Growing up, my dad was in the manufacturing field and had to go through several layoffs. The situation always put our family in a tight financial crunch, but I learned from the experience. Through being really prepared and treating any job I had as not a guaranteed thing, I've learned a lot about financial stability. If you're beginning to feel uncomfortable with the state of your finances, that's actually a good thing. It's put you into a position of searching out better solutions as opposed to having a surprise hit you. Here are some tips that I think are helpful:

1) Have Multiple Sources of Income

Most people have only one or two sources of income. I now have eight sources of income at age 24, and that's not counting my husband's job and his side projects. I borrowed the idea from investing. In the investing field, it's usually a smart idea to spread yourself across different companies, called diversifying. It's the same thing as the saying of "never put all your eggs in one basket." We've been trained though to think the 40-hour job is enough...not only does that put all your eggs in one basket, but you've given someone else your basket!

All of this didn't happen overnight. I started at age 19. I also read a lot of books like "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," "48 Days to the Work You Love," and "The Total Money Makeover." I took the time to learn because I didn't ever want to be put in the position where I had no money. As you get into looking into this, residual income sources are best because they're not linked to your time. That's where you're making money over time and not overnight.

2) Quit Running Your Life on Credit and Pay Off Your Existing Debt

I was never the type of person to go out and put a lot of money on my credit card at once in some kind of shopping spree. It was alway situations where I was unprepared. This is why I like Dave Ramsey's financial plan so much because he shows you how to prepare so you don't reach for the credit cards in minor emergency situations.

3) Keep a Good Attitude

I don't watch the news very much because I get tired of hearing how I'm supposed to be financially failing right now. What you read, watch on TV, and the people you hang around have a big factor on your success in life. I avoid really negative people whenever possible and instead get around people who have dreams and are moving forward in life regardless to the overall situation. In short, you can't let statistics and circumstances run your life if you want things to change.

I hope you've found these ideas helpful. Best wishes to you!

Learn more about this author, Patricia Gilliam.
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