My local county Health Department announced two days ago that they have the much-sought Swine Flu (H1N1) vaccine. They gave a phone number in the local paper to call and set an appointment to receive the vaccine; I called non-stop for 30 minutes and only got a busy-tone. Within twelve hours, it was announced that all the vaccines were accounted for. There was clearly not enough supply to meet demand. The word is that more vaccine is due in in the next coming days.

The vaccines are currently reserved for those with underlying medical conditions that could be further complicated by H1N1. These folks are rightfully first-priority in the distribution of the vaccine. The only other group the vaccine is available for includes 6-month to 24-year-olds. Both of my daughters fall into this group. At this point, I am going to try to get them the vaccine, but like many parents, I am a bit apprehensive about doing so.

What worries me about this particular H1N1 vaccine is that it was produced so quickly – maybe too quickly. There was only limited, short-term testing done on the vaccine and that scares me. I don’t claim to understand the production or medical process behind the development of this vaccine (or any other for that matter), but it is hard to place your children’s wellbeing in the hands of strangers. It is hard to fully trust with so much at risk.

Will you have your children vaccinated with the Swine Flu (H1N1) vaccine?

I’ve been reading many posts around the blogosphere about getting out of debt. There are posts on debt consolidation, debt management, debt counseling, consolidation loans, bankruptcy, and on, and on, and on…

I’ve read about working from home, getting a second job, selling off your silverware on EBay and the like. There are TONS of posts about cutting back on your spending and managing your money on a daily-basis (I’ve posted on some of these myself). There is some great debt advice out there, but an often unaddressed topic is mindset.

It’s not my intention to offend anyone when I say that there is often an underlying, unresolved emotional problem behind debt. I know, first-hand, that there are mental and emotional triggers behind bad financial decisions. I do understand that there are life-changing circumstances that can lead to terribly difficult debt problems (job-loss, death, divorce, illness, etc). Those are exceptional circumstances beyond the debt issues I am addressing today.

I’ve compiled a list of four personality traits that I believe will do far more to get you out of debt than 90% of the debt relief posts out there.  Before I begin, for the sake of clarity, I want to list the four traits that are poisonous to your progress. These traits/habits are self-defeating and need to be dropped right-quick if you plan to get your debt problems behind you. You should consider the traits below to be debt anchors:

• Laziness – I’m too tired to try, gonna’ watch the game.
• Procrastination – I’ll get to it later, not this weekend.
• Self-Pity – This is bad, nothing ever works for me.
• Acceptance – People carry debt, it’s just how it is.

By fully developing the following personality traits, you will begin to see major financial improvements in your life:

• Determination – I’m going to rid myself of debt by this time next year.
• Creativity – What resources do I have to get there?
• Persistence – This is taking longer than I thought but I’m getting there.
• Humor – When this is all over I’m going to charge a trip to the Bahamas to celebrate.

In the following days, I’ll post detailed profiles of the debt-reducing personal qualities listed above. I’d love to know your thoughts.  Stay tuned…

Dave