Find Inspiration Where You Can

Life sometimes flows like a slow-moving lazy stream, more often than not, it can flow like a white-water-capped, whooshing, liquid herd o’ horses stampeding. We can’t control some things. Some things hit us blindsided. Some things build up till they reach a breaking point and make our lives crazy. Some things no one deserves.

But other things we can control. Such as how often we look up and appreciate a sunset or how often we awake early to catch the sunrise and greet the day. We CAN control staying in the present moment and making the best of “that” moment in time. We CAN control what we think about and we CAN be “transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

We CAN control our “hope meter” – a phrase I coined to describe our ratio of hope to cynicism to despair. Keeping our “hope meter” high makes room for the things we are hoping for in our lives and in the lives of others. Without it, we close ourselves off from the awareness we need to allow change to come into our lives.

Appreciate the little things – flowers blooming, a child’s smile in the checkout line at the grocery, having healthy food to eat, having choices, freedom from oppression, waking up in the morning and having one more day to make a difference in a few people’s lives.

Express love.

 

 

Women & Money – Top 10 Googled Money Questions

According to Money Guru,  this article reports the Top 10 Googled #Money Questions. And for women, these questions are VERY, VERY important. Women, oftentimes, #invest their energy and time into people, namely families, both their own as well as extended, children’s sports clubs, school activities, church activities and committees,  all worthwhile activities, yet inhibiting their ability to earn income and save for their future security. Because of this, many #women find themselves in their 50s and 60s without options to move to a new location or purchase a newer automobile or even to afford medical or dental care. Some find that between living costs and paying for medical insurance premiums, co-pays and visits or medications that aren’t covered, there just isn’t anything left to save.

We MUST find a way. Our grandparents and great-grandparents re-used things and grew some of their own food, and lived simply in order to put money away. It was a way of life. We can too. I remember my grandmother telling me how they used to re-use the aluminum foil. If it was only slightly used, it would be wiped off, and then you would take the flat of your fingernails and iron out the foil, flattening any creases. Then it would be placed in a drawer for future use.  Now I’m not suggesting that we recycle our aluminum foil necessarily. But we CAN have a frugal mindset and strive to live below our means in order to save and begin to make our money work for us instead of having to work for our money.

Educating ourselves about money management and investing is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. The #savings #habit is the key to growing wealth. Start now. Once you have $1000, find a good investment vehicle that will give you the highest return for the lowest or no risk. Rinse and repeat. And don’t be afraid to engage the services of an investment professional whose credentials require him to be a fiduciary, one who puts your interests first, like a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA).