How much debt are you in?

How much debt are you in?

Bear with me as I try to compare emotional baggage with personal debt.  A lot of the time we aren’t getting the job we want, the relationship we want or living the life we want because of our own baggage. Emotional baggage is just as much as a hindrance as debt. Poor credit scores stop you from getting the loan you want, the job you want and sometimes the respect you feel you deserve. Imagine if your emotional baggage was scored the same way.

599 and lower	Poor- constant negative self-talk, poor health, unhealthy relationships, destructive habits.
600 – 700	Good- occasional negative self-talk, some unhealthy relationships, possible health concerns and/or some self-destructive habits.
700 and above	Great- practices positive self-talk, awareness of self, positive relationships, goal driven habits and adapting a holistic way of life.

A few years ago my emotional baggage was so great it manifested itself in so many ways. Anxiety, depression, obesity, isolation... the list goes on. I stayed at a job I hated for far too long because I didn’t think I’d find something better. (Fear) I accepted friendships that were damaging- because I felt I deserved them. (Low self-esteem) I put up with crazy shit from even crazier men for an embarrassing amount of time, because my emotional baggage score was so low I wasn’t progressing- at fcking all.  I was allowing my past to ruin my future. The first step in moving forward was to acknowledge what was holding me back. Where is this fear coming from? What are some of the negative messages I am holding onto? What exactly is my emotional baggage?

My baggage began with how I spoke to myself, I practiced horrible self-talk.I found a problem for every solution and i talked myself out of doing every fcking thing. .  So before I could deal with anything else- I had to start showing myself some love.

Goal: Practice positive self-talk 3 out of 7 days a week. (Always make your goal measurable) After WRITING your goal- with a real pen, on real paper, list 2-3 action steps.

I choose to attack my negative thinking with refuting negative thoughts and/or replacing them. For example before I started my master’s program I kept telling myself “you’ll never finish”.  I would refute this thought every time by reminding myself my bachelor degree took twice the time and not only did I finish the program I excelled in it.  Once I successfully increased my positive self-talk to 3 out of 7 days, I increased it to 4… then to 5 and so on.

Treat your emotional baggage the way you would your debt, consult if necessary, make a plan, and execute that shit out that plan. In the same way a 700 credit score can significantly improve your living conditions- eliminating emotional baggage will to.

Peace+ Love

Yannie