Helping a valley family get back on their feet and sharing financial advice is what I do best and that is what landed me on ABC 15 News along with advice being shared by Suze Orman. Kim’s family is over $20,000 in debt. She reached out to ABC15 after ABC 15 News put a post on their Facebook page looking for families struggling to make ends meet.

My advice to Kim, “You’ve had an income decrease of about 50 percent,” Ericka Young explained. She’s a certified financial coach of Tailor Made Budgets and is helping Kim and her family get back on their feet. “Make sure that you’re tracking your spending for all of your categories that you have on your budget,” Young urged Kim. “So we’ll be working on that as well.”

I look forward to working with Kim and her family. You can read the full story here and watch the video of the news segment.

Let’s face it.  We are reluctant to change.   We see change as intrusive, bothersome, and annoying.  We want to continue doing what we have always done because it is comfortable, easy, and well-known by us.  Change involves movement, which in turn requires effort.  But… everything was created to move.  Don’t believe me?  Trees move with the wind.  Rivers, streams, and ponds are active.  Think about it.  To breathe is to move.  Your chest expands because your lungs are taking in oxygen.  The rest of your body is dependent on that simple movement.  Anything that is stagnant becomes stale.  Water when stagnant produces scum, mold, and a foul smell.  People when stagnant lose their ability to move their limbs.  Life when stagnant simply dies.  Change, therefore, is GOOD.

The benefits of change are numerous.  Let me tell you why…

• It proves you are alive.
• Nothing stays the same or gets boring.
• You are improving, growing, and learning.
• Others benefit when you change.
• Change reminds us that anything is possible.

2012 can be full of great opportunities if you will embrace change.  Many times we set goals, make New Year’s resolutions, or create ultimatums for ourselves when the New Year arrives.  Being so drastic can be disastrous.  What I’d like to propose is that you simply embrace change because only then will you actually achieve your goals or resolutions.  Open yourself up to new possibilities and be willing to create them for yourself.  Where it concerns your finances think about (and write down!) the transformation your budget will undertake when you are totally free of debt!  Then make the necessary changes to your budget now to get there.

See change can be good!  Think about what it will feel like to pay cash for a car!  If you have never done that before then it requires a change in behavior.  The New Year brings hope, excitement, and fresh look at what is possible.  This year commit to changing your outlook and you will in turn change your LIFE!