We’ve all heard the common phrase, “You teach people how to treat you.” If you allow someone to treat you like a piece of trash,  and you don’t correct them, then you have just given them a lesson on how you should be treated. It’s common sense really, but more than just a few won’t ever grasp that concept. Read the rest of this entry »

While stumbling through some of my interests on StumbleUpon today I came across a post I wanted to share. It seems I spend a bit too much time on StumbleUpon these days. I’m addicted! You can connect with me HERE and we’ll share content.

There are so many people who struggle with making money online, and I think their issue is just the lack of simplicity. Making things too complex will demotivate and kill almost anything.

Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever found yourself saying, “When I get my tax return I’m going to….,” buy me a new truck, go on a shopping spree, pay off my credit card or even just catch up on my rent or mortgage? If you have, no worries. You’re not the only one. I would say that 95 out of 100 people say that almost every year.

No big deal! That’s the way the system works right? You work a job for the year just making ends meet. You may have some extra to go on a vacation or two, buy your kids Christmas presents and maybe get a few nice things for yourself. But, none of it compares to tax return time! “Man, when my tax return gets here I’m gonna buy this or get that. “

I would have to say, and you should agree with me, that if tax return time is your biggest bonus of the year…something needs to change! You are getting paid to stay right where you’re at, dependent. Dependent on a job that isn’t paying you what you’re worth and dependent on a yearly bonus from your government, for struggling through the last twelve months of barely making ends meet. It’s like giving a lolly pop to a child who only gets one a year. The rest of the year, he’s sucking off the remains of everyone else’s lolly pops.

Look, I only bag on tax return time to make a point here. I encourage you, with all the fiber of my being, to change your thinking. Get out or your comfort zone, step into your creative side and start moving forward in a different direction…a direction that will have you paying taxes at the end of the year because you will have earned the income to do so. Instead of acting like everyone else, step out of the mold. Poor people make money to spend it, rich people make money to invest it, utilize it and to make more money with. It’s a tool, not a gift. When you get the wrench, fix the car. Don’t trade it for a tricycle.

If you think about it, it’s actually a privilege to get to pay taxes, because you know you’re helping the government support a family who needs the fifteen percent raise. Which they’ll need until they change their thinking from spending to investing…investing in themselves.

Now in closing, how many business ideas have you had in the past five to ten years? If you say none, I’ve got some great products you can SPEND your money on right now. But for those of you who have, USE your tax return on that. Start that business and move in the direction you are passionate about. If it succeeds, congratulations! You’ve broken the mold you were stuck in. And if it fails, congratulations! Now you know what to do better next time….and guess what? You’ve got another tax return to invest coming your way in exactly one year from time the last one came. You win!

Just remember, poor people spend it, rich people use it to create a better future for themselves and those around them. Which side of the scale are you on? Because on a completely lopsided scale, who’s always above the rest? The minority!

I’m going to ask you a very simple question and I want you to answer it as honestly and in as much detail as you can. Okay….are you ready for it? Here it is. How do you pick an apple?

I know….tough question right? So take a moment to think about it.

So what was your answer? Just for fun, let’s see how you measure up to the answers of others. The most common answer to this question would go something like this: Well, I stand under the tree. I reach out with my arm, open my hand, grasp the apple firmly and yank the apple downward. That my friend, is how I pick an apple!

So was that somewhere close to your answer or were you a bit more analytical in the exact same process? Maybe your answer wasn’t even anywhere close to the same. Maybe yours involved a longer process, the true process of picking an apple.

So here’s the correct way to pick an apple:

1. You pick a spot of land. Preferably on your own land.
2. You dig a hole.
3. You buy the tree.
4. You put the tree in the hole.
5. You water the tree.
6. You fertilize the tree.
7. You brace the tree up to protect it from the wind.
8. You put a fence around the tree to protect it from wildlife, such as Elk and Deer.
9. You spray it with chemicals to protect it from insects.
10. You trim the tree from time to time.
11. You then repeat steps 5 and 6, until one day, your tree finally produces apples.
12. You then, stand under your tree, reach out and pick the apple!

That, my friends, is the way to pick an apple! Would it have been easier if I had given you another question as an example, such as: How do you become wealthy? You don’t just reach out an grab the money. There is a process that comes before you “pick the apple”, or get the money.

So many people, in fact the majority of people, prefer to just simply “pick the apple.” They want someone else to take care of the “process” for them, which is exactly why most people will never get to pick the apple or become wealthy. You can’t just skip to the end. That’s a fairytale. Luckily, with modernization and grocery stores, we have people who take care of “process” so that we don’t technically have to pick the apple. That’s their way to create wealth and unfortunately, you can’t just pick up a box of wealth at the store like you can an apple. You must go through the process of creating wealth for yourself.

I teach others how to go through the process, but you must be willing to put in the time and effort before you can reap the reward. But, the process is proven….meaning, it works. I, along with thousands of others, have done it. It’s a lot like picking an apple, but with a few more steps along the way. If you can follow steps, bring a little creativity and a lot of ambition, you too can become wealthy!

This is going to be a topic of common sense that many of you are already aware of. But quite frankly, so many people lack common sense. What seems clear to one might be completely confusing to another.

Many of the terms we use in the English language are simply descriptions for the absence of something or the lack of something. These “terms” are ways to describe things that exist but are not tangible, yet, at times you can see them and feel them and at times these “terms”, if allowed to, can effect your thoughts. Now we all know that thoughts are energy and will eventually turn into action should the thought remain consistently.

Here’s an example: Darkness! It exists. You can see it and one might say that the darkness was so thick you could feel it. I think we would all agree that darkness can definitely effect ones thoughts and actions. I know full grown adults that still will not go out in the dark by themselves to take out the trash. It is something that generates that state if mind that we all know too well, it’s called fear. Darkness restricts movement, vision and ones ability to act normally. So what is darkness? Darkness is simply a term used to describe the absence of light. Light is the measurable factor here. Without it, there is darkness.

Another example: Debt! Debt definitely exists. You can see it in your life and we know that a significant amount of debt can effect ones thoughts and actions. In speaking with people about starting a home business, their main goal is to get out of debt. Debt instills fear in people. Fear of losing their home or not being able to make their bills. If it is bad debt, it restricts people in their ability to live a happy and fulfilled life. But what is debt? Debt is simply the absence of cash flow, or money! With money, debt doesn’t exist.

So here’s my point: A goal to get out of debt is a goal trying to get out of nothing. The real goal is to make money. So set that goal to the amount you desire. Getting out of debt is part of the process. Setting a goal to get out of debt is like saying, “Can you please take away the darkness?” We don’t say that! We just say, “Hey, can you turn on the lights?” The darkness goes away as part of the process.

You can’t take away the darkness without the proper actions and tools. You are required to get your butt up, walk to the switch, flip the switch on and have previously paid your electric bill. It works the same way with debt. Simply wanting to get out of debt won’t work. You’ve got to take the appropriate actions with the correct tools in order to fix your status of being in the “Absense of Money!”

If I can teach you anything, learn this one thing…debt is only the lack of money in your life. So instead of focusing on NOTHING (debt), focus on something. Focus on the things you want AFTER you have created the income that will, along the process, relieve you of the “absence of money.”

How many of you have seen the commercial about “freecreditreport.com?” I guess the better question would be, “How many of you have not seen it?” It’s a service that allows you to check your credit report for free. Awesome right!? You get to see how behaved you have been in the alternate universe of credit and what your borrowing ability is.

So answer this one question: Is your credit report important to you?

Let me make it easier for you. What is credit used for? Come on…this is easy. The answer is simple. It’s to get into more debt! See! I told you it would be an easy answer. You strive to have good credit so that you can get that new car and get into more debt. It’s used to leverage what little cash flow you have coming in so that you can afford that new car or the nice home, right?

Credit is used by 90-95% of the worlds population to get into debt and it’s funny, the answer to this question varies depending on the way you use money. So is that really what you were thinking? Is that your final answer? Do you maintain a good credit score to get into more debt?

Very few people look at a credit score as opportunity. A tool for leverage. Frankly, most people have no interest in looking at their credit score because quite frankly, it’s not too pretty! It’s not something they use correctly so they don’t see the value in maintaining it. At the same time, some people absolutely stress out about having a good credit score out of fear of non-compliance to the credit system. Having bad credit means they’re slackers and can’t handle their money.

Some people have no need for a good credit report because they have enough cash flow. Others have bad credit that know it’s value but took a risk and lost.

My advice with credit….don’t let it consume or dictate your choices. Don’t become so uptight about maintaining a good credit score that you lose site of your ambition. Use it to leverage your financial situation. For a very small portion of the masses, credit isn’t used to get into more debt. That’s not the mindset behind it. It’s used as leverage to create an increase in cash flow instead of a lengthened payment plan.

The last time I checked, the definition of credit didn’t contain the word “Stretch” in it. Meaning, don’t use it to stretch a small paycheck, use it to make the paycheck larger the next time it comes in!