The mistake I couldn't afford

Almost 4 years ago...

I'm sitting at the airport.  I just missed my flight to Denver, Colorado. I am supposed to go there to learn about a new health challenge that could help eliminate obesity. I used to have a great job in high tech, but I got laid off. I decided to start working with a handful of small businesses to take care of their technology needs. I am not even making enough money to cover my expenses yet, but the business is growing and I am hopeful. Either way, I used all my points (totaling $800) on this flight and the ticket desk is telling me that it will cost another $900 to get to Denver today.

I can’t afford to spend the money...

Wait… did I just say that?

I first learned about the challenge about a month ago… and it sounds amazing. Everyone around me is overweight and I can’t think of one person who is getting healthier. If this challenge is able to turn the trend, then I could make millions. Still, I haven’t spent one second sharing it with anyone. I’m so busy trying to get my computer business off the ground.

I can’t afford to spend the time...

Oh no… I just said it again!

What is wrong with me? I have no extra money. I have no extra time. I’m sitting in an airport with a chance to go learn about something that could make me millions and give me my time back and I can’t afford it?

What if my car broke down?  What if I had a health scare that wasn't covered by insurance? I would find the money.  I have spent thousands last year on eating out, pubs, TV, movies, sporting events, computer equipment and gadgets that I didn't even need… I found the money for that.

What I’m really saying is that I can’t afford to waste time and money. If I’m going to spend my time and my money I want to make it worth it. I feel that the car, food and fun will be worth it, so I find the money. I know what to expect.

This ‘health challenge’ is an unknown. Is it going to work? Are people going to try it? 

Back to the airport... I think to myself.  In 5 years from now... if I still have no extra time and no extra money… How do I want to look back on today?  Do I want to talk about how I wasted a couple grand trying to change the world and it didn't work?  Do I want to regret not spending the couple grand for a chance at changing the world and my life?

I can live with my mistakes. I've made plenty and I've spent thousands on weekends that I barely remember… I do not want to live with regrets. I can’t afford to miss a chance to get myself out of debt.  I can't afford to miss a chance to free my time so that I don’t have to work like a slave until I’m 65 and miss my son’s life.

I spent the $900.  That $2000 dollar trip has earned me close to a quarter million in almost 4 years.

Albert Einstein once said; "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

If you have no time and no money then can you afford to be in the same position next year?  If not, then it is time to start spending your time and money differently.

Do you really "believe" that?

I walk into the room and I see a massive spread of seafood… So elegant... It looks amazing. I don’t even know what most of it is, but it just smells rich. Only one problem. I don’t eat seafood. I have been successful at avoiding it for my whole life. 

So there I was. Looking at probably the most expensive spread of food I've ever seen in my life and my “belief” was that I didn't like seafood. I remember thinking at that moment… Why do I believe this? What is a belief anyway? I've heard this definition of a belief:

A belief is a strong feeling of certainty.

A belief is neither truth nor certainty. A belief is a feeling. Our feelings are affected by our thoughts. So that means that by changing our thoughts consciously we can change our beliefs. I started to weigh the pros and cons of this belief. I decided that not eating seafood is a belief that didn't serve me any more. Maybe in the past I was able to get some feeling of individuality.. being a Maritimer who doesn't like seafood… I couldn't even remember exactly why I decided to believe that.

So I filled my plate… a little bit of everything. I ate it all and it was marvelous.

That day I learned a lesson. We all have beliefs. Some of them are serving and some not. We all have the ability to decide what to believe. I know it sounds too simple, but is that a good enough reason to not “believe” what I'm saying?

If you have a dream and you have not achieved it yet, then you have a barrier. You have a belief (or two) that is standing in the way of your success. Maybe you believe you are too young, too old, no time, no money, can’t afford it… that’s a good one. Either way, it is simply a belief. The reality is that there is someone out there who has achieved their dreams and they have the same “excuse” as you have. That means that they were able to change their belief system and so can you.

So what do you think? Is it time to get your beliefs working for you or do you have a reason to keep them working against you? Fortunately, it is a choice. Choose wisely.

Our Love/Hate Relationship with money

Do you hate money? Let’s face it, you don’t hate money. You hate not having money. What’s more is that you hate what some other people who don’t have money do in order to get it.

So why is it that so many of us have a negative relationship with money? How is the relationship with money affecting the choices we make? Is it possible that we are sabotaging ourselves and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy that keeps us broke?

The school system does not teach us finances and as a society, we are discouraged from discussing money with our peers. This means that unless you are lucky enough to have financially educated parents, the only financial education you get is from tv or worse yet, from credit card companies and banks that earn their living by helping us create debt.

Let’s just break it down a little. Money is just paper. The only reason that money has any value at all is because our society has given it value. Money equals value. Therefore, we can exchange money for anything of value… A table, a car, a haircut, food… in some cases, even people. If money didn't exist then how would we get something of value? It is through giving value. You need to give to get. 

Value is meant to be in motion. The same goes for money. If you have something of value but you don’t share it then you will receive nothing. If you hang on to money long enough, it’s value decreases with time as well. In order to keep it growing it must be used. The problem is that most of us use it to buy liabilities and luxuries. These things cost money to upkeep and they also cost us time to use.

What if we spent our money on increasing our own ability to create value? Through investing in ourselves we can learn new skills and develop talents that provide value in the lives of others. If we spend our extra time and money on making ourselves more valuable to others then it will also allow us to attract more money.

The money that we earn in our jobs is directly proportional to the value that the job has on the marketplace as well as the number of people willing to do that same job for the same pay. The more valuable the job is and the more difficult or time consuming it is to learn the skills needed to perform that job… like a doctor for example… the more money it earns. It’s called “supply and demand”.

Schools are definitely one way to increase your value but be careful. School is a business and they market courses as such. This means that just because a course is offered, that does not mean there is a job waiting for you when you complete the course. You must do the market research to find out if there is demand for this particular skill or knowledge.

I do recommend that you invest as much time and money as possible to grow your personal library. Find books that are empowering and uplifting. Find topics that are in demand in the workplace and find a mentor that has been successful and do what they do. 

Always remember, that if you can find a way to provide more value, either directly or indirectly through teaching others, then you will attract as much wealth as you can handle and you’ll never “need” money again.