Can you do it?

I used to think that some magical faerie was going to come floating down from the sky, wave a magic wand and fix all my problems. Then I became an adult and that illusion was shattered. Nowadays, I'm just grateful to have someone else load the dishwasher.

On Gail's blog this morning, she talked about the requests for help that she gets everyday. The hundreds of families who are in desperate need of help and are willing to do anything to find a way to get some breathing room. Really? They say they will do anything, but they won't buckle down and do the work themselves. Hmm.

I know how much work it is to go through all the financial documents for a family living on the edge. I've done it. Not only did I do 3 to 6 months worth, I did a whole years worth. What we spent in the year 2008 on dining out alone could have kept us out of financial ruin. It was an eye opener for me, and made me vow to do whatever it takes to fix the mess we made.

I'm sure the folks who have been on TDDUP and Princess have been grateful that Gail and her crew did all the hard work of figuring out where the money had been going. But I think that they lose something from the process if they do not do it themselves. After making the cuts necessary and balancing and implementing the budget, there are immediate emotional benefits. When the dust settles from the 'financial intervention' if you will, there will be an immense feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. I know that we felt a sense of pride because we had done it ourselves.

What bothers me the most , I think, is that folks who say they are willing to do anything, as long as someone tells them what to do. They are willing to do anything but put in the work themselves and take action! To those folks I would say, stop whining and just do it!

Yes, it is hard work. Yes, you will get frustrated. You may not even get it right the first half a dozen times. But at least its more than what you're doing now, which is just wishing for a magical financial faerie to wave a magic wand and make your troubles disappear.