Job Security

"If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life, that we give to the question of what to do with two weeks vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days."
   --Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Q:
I‘m concerned with vanishing jobs {as well as the vanishing value of our currency, but that’s another problem}. This instability means no one is safe . . . no corporation is immune. To help protect against lay-offs and consequent job-seeking, would Microsoft certification be of value?
--JBC, Binghamton NY 

A:
As a self-employed entrepreneur, I have been warning about over-dependence on a job - ANY job - for years. Why wouldn't people have a back-up plan at the very least, that allows them more control over their income and destiny? The wealthy do NOT rely on a job - they CREATE them. 

This is one reason I am in real estate. I have thousands of dollars coming in every month from my very small real estate portfolio, and my living costs are zero (food costs are extra, but I do not have to worry about rent/mortgage, utilities, repairs or yardwork).

There are so many options for starting a business of your own - and so many good financial reasons to do it! One of the easiest, least expensive methods is through direct sales or network marketing. I run a TRAVEL business, in addition to my real estate. No inventory, largest industry in the world, and guess what EVERYONE wants??? Helloooo!

So get whatever certification you want, but hope and pray that someone will want to pay you a living wage after you have invested lots of time and money. Or go start your own business, and quit making excuses.

That's my two cents.

Happy Investing!

A Life of Abundance

Having just returned from a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, from New Orleans to the Yucatan peninsula to explore Mayan ruins and swim with the dolphins, I am prone to reflect on what it means to have a life of abundance.

Surely, life is meant to be full of joy, delight, wonderment, and curiosity - not at the expense of others, but in harmony with them and with the planet. From the literature I reviewed in yesterday's blog, "success" in terms of an abundant and prosperous life means having an attitude of appreciation, of gratitude, and of optimism. Much of the literature has to do with eliminating negative thoughts and attitudes, in order to open the mind to possibilities.

For me, nothing does this quite like taking a break from day-to-day activities, often in the form of travel to unfamiliar places. When I vacation, my mind empties of the daily stresses and I am more fully present in my new environment. Vacation travel allows us not only to explore the world, but to explore ourselves, to question the habits that we form, and to realize there are other ways of being. Focusing on something new and different allows for reflection and creativity. It is in times like these that we are more open to experimentation and innovation.

Certainly travel can be educational and inspirational. For most of my life, I have been fascinated by lost civilizations, archaeology, ancient works of art and technology - including the ancient Mayan ruins, particularly those of Chichen Itsa, which I was able to explore on this trip. How did the ancient Mayans, without metal tools, modern technology or the wheel create these stupendous monuments, develop a highly sophisticated system of writing and numerology, an accurate calendar, and a deep understanding of astronomy?

Part of the enjoyment of an international trip is the opportunity to experience another culture, both for its educational value and for the possibility of better international understanding (perhaps even a step towards world peace?). Mayan foods, language and culture survive in many ways in the Mexican culture of today. I was fortunate enough to do my travel just prior to the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertes.

This trip also involved interaction with anther highly intelligent and gentle species, an animal as big as I am, that lives in an aquatic environment very unlike my own. Traveling over a thousand miles of salt water in just one gulf gave me a better understanding of the planet on which we live, and a love for all of the life it harbors.

In addition, I was reminded in my reading, to cultivate additional streams of income, in order to enjoy greater financial security. This is one reason why I joined World Ventures, a network-marketing travel company that allowed me to go on this trip at a deeply discounted price. It allows me to indulge my love of travel, while generating an additional income stream from sharing those vacation benefits with others. I love the product, I love the concept, and it works for me. Do what you love, the money will follow - another concept from the Prosperity Classics.

Work hard, play hard. Make a life, living!

Happy investing!

On Prosperity

Dear Blog Readers:
You may have missed my blog this past week, when I was on vacation, cruising in the Gulf of Mexico. My sister has asked me to post more narrative about that trip, but I will save that for a later blog. One of the joys of a long journey is the opportunity to catch up on reading materials. Heretofore, is my summary of a great read on prosperity by Tom Butler-Bowdon, entitled "50 Prosperity Classics."

It is a great compilation of wisdom from the best books on wealth creation and abundance highlighting noted authors and captains of industry such as Richard Branson, Warren Buffett, Andrew Carnegie, Milton Friedman, Bill Gates, Napoleon Hill, Conrad Hilton, Robert Kiyosaki, Adam Smith and Donald Trump.

After reading summaries of 50 great pieces of literature on the topic of prosperity - how to attract, create, manage and share it - there are several themes that stand out. Many of the ones that appealed to me will be summarized here, but the author also includes a four-page summary at the back of this book of the principles of prosperity that he gleaned from his research.

Some of those highlights include:

• Prosperity is more than wealth. Wealth is the accumulation of monetary assets. Prosperity has more to do with thriving and enjoying an abundant life in all of its manifestations.
• Having a big "why." It is better to think big, than to think small. Thoughts allow us to imagine opportunities, services and products that do not exist now. Indeed, all new innovations arise from this creative thought process.
• The most successful innovations are those that serve the consumer, that serve others.
• Definiteness of purpose is essential to the success of the wealth creator. It banishes fear, enables the creator to overcome obstacles, and inspires the help of others.
• Do more than is expected of you, go the extra mile. Great fortunes have been made by extraordinary effort with no guarantee of gain.
• Gratitude is the key to an abundant life, as it attracts more of what you appreciate.
• "Ask and ye shall receive." Be very clear and specific about what you want. Visualize having received what you want, believing acting and speaking as though you have already achieved your goals, and according to the law of attraction, those desires will manifest to you.
• The fear of failure is the greatest obstacle to success.
• Don't be afraid to be different.
• The seed of entrepreneurship is to be in control of your own destiny. Wealthy people create money-producing systems.
• Have many sources of income. Do not depend on a single wage for your financial security.
• Live below your means. Poor people focus on spending money. The wealthy focus on creating, saving and investing it.
• Earning more will not solve your debt problems; handling money responsibly will.
• Pay yourself first. Have an emergency fund to cover 3-6 months of living expenses.
• Riches follow ownership. Own something, or at least part of something.
• Generating, using and spending money in a way that is consistent with your values has a healing effect on both you and the world.

Several of the classic writings on prosperity are now in the public domain and can be downloaded from the internet. They include:  J. Allen's "The Path to Prosperity (1905), P.T. Barnum's "The Art of Money Getting" (1880), G. Behrend's "Your Invisible Power" (1921), C. Fillmore's "Prosperity" (1936), A. Smith's " An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1910), and M. Weber's "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" (1930).

Happy investing!