Rebuilding Credit….perhaps a good change is in the cards!
Rebuilding Credit¡.perhaps a good change is in the
cards!
? Copyright 2005 Mary Stevens
People call me crazy. Once, every 6 months, like
clockwork, I get a wild hair and make some type of
major change in my life. It's not on purpose, mind you,
it just always seems to work out that way.
I move the living room furniture around; I knock out a
wall in the bathroom and remodel it into a more usable
space; I paint the bedroom a dramatically different
color. It doesn't matter what it is (it's a good thing my
husband has a strong heart!) as long as it's something
different, it usually gives me satisfaction.
Why? When most people are so afraid of change, why
do I almost thrive on such frequent upheavals in my
environment?
Perhaps I want to keep myself always fresh, always
out of a rut. It also gives me something to focus on
when I'm working through some tough issues in my
life.
Now, I'm the kind of person that would happily pick up
and move to another city, if it would give us enough
benefits to justify the change. Let me tell you about a
friend of mine.
They had just gone through some really tough family
issues, and had some heavy-duty medical bills result
that ruined their credit. Rebuilding credit was at their
top of their list??but they were struggling very hard to
make everything meet, despite the added effort they
put in.
Things went south pretty quickly, and they were soon
faced with some of the biggest personal and financial
decisions of their lives. They filed for bankruptcy, and 1
week later moved to a different state. Rebuilding credit
now was not just an option, it was mandatory.
That wasn't an easy task, especially since they were
still struggling with medical issues. But, for them, the
extreme change of environment, social circle, business
contacts was what they needed to begin again and
begin down the path of rebuilding credit.
And it worked. Now, they are back on their feet and
very happy in their new home city.
Now, this may have been rather extreme for some of
you! Just deciding to change the design on your
checks might be a several day process! (I say that
because I spend DAYS looking at all the different
designs??almost like therapy! Yes, I am a strange
bird!)
But the point to this story is to tell you that the very
first thing you need to do when re-evaluating your
physical and financial life, especially evaluating
rebuilding your credit, is to see where you can make
some fresh changes and differentiate yourself from
your pre-bankruptcy life.
Just that one step alone is enough to help spur you to
continue to take steps moving forward in rebuilding
credit, rather than curling up in a ball and hoping it all
will just blow over.
Re-establishing yourself is more than just signing up
for a secured loan, or buying a house or car.
Rebuilding credit is about overcoming all of the self-
doubt, worry, anxiety that you have pent up inside.
And if you find change right now too overwhelming,
find another type of outlet.
Most people think a gym membership is too expensive.
Shop around in your area for what you and your
spouse would need in a gym. I know for us, my
husband enjoys sweating and working out with
weights as his outlet.
I enjoy just being able to escape the world for a few
hours, running on the treadmill, soaking in the hot tub,
having a coffee while gearing up to head back out in
the real world.
My biggest point to all of this is that rebuilding credit
and re-establishing yourself after a bankruptcy is far
more than just rebuilding credit. It's rebuilding your
self-esteem, self worth, and inner strength.
For me, I do that by taking a sledgehammer to various
parts of the house! For you, perhaps reading a novel
at Starbucks is more appealing.
Whatever it is, nurture that part of your self. Taking
care of self will help you immensely when you begin
taking care of your credit.
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