“There are no victims only volunteers.” Lee Milteer
“Be debt free, have emergency fund, shove it money, and invest.” David Dassow
Most people speak in terms of lacking, inadequacy, doubt, or “what I don’t have”. The way you speak is a reflection of the way you think. If you say you don’t have enough that thought first comes from your mind. There is a direct correlation of how you speak to how you think and act.
Your behavior is a direct reflection of how you speak and how you think. The way you think about money is important. By focusing on what you don’t have you reinforce what you don’t have and never get what you want. Effectively you always want it and never have it.
In order to correct your behavior and your speaking, and your thinking you must first do some surgery on yourself. You must first make a huge change in the way you think about money.
One of the easiest exercises requiring almost NO work is to get a journal or notebook and write down all the things you are grateful for. I mentioned this earlier. See a previous post on Gratitude.
“Wealth won’t find you if you are at home slouched on – or hiding under – the couch.” Dan Kennedy
“If you want something you have to do something.” David Dassow
I’ve had more people tell me that they want to do something real bad, I’m guilty myself, and never do the something they want to do real bad. Dreaming about doing something, assuming the Universe will some how intercede for you will not get it done.
If you want something you must do something to get it.
You choose your own reality. If you are in a world of debt up to your eyeballs you have chosen that reality. Once you decide to change your reality you will then be debt free. You and only You make it happen.
“Motion beats meditation.” Gary Halbert
Read inspiring stories. Autobiographies’ or biographies is a good place to start. I’ve often said that you should read every day. Shut the stupid box off (tv) you won’t miss anything. Besides if you have TIVO you can watch it later minus the commercials. Just missing the commercials will give you plenty of time to read.
Get MAD! Get real mad about your present situation. It will force you to take ACTION. And ACTION is the first step toward financial freedom. Getting MAD is the motivation to ACTION.
Follow-up is key. Change your attitude through gratitude, get mad about your present situation (motivation), develop your plan (use my $15 dollar a day strategy to get started), reward yourself for each milestone (each debt that’s paid off reward yourself with candy, or Starbucks, or some other simple pleasure), and FOLLOW-UP!
Follow-up means to keep doing it. Don’t quit. Most people get started but never continue it. They just quit doing it. Read this post daily. It will help motivate you to do it. As you see your success it will motivate you. Your anger will disappear and you will find even more motivation to do it. Each bill you pay off, no matter how small, will encourage you. Remember you eat an elephant one bite at a time. You get debt free by eliminating one bill at a time.
Get my newsletter for encouragement and strategies to keep you on track. And most of all if you cannot plan out your game plan than get my DEBT FREE LIVING kit.
Whatever you do just do it (to steal a phrase from Nike)!
To success and gratitude and debt free living!
David…
P.S. As you find more and more success paying off your credit one bill at a time it will naturally and easily have a profound effect on your attitude, the thoughts in your mind, how you speak, and how you behave.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Random thoughts on debt an happiness
“There are really three amounts of money every person should decide upon: the yearly income he wants, now or in the near future, the amount of money he wants to have in savings and investments, and the amount of money he wants as retirement income, whether he ever retires from active work or not.” Earl Nightingale
Spend the money you have not the money you don’t have. When you borrow money you are spending the money you don’t have.
You cannot create wealth without a systematic plan to accumulate wealth. No matter how small or slow your accumulation of wealth it is extremely important psychologically to measure your progress of wealth no matter how slow or fast.
Most of our misery is of our own making. Nobody forced us (you) to spend money you don’t have. You borrowed the money through credit cards, banks, friends, family. I am a believer in keeping it simple. You got yourself into your present situation only you can get yourself out. Consider me an encourager for you to do it. I'm like a coach pushing and prodiyou along.
You can create your reality. The dirty little secret is you have created your current reality. This means you can change your reality. It means you now can deliberately re-arrange your life to suit yourself. Most people won’t do this. You can change your reality now. Just do it.
You cannot do better or out perform your self-image. When you decide to succeed you change your character, personality, self-image, and self-esteem. Invest in yourself, surround yourself with positive, successful people and find a mentor.
Finally, make your plan, execute your plan, and get out of debt now.
David…
Spend the money you have not the money you don’t have. When you borrow money you are spending the money you don’t have.
You cannot create wealth without a systematic plan to accumulate wealth. No matter how small or slow your accumulation of wealth it is extremely important psychologically to measure your progress of wealth no matter how slow or fast.
Most of our misery is of our own making. Nobody forced us (you) to spend money you don’t have. You borrowed the money through credit cards, banks, friends, family. I am a believer in keeping it simple. You got yourself into your present situation only you can get yourself out. Consider me an encourager for you to do it. I'm like a coach pushing and prodiyou along.
You can create your reality. The dirty little secret is you have created your current reality. This means you can change your reality. It means you now can deliberately re-arrange your life to suit yourself. Most people won’t do this. You can change your reality now. Just do it.
You cannot do better or out perform your self-image. When you decide to succeed you change your character, personality, self-image, and self-esteem. Invest in yourself, surround yourself with positive, successful people and find a mentor.
Finally, make your plan, execute your plan, and get out of debt now.
David…
Beware once you've paid off your debt!
This question comes up every now and then so let’s address it right now. The question is: what do you do once you’re debt free? The reason it’s a good question is many times when you’ve spent one to three years focusing on your debt it’s easy to forget about the next step.
Celebrate once your debt is paid off than take the next step.
The next step now that you are debt free is to first continue living debt free. Second save the money you used to pay toward debt (in no time you’ll have thousands of dollars in your account, a great feeling!).
The money you’re now saving needs to go toward a couple of accounts. First, establish your emergency fund (one to three months expenses in the bank). Second, “shove it” money. Shove it money is one year worth of all your bills (shove it money is designed to give you a great emotional feeling).
The third step is to invest money. Invest money with a goal of generating income for semi-retirement or retirement. The goal is to invest sufficiently to generate 40-60% of your present income. This assumes you have no debt and own all of your stuff.
Pay off your debt is the first step toward financial freedom. After you pay off your debt live debt free and save an emergency fund, shove it money, and investment money.
Beware once you've paid off your debt!
To your success!
David…
Celebrate once your debt is paid off than take the next step.
The next step now that you are debt free is to first continue living debt free. Second save the money you used to pay toward debt (in no time you’ll have thousands of dollars in your account, a great feeling!).
The money you’re now saving needs to go toward a couple of accounts. First, establish your emergency fund (one to three months expenses in the bank). Second, “shove it” money. Shove it money is one year worth of all your bills (shove it money is designed to give you a great emotional feeling).
The third step is to invest money. Invest money with a goal of generating income for semi-retirement or retirement. The goal is to invest sufficiently to generate 40-60% of your present income. This assumes you have no debt and own all of your stuff.
Pay off your debt is the first step toward financial freedom. After you pay off your debt live debt free and save an emergency fund, shove it money, and investment money.
Beware once you've paid off your debt!
To your success!
David…
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
STOP using credit cards now!!!
You’ve heard me say that the only way to get out of the hole (of debt) you’ve dug yourself into is to STOP digging.
First and foremost you don’t need credit cards. You don’t need credit cards for an emergency. You don’t need credit cards for convenience. You don’t need credit cards for “points”, bonuses, and “mileage”.
You absolutely, positively, do not need credit cards at all! Credit cards are a snare, a trap, a mistake. Credit cards are not necessary.
One of the biggest myths in this country is the thinking that, “I need a credit card for emergencies.” “I need a credit card to make my purchases.”
No, no, no you don’t. You don’t need a credit card, period. There’s a psychology to using credit cards. We’ve convinced ourselves that we have to have credit cards to function in today’s society.
There are two steps to stop using credit cards. First, cut ‘em up! Destroy your credit cards but do not cancel them. Do not cancel your credit cards, just cut them up or put them in a baggie and stick them in the freezer.
Second, pick one card at a time and pay it off. I recommend taking the smallest balance credit card and use the $15 dollar a day strategy to pay off your credit cards one at a time.
To success!
David…
First and foremost you don’t need credit cards. You don’t need credit cards for an emergency. You don’t need credit cards for convenience. You don’t need credit cards for “points”, bonuses, and “mileage”.
You absolutely, positively, do not need credit cards at all! Credit cards are a snare, a trap, a mistake. Credit cards are not necessary.
One of the biggest myths in this country is the thinking that, “I need a credit card for emergencies.” “I need a credit card to make my purchases.”
No, no, no you don’t. You don’t need a credit card, period. There’s a psychology to using credit cards. We’ve convinced ourselves that we have to have credit cards to function in today’s society.
There are two steps to stop using credit cards. First, cut ‘em up! Destroy your credit cards but do not cancel them. Do not cancel your credit cards, just cut them up or put them in a baggie and stick them in the freezer.
Second, pick one card at a time and pay it off. I recommend taking the smallest balance credit card and use the $15 dollar a day strategy to pay off your credit cards one at a time.
To success!
David…
Sunday, February 3, 2008
How to elminate pressure an stress with "shove it" money
Some of you have been asking to elaborate more on the concept of “shove it” money. How important is “shove it” money and why should you have it?
If you’re in debt up to your eyeballs you probably have nothing saved or a couple hundred bucks in your account at most.
Many of you have zero dollars and are living a little (or more) beyond your weekly bills. In other words you don’t have any money!
Hey, I’ve done been there, all I can tell you is it sucks!
You’re always worried, you’re always thinking about the bills, you’re always stressed out!
There are two important concepts about living debt free. The first concept is to relieve your self of the daily pressures of more bills than money.
The way you relieve the pressure is to reduce the bills sufficiently to take the pressure off of you.
The second concept is to quit using your plastic (credit cards)! Remember, the “hole” story? You can’t dig yourself out of a hole. In order to get out of a hole you must first stop digging.
“Shove it” money is different for everyone, it is the money necessary for you to have “peace of mind”, it is the money you have in the bank that gives you that relaxed feeling that eliminates the stress over your bills.
It means you can take the year off from work and comfortably pay your bills.
The strategy to get you to your “shove it” money is to use the money you were spending on your credit card bills and save it toward your “shove it” money.
How much “shove it” money do you need? Depends on how much your monthly bills are. That number could be $10,000, $20,000, $30,000, $50,000, you name it.
Once you have accumulated your “shove it” money in the bank (it must be very liquid) you’ll achieve the greatest freedom and wonderful feelings you’ve ever had (or had in a long long time).
Remember, use the $15 dollar a day strategy to pay off your credit cards early, than apply all the money you were paying your bills toward your “shove it” money. Reward yourself periodically with something small, Lattes and a candy bar (see my $15 dollar a day strategy on previous posts).
To your success!
David…
If you’re in debt up to your eyeballs you probably have nothing saved or a couple hundred bucks in your account at most.
Many of you have zero dollars and are living a little (or more) beyond your weekly bills. In other words you don’t have any money!
Hey, I’ve done been there, all I can tell you is it sucks!
You’re always worried, you’re always thinking about the bills, you’re always stressed out!
There are two important concepts about living debt free. The first concept is to relieve your self of the daily pressures of more bills than money.
The way you relieve the pressure is to reduce the bills sufficiently to take the pressure off of you.
The second concept is to quit using your plastic (credit cards)! Remember, the “hole” story? You can’t dig yourself out of a hole. In order to get out of a hole you must first stop digging.
“Shove it” money is different for everyone, it is the money necessary for you to have “peace of mind”, it is the money you have in the bank that gives you that relaxed feeling that eliminates the stress over your bills.
It means you can take the year off from work and comfortably pay your bills.
The strategy to get you to your “shove it” money is to use the money you were spending on your credit card bills and save it toward your “shove it” money.
How much “shove it” money do you need? Depends on how much your monthly bills are. That number could be $10,000, $20,000, $30,000, $50,000, you name it.
Once you have accumulated your “shove it” money in the bank (it must be very liquid) you’ll achieve the greatest freedom and wonderful feelings you’ve ever had (or had in a long long time).
Remember, use the $15 dollar a day strategy to pay off your credit cards early, than apply all the money you were paying your bills toward your “shove it” money. Reward yourself periodically with something small, Lattes and a candy bar (see my $15 dollar a day strategy on previous posts).
To your success!
David…
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