ThrivingTwogether

5 not-so-quick, but real ways to get of debt

Getting out of debt is tough, but staying out of debt takes real discipline. There are no easy fixes to financial challenges.

Simple decisions combined with hard work multiplied by time yields immense success.

1. Involve your children and spouse in saving for a major vacation/camp-out/trip. This cuts spending and teaches massive responsibility.

2. Talk about your shopping list (big and small purchases) with your spouse. Knowing desires clarifies your focus. And a focused budget gets results.

3. Give. Giving when you don't have is the best way to get more and manage what you have better.

4. Pray and then act to fulfill your requests. God and you can never fail permanently.

5. Avoid new debt. Remove any temptation. For my family we chose to limit our credit cards from several to one.

Temporary techniques are many. And permanent principles are few.

Permanent principles create lasting results for me and you. 

 

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Paying off your biggest debt

Debt is like...

Is Control > Power?

One of my techie friends showed me his new Android watch. It synchronizes with his Smart phone and looks sleek.

He told me he favored one brand over another because control is more important than power.

A brand with a high powered camera and many other upgrades was less 'controllable.' The high-powered watch ate battery life and was too unwieldy.

Controlling expenses might be more important in your wealth accumulation than a powerful income.

Although the duality of high income and low outgo seems superior to a polarizing, binary belief that one can only have income or thrift.

My wife and I paid off debt rapidly with an intense focus on debt-reduction while I worked to increase my earning potential.

Be morphed

Who are you? Are you more like the person you were ten years ago or more like the person you should become?

A few months ago I read several pages of my teen journals. I was flabbergasted when I discovered a few areas that hadn't changed for me in 20+ years.

Morphing is the transformational process caused by applying true knowledge.

I had failed to change in a few areas because either I hadn't learned the truth or had neglected to apply truths.

If you want life to be better, then morph: find and apply divine truisms.

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Paavo Nurmi's secret

Paavo Nurmi was one of the greatest runners in Olympic history. In the 1920's the "Flying Finn" won 5 gold medals in a single Olympiad.

Then while on tour in the US he won 54 of 55 races.

His secret to winning? He was one of the first runners to use a stopwatch while he ran.

He consistently tracked his running time.

His stopwatch acted as a feedback loop. He adjusted his pace according to feedback.

Those who track expenses, dreams and goals have the advantage of increased effectiveness.

The more often we track finances, the faster we progression.

Paavo the distance runner knew tracking.

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Wait for it

During my afternoon workout I asked a lady at Golds Gym to borrow a basketball.

She told me I would need to bring my own ball.

I waited for a couple seconds and then told her I was unaware of the policy.

I waited quietly while her and another lady debated about letting me borrow a ball despite their prohibitive policy.

Finally they decided to GIVE me the ball to keep....for free!!!

Waiting. Patiently. For each bit of goodness. Is a bounteous boon.

Go ahead. Wait for it. Goodness is in the waiting.

Scissors may be needed

Assets (income producing entities) can turn into liabilities, burning money instead of producing cash.

A friend's business has negative equity, but he won't divest it.

Others have rental properties with negative cash flow that they persist in keeping as a so-called long-term investment.

Mistaking liabilities with tangible assets or falling in love with a liability is like refusing to cut gum out of hair.

Cut the loss if your asset is draining money.

How?

Sell, give away or whatever else you and your spouse feel best.

Assets must produce positive income now and create real future equity.

When an asset turns bad we may need to discard the asset-turned-liability.

I once sold a business when my trifold gain stagnated for over a year and my immediate income turned downward.

It was painful to lose 'my baby' but it freed me to focus on cultivating real assets.

Real assets add income now and capital gains for the future.

Do you need to cut a pseudo-asset?

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

You don't know anyone who has, do you?

Innocently my nephew asked me if I know anyone (at least one person) who bought a car in cash.

I know several people who bought vehicles with a lump sum payment and so I answered affirmatively.

I told him disciplined people save to buy affordable vehicles. I told him that both of my vehicles were bought with cash on the one payment plan.

Then I thought of many wise friends of extremely modest income who live in paid-off homes (they bought modest homes & refused to constantly extend the mortgage).

Disciplined, focused people live within their means and providently provide for posterity.

They pay off vehicles (and even homes) in a very quick manner.

How can you ensure that your next vehicle purchase will be the one payment plan?

What will it take to believe and work towards paying off your home in a rapid manner?

 

 

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Pulling up daisies

Neal A. Maxwell taught the importance of letting people grow from failure.

Too often we 'pull up the daisies' to make sure they're growing.

Constant supervision, hyper-concern and inquisitions prevent significant growth.

Living things require nurturing not nagging.

Failure often leads to forward momentum.

Let the daisies grow.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Hold your ground

Gain is good. More money, time and resources are tools for helping people.

Gain isn't a constant continuous result.

Often we must simply maintain, to hold our ground before the next push forward.

Failing to maintain ground means regression and frustration.

Holding ground, maintaining our position is vital so growth spurts accelerate us to new heights.

Heroes are those who hold ground in marriage and friendships.

300 not 30,000

Although Marine One, the President's helicopter has 30,000 parts only 300 parts are flight critical.

A wonderful video on the Secret Service provides insight on the importance of the 300 vital parts. 1% of all the parts must function or the helicopter can not fly.

99% of Marine One parts are nice but not vital.

Same goes with money.

Flight critical components of finance are:

Pay as go; live within your means; pay off debt as fast as possible; save for a rainy day; invest wisely; avoid get rich quick schemes; pay tithing; and increase your earning capacity.

Always ask yourself is this critical or nice?

Regression to the mean

Outstanding results are often followed by disappointing results.

A baseball player signs a huge contract during a break-out season only to see his numbers regress toward the mean over the next five years.

Think A-Rod. His hits and batting average regressed substantially post-mega contract.

Why is it do hard to maintain excellence?

Apathy is often the culprit.

We assume that we have paid the price and now can coast for a while.

Enduring financial and familial greatness rests on not resting.

Daily determination to do what we know and to become better than our previous best is vital and rewarding.

Our lives should be ones of progression to the exceptional instead of regression to the mean.

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Infinitely improvable

Every aspect of life is an asymptote, always improvable but never perfect.

Living within means. Paying as we go. Increasing means. Being self reliant.

These are infinitely improvable concepts.

After a recent ankle surgery, my calf muscle rapidly atrophied. Just a few weeks of non-movement netted depressing depreciation.

Gratefully I was able to increase my calf muscle by daily doses of exercise and adequate rest.

I relearned a truth: Infinite happiness fills each person who seeks to infinitely improve.

Gradual

Revolutions are exciting. Think Berlin, Germany in 1989 or France in the late 1700's. Revolutions dramatically usher in new thoughts and actions.

Less titillating but infinitely more sustainable is evolution. Little changes over time equates to massive sustainable growth.

Hershel Walker used a daily- routine of push-ups and sit-ups to evolve into one of the best running-backs of all time. He worked daily on his fitness instead of a once a year burst of exercise.

When infinite improvement is the goal we occasionally need a revolution.

Though more often we need evolution.

Intermittent in the middle

Our society emphasizes starting and finishing. The introduction and conclusion are usually brief and exciting and therefore garner attention.

What about the middle? The middle of any task, including building an abundant life, is pedestrian and thankless.

Not coincidently most results come from consistent, steady work during the middle.

Why? Because we seem to spend most of our time in the middle. And startd and finishes are brief.

People who choose to work unceasingly, daily in the middle find greater success than those who intermittently give little middle effort.

Starts and spurts and flashy finishes accomplish little without consistent effort in the mundane middle.

Enlivened

Daily we can deliberately practice disciplines which forge solid character.

Slowing down, thinking, feeling, listening, feeding our minds with truths are good disciplines for character building.

Building character is one sure way to feel enlivened. Character building also creates renewal and hope.

When money woes pull you down, choose to develop your character so you will have the stamina to surmount your financial foe.

Unlearnable?

Willingness to learn is genius.

Learners love more fully and give more deeply. After all they have more knowledge, experience and wisdom to impart.

I became learnable when my first-grade teacher constantly complimented me. She praised me so often and sincerely that my desire to learn became insatiable.

Dunces, those who are unwilling to learn broadly and deeply, never discover the joy of being learnable.

In what area could you be more learnable?

Ping your monetary latency

Latency in computer networking refers to the time needed for a packet of information to complete a round-trip from source to destination and back again.

Pinging is used to measure latency.

In money matters high latency is preferred.

Because money is a complex subject, slow deliberation (high latency) is most efficacious.

Demos at Costco, time-share presentations, and door-to-door Kirby salesman rely on lightning-fast decisions (low latency).

The higher the latency, the better decisions.

Ping your decision-making to discover your latency.

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Like hot soup

Have you ever eaten tongue-burning hot soup?

Often I impatiently take a bite of soup before it has cooled down sufficiently.

Soup that normally tastes delicious scalds my tongue not because of poor ingredients or an inept cook, but because of impatience.

Impatience causes education, purchases, investments, repairs, and relationships to scald our tongues.

We hurry to fix a repair only to find out we overpaid by hundreds or thousands because we never sought advice from multiple sound sources.

We hurry to get excellent grades only to discover we didn't get knowledge with our education.

We hurriedly attempt to fix our spouse or child when we should use our energy to improve ourselves.

We may have the right ingredients for massive, sustained success, but waiting for the right time is critical for delicious soup and a fulfilling life.

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Redoubled rapidity and dutiful diligence

Each person has so much potential.

Redoubling efforts yields rapid realization of goals.

Dutiful diligence to values yields amazing results.

And when redoubled effort is combined with dutiful diligence a multiplicity of momentum is the result.

Using systems and practicing specific areas allows for easy redoubling.

Diligence is the product of love and devotion.

A father who loves one child and thinks he couldn't possibly be better finds enormous strength as additional children arrive.

My effort, abilities, income, faith, and love have been fortified and enlarged as I have sought to be diligent as a father by often redoubling my efforts.

Who do you love and how deeply? What causes you to love them more deeply?

Do you practice deliberately?

What systems should you employ to redouble efforts?

Often our current effort is usually high.

And we can be better by trying smarter and with a deeper love of others.

Periodization

To gain strength, endurance or speed weightlifters use periodization.

"Periodization is the modulating of volume, intensity, and frequency over time, to both stimulate gains and allow recovery."

One set might be eight repetitions at 150 pounds. And the next set might be four repetitions at 200 pounds. Or maybe even one lift at 300 pounds.

The goal is to keep the body from acclimating to a standard time, weight, and intensity.

In other words boring, mundane workouts are less effective than creative workouts.

Periodization in finances include stashing away large amounts of money, attending a seminar on money management, being uber-frugal for a time, reading several finance books, or steadily improving employable skills.

Variety in financial management increases money muscle better than a pedantic routine.

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

An uneven road?

When a car is out of alignment every road seems to be uneven. Your car constantly pulls to one side.

The solution?

You could replace every road in your path.

Or?

Or you could align the steering.

When problems occur we can seek to change everyone and everything-all the 'roads' in our path.

Or?

Or we can fix our own 'alignment.'

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Straight and the same length

My paternal grandpa was known for building straight, sturdy fences.

He hired many others to build with him as his reputation increased demand for his gorgeous fences.

His secret?

Distinctions. Nuances or little differences that made his fences better than any other in Sanpete County.

He made each fence post the same length.

Every single post was placed in a perfect row.

In finances distinctions abound. Many little nuances create massive leverage and momentum.

Examples:

Ceiling fans and open windows can often replace or at least lessen the cost of air conditioners.

Discussing/ researching potential purchases with many people (especially a spouse) can virtually eliminate buyers remorse.

Paying cash for a high-quality, used vehicle saves thousands of dollars every year in payments, insurance and upkeep.

Multiply that by two or more vehicles and you can travel anywhere/start a business/improve your home.

Distinctions abound when we look for them.

Massive, quantum growth comes from making many small choices well.

In time your life will resemble a straight, well built fence.

Playing through injury

A few weeks ago I took a charge during a pick-up basketball game. My wrist was injured as I tried to catch myself before slamming to the floor.

It has hurt everyday since my fall.

Consequently I decided to take a few days off of strength-training this week. I thought a few days of rest, away from weights, might allow my wrist to heal.

The rest didn't seem to help.

During my few days away from the gym I read a blurb from Michael Jordan about injuries. In effect he said he played through most injuries to set an example of leadership for his team-mates.

Playing through injury seems counter-intuitive. Isn't rest the best option?

Occasionally we need to play through our so-called injuries and let them go away as we continue to move.

• Work through a headache occasionally instead of going home early.

• Pay off a car before trading it in on a newer model.

• Get counseling for a troubled marriage instead of quitting.

• Pay off a creditor honorably and rapidly instead of defaulting.
• Slog through a new business venture for a few years.

Of course even MJ missed most of a season with an injury. There are times when we most slow down and even stop.

Most often, though, we should play through our injury (challenges) so we can obtain our goals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Liberal, conservative

Life is full of false dilemmas from politics to marriage.

Rarely is life an either or proposition.

The reality is two opposing views add depth and understanding. As understanding increases so does love and peace.

Prosperity is combining liberal practices with conservative practices.

Be liberal, generous with family time. Be liberal with family vacations and family traditions. Be liberal with family dates and fun.

Be conservative with personal wants. Less money on indulgences like soda, personal vacations, clothing, sports, food and toys.

I once encountered a man who spent $900 a month on a must-have truck while begrudging his wife a piece of exercise equipment. Of course he was bitter and miserable.

Liberality for those we love. Fiscal discipline and conservation for ourselves.

That is a sure recipe for happiness.

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

The Beard (or freedom to do, be and have what you want)

A few of my friends have decided to grow beards. Some are scraggly and some neat and tidy.

Why are they growing them?

Freedom: They are starting new life-phases.

A fabulous benefit of using money wisely is freedom.

Freedom to travel when you want and where you want.

Freedom to wear what you want when you want.

Freedom to buy or not buy whatever you want.

Freedom from appearances.

Freedom, freedom, freedom. Beards remind me of the freedom that comes from managing money well.

 

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

The trouble with spouses

The trouble with a spouse is usually he/she has been pushed. When a spouse seems set in his/her ways it is often  because his/her spouse is a bit pushy.

Learn to pull (insert persuade here). Each Saturday our children clean our entire house with ease...if we have a motivating reason such as Nicklecade, Planet Play, or a movie night.

I often persuade myself to finish paperwork by rewards such as 30 minutes of music or a cool clip on Youtube. Our family accomplishes large goals when we pull ourselves towards major vacations.

You can pull by establishing rewards. And you pull by offering a wonderful silent example. You can pull by genuinely complimenting incremental improvement.

Who are you gonna change? How you gonna do it? Start with yourself first.

Pulling is gentle. Pushing is manipulative and bossy.

Watch yourself and spouse transform by pulling.

 

(Photo courtesy freedigitalphotos.net)

Related articles

Dictator?

"I wish my spouse would help with finances!"

Symmetry

When to wash a blender

I love to drink protein smoothies. But I don't like washing the blender.

My wife taught me to clean the blender immediately after making a smoothie instead of leaving the dirty blender in the sink.

It's easy to clean a blender immediately after use. Water and little soap and it's clean.

When a blender sits for several hours it takes twice the effort (or more) to get it clean. You scrub and scrub and have to use extra dish detergent.

Accumulating debt is like leaving a dirty blender in the sink. Payments last for months or years causing the purchase price to treble. The pain of paying off the silly debt seems unbearable.

Pay cash and see how easy it is to build financial fitness.

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy freedigitalphotos.net)

Starting

Often the most difficult part of progress is starting.

Two things to make progress easier.

Start where you are.

Start small, but think big (your big dreams not someone else's big dreams ).

I once tried to gain 60 pounds in order to fill out my tall and skinny frame.

I began where I was--129 lbs and 6'1".  Ididn't pretend I was a massive body builder.

At first I changed my food intake a little, adding just one extra meal a day.

Then I added push-ups.

I kept adding little changes until, after a few years, I reached my goal.

Starting where you are, with small steps is the start to any meaningful, lasting progress.

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy freedigtialphotos.net)

Triffle not with timing

The virtue of patience is perhaps one of the most important aspects and accelerators of financial gain or loss.

Examples include: willingly waiting for bargains. Patiently pursuing a process of personal growth and paying off debt in a stepwise manner.

Patience...

is exercising forbearance when retaliation seems paramount.

is a process.

plans.

prepares.

has realistic expectations.

is active not passive.

practices perfection until permanent.

 

A few days ago I took an assesment to evaluate my patience. My lack of patience was appalling. The above ideas are my new areas of focus for a long time to come as I practice the process of patience.

Won't you join with me?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy freedigitalphotos.net)

Larry H. Miller: The scheming parts guy

Larry H. Miller began his stellar career in several parts departments. He specialized in turning under performing automotive parts departments into cash-cows. In his wonderful book Driven he explains one of his gifts: scheming. He used schemes or systems to make each parts store more efficient.

Often the difference between abundance and poverty is the wise implementation of schemes.

Scheming is simply incorporating discipline and life-hacks into simple, repeatable actions.

Some people listen to books as they drive. Some learn languages or practice singing during daily commutes. Others listen to religious recordings.

Many people automate bill payments and charitable giving.

Schemes have been used to save money by automatically investing.

Still others have schemes for easy exercise like sitting on an balance ball at work or mixing healthy foods in a blender or playing sports with a weighted vest.

What schemes do you employ?

Is there a scheme that would help you with a current financial struggle?

 

 

Master science and then add art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vincent van Gogh knew the science/fundamentals of painting.  But what made him legendary was his style, his unique art.

The science of financial prosperity is found in daily routines, habits and to do/to be lists. These fundamentals lay a foundation insuring financial stability. Although these bascics are banal or pedestrian they must not be skipped.

The art of financial prosperity is how (style) we make financial fundamentals work for us individually. The art involves choosing  how well we apply the basics. The better our art (style) the greater our financial abundance.

Interestingly van Gogh practiced Sunflowers and other masterpieces multiple times leading some people to think he was a born artist who never had to master the basics. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Control the marginal moments

Gum, fountain drinks, fast food, cigarettes, Redbox, Netflix, and lottery tickets are a few small or marginally priced items. Each costs so little. Could any of them actually escalate financial ruin?

Yes!

Control your margins--win in the margins as Richard Paul Evans puts it. Track your expenses to determine how to curb marginal expenses. If it is not a need, reduce or eliminate it.

Why?

When you identify and master your margins you gain traction to conquer the massive as well as the marginal.

Photo courtesy tungphoto.

Weak

Our strengths cause us to be mighty.

And weaknesses, if not corrected, cause the mighty to fall.

Ask your friends, ask your enemies where you are weak.

Perpetual prosperity involves identifying and conquering weaknesses.

The commitment app

There is no app for commitment in the App Store or on Google Play Store.

Commitment is developed by making small promises to yourself and then keeping them.

Investments not expenses for one day.

$1 in savings this week.

Ask your spouse for help with one financial challenge.

Being true to yourself goes along way in creating prosperity.

And although an app isn't available, you can develop your own commitment and a ton of cash if you start today.

Photo credit adamr

Frugalicious Hope

My new eBook is now available. It contains several of the best blog posts from the first year. Feel free to share.

Weapons of the enemy

The enemy of frugality has many weapons.

• 90 days same as cash: Financing a purchase is never the same as cash. Cash gives peace of mind and huge discounts.
• Rent-to-own stores: A great way to pay 3-5 times an item's inherent cost.
• Lottery:  State government's attempt to collect taxes via a "fun" program wherein millions lose and one gains. Do you smell a rat?
• Addictions:  Money flees when you are controlled. Money grows when you are in control (discipline).
• Credit cards: So easy to rack them up, and oh so hard to pay them off.
  
• Laziness: A great way to feel dejected and uninspired.
  

Once you know the enemy's weapons you can make sure you have proper protection.

What would you add?

 

(Photo courtesy freedigitalphotos.net)

Switching January and a flashback

The gym where I workout has been nearly empty for the last few days. It happens every year at most gyms--people take the last part of the year off. They fail to finish with a push.

What if we finished the year like a sprinter finishes a race, with a kick? What if we ended the year like the way we start in January, with great gusto?

If we used January spending habits in December would we finish the year in a more merry way?

Maybe now is a good time to remember the sage advice of good, better, best. It's good to start, better to continue and best to finish our goals. Just ask Zig Ziglar about chasing down goals to the very end.

 

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

They fired the coach

The Los Angeles Lakers just fired their coach, Mike Brown. They have four future Hall of Fame players including the iconic winner, Kobe Bryant. They have millions of fans and 17 Championships, but they keep losing--8 games in a row during the pre-season and then 3 of 4 games in the regular season.

So the question to ask, when a team drops 12 of 13 games, is who/what can change the losing team into a winning team?  A new owner? No.  New players. They already tried that. The answer is to change the leader. In the NBA the coach is the ultimate leader for good or bad. His attitude permeates the entire organization.

Change the leader, change the team.

Are your family finances on a losing streak? Thankfully you don't need to fire the leader. Instead work on changing the financial health of the leader (if your reading this, then you are the leader).

Get better. Live within your means. Say no to selfish purchases and habits. Say yes to saving for one family goal at  a time. Get multiple bids, exercise discipline, read some money books, prepare for good and bad, expect great things, get thankful. Decimate your debt and hunt down your family dreams with passion and vigor.

 

(Photo credit Wikipedia)

Lifts

A lift is an unexpected increase. If used wisely a lift can literally lift you from debt into prosperity.

It may be a tax return, compensation for a side-job or perhaps a Good Samaritan's gift.  These are just a few examples of the several lifts each of us gets annually. Want more lifts? Practice gratitude and your lifts will increase exponentially.

I often talk with families who want to visit Disneyland, but don't know how to afford it. Disneyland or any other family goal is possible using a lift.  My wife and I have gone on several vacations using cash from a lift.

Use lifts to invest in your family. Using a lift to buy worthless doodads squanders a perfect opportunity to experience paid-for dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy freedigitalphotos.net)

Better than Coffee

Years ago people began to ask me why I have so much energy. Although I don't consume energy drinks nor coffee I tend to be chipper and full of energy.

Being full of energy has allowed me to chase down many of my dreams.

My energy comes from two sources: my dreams and my health choices.

My dreams fill me with desire.  I was blessed with parents who believe in dreaming very big. I saw them achieve dreams from education to business. I've noticed that chasing dreams not only causes desire but it generates happiness.

My health choices are found in my daily routine. I am at my peak energy level when I do the following:

1. Get enough rest
2. Drink plenty of water
3. Wake up early
4. Exercise (including stretching, weights, and aerobic)
5. Take a multivitamin
6. Read Sacred literature
7. Invest time with family
8. Devour a non-fiction book

My choice of sleep, exercise and diet offer a very effective vehicle to pursue my dreams.

What would you do with more energy? Are there changes you could make to create more energy?

 

(Photo courtesy freedigitalphotos.net)

The courage to say no

As you look around for excellent deals exercise the courage to say no to subpar deals or improper timing.

At least six times my wife and I have said no to time-share pitches because the timing or cost was wrong. We have received free gift cards, vacations and dinners totaling several hundred dollars without saying yes to a bad deal. 

Yet other times we have not had the courage to say no. We have overpaid for cars, a home, and many other things when we have un-courageously said yes.

Laughing all the way to the bank

My wife and I once traded in a clunker on a reliable, used car.  We negotiated with the salesman until we had a good deal. Then we let him know we had a used car to trade in. He asked if we had the car with us. We told him that we could have it soon. Shortly thereafter a tow-truck arrived with our jalopy on the back.  Our old car had broken down on the way to the dealership.

Shortly after the tow-truck experience my wife and I bought a fixer-upper home. The front-yard was so ugly-full of weeds and bereft of grass- that it made people laugh. 

We laugh at how broke and crazy we were. We lived a Spartanesque life for a while. It allowed us to begin paying cash for cars and to sell a fixer-upper for a nice profit. Later on we began to pay cash for vacations, education, and emergencies. Now we rarely buy anything on credit or with a contract. We pay as we go and laugh at ourselves all the way to the bank.

Living frugal might mean a little discipline (and laughs) now, but it will pay huge dividends in the not-so-distant future.

 

(Photo courtesy freedigitalphotos.net)

Paused: being still, but not idle

It's refreshing to relax after working. To be still or divert attention to recreation. Pausing after work causes contentment and renewed strength. When we return to work we find our focus and strength greater than before.

On the other hand idleness never provides enjoyment and contentment. Shunning work is indicative of a poor attitude toward work.  Idleness becomes more difficult than work and offers no lasting reward.

The happiest people learn to pause work-day concerns when they are at home. The happiest people love work and despise idleness.

What's your attitude toward work?

How does your attitude relate to your productivity?

 

(Photo courtesy digitalarts)

It's absolutely relative

We have enough wealth to be very, very happy. Our absolute wealth is staggering.

But.

But when we compare our wealth with others our relative wealth is never enough.

Comparison breeds discontent.

Forget comparisons (relativity). Embrace facts: your absolute wealth is sufficient regardless of others possessions.

 

(Photo courtesy dream designs)