Want to be debt free in 2015? Read Sola Afolayan's testimonial on how she paid off her debt of N4.2 million

On the 6^th of January, 2014, Sola Afolayan, contacted me saying that she was in debt of N4.2million and wanted me to coach/mentor her through the process of paying off her debt. I spoke to Sola and advised her based on my expertise as a finance coach. On the 16^th of October, 2014, Sola sent me a message saying she had cleared her entire debt in just 9 months. Please read her testimonial below and be inspired:

Testimonial 1: My journey to financial freedom included the need to be free of bad debt. This journey started in my mind about a year before I was coached by Omilola Oshikoya.  I said ‘mind’ because; I am a determined person with drive and grit but given my personality type, I failed to realize my dream of being debt free because I was dancing around the issue and didn’t know I needed to approach this issue from a behavioral angle. This was why I failed, not until Omilola helped me look at the real issues which were: “How did I get myself into this debt in the first place?”, “What belief systems was I running when it came to financial management?”, “Who am I accountable to?”, “What does wealth mean to me?”, and “How will I feel when I am completely free of bad debt?”. Basically, she helped me navigate the murky waters I was in by helping me identify a key weakness in my personality (I have a load of steam at the start of a project and the steam runs out not long after because I tend to launch out on another project, not long after). I had a short attention span, hence, low staying power to commitments. So, yes, she helped me find the need to be accountable. Interestingly, I chose to become accountable to the dream I had so long neglected, self-care. All my dreams had hitherto been push to the back burner.

Secondly, I had to rethink my ‘giving policy’- I was an over-giver, an emotional one. I was fond of funding needs, not dreams. And since there will never be an end to ‘needs’, I was always finding myself in situations where I had to rescue people. But that has changed. It changed because I had a coach who made me see reason why balance is key and why giving without purpose was ultimately hurtful. You see, the belief systems I run, hence my values and goals, are entrenched in my religious beliefs. She helped me re-align this too. This was very vital as it helped free me from guilt and stay focus on ‘putting the first thing first’. A practical step she helped me with was to have an account solely dedicated to ‘charity’ and after I had expended it that was it. So, I didn’t feel guilty when I said ‘no’ to ‘needs’. Infact, it helped me do more for people.

There are a number of other factors that also helped me stay on course which she was immensely instrumental to:

·         Do it afraid: I was afraid of the mountainous N4.2million.

·         Start now: Aside from acknowledging my fears, she taught me not to accept its crippling effect but to start NOW.

·         Start small: She knew I could be a steam in January and then a spring by March. So she advised I start small by paying N500, 000 per month instead of my ambitious N1million. This I followed through religiously, which helped me payoff my N4.2million debt as at Dec 2013, by first week October 2014.

·         Learn, Unlearn, re-learn: She helped me seek out books related to financial management- I re-read ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, a CD book: What got you here, wouldn’t get you there’- this helped me unlearn some myths and re-learn some self-prospering beliefs and practices.

I am overwhelmed with joy with the solid foundation I have built on my way to financial freedom. Thank you Coach Omi.