Fear of economic insecurity will leave you with the right approach. My grandmother once said to me, “You die if you worry, you die if you don’t. So why worry”? Wise words indeed, but they didn’t sink in when every waking moment was spent worrying about money.

However, I got myself into such as state that I was heading towards making myself very sick with worry (literally), if I didn’t do something to remove these financial fears from my head. It was easier than I thought it would be. The most important thing I had to learn was perspective.

I realized that worry had no positive side effects. It’s not like a healthy fear which keeps us safe. In fact worry can make us unsafe and unstable. Too much worry can make life a living hell, not only ourselves but those around us. Without any question of doubt, worry clouds your judgment. It’s not possible to function when so much of your head space is occupied with uninvited thoughts on money concerns. Bad decision, wrong decisions and no decisions at all, are all likely if you allow money worries to live inside your head rent free.

I started this article by talking about perspective and it is perspective that freed me from the bondage of financial fear. Let me attempt to explain this better.

Where I come from, no one dies of hunger. No matter how desperate individual cases are, I don’t know of one single person who has died of starvation or thirst. I don’t know of one single person who has gone to prison because they got into debt. I know of one guy who spent a couple of months in jail for REFUSING to own his debts, but none that sought help with their financial predicament.

I had no money in 1997. Not only did I not have any money, but I didn’t have an income. Not only did I not have an income, but I was in debt, big debt. I stopped worrying the day I got this into perspective.

I remember waking up one morning thinking I can’t go on like this. A problem shared is a problem halved (more wise words from my grandmother), so I surrendered and sought professional help to manage my debts and creditors. I soon realized that months of worrying did absolutely nothing to make things happen. In fact I was paralyzed by the situation.

Action, in my case, was seeking help from a free organization who specialize in debt management. My head was cleared almost instantly as perspective replaced negative thinking. This organization helped me form a workable plan of action and over time I not only got out of debt but I got a job, savings, and freedom from the fear of financial insecurity.