The Best Way To Predict Your Future Is To Create It!

So it has been a little while since I wrote.  Unfortunately I am caught up in getting myself together and planning for my Future.  I am glad to see that people are still reading in my absence and  I will try to write more often.

Nevertheless I thought I would share (as usual), what is going on in my head at the moment.  I am really in a state of working to make my future fit my dreams.  I am trying to keep the focus, albeit with a hint of procrastination thrown in.

That is my biggest problem - procrastination.  It has been my downfall all my life.  From delaying  my rise out of the bed in the morning, to debating far too long about what eye shadow to wear to match my outfit on a given day (Ok slight exaggeration).  Suffice to say, Procrastination is my worst feature.  

However back to the matter in hand.  The Future!  We all too often wait for great things to materialise.  Destiny, kizmet, fate, whatever we want to term it as, we wait and wait a little more, until time passes, expectations are not met and we blame life, God, the universe everyone but ourselves for life being not what we had hoped or planned.

The thing is, if we all reflected and reflected well, we cannot honestly deny, that how we participate and engage in making our Futures is integral to the successes (or indeed failures) we encounter.  We need to take control, we need to proactively be the makers of our futures and not let our futures make us.

I have to prevent myself from being stuck in the midst of the verbiage. Talking and talking about what I am going to achieve.  I am progressing and taking baby steps towards what I want to do but I realise that I am not taking the big leap I need to.  I am scared.  There, I said it.   I can talk all I want and in fact I do.  Now I must walk the talk.  I cannot predict the exact turn of events and how I will be a success.  However I can predict that I will succeed. Right?

All of us, we may fail along the way, but we can by all means keep trying until we get where we want to.    Why spend so much time trying to predict how the future will turn out versus making moves to create the future we desire?

There are so many ways to make strides.  I have chosen to seek help, support (big thanks to Mum and my Sister through Love for helping with the Business lately), and advice of those that I know have a genuine interest in seeing me succeed.  I am also using a lot of Visualisation and working on the  planning.  I have created vision boards too.  

This is the year of Me.  I know it and I will show it.  So like I keep reminding myself. Remember:
Whatever you want from your life 'The Best Way To Predict Your Future Is To Create It!' ~ Unknown.


Blessings

Stressed But Blessed!

I spent the past weekend in Bali with Honey.  It is my favourite destination in Asia thus far (I still have many to see).  Bali always manages to make me feel Zen as you can see in the picture (jeez my arms are long).   

We spent quality time together and it was so nice to change the ambiance even for a few days.  It set the tone for me continuing on my journey of appreciation of my life, and it was a catalyst for me being able to deal with the disagreeable level of work that I have endured this week.

Let me tell you.  This week at work has been HECTIC! Nevertheless, it has seen me reach a pinnacle in my life! For the first time, even though under vasts amounts of stress, I have been able to effortlessly look on the bright side of life and not be bothered by foolishness. Don't get me wrong it has been tiring and intense, but I have handled the stress way better than ever before, and it feels goooood! 

Despite this being the most challenging week I have encountered since I started my job, you know what?  Through it all I have kept smiling without even realising.  It was not until a colleague commented that she did not know how I have kept smiling that I realised it.  Hence the term 'Stressed But Blessed!'

I hope this frame of mind lasts forever as I have managed to get through the tumultuous time at work feeling blessed to have this job. I am glad for the experience and exposure the trying times have given me and most of all I am all the more determined to succeed in my external endeavours to enable me to manage my own future and comfortably become self-employed.

I asked myself what I did differently so that I can apply it all the time.  There is a method to what may sound like madness...  Fundamentally, whenever a situation occurs that is trying or hard to deal with, we should not get flustered.  Do not panic.  Relax.  Give yourself a minute to think.  Never react in anger, desperation of anxiety.  Be silent for moment and Breathe.....Then smile.  

As silly as it may sound, when you smile you cannot genuinely feel anger, anxiety or depression. Just Smile and think of something better instead.  Then note to self, it is only a menial situation.  You are bigger than it, whatever 'it' may be.  After which you feel empowered to deal with it in an appropriate manner and move on.

Personally, each time an annoying event occurred this week, I reminded myself that I only have a less than 5 years and then it is financial freedom.  I will be my own Boss! Only God knows how exactly, but it is going to happen.  That's what works for me.  However maybe for you it requires thinking about how great your family is.  What about how wonderful your personal relationships are?  Perhaps how nice your home is?  Whatever floats your boat, take a moment and focus on something better instead.

We all have our bad times whether it be work, home, friends, foes.  Nonetheless what you focus your attention on is what is amplified sometimes exponentially.  Thus, focus on the Bless and not the Stress.  As ALL of us have Blessings right?  Even if we don't acknowledge them.

Love and Happiness!

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish!

It's that time of year!  Many of us are just getting over the Christmas credit card bills, when the New Year Sales start and graciously help to get us into even more debt.  

I have come to appreciate that realistically, the only way sales are a bargain and we are genuinely saving,  is if we are paying cash that we can afford to spend on those 'sale' items.  If they have to go on credit and take years to pay, then there is no saving at all.

Funny how even if we have a trailer load of clothes, shoes and pretty things, we cannot resist a bargain in the New Year Sales.  After all we are saving right?  Well no, not really.

You see what we tend to suffer from is PWPFS (Penny Wise, Pound Foolish Syndrome).  Worse still we tend to buy in excess to keep up with other people's expectations.  As Benjamin Franklin said 'If all the world were blind except myself, I should not care for fine clothes or furniture.'  If we were not so concerned with keeping up with the Jones', we would actually be OK re-working our wardrobe, and last seasons shoes and bags, instead of having to get the latest Prada accessory and paying the high street bank twice over for the pleasure.

I am a recovering PWPFS sufferer.  I still have relapses, but I have given myself this year - 2012 to kick that bad habit.  You see when I reflect upon how much better off I could have been if I applied some basic fundamental money managing strategies, I pinch myself.  In fact I drop-kick myself!  I know for sure that if I had been sensible with my money during the past 14 years that I have worked full-time in well paid jobs, I would have had a nice nest egg to support me today - I know this!  Perhaps I might have even been financially free.  They say hindsight is 20/20 vision right?

Women in particular lack common financial sense. OK, that is a sweeping statement, but I have many friends that are earning good money.  Some are earning several hundred thousands of dollars.   They have nothing to show for it.  Not their own home, not a college fund for their kids.  They have a fine wardrobe, all the latest gadgets, but no assets whatsoever.  How is that so?  Why is that so?

Unfortunately we are taught things in school that do not prepare us for surviving in the real world.  We need to be taught social interaction, saving for a future, provided with information on taking care of our finances.  Instead we are taught algebraic equations.  

In actual fact, money matters should be taught in the home. Let's make a difference if we are not already.  Maybe if more of us had that training at home we would not be getting mortgages beyond our means and giving the banks leverage to ruin the economy as is speculated. Give your children, nieces & nephews, little cousins hints and tips on saving.  Open an account that they cannot touch until 21 and encourage them to save regularly instead of buying them a Nintendo DS.

There is no reason to remain financially ignorant, it is time to teach yourself and everyone you care about.  There are 1000s of books and online tools. Some books date back hundreds of years.  Themes are common.  The main ones being spend less, save more.  Spend less than you earn.  Save a minimum of 10% of your earnings.  All achievable things if we are mindful of them.

So sit down, write a list of what you spend every day for the next month.  Look at that list and see what is essential.  What you can do without, then try and do without those items for the following month.  See how it feels to have saved, even if it is a minimum amount.  It can be something as simple as not going to your coffee shop and buying a skinny latte every day right?

 

I am on a mission to tell all my friends to get their financial stability groove back.  Be in a position to help yourself and others to keep your heads well above water.  Shoot! You should position yourself to walk on water and float financially.

In essence, no matter what you earn, spend less always!

Blessings...