I was first introduced to Robert Kiyosaki’s books by a good friend of mine — a CEO from Las Vegas. His parents were both business owners so he pretty much had a good head start in his financial education — suffice it to say I took his recommendations in full confidence.
Category Archives: Personal Growth
Does My Super Hero Euphoria Mean the Death of My Inner Clark Kent?
By the way I (usually) dress you wouldn’t be able to tell that I work in a stock brokerage firm, but my devoted readers won’t be surprised as they already know that I am a whore of convenience. I’ll often wear the same pair of trusty-dusty-blue-and-musty blue jeans throughout the work week and alternate between a set of 10 or so trendy t-shirts. I rock the funky fly former gym sneaks from the discount store, and I always have on matching socks. — In my world, casual Friday lasts as long as I have a clean t-shirt to wear. Head to toe in the comforts of 20-something fashion my co-workers call me Mr. California Casual and Life is oh so good.
Pick Up the “Can”
Yesterday I had the fortune of meeting a 40-year-old virgin orphan. Let’s call him Joe. Poor Joe was more screwed in the head than a baby-eating Marine fresh from the spring blossoming bomb fields of Baghdad. You couldn’t come within 2 foot radius of him without experiencing his rather convincing impression of a nuclear blast victim. My attempts to shake his hand were largely met with the moans befitting of the people under the stairs; still despite this awkwardness he was all too eager to unload his life story on my unwilling ears. My conscience, however, afforded him an amount of time that I would have rather spent pulling out my chest hair. In summary, Joe had very clear goals for his life, but he wasn’t able to accomplish any of them. Not being able to fulfill his hearts greatest desires pained him beyond belief, and in talking to him it made me think about how I too had an inability to “pick up the can.”
How I Lost Weight and Gained Control 3
Everyone thinks that losing weight is rocket science or that it requires some sort of boot camp for twinky lovers. Well my fine readers, I hope that by now you see how “easy” it is to take control of your body via your mind! In Part 1, I introduced the key to unlocking the secret to weight loss: changing your mentality. In Part 2, I followed up with a way to not get off track of your weight loss goals: finding a system that works for you. And finally in Part 3, I want to share with you the financial implications of changing your mentality and how you can keep more money in your pocket by finding a system that works for you.
The F-word
Being frugal and having good taste may not seem to go hand in hand. On any given day you can catch me in Kenneth Cole, Ralph Lauren, and Perry Ellis but I don’t necessarily pay retail prices. The secret? Designer outlets and thrifts stores (in “rich areas”) help a lot. Continue reading
How I Lost Weight and Gained Control 2
Last time I shared with you the spark that led me to lose 25 lbs in two months and in my journey I unlocked an inconceivable truth. It always seemed like dieting and hard work was the answer to my getting fit. Since eating has served a multipurpose of enjoyment and fulfillment over the length of my lifetime, it was beyond me to consider any other perspective as an acceptable one. The instant I let a new idea creep into my mind, my initial reaction was to reject it. It seemed absurd. “Eat the same thing everyday?” No way. This simple thought coupled with an ounce of self-reflection rippled its way through my life and into my pocket. By eating the same thing everyday as I explained in Part I, I was able to turn my metabolism into a nuclear force.
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How I Lost Weight and Gained Control
I’ve been working out for nearly 5 months now, and while I have seen gains in my strength and endurance, I didn’t really start seeing the kinds of results I’ve wanted until recently. And even though the gains I saw were modest it was enough to almost completely overhaul my thought process. I started thinking differently about my health and my eating habits, and almost by accident my financial thinking has changed too. Eventually I discovered that the same problems that affect people with weight loss issues, affect people with debt loss issues as well. (Revised 2/7/07)
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Defining My Goals
So I’ve taken this challenge to become a Millionaire but I’ve realized that my goal is not well defined. What exactly makes someone a Millionaire? What’s going to make me a Millionaire?
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Step 1: Know Your Enemy Part 2
The first step to becoming financially stable and in turn wealthy, is not to budget or cut coupons, but rather to first identify the problems from within. Once you’ve taken a look at the root of your money problems, you can begin to address them one by one. In Part 1 I talked about some of the common causes of “money chaos†relating to a lack of education, guidance and experience. In Part 2 we’ll take a a look at more common causes relating to emotional problems and insecurity in dealing with money, social status, and financial institutions
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Step 1: Know Your Enemy
Welcome to Step 1 of the Money Boot Camp Preliminary to Becoming a Millionster
Before you take a strangle-hold on money, it is prudent to analyze the situation you’re in and recognize the things that have brought you to be in a state of “money chaos.†In the financial blog community you’ll see a number of tips telling you to track your spending and build a budget, but really none of that is going to help you UNTIL you understand the bigger problem: You