Extreme Makeover: Personal Finance Edition

My wife and I like to watch TV together.

One of our favorite shows is ABC's Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. I admit, initially, our interest was purely voyeuristic.

It was crazy. The show's host, Chris Powell, would take these people who were massively overweight and, over the course of a year, he would help them lose an entire other person worth of pounds.

It's hard to describe. You're not getting it. I can tell. 

You need to see a video.

See? It's crazy!

In every episode, ABC paints the picture and tells the story. You feel attached to the character. It's like it isn't even real.

It's an addicting show, which I suppose is ironic.

I caught myself doing something the other day as we were watching one of the episodes. I became hyper-critical and hypocritical simultaneously. The words came out of my mouth, and it was like someone else was saying them.

"How do these people let themselves get to this point?? I just don't understand living this way!"

I've never let myself become that obese. That much is true. But that doesn't mean I've never let myself get in a mess that spiraled out of control before I'd even realized it had happened.

Haven't you? Haven't we all?

I guess my point is that all of us who have suffered with debt and credit problems can identify with every person who's ever appeared on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, if we're honest (and we probably are not).

We may not have eaten uncontrollably and stopped exercising, but we've maxed out credit cards.

We might not be addicted to fast food, but we were addicted to something that got us in the mess we were (and maybe are still) in, even if that something was "stupidity."

The first thing these obese people have to do to attack their weight issue is simple. They have to admit they have a problem.

I know. It sounds very Alcoholics Anonymous. It's true though. Until you admit you have a problem, the effort won't stick. No one else did this to you. YOU did this to you!

It is no fun to hear that. You might never agree. You may go to your grave clutching onto the idea that life is just unfair and that there was no possible way for you to have avoided your downfall.

If you do that, you will go to your grave an unhappy person, and you'll probably be leaving problems for your next of kin to deal with.

Everything you did before today hasn't worked. Admit you have a problem. Admit this was your fault. Say the words out loud. Tell people you love. Cry it out.

Then move on.

You can beat this. You will beat this. Take the first step!