Financial Literacy

Fear-proofing yourself - Potentially scary, but suprisingly powerful.

Hello,

Just his last week I was in a particular quandary about a series of events that had taken place the week before. Although the events had not affected me directly, thinking about to possible consequences of them actually happening to me was very unsettling. I felt out of control and not myself at all.

I was speaking to a friend about how I felt and he suggested I look at the events not as negative at all, but as a positive. He went on to indicate that the reaction I was experiencing was most likely sourced from my reluctance to plan for the eventuality. He commented that he had not only seen other people dramatize this behavior, he had also experienced it for himself.

Armed with his sucsinct words of wisdom, and an improving mood, I started to research a plan to deal with the 'worst' happening. What was most surprising is as I planned out dealing with the most negative sceanario occuning, my mood continued to improve. I jotted some possible actions down and made a couple of telephone calls to confirm my understanding in each area. What happened next was sort of magical. As I got more information about the actuality, my plan started to look like it would mitigate almost all of the negative aspects. Then it finally dawned on me, there were positive outcomes hidden right in the midst of the actions I was planning. I thought. "Well blow me down, if I had not had the guts to face may fears and look at this area, I would not have discovered all these "golden nuggets" there for the taking'.

So, the bold move in fully evaluating the consequences of the worst possible situation has resulted in a set of actions that will not only improve the current situation, but most probably fully mitigate any to enact the "emergancy plan" at all.

Have an awesome week,
Malcolm

“Optimum Living”: Creating an abundance of positive effects for self and others?

Hello,

If you think the title is strange posed as a question, my intention is to get you to think more deeply about the idea of optimum living. I invite you to look inward and answer it for yourself.

This idea of enhancing your own life by creating positive effects is not new. Both Greek and Chinese philosophers have promoted this many times in the past. I believe it is as relevant today as when it was first articulated.

I have a friend who exemplifies this type of living. He is always upbeat and ready to serve others. His calm, but very assured approach to life is very powerful and he draws people to him. Giving service for him is just his natural way of operating. It is a joy to be in his presence and I learn a lot from him.

I have known many others who have this way about them. The immediate past District Governor of my Rotary District is another who has this quality. It is so easy to be around him and again I learn so much. The same is true of a much loved mentor of mine, sadly passed away now. He exuded these qualities. In face, many of those I hold in high regard, including my dear Mother, have these traits in common.

When we go out to include others in our circle and be positive and creative when interacting with them, the overall effect is an increase in mood and energy. In the current economic environment, this is a powerful force, far stronger than any pile of “stimulus” cash. The only way out of a negative is to create a massive positive. What better way to do this than to be of service to others, and co-create abundance together. Rather than take form some and give to others, lets’ all look to how we can help everyone create more.

Just as an experiment, close you eyes and concentrate on who you love the most, those you care about. Now focus on imagining all involved, even yourself, creating exactly what you want for yourselves and each other. Build that vision as big as you can. Take 10 minutes out of each day to do this. If you do, you will be amazed at the positive results this action causes for all involved.

Here’s to a powerful, fun filled week filled with abundance for you and those you care about.

Cheers

Malcolm   

Friendliness is the key

Hello,

It seems that much of the news today concerns the economy and what it will take to "get it going" again. Many theories abound, and there are supporter of each of them. Should there be a bail out? If so who should be bailed out and who should not? Should Government keep its finger out of business and let the weak sink and the strong survive?

Whatever your personal viewpoint and who you think is right or wrong, one thing is for sure, change is inevitable, both in the short and the long term. Some of these will be subtle, some quite difficult. When the dust settles, we may well be looking at a very different economic landscape.

So, the real question is, what action should we take right now to position ourselves for an uncertain future?

For me, I place paramount importance in my connections: both family and friends. By supporting these connections, I make myself and them stronger and in a far more powerful position. In uncertain times, being a MVP (most valuable player) in you "family and friends" home team is the key  True friends take positive action to support each other.

Of equal importance is reaching out and connecting with others, bringing them into your circle of friends and thereby strengthening all your connections. Being friendly is a valuable commodity, and will become more valuable. The worse things get financially, the more valuable friendliness becomes. A sincere smile and a positive message melts all but the darkest heart.

So, free yourself of all those past grudges and clique behaviors, get back to being an honest friend. Remember a true fiend is someone who helps another get what they want without wanting anything in exchange.   

Here's to us all making it a much more friendly world.

Have a great week
Malcolm

Persistence: Turning dreams and goals turn into actual results

Hello,

Over the last weekend I had an experience that really underlined the power of persistence in achieving dreams and aspirations.

I was working on a project and everything was going well except for one little niggling issue. The issue had a simple work-around, and I was seriously considering applying it and moving on. What stopped me was the realization that this problem was only a problem because there was an unknown somewhere in it. I just had not discovered what it was.

So, I persisted. It took another two hours to get to the bottom of it, but when I did it the cause was so obvious that I almost kicked myself.

This entire issue brought to mind several other similar situations where resisting taking the "easy" option was much more difficult. However, with no exceptions, this resulted in a much more optimum outcome from turning up the level of determination and persistence, plus I learned much more from the experience.

What this also brings to mind is the entire fiscal can of worms that has played out over the world since late 2007. All the current solutions being proposed by various governments make me very uneasy. It seems that almost everyone of these amounts to a quick fix and not a workable long term strategy. All the proposed 'new and better' solutions have been applied before and a very few of these actually made a positive difference, many actually causing more harm than good. It is almost as if the powers of persistence and determination have evaporated in our leaders, to join the almost absent common sense.

It reminds me of the definition of insanity - Doing the same thing over and again and expecting a different result.

Here's to you reaching your goals through persistence and determination.

Have a great week

Malcolm