Category Archives: Behaviors

Working on Your Goals and Expressing Gratitude Everyday

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“With whatever you are struggling to master in your life, create a small habit or routine that gets you one step closer to it each and every day. ” Brendon Burchard

Now more than ever is the time to really appreciate the small, meaningful moments in life. It’s time you stop waiting for ” the anvil of purpose” to fall onto your head and suddenly everything, like life’s vision, purpose and meaning, become clear!

Instead, sit down with yourself and really think about what that purpose, that meaning, that vision for your life can really be.

There is no better time than the present to start this journey of self-exploration and find the ways in which you can truly feel alive, fulfilled, and happy in this life.

Thus, it’s important to make getting better everyday and self-improvement a way of life. It’s important to:

  • Begin the journey to think about and clarify your life’s vision, purpose and meaning.
  • Focus more on expressing gratitude and incorporating everyday wins back into your week and taking the time to appreciate them and let them sink in.
  • Focus more on your habits and long-term goals, and connecting back to your vision and purpose.

In the past, how many times did you achieve something or have special moments with your kids, spouse or friends, only to quickly move on to the next thing?

Life is so short to breeze by these special moments and not appreciate them. Really take the time to feel the day and fill your heart with gratitude. You’ll be happier too!

There’s still time to reclaim your day and schedule activities that add real value and meaning back into your routine. By pursuing your dream for 2 minutes or even 30 minutes every single day.

Don’t wait until next weekend when you might have the time for your goals and vision. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed and that big dream of yours isn’t going to materialize if you keep pushing it off.

Break down your big audacious goals into quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals. Work on your goals every single day and you will move the needle in your progress and success.

Additionally, if you want to achieve your goals, you should develop a growth mindset. A growth mindset allows you to explore more, take more risks, try new things, and grow more into what you’re capable.

The Power of Reflection

Clarity only happens when you reflect on your long term goals, habits and relationships — daily. It might be time to take a hard, unflinching look at your own performance in these important areas of your life.

When you live a life with intention each day, that brings about true purpose and meaning to your life. And when your days are filled with more purpose and meaning — more happiness and fulfillment tends to follow. And isn’t that the ultimate goal? To live a happy, purposeful and meaningful life.

Personal growth, goals and purpose are things that must be worked on everyday, otherwise you will lose touch with them.

Your Wealth Building and Financial Freedom Coach,

References:

  1. https://growthday.com
  2. https://www.growthday.com/hps-v4

Small, daily actions can gather momentum to become an unstoppable force of change.

  • Outcome – goals and vision
  • Process – habits and systems
  • Identity – mindset, beliefs and thoughts

It’s not too late to prioritize your health and wellness, explains Brendon Burchard,

! If you haven’t already, put your health at the forefront and do everything you can to get your healthy eating, sleep, and exercise routine in place. Because small, daily actions can gather momentum to become an unstoppable force of change.

The Great Benefits and Joy of Movement

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“Anytime you engage in regular activity, you’re becoming this version of yourself that is more hopeful, more motivated, more energized, and better able to connect with others.” ~Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D.

Knowing only great benefits and happiness will result from movement, why are Americans so resistant to making movement a priority in their day?

While our brains and bodies reward us for moving and exertion, we also are built with an instinct to avoid overexertion, conserve energy, to rest, to avoid discomfort, and avoid failure and embarrassment, says Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., a research psychologist, a lecturer at Stanford University, and an award-winning science writer and author of The Joy of Movement.

To retrain our bodies to encourage movement, we must first start with self-compassion and the practice of gratitude. We must remove the negative connotations from movement and recognize how the practice of movement can be really rewarding on its own.

“Exercise is health-enhancing and life-extending, yet many of us feel it’s a chore.” Kelly McGonigal

Research shows, according to Dr. McGonigal, there are three motivations that keep people moving:

  • Enjoyment – doing something you actually enjoy
  • The activity provides social community or sense of identity (i.e. “I’m a runner”), … positive social connection, and
  • It’s a personal challenge and meaningful to you as you’re making progress toward a goal.

If you can find an activity that gives you all three – you’re hooked for life! Exercise is health-enhancing and life-extending, yet many of us feel it’s a chore and burden.

Movement can be a source of joy and is intertwined with some of the most basic human joys, including self-expression, social connection, and mastery–and why it is a powerful antidote to the modern epidemics of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

Basically, bliss can be found in any sustained physical activity, whether that’s hiking, swimming, cycling, dancing, or yoga. However, the runner’s high emerges only after a significant effort. It seems to be the brain’s way of rewarding you for working hard.

McGonigal tells the stories of people who have found fulfillment and belonging through running, walking, dancing, swimming, weightlifting, and more, with examples that span the globe.

Along the way, Dr. McGonigal paints a portrait of human nature that highlights our capacity for hope, cooperation, and self-transcendence.

Movement is integral to both our happiness and our humanity. By harnessing the power of movement, you can create happiness, meaning, and connection in your life.

The latest theory about the runner’s high claims that: Our ability to experience exercise-induced euphoria is linked to our earliest ancestors’ lives as hunters, scavengers, and foragers.

As biologist Dennis Bramble and paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman write, “Today, endurance running is primarily a form of exercise and recreation, but its roots may be as ancient as the origin of the human genus.”

The neurochemical state that makes running gratifying may have originally served as a reward to keep early humans hunting and gathering. What we call the runner’s high may even have encouraged our ancestors to cooperate and share the spoils of a hunt.

In our evolutionary past, humans may have survived in part because physical activity was pleasurable. It takes about six weeks of consistent moderate movement to see structural and neurochemical changes in your brain. And, increase intensity amplifies the benefits. The harder stuff seems to payoff. Exercise gets easier and more pleasurable sooner.

The key to unlocking the runner’s high is not the physical action of running itself, but can be achieved on continuous moderate intensity exercise. And in fact scientists have documented a similar increase in endocannabinoids from cycling, walking on a treadmill at an incline, and outdoor hiking.

If you want the high, you just have to put in the time and effort. 

References:

  1. https://getmadefor.com/blogs/perspective/the-joy-of-movement-how-looking-backwards-moves-us-forward
  2. https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Movement-exercise-happiness-connection/dp/0525534105/ref=nodl

Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., is a research psychologist, a lecturer at Stanford University, and an award-winning science writer and author of The Joy of Movement.

Bonds Getting Clobbered

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“Bondholders are going to be in for some nasty surprises…because the losses are piling up.” CNBC’s Kelly Evans

A bond is a debt security, similar to an IOU. Borrowers issue bonds to raise money from investors willing to lend them money for a certain amount of time.

When you buy a bond, you are lending to the issuer, which may be a government, municipality, or corporation. In return, the issuer promises to pay you a specified rate of interest during the life of the bond and to repay the principal, also known as face value or par value of the bond, when it “matures,” or comes due after a set period of time.

Just as individuals get a mortgage to buy a house, or a car loan to buy a vehicle, or use credit cards, corporations use debt to build factories, buy inventory, and finance acquisitions. Governments use debt to build infrastructure and to pay obligations when tax revenues fluctuate. Loans help to keep the economy running efficiently.

Whenever the size of the loan is too large for a bank to handle, companies and governments go to the bond market to finance their debt. The purpose of the bond market is to enable large amounts of money to be borrowed.

Bonds can provide a means of preserving capital and earning a predictable return for investors. Bond investments provide steady streams of income from interest payments prior to maturity.

The bond market (also known as the debt market or credit market) is a financial market where players can buy and sell bonds in the secondary market or issue fresh debt in the primary market. Like the stock market, the bond secondary market is made up of investors trading with other investors. The original company that received the money and is responsible for paying back the money, is not involved in the day-to-day trading. The market value of bonds can fluctuate daily due to changes in inflation, interest rates, and fickleness of investors.

The United States accounts for around 39% of total bond market value. According to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), the bond market (total debt outstanding) was worth $119 trillion globally in 2021, and $46 trillion in the United States (SIFMA). The worldwide bond market is almost three times larger than the global stock market.

“I used to think that if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the President or the Pope or as a 400 basball hitter. But now I would like to come back as the bond market. You can intimidate everybody.” James Carville

The bond market is more important to the health of the U.S. and global economies than the stock market. And, you prefer for the bond market is not in the news, to be boring and functioning smoothly. Disruption in the bond market is what can get the economy in trouble.

As with any investment, bonds have risks which include:

  • Interest rate risk. Interest rate changes can affect a bond’s value. If bonds are sold before maturity, the bond may be worth more or less than the face value. Rising interest rates will make newly issued bonds more appealing to investors because the newer bonds will have a higher rate of interest than older ones. To sell an older bond with a lower interest rate, you might have to sell it at a discount.
  • Inflation risk. Inflation is a general upward movement in prices. Inflation reduces purchasing power, which is a risk for investors receiving a fixed rate of interest.

In aggregate, bond values are down significantly over the past three months–one of the worst quarters the securities have experienced since the 1980s, explains CNBC’s Kelly Evans. According to Natalliance, “government bonds are on pace for their worst year since 1949.”

Famed former Legg-Mason investor Bill Miller warned several years ago that “when people realize they can actually lose money in bonds, they panic”. Going into the inflationary 1970s, he said, “investors had done so well in bonds for so long they viewed them as essentially riskless, until it was too late.”
Investors have been warned for years about a bond crash that never panned out until recently. The chorus of financial pundits have said that the Federal Reserve’s massive quantitative easing and the federal government’s fiscal response to the financial crisis would ultimately cause inflation and crater bonds, it turns out they were right.

As a result, investors are piling out of bonds, which have seen outflows for ten straight weeks. Municipal bonds have seen historic outflows and are about to post their worst quarter since 1994, down more than 5%, according to Bloomberg. Investors have also been fleeing high-yield debt, especially as the Fed has turned increasingly hawkish this month.

You won’t find many financial professionals, other than fixed-income specialists, recommending big exposure to bonds right now. The outlook is just too uncertain.

“Bonds have nowhere to go but down since [interest] rates have nowhere to go but up.” Liz Young, SoFi Chief Investment Officer

Bonds are not expected to rally or perform better if growth slows, unless there is a meaningful dent in the outlook for inflation, and it would take a very deep and lengthy downturn to do so, as economists and financial pundits have warned.

Bonds have sold off and they haven’t served as downside protection within an investor’s diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds. Year-to-date, bonds have returned -8.7% YTD on 7-10-year Treasury bonds compared to a -6.0% YTD return in the S&P 500.

When bonds are in the red and cash is losing value because of inflation, investors turn to the stock market, at least tactically.

In this environment, “real assets” like real estate and commodities have done extremely well tend to do well in a tough investment environment for the long run (gold, metals, energy — along with globally diversified real estate).

As for stocks, Bill Smead, of Smead Capital Management, likes energy and housing market plays; noted investor Bill Miller likes energy, financials, housing stocks, travel-related names, and even some Chinese stocks (he’s also still bullish on mega-cap tech like Amazon and Meta).

The S&P 500 overall has been impressively resilient thus far, hanging in there with drop of less than 5% since the start of January–less than bonds, in other words. As bond losses deepen, don’t be surprised to see the “TINA” (There Is No Alternative) dynamic continue to bolster stocks.

However, there are several good reasons for purchasing bonds and including them in your portfolio:

  • Bonds are a generally safe investment, which is one of their advantages. Bond prices do not move nearly as much as stock prices.
  • Bonds provide a consistent income stream by paying you a defined sum of interest twice a year.
  • Bonds provide diversification to your portfolio, which is perhaps the most important benefit of investing in them. Stocks have outperformed bonds throughout time, but having a mix of both can lower your financial risk.

References:

  1. https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/bonds-or-fixed-income-products/bonds
  2. https://www.themoneyfarm.org/investment/bonds/why-is-there-a-market-for-bonds/
  3. https://www.sofi.com/blog/liz-looks-stocks-vs-bonds/
  4. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/28/kelly-evans-its-getting-ugly-out-there-for-bonds.html
  5. https://archerbaycapital.com/bond-market-more-important-to-economy/

Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining market equity values.

Duke’s Coach Mike Krzyzewski Career Ends

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“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt

One of the most impressive coaching careers in NCAA basketball history ended Saturday, April 2, 2022, when Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team lost to North Carolina Tar Heels in Coach Krzyzewski’s 13th and last Final Four appearance in New Orleans. The loss shut down his bid for a sixth national title.

The loss marked the end of Mike Krzyzewski’s illustrious head coaching career – one that started at the U.S. Military Academy in 1975 before he took the Duke job in 1980. Krzyzewski, a West Point grad, played point guard at West Point from 1966-1969 under Coach Bob Knight and then spent 1969-1974 serving in the U.S. Army, coaching three different service teams.

In a 2018 Military Times article, Krzyzewski, the 75-year-old grandfather of 10, called West Point “the best leadership school in the world.” 

Regarding his tenure as head coach, “I’ve been blessed to be in the arena,” Krzyzewski said. “And when you’re in the arena, you’re either going to come out feeling great or you’re going to feel agony. But you always will feel great about being in the arena. And I’m sure that’s the thing when I’ll look back that I’ll miss. … But damn, I was in the arena for a long time. And these kids made my last time in the arena an amazing one.”

Krzyzewski’s coaching career ends with a victory total of 1,202 — including 101 in the NCAA Tournament.

References:

  1. https://nypost.com/2022/04/03/an-epic-ending-for-mike-krzyzewski-the-man-in-the-arena/

Habits and System Building

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“Your system is the collection of daily habits.” James Clear

Behaviors and Beliefs are a two way Street, says James Clear, author of “Atomic Habit”. Effectively, the way you act influences what you believe about yourself; what you believe about yourself influences the actions you take and the manner in which you behave. But, you should let the behavior lead the way, explains Clear.

Every action you take on a daily basis is a vote regarding the person you are currently and want to become in the future. Everyday you’re casting votes to become the person you see yourself. Habits matter because they reenforce the person you want to become.

Build a system.

You want to focus on developing a process / building a system or achieving a goal or outcome. You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fail to the level of your system. Building the system — the way you prepare — that executes on achieving your goals is what is important. The system is what gets you closer to your destination. Ask yourself what you’re optimizing for?

Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits you follow. Your system is your collection of daily habits you follow. Your current daily habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results. Over a long period of time, your life bends towards your system, or collection of habits.

The purpose of habits:

Habits are the autopilot mode that your brain goes into when completing repetitive tasks, according to James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits”. For example, driving to work, the first time you do it, it may be confusing and stressful but after a few weeks your mind is just going through the motions, explains Clear.

Not having a grasp on your habits means not having control of your life and outcomes…consider:

  1. No financial habits = living pay check to paycheck.
  2. No healthy food and exercise habits = lacking energy and good health.

Without good habits, you will always be behind the curve. Success in your life and finances depends on the effectiveness of your habits and systems.

  • Your system for reading might be to read at least 1 page before bed every night.
  • Your system for exercising might be to do at least 5 minutes of bodyweight exercise every morning.
  • Your system for healthy eating might be to eat at least 1 apple every day for lunch.
  • Habits are the “compound interest”of self-improvement.

The bigger your systems, the bigger your results. Systems are the vehicles that are going to take you to your goals—your goals are simply the destination. Effectively, you don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.

If you want to change the world and do big things, the actions you’re doing every day, your habits, are what are going to get you there. That’s where the things happens.

“You do not rise to the level of your goals.  You fall to the level of your systems.”James Clear

Showing up each day and making one small choice or trying to do something in a slightly better way, and then watching that compound and multiply over time. In life, changes may seem relatively small and insignificant on a daily basis, but over 10 or 20 or 30 years, small choices and changes can make meaningful difference.

What starts out small and seems relatively insignificant, grows and accumulates into something bigger.

Your mindsets and your systems can set us up for success. It is important to understand the importance of consistency when it comes to forming habits that last.

“Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years”, says Clear. “We all deal with setbacks, but in the long run, the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our habits. With the same habits, you’ll end up with the same results. With better habits, anything is possible.”

Small incremental changes can end in massive results. Small improvements day by day will result in a huge compounding effect, says Clear.

References:

  1. https://movemequotes.com/beyond-the-quote-8/
  2. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/atomic-habits-part-1-of-2/
  3. https://theherstonproject.com/2020/11/atomic-habits-summary/

Goal Setting and Accomplishment

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“Since “someday” never appears on the calendar, our good intentions don’t turn into action until we create deadlines.” Amy Morin

A staggering 92 percent of Americans that set New Year’s resolution goals never actually accomplish them, according to research by the University of Scranton.

But, when people followed two simple concepts — setting specific and challenging goals — it led to higher accomplishment of goals 90 percent of the time, according to research by Dr Edwin Locke and Dr Gary Latham. Basically, the more specific and challenging the goals you set, the higher your motivation toward hitting them while your easy or vague goals rarely get met.

Here’s an example: If your goal between now and the end of the year is to, say, lose 20 pounds, that  may be challenging, but it’s not specific enough.

It’s essential to eliminate vagueness and make it more achievable by stating it in a more detailed manner: During the month of August, I will lose five pounds by cutting off refined sugar, breads, and all fast food. I will also walk briskly for twenty minutes every day.

On the flip side, goals that are too difficult to accomplish don’t get met either. While it’s important to challenge yourself, nobody completes a goal when he/she is overwhelmed by the magnitude and difficulty in accomplishing the goal.

If you find yourself with such a scenario, break down your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) into smaller bites you can actually chew. Use the same process of defining specific and challenging marks to hit when mapping out the smaller goals that will lead you to your final destination.

Additionally, those who succeed at accomplishing their BHAG, they tend to want it badly. So, it’s essential to determine what is your level of commitment? Are you totally committed to reaching your goal even when obstacles occur along the way? Are you committed to “do whatever it takes” to reach your destination. And, do you have the desire or passion to pursue the goal to reach it.

According to Locke and Latham’s research, there are five goal setting principles that can improve dramatically your chances of accomplishing your goals:

  1. Setting Clear Goals. Write your goal down and be as detailed as possible. Use SMART, and consider putting your goal into the form of a personal mission statement  for added clarity. Think about how you’ll measure your success toward this goal.
  2. Setting Challenging Goals. Look at your goal. Is it challenging enough to spark your interest Also, identify ways that you can reward yourself when you make progress. Incremental rewards for reaching specific milestones will motivate you to work through challenging tasks.
  3. Staying Committed. Stay committed by using visualization techniques to imagine how your life will look once you’ve achieved your goal.
  4. Gaining Feedback. Schedule time once a week to analyze your progress and accomplishments. Look at what has and hasn’t worked, and make adjustments along the way.
  5. Considering Complexity. Break large, complex goals down into smaller sub-goals. This will stop you feeling overwhelmed, and it will make it easier to stay motivated.

“Even if your goal is something that will take a long time to reach — like saving enough money for retirement — you’re more likely to take action if you have time limits in the present. Create target dates to reach your objectives. Find something you can do this week to begin taking some type of action now.” Amy Morin, Psychotherapist and author of ’13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do’

Additionally, the following strategies can increase your likelihood of accomplishing your goals:

  1. Break goals into manageable chunks. If you only focus on the big picture, it’s easy to put things off until later. But, if you break those goals down into smaller, more manageable objectives such as, you can start tackling and accomplishing the manageable chunks today.
  2. Establish “now” deadlines. Even if your goal is something that will take a long time to reach – like saving enough money for retirement – you’re more likely to take action if you have time limits in the present. Create target dates to reach your objectives. Find something you can do this week to begin taking some type of action now. For example, decide “I will create a budget by Thursday,” or “I will lose two pounds in seven days.”
  3. Turn abstract ideas into concrete action steps. Abstract ideas encourage inactivity. Saying, “I’d like to be healthier,” won’t help you reach those goals. Establish concrete action steps that you can start doing today. For example, decide that you’re going to take a class, read a book, or conduct 30 minutes of research each day. Identify behavioral changes that you can begin working on immediately and you’ll be more likely to turn your abstract ideas into reality.

Identify some of those goals and dreams that you’ve always wanted to work on but just never had the motivation to start. Look for strategies that will help you view those goals in terms of the present and you’ll increase the likelihood that you’ll start taking steps to turn those dreams into a reality, explains Amy Morin

Goal setting is something that many of us recognize as a vital part of achieving success in the areas of health, wealth and emotional well-being. Understandably, goal-setting research confirms the usefulness of SMART goal setting.

To use the results of the research, you must set clear, challenging goals and commit yourself to achieving them. Be sure to get regular feedback on your progress towards achieving your goals. Also, consider the complexity, and break your goals down into smaller chunks, where appropriate.

If you follow these simple rules, your goal setting will be much more successful, and your overall performance and accomplishment rate will improve.

The path to building wealth and financial freedom is paved with goals!!!

References:

  1. https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/science-says-92-percent-of-people-dont-achieve-goals-heres-how-the-other-8-perce.html
  2. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_87.htm
  3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/09/04/study-the-secret-to-ending-procrastination-is-changing-the-way-you-think-about-deadlines/

Persistence and Perseverance

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“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Calvin Coolidge

“Three simple rules in life and habits…Go, Ask, and Do:

  1. If you do not go after what you want, you’ll never have it.

  2. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no.

  3. If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place.”

Austin Miller, VP of Talent Management at Sorenson Capital Partners

Believe in Yourself and Know What You Want

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“If you don’t know what you want, it’s difficult—often impossible—to create or to get what you want in life.” Paul J. Meyers

People generally think they know what they want, but in practice, they do not. Generally, they don’t know what they really want in life or want to do. Additionally, they don’t know where to start, don’t have a plan, and don’t where to look for help to change that.

American author Mark Twain said he could teach anyone how to get what they want; he just couldn’t find anyone who truly knew what they wanted. Being unclear on what you want is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to getting what you want and success. Paul Meyer, founder of Success Motivation Institute, says if you’re not achieving the success you desire, it’s simply because your objectives are not clearly defined. Your goals need to be written, specific and measurable.

Hundred of thousands of people live there lives without purpose or goals. If you don’t want to spend your life wandering aimlessly, you should dedicate your waking hours determining exactly what you want in life and making plans to achieve those goals.

“Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people’s criticisms, carry out your plan.” Paul J. Meyer

Knowing what you want.

If you don’t know what you really want in life, you’re not alone. While most people may think they know what they want, they’re often wrong.

Positive mindset, attitude and focus are vitally important attributes. The attributes are required to reach your goals and to realize your dreams. Thus, you should have a real understanding that you are responsible and capable of creating your reality regardless of the various obstacles you might encounter along the way. According to Inc. Magazine, here are six steps to help you achieve what you want:

1. Make a decision to have what you want, even if you don’t know how to get it. Most people are tentative when it comes to being specific. Instead, be confident in declaring what you want and be comfortable with the fact that you don’t yet have a plan, but you do know what you want.

2. Be clear about the details of the outcome. You should focus on what you do want, not what you don’t want. Practice visualizing yourself in the situation you want to create. You must be clear about what you want, like financial freedom, finding the perfect partner or a happy life. You must imagine the look, feel and sound of the perfect situation for you in your life.

3. Detach from the process. Not knowing “how” to do something holds many people back. The “how to do it,” instructions will appear after you have clearly defined what you want.

4. Believe in yourself and expect that it will happen. You need to believe in yourself and in the creative process. Winners expect to win. A shortage of belief causes many people to give up or never begin in the first place. Believe and set an expectation that what you want will, in fact, appear. It may not appear in the way you thought or at the precise time. You may even experience frustration, anxiety or impatience trying to control the outcome.

“When you believe in yourself, others tend to believe in you.” Paul J. Meyers

5. Be open to possibility when things don’t go your way. The path to the outcome may show up in ways you never imagined before. Suspend judgment of how things should be done and consider that the very thing you think is a deterrent may be the very thing you need to get what you want. Many times, people, circumstances and resources will show up, but you’ll miss the connection. This is where not knowing how, while keeping your eye on the goal, is important.

6. Practice gratitude. Be thankful for the things you have in your life right now. Look at your challenges as opportunities to grow. When you practice being thankful for specific events in your life, even when you don’t understand why they appear in your life, your ability to manifest accelerates almost to the speed of thought.

Getting what you want is not always simple and easy. Challenges, emotions, other people’s negative views and comments can set you back. But in the end, it all comes back down to your choice, commitment, effort and most of all…attitude. It’s essential to choose what you want, believe in your abilities, trust the process, have faith that it will happen and embrace the right attitude.

That is why “attitude is everything”.

“Attitude is everything,” according to Meyers. “It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, it all has to do with attitude. And then I have an I will-not-be denied attitude. And that’s an incredible thing to have. I don’t look to my weakness; I look to my strength. I don’t look to my problems; I look to my power. It’s all about attitude.”

“When winners choose a goal, their commitment to achieving it is firm and steadfast,” says Meyers. “When winners are confronted with hurdles or run into stumbling blocks, they go over them or turn them into stepping stones. Winners pursue their goals persistently until they succeed.”

Every day, you should strive for increased clarity around your goals and knowing what you really want. Having clarity about what you want keeps you moving toward it.

References:

  1. https://ninaamir.com/the-importance-of-knowing-what-you-want/
  2. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/7-ways-find-out-what-you-really-want-life.html
  3. http://successnet.org/cms/goals/top-ten-reasons-people-dont-achieve-their-goals
  4. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-second-noble-truth/201711/you-dont-know-what-you-want
  5. https://www.inc.com/stephanie-frank/6-steps-to-get-anything-you-want-even-if-you-dont-know-how.html
  6. https://www.success.com/paul-j-meyer-what-it-takes-to-be-a-winner/

Wealthy Mindset

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“Training and managing your own mind is the most important skill you could ever own, in terms of both happiness and success.” – T. Harv Eker

The right mindset can help you on the road to wealth. And, your mind–which refers to your subconscious thoughts and beliefs–represents the biggest obstacle to your financial success and freedom.

The human mind has evolved over the centuries as a self-survival mechanism. It’s not designed to make you happy, or to help you build wealth and achieve financial freedom, it’s designed to protect you and look for and respond to things that are perceived to be wrong or life threatening.

Develop a wealthy mindset

If you want to be wealthy and achieve financial freedom, you have to stop thinking (and acting) like a broke person! It’s that simple.

A starting point in this process is to observe each thought as it comes into your mind and determine if it is supportive or non-supportive thought.

When you change the way you think about money, success, wealth, and financial freedom, you can create the life you’ve always wanted.

“Understanding your past attitudes towards money and changing them if need be”, according to T. Harv Eker. “The only way to permanently change the temperature in the room is to reset the thermostat. In the same way, the only way to change your level of financial success “permanently” is to reset your financial thermostat. But it is your choice whether you choose to change.”

At the end of the day, becoming successful in business is more about your mindset, passion, and determination than it is about your product or service. Mindset is what separates those who are truly successful from the people who are struggling to get by.

It is important that you discover what you’ve been conditioned or taught to believe about money that keeps you from having more of it, according to T. Harv Eker. By assessing your subconscious beliefs about money, you can finally break through the barriers to your financial success and freedom.

Anyone can create financial freedom if they have the right money mindset.

A true measure of your wealth is not your income, but your net worth. Your net worth grows with your selfworth. There is no time better than now to open yourself to receive massive amounts of financial success in your life.

It’s no secret that the wealthy tend to be frugal with their money. While they excel at saving and spending wisely, they also know that one of the best ways to grow their money and accumulate wealth is to invest some of what they earn in buying assets. 

If you aren’t doing what you want to do and you’re not where you want to be, there’s something you don’t know.

Three things involved to create wealth:

  • The right vehicle
  • The right knowledge (generalized knowledge, specific knowledge)
  • The right you (mindset, attitude, belief, habits & character)

Determine how good you are at what you do and get paid for the results your produce instead of your time.

Financial freedom

“It’s been proven time and time again that long-term investing can produce significantly more wealth than short term trading, yet many Americans fail to make the most of their best long-term investment vehicle: their workplace retirement plan,” writes Todd Campbell, author of Your Guide to Better Stock Picks, in a piece for The Motley Fool.

Top advice for developing a wealthy mindset, explains T. Harv Eker:

  • Do not to listen to the negatives in your life and believe in your own convictions.
  • Training and managing your own mind is the most important skill you could ever own, in terms of happiness and financial success.
  • If you aren’t doing what you want to do and you’re not where you want to be, there’s something you don’t know.
  • Enjoy every aspect of what you do: how you do anything is how you do everything in life.

References:

  1. https://www.harveker.com/blog/6-steps-for-wealth-in-business/
  2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/02/06/how-to-master-the-inner-game-of-wealth/
  3. https://www.shortform.com/pdf/secrets-of-the-millionaire-mind-pdf-t-harv-eker
  4. https://www.millionairemindworld.com

Life on the Edge

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“As you get older, the days go by quicker and you need to make the time count.” Mary Peachin, Octogenarian

As you age, it becomes more important to “live each day right to the limit”, states octogenarian Mary Peachin, in Costco Connection magazine, September 2021, Members Connection. Peachin has “walk the talk” and lived her life as a self proclaim world-traveling, deep sea diving adrenaline junkie. “If your body aches, you ignore it and keep on trucking”, she preaches.

When it comes to going after what you love in life, do not take no for an answer. You should expect and intend to live a life well lived and always believe the best is yet to come

“Life is too short not to enjoy it.”

Make your life happen and take action today. Be amongst the few who dared to live their dreams. Live your life in such a way that there is no regret.

Time is short; live every day for a higher purpose. Let’s invest the limited time we have on your life’s purpose and mission. Do not focus on your problems and challenges; instead focus on purpose and destination.

Life is brief and it passes quickly. The average American male lives to be 70 years 4 months. The average American female lives 70 years 4 months. To live life to its fullest, it is not the quantity of your life, but the quality.

Time is running out for all of us.

“Your job will not take care of you when your elderly and sick, your friends and family will.”

  1. Select a few friends to be close to in your life and communicate and strengthen your relationship with them
  2. Get over those who disappoint you and refuse to let those people steal your joy
  3. Lift up and encourage those who are recovering from failure. Treat people with Grace.
  4. Ignore your critics. Decide to see the good in the experience and growth, the lessons you learned and the relationships you made.
  5. Stay fully focused on your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Believe the best! Christ teaches us to believe the best…faith, hope and love. Remember to rejoice and be glad. If God is for us, who can be against us!

The most effective way to live life on the edge is to “find an edge and Live there”, states Peachin. And, you can start to “find an edge” by writing down your dreams and priorities in life, and then focusing on fulfilling those written dreams and priorities. It starts with knowing what you want, and it ends with getting what you wanted. It’s often that simple.

Save for and invest in the things that matter most!

In every positive or negative situation, there are always options. Remember you are the one pulling the strings, and when things look hopeless, it’s because you’re choosing not look at the things that truly matter. You’re choosing to see the the bad stuff, and they have little to do with your ability to change your circumstances. The trick is that you have to see the ocean of opportunity, not that little bucket of water (problems) that you tripped over.

We must decide to see the good and not dwell on the failure, but instead focus on the positives from the experience. Limits do not exist. You have weaknesses of course and we all do, but focus on your strengths. Remember if you’re feeling scared and fearful, it means you’re trying something new.

People don’t run marathons because it feels good.

When you feel bad about your situation, you’re thinking about the mistakes of yesterday, and not the opportunity of right now and the hope for tomorrow. You’re thinking about what has and what can go wrong, and not what can go right.

When you’re feeling defeated and discouraged, ascertain what you’re really focusing on. It important to focus on how far you’ve come, the opportunities that lie ahead, and the resources available you have to go forward.

“What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it.” Oprah Winfrey

Always think bigger and focus on your purpose. Build the world as you want it to be.

References:

  1. Costco Connection, September 2021, Vol. 36, No. 9, pg. 119
  2. https://personalexcellence.co/blog/101-ways-to-live-your-life-to-the-fullest/

“Those who are the happiest are not necessarily those for whom life has been easiest. Emotional stability results from an attitude. It is refusing to yield to depression and fear, even when black clouds float overhead. It is improving that which can be improved and accepting that which is inevitable.” ― James C. Dobson, Life on the Edge: The Next Generation’s Guide to a Meaningful Future