I Wanna Be A Billionaire, so F*cking Bad!

I've been noticing a lot of people complaining they don’t have enough money, or they’re broke and want to be rich. Yet one simple question seems to always get them thinking of the reality of getting money and being rich;

“What are you doing about it?”

Typical responses…

“Ummm…”

“LOTTERY!”

“Good question…”

“I’m too busy” or my personal favorite,

“Ummm….Shut up!”

See in an era of instant gratification, we forget that there is a process to everything. We get bombarded by the “glory” of instance every day. Instant coffee, instant noodle, instant service, instant cash! We’re so spoiled at getting most of what we want in an instant that we develop an instant craving, and forget the importance of process, the process of taking action.

Going back to my point, all of us want money, financial security and riches, I mean who doesn’t? However, wealth and abundance doesn’t happen in an instant in typical cases. Simply wishing and dreaming of financial security won’t make you wealthy.

So then what will?

Simple, it was answered with my question earlier, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Here’s 2 Simple Ways How

First and foremost – Mind over Money

Discipline is the key for this first step. The simplest approach to training your discipline is by setting up a “pay yourself everyday jar”. It's exactly how it sounds like. It's unconventional, yet highly effective.

This is how I set mine up;

I found an old pickle jar in my kitchen cabinet, set it on my night table and every day I would put $1 in it, or whatever change I had in my pocket. You’ll be surprised how fast this adds up and how fast you get addicted to it. Once you have enough, put it in a savings account and repeat!

The key to this activity is not the amount of money you put in the jar, but the habit of putting money in the jar to save. Whether its $10 or 1 cent, it doesn’t matter how much you put, as long as you put something everyday!

In order to appreciate a million dollars, learn to appreciate a million pennies first.

Second – Don’t procrastinate

Instant gratification is a funny thing really. People want things right now, but won’t act on ways to get what they want RIGHT NOW. They create excuses like, “I’m too busy”, “I don’t know how to invest”, and “I’ll get it someday, when I’m ready”

Excuses like not having enough time, knowledge or courage is a surefire way to stay broke.

I mentioned we are in an era of Instant Gratification right? Well there are ways to take advantage of this in helping you act NOW.

Not enough time? Use a calendar and schedule time! I use Google Calendar, however you can use any calendar. Find time to make money on the side. Find time to sell things you don’t use anymore. Find time to find ways in how you can help yourself earn extra income.

Not enough knowledge? Wikipedia is a great free resource to learning financial terms and strategies! I often buy books about things I want to learn on Amazon. I also find articles online from people who are already creating extra incomes, to gain perspective.

Not enough courage? Find someone who is financially stable and take him or her out for coffee and ask for advice! Make friends with a business owner; ask them for a little time to answer your questions on your quest to creating your own business and financial security.

If you haven’t noticed already it’s a fairly simple concept, it’s not easy, but it’s not hard either. It’s a matter of changing mental financial habits around and creating more opportunities in making more money by acting on getting what you want.

I’ll leave you with this joke,

“A man spent his whole life going to a church every day praying to the statue of a great saint begging ‘please, please, please, let me win the lottery.’ Finally the exasperated statue comes to life and looks down at the begging man and says ‘my son, please, please, please, buy a ticket.’”

Recommended Resources

http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/psychology-of-money/

http://moneyning.com/investing-101/

http://www.fastlaneentrepreneurs.com/

JM

3 Awesome Benefits of Being Single

This was a guest post I wrote for Kingpin Social that allowed me to realize the benefits and awesomeness of being single so I can share it with you. Enjoy!

Special shout-out to Brian, an up and coming author for helping me edit this article!

It’s Friday night. You call up your best friend. The best thing to do would be to get hammered wasted at the Local Pub and talk about the week, right?! However he replies...

“Hey Bro. Can’t make the Pub tonight, I’m hanging out with the girlfriend."

So you're Single...Don’t worry, I feel you. And so do other single people out there. “I am single” you say to yourself, because that is reality, it just is. What you choose to make of it is up to you, because there’s a positive and a negative to every situation. You can choose to bask in the glory of being single, spending your free time meeting new people, or you can sit at home on your friday nights playing video games. The flipside is not always the easiest.

While dwelling upon the negatives, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to be single. Especially when it seems like “everyone around you is finding someone, but you.” This isn’t the truth, but now that you’re focused on the negatives (you being alone) it seems like you are the ONLY one that feels this feeling (you’re alone, right!?)  But hey, it’s not the end of the world. Besides it’s not like you’ll be single forever, just single for now. Right now is the present moment, and you should be embracing it!

This was a conversation I had plenty of times with a buddy of mine, which sparked this post. It simply went like this…

“Man I haven’t been laid in months!” says my buddy.

“Oh dude, tell me about it!” I replied.

Oh yes, the sexual frustration talks of single people. We’ve all been there at one point or another. Until you decide to take yourself seriously, the perils of single life can be seemingly devastating. Most people aren’t fortunate enough to have found their passion, so being single means that their free time is spent alone and unproductive.

Now first things first, I’m not writing to give you the step by step process on how to get laid. Nor am I going to share with you my sexual frustrations, that won’t be necessary. I will however share with you 3 Awesome Benefits of Being Single to survive while you’re on your own. Being single isn’t easy; however it can be awesome and simple at the same time.

So what are the 3 Awesome Benefits of Being Single?

You have more free time

Alright you're single, so I’ll say this as simply as I can…GO OUT AND HAVE FUN! Don’t use this time to mope and envy those who are in relationships! Use this time to enjoy activities by yourself. Enjoy the company of your friends and family, who probably misses your company! Also this is the perfect time to meet new people. You now have so much more time to do pretty much whatever you want with whomever you want. Use it to your advantage.

Upgrade yourself for the better

Since you have more time, use it in upgrading yourself. Hit the gym (you probably gained some love chub), learn a new language, read books that interest you (put down that PS3 controller and read!), go travelling, learn how to dougie, clean your room, get a new haircut style… the list is endless! Upgrade yourself to what your heart desires. When you upgrade yourself for the better, the quality of your life becomes better, including the women/men that you attract. Having skills and abilities makes one valuable. The more valuable you are, the more “high value” people you will attract into your life, friends and lovers.

Flirt (guilt free) 

I’m a huge believer that we are all natural flirts. And what’s the fun in being single if you don’t flirt. While you’re upgrading yourself, you’ll be exposing yourself to new experiences, knowledge and people (specifically the opposite sex). This is your opportunity to mingle with anyone, anywhere.YOU… ARE… SINGLE! Flirt with the cutie you’ve been eyeing at work, in the gym, at the coffee shop, in the airplane!

If you don’t know how to flirt or at the very least spark up a conversation, email me and we’ll talk, it’s easier than you think.

Being single isn’t the end for you; it’s actually a new beginning and a new chapter that you can write to your liking. It’s a new opportunity to focus and fall in-love with yourself.

Not only will you get a chance to get to know yourself on a personal level, but you will also get a chance to meet new people and gain new experiences. Being aware of the 3 AWESOME Benefits allows you to progressively move your life forward. This is an article you can read, deciding to take the first step towards self – betterment, and optimization of your single life. This could lead to having a kick-ass lifestyle and potentially even lead you to meeting that new special person that’s right for you.

Are you Super-Productive or Sort-Of Productive?

Lately I've been tinkering around with the idea that being busy, doesn't necessarily mean you’re productive. So I put it to the test. I set up two scenarios for myself.

Scenario #1 (S1) – Super-Productive

I put myself in a situation where I had no distractions, to keep my focus at an all time high. I deactivated my Facebook, I turned off my phone, I went to the library, and organized and listed everything I wanted to accomplish that particular day. I was setting myself up to be Super-Productive.

Scenario #2 (S2) – Sort-of Productive

Obviously the opposite of #1; Facebook was in front of me (even Twitter), I had a book out, I was on Google Reader catching up on my subscriptions, I was texting friends and I was at my favorite coffee shop. My work was still laid out in an organized and listed fashion to be accomplished that day. I was set-up to be Sort-of Productive.

I know what you want to ask me, “So which Scenario allowed you to get the most work done?”

“It’s obviously Scenario #1 right?”

Well the answer is NEITHER surprisingly and I’ll tell you why.

S1 did keep me away from all the distractions I mentioned above except for one; CRAVING! I was craving to check my Facebook and my phone which took a lot of my focus away from actually doing my work. When I would start to work on something, I’d get distracted by my craving to do something else. And I know I’m not the only one that goes through this craving.

On the flip side S2 is an obvious one. Since I had all these distractions readily available, I was distracted 80% of the time I was trying to work. I would be reading feeds, glancing over my book, responding to my text messages and drinking a boat load amounts of coffee, so I was wired to be distracted.

So since the first 2 scenarios didn’t work, I had to find another way; bringing me to Scenario #3.

Scenario #3 – Rewarductive

Back when I was 8-9 years old, my parents bought a poster that they posted on my room door. It was a Chores Poster. They listed chores they wanted me to do and once I accomplished it for the day, week or month, I would receive a reward that I wanted. Based on how extensive the chore, the reward became awesome! 

So I decided to follow this same system now, just a bit simpler to boost my motivation. I would work for 1 hour straight, and reward myself with something I wanted to do. Believe me when I say that my productivity increased tenfold in that 1 hour that I worked!

I organized and listed “mini” manageable projects within my project that would take an hour (give or take a few minutes) and once completed, checked and re-checked. I would grab a coffee, or watch an episode of Two and Half Men, or take a powernap, and sometimes even play some Call of Duty.

The idea behind the third scenario is to create a system where there is less work, with high productivity without limiting yourself from doing the fun stuff. This built motivation to work hard during the hour and maintained efficiency, because I didn’t want to look over it during my reward periods, I wanted to play hard also.

Since you don’t limit yourself from success by working hard, why should you limit yourself from doing fun stuff by playing hard?

30oz Steak Productivity!

Reminiscing back when I was talking to a brilliant friend of mine, he altered my belief about staying productive through consistency rather than urgency.

He said…

“I don’t see why many people allow themselves to get caught up in such urgency to do many things at the same time and have really nothing to show for it in the end. Why not just take small incremental steps that are consistent, so that it’s manageable for you to see it through to the end, then move on to the next one.”

Recently I’ve been bombarded with tons of work projects and self projects; from engineering designs for work and lifestyle engineering for myself. Yes I’m busy with all these activities, and yes I got some things done, yet somehow I still felt unproductive because my main goals are still yet to be accomplished.

That’s when my brain quickly went to flashback mode and picked out what my friend told me about taking “…small incremental steps that are consistent…” I love how memories just appear out of nowhere and it completely reminds you what you have forgotten to help you out, it’s magical really.

Just like eating a nice 30oz steak cooked to perfection. You don't pull the whole piece in your mouth right away. First of all it's impossible, and worse of all you'll choke and probably kill yourself if you manage to force it all in at once.

Rather you take a steak knife, cut up the steak into little chewable nibblets and you savor the flavor of each piece you bite into. Consistently repeat this process of cutting small steak pieces, before you know it, you've managed to eat and enjoy a whole 30oz steak.

So ask yourself…

“Are you a victim of urgent activities with little to no desired results to show for it?”

If so, momentarily re-evaluate your current situation and pick just one activity or project to stay productive in and see it through to the end. Not only will you decrease your workload and stress, you'll enjoy doing it to the point where you will stay motivated to tackle what's next in line.

Bon Appetit! 

Fall into Commitment

You’re standing on the edge of a cliff 10,000 feet high. 

You look down and gauge the depth that you are about to fall into. Yikes!! Your heart is pumping so fast it feels like it’s going to explode out of your chest any moment. Your forehead and palms are drenched in sweat. Your mind is racing a million miles an hour. In a split second, you open your eyes and leaped off the cliff to conquer your fear. There is no going back at this point. There is no magical rewind button to take you back up to the cliff so you can walk away. You committed to the jump, so at this point all you can do is enjoy the experience.

Many of you might ask…

“Why would anyone risk their life by jumping off a cliff? You could severely break your arms, legs, back, and penis! Not to mention fall to your death!”

Let's get something straight, I'm not telling you to jump off a cliff after you read this, not at all! Jumping off a cliff that’s 10,000 feet high is extremely dangerous and is no easy task. It’s going to require full preparation both mentally and physically. Most importantly, it’s going to require full commitment; the commitment to risk it all.

So why would anyone take a leap to risk it all? 

The reward! 

The reward of overcoming any obstacle because of your full commitment to the task will be satisfying, if you ask me.

“If you’re going to work, work hard. That way you’ll have something to show for it.” – Seth Godin

I believe that saying goes for everything you do in life. It can be work directed towards your studies, relationships, hobbies, fitness, whatever it is your doing. Commit yourself 100%. Because like Seth said, you’ll have something to show for it. Whether it’s an A+, a strong and lasting relationship, a creative idea, or a six-pack, you will receive greater results by giving it your all.

"What are the chances of you failing if you’re fully committing yourself to what you are doing? Chances are very slim, so why not give it your full 100%?" My buddies would always say.

Be aware that we tend to regret the things we didn't commit ourselves to doing, than committing ourselves into doing something.

What's Your Flavor?

"You're an asshole!" She said, back when we didn't get along.

Now she shouts, "Did I ever tell you you're awesome?!"

Funny how sometimes the person you didn't get along with, becomes a lifelong friend.

The past couple days I pondered why some relationships die and some relationships blossom. And last night after talking to my new friend, the simplest explanation occurred to me, individuality. The fact that all of us are unique individuals means that we all have something unique to offer each other.

I’m not just talking about an intimate relationship between a man and a woman. It can be a relationship with your friends, family, pet, co-workers or even that barista at Starbucks you always have a morning chit-chat with. The relationships we have with each other revolve around sharing our individuality.

Remember I said that we all have something unique offer each other? I believe we all have certain needs that have to be met. Most of the time we are not even aware of what we need, until that need is met by someone, then BAM! You’re in that relationship.

"Would you like some salt & pepper on your steak?" 

Ever been ask that question after you received the food you ordered? Salt and Pepper have their own distinct flavor separately. But add them together, and they complement each other; giving food a whole new combination of flavor to enjoy. Since salt can over power the taste of food, adding pepper counters the power of salt, balancing the taste. With that said, I believe people are like spices. We all have our own exclusive flavor. Combine our flavors together and we create a totally different kind of flavor mix to complement each other.

To simply to put it, if you were missing happiness in a certain part of your life and someone was able to fill you with that happiness, I believe that certain someone became a part of you. The two of you formed a new mix of flavor or a relationship. That doesn’t necessarily mean your relationship is at a level where it is strong and lasting at that particular moment. It will require time, effort and energy to build that relationship, and that’s gonna be up to both of you to pursue.

Opportunities for new relationships will happen every second of the day. By being aware of that fact, forming new relationships with anyone can become simple and fun! Sharing your uniqueness to those around you attracts the uniqueness of others to you, therefore creating opportunities for new relationships. Sometimes you just don’t know what opportunities others hold for you and what you hold for others, and ultimately what type of flavors opportunities can mix. 

The possibilities for the different types of flavors to mix are limitless

Five Lessons About How To Treat People
-- Author Unknown
1. First Important Lesson - "Know The Cleaning Lady"

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.


2. Second Important Lesson - "Pickup In The Rain"

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.

A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.


3. Third Important Lesson - "Remember Those Who Serve"

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "50¢," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "35¢!" she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. 


You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4. Fourth Important Lesson - "The Obstacles In Our Path"

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. 


The peasant learned what many of us never understand - "Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition."


5. Fifth Important Lesson - "Giving When It Counts"

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.