Once upon a time, the times that I have been the most broke, I did a few things very consistently. And the funny thing is, when I started looking at the list of those things, they all started with “W.” Imagine that. With that said, here are the seven W’s of being and staying broke.

Why me? The poor me mentality is an infectious disease and will get worse. Once you take on this frame of mind, you’ll start to attract those with similar beliefs, and before you know it, you’ll be sharing stories about how pathetic your life is. You’ll even start to blame others for putting you in the situation you’re in, but when it all comes down to it, you put yourself there. Success starts right between our own ears, and if that area isn’t working right, the rest will follow.

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Think back on your life to a period of time when you decided to wait for something. It may have been a business or a diet you were thinking about starting or maybe even a person you were thinking about asking out on a date. Whatever it might have been, why did you choose to wait? What was the main reason?

There are obviously different reasons for people wanting to wait ranging from fear of an unwanted result to self doubt. Basically, it all leads back to the one word which is an enemy to success, “Fear!” Fear of change, fear of success (It does exist) and fear of failure are the three major fears. Most people won’t even realize they have a fear of success or a fear of change. The big one is fear of failure.

Lesson: What do successful people do when faced with a BIG decision to make? They always choose to act. What do unsuccessful people do when faced with a BIG decision? They think about it, they decide halfheartedly, they make an excuse, they wait! Where does waiting get you in the overall picture of success? Allow me to show you….

The 7 Effects of Waiting

1. You may never stop waiting. If we measure success as if it were a journey, which it is, then someone who is waiting would still be considered “behind” the starting line. That would be the person who isn’t even on the journey to success. Now, I always thought that in order to win the race, you actually have to be on the track. Am I confused?
2. Your Confidence will fade. I learned a new word today, “Obnubilate”, which means to cloud or obscure. The longer you wait, the more clouded your vision gets. If it is a business you are waiting to start, due to indecision, your passion for wanting to start a business will begin to fade almost immediately.
3. Fear will increase. You’ve probably heard of the term, “Cold Feet!” Well, the longer you wait, the colder your feet will get. Why do you think salesman are so persistent? Those who are left to sit on a decision will probably remain sitting on that decision. If they’re sitting on it, obviously it’s not in front of their face and not a priority.
4. Expecting something for nothing will land you right where you are at. A wise man once said, “A bird waiting with mouth open wide for a worm to fall out of the sky might be waiting for a very long time!” Waiting only produces waiting, nothing more. If you expect your dream lifestyle to drop into your lap by waiting to make a decision to create your dream lifestyle, pull up your recliner, get out your TV remote and enjoy those soap operas as you are currently living the lifestyle of your choice, not your dreams. Your friend Wait has chosen this lifestyle for you.
5. If neglected and ignored, goals will fade and go away. If you have children or have ever been a child, you can relate to this example. What will your child think of you and of their importance in your life if when they ask you a question about something important to them and you keep telling them to “wait” because you are glued to American Idol or your computer game. If it is just once and for a brief moment, they will understand. But what happens if that “wait just a second honey” turns into an hour, or maybe happens all the time? What happens to your children? They will fade away, they won’t ask you very many questions anymore and may not even enjoy being around you because you have put them off! Why are your goals and aspirations any different than children? The more you wait, goals will disappear and become a fuzz of a memory because doing whatever you are doing and waiting is obviously more important. They will fade away!
6. The Opportunity may pass you by! I am looking for action takers. I look for people who can make decisions right out of the gate to get started. I don’t sit around waiting for someone that contacted me 6 months to maybe finally make a decision. I move on as does opportunity.
7. Waiting can become a habit. If someone takes 6 months to make a decision to get started in a business, how long will they wait before they choose to place their first ad or make their first call. It’s a ripple effect!

The time to act has and will always be NOW! It has never, ever been later, tomorrow, next week, or next month. How does waiting ever serve you? The only thing waiting ever does, is destroy your confidence. It is the tool of the unsuccessful and the excuse maker. Allow others to wait, but not you. Be a person of action. When faced with a decision to act or to wait, always choose to act.

I think there may be a little confusion as to what the term, “Time Freedom,” really is. So many people are seeking it, yet very few really find it. Time Freedom is a concept. It’s a lifestyle and so much more. It’s what allows Fathers to truly be a powerful influence in the lives of their children. It makes it possible for mothers to really and actually be the “Stay at home Mom!” It’s the freedom that allows you to persue your dreams, hobbies and ambitions without restraint. It is probably the most sought after thing in the world.

A lot of people associate Time Freedom with Financial Freedom. Financial Freedom can be obtained while taking all of your free time to obtain it. So many sacrifice their time freedom to get the financial freedom. On the flipside of the coin, a bum has all the time freedom in the world yet, no money! So you can have one without the other.

The big difference is, you can always get more money, but can never really get more time. The clock of life is ticking and when the batteries run out, our time to make a difference in this world is over. The ideal lifestyle is to have them both. Have the money and the time to enjoy it!

Here are a few things that are NOT Time Freedom, just to be clear:

1. 2 weeks of paid vacation from your employer.
2. Weekends off from your business or employer.
3. Only having to work 40 hours a week.
4. 2 or 3 hours in the evenings to devote to family time and hobbies.
5. Summers off, as most teachers get.
6. The ability to take a day off here or there or swap work days for a family event.
7. Having Sick Days!

Now that there is zero confusion, time freedom is a very simple thing to define, and it means doing whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want, or just not doing it at all, if you don’t want. That’s it! True time freedom is being in complete control of your day. No boss to take orders from, no schedule to rule your day, no job to take you away from your true passions, no business that robs you of your personal life. It’s having complete and absolute control. If you wake up in the morning and feel like taking a drive out of town with your family, you do it. If you feel like not working at all that day, it’s your choice.

Now the trick is to be able to do all that you want to do, while still having the income flowing in. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a simple way to get them both, Time Freedom and Financial Freedom? If I knew the way, or at least one of the many ways, would you be interested to know? And once you found out how I do it, and thousands of others have done it, will you believe that it can happen for you?

That’s the key! Will you believe it can and will happen for you?