Pilots flying in storms or in darkness can quickly become disoriented and deceived by their senses. Without visibility, they can be flying in tight circles while their senses assure them that they are flying straight ahead. The pilots' bodies are telling them one thing, and their instruments are telling them something completely different. To keep flying safely, pilots have to deny their senses and choose to rely on what the instruments are telling them.

There have been days recently that I felt as if I was flying through a storm. The more I tried to rely on my sense of what was correct the worse things got. It wasn't until I discovered the proper instruments to give me the absolute truth that we were able to pull back, correct the course, and get back on track.

There have been times in my life -- and now I'm speaking of my personal financial life -- when I based my decisions for what we could afford on how I felt at the moment. Had I bothered to check my "instruments," I would have noticed the alarms going off, which could have kept me from taking a horrible financial dive.

You have many "instruments" in your life on which you can rely to give you the truth of your situation. You have your 401(k) statement and Social Security earnings statement to give you a reading on how you are preparing for retirement.

You may feel as if you can afford to take that weekend trip or buy a new outfit, but have you checked your current bank account balance to make sure you have $200 extra for gas? Before you swipe that debit card again at the fast-food joint, have you checked this critical instrument to see whether your senses are correct?

Your credit report is another important instrument for navigating your financial life. Forget what you think or feel about your credit history. The truth is what is in writing in your credit files, which you can get free once each year at www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Sure, there may be errors in it, but until you check it over and make necessary corrections, your credit score is based on what is in that report. Your credit score determines how much interest you are paying on many kinds of loans and possibly your car and home insurance premiums.

Your credit card statement is an instrument you must consult to avoid an impending disaster. If you are not seeing $0 at the beginning of every credit card cycle, you could be heading for a terrible crash. And every time you add to the balance, you are sabotaging your ability to make a much-needed correction.

Humans are emotional beings. Personally, I wouldn't want that any other way. But there are times when we need to stop relying on our emotions to guide our financial decisions. We have to learn to fly according to what our instruments are telling us. And don't be surprised when -- just like those pilots navigating through storms in the dark -- you find your instruments contradicting what your senses are telling you.

Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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