Stop holding onto things that are holding you back.

It seems so simple. Why would we keep anything in our lives that leads to a negative outcome? It could be anything that we rationalize over and over, yet we know it’s something we can live without. We all have things in our lives that fall into this category. It could be impulse shopping, a super-sized car loan, or placing everything, and I mean everything, on credit cards. Whatever it may be, we keep it in our lives.

I still get credit card offers in the mail. I do admit to opening the envelope, but only to shred the personal information. Yet from time to time, I take a glance at the APR rates the banks are offering. Zero percent for 12 months. After that, 15% if you have stellar credit, 25% if you’ve got ok credit, and 30% if you’ve got some not-so-great credit history. I only wish the banks would offer these same rates on their savings and money market accounts. Laughable, right? Never gonna happen.

In May, the Federal Reserve released a report that says four in 10 Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency expense. Not without borrowing the cash or selling everything in sight. In addition, the report claims 60% of adults aren’t OK with where their retirement savings are at. And 25% of non-retired adults have no retirement savings at all. Those are grim statistics. Don’t forget that the June rise in interest rates will affect variable rates for mortgages, student loans and credit cards. That means monthly expenses go up, and it will all go to the banks or credit card companies.

Now summer is here. It seems that when it comes to our personal finances, we mentally check out. Gonzo. See ya after Labor Day. Back from vacation and when the kids are back in school. Then we’ll plug back in. But something follows in September the same way January follows December. Credit card statements pour in and the Endless Summer has coming to a crashing halt.

It happened to me more times than I care to remember. But this summer doesn’t have to end in a summer of debt. What if we decide to let go of the things that are holding us back this summer? What if we decide that enough is enough, and the summer of 2018 was when a line was drawn in the sand?

What I’ve learned over the years is that everybody has a story. What’s yours? Letting go of things takes courage. Don’t hold back and don’t give up.