MOST, including me, would answer that question with the Name of our place of employment or with the name of our business. You might be Self Employed or Working for a Company or dabbling in a little of both. Whatever the Name or your title, that really isn't the truthful answer. The answer really lies in who we OWE, you and I work for our Mortgage or Rental Company, we work for our Vehicle Loan Company, We work for our Student Loans, We work for our Credit Card Companies, in some cases Credit Card Interest (balance never goes down, we just pay interest). We work for our Toys (Boat, Motorcycle, Time Share). We work for that Vacation of a lifetime that we enjoyed two years ago, you get the point. Robert Kiyosaki, is an American Investor, businessman and Author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" describes his definition of Wealth: The definition of wealth is the number of days you can survive without physically working (or anyone in your household physically working) and still maintain your standard of living. For example, if your monthly expenses are $5,000 and you have $20,000 in savings, your wealth is approximately four months or 120 days. Wealth is measured in time, not dollars. So, for our Journey, we are looking to be "The Best Version of Ourselves" and this is an excellent area to consider. The # of days we can survive WITHOUT physically working (or anyone in our household physically working) and STILL MAINTAIN OUR STANDARD OF LIVING. Ummm?! A Thought to Ponder. This takes my thoughts to a Roadmap. WHEN we see where we are going than it is essential that we KNOW where we are. Do you and I see where we are going (A Plan, A Desired State for our life) and do we know whee we are (on Paper what is our status today, what is the condition of our finances) all key points to travel on our Journey. No matter the current condition, there is a room for improvement, there is room for revisions, for construction, for re-routes, for revitalization. If we don't know our condition, then that is Point A, that is our starting point to find out. Taken from a song I know "Oh me, Oh my, we'll get there by and by" it offers more, but this is the part that implies "we'll get there". . BUT. .without a Plan, without Vision, I challenge that statement and boldly declare that we will not. Truth allows change. . You can't reach what you can't see, you can't have what you don't plan for. It doesn't just fall from the sky because you HOPE it will. It is ACTIONS taken, It is a WORK, it is a PLAN that understands Revisions and State of our Affairs, is a required part of the journey. Start travelling PATH C, now we Re-route to PATH D, because we recognize what needed to be revised while we travelled on PATH C. A Travel, a Journey, recognizing "Success is a Journey and not a Destination". In using Kiyosaki' definition of Wealth, that incorporates the thought of Debt Free Living. Seeking more TIME of doing MORE OF what we are passionate about, what brings our life fulfillment. Time is a commodity and once spent in a day, we do not get that TIME back. In knowing that we have to be Alert, be Wiser in our decision, in how and with whom we invest our time with. Making the Moments count and making the effort to do more of what is important in our life. We live in a world that requires money and that directly relates to our Standard of Living, so we need our Perception to focus on PURCHASE and NOT FINANCING. We live during a time of CONVENIENCE and TECHNOLOGY, we truly are a Microwave Society. It is easy to understand, why we are programmed subconsciously to "WANT EVERYTHING NOW". .our mindset, our environment screams "Who Wants to Wait for Anything?" The Challenge is the "MINDSET", what are we really rushing for, to get into debt by FINANCING, Pay Later for what we must have today. WHEN CONSIDERING A PURCHASE. . .JUST REMEMBER: FINANCE with any company, becomes a new Employer. Finance means, we have it NOW and deal with the loooong payments later. It is an added NOOSE around our neck. Not to Mention, a quick note of the "Newness Factor", you know. .the "NEW" always wears off and it quickly becomes just one of those things, but allow me to remind YOU, it is one of those things You and I get to pay for (for how many payments again?). If we could Re-Program ourselves to Perceive "OUR WANTS" in a different light, with different eyes and a new way of thinking. Having a New Approach, a New Perception, it would all = to "We Want it Now, So Make a Plan." For example; you want that $50,000 vehicle, GREAT, devise a plan, a work / an investment / to purchase it. You know where you are (you've done the work of having a Road Map and You Know Where you want to go and where you are), so what do we need to revise and or add on, to walk in the dealership and Make that Purchase. Anyone who makes a purchase "Paid In Full (Cash/Writes the Check) can negotiate even a better deal. That puts you in the driver's seat, you have the power, you are truly the Buyer and you can state "I want that vehicle for $45,000, not $50,000 so do we have a deal or should I take my money somewhere else? Do you think any salesperson would let that deal walk out the door, not to mention the eyebrows you would raise, because this type of customer is few and far between and even better you can share and help others to do the same to build their own Road Map. I hear someone saying. . .How can I buy a house, my dream home, without financing? This is not a new idea and many people have done it. The Key is a PLAN. . What will it take to get to that next destination point on your Road Map? With purchasing tha dream home, it might mean, you rent for a while leaving room, to work toward that Purchase Amount. In a home now that you love and want to own, pay double payments, one goes to interest and one goes to paying it off. There are Numerous options, a Plan B (working a side business, working an investment that brings returns) all that can become your Plan A. Some great options include those that continue to pay you on what you originally start, put effort in, called "Residual Income". Insurance Companies build business on this premise "Residual", they get paid a percentage for every payment on each policy that they insure for the lifetime of that policy. Helping Build Bridges Across offers a Residual Income business that you can learn more about on our Relationship Avenue page, their are numerous options, the key is to find what fits best with you! The Point, A Plan, A Road Map. Think about it, a Month, a Year, 5 years, will come rather you have a Plan or Not. Reflect for a moment the changes in your life in the past 10 years, where did that time go? Did you have a plan? Did you assume that your life would be in a certain state present day, based on those thoughts, on your perception, those habits you had from 10 years ago?
REMEMBER, we can START where we are, right now. This is our own journey, our trail to pave. No matter where we are. . .we all need to KNOW the condition of our Finances. We all have something we want, something we desire and are passionate about, now we need to map out the road. The Road Map will allow us to see:
We don't lose, We Plan. . . IMAGINE. . the "PEACE of Mind" when You and I, live a FINANCED FREE life. This is a New Way of Thinking, a New Pursuit, this is us paving a trail on the Journey, this is our lifestyle and the lifestyle of the next Generation to follow us. "Want Something then make the PLAN to GET It!" If we say CHARGE IT, it will be a Plastic Card, but it will come direct from our own Account using that "Debit / Credit Card" option. IT IS PAID IN FULL! HOMEWORK: Time to Make a Road Map - - Are your Emotions on a rollercoaster? Yesterday, was "Fabulous" and you took on the day with Clarity, with Focus, no matter the challenge, no mountain was to high to climb. You were a CHAMPION and ruled the day. Today, you are tired of being tired, of doing this or doing that? You feel empty and unfulfilled. I would say, that EMOTIONS are a questionable companion? I would even add, that they cannot be trusted. I think having an outline (written down goals / aspirations) of where you're desiring to go (with room for revisions, of course) is necessary. NECESSARY, for when you're climbing to new heights, feeling the anticipation of going higher to newer ground, to reaching new milestones on your journey. Having the outline (written down), can be trusted, because it can keep your eyes on the prize, to keep your focus on the next destination in sight, to celebrate with your positive, empowering emotions and the power to put your negative emotions in check, when they, not if, but when they do, to put them on notice to line up and to remain on the program. We are the riding the horse and taking control of the reigns. . when Negative, Burdensome, Weighted emotions come knocking, we have to shut the negativity down.
GRATITUDE JOURNAL: They have been the "rave" and many have shared that they benefit greatly from them. You could start your day and or close our your day with a few lines or whatever your soul desires to put to paper. . .those things that you are grateful for. Often times, we are caught in the day's dilemmas, or the "To Do" lists, or surrounded in our travels by negative comments or conversation, including delivery of a bundle of world news, which all makes it very easy, to become weighted, not "appreciating the forest, because we are so focused on the trees". New York Times Best Selling Author, T.D. Jakes, shared on one of his online teachings that "You would be surprised how many folks would be happy to have your life, as it is right now". Meaning to me, that there are so many wonderful things to be grateful for, to recognize the blessing in what we have in our life right now, and that takes, stopping and appreciating "what we can be grateful for". The Gratitude Journal puts the process in our life, by doing it daily, it becomes a habit, a woven part of our journey. MAIL A GREETING CARD or SEND SOMEONE AN UNEXPECTED GIFT: This process takes us out of our "ME" world, it puts us in the position of reflecting and appreciating someone else. That brings positive energy into our lives, the small act, of reaching out to someone else.
Have you ever received an unexpected anything or received a Greeting Card, with words expressed, that "hit a nerve", it made you in that moment, recognize what you mean to someone else. That is the kind of moments that are cherished for a lifetime by anyone who has experienced this moment. Reaching out to someone who comes to mind: I find this to be a huge encourager, because you are focused on making someone's day a little brighter. On our "RELATIONSHIP AVENUE" page, there is a Convenient Online System, where you can select or create a Greeting Card and the Company will Mail the Card for you. . . the feeling of someone going to their mailbox and amongst the usual stuff of monthly bills, advertisements, you see a Printed Greeting Card or a Gift that was UNEXPECTED, that is sending out a flow of Positivity, of Appreciation, using the Power of Words, which always flows back. SCHEDULE A VISIT, CREATE AN EVENT with FAMILY /FRIENDS: The theme is "SIT and CHAT", one on one, or a group, not, a sit and you do your social media, while I do mine. This will be an "Eye to Eye", a listen to, a space to just share good things, or memories of times shared. A time to Listen and in those moments, maybe you will be used to share a word of encouragement or to pass along a little joy. Maybe you'll be the one encouraged. The power of gathering together and connecting with like hearted folks, who share similar pursuits of living fulfilled is powerful to the journey! VOLUNTEER: This is a biggie, you never realize how "fulfilling" your own life can be until you take on a cause. To be apart of supporting a cause. To be apart of the "Change" you want to see in your community, to see in the world. There are a number of wonderful organizations, with great missions and really when you help someone else our problems or challenges, really are minimized. Have you ever heard the statement, "I use to complain about having no shoes, until, I met the man with no feet" When your eyes, your focus shifts from the "I", the "ME" factor, from the I don't have. . or I am not. ., to instead the community around you, it brings on a different perception of what you can truly be "Grateful For", in many ways, it prioritizes what is important to our journey. "Volunteering" helps us to see closer the lives of people like you and me, who are surrounded by circumstances of the moment for numerous reasons and when you assist in a climb upward or onward, it is very powerful and it brings a barrel of Positivity. OUR ASSIGNMENT: Take out the Calendar; Review, Revise or Start, to make the most of the Remainder of this Month. "KICKSTART" plans for next Month. Remember, our motto here at "Helping Build Bridges Across" is to EMBRACE the Moments and ENJOY the Journey! What makes a difference to your day? To your Journey? The door is always open to share your perspective, to share your comments! INSANITY is "doing the same thing over and over again THEN expecting different results - Albert Einstein Numerous articles, talks shows, interviews, statistics are studied and expert views are shared, that most people are miserable in their daily routine, career choice and or work day. This thought can be intimidating. .Especially. . when you consider. . For many reasons, that state of misery or frustration is EMBRACED instead of CONFRONTED. Many just don't take steps (including "micro" baby steps) to incorporate some sort of CHANGE, to alter the current direction or to aspire to the desired result. WHO IS THE ONE THAT IS ACCOUNTABLE IN MAKING DAILY DECISIONS? WHO IS STEERING THE BOAT? WHAT DIRECTION IS THE BOAT TRAVELING? This is fascinating to me and I want to explore a little more. The goal is to benefit from the insight on the subject "CHANGE" and all that it has to offer. As always, I invite you to Feel Free to share your Perspective, Your Insight on this subject. This week's subject on "CHANGE" is being served up to Awaken us all to areas where we might find ourselves embracing Complacency or Activity as usual, or doing certain things over and over again that will bring the same results. is a village, a place comprised of folks who seek purpose and desire to do more of what they are passionate about. And "CHANGE" is a key component on this journey. Together, right now, we are taking a P & R (Pause and Reflect) Moment and bringing into focus the view of the road that we're traveling. If we continue the same habits, the same activity or remain complacent in the moment, we have to take a serious look, where the path is leading us, what is it setting up to offer us, in the years ahead? That question alone can be offered to us directly, to our work life, career choice, to the time we invest with Family, Friends, Goals or Aspirations, in every area, we can take a closer look at "CHANGE". THE GOAL is that we immediately implement CHANGES that are needed, even microscopic changes is a plan and in the process we can become excited that we are creating CHANGE for our Journey and now we can anticipate more the path ahead. Keep in mind the Mandate here at "Helping Build Bridges Across" is Always Enjoy the Journey, the Moments along the way. . it is a Choice! COME TO MIND, TO AID ON THE TOPIC OF "CHANGE" "PROCRASTINATION"
Be creative in any area to get the ball rolling; take the steps instead of an escalator can be a change. Shake it up, do something different, if you are a coffee drinker, order tea. If you watch the news every night, turn the television or media off a few nights a week. The point is Now, the little as well as the big, we are incorporating CHANGE in the areas we don't like or recognize needs improvement. The activity of today doing something even a little different, will make us more alert to and look for more of what we can change for the better. "TIME" I'm Just to busy! What is the point at this stage in my life? THE POINT, is your still breathing, no matter what stage you're in and for those who are in a later season of life, you have something to offer from life's experience alone, you've learned so much, you've seen so much that YOU alone could feed Knowledge in the generation around you. TOO BUSY?, Consider that those who have been examples of great accomplishments, have the same 24 hours that we all have. So we know it is not I don't have enough TIME that is a Factor, it is what we do with the TIME that we have that matters! Hope is Great! But it is not meant to replace some form of activity. We can't expect results without some form of effort. HOPE can easily ride on the back of Complacency because it can LULL us into a sleep. .that. .one day soon it will be better. If no effort in This Day or Change is implemented, it returns us to that earlier quote on insanity. Again, CHANGE, is a key component to rev up areas where we've been lax to add Activity current day, traveling the Journey of where we desire to go.
"CRAB APPLE BARREL" Misery loves company, so we have to look seriously at the people we surround our life with (what is the conversation, what are the comments. . when you share personal goals, ideas, dreams or aspirations? What is your environment?) Are the people we have in our life, folks who love to gossip about others and are negative, pessimistic or are they folks who love talk about ideas, aspirations, desiring good things for the community around them and being a part of the change they want to see. We can CHANGE who we allow to speak into our life and or company that we choose to be around. Now, I realize that our relatives and or co-workers could be that negative component in our life, in hose moments we can can limit how much time we spend together or choose to Not Engage in that type of conversation, change the subject or assist by adding something positive to the conversation instead. "VISION" Do you have a picture / pictures in the place of what you see your Best Version of Your Life being? It is said that before any results are achieved, in any area, that is "seen" first in our mind. It is as if the actions follow the images, so what we feed our mind, the type of information we read or receive is a vital component. I also believe we could add PERCEPTION to this equation, so, if we see it, then we pursue it and our perception of the current moment, CHANGES, because we are traveling the path towards what we see, now maybe misery and or frustration or undesirables THEN, just become gravel on the road we are traveling. CHANGING OUR PERCEPTION, CHANGES OUR LIFE to see that there are LESSONS and OPPORTUNITIES in any season, in any situation. Now the journey to pursue purpose, to do more of what we are passionate about becomes more exciting, because we recognize and or are alerted to that life challenges, offer something to us. It Awakens us to CHANGE, it Awakens us to New Possibilities and Opportunities. Living a life with Purpose, Living a life of Fulfillment. "WORDS" The POWER of OUR WORDS. Words we use is vital, what good is Vision, if the words you speak are Negative or Defeatist. I believe Words should be chosen wisely and Silence is Golden. When you have nothing good to say, don't speak. Choose Power Words, choose Words that travel alongside to achieve your vision. SPEAK as if your life incorporates that Best Version of what you see you are, Now, then your actions will follow and what you see has become your reality. Life is a process and I believe we are always learning, always evolving in the Best Version of Ourselves that we can be, especially when we are alive and open to our Creator and who He has created us to be.
Time no longer Robs Us, we are putting time to Work for us because NOW we are alert to the POWER OF CHANGE. This week on "Think Tank Thursday" we are pulling tidbits of information from the H.B.B.A. Book Club's July Reading: "Instinct - The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive" by New York Best Selling Author T.D. Jakes" which can be an asset to our journey. Drawing from the 1st - 3 Chapters:
The book opens with QUOTE: "Our Instincts are the treasure map for our soul's satisfaction. Following our instincts can make the crucial difference between what we are good at, our vocation, skill set and what we are good for - the fulfillment of our purposeful potential." There are those who operate in that zone and examples from the book referenced to the Fashion Designer who creates with the flair that becomes the next trend, or an Interior Decorator who walks in an empty room and can put together colors and materials that bring the room alive. Key Point to reflect: This relates well to experiences of being in what is called in some circles "In the Zone" those moments that you are doing something that comes very naturally to you and I. It could be public speaking, writing stories, drawing pictures and illustrations, helping others, athletic, a teacher, the list really is endless, but we EXCEL in it and it comes natural because it is simply "what we love to do". "IN THE ZONE" what you love to do, these are key components of seeking Purpose, of desiring to do more of what you are passionate about, that place that brings total FULFILLMENT. That I believe is what most seek and it doesn't relate to Income, you can be wealthy and miserable. It is doing daily what you love and can't wait to do more of or can spend endless hours doing it, working on it, drafting, developing, invested in it. It's been said on many occasions by those who operate FULL TIME in their passion, "Find what you love to do and give it away, share it, operate in it and the money will always find you" The book references: "Connect to Your Calling" Quote: "God has given us a deeper Instinct to be attracted to those things that fit a higher and better purpose. Never settle for less than God's best for your life. . . " "If you believe in calling, you understand it's more than the motivation in the Author's case to minister that clergy experience. The calling to creativity, the calling to teach, to give, to build, are all part of allowing your instinct to guide you to the "something more" that you suspect is out there" I see this as relating to the drive, why does anyone take up a cause, or help or volunteer, or start a media campaign to connect with others around the Country, I think the draw is the same, you have a message to share, a drive to do and it something that you JUST DO, it is a part of your core, of what brings the fulfillment, brings the joy, it brings peace, it is an involvement in being the change that you want to see or believe should be. Quote: "Our creator designed everything he made to have a purpose. Yet most of us live our lives wondering what our purpose is. Worse still, there's an aching in our hearts as we sense that there has to be more in life, something beyond compliance with convenient opportunities to which most of us have lived our lives. I encounter so many people who dread going to work, not because they are lazy but because they are unfulfilled." "the uncertainty or fear of pursing this inner sense keeps us contained in the contrived cage of the ordinary. Simply put, we've never learned to rely on our instincts, that inner wisdom" Key Point to reflect: That bears retyping: "the uncertainty or fear of pursuing this inner sense keeps us contained in the contrived cage of the ordinary. Simply put, we've never learned to rely on our instincts, that inner wisdom." From that statement alone, I would say, FEAR is a Word that at one time immediately meant OPPONENT, meaning, you hear the word fear and it brings the thought of "to battle", it relates to breaking through a fear, facing a challenged place. Actually in reflection. . .FEAR can be a benefit or deterrent, either becoming a hindrance to keep you confined in a cage that you've outgrown, or never really fit inside of, or it can drive you to seek your Best Self. To find purpose, to spend time finding what drives you, what brings fulfillment to your soul. The FEAR of remaining in a state that limits, that restrains, WHO YOU TRULY ARE, that place of not operating in your place of gifts, talent and purpose. SELF AWARENESS IS A KEY COMPONENT. It is very easy to Wade in the Water, to Be Complacent, even when you're in a state of misery or frustration, hating the emotions, the circumstances but the place has become familiar SOOOO you continue to travel the path. Afterall, it's easier to walk the familiar path than to create new ones. Driving or seeking to do more of what you are passionate about means in most cases, that you have to be a person that moves forward on a path that does not offer Pep Rallies, Supporters and or Cheerleaders, especially in the initial phase of building and or pursuing more of your place of fulfillment. Which in most cases, the initial phase is the the most critical because it is that crossroad to take a FIRST STEP, to DO SOMETHING that may be a little different, to do something that maybe only you can see, that only you have a vision for on the journey. WHY IS IT SO EASY for others to define who we are or who we should be. . WHO SHOULD KNOW THAT BEST? BETTER QUESTION. .Why do we allow that to hinder progress or a direction that we should take or try. I would share that whenever someone is speaking into your life, You and I should ALWAYS consider the source, that is a moment to P & R (Pause and Reflect) on there life, how do they operate in the area that they are speaking to me about???! |
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October 2024
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