plan
2. Work with a sound budget
3. Start saving
4. Manage your credit cards
5. Identify negative patterns and correct
6. Economise
7. Have a flexible, realistic plan to work with
We have to learn how to open up to receive more money into our lives. It is a gradual process. That is why most people who win large amounts in the lotteries are often bankrupt within a few short years.
The best story I have heard about lottery winners was regarding a man who having won a massive sum just put it in the bank and did not touch it for a year. This man never went bankrupt. He just sat with the money until he got used to it. He gave himself time to decide what to do with it and allowed himself to get accustomed to having the money in his life.
Managing your finances is about building strong foundations. Wasting your money on gambling or lotteries in the anticipation of that big windfall is like trying to put a roof on your house before the foundations are well and truly built. Learn how to master your finances and when the money eventually comes in, you will know how to manage it.
It takes time and repetition to create lasting, positive change in any area of our lives. The only way to overcome money problems is to start taking matters into your own hands. You must become proactive and take some immediate remedial action. You cannot change your financial past but you can change your financial future. Constructive change will only result when you decide to take control of your circumstances.
