Author Archives: Edward Brownlee

Visualization is a Wonderful Tool

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“To accomplish great things, we must first dream, then visualize, then plan… believe… act!” ~ Alfred A. Montapert

Visualization is an excellent tool to achieve success in life.

Visualization is seeing your future where your goal has been accomplished. Your success or failure depends solely on your mindset. Build your mindset with a positive attitude and approach by visualizing success.

It is a well-admitted fact that success occurs mentally first and then in reality. And it is rightly said that a battle is won twice — first in the mind and second in reality. That means you must have a mental script rather than the actual script. You can become what you want to become if you visualize yourself effectively.

Your mind churns out thoughts constantly, whether you like it or not. The internal chatter slowly disappears when you visualize, and the inner calm gradually surfaces. It clears the clutter from your mind and provides clarity to your thoughts. Attaining such a state, you can control your mind and life.

Research shows that the people who practice visualization have a higher probability of building their habits and achieving greater success. Visualization helps you “rewire” your connections and change your habits. It reorients your conscious and subconscious thought processes and eliminates bad habits.

 Visualization is the first step to accomplishing your goals. 

Visualization is a simple yet powerful tool to achieve your desired outcomes. According to Professor M.S. Rao, Ph.D., the Father of “Soft Leadership” and the Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India, here is a blueprint to visualize effectively.:

  1. Sit in a quiet place, take a few deep breaths, close your eyes, and imagine the environment. If you want to write a bestselling book, start imagining that you are writing the bestselling book. 
  2. Set aside a few minutes a day. The ideal time is when you first wake up, after meditation or prayer, and before bed. What would you do? Put yourself in the chair you want to occupy someday, in the office of your dreams, doing what you excel at. 
  3. Use your five senses to make the power of visualization explosive. Combine the elements of sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch to visualize achieving optimum outcomes. What kind of lifestyle would you like to have? Think of the house you would like to wake up to, the things you would like to see around, and the ambiance that must define you personally and professionally. When you mentally live in that world, your mind will push you to achieve that world in real life.
  4. Emphasize means and processes, not ends. Once you have seen your dream world, try to see the path that takes you there and identify the milestones. You’ll need to create a blueprint mentally and go step-by-step to solidify your means. You should develop the attitude first; the rest will follow. Focus on only a few goals at a time. The human mind is practical when focusing on one activity at a time. After acquiring one habit effectively, you can visualize acquiring another. In this way, you will be able to achieve your objectives quickly.  
  5. Retain that blueprint in a written format. Be clear about what you want. Revisit and review your goals and plans regularly. Use concrete words.  Use visuals to retain for a longer time and visualize effectively. As Robert Collier remarked, “Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint, and begin to build.”

The bottom line is that if you understand the power of visualization and the tools and techniques to visualize, you can build a positive attitude and condition your mind constructively to accomplish your goals and objectives.

“First, have a definite, clear, practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends: wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end.” ―Aristotle

Arnold Schwarzenegger once remarked, “The mind is so incredible. Before I won my first Mr. Universe title, I walked around the tournament as if I owned it. I had won it so many times in my mind; the title was already mine. Then, when I moved on to the movies, I used the same technique. I visualized daily being a successful actor and earning big money.”

References:

  1.  M.S. Rao, How to Visualize More Effectively for Greater Success, Success Magazine, June 9, 2023,  https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/how-to-visualize-more-effectively-for-greater-success/

FY2024 Government Shutdown Averted

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President Biden has signed H.R. 5860, the continuing resolution to fund the government through November 2023, into law. Averting a government shutdown. 

Funding for the government would have run out at the end of the fiscal year 2023 at midnight Saturday.

However, on the final day of fiscal year 2023, the Senate unanimously agreed to take up the House-passed short-term funding bill on Saturday night, effectively ending the chance of a government shutdown this weekend and ”kicking the proverbial can” on big funding fights into November. The continuing resolution (CR) passed the House, 335–91, and the Senate, 88–9.

President Biden signed into law the 45-day stopgap funding measure, averting a government shutdown that would have been triggered at midnight.

Government shutdowns can cost the American economy billions of dollars as a wide range of federal functions are suspended. Essential workers, such as members of the military and air traffic controllers, continue to work without pay, but hundreds of thousands of others are furloughed.

Nitric Oxide

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Many people think that taking nitric oxide supplements will enhance blood flow in the body to improve performance in sports, promote healing, enhance heart health, and provide many other potential benefits.

To reduce inflammation or improve your digestion, sleep quality, immunity, memory, and behavior, you need to know about nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide is an essential molecule required for overall health. As a vasodilator, nitric oxide signals the blood vessels to relax, allowing them to expand.

Nitric oxide is most known for its role in heart health as it is a potent vasodilator and regulator of blood pressure, making your blood vessels supple and flexible, which allows them to withstand pressure changes.

What is Nitric Oxide?

Nitric oxide is a gaseous molecule synthesized from the amino acid L-arginine with molecular oxygen by synthases, neuronal (nNOS), endothelial (eNOS), and inducible (iNOS).

Nitric oxide performs crucial roles in vascular and neuronal signal transduction, smooth muscle contractility, bioenergetics, platelet adhesion and aggregation, immunity, and cell death regulation.

Benefits of Nitric Oxide:

Research shows that Nitric oxide has blood-flow-enhancing effects and supports healthy delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles during exercise.

There may be benefits of Nitric oxide supplements for sexual enhancement and erectile dysfunction. Studies imply that some men can use Nitric oxide as a natural way to aid with erectile issues and maintain a healthy sexual experience.

Nitric oxide is produced by the endothelial cells lining the arteries; however, Nitric Oxide levels can naturally decrease as you age.

As you age, your body slows down and produces less of almost everything than it did in your younger years.

Additionally, many unknowingly use antibacterial mouthwash or acid blockers to cut down the acid in their stomach. Both of these products destroy the good bacteria in your mouth and your gut. You need these bacteria to convert certain nutrients in your body into Nitric Oxide.

Regular physical exercise is a great way to enable and empower our body’s function. It helps distribute much-needed life-giving oxygen and healthy nutrients to the rest of the body. However, exercising 24/7 isn’t reasonably achievable for the everyday person.

You can boost naturally Nitric oxide levels in your body. A diet of foods such as spinach, beets, celery, arugula lettuce, iceberg lettuce, carrots, parsley, cabbage, radishes, collard greens, etc., have small amounts of nitric oxide. Changes in diet can improve Nitric oxide levels.

You Do Need Life Insurance

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To protect those who depend on you financially, you need life insurance.  Life insurance provides peace of mind—for you and those who rely on you. It’s a way to ensure your loved ones are financially protected.

Some of the benefits they could receive include:

  • protection against financial loss 
  • supplemental funds for everyday needs
  • help with rent/mortgage, childcare, and tuition costs 
  • assistance with funeral expenses

Life insurance is money paid to your loved ones in the event of your death. It can pay off debts and final expenses, fund children’s education, pay off a mortgage and take care of the day-to-day needs of those who depend on you. Plus, life insurance can be affordable and flexible:

  • Understand the difference between term and whole-life policies
  • Determine how much coverage makes sense for you. While you can’t pinpoint exactly how much life insurance you’ll need to purchase down to the nickel, you can make an informed estimate using a strategy that considers your current financial situation and future needs. 
  • Calculate your monthly costs.

Term life insurance is suitable for fixed-term coverage needs like paying off a mortgage or funding your child’s education.

If you’re looking for low-cost coverage, a term life policy is the most affordable type available. You can choose how much and how long the policy will cover you.

Whole life insurance is the most well-known and offers you lifelong protection with benefits including wealth transfer, charitable giving, and maintaining the same standard of living for your family.

A whole life insurance policy, sometimes called “permanent life,” offers lifelong protection. In addition to insuring your life, it can be customized to address unique financial goals, like transferring your assets and charitable giving.

 

U.S. Government Shutdown

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Government operations will begin to shut down at midnight on Saturday, September 30, 2023, unless lawmakers can agree on extending the current federal budget, a compromise that has been elusive for months.

The 2023 fiscal year ends on September 30th, and with it, so does the budget plan to keep almost all federal operations active.

Fights between Democrats and Republicans on future federal spending levels — and fights within the House GOP caucus itself — have not produced any likely plans so far to stave off an appropriations lapse. A government shutdown means millions of Americans won’t get the services they depend on. Federal workers won’t get their paychecks. People’s livelihoods will be upended.

A government shutdown would be the first to affect all federal agencies since 2013 when about 850,000 federal workers — about 40% of the government workforce — were furloughed for 16 days amid that congressional fight.

For the military, if lawmakers do not reach a short-term budget extension or full-year appropriations plan for government agencies by October 1, the resulting budget lapse will trigger the shutting down of non-essential military activities like family moves and some training operations.

Troops would still be required to report for duty but could miss their mid-October paychecks if the shutdown stretches from days to weeks. In 2013, just hours before a 16-day government shutdown triggered by political fights on Capitol Hill, lawmakers overwhelmingly passed special legislation to prevent that salary stoppage for troops.

References:

  1. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2023/09/25/government-shutdown-set-for-next-weekend-barring-surpise-budget-deal/

Bourbon Corner: Knob Creek 12

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In 2020, Jim Beam released Knob Creek 12 Year Bourbon, a brand new bourbon to the Knob Creek.  Knob Creek 12 year is an absolute amazing bourbon.

  • Distillery: Jim Beam
  • Type & Region: Bourbon, Kentucky, USA
  • Alcohol: 50%
  • Composition: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% barley
  • Aged: 12 years
  • Color: 1.2/2.0 on the color scale (tawny)
  • MSRPrice: $60-70

Incredibly satisfying. deep caramel color with a perfect balance of oak, spice and heat. It’s can be hard to find on store shelves but it’s worth the effort.

Recommendation is drink neat or create the perfect old fashion!

Long-term Investing Perspective

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Warren Buffett once said, “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

One tried and true investment philosophy is investing with a long-term perspective. In essence, the time-arbitrage approach gives long-term investors an edge. Most investors are focused on the short term, basing trading decisions on factors that may have little to do with business fundamentals, such as quarterly earnings beat or miss or overall market volatility.

Long-term investors often adopt a long-term perspective while taking advantage of the shortsightedness and noise of the market. They tend to conduct extensive research and conduct a deep dive into the fundamentals of every company in which they are considering an investment.

Their extensive research allows them to develop an informed and thorough understanding of the longer-term secular advantages of these companies. Ultimately, they are more interested in the duration of a company’s growth opportunity rather than being overly focused on its timing.

They like to invest early before a company is on the market’s radar because they believe it’s impossible to pinpoint precisely when the market will notice and start trading the stock up to reflect its growth opportunity properly. This is a vital part of the engine that drives alpha for us.

Low turnover is an outgrowth of this investment process rather than a goal in and of itself. If they find and invest in the right companies, they believe that it makes little sense to replace these companies with new and relatively untested ones. Wsupported remain invested throughout the duration of the growth trajectory of our highest conviction companies. We also believe this is a more tax efficient approach to managing a portfolio and one that is often attractive to company management who are aware of our reputation as long-term holders of stock.

Your primary goal must be capital appreciation, and you should stay involved as companies grow and flourish as long as your investment thesis holds true.

The best risk management starts with knowing the companies in which you invest. By conducting extensive research prior to initiating a position in a company and continuing to conduct due diligence will keep you apprised of the company’s growth story.

World Gratitude Day

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Today is World Gratitude Day

World Gratitude Day is observed annually on September 21. to mark the importance of appreciating people and expressing gratitude.

World Gratitude Day is a reminder of the importance of expressing gratitude by thanking people and appreciating the things you have. It is a day aimed at realizing the importance of showing appreciation and gratitude for the people around us.

Gratitude promotes happiness by giving people more positive emotions and making them savor good experiences. Gratitude helps people savor good moments, appreciate life, deal more effectively with bad experiences, improve their health, and build more rewarding relationships.

A regular gratitude practice can make you healthier and lead to…

👉 Better mood
👉 Better sleep
👉 Lower blood pressure
👉 Improved immune function

Never regret a day in your life.

  • Good days bring happiness,
  • Bad days give experiences,
  • The worst days give lessons, and the best days give memories.
  • Every day is a unique chapter in your story, filled with valuable moments that shape your journey.
  • Cherish them all, for they contribute to the beautiful tapestry of your life.