When meeting with folks on a daily basis that face major struggles in their personal and financial life, I am always amazed by the courage and tenacity they show in facing up to these problems and not giving up.  I never forget the will and effort it takes just for clients just to make the appointment with our office to even discuss the prospect of bankruptcy.  Then, of those that do make appointments, the ones that actually do show up for the appointment have shown that they are willing to actually get the help that is needed to deal with the problems.  They never give up !  I never, ever forget these important facts. 

This reminds me of the story of J.K. Rowling, the author of the popular Harry Potter series of fiction books.  This excerpt from The Writers Almanac by Garrisson Keillor shows her courage and will to never give up and to face her problems head on, which she did of course, and went on to success:

“Rowling grew up in rural England. She tried writing a couple of novels, but never finished them. One day on a cross-country train trip, the idea of Harry Potter just appeared in her mind. She didn’t have a pen to write things down, so she said: “Rather than try to write it, I had to think it. And I think that was a very good thing. I was besieged by a mass of detail, and if it didn’t survive that journey, it probably wasn’t worth remembering.” As soon as she got home, she started writing what she did remember.”

But her personal life was falling apart. She said: “A mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. … I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

So, if you are facing financial struggles in your life, remember, there are those that have gone before you that have faced these same struggles and survived.  You can too.  It is very important that you get the correct advice when dealing with these struggles.  Do not rely on family and friends to assist you.  While they may be well meaning, they are not professionally equipped to give you the proper advice.  Seek out and talk with a seasoned bankruptcy attorney…. and remember, Never Give Up !!

John Rogers, Kentucky Bankruptcy Attorney