Is Your Money Prepared for the New Season?

Summer is coming to a close. Every year you prepare yourself for cooler temperatures, getting children ready for school, school buses on the road, and to rake leaves and warm the car in the mornings. As you prepare for the changes to your routine you also need to get your money prepared for new expenses and do a financial fitness check up.

1) Check your home. Check the insulation on windows and doors. No or insufficient insulation will allow heat to escape and your heating bill to climb unnecessarily. Can we say major money leak. Also check the insulation in the walls of your home, that is important to trap the heat too. If you're renting have your landlord do a check. I once had two months of a $300 gas and electric bill. The culprit? A living room window was cracked at the top and was letting my heat escape. If you see a crazy jump, something is wrong, start checking.

2) Do a financial check up. There are several things that would be good to check during this time. Do at least these three.

Net worth. You've been steadily working on growing your money for several months. Calculate your net worth to see how you're doing. Is the number a little bigger? If so you're moving in the right direction.

Spending plan. How well is your spending plan working? Determine if you need to shift your plan, such as increasing or decreasing target amounts for specific categories. Did you plug all money leaks? Perhaps you decided to keep a subscription when you made the plan, but looking back realize you really haven't been using it. Well then cancel it, cut it from the plan and shift the money towards something else. Put the money towards a category you're struggling with sticking to the allotted amount, savings, paying down debt or investments.

How much closer are you to your goals? The numbers will show if you're making progress towards your goal. Are you on track to complete your goal by the deadline that you set. If not what can you adjust to stay on track.

3) Shop smart. We know the best times to purchase clothes is at the end of a season when there are big discounts as stores prepare for the change in inventory for the new season. However, if it is unavoidable and you have to buy new fall gear for yourself or family members try this. Shop at thrift stores and discount chains. You'll be able to find cool new things at a much lower cost. Many times there will be items with the tags still on them. You just have to dig around a bit. Look for online deals and coupons. Don't use your credit card. I repeat don't use your credit card. 

About the author:

About the author: Maria James has a compassion for people that makes her involvement in Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation a sure fit. She is a biomedical scientist who is public health conscience and has always worked for the betterment of others. Maria is the founder of Pocket of Money, LLC which provides tools and tips to help you take control of your money and live your best life. Dr. James is our resident Money Scientist.

Vulnerability is my Greatest Superpower

Super Truth: Vulnerability is my greatest superpower.

I have done a lot of really cool stuff over the years. Things I am proud of because they were not easy...but I attempted them anyway! Sometimes I succeeded. Sometimes I failed.

I used to think I needed to do these things because people would listen to me if I had accomplished enough. That being a doer, a go-getter, and having mental toughness would be the superpowers that would take me straight to the top. It felt easy to imagine standing on my story of being the girl who graduated from West Point, flew helicopters, completed a half-ironman, rolled out of bed and ran a 50K race one day, etc, etc...

After all, don't we get hired because of all the fabulous things on our resumes & the achievements we have under our belts? Isn't THAT what impresses people & makes them love us?

What I've discovered in the last few years is that not one of those big, bad challenges was as scary as learning how to demonstrate another superpower. Vulnerability.

Years ago I would have rather run a marathon or ruck march up the side of a mountain than display what I considered to be weakness by sharing my fears. By sniveling about what I'd overcome in the past.

Whaaaa. Poor me. Why bother others with my sob stories? After all, I had learned to suck it up & drive on...wouldn't most people rather hear about my results than my breakdowns?!

In a word, no.

What I have discovered has been surprising and a bit of a relief. People actually love and appreciate me for my failures just as much, if not more, as they love me for my successes. My faults are not liabilities...they are my humanity. And my wins become boring if that is all I ever share. People tune out. No one on the planet bounces from success to success to success...and so it's hard to get inspiration from those who talk about nothing but all the things they've done right.

I remember one particular evening when a friend & I decided to play a little game we like to call "vulnerability chicken." We decided to share our deepest, darkest secrets in service of creating a closer connection. To share the things we never said out loud to other people because we were SURE saying them would lead to the certain death of the friendship. Our mistakes. Our regrets. The things that still haunt us in those silent moments when we get a little too inside our heads.

I remember telling him something I felt was so horrible and embarrassing. I could barely look him in the eyes when I said it.

And then I waited.

Much to my surprise, instead of judgement, I was met with compassion & acceptance. And then my friend opened up about some of his own personal battles...which made me love him even more. In fact, I couldn't believe he'd been holding in these things he called deep, dark secrets. To me they felt like the same kind of mistakes we all make navigating life.

I think that night was truly the first night I stopped holding my breath. Stopped wondering when my mistakes would catch up with me & my flaws would cost me a friendship. It was the night I learned sharing these parts of my journey are not only healing for me...but for others who may need reassurance as well. And that people don't love me in spite of my mistakes...they actually love me more because of them.

That kind of acceptance was the best feeling I had ever had. And I knew that if I could be that accepting of everyone I met (because don't many of us fear that "if people only knew ______, there's no way they would accept me?!"), I would be giving people the greatest gift I ever could.

So from the bottom of my heart, because my friend showed me so much compassion & understanding in my imperfections, I want you to know that you are amazing. Exactly. As. You. Are.

I see you. I appreciate you. And I thank you for being my friend.

About the author: Leslie has more than a dozen years of leadership, process efficiency, behavioral analysis, professional facilitation and training experience in a number of challenging environments. Her experience includes seven years in the U.S. Army, work in membership sales, television news production and in non-profit and association communities. She is sought-after as a professional facilitator and facilitation trainer. Leslie’s work through Lead Like A Girl focuses on inspiring groups and individuals to look for new perspectives when the ones they’re stuck in just aren’t working anymore, using their own brilliance & untapped superpowers to improve communication and enhance success. Leslie calls herself a “Life Enthusiast” because if there’s a challenge most people don’t want to tackle…she’ll give it a try. From flying Chinook helicopters in the Army, to completing her first half-ironman to taking lessons on the flying trapeze, Leslie doesn’t know the meaning of the words, “I can’t.” And she will make sure you forget those words too!Connect with Leslie at http://www.lesliestein.com/blog

This is It! Don't Rehearse

Have you heard the saying, how you do one thing is how you do everything? A friend of mine shared it with me this past week and then it popped up in O magazine. Serendipity! The phrase also reminds me of what my high school tennis coach used to say to me. How you practice is how you play.  During my two year career on the tennis court, this saying made me realize when I wasn’t practicing with my all. I would run slower if I was tired or stopped short on a swing instead of carrying it through and sure enough I would do the same thing when it came to a game. I finally got tired of losing and I knew I need to do something different. 

Either I wasn’t good enough or I wasn’t giving it my all. How often do we decide that “this” doesn’t work only to realize that it would if we did it to the best of our ability? I decided to practice with my all.  It was brutal. Nothing about playing tennis or any sport came easy to me. However, that final year, all my sweat equity paid off. I earned a gold medal in Doubles and bronze in Singles. Not bad for a girl who almost failed gym. I just remember thinking, “this is it”. What made the difference wasn’t just how I played the game, but how I practiced for each game. Fast forward a decade, quickly becoming two but who’s counting, and I’m witnessing the lesson come to life again.

What would happen if every day you showed up as if This Is It? 

Michael Jackson is one of the greatest entertainers of the last century.  This would be difficult for anyone to dispute.  Recently, I was watching a clip of Judith Hill and Michael Jackson from his This is It tour which we know never saw one concert performance due to Michael’s passing. Okay, so I wasn’t actually watching the clip at first. I was at my computer working on this newsletter as a matter of fact and the song “I can’t Stop Loving You” began after I listened to another of Hill’s songs on YouTube. I’m thinking that sounds like Michael Jackson, totally forgetting about the duet she was schedule to perform with the King of Pop. I looked at the video and it was at the moment when the camera panned the audience of about oh… 13 people.  The clip is from a rehearsal for the This Is It tour. In the large stadium to witness the magic was only the band, backup dancers and critical staff, but they’re performance was worth of a sold out show to thousands. It wasn’t perfect but seriously it was darn good. You could see Michael giving Judith instructions and even singing out instructions to the band. Uhm… could you have someone recorded your practice and it be nearly as perfect as the live show? I mean seriously, what would happen if we showed up each day as if this is the show not a dress rehearsal?

We have to live life one day at a time. We don’t have any other choice. And factually nothing is guaranteed. Michael didn’t know that we’d never see the live concert but his dedication to his craft showed u,p even in during practice time. The day before your life changes is like any other day.

So whether we’re working to start a business, play an instrument, perform in an arena, jump start a career or even a build a family, every day we should work to build our lives. You’re the boss. You are the Chief Experience Officer (hey I kinda like that) of your existence and we have to show up knowing that this is it. It won’t always be easy. Yet, shoot for the stars. Repeat what works until you get it perfect. Ask for what you need, when you need help (even Michael had a coach). Reinvent yourself when necessary. However, whatever you focus your life on.   

Don’t rehearse! Always show up and play full out! This is it. 

About the author: Sister Mothyna James-Brightful is a self-proclaimed “Self Love Revolutionary”. She has spent the last decade empowering women and girls to live authentic lives as the Visionary Director and Co-founder of Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation. Sister Mothyna is co-author of Because I am a Queen...100 Affirmations for Daily Living and is currently working on her forth coming book Engage.Inspire. Prevent: Tips to Educating Teens on Sexual Violence. Stay connected www.hwhn.org: Twitter @mothyna

Three Feet from Gold

Excerpt from THINK AND GROW RICH by NAPOLEON HILL

THREE FEET FROM GOLD

One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another. An uncle of R. U. Darby was caught by the "gold fever" in the gold rush days, and went west to DIG AND GROW RICH. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth. He staked a claim and went to work with pick and shovel. The going was hard, but his lust for gold was definite.

After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the "strike." They got together money for the needed machinery, had it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.

The first car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! A few more cars of that ore would clear the debts. Then would come the big killing in profits.

Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle! Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no longer there! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again-all to no avail.

Finally, they decided to QUIT. They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Some "junk" men are dumb, but not this one! He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed, because the owners were not familiar with "fault lines." His calculations showed that the vein would be found JUST THREE FEET FROM WHERE THE DARBYS HAD STOPPED DRILLING! That is exactly where it was found!

The "Junk" man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up. Most of the money which went into the machinery was procured through the efforts of R. U. Darby, who was then a very young man. The money came from his relatives and neighbors, because of their faith in him. He paid back every dollar of it, although he was years in doing so.

Long afterward, Mr. Darby recouped his loss many times over, when he made the discovery that DESIRE can be transmuted into gold. The discovery came after he went into the business of selling life insurance.

Remembering that he lost a huge fortune, because he STOPPED three feet from gold, Darby profited by the experience in his chosen work, by the simple method of saying to himself, "I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say v no' when I ask them to buy insurance."

Darby is one of a small group of fewer than fifty men who sell more than a million dollars in life insurance annually. He owes his "stickability" to the lesson he learned from his "quitability" in the gold mining business.

Before success comes in any man's life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to QUIT. That is exactly what the majority of men do.

More than five hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known, told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them. Failure is a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning.

It takes great delight in tripping one when success is almost within reach.

10 Actions Needed for Financial Freedom

The terms financial freedom and financial independence generally refer to the same concept or ideal. However, individuals consider them to mean different things. For some they mean debt free, having the ability to live without working to earn income, or being financially secure and not stressing about money. Whatever your definition of financial freedom, there are some key actions that you should take to get you on the right path to achieving it. 

1) Calculate your net worth
Your net worth is a snapshot of your financial health at a specific point in time, your wealth status if you will. Understanding where you currently stand financially will help you in defining realistic goals. Use the formula net worth = assets - liabilities. You need a baseline to work from as you move toward financial freedom. Calculating your net worth at the start will provide that for you.

2) Define and write down your goals
You need to know the goal in order to achieve it. In other words you can't hit the target if you don't know where it is. Take some time to reflect on where you are currently with money and where you would like to go. Define your goals so you can accurately determine the steps needed to reach them. Some common goals are saving an emergency fund, saving for retirement, saving for a yearly vacation, adding to an investment portfolio.

3) Design a money strategy
A money strategy is a comprehensive plan to detail what you plan to do with your money. This is the action plan to achieve your goals. For each goal detail the steps needed to achieve it, resources you'll use and how much money is involved in each step.

4) Create a monthly and annual spending plan
You need to create a spending plan to determine where your money is going. You should have a clear view of how much you will spend in what categories and how much you will save. This allows you to see where you can cut costs and free up money aka keeping more money in your pocket. Creating an annual spending plan will allow you to also see big picture and determine how much of your money is truly going to certain items. You may decide to skip that Starbucks latte or forgo certain subscriptions after all. The money you free up and save can then be put towards a few luxuries and income generating assets!

5) Create a specific debt reduction strategy
If you still have debt, you need to pay it off to be able to use the full potential of your income. You can't reach financial freedom if you have debt holding you back. Work on paying your debt down, "good" and "bad" debt must go. Debt is debt and you'll save yourself thousands of dollars by getting rid of it. Make a specific plan of what order you'll target the debt accounts. Aggressively pay down one at a time to make the most impact and not spread the money too thin.

6) Freeze your credit cards
Now that you have a plan to eliminate your debt, dont rack up anymore. Put the credit cards away and make them very difficult to use. Literally putting the cards in the freezer is a great way. Take the cards out of your wallet and leave them at home. Spending within your means is a must for financial freedom.

7) Open a separate savings account
You need one savings account for your emergency fund. As indicated by the name you don't touch this money unless it's a true emergency. Did you know you should also have another savings account? This is a small account to house money for non-emergency expenses that are in your spending plan, but may not be used every month. If you leave the money in your checking account it's likely to be spent.

8) Cut costs not quality
When you create your spending plan, you'll see places where you can cut back. However, cutting back to lower expenses doesn't mean sacrificing quality. Think of ways to get equivalent products or services for less e.g. shift providers, eliminate things you don't use, find coupons and deals etc. You don't want to feel deprived, but you want to plug money leaks and free up as much money as possible that can be used for saving and investing.

9) Create side income as needed
You've streamlined your expenses, but may still need a little more money. Whether you just want more money to invest or enjoy luxuries or you need more money to make ends meet, having side income is beneficial. This is income outside of your main income source. Some examples are part-time jobs, freelance work, etc. (check out 23 Ways to Make Money).

10) Open a 401(k) and traditional IRA
We know saving is only part of the journey to wealth. Putting your money to work for you is also necessary to reach your goals. At bare minimum open these two accounts. If you work for an employer, make sure to speak with HR (human services) about reanalyzing or starting a retirement account. In most cases this will be a 401(k) or 403(b). If you started one a while ago make sure you check how much money is going towards it and how you can increase the amount. You should also open a second retirement account, an IRA. You can only add so much to your 401(k) so when you hit that maximum you want to still be able to save. The IRA will allow you to do so.

About the author: Maria James has a compassion for people that makes her involvement in Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation a sure fit. She is a biomedical scientist who is public health conscience and has always worked for the betterment of others. Maria is the founder of Pocket of Money, LLC which provides tools and tips to help you take control of your money and live your best life. Dr. James is our resident Money Scientist.

The Science of Being Great

**excerpt from The Science of Being Great by Wallace D. Wattles

Wallace D. Wattles

Wallace D. Wattles

There is a Principle of Power in every person. By the intelligent use and direction of this principle, man can develop his own mental faculties. Man has an inherent power by which he may grow in whatsoever direction he pleases, and there does not appear to be any limit to the possibilities of his growth. No man has yet become so great in any faculty but that it is possible for someone else to become greater. The possibility is in the Original Substance from which man is made. Genius is Omniscience flowing into man. 

Genius is more than talent. Talent may merely be one faculty developed out of proportion to other faculties, but genius is the union of man and God in the acts of the soul. Great men are always greater than their deeds. They are in connection with a reserve of power that is without limit. We do not know where the boundary of the mental powers of man is; we do not even know that there is a boundary. 

The power of conscious growth is not given to the lower animals; it is mans alone and may be developed and increased by him. The lower animals can, to a great extent, be trained and developed by man; but man can train and develop himself. He alone has this power, and he has it to an apparently unlimited extent. 

The purpose of life for man is growth, just as the purpose of life for trees and plants is growth. Trees and plants grow automatically and along fixed lines; man can grow, as he will. Trees and plants can only develop certain possibilities and characteristics; man can develop any power, which is or has been shown by any person, anywhere. Nothing that is possible in spirit is impossible in flesh and blood. Nothing that man can think is impossible-in action. Nothing that man can imagine is impossible of realization. 

Man is formed for growth, and he is under the necessity of growing.

It is essential to his happiness that he should continuously advance.

Life without progress becomes unendurable, and the person who ceases from growth must either become imbecile or insane. The greater and more harmonious and well rounded his growth, the happier man will be. 

There is no possibility in any man that is not in every man; but if they proceed naturally, no two men will grow into the same thing, or be alike. Every man comes into the world with a predisposition to grow along certain lines, and growth is easier for him along those lines than in any other way. This is a wise provision, for it gives endless variety. It is as if a gardener should throw all his bulbs into one basket; to the superficial observer they would look alike, but growth reveals a tremendous difference. 

So of men and women, they are like a basket of bulbs. One may be a rose and add brightness and color to some dark corner of the world; one may be a lily and teach a lesson of love and purity to every eye that sees; one may be a climbing vine and hide the rugged outlines of some dark rock; one may be a great oak among whose boughs the birds shall nest and sing, and beneath whose shade the flocks shall rest at noon, but everyone will be something worthwhile, something rare, something perfect. 

There are undreamed of possibilities in the common lives all around us in a large sense, there are no “common” people. In times of national stress and peril the cracker-box loafer of the corner store and the village drunkard become heroes and statesmen through the quickening of the Principle of Power within them. There is a genius in every man and woman, waiting to be brought forth. Every village has its great man or woman; someone to whom all go for advice in time of trouble; someone who is instinctively recognized as being great in wisdom and insight. To such a one the minds of the whole community turn in times of local crisis; he is tacitly recognized as being great. He does small things in a great way. He could do great things as well if he did but undertake them; so can any man; so can you. The Principle of Power gives us just what we ask of it; if we only undertake little things, it only gives us power for little things; but if we try to do great things in a great way it gives us all the power there is.

How to Get to Happy

True Joy

By Valorie Burton

Valorie Burton encourages you to discover what lifts your spirit so you can create happiness every day. Find your own motivations for free at happywomantest.com, which lists 13 triggers Burton explores in her book Happy Women Live Better. Here she outlines a few of the big ones:

Anticipation: Every day I make sure I have something to look forward to. Whether having dinner with a friend or curling up with a good novel, we need to be intentional about creating activities we enjoy. This one habit can instantly boost your happiness.

Service: Do at least one thing daily to brighten someone else's day. This requires you to take the focus off yourself and put the spotlight on another. Whether you volunteer for a nonprofit or stop by to visit that friend who's going through a tough time, help somebody.

Financial savvy: It won't happen overnight, but aim to live on 75 percent (or less) of your income. People who live below their means are happier. And buy experiences instead of things—a vacation, a class to learn something new; it will make you happier than another pair of shoes.

Gratitude: At the end of the day, ask, "What were the three best things about today?" Write them down. Studies show that doing so for just three weeks will improve your mood and strengthen your immune system.

Play: Guys are great at playing basketball, golf and video games. We women need to give ourselves permission to play and be silly. Go outside for a game of catch with the kids or have friends over for a night of charades. Play increases creativity and reduces stress.

Relaxation: This trigger tends to be least used by women who have taken my happiness test. Let go of guilt, stop worrying, and give yourself permission to take a catnap, a break, a vacation! Doing nothing rejuvenates the soul.

Movement: Exercise is a happiness trigger. Just 20 minutes of cardio per day can lift your mood for up to 24 hours, according to research. Make it fun. Take a class, go for a walk with your honey, or turn on your favorite music and dance in the living room.

***Originally published at www.essence.com