Monday, April 29, 2013
Quote of the day
People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success. - Norman Vincent Peale
Friday, April 26, 2013
7 Positive things to say to yourself
Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars,and see yourself running with them.―Marcus Aurelius
Your life story is an expression of who you are; the words you choose to use shape this story. Your words create the essence of your inner culture and the core of your identity and destiny.How have you written your story so far? Have you put your words to positive use? Your ability to write a happy life story hinges on your language. It is your inner and outer verbal expression that makes your joy possible and that infuses your life with purpose, meaning and vitality.
1. “I have a choice.”
It is not your talents or abilities, but your choices that ultimately decide your fate.You ARE your choices.Until you can look at yourself in the mirror and honestly say, “I have a choice. I am here now because of the choices I’ve made in the past,” you will never be able to say, “I choose differently.”
2. “Let’s get started!”
You can’t build anything wonderful with ideas of what you are going to do someday. If you want something, you have to make a little noise, declare it and then get started.A goal is far more than a mental exercise. In fact, without the intent of action a goal is nothing more than a lie. Make your decisions real and present in your life; give them the time and attention they deserve.In the end it doesn’t matter what you’re thinking, it matters what you’re doing. Whatever you want to accomplish, it’s time to get started.
3. “I have what it takes.”
The worst enemy of today is your self-doubt. The moment you doubt whether you can do something is the moment it becomes impossible for you.You have to believe in yourself. You have to trust yourself. You might be nervous, but don’t you ever let any source of negativity in the world convince you that you don’t have what it takes.Give yourself a pep talk if you need one. State some facts, some evidence of your greatness. Recall your past victories. Speak them out loud – “I aced that test.” “I earned that big raise.” “I ran that 5K without stopping.” “My best friend loved my wedding speech.” And so on and so forth… Give a positive voice to your past victories and you will find the strength to repeat history.
4. “Hello, how can I help you?”
In life, you get what you put in.Generally speaking, the unhappiest people you will ever meet will be those who are utterly self-absorbed; the happiest people you will ever meet will be those who lose themselves in the joy and challenge of helping others.Happiness is always attained by giving it away without expectation. Those who help others are eventually helped. You have two hands, one to help yourself and the other to help those around you. If you can lie down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone’s day just a little brighter, you have something to smile about. Successful People Do Differently.
5. “Look how far I’ve come.”
The way you move a mountain is by moving one stone at a time. Every stone you move, no matter how small, is progress.Sometimes it may be hard to see your progress. Sometimes it will be frustrating when the results you seek don’t appear as quickly as you had hoped. Still, you are advancing. You may be moving along slowly, but you are still moving a mountain.Achievement, after all, is an enduring process, not a single event. To achieve any worthwhile goal you must cover a lot of ground. You need to learn what works by trial and error. You must explore possibilities, many of which will only show you what doesn’t work. Just keep in mind that the mistakes and setbacks are a vital part of the process.Take a break every now and then and pat yourself on the back. Applaud yourself for doing what needs to be done. And be careful not to spend so much time looking at how far you still have to go, that you forget to appreciate how far you’ve already come.
6. “I have more than enough to be happy.”
The happiest of people aren’t the luckiest, and they usually don’t have the best of everything either. They simply make the most of everything they do have. The reason so many people are unhappy is because they tend to look at what’s missing in their life, instead of what’s present.Take a stand and flip the switch. Stop wishing you had more. Stop wishing you were somewhere else. Stop wishing you looked like someone else. Love your quirks enough to let them shine. Appreciate your body and use it to it’s full potential. Appreciate the things you have that so many others dream about. Scream it out loud if you must: “I am lucky to be alive! I am happy to be me right now! I have way more than I need and so much to be grateful for! My life isn’t perfect, it’s just pretty darn good!”
7. “ … ”
That blank space denoted by “ … ” is no mistake. That space represents silence.Silence is soothing. Silence is peace. Silence is divine.The more silent you are, the more you can hear yourself think.Have you ever heard the silence just before the sun peaks over the horizon? Or the hush of a country road at midnight? Or the peaceful calm just after a thunderstorm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence in the back of your city library, or the eager pause of an auditorium full of people when the lights dim for the main event, or, best of all, the moment just after the front door shuts and you suddenly have the whole house to yourself?Each silent moment is different, yet all are beautiful if you listen carefully. Leave enough space in your day to enjoy the space between the commotions. Say nothing, think quietly, just be and breathe.
source: marcandangel.com
Your life story is an expression of who you are; the words you choose to use shape this story. Your words create the essence of your inner culture and the core of your identity and destiny.How have you written your story so far? Have you put your words to positive use? Your ability to write a happy life story hinges on your language. It is your inner and outer verbal expression that makes your joy possible and that infuses your life with purpose, meaning and vitality.
1. “I have a choice.”
It is not your talents or abilities, but your choices that ultimately decide your fate.You ARE your choices.Until you can look at yourself in the mirror and honestly say, “I have a choice. I am here now because of the choices I’ve made in the past,” you will never be able to say, “I choose differently.”
2. “Let’s get started!”
You can’t build anything wonderful with ideas of what you are going to do someday. If you want something, you have to make a little noise, declare it and then get started.A goal is far more than a mental exercise. In fact, without the intent of action a goal is nothing more than a lie. Make your decisions real and present in your life; give them the time and attention they deserve.In the end it doesn’t matter what you’re thinking, it matters what you’re doing. Whatever you want to accomplish, it’s time to get started.
3. “I have what it takes.”
The worst enemy of today is your self-doubt. The moment you doubt whether you can do something is the moment it becomes impossible for you.You have to believe in yourself. You have to trust yourself. You might be nervous, but don’t you ever let any source of negativity in the world convince you that you don’t have what it takes.Give yourself a pep talk if you need one. State some facts, some evidence of your greatness. Recall your past victories. Speak them out loud – “I aced that test.” “I earned that big raise.” “I ran that 5K without stopping.” “My best friend loved my wedding speech.” And so on and so forth… Give a positive voice to your past victories and you will find the strength to repeat history.
4. “Hello, how can I help you?”
In life, you get what you put in.Generally speaking, the unhappiest people you will ever meet will be those who are utterly self-absorbed; the happiest people you will ever meet will be those who lose themselves in the joy and challenge of helping others.Happiness is always attained by giving it away without expectation. Those who help others are eventually helped. You have two hands, one to help yourself and the other to help those around you. If you can lie down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone’s day just a little brighter, you have something to smile about. Successful People Do Differently.
5. “Look how far I’ve come.”
The way you move a mountain is by moving one stone at a time. Every stone you move, no matter how small, is progress.Sometimes it may be hard to see your progress. Sometimes it will be frustrating when the results you seek don’t appear as quickly as you had hoped. Still, you are advancing. You may be moving along slowly, but you are still moving a mountain.Achievement, after all, is an enduring process, not a single event. To achieve any worthwhile goal you must cover a lot of ground. You need to learn what works by trial and error. You must explore possibilities, many of which will only show you what doesn’t work. Just keep in mind that the mistakes and setbacks are a vital part of the process.Take a break every now and then and pat yourself on the back. Applaud yourself for doing what needs to be done. And be careful not to spend so much time looking at how far you still have to go, that you forget to appreciate how far you’ve already come.
6. “I have more than enough to be happy.”
The happiest of people aren’t the luckiest, and they usually don’t have the best of everything either. They simply make the most of everything they do have. The reason so many people are unhappy is because they tend to look at what’s missing in their life, instead of what’s present.Take a stand and flip the switch. Stop wishing you had more. Stop wishing you were somewhere else. Stop wishing you looked like someone else. Love your quirks enough to let them shine. Appreciate your body and use it to it’s full potential. Appreciate the things you have that so many others dream about. Scream it out loud if you must: “I am lucky to be alive! I am happy to be me right now! I have way more than I need and so much to be grateful for! My life isn’t perfect, it’s just pretty darn good!”
7. “ … ”
That blank space denoted by “ … ” is no mistake. That space represents silence.Silence is soothing. Silence is peace. Silence is divine.The more silent you are, the more you can hear yourself think.Have you ever heard the silence just before the sun peaks over the horizon? Or the hush of a country road at midnight? Or the peaceful calm just after a thunderstorm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence in the back of your city library, or the eager pause of an auditorium full of people when the lights dim for the main event, or, best of all, the moment just after the front door shuts and you suddenly have the whole house to yourself?Each silent moment is different, yet all are beautiful if you listen carefully. Leave enough space in your day to enjoy the space between the commotions. Say nothing, think quietly, just be and breathe.
source: marcandangel.com
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Role Models
How Parents Can Be Financial Role Models
April 22, 2013 | By Janet Bodnar
Forget the cherry blossoms. If its April, it must be financial literacy month, the time of year when we're bombarded with studies that chronicle the sorry state of our kids financial knowledge. But the studies also show some interesting -- and often positive -- results. This years theme is the important role that parents play in teaching kids about money.
SEE ALSO: Help Your Kids Establish Financial Independence
For instance, a Genworth survey found that adults ages 25 and over whose parents had set a good financial example were more likely to have a financial plan and feel confident about their financial future than respondents whose parents did not set a good example.
In fact, a report from Fidelity Investments found that adult children often put their parents on a pedestal. In Fidelitys Intra-Family Generational Finance Study, nearly half of children over 30 said their parents hadn't made any financial mistakes. Parents, however, were quick to point to three key money flubs made by their adult children: racking up credit card debt, not saving for retirement early enough and not building up a large enough emergency fund.
I'll wager that most of those parents dont feel comfortable up on that pedestal because they know they've occasionally fallen off. And in criticizing their kids, parents were speaking from personal experience, trying to warn their offspring not to make the same mistakes that they had.
Seize the opportunity. If you haven't always done a good job of managing your own money, look at this as an opportunity. Sign up for your retirement plan at work if you haven't already done so, or set up an automatic deposit from your paycheck to your vacation fund. Knowledge empowers you, so learn as much as you can about personal finance, starting with Kiplinger.com and Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.
Remember: No matter how little you think you know about money, you always know more than your kids. And as I wrote recently (see 4 Ways to Make Financial Literacy Work, a little knowledge goes a long way. You don't have to take time out of your busy day to explain the Fed's policy of quantitative easing. Instead, use everyday experiences to talk with your kids about how you make financial decisions -- which brand to buy at the grocery store, whether to purchase a new car or fix the old one, how you're saving for a family trip to Disney World (and how they can pitch in), or how you're setting money aside for your own retirement. Help them set up their own bank savings accounts (today's low interest rates will be an instant lesson in quantitative easing).
Talk the talk. In the latest survey of parents and their kids ages 8 to 14 from T. Rowe Price, 73% of parents reported that they talk regularly with their children about money. But the conversations generally revolve around short-term financial topics, such as back-to-school shopping (62%), rather than long-term planning, such as family savings goals (39%). And 14% of parents discourage kids from talking about money altogether.
Don't be shy. More than one-third of teens ages 14 to 18 think their parents don't talk to them enough about money and budgeting, according to a poll by Junior Achievement USA and the Allstate Foundation. And it's in your self-interest to start the conversation. Junior Achievement reports that one-fourth of teens think they won't become financially independent until ages 25 to 27. And in the T. Rowe Price survey, more kids believe they'll make a million bucks by becoming famous (24%) than by investing in stocks and bonds (21%). With those attitudes, they could be living in their old rooms for a long time.
April 22, 2013 | By Janet Bodnar
Forget the cherry blossoms. If its April, it must be financial literacy month, the time of year when we're bombarded with studies that chronicle the sorry state of our kids financial knowledge. But the studies also show some interesting -- and often positive -- results. This years theme is the important role that parents play in teaching kids about money.
SEE ALSO: Help Your Kids Establish Financial Independence
For instance, a Genworth survey found that adults ages 25 and over whose parents had set a good financial example were more likely to have a financial plan and feel confident about their financial future than respondents whose parents did not set a good example.
In fact, a report from Fidelity Investments found that adult children often put their parents on a pedestal. In Fidelitys Intra-Family Generational Finance Study, nearly half of children over 30 said their parents hadn't made any financial mistakes. Parents, however, were quick to point to three key money flubs made by their adult children: racking up credit card debt, not saving for retirement early enough and not building up a large enough emergency fund.
I'll wager that most of those parents dont feel comfortable up on that pedestal because they know they've occasionally fallen off. And in criticizing their kids, parents were speaking from personal experience, trying to warn their offspring not to make the same mistakes that they had.
Seize the opportunity. If you haven't always done a good job of managing your own money, look at this as an opportunity. Sign up for your retirement plan at work if you haven't already done so, or set up an automatic deposit from your paycheck to your vacation fund. Knowledge empowers you, so learn as much as you can about personal finance, starting with Kiplinger.com and Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.
Remember: No matter how little you think you know about money, you always know more than your kids. And as I wrote recently (see 4 Ways to Make Financial Literacy Work, a little knowledge goes a long way. You don't have to take time out of your busy day to explain the Fed's policy of quantitative easing. Instead, use everyday experiences to talk with your kids about how you make financial decisions -- which brand to buy at the grocery store, whether to purchase a new car or fix the old one, how you're saving for a family trip to Disney World (and how they can pitch in), or how you're setting money aside for your own retirement. Help them set up their own bank savings accounts (today's low interest rates will be an instant lesson in quantitative easing).
Talk the talk. In the latest survey of parents and their kids ages 8 to 14 from T. Rowe Price, 73% of parents reported that they talk regularly with their children about money. But the conversations generally revolve around short-term financial topics, such as back-to-school shopping (62%), rather than long-term planning, such as family savings goals (39%). And 14% of parents discourage kids from talking about money altogether.
Don't be shy. More than one-third of teens ages 14 to 18 think their parents don't talk to them enough about money and budgeting, according to a poll by Junior Achievement USA and the Allstate Foundation. And it's in your self-interest to start the conversation. Junior Achievement reports that one-fourth of teens think they won't become financially independent until ages 25 to 27. And in the T. Rowe Price survey, more kids believe they'll make a million bucks by becoming famous (24%) than by investing in stocks and bonds (21%). With those attitudes, they could be living in their old rooms for a long time.
Monday, April 22, 2013
within us
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
www.andrewreiffenberger.com
www.andrewreiffenberger.com
Sunday, April 21, 2013
A work in progress
You are a work in progress; which means you get there a little at a time, not all at once. Today is a brand new day – a fresh start. Replace negativity with positivity. Think happy thoughts. Exercise. Drink lots of water. Fill your body with fuel. Healthy is happy. Inspire yourself. Create. Laugh. Play. Love. Learn. Give someone a compliment. Perform a random act of kindness. Take a chance on an idea you believe in. You have the opportunity to do these things every single day – to make the necessary changes and slowly become the person you want to be. You just have to decide to do it. Decide that today is the day. Say it: “This is going to be my day!”
Friday, April 19, 2013
Thought-Provoking Quotes
We are our thoughts. We cannot change anything
if we cannot change our thinking.
if we cannot change our thinking.
If you truly want to change your life, you must first change your mind. You must free it from the restrictive thinking that holds you back.
Here are 50 thought-provoking quotes.
- You are only destined to become one person – the person you decide to be.
- Do good and feel good. Do bad and feel bad. It’s that simple.
- You are what you do today, not what you say you’ll do tomorrow.
- We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.
- Ultimately, it’s not what you do every once in a while; it’s what you dedicate yourself to on a regular basis that makes the difference.
- Stay true to yourself. Never be ashamed of doing what feels right. Decide what you think is right and stick to it.
- If you don’t stand for anything, you will remain forever on your knees.
- No amount of money will make you happy if you aren’t happy with yourself.
- You know you’ve made the right decision when there is peace in your heart.
- Don’t worry if your goals seem crazy to other people; oftentimes the crazy ideas are the ones that have the greatest impact.
- If you’re thinking like everyone else, then you aren’t thinking.
- Control your own destiny or someone else will try for you.
- Sometimes standing up to your friends can be just as difficult as standing up to your enemies.
- The unhappiest people in this world are the people who care the most about what everyone else thinks.
- When people undermine your dreams, predict your doom, or criticize you, remember, they’re telling you their story, not yours.
- There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.
- No one in the world was ever you before, with your particular gifts and abilities and possibilities.
- Your greatest task isn’t to find love, but to discover and destroy all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
- A loving, happy person lives in a loving, happy world. A hateful, miserable person lives in a hateful, miserable world. The world around you reflects YOU.
- Worry gives small things a big shadow.
- Focus your conscious mind on things you desire not things you fear. Doing so brings dreams to life.
- It’s not the mistakes and failures you have to worry about, it’s the opportunities you miss when you don’t even try that hurt the most.
- It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one over and over again.
- To get something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done.
- The harder thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing.
- Our problems are really our blessings if we use them to grow stronger.
- Anyone can run away; it’s super easy. Facing problems and working through them, that’s what makes you strong.
- When you have two good options, always go with the one that scares you the most, because that’s the one that’s going to help you grow.
- Courage is being scared to death, and then taking the next step anyway.
- Sometimes our greatest insight comes from our failure, not from our accomplishments.
- You need to screw up to learn. You need to experience it all to create greatness.
- Just because you don’t understand something now doesn’t mean the explanation doesn’t exist.
- Not knowing everything about your future is a good thing.
- Don’t worry about what you can’t control and you may liberate yourself.
- People of average ability often achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most people succeed simply because they are determined to.
- Temporary happiness isn’t worth long-term pain.
- Patience can be bitter, but the seeds you plant now will bear sweet fruit.
- The less you expect, the more pleasant life gets.
- The more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract things to be grateful for.
- The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for.
- It usually isn’t what you have or where you are or what you’re doing that makes you happy. It’s how you think about it all.
- Do not dwell so much on creating your perfect life that you forget to live.
- You are not in competition with anybody except yourself; plan to outdo your past not other people.
- To admit that you were wrong is to declare that you are wiser now than you were before.
- Humans see what they want to see.
- If you spend too much time judging yourself, you won’t have any time to love yourself or anyone else.
- At the end of the day, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart or what’s holding you together.
- Look through the front windshield and not the rearview mirror.
- You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, or when. But you can choose how you are going to live, right now.
- Be done with regrets; they are an excuse for people who have failed. You still have a chance.
Thank you,
Andrew Reiffenberger
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