It isn't just for eliminating your credit card debt. There are many other applications that it can be used for. It just so happens that we talk about saving money and eliminating your credit card debt in this blog. But one tool that can be used here is one tool that will serve you in all of life:
Positive Mental Attitude.
This was one of the earliest lessons that I learned in my adult life. There was a trumpet instructor at the University of Arkansas where I earned my bachelor's degree in music education. He was the type of guy that you loved to be around. He always had something encouraging to say and you always left his presence feeling better than when you were feeling before he came around.
One day, he invited several of us to go to Oklahoma with him to an Amway meeting. There was a room filled with 500+ enthusiastic people and the feeling was quite contagious. It was at that time that I learned the importance of filling your mind with lots of positive things, and I picked up a book (which I still have to this day) by Napoleon Hill called "Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude". The book told of the success that you could enjoy by employing several techniques for keeping a positive mental attitude.
This book and many others are ones that are referred to by myself that help to keep my focus on having a positive outlook and succeeding. It even helps as I continue to grow my Internet presence and work toward financial independence as many others have dreamed of as well. One thing that I have learned is that there is a difference between dreaming of a successful life and having goal. Goals are just dreams with plans.
Succeed in planning and you will develop a plan to succeed. Have a GREAT day!
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Having A PMA (Positive Mental Attitude)
Hope springs eternal, that is how the saying goes. When undergoing the quest to eliminate your credit card debt, there will be times when you shall be sorely tested. When the tough gets going, it can be difficult, at best, to keep going. I have had the fortune of being exposed in my young adult life to books like "Think and Grow Rich", "How to Win Friends and Influence People", "See You at the Top", "Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude", and, my favorite, "Rhinoceros Success". The premise behind filling your mind with positive things will help when positive things are not happening in your life. Their philosophy in these (and lots of other) books is that you have to find the positive things and focus on them instead of dwelling on the bad. So, in other words,
HANG IN THERE!
You gotta stay focused on what the goal is. The goal for many of us is to be free from the bonds of high-interest credit card debt. Although Congress is currently drafting legislation to help against some of the predatory practices of credit card companies, we cannot rely on somebody else to take control of our lives: we have to do it ourselves. Congress is doing what they can, but it is certainly not enough. In fact, it may hurt the people who need the help the most, the ones who need credit. It will be tougher for those to get credit.
KEEP FOCUSED!
Your goal is perhaps to rely less on credit cards and make your hard-earned money work for you. Don't make somebody else rich by the blood of your brow. Learn as much as you can, find the actions that will lead you to the destination of being credit card debt free, and then (dare I mention it?) TAKE ACTION! Action is 1,000 times more effective than inaction. If you do nothing, you will get nothing. Please do what you can to help yourself. I am here to help, but ultimately it is YOU that will do the action.
Have a GREAT day!
HANG IN THERE!
You gotta stay focused on what the goal is. The goal for many of us is to be free from the bonds of high-interest credit card debt. Although Congress is currently drafting legislation to help against some of the predatory practices of credit card companies, we cannot rely on somebody else to take control of our lives: we have to do it ourselves. Congress is doing what they can, but it is certainly not enough. In fact, it may hurt the people who need the help the most, the ones who need credit. It will be tougher for those to get credit.
KEEP FOCUSED!
Your goal is perhaps to rely less on credit cards and make your hard-earned money work for you. Don't make somebody else rich by the blood of your brow. Learn as much as you can, find the actions that will lead you to the destination of being credit card debt free, and then (dare I mention it?) TAKE ACTION! Action is 1,000 times more effective than inaction. If you do nothing, you will get nothing. Please do what you can to help yourself. I am here to help, but ultimately it is YOU that will do the action.
Have a GREAT day!
Friday, May 8, 2009
24 . . . Hours a Day,
If your thoughts are concerned with eliminating credit card debt, it may seem that is how much time you spend on it a day. That is both a good thing and a bad thing: If you spend all of that time worrying and take no action to get you on the path toward being credit card debt-free, then it is a bad thing. However (and there is always a however in life), if it spurns you to ACTION then it is a good thing. If you do nothing, nothing will change.
It Isn't Going To Happen Overnight!
Chances are that your credit card debt did not magically appear overnight. You were doing fine making your minimum payments, but something may have come up (like an emergency crown for your back molar that, despite insurance, sets you back $514.30) and you may have missed a payment. No big deal, right?
Wrong!
The credit card company will slap you with a $39.99 late fee, plus an interest rate hike (not just a temporary one), plus all of the extra interest. Without conscious effort, it does not get better from there. The time to act is NOW! Contact your credit card companies and ASK for a better rate, STOP using your credit cards, and BEGIN the journey to freedom.
By the way, the running total (on day 24) of the 30 day challenge stands at $128.10, and when I was preparing food for dinner last night, a quick inventory revealed that I could stretch this out for another 30 days and I may just do that.
Keep working, TAKE ACTION, and here's to your success!
It Isn't Going To Happen Overnight!
Chances are that your credit card debt did not magically appear overnight. You were doing fine making your minimum payments, but something may have come up (like an emergency crown for your back molar that, despite insurance, sets you back $514.30) and you may have missed a payment. No big deal, right?
Wrong!
The credit card company will slap you with a $39.99 late fee, plus an interest rate hike (not just a temporary one), plus all of the extra interest. Without conscious effort, it does not get better from there. The time to act is NOW! Contact your credit card companies and ASK for a better rate, STOP using your credit cards, and BEGIN the journey to freedom.
By the way, the running total (on day 24) of the 30 day challenge stands at $128.10, and when I was preparing food for dinner last night, a quick inventory revealed that I could stretch this out for another 30 days and I may just do that.
Keep working, TAKE ACTION, and here's to your success!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Fourteen = Two Weeks
It is difficult to imagine, but now it is at the fourteen day mark (only shopped for perishables) and the savings now stand at $71.81. That's $71.81 that can be used to eliminate credit card debt and push further toward the path of being debt-free. A few years ago, if one would have asked for $71.81 (okay, let round it to $70) in two weeks time, I would have thought that it would have been impossible to come up with the extra money, but now i am learning that the money is there, you just have to be wiser with the spending of it.
You can find "extra" money as well. You see, you just have to look for it, and you will most assuredly find it. As people are fond of saying that "you do what you have to do", once the mindset is there to save money/pay off credit card debt, the doors will open wide. You will think twice about buying a candy bar on impulse at the checkout lane of the grocery store or when picking up a box of nails from Home Depot: that "only a buck" will add up to wasted money in the long haul. Stores count on consumers to pick up things on impulse. Usually those items are marked up slightly (yes, I can remember when candy bars were bigger and cost only a quarter) if not a lot. Why do you think that there are impulse items at the checkout lanes of Wal-Mart? It certainly isn't that we need those items, it is that the stores need us to help line their pockets with a little more of our hard earned money.
Stand your ground! Buy only what you need and make do on less so that you can enjoy life more. I have lived most of my entire life from paycheck to paycheck when, in retrospect, I could have done without the soda and still lived, and had a lot more to show for life. You can too! I am just trying to be a guide for you (it is the teacher in me that wants to share this with you).
Here's to a happy, successful and financially worry-free life!
(visit here for a free report)
You can find "extra" money as well. You see, you just have to look for it, and you will most assuredly find it. As people are fond of saying that "you do what you have to do", once the mindset is there to save money/pay off credit card debt, the doors will open wide. You will think twice about buying a candy bar on impulse at the checkout lane of the grocery store or when picking up a box of nails from Home Depot: that "only a buck" will add up to wasted money in the long haul. Stores count on consumers to pick up things on impulse. Usually those items are marked up slightly (yes, I can remember when candy bars were bigger and cost only a quarter) if not a lot. Why do you think that there are impulse items at the checkout lanes of Wal-Mart? It certainly isn't that we need those items, it is that the stores need us to help line their pockets with a little more of our hard earned money.
Stand your ground! Buy only what you need and make do on less so that you can enjoy life more. I have lived most of my entire life from paycheck to paycheck when, in retrospect, I could have done without the soda and still lived, and had a lot more to show for life. You can too! I am just trying to be a guide for you (it is the teacher in me that wants to share this with you).
Here's to a happy, successful and financially worry-free life!
(visit here for a free report)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Eight Is Great
No groceries were bought yesterdy, but money was spent out of the grocery fund. Let there be an explanation presented. We were presented with an opportunity to go to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game after work, which we gladly did. Lunch was prepared from home, so that part of the day was planned. There was no time for supper, so dinner was purchased at the ball park (sans soda) for $10.50. It was Hardee's (one of my favorites), so on day 8, the total saved on food stands at $53.19, still a respectible amount.
Rarely is the splurge for entertainment used and money was actually saved in the process. Again, an explanation is in order. Because the economy is not as robust as it should be, the powers that be at the St. Louis Cardinals deemed that some money was better than no money and tickets for weeknight games could be purchased at a 10 for the price of 5 offer. In the rising cost of professional baseball tickets, particularly with new stadiums to finance, this is a welcome relief.
You see, you have to be in the mindset to save money because opportunities will present themselves that never have been there before. Now, you will find yourself looking for coupons in the newspaper (if your city still has one), online, and wherever you happen to be. You will develop the attitude of looking for bargains, and because you have more discretionary funds available (even after diligently paying down your high-interest credit cards) to use to save money.
Hold your head up! Success is closer than you think! (visit my website if you please)
Rarely is the splurge for entertainment used and money was actually saved in the process. Again, an explanation is in order. Because the economy is not as robust as it should be, the powers that be at the St. Louis Cardinals deemed that some money was better than no money and tickets for weeknight games could be purchased at a 10 for the price of 5 offer. In the rising cost of professional baseball tickets, particularly with new stadiums to finance, this is a welcome relief.
You see, you have to be in the mindset to save money because opportunities will present themselves that never have been there before. Now, you will find yourself looking for coupons in the newspaper (if your city still has one), online, and wherever you happen to be. You will develop the attitude of looking for bargains, and because you have more discretionary funds available (even after diligently paying down your high-interest credit cards) to use to save money.
Hold your head up! Success is closer than you think! (visit my website if you please)
Monday, April 13, 2009
The Bill Is HOW Much?
Nobody likes surprises like getting a bill that runs higher than expected. When I worked customer service for a major telephone company, we would be deluged with calls from customers whose first bill was much higher than normal. They probably failed to register in their minds that the first bill includes the installation charge, plus prorated fees (that company charged a month in advance for your service and then, when you left, refunded any extra that they had collected). Credit card debt can be much the same way.
You have to read the fine print. When applying for a credit card, though, how many people actually do that? Usually there is a clause concerning universal default rate stating that the credit card company has the right, at their discretion, to increase you rate if you are late on a payment. That payment doesn't necessarily have to be with that particular company, it can be any payment. It isn't fair, but because you signed the agreement, they can stick it to you.
The best way to avoid this and stay out of further credit card debt?: Pay your bills on time. In this economy, money can be tight, but it is important to take care of things before they get worse. One of the reasons I took a second (or third) job was to ensure that I could eliminate my credit card debt once and for all. It doesn't have to be a glamorous job either. Even though I now have an MBA, it isn't below me to be a cashier or to clean buildings...whatever it takes.
Just keep at it, keep track of your progress and stick to a plan. You can succeed!
You have to read the fine print. When applying for a credit card, though, how many people actually do that? Usually there is a clause concerning universal default rate stating that the credit card company has the right, at their discretion, to increase you rate if you are late on a payment. That payment doesn't necessarily have to be with that particular company, it can be any payment. It isn't fair, but because you signed the agreement, they can stick it to you.
The best way to avoid this and stay out of further credit card debt?: Pay your bills on time. In this economy, money can be tight, but it is important to take care of things before they get worse. One of the reasons I took a second (or third) job was to ensure that I could eliminate my credit card debt once and for all. It doesn't have to be a glamorous job either. Even though I now have an MBA, it isn't below me to be a cashier or to clean buildings...whatever it takes.
Just keep at it, keep track of your progress and stick to a plan. You can succeed!
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