Consider Your Philosophy

You philosophy is your foundation. Your philosophy is what will drive you to do the necessary things to be successful. Your philosophy is the way you perceive the yourself and the world around you. If you have a broken philosophy, chances are you future look pretty grim. Often we let negativity in the world around us shape our philosophy. It is your responsibility to protect your mind from this negativity. Many times it will come from the criticism of you friends and family. If you find yourself always being negative and making excuses for your circumstances. If you look for obstacles instead if opportunities. If you focus on the thing you can't change instead of the thing you can change, you may have a bent or broken philosophy. How can you change you philosophy? Well it starts with you. If you will begin the habits of looking at the positive side of things, thinking more positively about yourself, and your circumstances things will begin to change for you. Often we sell ourself short, beat ourself up, and break ourself down which causes very harsh psychological damage. Seek more positive thinking, seek positive people to associate with or read books that encourage you, instead bombarding yourselves with constantly negative news (CNN). Try not to dwell on the things you can not change. Envision a large circle that is called the Circle Of Concern. In this circle, place the things you can't change. Things like war, political inflictions, economic problems thing you have no control over. Do not dwell on these things. Now envision a smaller circle called the circle of influence. These are the thing you can change. Things like your weight, your financial status, your education level, or your thought process. Get control of your philosophy! Get control of your future! Affirmations are a great way to boost you self confidence and correct a flawed philosophy. Tell yourself about the good qualities you have and watch you philosophy develop. Turn off the T.V., your critics, your negativity, and turn on your mind, who you really are inside. Let that lead you to a successful life. The life you were meant to live!

Think & Grow Rich

In society today we have became brain washed by entertainment which occupies our mind. We have became a society of celebrity watchers. We have decided to quit thinking and growing. This is our greatest fault. At some point in our life we decided we no longer have to grow, to learn, or to stretch our mind. We just settle for mediocrity. This is the sad story of most of our lives. What can we do today to start real life change? Understand that you can change your life any two years you wish. From 18 to 20, from 30 to 32, from 60 to 62, any two years. Because if you don't change let me predict the next 5 years, pretty much the same as the last. What are some practical tip to start life change today. READ! Do you realize that 98% of Americans read less than one book a year. That means that if you read 10 books a year you are ten times more informed than the average American. At some point when we graduated high school, maybe college we decided that we no longer have to develop ourselves so we put our brain on cruise control. Knowledge is a great thing but it does us no good if we do not know how to apply it in our lives. Many of those who go on to be successful in life were self-educated. They never stopped learning. Their are many great mentors out there we can learn from people like Steven R. Covey, John Maxwell, Jim Rohn, and Zig Ziglar. I would suggest creating a routine for reading 30 minutes a day but stretch it to an hour if you can. Jim Rohn says if you can read a book a day it will change your life. So read if you want to change your circumstances. Most people are not broke because of lack of money they are broke because of lack of an idea on how to create money. Don't be overly cautions! Most people who are overly cautious have to take what is left when others are done choosing. The reality is that life is filled with opportunity mixed with difficulty. After recession comes expansion, after winter comes spring. The question is what do you do with your springs your opportunities. Life is filled with the element of chance. Be sure and grab hold of good opportunities. Do not Procrastinate! This will detour us from life change and lead us down the road of mediocrity. Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the time to be right to start doing something worth while. Do not wait! The time will never be right. You have to create life change in your life. Greatness in ingrained in us all, but we must act upon it. Create Definiteness of Purpose! Many of us walk around life aimlessly with no real purpose. Thus we get caught in the vicious cycle, our routines. We never aim for something better. Its not that we aim to high and miss but that we aim to low and hit. Settling for a "so so" life. The sad truth is that we only get one life to live here on this earth so don't let it be mediocre. Its time for you to stand up and take the initiative! Its time for you to change your families future! I guarantee they are worth it.

Practical Financial Tips

If you find yourself wondering why you are broke or where all your money went. You may have a fundamental error in your financial game plan. That is, if you have a financial game plan. It starts with a budget. Wait! don't stop reading yet budgets are your friend not your enemy. If you want to retire with any dignity, regardless of how much money you make, then a budget is the key that start your financial engine. This one strategy could save you years of heart ache and take you across the finish line to financial success regardless if you have a large, medium, or small income. Its not about how much money you make, its about how well you manage what you do make. Let me give you some practical tips you can apply to help you change your financial circumstance. Give every dollar a name. This will alleviate much of the add stress bills can add to your life. If you earn 2,000 dollars a month then spend 2,000 dollars a month on paper. Write it down do not rely on the old trusty brain to keep it organized. Once you start allocating the money to the expense it help you see where you stand financially. Without a budget it is impossible to track where your money going. Start with necessities: food, clothing, shelter, transportation. Then work your way through all your expenses. Be honest! Do not I repeat do not leave anything out. It won't work if you do. Accuracy is essential. Let me add, you should, if at all possible allow for spending money and entertainment money so you can keep your sanity. These are very important categories that often get over looked by the tight wad in the family. Of course, you have to be reasonable with them. A budget will work miracles for your household. You must have long term thinking with a budget. Both parents and kid should be considered and involved in the approval of the budget. "Remember a house divide can never stand". Keep in mind, though, that a budget is just one part of your over all strategy for financial success. If you are not out of debt completely that should be you over all game plan, including your house. WITHOUT A BUDGET YOU WILL NEVER GET THERE. Its time to start making the necessary changes to get you where you need to be. "Its not the wind that determine your destination, but the setting of the sail." If you have any questions fill free to e-mail me at joshualking80@yahoo.com

Who Are We Listening Too?

Many time we get stuck in the regular routines of life because we let society pick and choose our future. See, we are trained to be average all of our life. Often the practical skills are over looked. No one teaches us how to manage our money, how to reach for our dreams, and how to be positive. Unfortunately, most people want to nail our feet to the floor, stomp on our dreams and discourage us, all while stealing our future. That is, if we listen to them. Walt Disney called them well poisoners. Their is now a preconceived idea that we have to go get a mediocre job , get mediocre pay, and live mediocre lives. Have you ever heard the saying "we have to play the cards we're dealt". I am here to tell you that you are the only person that controls you future no one else. Don't drop your dreams and goals in the waste basket. Get proactive in your approach to achieve your goals and dreams. You must become more efficient, and not only that more effective. What are you doing to develop yourself personally. Gather your resources and take initiative. Are you still watching the negative news every night before bed? Stop! They thrives on negativity and brings us down with them. Do you take financial advice from your broke friends and family? Stop! Do you let other people control your emotions? Stop! Now, Do you look at the positive side of thing. Do you try to encourage people? Do you help people by forming win win situations? Here's some tips. Try affirmations: Look in the mirror and tell yourself I am good mother or father, I am a good husband or wife, I am worth 30,000 dollars a month. I am a hard worker. These things will breed positivity in you, which will begin to rub off on others. Including your children. Instead of scolding them try encouraging them to do the right thing and watch them try to live up to the standard you have set in their mind. Be positive! What are you reading and listening too. Try encouraging books by authors like Dave Ramsey, John Maxwell, Stephen Covey, Zig Ziglar and I could go on and on. Ask yourself this question. Where do you see yourself this time next year or three years form now. If the out come is not what you would like, start changing it now. You hold the key to your future!!

Are You A Leader?

Its time for many of us to stand up and take control of our lives. If you find yourself in a job you hate and the circumstance around you are terrible like stress, lack of family time, long hours, rocky marriage, then start changing them. Many people get use to the regular routines of their life and before they know it 10 or 15 years have past. Don't let his happen to you. Leaders take charge of their life and do not I mean do not let their circumstance dictate there future. Leaders take action when necessary. Leaders have good judgment and find a better course of action. Leaders do not let their emotions control them and never..... let other peoples emotions control them. Leaders are rock solid and confident. The beautiful thing, is that you posses everything you need to be a leader right where you stand. The question is what are you willing to do to find it. Are you willing to change the mix. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Who are you listening too? Do you let your broke friends give you financial advice. Have you let people stomp on you childhood dreams? Did you quit dreaming about that beach home or that nice car (with the title)? Did you aim to high and miss or aim to low and hit? Let me encourage you to make the necessary change in your life to be the leader you are destined to be! Take a second and consider these questions. Write your answers down. How many years have you been working, since you graduated? How much money do you have, right now, that you could get in case of an emergency? Example money in you savings account (liquid money). Be honest, equity in you home does not count. Now lets say you doubled that amount in the next 25 years. Are you anywhere close to where you want to be financially? Could you retire? Probably not! Its time to change the out come of your future. Now the time for action. IT STARTS WITH YOU AND IT STARTS NOW!!!!

The Budget Is The Key

What has made Misty and I so successful in life is the fact that we learned how to control our money instead of it controlling us. This task is impossible without a budget. A budget will help you track every dollar that is being spent. Is will solve many of the financial stress that living paycheck to paycheck creates. If you argue with your spouse about money its because you don't have a budget or you have a ineffective one. I promise you this, a good budget will solve many of your problems. This must be a team effort from both husband and wife. You must agree on it for it to work. Once it is laid out and you have given every dollar a name FOLLOW IT!!!! It may take a few months to tweak your budget.What you will find is that it will relieve stress and maximize the impact of money in you life. (AKA a larger savings account) Remember money is only a tool to get us where we want to go. This will in turn send you down the road toward financial success. I strongly encourage each couple to sit down for a couple of hours a month and structure a budget that will be suitable for your household. Discipline is a must if you want to succeed financially. Its time to stop wasting you money and started changing your thought process. I BELIEVE YOU ALL POSES THE POWER TO BE SUCCESSFUL FINANCIALLY!!!! Its Time To Change Your Mind!

Tired Of Being Broke?

The reality in America is that most people, well 70% live paycheck to paycheck. In other word they spent out every penny they earn. What really astounds me is that the majority of household have less that $1000 in savings. That is pathetic! Many find that there is to much month left at the end of the money. This life style creates unneeded stress on the family. It causes fights among parents and consumes precious child bonding time. I would like to give you four tip to change you life financial and help you take control of your future.

1.Understand the definition of money.

Often times money becomes a lifestyle for people. They lose site of what money is and does. Money can be our greatest asset or our worst enemy. Money is nothing more than a tool. A means to an end. Money in itself is worthless, but what is can obtain is priceless. Its not the money that gives us the life we deserve, but how we utilize that money that gives us the life we deserve. Picture money as a vehicle. We all have the vehicle and we all are driving toward our goals and our dreams. The problem is that many of use are not letting the money get us to where we want to be. We let our vehicle run out of gas before we get there. You know if I want to drive a nail in a board, I don't use the handle of my hammer that would take take a long time and be unnecessary. Same with the money tool if we fail to realize that money is a tool and use it improperly, well we can forget about our goals and dreams.

2.More does not always mean more money.

Many people think that if they just had more money than that would solve all their problem. Not true. Don't fall victim to the "more money more happiness lie." Let me clarify, more money is a great thing but more money does not create instant wisdom. Their are just as many broke doctors and lawyer as their are trash men and factory workers. What can create happiness is to take control of your money whether it be little or much. You tell your money what to do and if what your are telling it has not been working than it time to start telling it something different. See, really deep down in side more money is not what we want. What we really want is time freedom. Well, how can we achieve time freedom. Take control of your MONEY!!!!

3.Live on less than you make.

The bible has been echoing these truths for thousands of year, but we quit listening. This is a foreign concept in today's society. We have become so materialistic that we have lost sight of what our real goal is time freedom. So what we do is trade that time freedom for a fancy house, a unaffordable car, stress, anxiety and depression. Will call it the "I wants". We only get the I want when we lose sight of our real goal time freedom. So what we must do is constantly remind our self of our goal time freedom. Unless you have a money tree you have to stop spending all you make. Sit down with your spouse and put your dreams down as goal. Now stop dreaming and start achieving. I'll make this as clear as I can "IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT DO NOT BUY IT". If it has to go on payments then you "CAN NOT AFFORD IT." Ask yourself questions like this. How can I achieve time freedom? Will this get me home with my family? Does this purchase get me close to my goal of time freedom? Time freedom, time freedom, time freedom.

4.Think residual

We as a society have been duped into believing that we have to always trade our time for money. In other words if you don't clock in you don't get paid. WRONG! This is why 95% of Americans are broke and 5% are wealth. The wealthy have grasped the concept of residual income. I call it leverage. Lets take the billion dollar company Verizon wireless. Most people have a cell phone these days, but what they fail to realize is that they are paying Verizon wireless residual income. consider this, when you walk in the Verizon store the only real work done was the 10 to 15 minutes it took you to sign up, but month after month you still pay your bill. That residual. You get paid whether you work or not. Walk away money. Lets look at some of the most powerful industries out there television services, insurance, cellphones service, recording industry, movie industry, investment industry, and multilevel marketing industry etc. all pay residual incomes. Find a way to get paid this way. Its a powerful tool to get you to the goal of time freedom.