Gems of Wisdom

Last week I shared bits of wisdom with you from the great Paul J. Meyer. Many of these were principles that ensure long term success in handling your money.  Let me share some more gems with you. And remember these gems come from a man who started with nothing but accumulated a half a billion dollar net worth by successfully helping and motivating other people.

These quotes are from a great 30 page booklet that Paul gave me years ago, entitled “Being Smart with Your Money” with my thoughts in parentheses.

1. Set goals.
2. Live within your means.
3. Get on a budget and stay there.
4. Pay yourself first. Just remember that a part of everything you earn is for you to keep.
5. Put your money to work. (Invest it wisely–so it works for you 24 hours a day.)
6. Get out of debt. (As in credit card debt. I would add that mortgage debt on income property is okay and can be a good thing.)
7. Have realistic expectations. (Building a financial fortune takes time)
8. Get wise counsel. (Find a good mentor that’s been successful with their money)
9. Never spend what you have saved.

Alright, now let me give you a few thoughts of mine that have helped me in my financial life and life in general.

1. Pay careful attention to your self-talk or your chatterbox inside your brain. When you catch yourself with negative chatter going on inside your head, push it out and replace it with positive self-talk.
2. Don’t beat up on yourself when you stumble, fall or make mistakes, or fall short of your goals.
3. Set big goals then be sure to write them down with a deadline. Just remember it’s okay, even very good, to take baby steps toward those big goals.
4. Physically keep moving no matter what age you are. Walk, run, or otherwise workout. Using a Fit Bit can help you with this one.

Here’s some other wonderful little tidbits from Eckhart Tolle’s book The Power of Now that can help a life to be better:

1. Make the living in the now the primary focus of your life.
2. Stop judging self and partner.
3. The greatest catalyst for change in a relationship is complete acceptance of your partner as he or she is.
4. See if you can catch yourself complaining in speech or thought– if so, you are playing the victim.
5. Let go of the past-only refer to it when it has relevance to the present.