I’ve been thinking about my financial situation a lot. And lest I come across as a Winnie Whiner, I started thinking about what I have to be thankful for. Out of every adversity there is growth and development. Here are five things that those of us in debt can be thankful for:

5. You Learn Patience. 

If you don’t have the money, then you’d better have the time. When you are broke, you learn to adjust your life to other people’s schedules. You can’t go to work until the bus shows up at your stop. You can’t leave the party until the person who drove you there is ready to leave.

I have ‘The Hunger Games’ on queue at my local library. I didn’t get to see it while it was in theaters, obviously, because I’m in debt. I added it to my checkout queue a couple of weeks ago. Today, it’s in position 331 on the Hold list. I won’t be watching it for a while.

When you are back on your feet financially, you’ll have more options. But until then, patience, Grasshopper.

Just don’t wait too long…

4. You Can Forget About Keeping Up with the Joneses.

They won. Let them feel smugly superior. They’re probably broke too, or will be soon.

You are now free to plan to really be rich, instead of just looking rich.

Oh, and the Joneses usually have tacky taste so you’re better off not trying to be like them anyway.

3. You Learn What’s Really Important

When freed of all the pressure to compete, and purged of all of the plastic crap that we’ve been conditioned and socialized to stuff into our lives, you have the space to think about what you want your future to be like and feel like.

This is an opportunity that many never experience. Take advantage of it.

2.  You Learn the Harsh Truth about Personal Finance

Remember the Animal Kingdom shows you watched as a child where you learned how animals get their food? Well hitting your financial rock bottom and living behind the bars of debtor’s prison do nothing if not teach you about the Financial Kingdom. There are predators and prey.

Those of us who were too slow or immature to learn the rules of the financial game were easy targets. Those who earn interest grow financially fat off of those of us who pay interest. Once you learn that cold simple truth and realize what years of interest payments have done to your financial future, you become angry and do something about it. You make a change. Those of us who are digging out of debt are choosing to be financial victors not victims.

And the number one reason to be thankful for being in debt.

1. No One Asks You for Money

Well, no one asks you for money except for homeless people. Little do they know that they are the rich ones in any interactions with us. They are poor and have no money, but they rarely have debt either. That’s something to aspire to.

So there you have it – five reasons to be thankful for your debt.  Remember that there are silver linings to every cloud.

.

“Debtor’s prison is real, and opportunity cost is a bitch.” (DDSW)