Debt is often treated as the problem. Something to eliminate. Something to fear. Something to hide.
But debt itself is not the mirror. The intention behind it is.
Some debt supports growth. Education. Creation. Opportunity. It expands possibilities and serves a longer arc, bigger picture.
Other debt carries a different story.
An attempt to feel relief. To smooth discomfort. To arrive at a feeling that hasn’t yet been reached.
In those moments, money is asked to move time forward, to deliver now what we hope will make sense later.
The mirror here isn’t asking whether debt is “good” or “bad.” It’s asking what need the debt is trying to meet.
Is it building something meaningful? Or is it compensating for something missing?
There was a season when I used credit cards while studying for my CFP®. I saw that debt as an investment in my professional growth and education. It was intentional. It supported something I was building over time.
In another season, I took on debt for a different reason. Buying my first iPhone, early in my time in the U.S., felt like a way to have something now that hadn’t yet arrived, status, confidence, a sense of arrival. That debt wasn’t about growth; it was about timing.
These were two very different experiences, shaped by two very different seasons of my life. Both taught me something.
Often, debt reflects a deeper tension: a desire to belong, to feel secure, to feel worthy, to feel at ease.
Money can support those experiences, but it cannot create them on its own.
When debt is in harmony, it feels intentional and forward-moving.
When it is not, it can feel heavy, emotionally, not just financially.
The mirror isn’t condemning this. It’s inviting clarity.
Because when you understand what debt is trying to solve, you’re no longer just reacting to balances. You’re responding to needs.
And that shift from judgment to understanding is where real change begins.
A moment to reflect
What feeling were you hoping this debt would create?
Until the next moment,
In harmony,
Ohan
