Memo 2: Ugh, you must open your bills and statements.

Financial coaching involves helping people reach goals including such areas as reducing debt, buying a new car/home or paying for children’s education. One of the first and most difficult steps is to open the bills and statements. Avoiding review of bills/statements and discussing your financial situation with your partner/spouse can be difficult, even painful, however, it must be done.   This is true for all of us, even those who don’t struggle to pay bills. We  avoid opening statements as none of us like to see our financial condition changing due to poor market performance or worse over spending, interest and late fees. In moving towards financial wellbeing, one must have starting point and knowing and accepting where you are is the beginning of improving the situation. Start today, open, review and make one payment, and mail it too. 

Memo 1: Recycle, Reuse and Reduce

Recycle, Reuse and Reduce, a mantra I use in financial coaching. As I begin to do volunteer financial coaching, I am finding that it is fun and the whole family can participate. Our current 5 ideas for this week are the basics: take shorter showers, reduce TP use, unplug things not in use, turn off lights and run the cupboards/fridge bare to ensure you are not wasting food. With one family we are one day in and so far so far so good.  In the process of coaching, Joe and I are following in the recycle, reuse and reduce and finding pure energy and fun in the process. What are your ideas for recycle, reuse and reduce? Please share ideas.

Nature'sWord: Hi

Nature'sWord: Hi: Good mourning fellow bloggers

Moving into productivity through meditation.

As an early morning riser, I am usually productive and accomplishing many things including my  unending to do list. This morning, however, my usual self was absent, instead, I felt scattered, disorganized and most of all non productive. I was literally wasting the day, mind you this part of the day is 4:30am to 5:30am. Recognizing this, I knew I needed to meditate, to get back to a calm place of being. I am now emerging from a 30 minute meditation with a sense of calm, insight and methodical sense.  Two key takeaways for me include: 1. the recognition that I was in fact unproductive,  and 2. that I did, actually sit and meditate despite the scattered beginning. Clearly for me, meditation is a gift.  Now a blog is posted, my mind is calm and off for a productive day of loving kindness and compassion.

The better my attitude the better my day

This mantra, "the better my attitude, the better my day," is the chant my mother has used to inspire her children over the years. It became my daily mantra in 1989 when I was a new sales manager and realized I preferred selling versus managing my sales team. Now 24 years later, I continue to rely and be mindful of this mantra as I seek balance between the pressures of work and other commitments that keep me from the joy of sewing, cooking, and other hobbies. Amazingly enough, even now, in this moment my attitude has improved with these few written words. You know blogging is one of my hobbies too. So here we go, a new day, a new blog and a better attitude. Today will be GREAT. I hope you will embrace a better attitude today and make this world GREAT.

Hmm

Hmm, an expression said when no other response is necessary or known. Over our Christmas family vacation, my sister, a 5^th grade school teacher was lamenting that her children don’t often listen and she repeats information when they give random excuses for not listening the first time. My mother, 88, former school teacher and mother of 9 children and 15 grandchildren, in her wisdom told my sister that perhaps she should just respond by saying “hmm”, next time one of her students did not listen and gives an excuse. Not knowing this story that was told while I was at the store, I would hear my sister and mother respond to certain situations with a sly “hmm”.  After I returned home from Christmas vacation, I asked my beloved mother to share this story of hmm. To me it is so funny I could rotfl, a text abbreviation-meaning roll on the floor laughing. However, upon further reflection, the depth of hmm, articulates in a very specific way for my sister, that she will continue to teach and expect her students to listen going forward. Try it for a little while and watch what happens, all judgment of what might have been said in lieu of hmm goes away. It is actually quite an effective was to respond. Hmm, it is working even now, hmm.  With all the possible New Year’s resolutions, mine will include using hmm in lieu of judgment, frustration or other negative response. Hmm what do you think of that, hmm. 

Owning your power

Owning your power starts with recognizing your "self talk" and turning it from self deprecation into self appreciation, to charging yourself with positive power. I noticed this morning as I was preparing for the day that I had "gotten up on the wrong side of the bed," and was just mentally bad mouthing myself about nothing of importance and yet something of great importance: my SELF.  In an instant I was able to recognize the attitude adjustment I needed or  ruin my whole day, losing power to be productive,  joyful and peaceful.  It worked, in an instant the same mind that was negative and self deprecating became positive and powerful and healing.  I am much more alive and productive as my mind assures, confirms, lifts and builds. I am an enlivened being.  Mind over matter only works when you recognize what your mind is saying.  Being mindful is as important for yourself as for others and in fact maybe more so. Being mindful of your own self talk, and judgement, the more you are able to turn it into power for joy, peace, compassion and kindness for yourself and for others.  Own your power, own your mind and find joy.