How does it feel to be debt free?  I can say from personal experience, it feels wonderful.

I went through many years to achieve that.  It doesn’t happen overnight.  You have to set goals.  Then figure out the priority of how you’re going to accomplish each goal.  And, once you’re on the road, you have to work hard to stay on that path.  You never want to get distracted from your goals.

As I accomplished each task I had set for myself, I felt one step closer to being debt free.  It was like a long walk through a very dark tunnel.  Eventually, as I got closer to completing each task, I started to see a light at the end.  My last goal was paying off my mortgage.  Once that was done, I was out of the tunnel and was able to breathe easier. 

Emotionally, I experienced piece of mind.  Nothing was hanging over my head.  Nobody had control of my money any more.  I was in total control.  And finally, I felt a sense of pride knowing I had completed my very long journey.

Financially, I had no more weights on my shoulders.  My income was totally mine and I didn’t have any obligations to anyone else but myself.  And, I could sleep nights without the fear of getting a collection call or nasty bill.

I was then able to change my goals to my own.  I could think about what I needed to add to retirement, how I was going to live a debt free life.  I could think about what I could do with that extra money.  I know my health definitely improved due to less stress. 

Moral of the story:

If you’re not debt free, think about how it would feel to have zero obligations.  Of course you have things like utilities, food, gasoline, etc.  But those are normal, ongoing expenses.  You don’t pay interest or worry about how you’re going to fund your next mortgage or car payment because you don’t have those anymore.  You’re not paying interest to anyone.  That interest is now in your pocket, not somebody else’s.  If that’s not motivation enough, I’m not sure what would be.