Midnight Thought on Economics: Work. Make Money.

 I crouched down on the floor yesterday next to an old woman and cut hair and strings out from the bottom of a Dyson vacuum. Her hair was short--evidence of her recent visitations with chemotherapy. I wanted to object to clearing out the vacuum because it was time-consuming and tedious to clean it out like that, but she insisted.
"You finish high school?" she asked with a thick accent I couldn't place. Before she'd started treatment for cancer, she had been the housekeeper. I'd been hired to clean because she no longer could.
"Yes."
"You go to college?"
"No."
"That's good! Make money."
I was surprised, but I said, "Yeah."
"All my kids finish high school. It's good! They don't go to college. They work. Make money. College too expensive. And then--no job! You know? Millions, millions. Waste! You know?"

I marveled at how I'd just had this conversation with her--Schooling vs. working. It's not one of those conversations that you can have with people without having to help them make an ideological leap. Some people wouldn't understand the wisdom hiding beneath the graying cap of the old lady, cleaning out the bottom of a vacuum. They'd just see an old housekeeper and me, wrestling with a pair of kids' scissors and tangled hair.

I was listening to a podcast today, and on it, the guest said that there are two kinds of education. The first is the kind of education you get with hopes of using it someday, the second kind is education you seek out in order to use it right away. I've been learning the difference between the two for the last nine months because I work. I make money.

You might want to work. Make money. You don't have to leave school like I did--it might be part of God's will for you--But don't hesitate when opportunities arise to learn things that will allow you to start changing your life now, instead of later.

Spiritual Sparks: Thanks, In Advance

In the last two days I've been hit by the same message three different times from three different sources.
I like to listen to podcasts while I work, so while I was plugging away yesterday, I decided to listen to a podcast by Online For Life*. On this particular podcast, the show host interviewed a published author and PhD who had, in his youth, led self-destructive lifestyle which resulted in intense shame, guilt, despair, and the abortion of his first child. Before he went into his story, however, he read from a letter that his mother had written to him when he was a teenager. In it, she told him about how hard she'd prayed for him throughout his tumultuous life, how she'd asked God to help him.

And then she said that it was only when she changed the theme of her prayers that she began to see a change in the life of her son.

Instead of asking God for something, she started praising and thanking Him for blessings that were yet to come.

Interesting concept, right? Not one you hear everyday. Yes, you hear people say to praise the Lord in spite of the hard times, but you rarely hear them articulate the idea that you can praise Him for things that He (in terms of our limited human conceptualization of space and time) hasn't done yet.

It really struck me.

On the same day, I read a couple pages from the diary of St. Faustina*. She wrote to Jesus and about Him all the time in her diary. One day, she wrote: "I see that God never tries us  beyond what we are able to suffer . . . One act of trust at such moments give greater glory to God than whole hours passed in prayer filled with consolations."

In my mind, that corresponded with what I'd heard on the podcast. The mother who wrote that letter to her son had had to make the move from begging to trusting; and so her prayers had become those of thankful praise to God for results she could not yet see, and the results turned out be be very powerful, resulting in her son's conversion.

I decided that that was the way I wanted to pray, but it seemed God really wanted me to stick to that decision, because this morning He reminded me again. I'd randomly retrieved Norman Vincent Peale's Positive Thinking Every Day from my bookshelf. I'd only read bits of it before. I decided to flip to today's bit of advice. I read it: "Whatever yo do, do not make all your prayers into the form of asking God for something. The prayer of thanksgiving is much more powerful."

Not to sound cliched, but I couldn't believe it I had come across the message yet again in so short a period of time. It's a great message to be exposed (and re-exposed) to.

So, I think, if you're feeling stuck right now, go ahead and thank God in advance for the things He's going to do with your life--they might be things you've never thought of. Have confidence in Him because "we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good..."*

*http://onlineforlife.org/?feed=podcast
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faustina_Kowalska
*Romans 8:28

The 6-Step Art of the Short-Term Goal

I realized I work best under positive pressure, and this is why I try to set meaningful, short-term goals for myself.

Last year, it was Europe. This year, it's making sure I take advantage of some opportunities to train and learn according to my interests in the States for a few weeks. I decided to go on this trip about a month ago, and I am leaving about a month from now, so I haven't had much prep-time. Prep-time is crucial when you are situated on an island in the middle of the Pacific, separated from your destination by thousands of miles and a pricey plane ticket.
As afore-mentioned, however, I am well-versed in the art of the short-term goal. I use an approach, mindset, work ethic and affirmation combination to make things happen. I will try to extract this combo from my subconscious now for your possible benefit.

1. Choose a meaningful, short-term goal (ie. spending a summer month in Europe), decide if it's worth fighting for at this point in time, write it down, and set an estimated date.

2. Come up with a roughly estimated total of what it might cost you (ie. $6,000).

3. Come up with a rough estimate of how much you could make and save between the time you made the decision and the time you want to perform the goal.

4. If you realize that you might not have enough/definitely won't have enough, based on your current income average, try on a Dexter Yager affirmation: 

• "I affect the economic situation that I live in." 
• "I will be there. That's it. Period!" 
• Or you could just constantly tell yourself, "I'm going to (insert goal) and nothing's going to stop me!" 

That last one worked pretty well for me (plus it's a product of my genius). The point is to believe in yourself, your ability to do great things, and the meaningfulness of your short-term goal.

5. Because you now believe that you control your own economic situation, that you will make your goal happen, and that nothing can stop you, you can now get to work with confidence and focus.

6. Open up yourself to opportunities that will help you reach your goal. Stay calm, no matter what. Think clear thoughts. Make good decisions. Count every penny. Work hard. Don't lose focus. Speak affirmations. Have the mindset of someone who has already achieved what you are trying to achieve.

To reach my current goal, I am doing everything I already do, and then some. I made a decision to reach my goal, and money is practically falling into my lap (Fact: I'm working and thinking harder and smarter than ever). I'm counting every penny. I have a rough estimate of what I need.

And I'm watching the clock.

Goals can change in nature in regards to timing and circumstance. I almost hopped on a plane four times this year for four different reasons. But because I was looking for a meaningful goal, the right one finally made it's appearance, and I am now making it happen.

Preparation+Opportunity=Luck*
Now go decide on your goal. It's your masterpiece.

*http://publishpositionprofit.com/

Midnight Thought on Economics: Europe, Time & Money

I was talking to someone yesterday who recently finished being stationed in Germany. On the weekends or days off, she and her husband were able to explore many of the surrounding countries. I felt a twinge of jealousy as she named off the long list of countries she had gone to.
She talked about how amazing it was to explore that part of the world and realize that traveling and seeing new places and meeting new people crushes your mental limitations and allows you to grow as a person.

I then told her about my month-long excursion of England, Ireland, Wales and Denmark, and suddenly she envied me.
I was like whaaaaat?
And she said it was because I had had more TIME to enjoy it than she had because she was only able to do it when it was convenient. I, on the other hand, took an entire month to relax and explore.
She and I, however, had/have different financial situations (she being a Navy wife, and me being single and an entrepreneur) and familial obligations, so it was easier for me to do what I did than it would have been for her.

Finer details aside, this conversation reminded me of how I approach my financial life. I want to be able to enjoy what life has to offer, and do it at my leisure. The key is to work on a way to gain not only money, but also time. In his explanation of the Cashflow Quadrant, Robert Kiyosaki talks about how the "I" quadrant (I=Investor) is the quadrant that offers a unique combination of both time and money. 

Today, with the help of the internet, there are a host of ways to invest in ways that are different from the traditional understanding of investing. Invest your time in things that will offer you a greater return for your efforts, so that someday soon, you can spend both your time and your money however you want, and not just when it's convenient.

#itsnotoveruntiliwin #freedom #freeenterprise #wales #bodnantgardens #2013 #summer

Midnight Thought on Economics: This Chicken is Crossing

When the moon is full it can be difficult to avoid crushing the large coconut crabs as they slowly make their way across the roads at night. I was faced with this particular challenge last night, and of course it brought the hackneyed chicken-crossing-the-road joke to mind.

In a weird instant, I thought to myself, "To get to the other side!"

The other side.

I've been professing, publicly and privately, that, by next year or a year from now, I want my life to be drastically different. I want my finances to be better than ever before. I realized I am trying to get to the other side of the road of success. 

Why would I stay on this side, when I could get to the other side?

I thought about how chickens (and crabs, if you live where I live) get hit by cars in the midst of their journey, and yet, they must attempt to cross the road. They have to get to the other side.
I have to get to the other side. No matter the magnitude of the perils I might face on the way there.

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