Debt, Credit Card & Consolidation Current News Digest

Do you use a to-do list? Most of us have some kind of running list of tasks which we want to get done (even if we keep this list in our heads). And I expect that at some point, like me, you’ll have had the experience of creating an extremely ambitious to-do list … only to end up completing just a fraction of the tasks on it.

A to-do list in itself isn’t any kind of magic. You might feel good about writing it, but on its own, it won’t get the work done! And sometimes, your list can end up being a hassle, draining your energy or just getting in the way.

I can’t give you a magic system, because the way you work is no doubt different from the way I work – we all have slightly different approaches which suit us. But these steps should all help you to get your to-do list under control:

Step 1: Try Different Mediums
Do you keep your to-do list on the computer, or on paper? For a week, try doing the opposite – and see what difference it makes. I’ve gone through various to-do list mediums including:

• Single sheets of lined paper (as a student – a whole week of tasks fitted on one sheet!)
• A notebook with a page per day (when I started freelancing)
• A computerized solution which uses templates to easily input recurring tasks (nowadays)

Your system will depend on how you like to plan and work, and on the types of tasks you have. My best suggestion here is to experiment – it’s very easy to get stuck in our ways and to assume that the system we have is effective just because it vaguely works.

Step 2: Don’t Over-Plan
The biggest mistake that most of us make with to-do lists is to get too ambitious. We write down all sorts of things which we want to get done – only to end up feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and annoyed at ourselves when we don’t achieve it all.

Many experts advise limiting your to-do list as much as possible: some suggest writing down just three-five tasks each day. When you put an item onto your list, ask yourself: Do I want to do this?

If not, can you delegate it? And does it really need to be done?

Don’t fill up your to-do list with “nice to do” items … if you want to track these, try keeping them on a separate page or in a different file, so that you can turn to them when you’ve completed the day’s work. That way, they’ll feel like bonus achievements rather than yet another thing to slog through!

Step 3: Make New Tasks Wait
Another common mistake is to plan out a perfect day or week, only to end up shoving new tasks in as they arise. Perhaps you’ve got your three key tasks for the day all planned, but then you check your email and a client is asking for some revisions on a project.

Unless a new task really needs to be done the same day, write it on tomorrow’s list. (Or on a different day later in the week.) I find that creating this buffer lets me focus on what’s important first, rather than just on what happens to catch my attention. Often, an emergent task can wait 24 hours without any problems at all.

Step 4: One Task At a Time
Finally, when you’re actually working from your to-do list, be clear about what item you’re tackling at any given moment. Flitting around trying to do five things at once won’t do you any favors: you’re more likely to forget things, make mistakes, or get distracted.

I like to annotate my list as I’m going along with “1″ against the task I’m going to tackle next, “2″ against the one after that, and “3″ against the third. This helps me to stay focused – if I’m tempted to switch to something else, I remind myself that I’ve chosen to work in a particular order so that I can get all the important things done while I’ve still got plenty of energy.

What does your to-do list look like? Is it working for you?

Albert Einstein has long been considered a genius by the masses. He was a theoretical physicist, philosopher, author, and is perhaps the most influential scientists to ever live.

Einstein has made great contributions to the scientific world, including the theory of relativity, the founding of relativistic cosmology, the prediction of the deflection of light by gravity, the quantum theory of atomic motion in solids, the zero-point energy concept, and the quantum theory of a monatomic gas which predicted Bose–Einstein condensation, to name a few of his scientific contributions.

Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”

He’s published more than 300 scientific works and over 150 non-scientific works. Einstein is considered the father of modern physics and is probably the most successful scientist there ever was.

10 Amazing Lessons from Albert Einstein:

1. Follow Your Curiosity

   “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

   What peaks your curiosity? I am curious as to what causes one person to succeed while another person fails; this is why I’ve spent years studying success. What are you most curious about? The pursuit of your curiosity is the secret to your success.

2. Perseverance is Priceless
   
   

   “It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

   Through perseverance the turtle reached the ark. Are you willing to persevere until you get to your intended destination? They say the entire value of the postage stamp consist in its ability to stick to something until it gets there. Be like the postage stamp; finish the race that you’ve started!

3. Focus on the Present

   “Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”

   My father always says you cannot ride two horses at the same time. I like to say, you can do anything, but not everything. Learn to be present where you are; give your all to whatever you’re currently doing.

   Focused energy is power, and it’s the difference between success and failure.

4. The Imagination is Powerful

   “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

   Are you using your imagination daily? Einstein said the imagination is more important than knowledge! Your imagination pre-plays your future. Einstein went on to say, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.” Are you exercising your “imagination muscles” daily, don’t let something as powerful as your imagination lie dormant.

5. Make Mistakes

   “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

   Never be afraid of making a mistake. A mistake is not a failure. Mistakes can make you better, smarter and faster, if you utilize them properly. Discover the power of making mistakes. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, if you want to succeed, triple the amount of mistakes that you make.

6. Live in the Moment

   “I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.”

   The only way to properly address your future is to be as present as possible “in the present.”

   You cannot “presently” change yesterday or tomorrow, so it’s of supreme importance that you dedicate all of your efforts to “right now.” It’s the only time that matters, it’s the only time there is.

7. Create Value

   “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

   Don’t waste your time trying to be successful, spend your time creating value. If you’re valuable, then you will attract success.

   Discover the talents and gifts that you possess, learn how to offer those talents and gifts in a way that most benefits others.

   Labor to be valuable and success will chase you down.

8. Don’t Expect Different Results

   “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

   You can’t keep doing the same thing everyday and expect different results. In other words, you can’t keep doing the same workout routine and expect to look differently. In order for your life to change, you must change, to the degree that you change your actions and your thinking is to the degree that your life will change.

9. Knowledge Comes From Experience

   “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”

   Knowledge comes from experience. You can discuss a task, but discussion will only give you a philosophical understanding of it; you must experience the task first hand to “know it.” What’s the lesson? Get experience! Don’t spend your time hiding behind speculative information, go out there and do it, and you will have gained priceless knowledge.




10. Learn the Rules and Then Play Better

    “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

    To put it all in simple terms, there are two things that you must do. The first thing you must do is to learn the rules of the game that you’re playing. It doesn’t sound exciting, but it’s vital. Secondly, you must commit to play the game better than anyone else. If you can do these two things, success will be yours!

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

This post is from new staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com. Last week, J.D. wrote about Stuff; today, Sierra shares her thoughts on the costs of clutter.

Do you have piles of papers lurking on your desk? Mountains of laundry looming beside your bed? Shelves double-stacked with knick-knacks? I have a bit of a clutter problem myself. The other day, I spent an hour looking for the vacuum cleaner, which eventually turned up buried under a pile of laundry almost as tall as I am.

All that clutter isn’t just annoying. It’s expensive. That’s right: Excess Stuff can keep costing you money even after it’s been bought and paid for.

How expensive is your Stuff? Professional organizer Jen Hunter of Find Your Floor in Boston says clutter can cost us real money in a lot of ways:

• Buying replacement Stuff: Somewhere in your closet is that pair of running shoes you bought last year. Probably next to the ones you bought the spring before that. Clutter costs us dollars and time when we have to buy duplicates of stuff we know we own but just can’t find.
• Damage to your Stuff: When you have more Stuff than space, storage can become a problem. Things can get stepped on, stored improperly and broken, water-damaged or just so buried they can’t be retrieved when needed.
• Missing deadlines: When your Stuff is disorganized, you wind up paying hundreds of dollars a year in bank fees, late charges, library fines, overdue fees and tax penalties. Trust me on this one. I speak from years of painful experience.
• Renting storage space: Almost 10% of U.S. families rent storage space for belongings that don’t fit in their homes. That’s a lot of dollars going to serve your Stuff instead of your life. Even those that don’t rent space may choose larger homes than they need so that they can store more Stuff.
• Health costs: Out of control clutter can pose health risks from falling, and encourage the growth of allergens like dust and mold. Treatments for those can get expensive. Clutter can also affect your mental health. Writer Ariel Gore saw a therapist until she realized that what she really wanted was a clean home. So she hired a housekeeper for less than she paid the therapist and lived happily ever after.

To Hunter, the biggest cost is an intangible. “It’s the impediment that it presents to people’s lives,” she says.

Stacy J. Kaplan of Clutter Away in San Diego agrees. “You can’t function at your optimum level if you’re disorganized,” Kaplan says. “You wouldn’t run a business without a business plan. If you’re not organized your business will fail. A house is a small business in a way. It’s the operating structure behind what your family is doing.”

Clutter stops us from working as effectively as we otherwise might. At its most basic level, time spent looking for your car keys is time you’re not spending working, playing or relaxing.

It also costs us time because all that Stuff demands attention. While clutter might be a sign of neglect, it requires us to spend time working around it to accomplish basic household tasks like paying bills or preparing a meal. Those extra hours of housework are a drain on time and energy that could go into creative side projects, education or any number of other productive pursuits.

We can become prisoners of our Stuff. J.D. has written a lot here about how Stuff ties up our money. We can inadvertently tie up a lot of our earnings in rarely used sports equipment, video games, and other pricey toys. Selling that unused Stuff frees up not only your cash but your energy. When there’s too much Stuff around you, you’re like a plant in a too-small pot. It’s hard to grow or thrive when hemmed in by clutter.

Of course, the answer isn’t to move to a bigger place. There are families who live happily in 100-square-foot apartments. They just have less Stuff than we do.

The solution is to put your space on a diet. Some basic steps to get started:

• Consider adopting The Compact, an agreement to buy nothing new for one year. This should cut the flow of Stuff coming in down to a trickle.
• To deal with the Stuff you have, go through one small area at a time. Don’t try to do the whole house at once. Choose a room, a closet, a desk, or even just a kitchen drawer.
• A good rule of thumb: Get rid of anything you don’t use or love.

A habit of clutter can be hard to give up. If you’re used to having a lot of Stuff around you, a pared-down space can feel too spare and empty. Before you rush to fill that void, try sitting with it for awhile and really setting an intention for you want to replace your clutter with. It might be original art, new bookcases, workshop space or just more breathing room.

Whatever you choose to do with your space, you can use the same techniques you used to clear it to keep it clean. Don’t keep Stuff you don’t use or need. Don’t buy Stuff you don’t want or need. Spend a little time each day keeping your space organized.

Here are the top three clutter-busting tips from GRS Twitter followers:

• “Throw clutter in bags, put them in the attic. As you need something, take it from the bag. After 6mo, donate bags.” — @jacobmlee
• “For clutter: I’m using @gretchenrubin’s rules: Make your bed and the 1-min rule: if you can do it in 1 min, do it now!” — @jc_losangeles
• “My fave declutter advice: Spend 15 Mins a day!” — @BudgetsAreSexy

I know we just talked about Stuff last week, but how do you combat clutter? What tips and tricks can you share with readers?

—
Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:

• Clutter’s Last Stand: The Cost of Buying Things You Will Not Use
• Simplify Your Life with a Stuff Replacement Fund
• Daily Links: Frugal Tips Edition
• Guarding Against the Invasion of Stuff
• The Official GRS Referral Swapping Thread

There’s a security out there that tracks the average (mean) length of time someone is employed and that figure broke thirty weeks in January. The average person looking for work will not find it in seven months… seven months of job hunting. Seven months of going to job fairs. Seven months of searching online at job websites.

If you’re submitting resumes and calling companies, there are only so many resumes you can submit, calls you can make, before you start burning out. If you start burning out, you reduce the chances you’ll ace the interview because your brain is being beaten into submission by monotony.

That’s why it’s important for you to sprinkle in other activities throughout the day. It’s hard to do this because when you don’t have a job, you feel like you have to get one. To get one you have to submit resumes, call companies, and do all the things involved in “job hunting.” Then you fall into a vicious cycle… no job, want job, must search, keep searching, burn out… you get it. So how do you introduce activities that aren’t directly related to looking for a job but improve your prospects?

Volunteering

You have skills and volunteer organizations need skills. Whether you have trade skills or office skills or you’re just a fast and hard worker, local volunteer organizations can use you. By working as a volunteer, you don’t lose unemployment benefit eligibility and you can flex some of your skills and keep them sharp.

Also, this gives you a great answer to a common interview question: “what have you been doing since your last job?” Being able to say that you help an organization solve a problem is a fantastic answer.

Freelance Consulting

If you’ve exhausted your unemployment benefits and are still having difficulty, consider freelance consulting. A lot of companies need talent but can’t afford to add someone to their payroll, so offering your services as a consultant can bring in some much needed income while keeping your industry knowledge and skills fresh. If you think you might be able to do this, consider going to some local business events like chamber meetings to meet other business owners or search online sites like Craigslist for freelance gigs.

The freelance road isn’t for everyone and it’s not easy but if you’re able to leverage your skills this way you could accidentally start your own business or find your next job.

Pick Up a Complementary Hobby

Want to teach yourself something useful by accident? Pick a hobby that builds on a skill you might find useful in your main career. Let’s say you’ve been doing web design for the last five years and you’ve become pretty good, why not take up a little reading on graphic design or search engine optimization? Start a blog tracking everything you learn and you never know, that might blow up and become a nice side income for you. If nothing else you pick up some new skills that complement your career skills and you become a better hire down the road.

Do Something Fun

Do something you’ve always wanted to do but never had a chance to. This won’t really keep your skills fresh while your unemployed but it will keep you fresh. It’ll break up the monotony and make you a more appealing candidate when your job prospect improve and you get called into interviews. You want to go into interviews with a lot of energy and excitement, which are very difficult to fake especially after months of searching.

And when you do something fun… it’s fun!

Do you have any good suggestions for what a job seeker should do, outside of direct job hunting activities, that can help him or her become a better candidate or a better person?

How to Keep Your Skills Fresh When Unemployed from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

How many times have you run into this scenario at work: you start a task that seems ridiculously inefficient or outdated, bring it up to your supervisor only to hear them say “that’s how we’ve always done it.” Sadly, it happens all too often and it’s the product of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality that permeates almost every aspect of life. When was the last time you took a hard look at how you did things? Your commute to work every day, how you pay your bills, and how you set your thermostat? Probably not much, especially with all the other, more important, things you have to worry about right?

I totally get it because everyone does the same thing. There are a lot of things in our lives that we probably do the exact same way because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” It’s familiar. It’s comfortable. It has worked… but it could be better. And, just like at work, we’ve done it that way because while it may not be the best way, it worked and you have a million other things competing for your time and energy.

However, today I want to work with you to try to find some ways we may be leaking money. It’s hard to know where you might be losing your hard earned cash bit by bit because it’s hard to know what you don’t know, right? So, to help get our mindgrapes flowing, I listed a few common money leaks in the hopes that you could kick in a few leaks you may have found recently.

Not Using Billpayment Services

It’s the year 2010 and if you’re still putting a stamp on an envelope to pay your bills, you’re wasting your money. The stamp is going to cost you 44 cents and the envelope will run you a penny or two, making each bill cost you about forty five cents each. Pay five bills a month, twelve months a year, and you have $27 you could spend on a case of good beer (or something else you enjoy). That doesn’t consider how much you’d pay in fees if the payment gets lost in the mail, which happens infrequently but is more likely to happen with the mail than with the photos of the Internet. Finally, think about all the time you’re wasting on making out the check, writing the address of the company on the envelope, and walking to your mailbox. With a few clicks, online billpay takes seconds.

Don’t Review Your Fixed Monthly Expenses

You don’t go to the gym as often as you think you do. You don’t use Netflix as often as you think you do. You don’t watch as much TV as you think you do. If you think I’m wrong, that’s fine, there’s a pretty good chance that even if you do use one of those things often enough to justify the monthly cost, you don’t do all of them enough to justify each of their monthly fees.

Keep a log of how often you use certain services and calculate how much you’re paying per use. Pay $90 a month for a gym membership? Even if you go every single day, that’s $3 a day. Once you do the math, you might be better off paying per visit if they offer it. This applies to almost everything and you’ll be surprised how much you don’t use your monthly memberships.

Don’t Optimize Your Savings

How much money do you have in your checking account? How much do you actually need in that account? This is one leak I know we are currently suffering from and it’s such an easy fix, if we take the time to do it. Money in our checking account earns nothing, whereas money we transfer into our high yield savings account has the opportunity to earn at least a percent or two. We keep a bit of a buffer in our checking account but everything else goes into a savings account where we get a little something while we’re waiting.

Drive Fast, Brake Hard

If your morning commute is 20 miles, it’ll take you about 21 minutes and 49 seconds if you go 55 miles per hour. If you drive 60 miles per hour, you get there in 18 minutes and 28 seconds – or three and a half minutes faster. The difference? You can get pulled over for speeding if you are going 60 in a 55 and while it will probably not happen, it will suck really bad the one time it does. Plan your trips better and stop speeding. You avoid tickets, you improve gas mileage and tire lifespan, and you don’t sacrifice much. (if you drive 80 MPH, you still takes 15 minutes to get there…)

While you’re at it, use Google Maps and map out your daily commute. You can drag your path around to see if you’re really minimizing your total mileage or the number of red lights you hit.

Don’t Review Your Insurance Coverages

When was the last time you took a look at your insurance needs and adjusted your coverage? Here’s a scenario that probably happens all too often – you increase your deductible to lower your premiums (great move) but over the years your car has gone down in value and now it’s worth less than your deductible. It sounds obvious right but do you know the blue book value of your car? Ask your insurer what they think the value of the car is (chances are it’s less than blue book)… you’ll be surprised. Anyway, it’s not an intelligence test, sometimes we just keep doing what we’ve been doing because it made sense once and I’m telling you that you should review them. If things have changed in your life and you need less coverage or a different type of coverage, tell your insurer and get your policies adjusted to fit your current needs.

Don’t Find Ways to Trim Electricity

Finding ways to conserve electricity around your home is a nice way to plug a leak because you often only need to do something once and you reap the savings for months. I personally like CFLs, despite their up front costs, but there are plenty of ways to trim your electricity bill without much up front cost. For winter savings ideas, here a post on ten quick tips to winterizing your home. If you do a quick search on Google on how to conservation, you’re sure to find a lot of tips you can implement to start saving on electricity.

Don’t Review Your Mutual Funds

How has your mutual fund been performing? Are you happy with it? How much are you paying? Do you own the world’s most expensive index fund? (it’s the Rydex S&P 500 and it charges a 2.28% expense ratio!)

My point is that you should review your investments, especially your mutual funds, to see if your investments make sense. Index funds are easy to review because it’s as close to an apples to apples comparison as you’ll ever get and it really makes little sense to pay more for one fund over another (there are some differences, mostly dealing with the speed at which they match index changes, but they’re fairly nominal). You wouldn’t pay $20 for a gallon of milk, right?

I tried to run the gamut from leaks in your home to hard money leaks, like overpaying for an index fund, but I don’t know what I don’t know so I need your help. What money leaks do you see every day that most people don’t seem to catch? What about a leak you may have plugged lately?

(Photo: johnx62)

Find and Plug Your Money Leaks from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

It feels good when a goal is achieved.

However, the commitment and patience it takes to stick with a goal and then see it all the way to the end is not trivial. It takes courage, faith and a little goal setting know-how to keep the good feelings coming.

Achieving your goals can provide the energy and the confidence needed to continue setting more goals. Goals help you see where you are today and where you want to be in the future. Goals are the fuel that keeps you moving forward.

Goals can vary in size and effort, but successful goal setting relies on the following six factors. When you combine these simple, yet effective factors and allow them to work together you will find lasting goal setting success:

1. It’s conceivable
   If you can think it, you can likely achieve it. Must goals start with an idea; a vision. Goals are dreams you want to accomplish. When you use your senses to see, hear, smell or touch your goals then they become more tangible; more approachable and more real.

   The first task in goal setting is to clearly visualize what you want to achieve. Spend time considering what you want and then burn this goal into your mind. Once there, the chances of success increase significantly.

2. It has to be believable
   After conceiving a goal, your excitement runs high. You can see the thing you want to gain and with a large dose of enthusiasm you set out to get it. But something terrible can happen along the way – you allow others to tell you that you can’t do it.

   It only takes one or two negative people to put doubt in your mind. An often inaccurate belief system kicks in and you start believing you can’t do it either. Old tapes play in your head; the tapes that say you are not worthy or smart enough to have what you want.

   Learn to replace these lies with the truth. The truth tells you that you are worthy to have whatever you conceive. The truth tells you to believe in your goal because you breathed life into it when you imagined it.

3. It must be achievable
   Successful goal setting is about achievement. The goals you set are intended to be achieved. To do so, be certain to make them achievable. This starts with being realistic.

   Even though you have conceived a goal and you believe in its value (and in yourself), now it’s time to be practical and put together a plan to attain it. The expression, “You can’t an elephant in one bite,” is especially true in the context of goal setting. Make a plan to eat the whole elephant (your goal), but begin by taking small, deliberate and calculated bites.

   See the whole picture first and then put together this plan with the knowledge gained from past experiences. When an obstacle lands in your path, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Just as there are some negative people in your life, there are also well-meaning people who care about your success. Reach out to these people and allow them to be a positive, helpful influence.




4. It must be measurable
   Goals need to be specific and measurable so you can gauge your progress and know when a goal has been met. Asking questions like, “When,” “How much,” and “How will I know it has been accomplished?” provide the most common units of measure when assessing goal completion.

   If you are a freelance writer, for example, a measurable goal might be something like, “I want to publish two articles in Vanity Fair and GQ by May 1.”

   This measurable goal has three important parts: (1) It states how many articles; (2) indicates where the articles are to be published and (3) provides a timeline for completion. In this example, the writer will know exactly when the goal is accomplished. Measurable goals not only provide direction; they also give closure so you will know when to move on to the next one.

5. It must be stated with no alternatives
   In war, when lives are at stake, there is no alternative to victory. Seldom is there the same life and death consequence in the business world, but the stakes can feel just as high sometimes.

   When setting a goal, it must be stated with a firm “all-or-nothing” way of thinking. A soft goal isn’t really a goal at all – it’s a hope. You can hope to be successful or you can plan to be successful. Setting goals with no alternatives leads to the success you deserve.




6. It must be something you want to do
   At the end of the day, successful goal setting is about passion. If you have passion for a goal then you are more likely to accomplish it. Your passion gives you the energy to keep moving forward in spite of the negative voices you hear or the obstacles you encounter.

   Generally, people don’t do anything until they are ready. When setting a goal, if your attitude is anything less than passionate, then you have probably set the wrong goal.

   How do you know if you have passion for a goal? The answer is simple: Make a list of the major goals you want to accomplish. The one that jumps off the page and lands right in the middle of your heart is something you may want to do.

   Believe in this one. Make a plan to achieve it. Measure your progress as you go and be resolute that there are no alternatives. When you do, you have mastered the simple factors of successful goal setting.

Everyone knows that anger is a destructive emotion that causes all kinds of harm, to ourselves, to other people, and the world at large. Yet despite our knowledge that anger is unhealthy, and despite our best efforts to get over it, sometimes we get stuck in an angry rut, and we can’t seem to let it go.

The good news here is that anger is a powerful energetic force, and it contains tremendous intelligence. Normally we think anger is just this terrible, immature emotion that we should never experience, that we should be beyond that. Yet if we can utilize the energy of anger, riding its energy rather than it riding us, the possibilities for positive change are huge.

When you’re stuck in anger, try flipping it around in a kind of “anger energy aikido” and use it to fuel your path of personal growth. Rather than adding further negativity to the negativity already present in anger, get busy making use of that anger, uncovering the energy and intelligence buried there. Here’s a few suggestions to help you do this:

1. Exercise Your Anger
   Take your anger out for a workout. Use the powerful energy in the anger and go to the gym, get on your bike, or go for a run around the block, or whatever your exercise routine is. Channel all that energy into some kind of physical activity, burning it up, rather than letting it burn you up.
2. Play Out Your Anger
   Channel your anger into a creative process. Get out the paints or the clay or the notebook, and start expressing your angry feelings into some kind of tangible, earth bound shape. This gets the anger out of your brain where it causes all kinds of problems, and into a healthy expression, where it can move and transform into something creative and useful. You might even get insights into the causes of the anger, and this may even help you to let it go.
3. Use Your Anger to Change the Situation
   Rather than stewing in anger, examine it to find what’s causing you to be angry, and then change the cause or causes. One way to do this is to use a writing process. Begin by writing your experience down without editing it, just getting all the heavy aggressive stuff out on paper. Then ask yourself, Why am I angry at this situation? Reflect for as long as you need, and write out your response.

   Once you have some understanding of what’s causing your anger, you’re now in a perfect position to do something about it. The next question is: What can I do in this situation to make positive change? The options will usually fall into three categories: change your response to the situation; change the situation; exit the situation. Think about what possibilities might work best for you and for the situation as a whole, and then take action.

4. Change Me, for You
   Anger holds a strong conviction that we are “right”. We feel so righteous when we’re angry, but that righteousness goes to waste because we stifle it with the self absorption of anger. To flip it around, think of someone you’ve wronged in the past. Think back to a time when you were hurtful to another person. Then pick up the phone, get them on the line, and offer a sincere heart felt apology, regardless of how long ago it was. This may sound like a very weird idea, but chances are that the person at the other end of the line will appreciate your call and they’ll soften up to you, whether they remember the hurt or not. This will flip your self righteousness around to “other” righteousness, and will benefit you as well as the other person.
5. Get Intimate With Your Anger
   The writing process in number 3 is one way to discover the message in your anger. Another method is to encounter your anger face to face. Look your anger directly straight in the eye and ask it, “What are you trying to tell me? What is it that you need me to see?”

   Anger is a wake up call. It’s there yelling at us, “Something’s not right here. LOOK!! This needs to CHANGE!” Fearlessly step into your anger, naked without any filter, and ask it to reveal its message to you. Normally we’re so busy reacting to our anger that we don’t actually pay attention to it. Flip the pattern of running from your anger, and face it head on so you can see where it’s coming from.

Normally we think anger is just this terrible, immature emotion that we should never experience, that we should be beyond that. And it is and we should. Yet sometimes we get bogged down in dark states of mind, and sometimes we need strong medicine. And sometimes diving right into the energy of our anger to make use of its creative energy may be just the trip to the doctor we need.

To many, Donald Trump is considered to be one of the most successful individuals of our generation. Trump is an American business entrepreneur, author, socialite and television personality. He is the Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, as well as a famous real-estate developer.

Donald is also the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, a company which operates a multiplicity of casinos and hotels all around the world. Trump’s lavish lifestyle and witty personality has made him a celebrity, and his hit reality television show, The Apprentice, has solidified this status.

Today I want to talk about seven things we can learn from the billionaire Donald Trump. Any person who could amass such success is bound to be an inspiration.

7 Success Lessons from Donald Trump

1. Focus on the Present
   
   

   “I try to learn from the past, but I plan for the future by focusing exclusively on the present. That’s were the fun is.”

   Yesterday is buried, and tomorrow is not yet born; the only progress that can be made toward success has to be done in the present moment, so I recommend that you focus all of your energies into making the present moment as productive as possible. If you don’t, your past will duplicate itself into your future.

2. Fail Forward

   “Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.”

   Never fear failure, failure is the path to success. If at first you don’t succeed, then … that makes sense. Success takes time and it requires failure, through the process of failing you will discover how to succeed. Don’t fear failing, fear not giving your all.

3. Think Big

   “As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.”

   It takes no more time to think big as it does to think small. Plan for big things in your life, there’s always room at the top for the person who’s willing to think bigger. Leave “little thinking” for people who want to accomplish little things, but not you. Success begins with thinking big.

4. Do What You Love

   “If you’re interested in ‘balancing’ work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable.”

   I saw a billboard the other day that said, “Life is too short to eat oatmeal,” I don’t know about that, but I do know that life is too short to do work that you despise. Trump said, “I don’t make deals for the money. I’ve got enough, much more than I’ll ever need. I do it, to do it.” Whatever you do, you must do it, to do it, because you will only have success doing what you love!

5. Stay Positive

   “What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.”

   Nothing is more constant then “change.” What worked for someone else will not necessarily work for you on your path to success. Challenges that others did not have, you may have. What separates the winners from the losers is that winners react positively to unforeseen challenges. Winners go over the hurdles that stop others.




6. Passion is Power

   “Without passion you don’t have energy; without energy you have nothing.”

   The main ingredient for success is energy. Nothing great can ever be accomplished with out “amazing” levels of energy, and energy comes from passion, so what’s the lesson? Always follow your passion, and you will always have the energy to accomplish your dreams.

7. Experience is Priceless
   
   

   “Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you’re generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make.”

   You need experience; there are things that experience will teach you that you can’t learn in any other way. Never underestimate the value of getting your hands dirty. With experience come priceless lessons that will position you for success.

Hopefully you’ve been able to gain some insights from Donald’s wisdom.

To recap: Always remember to: Focus on the present, fail forward, think big, do what you love, stay positive, and know that passion is power and experience is priceless.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this along!

Have you ever said “Yeah, I’ll do that” – and then completely failed to? I bet you have, and I’d also bet that you felt kinda bad about it. Whether it was doing the dishes or visiting a sick relative, getting back to someone by email or finishing that report by Friday, saying that you’ll do something and then not doing will knock your reputation in the eyes of those around you.

There are all sorts of reasons why we sometimes fail to do what we say we’ll do. Perhaps:

• We overcommitted ourselves, and ran out of time and energy
• We found that we really didn’t want to do it
• We simply forgot all about it, until it was too late

So how can you make sure that you always follow through on what you’ve said you’ll do?

1. Stop and Think Before Taking on a New Commitment
   First, don’t be too quick to say “yes”. Some of us (myself included!) find it hard to turn down a friend or colleague’s request. But in the long run, it’s much better to tell people that you don’t have the time or energy to commit to helping them rather than promising to do it, only to leave them in the lurch.

   I often ask for some breathing space when I’m asked to take on something new. I explain that I’d like to take a day or two to think about it, to make sure I can be fully and wholeheartedly committed. I’ve never had anyone react badly to this – if anything, people are usually glad that I’m taking my commitment to them seriously.

   Next time you’re about to blurt out “Yes, sure, I’ll do that,” stop. Do you really need to make a decision on the spot? Can you offer to get back to the person after the weekend?

   Remember, it’s OK to say no!

2. Delegate and Ask for Help Where Possible
   When you do take on an extra task or piece of work, don’t get too hung up on the idea of doing it all yourself. In many cases, you don’t have to complete the whole thing alone – you’ve just promised to make sure that it gets done.

   If you’ve told your spouse that you’ll get the dishes done and the kitchen cleaned, why not rope in the kids to help? If you’ve offered to put together a presentation for next week’s meeting, can you get colleagues to provide you with some of the figures and diagrams that you’ll need?

   Many of us aren’t very confident about delegating – but the truth is that it empowers both us and the people who we delegate to. Trust your children, or your junior employees, with progressively bigger tasks – and they’re likely to rise to your expectations. By learning to delegate, you’ll accomplish more, and you’ll be much more likely to see your commitments through.




3. Keep Good Notes and Records
   Finally, a big reason for failing to follow through is simple forgetfulness. It’s easy to say “Yep, I’ll take care of it” during a meeting or a chat or a phone call – only for the task to slip completely out of your mind. This is particularly the case on small, simple actions: perhaps sending an email, lending a friend a book, taking out the garbage, etc. and screwing up on these can be just as embarrassing and potentially damaging as messing up on bigger things. (After all, if you can’t be trusted to handle little jobs, people aren’t going to want you taking care of the bigger ones.)

   Some of the best advice I had on keeping track of commitments was from Dave Navarro’s program 30 Hours a Day. In one of the modules he talks about the concept of a “funnel” – somewhere for all your new commitments to pour into. This might be a notebook, your email account, your phone, anything which you can access pretty much anywhere, anytime. At the end of the day, you sit down with the “funnel” and make sure that all those commitments get transferred into your diary or whatever to-do list system you use.

4. If All Else Fails … Back Out With Grace
   Finally, sometimes you can’t keep all your commitments. You may come to the point where you realize something has to slide. Maybe you’ve got the option of battling through, working late, whatever – but you value your health and your sanity!

   There’s nothing wrong with admitting that you’ve overcommitted yourself. It’s not something you should be doing on a regular basis (if it is, go back to step one) – but if it happens occasionally, people will respect you for standing up and saying that you need to drop something or that you need a bit more time.

   If things do look rocky, try to give people as much warning as possible: don’t pull out at the last minute.

How do you make sure you follow through with everything you’ve committed to? Have you got any embarrassing stories to share of times when you screwed up (either through overcommitment or just forgetfulness)?

I bet this Devil’s Advocate is going to ruffle a lot of feathers! Frugality is a pretty big topic in the personal finance blog community because there are so many things you can do to trim a few cents or dollars off here or there. You can buy gadgets like a Kill-A-Watt to find out how much energy your appliances are using and disconnect them when they’re not in use. You can make your own detergent for your washing machine or buy a rack to line dry your clothes. There have been books filled to the brim with thousands upon thousands of ways to save a few dollars and cents here or there… however they never get to the heart of the issue – being frugal should be the very last thing you try to be when all other options have been exhausted.

If you think of yourself as a business, you have two ways of generating a profit. You can increase your income or you can decrease your expenses. When you focus entirely on being frugal, you only look at half of the equation. That’s foolish.

Know The Value of Your Time

It’s very important that you know how much an hour of your time is worth because all of your decisions should start with that number. The point of knowing has less to do with actual dollar amounts and more to put those decisions into context.

Consider this – let’s say you’ve estimated that one of your hours is worth $100. Would you spent an hour making laundry detergent that you can buy for $10 or would you instead be focusing on finding more ways to earn money? Now what if your hour was worth $50… would you rather be spending that hour making detergent or finding more hours to work? While you might not be able to add more hours, I argue that your hour is better spent trying to find more worth instead of making detergent.

The point of my example wasn’t to pick on making detergent, or any household supplies, but the main reason for doing it shouldn’t be financial. We line dry clothes because it’s more environmentally friendly. We also save money on electricity but the main reason is environmental.

Frugality Offers Diminishing Returns

The second biggest reason why focusing on frugality is foolish has to do with limitations. There is no limit to how much income you can earn in your lifetime. You may impose limits on yourself, based on your environment and your decisions, but there is no immutable law that says you can only earn a certain amount. There is, however, a limit to how much you can save. If you spend $500 a month on groceries, the most you could ever save per month on groceries, with all the tricks in the world, is $500.

Not only is there a limit with frugality, but the biggest gains are usually discovered in the beginning. When you start making laundry detergent for yourself, the biggest savings will be in making it yourself. As you find cheaper ingredients or buy in bulk, you will continue to increase your savings over the store bought detergent but each step will be smaller.

The opposite is true when you focus on increasing your income. As you develop your skills, add to your list of certifications or education, you become a more valuable asset and income increases will become larger with each step.

The bottom line is that while frugality can be an excellent exercise in creativity, it’s usually never worth your time.

Being Frugal is Foolish from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

« Previous entries