CCM #9 - COVETING - SHUT IT DOWN, SHUT IT DOWN, SHUT IT DOWN

Coveting – Shut it Down, Shut it Down

You can never seem to get enough

You can never get enough, can you? Even when you finally get what you’ve always wanted, someone else comes up with something better, and all of a sudden, you’re not happy with what you have. So, you want more and more, and you end up getting more and more regardless of the real cost. But, maybe you don’t because you can’t. Maybe you’re still unsatisfied, and press on for even more, or better stuff even though you are maxed out in more ways than one. And, as you ‘covet’, you experience feelings of heavy frustration. And you grow old, and you look back, and you say that you missed the mark. Why? Could it be because coveting is really a fraud in its own right? Is your appetite simply overtaking you? Is this you? Are you really weak, or have you been deceived? Have you experienced the sense of frustration because of coveting? Think about it for a second. Has that frustration led you to make big spending decisions based on what others have, and you end up having to borrow more money to get more, newer, better or bigger stuff? Most people would probably have to agree people that coveting is a contagious germ that too many people have. Who doesn’t want the nice things that everybody else seems to have? The problem is that if you have a consuming desire for more-more-more, better-better-better, bigger-bigger-bigger, newer-newer-newer, these feelings will likely be the root cause of a disrupted and imbalanced life – and budget.

Feelings of frustration due to envy, jealousy – the coveting virus

These feelings of being agitated, impatient, edgy, or even jealousy and envy, are clear signals of having caught the coveting virus; it’s a heart problem really, right? Stop for a second and take an inventory of the stuff you have. How much of it is paid for? How many things were financed with debt? How about even the home you live in, the vehicles you drive, and the toys in the garage or on the side of the house? Are these things modest and paid for, or are they the product of wanting the nicest, biggest, newest, fastest, or the best out there? As long as it’s a bit better than what anyone else has around us, right? Are any of those feelings in your heart?

Possessions financed with debt; most possessions will end up as junk

If so, take a second for a quick reality check. Today, would you ever aspire to have a 1964 boat? Why not? It’s just junk, right? Well, back in the mid-1960’s everyone wanted that 1964 boat; it would surely be the best one in the neighborhood, the one everyone admired and wanted. Do you see how this works? Fast forward back to today. The same thing holds true about a new car, or boat, or house, or whatever - today. It will be worthless in the not too distant future, just like the 1964 boat. So, be careful about these feelings of coveting, because in the end, the material possessions really are just junk. Don’t be caught in that trap. If you’re in it, decide to get out of it now and get rid of it at the least possible loss or cost. To make such a decision is simple – and free. Your Tunabudget worksheet plan will help you recognize if you have the coveting virus. Fix it and your budget will right-size soon enough and love you for it.

Being slaves to creditors results in missed opportunities raising children; using the Tunabudget worksheet plan to recognize coveting sickness

But, here’s the downside of a coveting heart. Your overwhelming desire to have the better, bigger, newer, faster material possessions, turns you into a slave to creditors, even the masters of your time, energy, money, and opportunity. All this happens so slowly that you may not even recognize that it has happened to you at all. But, gone may be the time and attention that should have been given to your spouse, or to a growing child. Gone may be the opportunity for a mother to be home raising her own children due to the necessity of having to work to afford all this stuff. Gone may be the missed ball games with a child because dad is working day and night to afford all this stuff. Gone may be the strength you need to just get through each day, and set aside some resources for the future and times of emergency.

Using the Tunabudget worksheet plan to recognize coveting sickness

If you’ve not caught the coveting virus, don’t go there – shut it down, shut it down, shut it down. If you have given in, is it really even possible to change your heart, and your spouse’s heart, and actually come to a better way of living? Yes. It is not only possible, but it should be a thrilling experience. It starts with actually recognizing what’s really going on. One proven way to help is by making your own Tunabudget worksheet plan – pre-spending your life out, paycheck by paycheck. It will allow you to actually see if you are sick with the coveting germ, and you will know how and what to do in order to make needed changes from within. And the changes will gladly come, and quickly too. You and your family will be excited to make those changes. The Tunabudget worksheet plan is one approach that will help you see what’s happening in your life, and in the lives of your family too. A single plan can put an individual and couple on the ‘same page’ of thinking and desires. Within a short period, usually three to six months, most major changes will take place and peace of mind restored.

CANDID QUESTIONS

• If coveting is a form of pride, could it be that you cannot ‘see’ that you have a coveting problem?

• Are you in a house or vehicles that you shouldn’t afford, even though you can?

• If your household income dropped by 10%, 20%, or 50%, would you have to sell or liquidate assets to stay afloat? And the reason for that would be, what?

• Are you willing to put together a Tunabudget worksheet plan so you can see for yourself whether or not you have a coveting problem?