Commitments And Decisions

2014-11-17 By Kassandra Leave a Comment

Commitment.

Mirriam Webster defines commitment as “a promise to do or give something”.

But it’s not just a promise. When you make a COMMITMENT to do something, you make the decision to do what you say you’re going to do, regardless of how you feel later.

Decision — from the Latin word dēcīsiō, literally: a cutting off.

When you make a commitment to someone or something, you are making the decision — the conscious choice to act upon something and cut away everything else.

When you make a commitment / decision to be somewhere, to meet someone, to have that business meeting, to put away laundry, to get in shape, to invest in yourself & work on personal development, to start that new business … you have cut yourself off from anything else that would deter you from that.

If you do not follow through with your commitment, then you may be seen as lacking integrity. Perhaps someone who cannot be trusted to keep their word. You run the risk of people being taught not to trust you.

Yes, things happen. And sometimes they can’t be avoided. [In which case it’s courtesy to call that person immediately so they can make other plans, if your commitment is to someone else.] But if you make the commitment for anything and then don’t follow up with it because you’re tired, you forgot, or whatever lame excuse you come up with to avoid it? Then the thing or person you made the commitment to wasn’t important enough to you to ensure it happened.

So the next time you make plans with someone, the next time you begin to think about starting a business, or the next time you make a commitment to yourself, take a step back and think about this:

If I decide to do this, will I actually do it?
Do I have time to make this commitment?
If I don’t have the time right now, is it important enough to me to MAKE time?

Be honest with yourself AND the person you are about to make a commitment to (even if it’s just hanging out). It’s ok to say no. It’s better to say “no” or “not right now” than to say “YES” and then not follow through.

So make the decision today that when you commit to doing something, that NO MATTER WHAT you’ll do it or you won’t commit to it.

~ To Your Success ~

Kassandra

Cash Flow Quadrant

2014-11-17 By Kassandra Leave a Comment

Cash Flow Quadrant

Hello my prosperous hearts!

A couple of days ago, I provided information on my favorite money management system (and even gave you the option to receive a FREE tool) … I thought I would continue my 21 day blog challenge by providing information on something else that changed the way I think about money.

When I started my first network marketing business, I was introduced to some of the most incredible, compassionate, intelligent, & success minded people … And one of the first books they told me to read was Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.

This book completely made me change the way I think about money. And it all started with this fancy little “Cash Flow Quadrant”:

The YouTube video attached with this post will go a little more in depth about this odd little photo (as well as some of the differences between a rich person’s income statement and a poor person’s) but I’ll break it down pretty quick and easy for you here.

The Cash Flow Quadrant defines how different people generate their income (money).

Cash Flow Quadrant Breakdown

The left side (Employee, Self-Employed):

focuses on earning income
greatly value a safe, secure job or career
trading time for money
95% of the population
5% of the wealth

The right ride of the cash flow quadrant (Business Owner, Investor):

focuses on creating assets to provide their income source
use OTHER PEOPLE’s time & money
values financial freedom
5% of the population
95% of the wealth

The following photo really helped put things into perspective for me:

This is one of the many reasons why the “98%” movement really gets my goat, but that’s another blog for another time.

I would highly suggest you pick up this book and begin the wonderful journey of increasing your financial knowledge. You’ll thank yourself in the long run. It’s really the only kind of knowledge you need to become wealthy, honestly. — But don’t take my word on it. Every wealthy person I’ve ever met or read about has said the same thing.

INCREASE YOUR FINANCIAL EDUCATION!

So what would you like to do? Work 40+ hours a week for 40+ years to “retire” and live off of 40% of what you were making before? Or would you like to determine the level of income you have and be master of your life?

John Paul Getty (who at his death was worth $2 billion) said, “I’d rather have 1 percent of the efforts of 100 people, than 100 percent of my own efforts.”

Can you guess which part of the cash flow quadrant he was in?

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Thank you once again for joining me today! If you liked the information I provided here, please be sure to join my mailing list to receive money management tips, ideas on debt reduction, information on increasing your wealth, and so much more! — You’ll even receive that FREE downloadable money management tool as a thank you.

(And be updated when I update the tool, since I’m planning on improving it here soon.)

CLICK HERE to sign up for Prosperity Tips!

~ To Your Success ~

Kassandra

My Favorite Money Management System

2014-11-15 By Kassandra Leave a Comment

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So … I love learning about money.
How I can make it work for me.
How I can increase my income streams.

And why is that?

“Money and success don’t change people;
They merely amplify what is already there.”

Will Smith

And I know that the more money I have … the more money I have available … the more GOOD I can do in the world because I’ll have the resources to do more of what’s in my heart to help others.

WHAT??!? BUT MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL!

No, the LOVE of money is the root of all evil.
I don’t love money … I love what I can do for people when I have it.

Now – one of my favorite ways of “creating wealth” as it were is the money management system I learned through the “Secrets of the Millionare Mind” book (as well as the Millionaire Mind Intensive) from T Harv Eker.

The first thing you’ve got to do is determine what kind of person you are! Do you like to hoarde your money for a “rainy day”? Do you spend it at a moment’s notice because it makes you feel good? Do you give it all away and have nothing left for yourself?

After that it’s an easy numbers game! Basically no matter what income you bring in (regular income, interest, birthday card money, money off the street, etc) you will split it up in this way:

50% to Bills
10% to Fun
10% to Giving (GIV)
10% to Education (EDU)
10% to Long Term Savings For Spending (LTSS)
10% to Financial Freedom Account (FFA)

Now with the knowledge of what kind of money person you are, you can then adjust these percentages accordingly.

ALWAYS be sure you can pay your bills! I know that some money books teach you alternative ways of thinking on that … but unless you are putting money into assets that will provide additional income streams OR have multiple streams of residual income coming in already, I would personally advise against moving with that way of thinking. But then again I’m also currently in the wrong money quadrant (which I’ll explain another time).

Anyway!

The gist of it is that if you tend to spend a bit more frivolously, then you would have a smaller percentage in the FUN category and more in the LTSS category, per say. Or even the FFA!

Or perhaps you tend to hoard your money … then you should decrease your LTSS and increase your FUN!

Here’s why …

Bills – you need to ensure all of your monthly bills are covered. This includes but is not limited to:

rent
electricity
telephone
loan payments
car payments
groceries
{insert things you need to live with and/or pay off minimally monthly)

Fun – this MUST be spent EVERY month! Things you enjoy, which could be including but not limited to:

painting parties
paintball
gaming items
non-personal development books & materials
trips

Giving – they teach you that this is supposed to be a “greater good” type thing … I personally use it to donate to certain charities that interest me. However, this has also been a wonderful source for me to be able to come through and simply give a chunk and help someone out without it being a financial burden on myself.

[Keep in mind the giving portion is not intended to go below 5%]

Education – this is for your improvement. It can be something for your job, your business … but it’s mostly for PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. This include things like:

Zig Ziglar
Tony Robbins
Brian Tracy
Napoleon Hill

“Work hard at your job and you can make a living. Work hard on yourself and you can make a fortune.” – Jim Rohn

Long Term Savings For Spending – this is for things like:

house
car
vacation

Financial Freedom Account – this is not meant to be used for ANYTHING except to ensure your financial freedom. This can be used for things like:

401K
ROTH IRA
Annuity Fund
Stocks

However I am currently using this to pay off all of my “bad debt” so that I no longer have “bad debt” and can focus on “good debt” [another day, another blog].

So let’s just take an example and break it down into actual numbers.

Let’s say you make $15 an hour and you have 25% taken out for taxes (I always use that number because for my current tax bracket, I have at least 23% taken out in taxes … that and I like even numbers.)

That means if you work 40 hours a week, you make $600/week pre-tax …
Or $450/week after tax ($150 taken for taxes to pay for government funded anything).

That’s on average $2,426.67 a month pre-tax …
Or $1,820 a month after tax …

Let’s put those percentages to use!

Bills = (1820*.50) = 910
Fun = (1820*.10) = 182
Giving = (1820*.10) = 182
Education = (1820*.10) = 182
LTSS = (1820*.10) = 182
FFA = (1820*.10) = 182

So based on these percentages, you have $910 a month to put towards all of your bills, and the rest is split up to meet your other needs.

Keep in mind that this is using an UNUSUALLY HIGH tax bracket for most people, so you’d actually have more than that, but at least you now get the picture.

Now, there are ways to reduce the amount of taxes you give, but that will be for a blog another time.

And that’s basically it!

I have also created an Excel document for you to download and use to tweak the percentages and amount of income to what suits your situation. This is but one formula (albeit one of the best ones) to start taking back your financial life.

>> Click here for the FREE downloadable tool! <<

But remember … you must be vigilant and diligent when starting any money management system. You must have self discipline. ESPECIALLY if you have debt you’re trying to get rid of. (I’ll also make another blog with ideas on how to decrease your debt more rapidly.)

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Thanks so much for being here with me again. I look forward to continuing to provide you with more hints, tips, tricks, ideas, etc that may help you life a more prosperous life.

~ To Your Success ~
Kassandra

What Plants Can Teach You About Yourself

2014-11-13 By Kassandra 2 Comments

Previous Post: Life Is Precious

Next Post: My Favorite Money Management System

Gardening has always been such a mystery to me … I’ve been fascinated by it, scared I’d kill whatever I tried to grow (plants can actually feel things), and yet I’ve always been drawn to it.

Growing up, I don’t really remember my mom doing much yard work…

…although as I type that something is twinging in the back of my mind …

But I do remember that for the longest time I’ve wanted to grow something. This desire increased with each passing year, especially after I went away to college. I saw my mother slowly turn their backyard from something simple (with almost nothing but grass), into a miniature work of art.

It was nothing as extravagant as this:

… but it would still instill wonder into me and an increased desire to do some of my own.

So my mom gave me an ivy … Which lasted for a very long time until I had the issues I did at my last place of residence … But although I would water it daily, and it would grow … I didn’t have the appreciation for gardening as I do now.

And I’ll be honest – I think it’s because of my boyfriend.

Now, he’s no horticulturist (in fact he’s a butcher) so it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as to why I would have my current appreciation because of him, so I’ll explain …

After I officially moved in with him earlier this year, one day I came home and voila! Our apartment balcony had some plant babies strewn about! I was so excited about it and had him tell me about the new kids he had adopted. I remember how amused he seemed when I asked if he would allow me to water them and got so giddy with pleasure when he said yes …

… I think that may be where he got his next brilliant idea …

He suggested that we go out and get some plant babies of my own! … So we did.

What started out with a few plants here and there turned into a small garden. We then had:

tomato
strawberry
salvia
okra
cinnamon basil
cayanne pepper

And a few more we were growing from seeds!

We’ve since been tending to and caring for our plant babies for almost a year now, and here are the lessons I’ve learned & how they correlate with our own lives:

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Feed / Water Your Soil (a.k.a.: Nourish Your Body & Soul)

Just like humans, plants need essential items in order to grow, flourish and even reproduce. They need soil, water, and sun. Occasionally they need an extra OOMPH and that’s where plant food comes in to replenish the soil with nutrients.

Our bodies, like these amazing plants, require nourishment. If you were to feed your body cheeseburgers and fast or fried foods daily, it’s like putting trash, sludge, and general unpleasantness into the soil of a plant. Whereas if you were to eat healthier (and exercise) and add more fresh fruits and vegetables, it’s like adding “plant food” (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potash, etc) to the soil … Providing the yumminess that’s required to be healthy.

Put good in, get good out.
Put bad in, get bad out.

Same goes for your mind & soul! Our minds are just like the land / soil that plants grow from. Whatever you plant, the land shall return to you. It doesn’t care what you plant. If you plant 2 seeds (one corn and one poison), it’s inevitable that the land will return to you what you planted.

“For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” – Luke 11:10 [KJV]

Tend to Your Land (a.k.a.: Weed Out the Baddies)

The correlation I’ve made to this for human life is quite simple and (once again) falls in line with a lot of the things I’ve been learning about in terms of personal development.

When you have weeds (i.e.: negative people, nay-sayers, dream stealers, etc) in your planter (i.e. your life) then you’re going to get choked! You have no room to grow and live as you were meant to.

As hard as it might be, you MUST constantly be tending to your land. Remove the weeds that are choking you, no matter how hard it may hurt, or how difficult it can be. You’re going to be healthier for it in the long run.

Breathe In, Breathe Out (a.k.a.: Just Be)

A plant doesn’t care what other plants think about it.

It doesn’t worry about if it’s good enough or how it can be better.

A plant is a plant and it ALWAYS does it’s best.

It grows.

It breathes.

It takes in what it needs …

It sends out things that make the world better.

It breathes in CO2 and breathes out O2.

It provides beauty and landscape.

A plant is what it is as it was always meant to be.

It’s not bogged down by anyone else telling it what it can or can’t do.

Life Is Full of Surprises (so go with the flow)

We were constantly being surprised at how quickly some of our babies were growing …

How much of a water hog some of them could be …

How resilient they could be when we forgot to water them for days …

… or when it was so hot they basically shriveled up from the heat …

… And how quickly they would bounce back …

How does this tie in with the human race? — We’re really the same way.

Think about it. When a child is growing up and they fall down, scrape their knee, etc … What do they do? If you don’t baby them, they get up, stop crying, and go right back to playing! Children are extremely resilient.

But adults? Not so much. Because we’ve been programmed to hate on ourselves when we screw up… to focus on the things that don’t really matter …

So we can learn from plants by brushing off the dirt as we learn from our mistakes and grow to be better!

Don’t Overstretch Yourself

Now this one is kind of tricky … Because you SHOULD stretch yourself … If you don’t, you’ll never grow. But there’s a difference between stretching and pushing your limits versus stretching yourself too thin.

Just like a plant that grows and grows and grows … If the root system can’t support the plant, it will die.

We learned this with our tomato and basil plants. They got to be too big for their buckets. But once we added more nutrients to the soil and trimmed them back, they began to be MUCH healthier!

For people, our “root system” are our basic human needs. If we’ve got too much going on, if all of our needs aren’t met, if we’re not focused and don’t spend our time wisely, then our lives will be in chaos.

Research

Before taking on a new venture, do your research! If you don’t, you might not plan properly or enough in advance.

In the plant world …

If you don’t know the growing season for your plant, you may miss the harvest!
If you don’t know how big to expect it to grow, you may not have a big enough pot or enough room for it to grow to it’s full extent.
If you don’t get the proper tools, you may have to be creative in replanting!

In the human world …

If you marry someone without knowing them very well (doing your research: dating for an EXTENDED time frame, living together, etc) you’re setting yourself up for divorce.
If you DO get into a new business venture without doing valid research (the internet is not the best place to check) you could either get involved in something you’re not really interested in or even a scam!
If you DON’T get into a new business venture without doing proper research (talking to people who are actually currently involved) then you cut yourself off from meeting potential new best friends, new mastermind groups, life changing events, earning an additional stream of income, and/or cutting off your ability to create generational wealth.
If you don’t read the food label you could potentially be putting in bad things that your body can’t handle, causing you to have digestion issues or something worse!

I think you get the picture. 🙂

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In conclusion, plants are just like humans in so many ways — they are responsive to their environment. What goes in must come out. The biggest (possibly only) difference is that plants can’t change their environment. They are dependent on receiving the inputs around them.

Humans, on the other hand, if they don’t like who they are or where they are then they can take steps to improve their quality of life and become better in every aspect.

So let me ask you …

… what’s in your environment?

Life Is Precious

2014-11-13 By Kassandra Leave a Comment

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I learned earler today something tragic. Today I was affected by death, yet again.

One of my dear friends that I’ve known just about my entire life (at least since elementary school) was affected more so than I. Her husband made the decision to jump off of an overpass onto a highway in the city we grew up in.

His decision to end his life may have ended whatever suffering he was going through …

But it only started the suffering for those he left behind …

His wife no longer has a husband.
His daughter no longer has a father.
His parents no longer have a son.
His sibling(s) no longer have a brother.

Sure, he’ll live on in our hearts and memories … But his choice inflicted pain on those he knew, on those who knew him and loved him …

I heard of this news while I was at work. And all day it’s been running through my head …

What happened to make him want to take his own life?
What could be SO BAD to want to leave behind the blessings he had?
How could he do that?
Maybe it was an accident …
Maybe it wasn’t an accident …
What about his daughter? His wife?

…. what if I had only reached out more …

SUICIDE. The very word in and of itself seems unnatural. A sin against one’s self.

noun
1. the intentional taking of one’s own life
2. destruction of one’s own interests or prospects

My heart goes out to them today and for always … While his pain may no longer be an issue, the ones left behind will have to learn to deal with what’s left … To mourn … To wake up every day and breathe in and out …

I’m not in his shoes. I have no idea what was going on in his life that he felt it would be better if he were no longer on this earth. I can’t even begin to imagine …

But I do know that only once in my life have I ever truly considered suicide myself … The pain was so great …

But suicide is a selfish decision. I knew it then, I believe it now. While I considered it myself, I thought of my mother, my family … The future that had not yet come to pass and so many possibilities that lay before me that I had no idea would be coming my way …

But those who make that final decision cannot see past the pain.
For them, that is the only answer.

And it breaks my heart to think that … to know that …

With the still very recent story of Robin Williams taking his own life, and hearing stories of friends doing the same, PLEASE educate yourselves on the signs & symptoms of suicide!

Don’t be afraid to reach out to people. Smile at someone. Have a chat with a random stranger. Have a heart to heart with an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time.

You just never know what someone is going through …

Sometimes people just need other people.
Sometimes those who struggle feel alone.
Sometimes those struggling feel like they have the world on their shoulders …

You are not alone. You don’t have to go it alone.

If you or someone you know is showing these signs, or is feeling depressed — talk to someone! Even if it’s just to call someone at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline … Don’t let another moment go by where you face those feelings alone.

You need to know that YOU were made for greatness! You were crafted and made to be someone of worth … someone of value … YOU have a purpose here.

But when you make the decision to take your own life, you are denying the greatest gift you could be given.

So please – be kind to yourself. Share love with others.

Everyone gets down sometimes … It doesn’t mean the world is ending. There are people out there who love you and care about you.

I promise …

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