Must See Video

Virginia Congressman J.Randy Forbes had authored a Spiritual Heritage Resolution and sopke to it eloquently click here to watch this great video. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpQOCvthw-o

One you have watched this video please tell me what you think of it.

ALSO I have been trying to negotiate a deal (which is preachers talk for trying to convince my daughter Melody to join her brother Matthew and me as a co-author on this blog site.  For information is forthcoming.

 

But We Still Communicate

It has been a long time since you heard from both Matt and me and some would think that we do not communicate.  Since the purpose of this blog was originally designed for us to get our heads together on matters of finance and other issues that might come to us again you might think that we aren;t helping each other.  That would be untrue, for hardly a week goes by that we do not  touch base and make recommendations or share ideas and from time to time we talk about some pretty deep stuff.  But for some reason we just never get around to putting it in print.

Does that mean we are being loyal to the intent of this blog?  No not at all, it simply means that we are being more private that you wish.  Keep visiting this site from time to time and you might just get some insight.

Also remember that making comments is always an option and it might even cause us to post more often. It’s kind of a win-win situation.

 

I know What Happened to the Economy

Gripe, gripe, gripe.  Too many people can’t seem to see the larger picture of life.  They would rather complain about the fact that they don’t have all they want overlooking the fact that they ‘do’ have all they need.  I’m getting a little tired of all the whiners.

Let’s blame former President Bush … No let’s blame the war in Iraq … Wait let’s blame  really bad investments … and the list goes on and on …  As I set here at the ‘computer’ I’m even tempted to blame Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, T. Boone Pickens and if you tell me you have more money that I do, I’ll blame you.

Now are you ready to hear what really has happened and who is to blame? 

The reason for the shape of our economy is directly related to how we’ve handled it.  Foolish spending … unwise investments … greed … selfishness … all about me attitude … poor workmanship … even poorer management.   Leaders who are too young to remember and other leaders too old to care. 

So how do we reverse our situation?

Take time to learn some things that will improve your situation, willingly admit that some of your problems are just, “your problems”.  Take responsibility, see this as a set back, but not the end.  Keep dreaming, keep working or maybe “start working” toward being where you want to be.  Learn to re-script yourself, rewrite the story of your life, visualize yourself being where you want to be and head in that direction. Never look back, what’s past is past, stop your whining.

Do everything you can to get back on your feet and determine to stay there.  Set goals and make them bite size and take a bite every day, if necessary chew slowly.

Most of all make sure that God is in the middle of all that you do.  Don’t make any decisions without first consulting Him and trust in Him not your own wisdom.

 

Consistancy

I guess obtaining wealth is a lot like this blog site.  Much depends upon being consistent. It’s pretty obvious that we haven’t been very consistent in posting lately, but hopefully that’ll change.  Starting a business, investing money, purchasing real estate and saving what little You already have also has to be consistent.  So what lies ahead of us?  Consistency.

Keep reading and we’ll try to keep writing.

 

So What’s Important

It’s so easy to spend money on things I want. Things that I want “now”. Impulse buying is a difficulty for many people, of which I am not the least.

Have you ever noticed that we tend to spend just a little bit here and there?  We don’t really recognize what’s going on until those little bits have piled up and become a lot.  We wonder where did all our money go?  Of course we can most always track our spending by simply tracking our daily travels.  A cup of coffee here, a magazine there, a good book, a not so good book. Oh and don’t forget those unexpected items like flat tires, gas for the truck and toilet paper. Of course as we stand in line at the cash register we have a chocolate attack.

I never get in trouble for spending on “large” items it’s always the small stuff that gets me in trouble.

My own personal desires seem to get in the way and before I know it, I’ve spent all that I have on stuff that really wasn’t important.  

It’s no wonder I’m always out of money.  I wish there was a way to not spend here and there. Got any ideas?

 

My Real Motivation

There must be something wrong with me.  My motivation to make a lot of money isn’t about me.  I have difficulty trying to figure out how to put into words what “I” really want. I’m pretty much satisfied with what I’ve got. But I know that if I have more, I can do more.

In my grand experiment( www.7m7y.com) where I’m one of several people learning how to become a millionaire I’m pulling my hair out trying to figure my “number” or what I “want” or “need” by a specific date.  When I have to break it down into specific details I get all bogged down in specific figures.  But I’m doing the best I can.

Since I can’t be too specific on the www.7m7y.combog  I want to use this site to tell as Paul Harvey used to say, “The Rest of the Story”. You see my real motivation as stated is “To Glorify God in Everything I Do.”  My goal to see God lifted up by people learning how to deal with stress and pointing their success to God and not to themselves.

I long to see God work in miraculous ways that can only be explained by “His” doings and not mine.  But I also realize that I have been given an opportunity to learn from others who have gone before me and from some who are going along side me.  I’m open to whatever it takes to succeed. 

I can use all the encouragement I can get from those who know me best.

 

Try This Experiment.

I really enjoy experiments, that’s one reason I’m part of http://7m7y.com which is 7 people listening to a mentor who is trying to lead us into wealth.  It’s a real challenge to say the least.

But I have another experiment that I’m also involved in www.soulrevolution.net whis is called “The 60-60 Experiment” and it’s simply follows the idea that God is present with us 24/7 but we for some reason seem to forget it and act as thought he is nowhere around. 

The experiment goes like this:  I set the alarm on my cell phone (which really drains the battery by the way) for 60 minutes.  Every time it goes off I am reminded that God is not only present in my life but that he is keenly aware of what I’m doing at that very moment, listening to my every word and knowing my every thought.  Well you can imagine how I feel when I am constantly reminded of that.  I then reset my alarm and go at it again knowing that in 60 minutes I’ll once again be reminded.

The challenge is to continue to do this for 60 days thereby formulating a habit of remembering that regardless of what I do whenever I do it that God is there and that he knows what I’m doing.  Hopefully causing me to think about what I’m doing, saying, or thinking.

Nothing catches him by surprise.

I dare you to join me:)

So how does this apply to money?  well duh!  Am I spending, saving, investing my money the way I believe God wants me to? or am I just doing it like I want to and like the rest of the world says to do it?

After all it’s not really my money anyway is it?  All that I have belongs to God, I’m just the steward in charge of a little bit of it.

 

Plans, Plans, Plans

If planning is the way to success, it’s no wonder I’m always a day late and a dollar short.  On http://7m7y.com we are supposed to produce some kind of spreadsheet. (Like I know how to do that)

The first thing I’m going to do on my way to becoming one of the 7 millionaires is hire me an accountant.  My mind is spinning just trying to make plans.  I am of the opinion that I  need lots of help to become all I should be.

I don’t really know how to “network” with others, Got any recommendations in how to contact people to come along side of me and help?

 

Something to Think About

by Matthew Martin

Short and sweet.  It doesn’t matter whether it is your quest for wealth, relationship success, job search or business growth.  I want to ask the following question (and it applies to me as much if not more than everyone else).

What am I not doing in my life that I could be doing, that I am blaming someone else for not doing for me?

Really think about it.  Are you a victim or a creator of your own path? Talk to you later.

 

Going the Extra Mile

by Matthew Martin

Pretty bad that I went directly from talking about having trouble making small victories and not wanting to get out of bed to the topic of going the extra mile.  Why would I tackle such a touchy subject?  It applies to life as a business owner as well as life in general.  Why should you go the extra mile?  I have a lot of reasons.  First of all it sets you apart from the competition; the guy that wants your contract, the person trying to out blog you, or even the dude in the cube next to you.  But if you aren’t getting compensated for it…..why do it? Do you have a mentality that it is “not fair” to have to do extra things to get ahead.  I am sorry to have to say it but that is a lazy mentality, not a success driven mentality.  Go the extra mile because PEOPLE WILL NOTICE.  Then people will respond to you in kind.  They will refer you, they will remember you when they need you.  It also a quality that demands respect.  Just after last Christmas, I was driving from my home in Atlanta to my girlfriend’s mother’s house in Columbus, OH. It is 8 hours up there and 8 hours back down.  I stopped by Barnes and Noble on my way out of town and bought Napoleon Hill’s audio book, the 17 principles of success.  I highly reccommend this audio book or the paper version.  But this particular audiobook consisted of his university lectures in Chicago way back before I was born.  I love listening to him talk.  It is so powerful to hear the inflection in his voice, something you cannot pick out of a book.  The reason I say this is of those 17 principles, going the extra mile is one of them that he emphasizes.  He really puts the point towards the fact that is makes such a difference, people do notice and finally it doesn’t cost you anything to do it.  We have already gone over the topic of one of his other principles; definiteness of purpose, aka; AJC’s life purpose.  I would like to finish by giving an example of how this has worked for me and by asking a question of the readers of this blog.

Story:

A couple years ago when my company was even more of a fledgling than it is now I had a contract with a new hospital in let’s say…the dark side of Mars.  I was tasked with setting up the network systems and server infrastructure, all the PC work the whole deal.  I hired two people to work with me and everything was going well.  After we had completed the work that required my skill set and we had moved towards maintenance of those systems, my invoices started getting paid slower and slower until we were 8 weeks behind on getting paid.  I am paying my employee’s salary out of my pocket with the understanding that I would get it back when the invoices were paid.  I didn’t complain, I continued to work, had to let my people go.  I stuck with them, putting in extra hours and getting more done with less.  In the end, I was being took by some of most shady martian business people (and doctors, I thought they were reuired to stick to a code of ethics? Boy was I wrong!!!).  Long story short, they went out of business less than a year after I left the organization.  Then one day I get a call from the State appointed Trustee for the bankruptcy of the hospital.  He needed help and told me I had been referred by some very trustworthy people.  I ended up making a Large sum of money for about 10 mins worth of work.  Approximately $500/minute or $30,000/hr or $262,800,000/year. They needed something badly and I was who they wanted to let help them.  Fast forward another year and the finacial company that funded this old hospital got the facility back in the bankruptcy but the only way to get their money back is to open it as a successful hospital and sell it.  The trustee gave me as a referral for this new company to fulfill it’s IT needs.  There was enough trust in who I am and what I could do to hire me on an even better deal than the first one with a group of executives and consultants that are helping me grow in my business.  It does pay off.  I was bitter for a long time, but looking back…I see how it worked.  With the price of marketing tools, etc. word of mouth is the most cost effective method and doing what you say you will do and then some is the only cash you need to buy it.  Nothing is better for advancing your career or business than something free, especially with the Economy in a talespin.

Question:

How has going the extra mile given you a leg up on the competition? I am anxious to hear. And if no one responds I vow to start making my posts private so when I get lonely I can log on and read them to myself.  Please let us and other readers know how you have gone the extra mile, what it cost you and what were the benefits?