More reason to invest today!

 

One great reason to start investing today is that the long term impact your regular investments have can be more beneficial than which mutual fund you pick.   This article says it best!

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/focus-retirement/article/108005/bear-markets-do-wonders-for-retirement?mod=fidelity-buildingwealth

 

Then when you are ready to learn how to invest:  www.smartstepomaha.com

Getting Started Investing

This article I found is a great basic let’s get going piece of advice.  I even agree with most of it, so no point in rewriting it!  When you’re done hop over to my site on the detailed steps on what everything means (www.25toretire.com)!

http://frugaldad.com/2009/10/13/successful-investing-not-magic/

Changing Negative Self Talk to Positive Self Talk

Negative vs. Positive Self Talk

Self talk is what we say to ourselves throughout the course of the day, both out loud and in our heads.  Each and every one of us has an ongoing dialogue in our head that impacts our daily lives.  These words can take two forms – negative and positive. 

Negative Self Talk

Negative self talk affects us in many ways.  It can lead to depression, stagnation, self pity, and many other negative influences.   All of these combined lead us to not live our best possible life.  Some examples of Negative self talk are:

“I am fat”

“I don’t have the smarts to be promoted”

“Money is not my strong suit”

“Everyone else is better at it than I am”

When we repeat a negative statement over and over again we begin to believe it.  When we say “I am not good enough” we may let it affect us by not taking steps to achieve a goal that we are qualified to do.  For example, you may not apply for a promotion that you qualify for because you have already convinced yourself you are not good enough.  Eventually you will begin to dislike your job, your company and yourself because you will not allow yourself to grow.  This becomes like a snowball and affects other areas of our life.  Your negative self talk about the job then carries to other things related to yourself such as exercise.  Changing to positive statements makes our lives better, and assists us in moving forward to achieve our goals.

Positive Self Talk

Positive self talk on the other hand can lead a person to live the best life that they can.  If instead of saying you are not good enough you say “I can do this”.  Not only will you achieve your goals, but you will be happier and healthier.  Positive self talk gives you a permanent cheerleader in your corner!  One that carries positive messages to all areas of your life and helps you move forward.  Other examples include:

“I love and honor my body”

“I am good at my job and have the skills necessary to move forward”

“I am a quick learner and can tackle new areas”

“I am wonderful”

Source of Self Talk

 How do we form our self talk?  The way we talk to ourselves comes from our beliefs.  Beliefs form our opinions about our world and ourselves.  Our beliefs originate from the way our parents raised us and what they communicated to us plus additional life experiences.  If we grew up being told we were shy and that shy is bad, we will believe that and turn that belief into a negative self talk.  For example, you may tell yourself you are a bad public speaker because you are shy.  So you proceed to tell yourself “I cannot do this”, and then may prevent yourself from reaching your full potential by not engaging in situations that require you to speak in public or even just to smaller groups in your daily life.  These beliefs can also come from life experiences.  Say you had a boyfriend who consistently told you you were fat.  You would begin to internalize that and make it real for you and then proceed to repeat that to yourself, even if that were completely untrue. 

So how do you change from Negative to Positive self talk?

Changing from negative to positive self talk is more than just reworking your words.  It requires acknowledgement that you are even engaging in self talk, adjusting our beliefs and then reshaping the way we talk to ourselves.

Step 1. You must first determine when you are engaging in self talk.  You can do this many ways, but here are a few that might help.

• Slow down your day and pay attention to what you say to yourself.  We tend to be so busy that we don’t have the time to listen to what we are doing and watch how it affects us.  When we slow down to allow ourselves space to observe we can often move forward faster in the future because we know what is driving us.  This is especially important when working on a big decision or area in your life.  For example when doing your monthly budget take the time to notice what you are telling yourself as you do the budget.  If you write down a savings goal of $1,000 and you immediately say “yah right” stop and write that down so you know that you are jeopardizing that possibility.
• Monitor your body’s reaction to different situations.  Tensing up may be an indication that you are telling yourself something different than you are acting on. 
• Journal, this is good for after the event has happened.  Get on to paper what was going through your head as you encountered a particular situation.  For example, perhaps you did not honor your own boundary during an encounter with your mother.   Begin a journal page on analyzing what you were saying to yourself while you were allowing this to happen.  It can also be done in conjunction with the above two discovery ideas to get to the core of what the self talk was.

Step 2. Once we determine what our self talk is saying we need to adjust the beliefs behind the statement.  We cannot believe our new positive statements if we have not changed the underlying belief or beliefs.  This will involve digging deep into our beliefs, how they came about, how they are affecting us and are they really true.  Finally reshaping the belief to fit our reality today.  So for our example of your parents telling you that you are shy, you need to acknowledge that they came from childhood, grasp the full scope of how they are affecting us and then make a determination for ourselves on whether shy is bad or not.  Shy may for you be good because otherwise you have a tendency to jump into situations too quickly.  Then we need to reshape that belief to shy is a good slow down mechanism for us. 

Many beliefs we may not even realize that we have, or may even come in layers of beliefs.  There are some different tools that we can use to fully understand what is behind the negative talk.

• Journal – a great way to allow ourselves the ability to explore deeper than we would just talking.
• Talk to a coach or counselor – often times it helps to see the situation from another’s perspective.
• Meditate – guided meditation is especially good for uncovering the belief behind the statement and to find hidden beliefs.

Step 3. After you know what you are saying and why you are saying that, you can begin to reshape the way you talk to yourself. 

• Begin with one of your statements and alter it to a positive statement.  “I am fat” may become “I love and care about my body”. 
• Make it a habit of saying the new statement repeatedly with enthusiasm and conviction.  In the beginning it may require setting aside time to let that statement sink in. 
• When you catch yourself saying a negative statement, stop and ask yourself if you would talk to a friend or loved one like that?  Many times we are meaner to ourselves than we would ever dream of being to a friend.  Then rephrase the statement to a positive one.

While adjusting our self talk, you may need to return to the previous steps to continue to work on changing the beliefs that are behind the talk and discovering new negative talks to work on. 

Eventually you will surround yourself with positive thoughts and that will create an environment that will allow you to live your best possible life.

Live Life with Priorities

It has been a while since I have blogged!  Over the past month we moved into a new house, after moving into an apartment for three weeks.  I was amazed at the amount of work that it takes for one move let alone two!  During this transition period we managed our daily lives, or at least tried to.   What I learned about life management during this time confirmed what I have always believed – prioritization is the key to success and sanity.  But I also learned that you must prioritize what makes sense in your life at that minute.  For example, I was not as regular with my workout because I never stopped moving during the day and did not think I could have had energy for both!  But I did make it a point to schedule specific times to manage the family and business finances, or they would have easily been forgotten or even lost.  Taking the time to stop and analyze what is most important right now given today’s circumstances will pay off in many ways!  It will keep you on track; it will keep you sane and make sure that nothing gets passed over.  Do you have your priorities in line?  Do you actively work on what is important and not what just comes up?  Don’t let your life pass you buy – watch what matters today!

Eliminate Risk

Self employment is risky.  We hear that said many times, it is usually the first thing that comes up for those who are thinking of starting their own business.  Let’s take a minute to see what risk is and how to eliminate it!

Risk by definition is the chance of suffering harm or loss and the uncertainty of all of this unknown.  Instead of worrying about how you can handle risk, worry about the best way to reduce risk.  The best way to reduce risk is to plan how you are going to eliminate the possibility of loss or harm occurring.  The more you know the less risk you have.  So how do you plan to eliminate risk?

1. Create a list of all possible risks for you in starting a business.  This can include income, time away from family, start-up costs, location, experience – you name it if it could be a problem for you put it down.
2. Study your personal situation, how long can your finances make it?  Do you have the traits to be self employed?
3. Your prospective businesses chances – try many what if scenarios, not just one best case scenario.  When doing a plan do a best, good, bad scenario and know what to do to handle the business during each scenario. 
4. Talk to others about your feelings about going into business for yourself.  Many times talking through issues and having a person as a sounding board is very beneficial!  At the least journal about them.

Planning eliminates lots of risk and makes you more comfortable with the steps you do take!  Don’t sit on the sidelines because of risk, make a game plan and start playing!

Support Smart Step, Inc in the 2009 StartupNation Home-Based Business Competition

Support Smart Step, Inc in the 2009 StartupNation Home-Based Business Competition

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I would love to have your vote in this wonderful contest for work at home companies!

Is there Really Risk in Self Employment?

Is there an element of risk in self employment?  Yes!  Do you have to be risk tolerant to be self employed?  NO!  I know this goes against the grain, but risk tolerance is so specific to the person and circumstances that it cannot be labeled as a must have for self employment.  You cannot answer the question “can you handle risk” and know if you will be good at self employment.  I am going to take three areas that are typically considered risky and look at how these might not be risky.   

 Income is the most common risk that I hear people talking about.  The risk from this is usually associated with lack of a regular income.  It is risky to not have a regular flow of money coming into your bank account.  I would agree to this but let us look at how it might not be a problem.  Do you have a spouse that earns money and you can live on their income only?  Can you start your business as a part time gig until it takes off and then quit your day job?  Can you save enough money to live for a year without needing additional funds?  Did you get an inheritance that you can use to live on?  These and many more can make income not risky.

I also challenge you to view income risk from your current position.  Are you on commission?  Is your company stable?  Is your department or even specific job stable?  Our daily work lives are much more unstable than we allow ourselves to think about.  At least with owning your own business you control the income risk by how much you work on getting your business up and running!  Plus you always know what is going on and can plan accordingly! 

Start-up costs are another risky area for a new business.   Signing personal loans, running up credit card debt and mortgaging your house are all highly risky ways to start a business.  When I hear an entrepreneur say they have put everything they have into their business warning bells go off!  This is not only risky but stupid.  I challenge you to play with the idea of no loans; use your own money for start up costs and only use what you can afford to lose.  Then you control your risk and will not be stuck with the loan payments after the business has closed.  An added bonus of eliminating this risk is that you will make your decisions slower because it is your cash, which typically leads to better decisions!

Risk number three is that the startup might fail.  This would leave you in the position of having nothing left and you would need to look for a job.  Yes, but your current job could be eliminated and you would need to look for a new one then also.  Having nothing is also relative.  Were you smart and did you not jump all in with everything you have (see start-up costs above)?  You should still have your family if you lead your business with balance, and you still have yourself.  I believe the biggest issue here is actually that if the new business fails then your ego takes a beating! 

To me this last risk which is really more of an emotional one is the true risk in business.  The emotional rollercoaster that you put yourself on becomes the hardest part to survive because it is the hardest part to plan for, and is a whole different article!

Don’t get me wrong, risks are everywhere, life itself is risky.  But risk is all relative to the choices you make and how you plan to manage for those risks.  Risk by definition is the chance of suffering harm or loss and uncertainty.  Therefore the best way to reduce risk is to plan different ways to eliminate the possibility of loss or harm occurring.  Don’t make risk a reason to not start a business; because once you consider all the realities and plan accordingly the risk in business is small and controllable.  Don’t let risk make you not consider self employment!

How to Make Better Decisions

Do you take enough time to make decisions and gather all the information you need to make an educated decision?  Most of us leap into decisions without the time that they deserve to have allocated to them.  These decisions not only impact us today but many of them can affect our future.   Why do we do this to ourselves?

• Time – Many of us make fast decisions because we are afraid to take the time.  Life goes at such a fast pace that we are afraid we will miss something.  Whether is it a good deal, a fun time or an opportunity.  We are also under the belief that we don’t have the time to sit down and analyze the situation so why bother waiting! 
• Positive Thinking – We also make fast decisions because many of us (thankfully) are upbeat and don’t think that in the future this might not have been a great decision.  It is hard to pause and think am I making a mistake.
• Adrenalin – We also have the tendency to get excited and move forward based on adrenalin.  We get so excited about what we are looking at or working on that we just keep going!  Stopping never even enters the picture!

So how do we stop and take the time to make the right decision?

1. Set a rule to always sleep on all major decisions.  This allows the adrenalin rush to slow down and lets all the details of your options to sink in.  Upon waking up you will have a much better idea on what the next logical step is and if the decision is right for you.
2. Ask a friend or family member for their opinion.  Sometimes seeing it from another perspective is a great way to get headed in the right direction.
3. Do a quick pros and cons list.  This will get you looking at both sides and to see the negative that might be there!
4. Brainstorm other options.  Make sure you have thought of all possibilities, and are sure the current one is the way to go!  Another solution might actually be right in front of you.  See number two for additional help in getting new ideas!
5. Most importantly just be aware of yourself when you are in the moment.  Try and tune into your inner voice for signs of likes, dislikes and warning bells going off!  Follow through with what your gut says or at least see number one and just sleep on it!

Taking the time to make decisions will help you feel more confident and sure of those decisions that you do make.  Plus you might even stop yourself from making a bad one now and then which will save you the time of correcting it down the road!

Five Steps to get Your Motivation Going

We all have days that we are not motivated to work, or to do anything for that matter.  Whether you are passionate about what you do or are struggling to find your direction in life you will still have these days!  So what do you do to change your motivation level and get headed in a better direction?  I have a variety of things that work for me, try these out:

1. Workout – always gets me going and refocused on healthy energy.  Sometimes this requires walking with strong coffee to get me going, but it always helps.
2. Build a list of good mood activities- take the time to build a list of things that make you happy that you can do easily.  For me this is includes coffee and a magazine at a local coffee shop.  Having a list ready means that when you need a lift you are ready to go!
3. Watch a motivational video or read something inspirational – I personally use the 212 movie; it is a great motivator (and short)!  
4. Change things up – start the day with something different than what you normally do.  If you typically answer emails and return phone calls first thing in the morning, but you are not in the mood to interact with people do some filing or other activity to get started.  Many times this is all it takes to get you on your way.
5. Give yourself 10 minutes – tell yourself that you are going to work on your activity for 10 minutes and then if your mood does not change you can do something else.  It is amazing how 10 minutes can turn into an hour!

Now you should be on your way to a motivation filled day!  If not, remember it is one day.  Tomorrow will be different especially when you love your direction in life!

Reach your Goals with small steps, small times and consistency

Many times we find ourselves overwhelmed with the prospect of reaching our goals.  We become focused on the achievement of the goal and try to accomplish it by going for it all at once.   We focus on the loose 20 pounds by December instead of loose two pounds this week.  This makes us feel like we are constantly working on that goal and yet not getting anywhere.  This leads to feeling defeated and wanting to stop since we don’t seem to be reaching our goals even though we are working on them!  So how do we change that?  Three easy steps: focus on the basics, take life in small segments and be consistent! 

When looking at the basics of a goal you take the smallest task that will get you to your goal and then do that.  By breaking our goals down to small basic steps we can make our goals to become a reality.  So instead of loose 20 pounds we focus on walk 40 minutes a day and not eating junk food.

Take life in small segments; break your day down to 15 minute sections.  You can get that 40 minutes of exercise in if you focus on just getting a few minutes done at a time.  It is much easier to say I am going to avoid junk food for fifteen minutes than it is to say the whole day.  Plus, once you start something you tend to stick with it after about 10 minutes. 

The third ingredient is to do the small things consistently.  You need to walk at least five days a week and eat healthy multiple days to see any affect.  You cannot try and achieve your goals for one or two days and wonder why it did not work.  It is the repetition of the activity over time that will get us to our goals.

You can achieve your goals, it just takes the time to plan the small steps, the will to focus on the here and now and the discipline to do it every day!  In no time you will be on your way!