When you see bills, how do you feel? Do you feel great that you can pay them, and that somebody trusts you enough to bill you, knowing that you will pay them? Or do you feel anxious, fearful, stressed, shocked? Many of us complain bitterly and endlessly about our bills. We dread seeing them, we ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’, we wait as long as possible to pay them, and we stress about them and generally feel bad about bills.
Bills are a fact of life, unless you live on a commune, and it is a terrible shame if we allow something that will always happen to get us down. A few years ago when I went self-employed, I would panic and stress whenever I saw a bill – I hated bills. Now, I see a bill, I pay it as soon as I can (usually the same day I receive it), I am grateful than I can pay it and I do it with ease. The difference in experience is profound and wonderful.
Often we think the only answer to the misery of bills is ‘more money’ but I am talking here PURELY of a change of attitude. It is amazing how much a change of attitude and perspective will change your experience. Picture it: you have in your hands all your bills. Instead of your usual reaction, you are happy to see the bills, know that you can easily pay them and are grateful to have the goods and services they represent. When my friend Claire gets her mortgage bill, she points to the bricks on the wall and says “paid for that one and that one and that one over there”.
What difference would this make to your life, your happiness, your energy if this was your regular experience with bills instead of the usual worry, stress and fear? If you can usually pay your bills, this scenario is well within your grasp. Even if you struggle to pay them, this is a possibility for you…I know, I did it without significantly changing my income.
Do you ever stop to appreciate the ease with which you pay your bills? (Once you’ve stopped bitching about them!) Maybe you are too used to seeing your money go out hand over fist, or have got into the habit of making bill-paying a difficult, grudging process. Remember why you are paying those bills, the services and goods that you’ve received, and remember to appreciate that you can pay them.