Would You Toss Out 12 Ounces of Silver Into The Trash?

Let me ask you.... If I stacked up 12 one ounce silver coins in front of you and then handed them to you... Would you turn around and then toss them out into the garbage?

I am going to go out on a limb and say that across the board, that no one in their right mind would throw out the coins. You would of course keep them.

But what if we are doing that right now and we didn't even realize it? You might be!

What's this? It's recycling! Every month so many of us, throw out our aluminum cans and plastic bottles and this can actually add up. All of those "silver" lites we drink during the football games or other sports that many of us watch. All those Diet Cokes, regular Pepsis, Cokes, Root Beers, Red Bulls, etc. get tossed out the trash by quite a few of us. And let's not forget the bottled water, the sport drinks, and other plastic bottle beverages that we drink up each week. This starts to add up!

You might be surprised on how much your family consumes in one month. Let's say on an average your family is drinking about $25.00 a month in recyclables. You might think... "Brad, that is not that much. It is only $25.00 bucks." Well that is about one ounce of silver. (I realize the price may change as I type this.) But if you added that savings up for one year that is about 12 ounces of silver!

When I started to put it in these terms it really made me stop and think. Yeah, it may only be $25.00 dollars here and there....but if I see it in the form of silver one ounce coins...that really makes me see things a little differently.

And if you are looking to pay down a little more on a credit card debt or you wanted to start saving some money but the cash flow was too tight...this may help out some. I do realize it is not a huge amount of money but every bit does start to add up over time...One ounce at a time.

Go "Green" and Go Silver!

Holiday Gifts – Something Else To Consider

I have been wondering how to approach this topic because it can be a difficult one to talk about with your significant other. Even the slight mention of this topic can create an explosion between couples. I know. I have been there myself. But…if you can overcome the pain, come to a neutral place, than you both might be glad you took the risk to even discuss this subject.

What’s the big topic? Holiday Gifts ~ spending on something else instead. Why can this be a ticking time bomb to discuss??? Ladies…let me ask you this question and be honest…if your man comes up to you and asks… “Honey, what if instead of buying each other expensive gifts this year…ummm…we set up an account with Scottrade or Fidelity? (Or something along those lines)
Ladies…be honest…Spending on something “practical” is NOT what you want to hear. Am I way off? I know…something romantic and something that makes you feel beautiful, right? That sounds better?

Now…I am not trying to pick on the ladies for this topic or blame the ladies here. Guys… we are just as guilty. We buy a lot of “crap” on our sports, cars, and well…more “man” crap. So we are just as guilty on spending money on “stuff”.

Look, the thought of a backlash between couples in suggesting that you both spend money on an investing account or on some other assets, rather than buying some jewelry, some nice outfits, a new pair of golf clubs, or whatever “stuff” you might desire, can be a scary subject to bring up. Who likes to argue and fight with your significant other? It is not fun. So of course…we avoid it. Better to continue the debt?

But what about the debt that follows us when the holidays are over? Doesn’t that “debt” also create those “lovely” conversations about money? And then let’s talk about the credit card debt that we rack up over the holidays. Is it really worth it?

The holidays can be a wonderful time, don’t get me wrong, but the after effect of spending money we don’t have can create larger debt which can lead to late payments, collections, or even worse…short on the mortgage or rent. And if that starts to happen…then our credit goes down the drain. And trust me on this…that is NOT a conversation you want with your partner.

What if instead we took Robert Kiyosaki’s advice and we put that holiday money this year towards some assets? Or what if we listened to Suzi Orman and we put that holiday money to our emergency back up so we get a little closer to her 8 month cash reserve that she recommends?

I know…but then we have to “delay” our immediate gratification and that’s not very fun. Hence this topic is not a popular one for sure. Hmmm…but what if we could create some assets that generated money in the future? What if those assets grew over time and because of it, we could start buying those cute pairs of shoes and golf clubs because we learned to increase our financial IQ (as Mr. Kiyosaki suggests). Yes, I am a big fan of his if you cannot tell. But it really starts to make sense. Create assets to generate more cash and then we can have our “stuff” from the money generated by those assets.

It seems the difficult part on this idea is to delay our purchasing “stuff” like the holiday gifts because we are so used to satisfying our needs “today” as opposed to later.

But what if we could delay our immediate desires? What if we could get excited about buying some stocks, gold, silver, or some kind of asset that could get us closer to financial freedom?
Just a thought… I expect this one will be rejected by many but I prefer to face the topic head on and so I do think it is worth bringing it up.

However you decide to “spend” your holidays…Enjoy!

Some Conversation Starter ~ Suggestions

“Honey, suggesting this idea doesn’t mean I don’t love you…actually because I do love you, because I do love “us”, I want to ensure our family is secure.”

And maybe add the following ~

“Honey, in place of a gift this year…I would like to cook you dinner for a week”; or do laundry for the week, take her to a museum, a play, or cook a romantic dinner, etc.

Do something she would like to do so she knows that you do love her and that you do care and that you just want was ultimately is the best for your family.

Don't Listen To The Negative Noise - Break Out Of Your Past And Become Your Future!

Sometimes the voices inside our heads from our past can create obstacles or current challenges in our present moments. These voices can be discouraging and keep us from trying something new, to reinvent ourselves, or from moving forward in life. These are the voices in our heads that put us in the “box” in how “they see us” fit into the scheme of things. You know…the voices that see us doing this type of work or that type of employment. “That is the “box” you should stay in!” Do you ever hear those noises?

These voices could be friends from when you were in high school, maybe a co-worker, perhaps a sibling, a relative, or even a parent… and these voices keep telling you that “You can’t be successful in that field.” Or “I don’t see you doing that job…why don’t you see if you can be a grocery clerk, a waiter, or something like that instead.”

Now…for the record…I don’t think there is anything wrong with being a grocery clerk, a waiter, a bar tender, etc. I absolutely respect that line of work and the people who provide these invaluable services. But “what if” you wanted to pursue something else outside “That Box” that your friends, family, society, and yes, YOUR HEAD…have created for you to live and work in? What if you wanted to break out of that old box and reinvent yourself?

What if you needed to reinvent yourself because that line of work is becoming outdated? Or maybe you are not making enough money and now you want to challenge yourself and do more with your life. Well, I think sometimes these negative voices inside our heads…can hold us back. This noise that echoes in our heads creates us from trying something new. This noise keeps us from going out of our comfort zone. We are afraid and we don’t want to hear from our peers that we will indeed fail. “You cannot do that line of work.” “Not you.” “Maybe your friend “so and so” can or maybe your sisters can...but not you.”

Well…why the hell not? Why not you? Who made them the chief?

What if we stopped listening to those negative noises and decided to break out of this old box? What if instead… we decided to challenge ourselves, reinvent ourselves, and allow ourselves to become the person that YOU want to become? Seriously...why not you?

For many of us out there right now we might find ourselves going through a difficult time period, perhaps because of the economy, and we need to make changes right now. Well maybe now is the time to break out of that old box and create a new one. Maybe now is the time to stop listening to the past and start listening to the possibilities? Again, why not you? If one person can do it…why can’t you do it?

Seriously… Isn’t that “Other Person”… also… “Just a Person” like you, like me, your neighbor, your friend, your colleague, like all of us? And if he or she can make it happen…why not you?

So if you hear those noises in your head…ignore them! Become the person you want to become not what “they” want you to be and break out of that old box. It’s “your life”.

Break out of your past and become your future!

No one has a monopoly on the human spirit! So don’t let those voices tell you otherwise. Don’t let the noises of your past hold you back from moving forward. Negative Minds Only Offer Negative Solutions!

Keep moving forward!

What is Your Sleep Number?

I am sure you might have seen those entertaining commercials showing those cool looking beds that customize to the individual’s bodies to get the best sleep at night?

Well I have another sleep number and it’s the number of months you need for your cash reserves in case “things don’t go according to plan.”

Suze Orman, on her television show quite often suggests that you should have an 8 month back up plan. And I can’t really argue with this. But if I may…I would like to perhaps add a thought to this.

My question is…how many months of back up cash will let you sleep a restful night?

If it is 8 months…great! But if it is not…then maybe you might need 10 or 12 months of back up money in order not to wake up in a cold sweat. Maybe your number is 18 (18 months) or maybe it is “24” months?

And if you are married…then that sleep number is not just about you! That number needs to keep both of you sleeping restful at night. It might be a question to ask your significant other. No sense in guessing their number, just ask. For my wife, she feels more comfortable at 24 months. Yes, she wants 2 years of back up to feel “secure”. And that is OK. It is her number. Now…I don’t have this “sleep number” just yet…In fact, I need to really figure out how I am going to reach this number. But there we go. At least I know what my “sleep number” is. It is 24. It might take me a while to reach this number but at least I know what my family’s comfort zone is and what I need to strive for in order to sleep easy at night.

I bring this up because I am sure a lot of you hear this topic quite a bit. Again I agree with Suze that you should at least have 8 months of cash reserves at the very minimum. You just never know if your job will be there the next day or if something else happens in life where that back up cash will be needed. So it’s a good idea.

But if you are like me your sleep number might be slightly different. Maybe you need a larger number to feel secure at night. Whatever the number is I think it is important to figure it out and to set this as a goal so you don’t continue to stay up late at night stressing out.

So what is your sleep number? Love to hear your comments!

Letting the Calm Become the Power – overcoming our fears

Do you remember when you first learned how to swim? Or at least, you have watched someone take their first swimming lesson. There was that beginning fear or panic of being in the water. There was that feeling of helplessness and being in uncharted territory…the body tensed up, the arms became rigid, and fear took over. Then the arms started flailing and thrashing in the water as panic swept over our minds that we were certain that we would drown. Pure horror and absolute fear engulfed our very fiber and our soul. Death was imminent.

Ahhhhh….but then something magical happened. We learned the big secret! By being “calm” and motionless we could be in control.

We learned that by lying on our backs and taking deep breaths and calming our bodies down to a still, we could float effortlessly on the water. Now we were floating on our backs in the water and using hardly any energy at all. We did not even really need to do anything else but relax.

It is this absence of fear and helplessness that makes it all possible to float. The “calm” becomes our power.

And this is my point for us to ponder on...

If we find ourselves in a desperate situation, in a new situation, an uncharted territory in life…Maybe if we take some deep breaths, take a long walk, calm our bodies and our minds down…then maybe we can learn to feel that comfort zone of this new challenge in life that is presented to us. Perhaps we can let the calm allow us to think of a way to resolve our present issues instead of letting the panic set in and start to flail and thrash in the water.

I am not suggesting that a walk and some deep breaths will make everything horrible go away, by no means. But I would like to suggest is that perhaps if life is throwing some punches…that we reflect back to when you first learned to swim or perhaps riding a bicycle for the very first time. It was frightening at first… but once you “stuck with it” and once you relaxed, calmed your nerves down a bit…you did it! You learned the basics. You learned how to overcome the challenge. In fact, you even got better at it.

So with this in mind… when the economy continues to challenge us, when we don’t get that job or perhaps lose one, or whatever the challenge may be…remember to take some deep breaths, not to panic, and find your calm. You will find the answer.

Hang in there and keep moving forward. If another person can do it…why can’t you?

You can do this!

Fallen down Alice's rabbit hole - making it work

If you have fallen down Alice’s rabbit hole you are not alone. In fact, I suspect there are quite a few of us out there who have fallen down the hole but either have not realized it yet or simply don’t want to accept the matter of fact.

Ahhh…and there lies the rub….We all may be staying in this giant rabbit hole for quite a period of time.

And this brings me to the following two choices that I have to offer.

Choice A… we accept our doom and gloom and wait until someone has found where that darn cheese was moved. “And they lived grumpily ever after.”

Or…

Choice B… since we are staying in Alice’s lovely rabbit hole. Why not…make it work! Let’s find out how we can make it a success living in slower and darker times. What do we need to do to make things brighter in the rabbit hole? What tools can I sharpen, find, revamp, or whatever, to get things moving and working again.

I suggest this choice B because I sincerely think we might be in a slow economy for some time to come. And I think this is the 800 pound gorilla in the room that no one wants to talk about. But I suggest…let’s go there…let’s face this topic head on! What if…we have another 2 years, 5 years, or even longer living in the rabbit hole? What if the economy takes another 7 years to bounce back??? What then? Choice A?

But what if we make ourselves successful during these slow times? What if we can use this time to improve ourselves and become even that much better? What if we can learn to thrive living in the rabbit hole? Guess what…then we have successfully transformed ourselves to being able to function in any economy!

What if we make this our choice…to thrive in Alice’s rabbit hole and make it work!
Why not create a way to be successful no matter what the conditions may bring.

Let’s make Alice’s rabbit hole not only tolerable but outright enjoyable. And if we all achieve that…then we are out of the rabbit hole.

And there is the answer to the rub… We are only in a hole if we allow ourselves to be. Do we see a hole? Or can we see it as an opportunity?

As a friend of mine often says…. “Make it a powerful day!”

Not seeing results in LinkedIn? Get active and don't collect dust

I hear this quite a bit from fellow business associates all the time. “I signed up on LinkedIn…Why am I not getting results?”

If this is your dilemma with LinkedIn or other social media, then think of your situation in this way…

“Brad, you said if I bought a beach cruiser bicycle that I could have a lot of fun on my weekends. But I went and bought the bike like you suggested…but I am not really having a lot of fun. My bike is sitting in my garage every weekend and I just don’t see the fun in having it?”

And this brings me to my point… if you are not “using” it then you will not see any results.

So like our friend who wants to have fun on the bike, he needs to go out and ride the bike to have fun. He needs to “use it” to see results. Letting the bike sit and collect dust will not bring any enjoyment.

If you are using LinkedIn and not seeing a lot of results at the moment…my question to you is… are you “active” in LinkedIn? Are you joining in the conversations? Are you starting conversations? Are you joining a lot of groups? Are you sending invites for others to join your connections? Are you accepting connections? Are you asking other group members for advice? Are you asking a lot of questions? You MUST be active to get results! Don’t be like the bike in the story and collect dust.

Are you reading books like Inbound Marketing? I am constantly learning more each week. I have learned a lot but I push myself to learn more. How can I connect more and how can I bring more value to others? How can I keep adding to my plate?

If you are not seeing the results that you want than you need to get more active, perhaps change it up, connect more, join conversations, join more groups, keep learning, and keep taking action.

I have to believe if you continue to stay proactive…you will see more results.
I would love to hear your comments or suggestions on LinkedIn or other social media.

Thanks for tuning into my blog.
Keep moving forward!