I agree with you on both articles. I hear so many excuses on this topic – I completely understand excuses for some are realities for many and it can take a lot of work to shift your own reality.

I've avoided living paycheck-to-paycheck despite divorce, varied spells of unemployment, being an independent mom of two kids (with no help from their father). I'm self-employed (since 2013) and cover my own healthcare for myself and two daughters, which has always been more than the cost of the monthly mortgage payment. I've had people give me the "ya but you...[insert some advantage they perceive I have followed by their excuse for why they can't] but the reality is I've worked really, really hard to put myself in the situation of having a financial safety net, because I do not have any human safety nets that'll catch me if I fall. We all have our own stories and circumstances, I respect that. For folks who may find themselves responding with an excuse, maybe take a step back to see what you might have more control over than you think. Identifying why you can't do something is the first and easiest step. Once you've called out why you can't, look into what it'd take to overcome the obstacle. Chip away at it little-by-little. The progress can be life-changing!