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I have a feeling that you do, too.

This matter of learning how to manage money, living below our means and getting out of debt can be a discouraging proposition at times. The news of the day is enough to make me want to pull the covers up over my head and hide away until it all goes away. Fortunately, that’s not an option.

The truth is that we all struggle. The burdens of life can be heavy; fear of the future can bring us down into a deep dark place. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Despite everything, we still have reason to be hopeful, joyful and expectant of good things.

I want to be one of the encouragers in your life — someone you can count on to cheer you on in the good times and help dust you off so you can get up and back on track during the bad times.

I want to be the one you can always count on to help you see the big picture, to point out the glimmers of joy in seasons of sorrow. I want to be there to help pull you up to the top of the mountain so you can see all the beauty below.

Over the years, I have built up my own collection of encouragers. Some are people, but some are books, websites and activities like exercise and prayer.

I know the people, places and things that are a source of encouragement for me. I count on them. They help me to focus and give me the confidence I need to keep going. I try to concentrate more on them than on those people and situations that tend to be “discouragers.�One of my favorite encouragers is a short essay written by Charles Swindoll, a well-known author. I’ve kept this close to me for years now and have read it so often I’ve memorized it. And I’ve shared it with you in the past. Honestly, I don’t think we can be reminded of this too often!

Attitudes are often the result of experience or upbringing. They can have a powerful influence over behavior and affect how people act in various situations. While attitudes are enduring, they can also change.

Today, I want to encourage you once again to pay attention to your attitude. How’s yours? Attitudes are often the result of experience or upbringing. They can have a powerful influence over behavior and affect how we act in various situations.

While attitudes are enduring, they can also change. Only you can control your thoughts and attitude. It’s your choice.

Print out what follows if you can, then stick it in a place where you will see it the first thing every morning (you will find a printable copy at ). Re-read it. Apply it to your life for the day.

If you do this for one full month, you’ll have it committed to memory. And in the process, you’ll have a new habit of choosing your attitude for the day even before you decide what to wear.

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The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.

And so it is with you and me. We are in charge of our attitudes. — Charles Swindoll

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for friends who have encouraged me, prayed for me, given me an attitude of gratitude and a heart full of joy.

Mary Hunt is the founder of , a frugal living blog, and the author of the book Debt-Proof Living.

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