Debtfree Magazine October 2017

out by Jim Fallon, that get in the way of change, namely, past baggage,
habits, emotions and the environment.
Firstly, low self-esteem, fear of failure, the need for control and wanting
to please others is baggage that often seeds poor spending behaviour.
This baggage makes you feel, think and behave like you did as a child as
opposed to how you should behave as an adult. Secondly, this behaviour
becomes deeply ingrained in the form of habits. Without much reflection,
people mindlessly spend and continue to get deeper and deeper into
trouble.
“ ”
Change is hard because people
overestimate the value of what they
have and underestimate the value of
what they may gain by giving that up.
~James Belasco and Ralph Stayer,Flight of the Buffalo (1994).
Thirdly, emotions like fear, anger, and frustration also prevent change as
people refuse to accept reality. Fourthly, the environment that people are
in may not be supportive of change. Friends, parents, children and work
colleagues may not support change and in some cases contribute to the
reasons why people become over-indebted.
As a debt counsellor there are things that you can do to help people
change:
1. Set a clear vision – Help define a future state that is clear and motivating
for the individual, for example, “by year three, I will be debt free,
and still own a home that I can be proud of.”
2. Be honest about the change process – Confirm that it takes enormous
courage, determination and at times a ‘leap of faith’ to make