"I work hard and hold down two jobs and I still can't pay the bills. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I worry I'll be poor the rest of my life," said the young woman sitting in my office. There are probably few of us who haven't felt that way at one time or another. You might have arrived there after you were laid off from a job, or unexpectedly saddled with a huge medical bill, or after a divorce. Whatever the circumstances, it doesn't feel good. You try and you try and nothing seems to change. You feel stuck in an endless cycle of working more and saving less. Your whole being is focused on the bills, the debt, and the hopelessness of it all.

The young woman isn't alone. The average American family has credit card debt of $8,400 dollars and about 20% have "maxed out" their credit cards. The Federal Reserve reports that over 40% of US families spend more than they earn. If you're in this situation, what can you do to prevent falling into a state of poverty and despair? You have three main choices -- 1. You can give up, yell "I can't take it anymore!" and hope that someone or something comes along to rescue you. (This doesn't usually happen.) 2. You can just keep doing what you're doing. (Things will probably remain the same or get worse.) 3. You can choose a new destination, the one called "Abundance," and put one foot ahead of the other and keep walking.

Most likely you want to land in abundance rather than further in debt, so let's figure out the best path to get you there! Several of the steps below will immediately generate cash-in-hand to assist you in debt reduction. Other tips will help you attract the abundance you're looking for.

Speak positively about money -- In other words, stop talking about how broke you are. It may be true that you're currently in a state of financial hardship. However, the surest way to stay there is to tell the world about how bad it is! Now you not only have your own energy focused on it but everyone else's!

Which of these two sentiments feels better to you? "I'm poor. I'm broke. I don't have enough money. Things don't work out for me." Or "Things are turning around. I have a plan of action. I know things are beginning to look up for me." It takes some discipline to catch yourself and shift your thoughts, feelings and words, but it will make all the difference in creating the new, prosperous life circumstances you desire.

Release clutter and create cash -- Organization experts tell us that letting go of what you don't want, clearing up clutter and organizing what's left will help you create "flowing energy" that opens you up for more abundance in your life. Just as important, selling or trading or giving away these items to charity can be a source of income as well.

What do you have in your home or office that you don't use? Are there clothes you no longer wear or a record collection that's collecting dust? Take a look at everything you haven't used in over a year. Consider donating your things to a charity and getting a receipt for your taxes at the end of the year. Keep a record of your donations. Your gifts of clothing or household items can add up to a significant reduction in your taxes. To create some cash, think about a yard sale, place a classified ad or go on e-bay to sell these items.

Pay attention to the small money -- Your debt didn't just happen overnight. You can probably attribute it to the big-ticket items; the car you bought two years ago, the vacation you took last winter, or the new career wardrobe. What might surprise you, however, is how quickly the small items add up. Try an experiment. Buy a small notebook and write down every item you pay cash for during a one-month period. At the end of thirty days review your list. You may find it filled with notations about muffins, bottled water, magazines, juice, coffee, occasional lunches and movies -- nothing wrong with that. But you may also be shocked by how much it added up to!

If you're like many people, you might grab a sandwich for lunch at the local deli. Let's say that a combination of a soft drink, chips and sandwich cost on average around $7.00. If you have lunch out every day, that is $35.00 a week. If you multiply that times 52 weeks a year, that adds up to $1,820 a year. That would be a tidy sum to put into a retirement fund or to pay down your debt. It's enough to make PBJ sandwiches for lunch every day sound perfectly reasonable! Understand that this is not encouragement to give up on deli lunches, magazines, your morning coffee or anything else that is fun for you. It's a suggestion that you consciously choose what you want to spend your money on. Try this experiment for a month and see where your money goes.

Create a financial abundance plan -- There are few things worse than the sinking feeling you get when you open a bill and you don't know where the money will come from to pay it. You start with self-recrimination, "How did I let this happen?" and move on to hopelessness, "I'll never get ahead." You are instantly plunged into despair. Hold on before you beat yourself up further. It's just a piece of paper. It doesn't represent you, your self worth, your intelligence or your potential. The fact is, governments throughout the world survive on debt, so you have plenty of company.

Most of us feel incredibly ashamed when we have an out-of-control financial situation. There are many ways to deal with this state of affairs, from dysfunctional: throwing the bills away or avoiding the debt collectors -- to functional: having a plan of action to pay down the debt. The latter will not only make you feel better, it's the only thing that will work in the long run. If the task of paying down your bills feels truly overwhelming to you, get help. A good financial planner or a reputable credit counseling service may be a good place to begin. They'll not only negotiate lower monthly fees for many credit cards, they?ll stick with you and come up with a plan to prioritize payments which in turn will help you save money.

Appreciate your bills -- That may sound shocking at first. However, begin to appreciate what your bills represent. You have a mortgage bill because you have a wonderful home to live in. You have a dentist's bill because your teeth are healthy and pain free. The student loan payment represents a college education that will help you earn more money in a job you love. The grocery receipts signify your ability to feed your family. It's all in the way you think about it!

As you pay down your bills or pay them off completely, remember to feel grateful for the prosperity you do have. Gratitude attracts more abundance. Each time you sit down with your checkbook, send off a silent thought of thanks. Thanks for the money that you have, the money that will continue to come in the future, and for all that you presently have in your life that money has purchased in the past. Open yourself to the channel of abundance and proclaim, "Money flows into my life. I am receptive to all avenues of income."

Lynn Robinson, M.Ed., is one of the nation's leading experts on the topic of intuition. Her most recent books include Real Prosperity, Compass of the Soul and Divine Intuition. Lynn is a popular and widely recognized author and motivational speaker, as well as a columnist and the Intuition-At-Work Expert for iVillage.com. Her free monthly "Intuition Newsletter" is available at her Web site, http://www.LynnRobinson.com.