You may have made a New Year’s resolution to get your finances under control.  Maybe you and your spouse had a long chat and this is the year you want to get rid of your debt.  Maybe you’re tired of living paycheck to paycheck and you know something needs to change.

Well, guess what?  It all starts with attitude.

You can’t expect to make lifelong changes in your personal finances without the right attitude.  You need to be 110 percent committed to your financial goals.

You have to do the work to get the life you want.  Only you can take a hard look at your spending and determine what cuts need to be made.  Only you can determine what skills you have that could bring in extra money.  Only you can change your attitude.

I remember when we decided to dig our way out of debt.  A little personal finance book I had picked up after hearing the author talk on the radio started a shift in my thinking.  I was ready to do the work, and my husband was, too.

Our main focus – to spend less than we made.  I felt a slow shift in my attitude toward money.  Instead of lamenting our financial state and worrying about money constantly, I began to take baby steps toward change.  We made small changes in our habits – eating out less, using the library more, reducing our energy costs, and learning to clip coupons.

Instead of wallowing in self pity, I began to view saving money as a game. Each trip to the store was a challenge to see how much I could I could save with coupons.   Each bill that came in the mail was a challenge to see how I could reduce it for next month or even eliminate it altogether.  I pushed myself to find additional ways to make money while staying at home.

And it took awhile, but we are debt-free now except for our mortgage.  It has not been easy, but I know that having a positive attitude, and staying committed to our goals has been the most important key to our success.

Becoming the person you want to be is HARD.  And the road is often littered with stumbling blocks.  Each time you hit one of those, you’ve got to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start again.

It all starts with attitude.