I'd like to start this off with a sincere "Thank You" to all of you myFICO Contributors of all levels, Moderators and Community Leaders!
When I signed up for membership, I thought ok why not it's probably just another way for me to track my credit scores (besides the free ones out there) with maybe some more whistles and bells and what not. I was dead wrong! As I read up on our community boards daily and continue to, this site really slapped the living daylights out of me (in a good way) as I've been asleep financially behind the wheel for a long, long time, with my credit profile. When I finally woke up I didn't know what to do. How do I make things better for my family and in the future moving forward?
I've religiously started to prioritize my credit just a few years ago as I've given up a long time ago. When I've heard the words "credit check", "credit score" I cringed with fear and hid in a corner like a little girl while downing eight cups of coffee whenever applying for credit. May it be credit cards, loans, refi, etc... I've come to realize that there's really no one to blame but me.
Now that I've cleaned up my act, it's time for action. I make a pretty good living but the issue back then again was with not knowing how lenders saw me credit wise and of course the fear of knowing the info for myself made it even worse (like moving your couch and discovering all that crap of lost items having the "oh that's where it went moment!). It was the last thing on my mind, on the list! It went as far as oh I could skip a month or two of CC payments even though the min payments were tiny or why not skip a mortgage payment while vacationing instead (don't be ashamed, I know you're out there who've done this). Yes I've paid them all off in full but that train had left the station, that ship had left the dock! Plain and simple outright neglect and irresponsibility... The damage was done but enough said.
Now armed with some knowledge just a word of advice. When you fall pick yourself up! Learn from your mistakes! Be grateful! Don't give up! Don't ever forget who was there when you were down and who was there on your way up. And no, you could not have done it alone even though you think you might have!
Again myFICO Community I thank you all! And I will continue to share my own experience throughout this credit journey of ours along the way. Eversince my membership, I've been approved back to back instantly over half a dozen times and no longer cringed...
Happy Holidays everyone and have a Blessed Happy 2019! 
