Financial Literacy

What has "not wanting to do something" have to do with it?

Hello,

Over the years I have connected to many wonderful people who have helped me become a better person. This has been through just meeting them, becoming friends with them, using their professional services or any combination of the above.

As I look over the last year, the most significant events have been very much tempered by these connections. Those events that could have been mediocre flourished and those that could have been disastrous were mostly rendered benign. I have an long list of things and people I am grateful for. (more on that in the future post).

I was working with one of these connections yesterday in a coaching session and something very profound came up for me which I really want to share.

We were discussing my reluctance to taking action in an area I knew was vitally important to my future. In response. my coach asked this $2M question: "What has 'not wanting to do something' have to do with it? This hit me right between the eyes. My surprised and immediate answer was, "Nothing". Just at that moment, the entire area of self-created avoidance came to view. I realized that this was the source of all past reluctance, and all the upset and turmoil I created connected to it. I had falsely connected liking something with it's importance. There is no such connection.

The point here is what I like is based on my personal opinion. What is important is not, It is based on fact. Moreover, what is important in life is not personal to me, it is personal to those I am connected to. When I serve a customer, they are the most important, not me. What I like or dislike about them or their behavior is completely irrelevant.

To quote the powerful Rotary motto, I am now getting very excited discovering all the ways I can put "Service Above Self".

Cheers,

Malcolm

Napoleans Hill - 52 Priceless Positive Mental Attitude Quotations

I thought you may enjoy these. Use them yourself and pass onto others.

A good teacher is always a good student. - NH

A positive mind finds a way it can be done. A negative mind looks for all the ways it can't be done. - NH

All big things are made of smaller things of a related nature. - NH

As long as you are willing to let life push you around, it will. - NH

Close the door of fear behind you, and see how quickly the door to success opens in front of you. - NH

Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action. - NH

Courtesy is not dependent on education, but on common sense. - NH

Decisions without actions are worthless. - NH

Do it now . . . and before anyone tells you to do it! - NH

Do not settle for anything short of what you want. - NH

Don't look to the stars for the cause of your misfortunes. Look to yourself and get better results. - NH

Drifting through life without aim or purpose is the first cause of failure. - NH

Great achievement is born out of struggle. - NH

Happiness is found in doing, not merely in possessing. - NH

Happiness may be found only by helping others to find it. - NH

If I had one wish that would be granted for the asking, I would ask for more wisdom. - NH

If you don't know what you want from life, what do you think you'll get? --NH

If you set a goal, you are more apt to recognize things that will help you achieve it than if you don't set a goal. - NH

If you're unhappy with your world and want to change it, the place to begin is with yourself. - NH

It is better to imitate a successful man than to envy him. - NH

It is not necessary for others to fail in order that you may succeed. - NH

It's helpful to know that you move toward and become that which you think about. - NH

Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don't want. - NH

Meet the most important living person! That person is you. - NH

More gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth. - NH

No man can achieve greatness alone. - NH

No man can become a permanent success without taking others along with him. - NH

No two minds ever come together without creating a third invisible force, which may be likened to a "third mind." --NH

One little word--"please"--carries the power of great charm. - NH

Remember to express gratitude every day--by prayer and affirmation--for the blessings you have. - NH

Some nuggets of thought are worth more than nuggets of gold. - NH

Some people have learned to use the winds of adversity to sail their ship of life. - NH

Sometimes it is wiser to join forces with an opponent that it is to fight. - NH

Speed and skill come from repetition of effort. - NH

Spoken words leave impressions. Printed words leave tracks. - NH

Success attracts success and failure attracts failure. - NH

Successful people keep their mind fixed on what they want -not on what they don't want. - NH

That which you thing today becomes that which you are tomorrow. - NH

The imagination is the workshop of the soul where all the plans for individual achievement are shaped. - NH

The mind grows only through use; it atrophies through idleness. - NH

The more you discipline yourself, the less you will be disciplined by others. - NH

The most important ingredient of success is belief in yourself. - NH

The one thing nature will not tolerate is idleness! --NH

The power of thought is the only thing over which any human being has complete, unquestionable control. - NH

The secret to getting things done is to act. - NH

There is power in the spoken word . . . avoid all-inclusive, restrictive words such as never, only, nothing, every, everyone, no one and can't. - NH

Trying to get without giving is as fruitless as trying to reap without sowing. - NH

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve. - NH You can do it if you believe you can. - NH

Your mind attracts what it dwells on--so keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don't want. - NH

Your only real limitations are those you set up in your own mind. - NH

Your reputation is made by others. Your character is made by you. - NH

Your success or failure is in your own mind. - NH

Integrity - The most valuable business commodity?

Hello,

A situation occurred recently which got me thinking how much personal integrity affects the level of business success.

Integrity means "wholeness". Now, I cannot think of anything more dubious than dealing with someone who is not "whole". If someone is not whole, you never get the entire offering. There is always something missing; There is always something held back.

Having integrity means what you deliver is the entire deal, the complete package. In fact, having true integrity would mean going above and beyond that. I believe that "Going the extra mile" has the highest integrity, as this is what would delight you if practiced by another.

Holding back and "measuring out" what is given in a product or service offering has little integrity and can leave a very bad taste. I often feel like this if I attempt to buy for a retailer who has used some "special offer" to entice me to buy, only to discover that there are all kinds of "conditions" connected to realizing the offer. 

"Say what you do and do what you say" is the watch phrase that come to mind. If followed to the letter, this completely ensures personal integrity.

Ready to become truly "whole"? - Go for it!

Have an awesome week.

Malcolm

Alan C Walter. Reflections on a truly influential life.

It is strange. When I heard the news I was not really shocked. Resisting the urge to immediately “spout forth” my feelings, I started to reflect on what my life would be without the influence of a man I had the true privilege to have met and been mentored by. Not only did I have the good fortune to be in the right place at the right time to be one of his students, I continued to take the hard decisions to put myself in a position to witness some of his greatest moments as a teacher and coach. Now I realize that this was a joint outcome of my own tenacity and the great teaching of one of the most influential men who ever lived. Without this, my life would be very different.

At 9:55am on the 27^th November 2009, Alan C Walter passed from this realm onto another. As was his life, his passing was an event he experienced with lucidness and good humor. He has not gone, just turned the page onto another chapter of his continued existence.

I recall meeting him in person for the first time back in September 2002. The course room was full of excited individuals, some who were on a continuing journey to be all they can be, others who had just started on their road to know more about themselves. Although I had heard from my fellow students that Alan’s live lectures were a not to be missed, one of a kind experience, I had heard him on tape. No big deal. Was I in for a surprise! It was a very memorable experience. From the first line he delivered, it seemed he had chosen the most relevant subject for me and was delivering it just to me. That was Alan. He was there to serve. He was there to educate. He was there to enlighten. It was one of those rare moments when you know you are in the right place at the right time. It was electrifying.

As I continued my studies of the material Alan put together on how to be all you can be, I continue to be blown away, not just by the quality of the material, but the sheer combination of its quality and vastness. Alan dedicated 18 hours a day for almost 50 years to build the greatest body of knowledge available anywhere on how to truly be in control of your own destiny. It covers almost every aspect on every plane. And what is more, it empowers the student to learn by action, to power forward and further expand their knowledge above and beyond that. Much of his later material is the product of collaborative research; the student working with the master to create the optimum learning outcome.

Of all the things Alan has passed onto me, it is deep sense of joy in how people can grow to work together to accomplish anything. All the greatest moments in human existence are not down to the efforts of one, but of the many, all working towards a single, powerful goal. There are many examples of this, such as putting a man on the moon and the eradication of smallpox.

In closing, I want to express my deep thanks and gratitude to you Alan. You have helped me in ways I could never have imagined to be a better person. Your life’s work will continue. It is our privilege as your students to serve as you did and ensure we apply and grow the knowledge you selflessly passed to us.

With loving gratitude,

Malcolm Bugler

Get energetic!

Hello there,

How energetic are you?

My observation is that my overall mood is directly affected by my level of action. if I am very active, then my mood goes up, and the converse; if I am inactive, my mood goes down.

So, what does this really mean and how could you apply it to make your life better?

Say you are feeling a little down. Maybe something did not go as well as you expected. A disappointment or setback  may have occurred.

Based on my statement above, getting into immediate action would be the solution, No? Running around willy-nilly being frantic active would be just the ticket. Well if you are not feeling particularly active, how do you get active?

The answer is on a gradient. Get up and have a walk around first. Just doing this will tend to break up the low mood.

Next, Decide on a specific action that needs some energy to carry it out. Tidying your desk. Putting away a bunch of papers. Moving a pile of junk. Watering your plants, folding clothes. Etc.. It really could be anything. However, it should have an objective, some goal should be connected to it.

I find for me that doing some simple yoga poses helps a lot. Even just taking a short walk.

The point is that any positive action improves mood. it does not really matter what it is.

Also, this applies to times when you are at a dead end with something and you cannot think out a solution. Doing something physical can often be the catalyst to coming up with an answer.

Here's to higher moods and more positive action in your life.

Have an awesome week.

Malcolm

Dreams, Goals, Vision, Action and Accomplishment

Hello,

In common with many people, I usually have a lot of different actions I need to pack into a day. Some are major tasks that take up a significant amount of time; others are minor, maybe just “housekeeping” actions. So I can maintain order, I use a schedule to organize how the tasks fit into the day.  

During most days, I am up against an enemy that many of you are aware of. It has the potential to completely ruin all my plans. The enemy is procrastination.

You see, even if I put stuff in the schedule, it does not automatically get done. I have to take the action. If it is something I enjoy doing, then I usually have no difficulty executing the task at the scheduled time. However, if it is something I do not enjoy or that I may have difficulty with, there is a very large temptation to “do it later”. My experience is if I re-schedule a task because I have procrastinated, it gets re-scheduled again and again. Many just “fall off the map” after a couple of iterations!

Sound familiar?

So, how do we handle this?

The real secret is to have a very powerful reason to get all the tasks completed. Making them all stepping stones towards a big dream or goal can generate a lot of momentum. The bigger the dream or goal, the bigger to momentum created. Because procrastination is much lower on the mood scale than the momentum and energy created by a huge, powerful vision, no task seems difficult.

Take your first step today in creating that huge, powerful vision of what you want your life to be. The bigger the dream and vision, the bigger the game and the more powerful actions you will need to take. You are definitely on the right track if your mood starts to rise as build the vision. By the time you have the vision set firmly in your mind, the steps to create it will become more clear. Setting task to accomplish those steps should fall right into place and as hey are so relevant, there will be no procrastination.

Have a great week

Malcolm

How She Really Does It

Hello,

This week I am simply posting a link to a great website put together by Koren Motekaitis, who at 21 decided  she was going to be financially independent. At the time she was a swim coach working two jobs, doing volunteer coaching and finishing up her university degree.

Ignoring all who said it was not possible, including her future husband, she worked diligently increasing her financial literacy and building her wealth.

Now with a weekly radio show steamed live on the internet, where Koren interviews inspirational guests, she has grown to truly achieve her dream.

Do check out her website: http://howshereallydoesit.com

To your continued success,

Malcolm

 

"Stack" your way out of debt!

Hello,

If you are interested in reducing your debt load but are having difficulty juggling several conflicting payments, the technique of “debt stacking” may be just what you need.

Debt stacking is not a new idea, but is potentially very powerful. It works like this:

Say you currently have five payments to make and have already decided to completely eradicate the debt connected to them. For debt stacking to work, there are two simple pre-cursors.

1) You must not increase any of the debt amounts.2) You must always make the minimum payment on every debt every month.

Let’s outline some example payments:

a)      Store card payment - $100

b)      Credit card payment - $220

c)      Student loans - $250

d)      Car loan - $350

e)      Mortgage - $1400

With me so far?

Now, you take a little some of your disposable income, say $100, and add this to the payment for the store card. This makes the store card payment $200 per month. If you can afford more on a consistent basis, pay more. The more you pay the quicker all your debts will vanish.

Once the store card has been paid off, you add the payment amount to the credit card payment, making it $420.

When the store card balance is zero, you add the payment amount to the student loan payment, a total of $670

Again, when the student loan balance is zero, you do the same thing to the car loan ($1020).

When only the mortgage remains, the payment will then be $2420. The mortgage will reduce at a very accelerated rate with that payment being made.

Even if you have no extra money to apply to the first debt, the principle of debt stacking will still work, it will just take a little longer..

As you can see, this idea is simple but potentially very powerful. So powerful, in fact, that several companies offer products to help manage the process. One of company that just introduced a very attractive debt stacking package is Primerica (www.my.primerica.com). it is well worth checking it out if you are at all interested in learning how debt stacking may work for you.

Have a great week

Malcolm

Processing the Positive

Hello,

How many times when something does not go as well as we intended do we concentrated on what went  wrong and how it could have been avoided?

This is a very usual reaction and the "normal" thing to do.

However, it very definitely puts one at the effect of any area and situation. It also has the added effect of making the problem seem much bigger than it actually is. Not a very positive outcome.

What about taking the completely opposite approach?

Consider this. What would happen if one looked at what parts went well and how they could be improved? Would that approach not put one at cause rather than at effect? From that more powerful position it is far easier to go forward with a positive attitude!

By simply asking "what went right?" one immediately puts themself in control and from that position are in a much better place to take the necessary steps to create an overall optimum outcome.

I asked this very same three word question in an email reply to a friend today who told me lots of things had been going wrong for them in the past week. The person replied that "those three words" had completely transformed their mood.

On that, I rest my case! 

Have a great week

Malcolm

 

Why Make Life Difficult?

Hello,

There is a saying:  "Life is unpredictable, eat your dessert first".

This has always amused me, not because it is actually what I believe is a good advice, but it parallels the actions of the majority.

This attitude is also the reason why those people are fundamentally unsuccessful. They put their future in the hands of others when they do the easy thing first. Those who tackle the difficult first get to be the top performers. I believe the ratio between the former and the latter is 90% to 10%.

What truly makes life difficult is swapping priorites: Putting what you most enjoy ahead of what you you actually need to do, but could put off doing. This is the salesman who knows he should make 20 calls to new prospects, but instead he spends the afternoon on the golf course with an existing customer or even a buddy.

Why not get the difficult stuff out of the way first? Concentrate on it and get it done. Put all the "tedious" stuff first in the calendar ahead of the fun stuff. This encourages one to focus on getting really good at it, thereby reducing the time spent doing it. Funny thing is that the more one does this, the more enjoyable it gets. Most of the time not enjoying doing something is because of lack of expertise, stemming from lack of practice doing it.

I myself love to wash dishes and iron shirts. Really exciting stuff, I know! This was not always the case. At one time I hated these activities. I just decided that the only way to handle it was to "get them out of the way"; to get so good at them that what was 30 minutes of drudgery now takes 5-6 minutes. The joy came as I learned to do them well. The better I get the more I enjoy it.

So, set up your day to tackle at least one or two of the more difficult tasks first. Do this on a gradient and work towards putting every difficult task ahead of the fun ones. One day you will run out of "challenging tasks". When that happens, you can start raising your game, looking to "kick it up a notch".

Have an awesome week

Malcolm