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No matter your current stage of life, there are always opportunities to spend money on bettering yourself. These include things like continued education, vocational qualifications, or professional certifications. We pursue these despite the (often high) costs — through careful planning and smart student lending — in hopes that the money spent will pay dividends in the long run.

However, it’s important to remember that cash is not the only resource at your disposal when it comes to self-development. You don’t need to spend a ton of money in order to “invest” in yourself. In fact, any action you take that will result in better health, happiness, or financial well-being is an investment in your future self. Whether your focus is on eating well, increasing activity, organizing your home, or getting smart about your spending, it’s all beneficial.

For several years before 2017, mortgage interest rates just kept falling. Just when you thought they couldn’t go any lower, they did. But with the Fed’s recent announcement of an increased benchmark rate, banks are bumping up their prime lending rates.

Even still, rates are quite low. Freddie Mac puts the average mortgage rate for 30-year mortgages at 4.17% in February of this year, and banks aren’t likely to majorly hike that number immediately. Even with numbers beginning to climb, many homeowners are considering refinancing while the rates are still so low.

Today is Friday the 31st. We are just around the corner from a brand new week and a brand new month. It’s a new opportunity to “start fresh,” especially with your finances. So, with that said, I have just one goal today: to motivate you to attack and reduce your debts.

Debt really sucks!

For some of us, this simple statement is all the encouragement we need. We’re fed up with our situation and are ready to spring into action. Personally, I could just stop writing now, having already motivated myself to continue my passionate and fiery Debt-Free Adventure.

What about you, though? Are you properly motivated to get rid of your debt? If not, what will it take? Here are a few things to think about, which will (hopefully) kick start your motivation. They will also help you establish and maintain a proper relationship with your debt.

Losing your job, for any reason, is an immensely stressful experience. Whether it comes due to the collapse of your employer, or if you’re being forced to wind down an enterprise of your own, the pressure can certainly pile up.

But business failure isn’t an unusual scenario, particularly with the global economic volatility we have become accustomed to over the past decade. Many people — including some with well-known success stories — have experienced business failure and then bounced back stronger than ever.

Henry Ford and Colonel Sanders are good examples, just to name a couple. Both of these men failed in their first attempts at business, before tweaking their approach and making it big. In fact, failure can be fertile ground, allowing you to assess and adjust course before moving on to bigger and better things.