Why financial tension is a GOOD thing

Tension is what makes us take action. It’s the urgency that we feel when we need to get something done.

If there isn’t enough tension, we “push it off” and don’t do anything.

With finances, for example, we feel tension when we see a larger than expected credit card bill or a line of credit that just keeps on going up. We know we need to change. But our first gut reaction is to run away from the tension — to get rid of it. So we bail ourselves out by consolidating our debts, refinancing our mortgages, or asking a wealthier family member for a loan. And the debt cycle continues because we got rid of the tension but never really changed our financial behaviors.

Let me ask you: What if we didn’t seek to mute our tension, but ran towards it?

In other words, instead of procrastinating, what if we:

• Started to save for unexpected expenses?
• Came up with a solid plan to pay off our debt?
• Figured out a way to get smart with our money?

Seth Godin put it best when he said: “When you encounter the tension of now, caused by the urgency of action, veer toward more tension, not less now.”

How will your life be different in ten or fifteen years from now, if you started to take action and embraced your financial tension today?

Tell me in the comments below.