From Financial Heaven to Financial Hell - Surviving The Debt And Financial Chaos Tsunami
I was enjoying life, wandering happily along my chosen path.
Everything seemed fine and life seemed pretty predictable but I was fine with that.
Funny how you get used to the routine of daily life.
Then came the financial crisis...
not only did it impact upon the news of the world but it even made its way into my quiet ordered life.
Our shares on the stock market plummeted like a falling rock and unfortunately when it hit the bottom instead of bouncing back - they just shattered into dust along with our dreams.
To say the months and years since the crisis have been hard would be the biggest understatement of all! One of the decisions since the collapse was a decision to move from our homeland in New Zealand to the Gold Coast of Australia.
The reasoning behind that all was that there was more opportunity in a new country and we could begin a new life.
The idea was fabulous, the Gold Coast was all the travel books said it would be; but even in Australia the financial crisis caught up with us.
Jobs were hard to get, and with the debt from home piling up around us, life seemed very bleak.
Our property values dropped, and we were back to working long hours each day just to pay the interest on our debt.
After trying for a couple of years, we finally accepted that we were slowly drowning.
We had been trying so hard to get it all together, but pride finally gave way to reality, we were going down.
So why am I telling you all this? Why all this unloading of personal drama? Because if there is one thing I have learnt through all of this is that only one person can help you, only one person can make the decision to get back up and battle on.
And that person is you.
I will not lie and tell you that making up your mind to battle on will change your situation overnight.
It takes time and it takes effort to keep going.
We haven't made it yet, our assets are up for sale, and by the time we settle our debt we hope to be lucky enough to come out even.
But now we can see the light.
Business is picking up,the banks are working with us and finally life is back on track.
The main thing in these troubled times is to accept your situation and act on it as soon as you can.
Putting it off only makes things worse.
If you are having problems with your mortgage, don't bury your head in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist.
Talk to the bank as soon as you can, they will help you out and plot a course for a solution.
But if you ignore it, and all their letters demanding action, be prepared to bear the brunt of their wrath.
And most of all, don't berate or belittle yourself.
You are not the only one caught in this financial crisis, it has taken many peoples life savings from them.
Yes you have a problem, but don't let your self-esteem get battered.
And if you are in a relationship, don't take it out on each other.
For any situation, there is a solution - nothing is impossible.
And forget about what people will think about you-get over your pride.
There is no shame in what happened, it is just a life hurdle to leap over and no other person has any right to judge you.
So clear your mind from guilt, worry, anger, and shame.
Believe in yourself, and be gentle with your partner.
Take it one day at a time, and ask for help if you need it.
Then set your goals and plot your course; work your way back up the ladder.
Giving up is not an option, you must keep trying, you must believe in yourself and your dreams.
And slowly, life will become at first bearable, and then beautiful.
As you believe, then so it will be.
Failure is only a failure if you don't learn from it and get up again to battle on.
From one warrior to another, lets win this battle!
Everything seemed fine and life seemed pretty predictable but I was fine with that.
Funny how you get used to the routine of daily life.
Then came the financial crisis...
not only did it impact upon the news of the world but it even made its way into my quiet ordered life.
Our shares on the stock market plummeted like a falling rock and unfortunately when it hit the bottom instead of bouncing back - they just shattered into dust along with our dreams.
To say the months and years since the crisis have been hard would be the biggest understatement of all! One of the decisions since the collapse was a decision to move from our homeland in New Zealand to the Gold Coast of Australia.
The reasoning behind that all was that there was more opportunity in a new country and we could begin a new life.
The idea was fabulous, the Gold Coast was all the travel books said it would be; but even in Australia the financial crisis caught up with us.
Jobs were hard to get, and with the debt from home piling up around us, life seemed very bleak.
Our property values dropped, and we were back to working long hours each day just to pay the interest on our debt.
After trying for a couple of years, we finally accepted that we were slowly drowning.
We had been trying so hard to get it all together, but pride finally gave way to reality, we were going down.
So why am I telling you all this? Why all this unloading of personal drama? Because if there is one thing I have learnt through all of this is that only one person can help you, only one person can make the decision to get back up and battle on.
And that person is you.
I will not lie and tell you that making up your mind to battle on will change your situation overnight.
It takes time and it takes effort to keep going.
We haven't made it yet, our assets are up for sale, and by the time we settle our debt we hope to be lucky enough to come out even.
But now we can see the light.
Business is picking up,the banks are working with us and finally life is back on track.
The main thing in these troubled times is to accept your situation and act on it as soon as you can.
Putting it off only makes things worse.
If you are having problems with your mortgage, don't bury your head in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist.
Talk to the bank as soon as you can, they will help you out and plot a course for a solution.
But if you ignore it, and all their letters demanding action, be prepared to bear the brunt of their wrath.
And most of all, don't berate or belittle yourself.
You are not the only one caught in this financial crisis, it has taken many peoples life savings from them.
Yes you have a problem, but don't let your self-esteem get battered.
And if you are in a relationship, don't take it out on each other.
For any situation, there is a solution - nothing is impossible.
And forget about what people will think about you-get over your pride.
There is no shame in what happened, it is just a life hurdle to leap over and no other person has any right to judge you.
So clear your mind from guilt, worry, anger, and shame.
Believe in yourself, and be gentle with your partner.
Take it one day at a time, and ask for help if you need it.
Then set your goals and plot your course; work your way back up the ladder.
Giving up is not an option, you must keep trying, you must believe in yourself and your dreams.
And slowly, life will become at first bearable, and then beautiful.
As you believe, then so it will be.
Failure is only a failure if you don't learn from it and get up again to battle on.
From one warrior to another, lets win this battle!
