Time to Change

February 27, 2010 by Steven 3 Comments

Rather than a lengthy article, today I am calling for action.

In the few moments which you would usually spend reading about motivation and goals, use this time as an opportunity to improve or change a small piece of your life.

Pick up the phone and call your mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter, for no other reason than to say “Hello.”

Write an old fashioned letter to your significant other telling them how much you appreciate and love them.

Lace up your shoes and go for a walk.

Send an email inquiring about how you can become involved in a local charity or organization.

Change in life begins small, the same way the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Filed under Motivation, Opportunity, Prioritizing

Hundred Goals’ Blog Carnival #1

February 25, 2010 by Steven 6 Comments

Being a new blogger is tough.

The hardest part isn’t finding a topic you are passionate to write about or even writing insightful, quality articles.  The hardest part is getting people to read it and join in on the conversation.

I want to change that, and this Blog Carnival is my attempt to spread the word about upcoming blogs.  Here is how it will work, and it depends on you to make this Carnival a huge success.

1) Post your “Elevator Speech” about your blog in the Comment Section.  Let everyone know a little bit about yourself and what topics you write about on your blog.

2) Post a link to your blog at the end of your comment.

3) Post a link to the Blog Carnival on your blog and promote the Carnival as much, or as little, as you like.  Have a Facebook account?  Share a link with your friends.

It is that simple, and with everyone working together, this could be a great chance for you to spread your message and share your blog with the world.  I can’t do this on my own and from here, it is up to you!

If you don’t have a blog, I encourage you to check out the comments and visit some new & upcoming blogs!!!

Cheers!

Filed under Link Collection

The Biggest Waste of Time That Can Change Your Life

February 20, 2010 by Steven 5 Comments

Creating a list of one hundred goals is a monumental task.  Before reaching the one hundred mark, completing the list often becomes a goal of its own.  I didn’t finish my own list in a day or even a week but, in time, the list reached 100 goals and it continues to grow.  Today I  added my 123rd goal, “Learn how to Moon Walk like Michael Jackson”.

Writing a list of goals might seem like a big waste of time and, for some people, it might be.  Some people will write a list of goals and forget about them only moments later.  It is understandable.  We have “real lives” and chasing after a list of goals doesn’t fit into our routine.  There is dinner to be made, bills to be paid and obligations to fulfill.  That goal of taking a vacation with your mother isn’t really a priority.  That goal of becoming a doctor just isn’t practical when you have to work  two jobs just to make ends meet.

It is exactly that attitude, those who believe possibility doesn’t exist, that renders such a list meaningless.  A waste of time.  Not until this perspective is altered can a person maximize the value of such a list.  The reality isn’t that the list is a waste of time, it is your attitude that makes it a waste of time.  Without belief in yourself and in your abilities, a list changes absolutely nothing in your life.  If you don’t believe you can change, you won’t.  You will become a product of circumstance in your own life.  You forfeit control.

Those who dream and believe will find that creating a list of one hundred goals is exactly the catalyst they need to change their lives for the better.  Cynics may not believe that accomplishing a goal like skydiving or bungee jumping can change someone’s life.  I would argue otherwise.  Pursuing goals requires a person to stand up and take a proactive position in their own life.  They create opportunity and pursue their passions.  They conquer fear and overcome personal weakness.  No longer is their life a consequence of their surroundings but instead, a result of their efforts.

Those who dream and believe will do what it takes to make their dreams a reality.  They will do what it takes to change the aspects of their lives that they are not happy with and will begin living aggressively in pursuit of their desires and ambitions.

Creating your own list of one hundred goals might just be the biggest waste of time that can change your life…forever.

Filed under Attitude, Goals, Motivation

Personal Finance Update

February 14, 2010 by Steven 3 Comments

At the beginning of the year I wrote an article titled Attention to Detail: Finances where I discussed my financial situation as being weak.  Having focused almost entirely on debt elimination, I have left myself in a position where my goal of becoming debt free is able to be undermined in an instant.

While I was paying off debt, my savings account was ignored and I emptied my Emergency Fund in order to pay off the last of my Auto Loan.  While all of my effort has been for the greater good, I have been living from week to week as a result.  To find balance in my finances, I made the following declaration:

“I will establish a savings plan to compliment my debt repayment plan.  In doing so, I will create a balance in my finances which will help accomplish both goals simultaneously.”

By the time February arrived I still hadn’t been proactive in finding a balanced approach to my finances.  Instead, I was focusing exclusively on rebuilding my savings account.  I managed to put away $650 in that time, however, my debt repayment plan was pushed aside and largely ignored.  I even procrastinated on personal financial obligations in order to boost my Emergency Fund.

While I succeeded in creating a small financial cushion, my other goals slipped through the cracks and I lost an entire month of repayment.  Instead of further perpetuating this imbalance in my finances, I made a promise to create a budget that would balance my savings goals with my debt repayment goals.  I am happy to say that today, that goal is accomplished.

I have a budget that allows both savings and debt repayment.  The only disappointment in this budget is that working at both goals simultaneously slows down progress on each.  I had hopes of being able to pay off about $15,000 of Student Loan debt in the next year and a half.  This was highly ambitious to begin with and now seems even more unrealistic.  Regardless, I will do all that I can to pay down my debt as quickly as my financial situation allows.

In addition to creating a budget, I have created accounts specifically for the expenses outlined in my budget including Household Expenses (Rent, Utilities), Variable Expenses (Cable, Internet, Cell Phone and Food), Auto Insurance and Emergency Fund.

It is a start, and while there are flaws, it is a beginning towards a more stable and balanced approach to my finances.

Filed under Budgeting, Debt, Savings

Goal #6) Sponsor a Child

February 13, 2010 by Steven 6 Comments

We’ve all seen the commercials asking you to become the sponsor of a starving child.  Our hearts are heavy for these children as we see them barely clinging to life.  We wish there was something we could do to change their situation and more times than I’d like to admit, I’ve turned my head, diverted my eyes or changed the channel.  After a few moments, the guilt subsides and my life goes on as usual.

So do their lives.  The commercials end but the suffering goes on.  Children all over the world are still hungry, still dying of preventable diseases, still drinking dirty water.  My few moments of guilt do nothing to improve their situation.

I have always thought about sponsoring a child but I never felt like the time was right.  I didn’t feel like I had enough money.  My recent trip to Isla Roatan in Honduras opened my eyes to the struggle people face on a daily basis.  A sixty second commercial does not have the same impact on a person as being there.  I realized that no matter how “broke” I convince myself that I am, my life is so fortunate and I should give to those less fortunate than myself.

Today, instead of feeling guilty about doing nothing, my girlfriend and I sponsored a child in Honduras.  I accomplished a goal but more importantly, I am helping in a small way to change someone else’s life for the better.  I am helping give them an opportunity in life.  Helping someone else is far more rewarding than scratching another goal off of my list.

I urge you to consider sponsoring a child of your own.  It will be one of the most rewarding choices of your life.

Filed under Accomplishments, Goals

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