Graduate Call 6-30-09 Developing Faith In Yourself

Having a simple desire to do something is important, but it is more important to develop a burning desire to succeed. The only thing that will allow for your long term success is consistently developing and maintaining a burning desire for success. The good news is anybody can do this. The bad news is not everybody does. Developing a burning desire for success takes focus. You must concentrate your efforts on doing this program. Make it a priority in your life. You must not let the distractions of life stand in the way of you accomplishing your goals. If you stay focused, you will reap the rewards.

Dig down deep and ask yourself, where is my level of desire at this point of the program? Are you doing the things daily that are going to help you maintain your level of excitement for the program? Each of us can do things week after week that will help us develop and maintain a burning desire. Things like reading financial articles, listening to the graduate calls, and reading at least one financial book a month. You need to make sure that you are having fun with the programs. Celebrate the journey and not just the event. If you do this the program will be more enjoyable and you are much more likely to develop and maintain a burning desire for success. For more tips on how to develop a burning desire listen to the graduate conference call titled “Developing A Burning Desire.” Work hard and be consistent with the program, and I promise great things will happen!

White Vinegar is one of my favorite cleaning products. It cleans, sanitizes and is non-toxic.
I make a solution of one part vinegar and three parts water. Mix this solution in a squirt bottle. Use this to clean counter tops, microwaves, stoves, dishwashers and refrigerators. We also sanitize cutting boards with vinegar solution. Spray tile or wood floors, then mop for a quick clean up. Coffee makers and vaporizers can be cleaned with vinegar.
This is also a great product for windows, spray with solution, then shine with unprinted newsprint. (I get end rolls of newsprint from the local, small town paper. Use this to wrap dishes when moving, no need to wash the dishes when you unwrap them. Trace around the kiddos and have them add hair, clothes, etc with sidewalk chalk. I have also used the paper to create timelines in the classroom. It can be used to make gift wrapping paper when decorated with handprints, footprints, stamps, kiddo artwork.)
We buy white vinegar in gallon bottles at Sam’s or Costco and make our own cleaning solution. What a SAVINGS and a SAFE cleaning solution!
There are lots of websites with more use for white vinegar for cooking, cleaning, gardening, household ideas, automotive ideas, and on and on.
www.quickandsimple.com
www.frugalliving.about.com
www.mrscleannw.com
www.vinegartips.com
www.mizkan.com
To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.
Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.
Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.
Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so then run hot water down the drain.
Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.
Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.
Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.
Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.
Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.
Avoid the bad smell when you heat up a newly cleaned oven by using a sponge soaked in diluted white distilled vinegar for the final rinse.
To clean a grease splattered oven door window, saturate it with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.
Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.

If there is one thing that will bring you down faster than anything else it is negativity. The attitude you have about yourself and your money can go a long way making you either wealthy or broke. There are a few things that all of us can do to avoid negativity or pull ourselves out of a rut when we find ourselves in one.

Get away from negative people. You are greatly impacted by the people that you hang around. You may have people in your life that are bringing you down. Take an inventory of the top 10 people that you hang around. Are these people building you up and encouraging you to accomplish great things, or are they tearing you down and giving you a bunch of reason why you cannot do something? It may be hard to separate yourself from these types of people especially if they are family or close friends, but if you want to overcome the negativity bug it is crucial to do so.

Be careful of the things you are watching and reading. If your thoughts eventually come true, then it is important that we pay close attention to the information that is coming into our minds. Take an inventory of all TV programs, books, CDs that you are allowing to enter your mind. Are theses things building you up and making you a better person or are these things tearing you down. Make a commitment to only watch or read the things that will allow you to progress and grow and work on avoiding the things that will bring you down.

Make a plan on how you are going to get out of a negativity rut if you ever find yourself there. Write out a step by step plan for what you are going to do when you find yourself in this situation. Write it down and sign your name to it and find a friend or a family member to hold you accountable to you commitment to living a positive lifestyle!

STAYING MOTIVATED: Motivation  something that we need to constantly need to work on. Successful people understand that hard times will come, and they put plans in place for what they are going to do when those hard times do come so they can stay motivated.

HAVE A PLAN:   What I would invite everybody to do is to write out your motivational plan. What are you going to do when you feel yourself losing motivation? Write it all out on paper and sign your name to it. Give your paper to a friend or a family member so that they can help hold you accountable for what you are doing.

FIND YOUR INSPIRATION: Think back at all the times when you have been inspired or really motivated to do something. Is there an image that inspires you? Is it a specific song, book, tape, or seminar? Brainstorm all of those things and then put a plan of action into place for those times  when find it hard to get motivated.

FOCUS: Staying focused on your ultimate goal of being debt free and living prosperous is crucial to your overall success. Make sure you have your goals clearly defined and we are thinking about them on a daily basis. Staying motivated is really a decision we make each and every day!

ADDITIONAL TIPS ON MOTIVATION: What can each of us do to keep the excitement level up when it comes to our personal finances? I believe that there are a few things that each of us can do. We can keep attending all of our graduate call classes. For those that feel they need some additional help they can talk to Sam Hall about our new continuity coaching program. You can read a financial books. I recommend reading at least one a month from the suggested reading page in the coaching manuals. You can recruit a friend or family member to do the program with you. Another great way to stay motivated is to teach others how to do the program.

In this weeks graduate call we talked about the importance of investing. I gave some thoughts on how to analyze mutual funds. As with any investment it is important to keep you expenses as low as possible to maximize your ROI (return on investment). Many people do not know where to get started when it comes to investing. It is important that you know yourself. Knowing yourself is important and also knowing what types of risks you are willing to take. A big part of investing is being very familiar with the risk reward trade off. It is important to get an idea of how much risk you are willing to take on each investment. The investment vehicle that you pick will depend on how well you know your tolerance for risk. There are tools out there that will give you an idea of what investments you should pick based on your tolerance for risk. One of the tools that can help you to find and analyze mutual funds is www.morningstar.com and www.finance.yahoo.com. Morningstar is one of the most trusted mutual fund analyzer out there. Morning star ranks each mutual fund between one and five stars, five being the best. To learn about the specifics on how these funds are given their stars check out the link at the bottom of this blog.

When it comes to mutual funds you are going to hear a lot about fund families. These are simply the mutual funds that are offered under the same financial institution. If you are at one of these financial websites and you come across a word that you do not understand, take a minute to look up that word at www.investopedia.com. There are a lot of terms that you need to know, it can sometimes feel like you are learning a new language. Do not get discouraged. Roam was not built overnight and you are not going to become the next Warren Buffet overnight. It does take time, with a little persistence and determination you will conquer the investing jargon. Remember, it’s extremely important to at least learn the basics when it comes to investing. I say this because nobody cares more about your retirement and your money then you do. Your retirement is your responsibility. Do I believe that we all need some help investing and planning for retirement? Absolutely, and that is why I recommend working with your financial advisor about once every six months. Be persistent in your efforts to learn how the stock market works and it will pay off.

http://www.morningstar.com/Help/Data.html#RatingCalc