It's NOT ABOUT the Money!!

Many people have negative associations, beliefs and emotions wrapped around money. Today we are going to examine that and how it plays a role in your current financial picture. First I have to thank Mr. T. Harv Eker for these teachings because if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be where I am today!

Hearing statement growing up like: “Rich people are greedy”, “We can’t afford it”, “It is more spiritually acceptable to be poor”, “money doesn’t grow on trees”, is part of the reason many people feel negatively about money.

Did your parents fight over money? Was it bad form to even TALK about money? Was money a form of CONTROL in your household? Was their jealousy and when it came to rich people? All of these can also create negative associations with money.

Did you have a particular experience where money was involved that had an impact on you? Maybe someone stole money from you? Maybe you lost all your money…or whatever the circumstance did it cause you pain?

So why is this important? What you saw, heard and felt growing up about money has an impact on your current & future financial life. Negative beliefs about money can prevent people from making or keeping money. If you are looking to create Financial Freedom, stability and comfort, detaching from those negative beliefs and emotions is key if you want to move forward financially.

Remembering money is simply a tool, helps to put it in perspective. Money simply has replaced the old bartering system of trading your goat for three bags of Flour. It is the current system of giving and getting what you want and need! Taking the negative emotion out of it is essential if you want to move forward.

IT'S NOT YOU; IT'S ME!

Ever heard this one….”Money Changes people”…let me be CRYSTAL CLEAR…

Money DOES NOT CHANGE PEOPLE!!!!

It merely brings out more of who they are. So if you are generous and kind, you will be MORE generous and kind. If you are a jerk, you will be more of a jerk.
Money cannot change you and proof of this is Lottery Winners.
Let's be honest here; the majority of folks that buy Lottery Tickets are on a different socio-economic level that those that don’t. Many of them have meager salaries or jobs or none at all and are usually in debt. Beliefs, habits and circumstances have created that. Statistics show that Lottery winners are 5 x more likely to file for Bankruptcy! Why, because they have NOT changed, they still have the same habits and beliefs around money they did when they didn’t have any. If you cannot handle money, you won’t KEEP it let alone GROW it!!

It’s YOU, not the money.

Examine your beliefs, emotions and habits around money before blaming the money for your lack of relationship with it.

It is an inanimate object YOU bring the baggage!

Just like people, money does not like to hang around where it is not respected or wanted. If you have negative emotions or beliefs around money than you will NEVER have more money in your life.

Often people believe the Pursuit of money is impure or wrong. But anyone who has made a lot of money knows it’s NOT about the money, it is what money CAN DO for you; it is a tool to get us what we want out of life. Why is getting what you want out of life wrong? Why is struggle and hardship so appealing to you?

What do you want out of your life? What can permanent ongoing income DO for you? Give you Time!! Time to do what? Spend with Family? Help a worthy cause? Travel the world?

Freedom was my big thing. The freedom to do what I want when I want, but first I had to have the discipline to do the mundane, ordinary and necessary consistently in order to have that freedom. I had to MAKE time to do the things that would eventually land me where I wanted to be.

My worthy cause you ask? Children, Animals, the Planet and YOU.

Yes, YOU!

More specifically helping YOU get where you want to be financially so you can have the time to do the things you were meant to do here on this planet!

This blog is just one of the many ways our Catch Fire U project does this! I hope you are enjoying it but more importantly getting something out of it that you can apply to your life that will create change for you!

Till next time!

Part 4: Your BIGGEST obstacle is...

Today’s post is the FINAL Installment of the 4 part series on the Common Obstacles you will encounter on your journey to Financial Freedom!

Drum roll please…

YOU are your biggest obstacle.

There is NOTHING, no circumstances, no tragedy; no story that someone else does not share that has “made it”. There are no EXCUSES, they were taken away when someone who had the same excuses overcame them and achieved their goal.

You MUST overcome your ego, your un-supportive beliefs, your fears, your excuses, and stories if you are ever to achieve true lasting freedom.

The physical obstacles of time, money and life’s circumstances are just an opportunity for you to become more tenacious, more diligent, more dedicated, more passionate, more determined, more of the person that deserves wealth and freedom.

Yup I said ‘deserves’!

When your child does not do their chores, do they deserve their allowance?

When you do not do your job at work do you deserve that job?

When you do not treat your partner with love and respect do you deserve that relationship?

The same goes for financial Freedom!

You can WANT it till the cows come home and spoon runs away with the fork, but that doesn’t mean you deserve it.
What are DOING about it!??

Don’t misunderstand me; each one of us is born and dies WORTHY of all we want in life! The question is who are you being to allow you to experience that worthiness?

Mastering YOURSELF is one of the greatest journey’s our spirits can embark on.

Here are some great ‘Mastery questions’ from a GOAL SETTING exercise I created and have included them here FOR FREE!

When working towards your freedom, obstacles are sure to come up. Asking yourself THESE questions will help you look inside and overcome them more quickly!

• Does this goal/intention support the person I want to become?
• What am I teaching people about me?
• What’s MOST important in this moment?
• What is the outcome/feeling/result I would like to create right now?
• What kind of a person do I desire to be?
• How do I want my children to see me?
• Do I need to be RIGHT about this?
• Am I willing let this hurt/pain go?
• What is the most integral thing to do here?
• If I were normal, I may quit right now, but I’m not, so what’s my NEXT step?
• Who do I know that could support me?
• Is there something I don’t know?
• Am I being open and coachable?
• What can I learn from this?
• How can I LEAD myself in or out of this situation?
• Am I coming from FEAR (mind) on this? If so, what is the opposite reaction?

Life is the only game that is completely lob-sided…you are the player, opponent, referee and fan! You are worthy of winning the game! You deserve to win when you overcome your inner opponent and referee!

So post these on your wall, to remind you that YOU are the captain of your ship and the CEO of your life!

The BUCK stops with YOU!


Today I will not criticize, condemn or complain.

Every decision I make is a choice between a grievance and a miracle.

I am responsible for what I see.

I choose the feelings I experience.

I set the goals that I will achieve,

And everything that seems to happen to me,

I ask for and receive as I have asked.

… A Course in Miracles

FREE Catch Fire Book winners and the ACTUAL Forward!

CONGRATULATIONS to those who "guessed" correctly on Facebook Last Night you have WON a FREE Catch Fire Book!

We asked if you could guess who the author of our FORWARD was...we gave a couple hints...and these awesome folks either know their Financial Authors well or did a lot of google searching ;-)

Andrea Carbine, Angella Mckinley Trout, Jake Howell, Shelia Smith, Jan Henrikson, Sarah Vondrak, Chad Williams, Patrick Tsang, Veronica Buna, Max Beer, Javid Mursalov, Purdeep Randhawa, Nicholas Cocchiarella, and Brandon Martin!

An Incredible man, with a great story, a lot of expertise and a NY times Best Selling Author of "Killing Sacred Cows"
Garrett B Gunderson

is the Author of our Forward...

Here it is for you to read!

I am sooo reluctant to ever do an endorsement (especially a forward) as it is rare to have people think clearly and have a full premise without contradictions or holes in their philosophy or teachings. It is also essential for me to read anything I support.  Well, I am a bit embarrassed that I have kept this book from you due to the delays on my part because I procrastinated, that is until I was inspired by Doug’s story. 
See, there are people out there that dream of an easy life, if they could only have financial freedom… on the other hand there are those that realize that freedom allows them to give more and have a greater positive impact in the world. This is what happens when money is put in its proper place, behind purpose. What I mean by the previous statement is money becomes as asset rather than a liability. It is only when money isn’t the primary reason or excuse for people doing or not doing something that real power and freedom can come about. This is who Doug is, what he represents and what he will teach you in this book which is why I am honored to write this forward.

If you wake up worried about money or in a financial prison, chapter 7 will be of huge significance for you. It may be hard to hear, but easier to do something about it and deal with the reality. I love that Doug has nailed it when it comes to what really has to happen to get out of (and stay out of) debt. He talks about the root of debt and unless you know this, debt will always be in your life. You will learn not to borrow to consume, to eliminate all things that move you backwards, and only borrow to invest when you have certainty (otherwise it is gambling). Although I have different strategies around debt and debt management, Doug and I agree that most miss the root of what causes debt and that is why it is never resolved. There are plenty of books merely about sacrificing, saving and deferring your life to the future, but Doug is wise in knowing that it isn’t merely about defense, it is about offense as well.

Doug gives great council of living within your means and the great news about you investing in this book is it gives you an opportunity to catch fire and increase your means. You will learn that it is about the investor not just the investment.
Doug has nailed it when it comes to what you can do about the economy. He will not only illustrate the concept that destroys wealth but he dismantles it. If you are chasing net worth, this will revolutionize your life.
Also, before you put another dollar in a bank or an investment, you have to read about the issues surrounding our banks and banking system. Doug articulates how the major problem of protecting our money with our money, and the concept of imaginary money.

Every single American has to see what is shown when it comes to the amount of tax we pay. See this book won’t skirt the issue to make people feel warm and fuzzy, you will learn some things that are very difficult to see, how banking actually works, what inflation is and the possible ramifications…….good news is you learn about the most important economy for YOU.
 
So how did we get in this mess? Why are there so many numb people? Why don’t more people get it? The secret is in the following pages. This book isn’t just pointing out the problems either (although it shows you behind the curtain); it has a major focus on what to do. It gives you questions to ask of yourself and gives you ways to apply this to your life and discover what you can do. Hell, the Essential Skills section is worth the investment in this book alone.
Oh yeah, huge bonus for anyone in a relationship, Dino Watt gives you the essentials to give you the real riches in life.

So what I can tell you is that everyone has a Soul Purpose, but not everyone is living it. You have one, will you live yours? Read this book and the odds are now in your favor.

Garrett B Gunderson, New York Times Bestselling Author of Killing Sacred Cows

Part Three: Working....HARD!

PART THREE of the four part series that is exposing the common obstacles that come up while on the journey to Financial Freedom. Here is a summary if you have not yet read the blog and just joining us. My suggestion, go back a read them, I keep it pretty short and to the point! It’s worth it!

First Obstacle: You will have people try to take your dreams away. People will unfortunately and I think in some misplaced effort to protect you stomp all over your efforts, ideas and try to talk you out of what you are doing.

Second Obstacle: You will make some bad deals, meaning you will loose some money. It is inevitable. Swallow the bitter with the sweet, it is an unavoidable obstacle, but one you always learn A LOT from!

Third Obstacle: I believe that many of us have misconstrued that when we work for Passive, Ongoing or Permanent Income that it should be easy, or easier than what we are currently doing. Let me clear this up…

I worked HARDER for my freedom than I ever did at my traditional business or any job I ever had.

Freedom isn’t free.

Many choose the constant trod of daily prison over a short term “work your ASS off” for a few years to achieve freedom.

I have noticed that over the generations we as North Americans have become lazy. We forget what it took our ancestors to build the foundation of what we have today.

Many of you will have to work for your freedom when you are NOT working your 9 – 5 or your current business…WHICH MEANS that the time you USUALLY took to watch TV, play on the internet, help the kids, or take a nap will now have to be re-prioritized. . Meaning what you now feel is important may need to be moved down the list.

First thing you must do: Create NEW ground rules for the ‘after work’ time. If you have a family; a discussion with them on how things are going to look for the next few years while you work towards goal A, B and C. Be sure to ask them for support with stuff around the house etc...Communication is EVERYTHING!

Freedom will demand that you become more organized, diligent and productive with your time.

“Your Financial Freedom depends on what you do in your SPARE time”
-Dougism

And by “spare time”, we mean ANY time that is not spent putting a roof over your head and food on the table.

Many of you currently watch far too much TV, give it up! Many of you play Farmville on FB, not anymore! Many of you volunteer your time. If your goal is to be able to volunteer ALL your time, you may need to cut back a little now, so you can achieve that dream.

This means you will be working VERY, VERY hard. Most are unwilling to give up their small comforts now to have it all later. Statistics prove that! That is Short Term thinking! In order to acheive Freedom you must thing Long term...(another topic I will cover, it's the one that CHANGED MY LIFE!)

It also means you will have to learn how to do NEW things, make mistakes and be willing to do things you may not entirely enjoy in your "spare time" (this is another topic I will cover in another Blog)

Are you up to it?

The reward is greater than you can even imagine.

PART TWO: You win some..you LOSE some...

Again; this series is about making you aware of some of the common obstacles that arise on the journey to financial freedom. Unfortunately ‘warning you’ doesn’t make the journey any easier; however, I have learned that everyone needs to make and overcome their own ‘struggle’.
Obstacles are the best and sometimes only way to grow into the person you need to be in order to have wealth and freedom. So why tell you about them…? I too often see people QUIT in their journey due to obstacles so many others have chosen to overcome. I tell you in hopes that when you come across these obstacles in your own journey you don’t get discouraged and quit, so one day you can look back and go yes, that was necessary for my growth and move on!

So obstacle number TWO: Yes you will loose money on some deals gone bad.

It could be an investment or something that some friend told you about and you got sucked into the excitement of big $$$. Dollar signs in your eyes can cloud your vision and better judgment. Always ask those that are more experienced than you about deals or investments or opportunities that come your way. I did, it helped me evade a few money loosing situations. But not all…

In the beginning of my journey to Financial Independence… in my early twenties… when I was OPEN to any and all opportunities that came my way… I invested in a scam at the time I thought was a great opportunity. I invested $1500 dollars. Not a lot, but it was my savings at the time, all for the promise of four grande coming back. Sound good right!? Nope, I lost it all.

It was discouraging. But I was uneducated and rearing to go. Innocent mistake, but I did not let it stop me. I got EDUCATED. I invested my time and money into really LEARNING the “in’s and out’s” of money & investing so I could make wise decisions. It is imperative to make solid decisions based in FACT not emotion.

I will share our PERSONAL business & investing criteria in an upcoming BLOG...stay tuned for that!

Now when an investment goes south or a deal falls through it is typically 10 – 100x that much, but the ones that DO work out FAR out shadow the losses.

A great real life example of this is the gentleman who is now a Venture Capitalist. He gives money to those he thinks have a great idea that may pan out. MANY of his deals don’t work out…but when they DO….BOY oh BOY, do they ever work out! A few years back some boys came to him with the idea of this thing called GOOGLE, it impressed him. He took a calculated risk, knowing it MAY or MAY NOT work out.
It was his expertise and experience that made him able to become a venture capitalist, it taught him you will win some and lose some, but when you WIN, wow, you will win BIG! GOOGLE is just one of the many examples in his life that more than worked out any losses he has incurred.

I believe that more often than not people experience this particular obstacle in the beginning of their journey. Mainly because there is an excitement and impatience to getting where we want to go and achieve the dreams we hold in our heart. The paradigm shift that occurs when you realize you CAN actually achieve your dreams creates an emotional frenzy! It’s good, except that when

“Emotions go UP….Intelligence goes DOWN”.

That causes a lot of people to take others up on the “magic bullet” or Quick Money” or “Easy money fast” schemes or investments. And ANYONE who has created LASTING freedom for themselves KNOWS that it is a long term plan and sometimes slower than we would like. There is no magic bullet to the Lasting freedom Doug and I teach about.

Many people get sucked into jobs that pay a LARGE commission, I stock this up to the very same principal. Short term gratification may be BIG on big ticket items, but you still don’t have your freedom. There is always the next sale that must be made in order to maintain your lifestyle.

As long as you are diligent, seek counsel from those more experienced and actually listen you can minimize your losses! Never let loosing money scar you, bitter you or victimize you. It’s not the money’s responsibility, it’s YOURS!