The Eight Energies

In the late nineties I developed a program called the Amazing Momentum Generator with my then business partner, Jeffrey D. Brown.

Jeff and I identified what we called the “Seven Synergies” - the seven key areas of life that define its overall quality. Most programs focus on individual areas of life as though they have little to no effect on the others. Jeff and I saw something different; that each area is interrelated and dependent on the others - there’s a synergy. And also that there is a necessary foundation, a hierarchy, that needs to be developed to move forward with optimal success.

Here are the “Seven Synergies” - or the “Eight Energies” as I now call them.

1. Spiritual
2. Emotions and Intellect
3. Health and Fitness
4. Environment
5. Relationships
6. Recreation
7. Career
8. Finances

I’ll write more about each in the future, but what I want to share today is a new insight - and an experiment I’m going to put into action soon.

Most of us enjoy 16 hours of waking time in a day. How is your time divided up into each of the 8 categories above.

It seems logical that an ideally balanced life would devote 2 hours per day to each of the 8 areas; but the reality is that most of our time is spent in a few of the categories - and no time is spent in some (and those some may be the most important places for time to be spent).

I have reached a level of financial success in my life that many would envy. The cost has been spending most of my time in the “Career” category (and you’ll notice that I distinguish between career and finances because most people use career as a way of making money, but it doesn’t have to be that way once you see beyond the “employee mentality”).

Since money is the measuring card and we’ll assume that all of my money comes from career activities, what if I only worked 2 hours per day? At first glance, that doesn’t sound like enough - but how many hours of your work day are TRULY productive?

About 2?

What financial impact would there be if I spent more time improving my environment? What financial impact would there be if I worked to develop relationships for 2 hours per day? Those could be business relationships and personal - I’ll admit that on the average day I spend nowhere near 2 hours focused on DEVELOPING relationships. What if I spent 2 hours per day working on my health and fitness? My emotions and intellect? My spiritual base?

To some, this sounds crazy, I’m sure - but, each of these areas feeds the other areas and if one or two (or three, four or five) of these areas are incomplete and ignored than it’s like an 8-cylinder engine running on 3 cylinders. The result is a lot of miss firing and the vehicle (me) is nowhere near optimal efficiency.

So, my friend, give this some thought. I’ll keep you posted and let you know how it’s going for me.

All the best to you, John

Popularity: 33% [?]

Your 1st Step To Financial Freedom: Putting All Of Your Debts In Writing

Today you’re going to write down everything you owe your creditors. That’s right, everything— from your student loans, to mortgages, to credit card debt, medical bills, auto loans, etc. On a piece of paper, make a complete list of your obligations and here’s what you should write or type out on the sheet: Include the name and phone number of each creditor, your account number, the interest rate you pay, the total balance due, and the minimum monthly payment.

Why Torture Yourself Listing All Your Bills? You need this information in black and white to get a realistic picture of where you are. This info will also help you later when it’s time to negotiate with creditors or collection agencies. Again, write down everything that you owe, even including credit cards that might have only $100 on them. Don’t make the mistake of leaving those “small” bills out because “Oh, I’m going to pay that one off this month anyway.” Just write down everything you actually owe as of today.

Many people have a rough idea about how much they owe their creditors. But there’s no substitute for having true, accurate numbers - not guesstimates. To fill in the proper figures on your written sheet, or your computer spreadsheet, you’ll have to go find your most recent statements and invoices from your creditors. Take as much time as you need today to collect all this data. It’s a crucial step in you getting your finances together.

It’s also a good idea to call the companies you owe and ask for the latest information about your debt, especially if you’re looking at statements that are more than a month old. Even if the statements are current, you should call your creditors because some of the information on those statements may have changed. For instance, you may have charged additional items since the closing date on your credit card statement, so now your debt is actually greater than your current statement indicates. Also, you may have had a teaser rate or a lower interest rate in the past, and maybe that interest rate has now jumped. Whatever the case, you need to have the most accurate information that is currently available.

A Wake-Up Call: How Much Do You Owe? The next step is for you to add up all your debts. For some of you, seeing your total debt in black and white may be a scary thing: a wake up call to how deeply you are in financial bondage. For others, seeing your total debt may offer relief: perhaps you don’t owe as much as you feared. Whatever the situation, don’t panic. Remember, you’re on the path to financial freedom now and if your goal is to get to “Zero Debt” status, keep plugging along - it will happen, and sooner than you think!

Popularity: 9% [?]

Resisting Temptation To Spend Your Money

One of the most persistently acclaimed personal virtues is frugality; save, don’t waste your money. We have all heard Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote: “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Franklin was actually understating the case for saving. Actually, a penny saved can be many pennies earned.

Like most advice that lasts for generations, there is wisdom in the advice to be frugal and save. Saving a certain percentage of your income is an important part of taking control of your life, paying yourself first, and improving your psychological and financial well-being in the process. But frugality clearly requires some sacrifice. The money you save obviously cannot be currently spent on things you are tempted to buy.

Everything we do in life requires some kind of trade off, and saving is certainly no exception to this elementary fact. The key is to sacrifice those things of lower value and to do so in such a way as to acquire the most value. Most people can save more than they do, far more in many cases, by resisting temptations to buy things that add little satisfaction to their lives. And the payoff for resisting these temptations can be very large. The key to resisting temptation is in recognizing:

1. That there are plenty of things we can easily do without, or with less of.

2. That tremendous benefits can be achieved from being frugal.

Most people believe that they are just getting by on what they are now spending, when only a little thought would reveal that there is plenty they could eliminate and hardly miss. Do you really need that new CD, or the new cell phone just because it’s a little smaller than the one you have? And most people are unaware of just how much they could realize over the long haul by cutting back on things that are largely superfluous to their well-being.

Certainly we are in no position to determine what trade offs you should make. The costs and benefits of doing anything are, at their core, subjective, and so only you can really know the costs and benefits of saving. But we can recommend some temptations that most people can resist, and point out the impressive returns that can be realized as a reward for resisting them.

Resisting temptation also creates more than just financial gains. Resisting temptation establishes a sense of self-control that is an integral part of any satisfying life. It is summoning the strength to take control of your choices and choosing wisely and deliberately, rather than responding to things like a feather in the wind. It also helps to establish, in your own mind, a hierarchy of importance, enabling you to realize just what matters in your life.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Your 1st Step To Financial Freedom: Putting All Of Your Debts In Writing

Today you’re going to write down everything you owe your creditors. That’s right, everything— from your student loans, to mortgages, to credit card debt, medical bills, auto loans, etc. On a piece of paper, make a complete list of your obligations and here’s what you should write or type out on the sheet: Include the name and phone number of each creditor, your account number, the interest rate you pay, the total balance due, and the minimum monthly payment.

Why Torture Yourself Listing All Your Bills? You need this information in black and white to get a realistic picture of where you are. This info will also help you later when it’s time to negotiate with creditors or collection agencies. Again, write down everything that you owe, even including credit cards that might have only $100 on them. Don’t make the mistake of leaving those “small” bills out because “Oh, I’m going to pay that one off this month anyway.” Just write down everything you actually owe as of today.

Many people have a rough idea about how much they owe their creditors. But there’s no substitute for having true, accurate numbers - not guesstimates. To fill in the proper figures on your written sheet, or your computer spreadsheet, you’ll have to go find your most recent statements and invoices from your creditors. Take as much time as you need today to collect all this data. It’s a crucial step in you getting your finances together.

It’s also a good idea to call the companies you owe and ask for the latest information about your debt, especially if you’re looking at statements that are more than a month old. Even if the statements are current, you should call your creditors because some of the information on those statements may have changed. For instance, you may have charged additional items since the closing date on your credit card statement, so now your debt is actually greater than your current statement indicates. Also, you may have had a teaser rate or a lower interest rate in the past, and maybe that interest rate has now jumped. Whatever the case, you need to have the most accurate information that is currently available.

A Wake-Up Call: How Much Do You Owe? The next step is for you to add up all your debts. For some of you, seeing your total debt in black and white may be a scary thing: a wake up call to how deeply you are in financial bondage. For others, seeing your total debt may offer relief: perhaps you don’t owe as much as you feared. Whatever the situation, don’t panic. Remember, you’re on the path to financial freedom now and if your goal is to get to “Zero Debt” status, keep plugging along - it will happen, and sooner than you think!

Popularity: 10% [?]

Do You Have A Mindset Of Abundance?

A very important part of the whole creative process is developing a sense of prosperity. This means having the understanding, or consciously taking the point of view that the universe is abundant, that life is actually trying to bring us what our hearts and souls truly desire - spiritually, mentally, emotionally - as well as physically. Everything you truly need or want is here for the asking; you only need to believe that it is so, to truly desire it, and to be willing to accept it.

One of the most common causes of failure when seeking what you want is “scarcity programming.” This is an attitude or set of beliefs about life that goes something like this: “Life is suffering… It is immoral or selfish to have enough when others don’t… Life is hard, difficult, a vale of tears… You must work hard and sacrifice for everything you gain… It’s more noble and spiritual to be poor…”

These are all false beliefs. They are based on a lack of understanding of how the universe works, or a misunderstanding of some important spiritual principles. These beliefs are not of service to you or anyone else; they simply limit all of us horn realizing our natural state of prosperity and plenty on all levels.

At the present time there is a reality in this world of starvation and poverty for many people, but we do not need to keep creating and perpetuating that reality. The fact is that there is more than enough to go around for every being on earth, if we are willing to open our minds to that possibility, and change our ways of using and distributing the world’s resources. The universe is a place of great abundance and we are all meant to be naturally prosperous, both in material and spiritual wealth, in a way that is balanced and harmonious with one another and with the earth that nourishes us.

In modern times, humankind has lost touch with its natural state of prosperity. Together, we are creating a world vastly out of balance, in which a relative few have far more than they need and are using up our natural resources at an alarming rate, while the majority suffer from serious lack. We are all responsible for creating this reality, and we can change it by changing both our way of thinking and our way of living.

We need to reclaim our ability to appreciate and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Many of us in the industrialized world need to cultivate a simpler, more natural lifestyle. We need to realize that after our basic needs are met, the experience of abundance has more to do with expressing our creative gifts in satisfying ways, and learning to give and receive in a balanced way, than it does with extravagant consumerism.

Popularity: 28% [?]

What Are Dividend Reinvestment Plans?

Increasing numbers of corporations allow existing holders of shares of stock to reinvest their dividends (known as DRIPs) in more shares of stock without paying brokerage commissions. In some cases, companies allow you to make additional cash purchases of more shares of stock, also commission-free.

In order to qualify for most DRIPs, you must generally have already bought some shares of stock in the company. Ideally, you bought these initial shares through a discount broker to keep your commission burden as low as possible. Although DRIPs reduce your stock commissions on future purchases, DRIPs have their shortcomings:

1. You need to complete a lot of paperwork to invest in a number of different companies’ DRIP stock plans. Life is too short to bother with these plans for this reason alone.

2.. Some companies that offer these plans are hungry, for whatever reason. They need to drum up support for their stock. These investments may not be the best ones for the future.

3. DRIP plans don’t eliminate fees. You still pay fees to buy the initial shares of stock, and many DRIP plans charge nominal fees for additional transactions and services. Taking these shortcomings into account, you’re better off in the long run using professional money managers, such as those available through the best no-load, cost-efficient mutual funds.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Creating A Laundry System For Faster, Cleaner, & Cheaper results

A well-thought-out laundry system will keep your clothes ready to wear and take less time. Here are some tips for getting control of your dirty clothes:

1. Treat stains as soon as you notice them. Learn something about the chemistry of stain removal. It will save you lots of money and time.

2. Learn how to use your washing and drying appliances. Read the manuals and follow directions. Select the right cleaning products for your appliance and water type (you might want to have your water tested and may need to purchase a water softener if it’s especially hard).

3. Take clothes out of the dryer immediately and fold or hang them. You may hardly ever have to iron if you observe this simple rule. If you forget to take your clothes out of the dryer, throw in a damp towel and re-dry five to ten minutes to remove wrinkles.

4. Dampen a washcloth with liquid fabric softener and toss in the dryer. It’s cheaper than disposable fabric-softener sheets and works just as well.

5. If you go to a laundromat, set up a caddy with all the products you need, including a stain treatment kit.

6. Sort ironing by the temperature required. Dampen as you go. Have on hand the following products for fighting stains and learn how to use them: acetone (not nail polish remover), ammonia, bleach (for both white and for colors), club soda, color remover, dry-cleaning, solvent, enzyme pre-soak, glycerine, hydrogen peroxide, oxalic acid solution, paint remover, petroleum jelly, sodium thiosulfate or sodium hyposulfite (get at a photo store), and white vinegar.

Here are four more tips to further speed along the weekly wash:

1. Have a basic mending kit handy. If you do your laundry at a laundromat, be sure you take it with you to do small mending jobs while you wait.

2. Kids mean more repairs and more laundry. Look for shortcuts. Use fusible bonding fabric, iron-on patches, a button puncher, and else anything that’ll save time and effort.

3. If the laundry has really piled up, you can go to the laundromat and get it all done at once (even if you have laundry facilities at home). If you’ve got 10 loads to do, you can fill up 10 washers and dryers and do all 10 loads in the time it takes to do one. Go at off-peak hours so you don’t have to wait for a free appliance. You’ll go home with everything washed and folded and only a few things to iron or mend when you get home.

4. Limit items that take special care such as old linens and handmade items and make sure you really enjoy the extra work it takes to keep them.

Popularity: 18% [?]

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