The True Essence of Financial Prosperity

Money is an essential part of life. It has been around for a really long time in many different forms and is not going anywhere anytime soon. As time progresses, we are going to see more and more transactions performed digitally and paper money will eventually be phased out. No matter what its form, money will continue to affect our lives in countless ways.

So What Exactly Is Money?
In simple terms, money it is a tool used to measure the exchange of value between two entities. A simple example is an employee trading their time for money with an employer. Knowledge, experience, skills, and talents are just some of the factors which determine an individual’s capacity to earn money. The employer and employee simply agree to trade a specific amount of money for a specific amount of time and an exchange of value takes place resulting in the transfer of money.

That same money is then used to pay for all different sorts of needs and wants. It pays for the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the places where we reside. It pays for the cars we drive, the material possessions we enjoy, and the luxuries in which we choose to indulge. In order to live the kind of lifestyle we want, we must have the money to pay for it. Although credit can allow a person to pay for a lifestyle they cannot otherwise afford, there is nothing worse you can do for your financial prosperity than using credit to acquire liabilities.

So, let’s get this straight. Money comes as a result of trading our knowledge and time. It is something you obtain only after you have provided value to a particular cause.

So if you want more money, provide more value. It is really that simple. The real question to constantly ask yourself when you want more money in your life is; how can I help more people and how can I provide more value?

As shared earlier, an individual’s capacity to earn money is dependent upon many different factors such as their knowledge, experience, skills, and talents amongst other things.

The more knowledgeable people are in their respective fields, the more likely they are to earn more money. Experts in a particular field are typically top earners within that field because they have the expertise to conduct higher level transactions than everyone else. People and businesses are willing to pay experts a higher amount of money because they are able to provide a higher amount of value.

Experience is also a crucial part in the determination of an individual’s money worth. With time and practice comes knowledge which cannot be gained any other way. You may have heard before, “practice makes perfect,” but that is simply not true. Practice only makes permanent. It is the manner in which the practice is conducted that determines its worth. Experience allows an individual to learn and grow in a particular field over time. This translates into a higher quality of work performed resulting in a higher amount of money earned.

Skills and talents work similarly to experience. The more skilled and talented an individual is with their work, the more money they are able to charge for their services.

It is very important to note that we all are talented and gifted in unique ways. It is when we align our professional desires with our talents and gifts that we can begin to experience true fulfillment in our lives. If we become the best at what we do, money will naturally follow.

When it comes to money or life in general for that matter, it all goes back to how we think and what we believe. Our lives are simply a mirror of what we believe to be true at our innermost core. As we go along in life, our reality is validated by our thoughts and beliefs. The essence of our financial prosperity is rooted in how we feel and think about money.

If you want to be rich, let me share the single most important fact which separates the poor from the rich: learn to save money.

There are a billion ways to spend money. We are constantly being bombarded with advertisements and marketing campaigns designed for us to spend money. Ironically, since most of us were never educated in financial affairs, we continue to borrow our understanding of money from our parents, society, and culture. At times this may be a good thing, but given that most people are poor, it seems that what most people believe to be true about financial prosperity may not be true after all.

When it comes to how much money you have today, the math is very simple. How much money a person has will always equal to how much money they earned minus how much money they spent. I know I am not sharing the biggest financial revelation of your life with you, but I cannot stress the importance of this most basic principle.

If an individual is earning $40,000 dollars a year and saving $10,000 of it, they are hundred times more likely to reach financial freedom than an individual earning $80,000 a year and spending $100,000. People often ask each other, how much money do you make? In reality, the answer to that question is irrelevant to an individual financial worth.

Please read the lines in bold text below three times so that you are more likely to begin to understand their significance in your financial future. The essence of long term financial prosperity lies in the following three timeless principles:

1. Continually educate and grow yourself so you may earn more money.
2. Spend only a small fraction of what you earn by choosing to live a moderate lifestyle.
3. Always save and invest your money is such a manner that you earn more money.

If you were expecting one thing you can do which will make you rich forever, I am sorry to disappoint, but in my opinion your financial future is solely dependent upon the timeless essence of what is conveyed in the three simple points above.

Even though they sound extremely simple, making the three points happen consistently requires massive persistence and strict discipline. Fortunately there are a tremendous amount of resources which can help you in your quest for financial freedom.

A book, which changed my outlook on money forever, one I highly recommend is: “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind,” by T. Harv Eker. I hope that everyone who wishes to create a prosperous financial future reads this timeless classic.

As we depart, I want you to forever remember the following four words, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Setting and Achieving S.M.A.R.T. Goals

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Lao Tzu

Indeed, it does.

It also begins with knowing where you want to go. After all, you can take as many steps as you want and walk your entire life without arriving anywhere because you don’t have a destination. Once we choose a destination, not only can we begin to head in the right direction, we are also able to map out our precise path accordingly.

When set properly, goals act as markers. They allow us to establish where we are on our journey at any given point. They also help us steer our direction in life so that we can constantly be heading towards the destination we choose for ourselves.

Goals are extremely important because they serve as a focal point for our ventures. They allow us to choose what we believe to be most important for us and go after it with all of our will and might.
The first step in achieving a goal is to know what your goal is.

As simple as this may sound, the truth of the matter is a target cannot be hit if it is not known. Now that we can all see on the importance of setting goals, let’s go one layer deeper; setting goals is simply not enough, the whole goal setting process must be done in a certain way.

My greatest mentor, Timothy Krupa, once shared with me, “Success is not doing certain things, it is doing things a certain way.”

Nothing could be closer to the truth with it comes to setting goals. Just setting goals will not make you achieve them and in turn cause you to become a success. It is the process through which you go about setting and achieving goals which will over time guarantee your success.

There are many aspects to setting and attaining goals. In my opinion, S.M.A.R.T. goal setting captures the essence of those aspects which are most important to successfully going about setting and attaining goals.

When goals are set in accordance with the S.M.A.R.T. model, the results can be phenomenal. S.M.A.R.T. goals consist of the following five aspects:

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Act As If
R – Realistic
T – Timely

Please allow me to elaborate further on each of these crucial aspects of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting.

Specific
“When you get specific, things happen.” Art Sobczak

Vagueness will not get you anywhere when it comes to knowing where you want to go in life. The most important aspect in setting and achieving goals is being specific. Simply said, the more specific your goals are, the clearer your direction for the future.

When a goal is clear-cut and definitive, it allows a person to focus on tasks at hand in a much more efficient manner. It also helps one clearly define the course of action they will need to take. Over time, this definite-ness is certain to translate into results.

For example; a goal such as, “I want to earn more money,” would translate into “I am going to earn more money by becoming an expert in Internet Marketing” in accordance with being specific.

Measurable
“You cannot manage what you cannot measure.” Anonymous

When something is measurable, it is manageable. By knowing exactly what is to be accomplished, you can go about the entire process in an efficient and systematic manner. By specifically knowing what you are after, you can also be certain to know when it is finally accomplished.

Measurable goals allow one to track progress and determine where one stands at any given point. This accountability enables a person to alter their approach until any given goal is attained. Following our example from above, we would add the following to our goal of wanting to earn more money; “I am going to earn $10,000 a month by becoming an expert in Internet Marketing.”

Act As If
Acting as if simply means that you must think, feel, and act AS IF the goal you want to achieve is already attained. Now you may say, “But how? I know it is not!”

Acting as if will be challenging at first because the intellect will constantly try to point out that you have not yet achieved your goal, however over time it will become easier and easier.

When you act as if, your subconscious mind accepts your new thoughts, feelings, and actions as the normal state of mind for you. This will allow you to take actions which you would not otherwise perform.

Acting as if is all about faith and belief. It is about your belief in the unseen and faith in yourself that you will be able to accomplish your goal no matter what it takes.

After all, why should acting as if be so challenging if you are certain that you will achieve your goal anyways?

When it comes to our example of earning $10,000 a month by becoming an expert in Internet Marketing, acting as if would consist of getting in the feeling of asking and answering questions such as; how will I manage my finances when I am earning $10,000 a month? How much of it would I spend and what would I spend it on? How much of it would I save? How much of it would I invest back into my business? Would I buy a new car? If so, what color, year, make, and model?

It would also include considering and researching which seminars would I go to for Internet Marketing? How will I continually educate myself to stay atop the latest information in my chosen field? What would my day to day schedule be like?

How would I contribute to others? And the list can go on and on…
The more you contemplate on your future as if it is already here, the faster you will be able to attain it.

Realistic
Your goals must be realistic enough for you to believe that you will be able to achieve them. You are much more likely to commit to achieving a goal when it is believable for you in your mind. Realistic does not necessarily mean easy, instead the goal should certainly make you take action which puts you out of your comfort zone.

You see, if you keep doing what you have been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting. When you set a goal that stretches what you consider the norm for you, you grow by doing what you would not normally do.

If you set a goal of losing 30 lbs in one week, you will only be disappointed when the week is over. It would be much more realistic if you were to give yourself three months to accomplish the same goal.
Following our example of earning $10,000 a month by becoming an expert in Internet Marketing, you would want to research if it is possible to earn such an amount and what would you need to learn to pull this off. You will also want to ask yourself; can I picture myself making this happen? If the answer is no, adjust your goal to what is believable for you.

If the answer is yes, then it is time to move on to the final step of S.M.A.R.T goal setting.

Timely
It is extremely crucial that you give your goal a time or date element. Without a time or date aspect, it is not possible to have a specific enough goal to get you to take action towards its fulfillment.

Humans are creatures of habit. Almost always, we will continue to do what we have always been doing. By setting a time frame or date on our goal, we are much more likely to take action. You are also able to break your goal down into smaller chunks by having an end date in mind.

Following our example of earning $10,000 a month by becoming an expert in Internet Marketing, you would want to add a time frame by rephrasing the goal as following:

“I am earning $10,000 a month by becoming an expert in Internet Marketing exactly one year from today.”

So, if your goal is to read more, its’ S.M.A.R.T. version would be; “I will read books and articles on health and financial prosperity one hour a day, four days a week.”

Final Thoughts
In conclusion, having goals is simply not enough. We must take a systematic approach to achieving our goals.

As we achieve smaller goals, it gets easier and easier to set and go after bigger goals. It is also essential that you write your goal down and post it somewhere such that you will see it at least twice, three times a day. An excellent idea, which I use myself, is to print your goals out and post it your shower after laminating the page. This will certainly make you look at them consistently everyday.

I would like to finish this article with an absolutely brilliant quote found in Stephen Covey’s best selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People:

“Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; show a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”

Two Simple Habits for a More Fulfilled Life

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
- Aristotle

Humans are certainly creatures of habit. We go about living our lives one day at a time, often performing same tasks over and over again daily, weekly, monthly, and so on.

A habit can be simply defined as any task we consciously or unconsciously perform on a regular basis. A habit can be as basic as always putting on a seat belt prior to starting our vehicles or more sophisticated such as taking an hour just for ourselves every Sunday evening to reflect back on the prior week and plan the one coming ahead.

It is in the very nature of a habit to become unconscious over a period of time due to its repetitive nature. What happens is that when we perform a task repeatedly, we condition our body and mind to consistently behave in a certain manner.

Habits becoming unconscious can be a good or a bad thing.

It can be a good thing when we have consciously chosen our habits in alignment with our goals and vision. When our habits are positive and allow us to be happier, healthier, and richer.

It can be a bad thing or better put, an opportunity for improvement, when we have become involved with a habit which is negatively affecting us spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or physically.

Awareness is an absolute blessing. The more aware a person becomes the more power they have over their life.

As a person becomes aware of their habits in contrast with their life’s desires, they arrive at a crucial point. Do I do something about it, or do I continue to act in the same manner? The truth of the matter is different actions produce different results.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
- Albert Einstein

As a person chooses different habits, it is very important to realize that gaining new habits almost always means losing old ones. This is because everything in life is energy. You can take anything and its most basic element will be atoms, which further break down to very interestingly behaving waves of energy.

In order for us to choose new habits we need new energy. We will need to find this new energy which our new habits require from somewhere. One of the simplest ways to find more energy is to let go of old habits and use that same energy towards new habits.

The two habits I am about to share with you have had a profound effect in my own life. They have allowed me to be happier and wiser. Amongst a few other habits, I will be performing these two for all the years ahead.

My two simple habits for a more fulfilled life are;

* Daily Meditation
* Continuous Education

Daily Meditation

Meditation is a broad subject and can be approached via many different angles.

Most people think of the Buddha or a monk sitting in silence with his eyes closed in a cave somewhere in an Eastern country when they think of meditation. In reality, meditation is much more practical and you will be surprised to hear that you are probably already meditating but do not realize that you are doing it.

Meditation can be defined as a calming and peaceful state of mind deliberately attained by performing a particular task.

With that in mind, listening to music can be considered meditation because it puts you in a certain state of mind. Going out for a walk with your dog can also be considered as meditation because it puts you in a particular relaxed state of mind where you can temporarily seem to forget about the past or future, while deeply enjoying the present.

Although these forms of meditations and others similar are beneficial, there is another form of meditation which can be approached in a much more systematic manner.

If you find yourself with a deep feeling inside that there is “something missing,” give the following a try over a period of one week:

Put on some comfortable clothing and find a quiet spot somewhere indoors or outdoors. While sitting down with your back straight (you can lean against whatever you would like), close your eyes and focus on your breath. Be sure that your arms and legs are uncrossed and to set a timer for 15 minutes.

Your mind will come up with hundreds of different thoughts during the meditation and that is totally normal. Each time you realize that your mind in wandering off and that you are supposed to be meditating, simply focus your attention back to your breathing.

This one habit can forever change your life as long as you are willing to be open minded and stepping outside your typical comfort zone.

The benefits of meditation will be subtle. You will simply be happier, calmer, and more aware of yourself, your habits, and your surrounding. As you continue to meditate over a longer period of time, weeks and months, a profound feeling of being content with yourself will become more and more noticeable.

There are plenty of amazing resources available to further acquaint yourself with meditation. A great beginner’s book on the subject is “Total Meditation” by Susannah Marriott.

Continuous Education

The truth of the matter is that we all entered this world without a single piece of knowledge. Everything that any individual knows is simply learned via a variety of different channels over the period of time.

These channels include our parents, our culture, our religious leaders, our siblings, our school teachers, our government, our family, and the list goes on and on. Most of us go through some kind of high school, some moving on to college. Once we have graduated and obtained a degree, we consider ourselves educated.

In reality, education has no end.

Rather, it is a process which is continuously performed over our entire life. No matter what your chosen line of profession, I can guarantee that there is more to learn. Allow me to approach the same subject with a different light.

“In nature you are either growing or dying.”
- T. Harv Eker

Unquestionably, we are certainly a part of nature.

If we choose to no longer educate ourselves by reading books or magazines, watching informative television programming and movies, or attending workshops and seminars, we are simply falling behind since life is always moving forward. Always has been and always will be.

In order to stay with the flow of life, we must always be educating ourselves further whether the knowledge is general or specific. The best way to find out how we should go about our education process is to follow the following two guidelines:

1. When you are involved in an educational activity such that you lose track of time, you are on the right path.

2. Follow your heart. What is your heart telling you? Does it say to go to Veterinarian School and become a Veterinarian? Does it say to read books on Day Trading and start doing small trades? Whatever it says, if you follow your hearts advice you will never be disappointed.

Conscious continuous education is a trait found amongst all successful people.

So, let’s put this together.

Daily meditation and continuous education allow for a constant spiritual renewal. Since spirit or energy is where it all begins, such a stable foundation allows for a host of other habits which can be successfully added to one’s life. These other habits include balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and total gratitude no matter wherever you are in your life, because there will always be people who have it worse.

By choosing to become aware of our habits and directing them in a manner that is in alignment with our deepest goals and desires, we only have fulfillment and happiness to gain as a result.

May God and the Universe always be with you on your forever continuous journey to a better, more meaningful life.