Healthy Change and New Beginnings

Lately I have had some new and exciting things change in my life. At first I was oblivious to the effects it was having on my life. But as more routines have started to change I have begun see my happiness level increase. The biggest change was my job! What a difference that has made in every part of my life. The new job is more about just doing assigned work and less about being a servant for others needs all day. So now I just do my assigned work and that's it. I am finding that time now with my family is less stressful, I smile more and I am happy and satisfied at the end of my work day. Also my hours are much more flexible now, so it's not about what hours I work, but the work I accomplish. Finding a job like this has been a long time coming.

We have all heard so many times about how it is so important to like what you do, but so often, at least for me that was easier said than done. There are some people that are so Type A that they would just go crazy without a lot of pressure in their life. But, I want to tell you that I have been on that track for too long and it takes its toll on you and everyone around you.

Now I have noticed that my body does not feel so tense at the end of the day and I am more at peace with myself and those around me.

You may not be able to change your job at this time but don't stop looking because it's out there and you need to keep pursuing it until you find it. Because the reward is so great and not just to your happiness but to your health as well.

We all have to make our money somewhere and if we are miserable doing that, than we will look for other ways to find our joy and that can often lead to unhealthy routines. Some of those can be overeating and/or overuse of alcohol or just becoming a couch potato, all to compensate for our unhappy work life.

My hope is that this message will encourage you to begin to take the steps that you know you need to take, that will move you to a more healthier and happier life style. Remember it all starts with you! You may need to get new training or just take a leap in a new direction, one that you probably never even considered before. But just let yourself explore and when you can, give it a try. You may really be surprised to where you arrive. It could be the discovery a whole new you, enjoying your life for a change! 

"Action is the foundational key to all success"  
-Pablo Picasso
      

Our Kids and Money

Just the other day I was at the store buying something using cash and the young person at the register did not seem to have a clue as to the proper change I was to receive without looking at the register several times. It made me realize just how bad this generation has become at basic math. Parents you need to STOP and make sure your children know how to count out money. They think that everything is on plastic. But even if it were, there is real money behind that and they will have no idea how to calculate a better deal or if they are getting ripped off either if they don't know how to apply basic math to their financial actions!

A few weeks ago I gave a $20 bill to the register clerk for something that cost $18.65. and instead of getting back $1.35 I was given $22.35 back. Of course I nicely gave him back the $21 and explained that I gave him $20 originally so I can't get back more than I gave you.

Parents are busy but no one else out there cares like you do about your children so you need to start taking notice. We need to train and give them financial guidance while we still have them at home because once they get out of the house without proper financial training and being able to count money, the world will certainly take advantage of them. Parents are the only ones who can change this dangerous pattern!

No matter how afraid you may be of this subject you can't afford not to act. If you need to read up on financial subjects yourself before you act that's fine but don't delay because this will determine how they spend their entire lives.

I hope this encourages you to act!

How to Fully Enjoy Relationships

To Fully Enjoy Relationships you need to start with accepting people as they are. As long as this person’s behavior is not harming anyone else you should not demand that they change just for the sake of change. If you care about this person and you have noticed that you could show them a different way. Then take it slow, describe what you have observed and ask them if they would be willing to let you help them with this change. If they say yes, then calmly start to help them but in a non-threatening way. If they say no, then drop it and let them know that it’s OK as you accept them for who they are.

 

When you give, do it freely:

If you give something to someone you need to do so without any expectation that you will receive a similar item back in return. If not, you will always feel hurt and eventually this will destroy your relationship. This is something that I see happen too many times around the holidays. Someone gives you a gift then you feel obligated to go out and find them a gift of equal or greater value. So, now we each have spent the same amount of money on this endless game of trying to keep things even. Now, that’s a lot of wasted energy. If your relationship is all about the material gratification you will never be able to just enjoy the relationship for its true value, the human interaction and friendship.

 Be respectful in your relationships:

Don’t harbor bad feelings inside yourself. They will come out unintentionally in your words and actions. A friend will know when things aren’t the same. When you describe something that is bothering you, do it tactfully. Remember you are doing this to allow your friend to know how you feel not to lay blame, as the latter will only destroy your relationship. Make sure that this is really something that needs discussing because if you are just whining it will only destroy your relationship.

Temper your timing; if your friend is in the middle of a crisis, this is not the time for you to drop any new revelations. Find a more peaceful moment to discuss any issues that may be unpleasant.  If it turns out that you were the one who did wrong, apologize and do it honestly and right away so you can get past it and continue to grow your relationship. If they are truly your friend they should be able to listen and discuss this issue without it becoming major drama!

 Don’t use your family as an excuse:

If you keep things to yourself and don’t involve your friends and family when you are making major plans, you can’t expect their support when you spring it on them at the last minute. Too many people work by this model and wonder why no one wants to be a part of their plans. They then want to blame their family, friends and everyone else for their misery.  

 Be a team player:

Without keeping score, just be there for the other person that is what relationships are truly all about. Our Friends and family should never have to guess if we will be there for them when they truly need us. This is what it means to be a team player. It’s is just as necessary in relationships as it is in sports.

 Take some initiative for planning activities with your friends:

If the other person has to always be the one to suggest and plan activities two things will likely happen. First: You will have no say in what you do! It will always be their choice not yours. Second: The other person may begin to feel used or come to realize that you are either lazy or have no imagination! While spending time with your friends, become aware of what they enjoy doing.

Have some suggestions of your own.

Become aware of new or interesting things to do around your geographical area and keep making suggestions until you see a smile or spark in your friend’s eyes. By taking initiative for activities you will gain experiences that neither one of you would have had individually. You will also be building lasting memories of the times that you shared together.

 Make sure the friends you pick are Compatible:

This may seem trivial but I assure you it’s not. If you don’t share the same passions, goals and beliefs it will be hard to take the relationship past a superficial level. Generally people who end up being friends over the long run will have these things in common.

I can pick up the phone to this day and talk with friends who I haven’t seen in years yet we can pick up the conversation as if we were still living in the same town.

Why?

Because of compatibility, we share common interests so even though we are far apart individually, we are still interested in the same common things as each other.

As an added bonus you will find that this makes for long lasting marriages as well.

Mark

How to Achieve Success

To understand How to Achieve Success, you need to ask yourself what “Success” means to you. Do you have the same definition as Merriam Webster, who says “Success is the attainment of a favorable or desired outcome”.

What are your first thoughts on Success? Write these thoughts down.

Take a look at them from, Wealth, Relationships, Attitudes or any other area that you feel should be included.

What does Wealth Success look like?

What does my Relationship Success look like?

What Attitudes do I need to be Successful?

Then ask yourself: Am I doing anything today, even for a half hour that will help bring true Success into my life in these areas?

You may have some external blocks to your Success which can come from both the people around you or the environment that you live in. But you must think of this as your present situation and NOT your ultimate Goal or attainment of Success.

Remember, no matter how many blocks or obstacles we seem to find around us, what matters the most is what’s inside us! Our own thoughts will determine if we obtain Success or not.

You must absolutely realize that “Success” or “No Success” is in your control, that you and only you hold the key to your success. You need to fully internalize this and make it part of your thoughts and attitudes on a daily basis!

Don’t listen to anyone else who tries to hold you back with negative words or actions! 

The only way that you will ever gain your desired outcome or Goal is if you have a deep burning desire that will not be put out by anyone or anything!

If this is an important Outcome or Goal to you it will take time because truly great things usually do take time! So, don’t feel like setbacks or obstacles are the end of your dreams of Success, find another way, just make sure you can look yourself in the mirror and say you did it right when you are finished. You never want to look back and be ashamed at how you got your success.

One of the best ways I’ve ever heard to assist with getting to Success is to set Goals.

As someone once said, “If you fail to plan you plan to fail!”

Well that’s great to have Goals but how are you ever going to get there?

The answer is, you write down your Goals for each category…then you break them into steps…next you set completion dates for each step and an estimated date as to when you would like to arrive at your Goals.

You need to look at these goals daily and voice them to yourself so you start to internalize them.

Keep a journal for taking notes on your progress toward your Goals.

Also, make sure you write down mistakes you’ve made or things that got in the way. Analyze this information so you can determine what you should do in order to change or remove these obstacles from your path to Success.  

Believe me when I tell you this works. I came from one of six siblings where Mom and Dad had no money to help us. I found out early that if I wanted anything, I’d better find a way myself to acquire it. I have put myself through both undergraduate and graduate school with no financial help from my parents. I love my parents and harbor no bad feelings toward them; instead I thank them because having come from this environment has made me very resourceful and able to look at how things could be if I apply myself to change them. 

I see way too many people today who have this entitlement mentality. They feel the government or someone else owes them a living so they do nothing but wait for a hand out. Or the people who keep saying that, “If only I could win the lottery, it would change my life for the better!” But as we know, that money would come and go and they still would not be able to gain Success.

Why?

Because they have not defined Success and are not working toward it…They have made no Goals to achieve Success…They have no steps to get them to these Goals…So they don’t know if or when they are on course toward their Goals or whether they have arrived at their Goals.

But, mostly it’s because they have never taken the time to analyze their Goals and write them down and concentrate on making an effort to direct their lives toward achieving these Goals.

Now this will take effort but in the end you will be choosing your path instead of just wondering aimlessly through your life.

Begin today to follow this process and through it, you will truly be able to change your life to “Achieve Success”!  

 

Mark  

             

Places Where Financially Savvy People Still Use Cash

Financially savvy people are using cash. Don't believe what you hear from the press. Because you would think that the use of cash has come to an end and that money savvy people are all just using plastic!

Don’t believe them, because they are wrong!

I have just finished conducting a “Survey” through my social media accounts and I have received a lot of replies on this subject.

It turns out that there are a lot of places where people want to use cash or it is their only choice.

So where do people say that they use cash? 

To Pay These People:

·         Yard Workers

·         Baby Sitters

Tips for:

·         Airport Curb Service Valet

·         Car Washers

·         Room Service

·         Taxi Driver

·         Tips in General

·         Valet parking

 

 

 

Other Places:

Street Vendors

Buy a Newspaper

Most Vending Machines

Small Items for Their Child

Allowance

The Tooth Fairy

Lottery Tickets

Taxi Ride

Bus Fare

Fast Food

Night Club Entry & Drinks Inside

All places and endeavors where people don’t want a paper trail, such as in the buying and selling of coins and precious metals.

There are probably more than those listed here, so if you have any place where you use cash in your financial transactions, your input is welcome!  Just put it in the comment block below this article.

 

My hope is that you feel better now about using cash. You should be able to see for yourself that you are not alone. Cash still does and probably always will have a place in our everyday financial activities.

Mark

 

 

     

5 Simple and Effective Ways to Overcome Procrastination

Use these 5 simple ways to overcome procrastination. When we procrastinate we tend to use one or more of these “Five Mindsets” to convince ourselves to put off doing the work. But by focusing on these alternatives we can learn to defeat procrastination.

 

1. You feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin:

Alternative: On a piece of paper write down all of the tasks that you need to accomplish. Number them from smallest to the biggest. Now start with the smallest and finish it, then move to the next task until you’ve finished them all. This is known as the snowball effect, because when you finish the smaller ones it will increase your momentum or desire to get the next task on the list completed.

 

2. You tend to do difficult tasks last when you’re in the mood:

Alternative: Tell yourself that the faster you get going and finish it the sooner you will be done with it. Think of something nice you will do when you are done with this task or project.   

 

3. You tend to put off work until the last minute, as you think

you work best under pressure:

Alternative: Create a new deadline, say half of the real one and challenge yourself to meet or beat this new due date. With bigger tasks or projects offer yourself a prize when you’ve finished, this will even help by making it more like a game.

“Work while it is called today as you know not how much you will

 be hindered tomorrow.” Ben Franklin 1758.    

 

4. You’re a perfectionist:

Alternative: You need to close your eyes, take some deep breaths or count to 10. Tell yourself that nothing is ever perfect and that you will “smile and enjoy your life”. Put on some soft music, use headphones if you must or take a walk and roll your shoulders. Now do your tasks without feeling any pressure, just relax and let the ideas flow out of you. You and only you hold the key to your perceptions, so relaaax!

 

5. If I wait, someone else will do it:

Alternative: Try to think of that raise you want? Tell yourself that if you do this project you will get the credit not someone else, and then you will have back-up reasoning for asking your boss for that next pay raise.

 

When you defeat procrastination you will have made tremendous
strides toward “Personal Development” and growth. You will
become more disciplined and more focused. The outcome of this
will be very rewarding in both your career and throughout your
life.


Mark

 

7 Steps for Getting the Most Out of Your Day

Use these 7 Simple Steps to get the most out of your day. Did you ever notice that our lives are filled with routine events and that we often can’t even remember the details of any particular day?

Only once in a great while do we experience a day that we will remember as special. Because of this, we usually don’t look to see what changes we could be making that would allow us to get more out of our Days.

We tend to spend too much of our time living our daily lives and just letting them happen to us. One day I started to make small changes in my daily routines. I immediately noticed that they really made a big difference in my life.



These 7 Steps will allow you to gradually change your personal habits and can be put into practice in almost any location.       

 

1. Start Your Morning the Night Before: I found that when I prepare as much as possible the night before I am able to get out the door with less hassle. This minimizes the number of decisions that I have to make in the morning under pressure!

To do this, review your schedule for the following day and before you go to bed…put the coffee in the coffee-maker…set out non-perishable breakfast items…put out the clothes you will be wearing the next day…pack your brief case and put it by the front door. Add to this any items that are unique to your household, such as packing your children’s lunches.    

 

2. Rise Early: I started getting up at 5:30am every morning, even on the weekends. This was not easy at first because I used to stay up late and of course that made getting up early a problem. So now I’m in bed early enough to allow myself to feel rested by morning.

Rising early has helped me to feel more energetic and alert and I am able to accomplish more in the cooler morning hours. This quiet morning time has allowed me to get an early start on projects before I am distracted by others. Also, I have found that I don’t procrastinate about doing them anymore.

 

3. Getting into an Exercise Routine:  Another way that rising early has been beneficial is by allowing me to have the time to do my run, push-ups and sit-ups early in the morning while it is still cool. I do a half mile walk “warm-up”… I run 2-3 miles… then I do a 1 mile “cool-down” walk. I do this 3 times per week. If I have a need to be somewhere early on that day I simply move the exercise to that evening or to the next day and adjust the week. I have seen not only physical strength improvement but it seems to be improving my mental health as well. I seem to be able to concentrate better and longer.    

 

  4. Create a Comfortable Workspace:  As I do spend a lot of my day at my desk, this environment should be comfortable. I have gotten rid of the piles of paper on my desk, added plants, surrounded myself with calming music, added warm family photos and gotten a comfortable chair. For more information read, “Creating a more Comfortable Workspace”. It only takes me a few minutes to get settled-in, but after that I’m relaxed and ready to turn out some awesome work! The basic idea is when your feeling good about yourself and your surroundings you will be much more creative.

 

5. Gaining Control over your Life: People with the most control are those who work for themselves. But if this is not you then look for areas in your life that you can control. One way to do this is to start taking an interest in hobbies. Pay attention to what hobbies you really enjoy and perform well. Some of these hobbies will actually be your strengths. As you find your strengths you can start looking at how these can be monetized to generate income. Many people are finding ways to share their hobbies on-line. This can not only give you some extra money, but may allow you to become totally self-employed. Then you will become the boss and the one with all the control over your life. Think what you can do with that canvas!

You would be surprised at the number of people just like you who have been able to enjoy having their own profitable businesses as a result of using their own strengths found while pursuing a hobby or passion.

 

6. Read: Find books about your hobby and about entrepreneurial people who have started their own businesses. Read books about finance and business law. But most of all learn everything you can about the hobby that you would like to turn into a business. Find out if it is being done by anyone else and study their methods.

On-line searches are good also, but books are often better as they provide more information and greater detail and will be properly foot noted & cited for your further investigation. Just make sure you are aware of the print date of the book you are reading and adjust the level of its significance and relevance to your research accordingly.  

 

7. Take Notes: Ever notice that when you go into a store to buy something without a note, you come out with three things you didn’t go in for, and you don’t even have the item that you originally went in for? This is why it is so important for us to write down our goals.  

Write down where you would like to be in your life in the next 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and 5 years from now. If you don’t, you will still get there but how do you know if you are making any progress?

You can use a notebook or a computer but doing it is the important part. Create a master task list and keep track of the items as you accomplish them. Make sure as you progress that you take the time to note and recognize your accomplishments in this endeavor. Give yourself a small prize when you successfully accomplish a big step in your goals. Stay on your course but be flexible enough to make changes when needed.

Also, write down any ideas that come to you during each day. You will be surprised at how these can help you brainstorm and organize things that you may have overlooked without them. Add any ideas that seem important to your master task list for further action at the appropriate time.

In the end the important thing is to know what you are doing with your day and if what you are doing is really helping you get the “Most out of Your Day”. If not either change it or remove it from your list and stop doing it altogether!

Begin this exercise by putting the first step into practice for two weeks then add the next step and keep adding steeps until you have added all Seven Steps.

You are now choosing what you are going to get out of your day instead of it choosing for you.

Mark