You Have Permission To Dream

I could write all day long about the steps to getting out of debt, the different ways to save and invest, and how you can set a plan in motion to actually reach financial freedom. It’s all valuable information and it’s all necessary to reach the end result. But in my experience, there’s ONE step that must take place before the others and it’s absolutely crucial to staying motivated.

You must dream.

Dream about what financial freedom looks like in your life. Dream about how you will spend your days when you have peace of mind over your finances. Dream about how you will use that money when you have no more debt payments. Dream about who you help. Dream about how you will use it to love on your family. It’s this process of dreaming and continuing to dream that keeps the fire alive along your journey. It’s so important to remember WHY you are making the effort towards financial freedom.

As you’re getting out of debt and attacking the debt snowball, you’re going to have to make sacrifices. Sometimes you will be faced with hard decisions. There might even be things you miss out on. Remembering why you started this journey in the first place will help make those decisions a little easier. It will give you the motivation to keep going even when things get hard. Write it down, draw a picture, talk about it with your spouse, if you have one. Keep these dreams front and center so you can use them as inspiration to push through the debt snowball.

Always remember, you have permission to dream. Sometimes we overthink it. We feel like we can’t possibly dream about what financial freedom looks like because we are so stuck in our current situation. Sometimes we even feel ashamed to allow ourselves to dream of such things that have felt impossible for so long. But the entire purpose of this blog is to convince you that it is possible, and you can do this. And it starts with one simple action step. Giving yourself permission to dream.

When Ryan and I first decided we had to make a change, we asked each other, what would we do if we didn’t have any payments? We totaled up our payments and came up with an exact number so we could make it feel real. We dreamt about leaving a really generous tip for our waiter/waitress. We dreamt about going into a small business, spending a lot of money, and totally making someone’s day. We dreamt about being able to give to our church beyond just a tithe. We dreamt about traveling overseas and restoring an old classic. The fun part is that we keep coming up with new ideas for our list. And I don’t know which of these good things God will lead us to when the time comes (I hope it’s all of them!), but right now, just the thought of having the opportunities starts a fire in our hearts.

So I want you to find that spark. What dreams are going to start the fire in your heart to stop living in debt and start stewarding money God’s way?

Go ahead, you have permission to dream.