I remember growing up that we always talked about the importance of voting in school. It’s funny how we stress that when you’re too young to actually vote, but once you hit the magic age, it’s almost glossed over. This week, I encourage everyone to go out and use their voice. And I wonder why it’s something that has become a chore for so many people, one that we decide too often not to do. I think that it’s because of a problem that many of us face when it comes to looking at our current and future finances as well: apathy.

When it comes to elections and voting, it can be easy to fall into this attitude, especially if you are often on the outskirts in your political opinions. It seems like your voice and your vote won’t count, because you perceive that you’re in the minority, so why bother? And when you’re in a dark place in your personal life, struggling with bills, making less than you feel you deserve and with no easy solution, apathy can feel like an easy way out, an easy way to stop caring and therefore stop worrying and stop hurting. Caring means hurting. Caring means taking an honest look at your behaviors, beliefs, and preconceived notions and deciding if that’s really what you want to stand for. When you buy into that feeling of apathy, you’re giving yourself permission to skip the hard stuff. Often it’s because you don’t like what you perceive to be true, so you’re not going to keep looking, even if that’s what it takes to find a solution. But the key word there is PERCEIVE, and when you’re at that point where everything seems to be going against you, it’s hard to see possibility, opportunity and hope. It doesn’t mean they’re not there, but they’re not readily perceived, and apathy becomes an attractive option in some difficult situations.