MOMENTUM

Quite often our finances have lot to do with our motivation or our lack thereof. For the past two years I have been studying finances and trying to learn and practice my way to financial freedom. As a result I have compiled a lot of the nuggets of wisdom into an eBook that I plan to release later this year. It is called, “MOMENTUM: Daily Inspirations from the Minds of Millionaires”.  Please enjoy this excerpt and let me know what you think…

Introduction

One Million Starts With One

One day I looked up and realized that I was 32 years old and while I made good money, I had absolutely nothing to show for it. I didn’t own my home, I didn’t own my car, I didn’t have any investments or savings…I was pretty much just floating through life without a definite financial purpose or plan. Today I own eight investment properties, most of which are two or four family homes, so they have sixteen units between them, six of which are rented out at an average of $500 per month in rent. It took me ONE year to do this.

One Million can be a very daunting and intimidating number…especially when we are talking about one million dollars. But the important thing to remember is that it all begins with little old number ONE. ONE idea. ONE investment. One year. One month. One week. One day. One moment. One person…YOU.

For years I’ve collected books about how to become a millionaire, but I just let them sit on the shelf. When I finally decided to open them up, I realized that one book lead to another and another and eventually that momentum catapulted me into making some major changes in the way that I think, act and live.

I LOVE to read, but I realized that reading is not everyone’s thing, so instead of reading the thousands of books that are out there on how to become wealthy, why not read ONE that synthesizes some of the most inspirational quotes, thoughts and points from several of those books in ONE, small, manageable bite sized junk per day, every day, for ONE month.

Once I made the decision to write the book I had to come up with a plan. After discussing it with my accountability partner I decided that I needed to send this book to ONE million people. This meant that I would have to collect, ONE million email addresses. Daunted by the task, I became paralyzed and simply stared at my lap top.  But then I shook off that fear and realized that the path to getting one million email address starts by simply getting one. After I typed that one email address my mind opened wide to all of the possibilities and ideas began to pour in.

I could post the book on social networking sites where millions of people browse each day. I could use my existing mailing list of subscribers who love whatever I write…the possibilities were endless and suddenly, the task didn’t seem so scary, but in fact became an exciting challenge…and it all started with ONE.

How to Use This Book

I am a strong believer in the participatory learning approach so this eBook will be interactive. Each week, or chapter will have a theme. Within each chapter there will be will be a quote, thought, prompt or idea each day from a millionaire, a billionaire, a song or a book about financial literacy and freedom for each day in that week. At the end of each of these quotes, there will be a link to the corresponding eBook, song, or millionaire’s website that was referenced. That way, if it really speaks to you, then you can download the eBook to read for yourself instantly, study the millionaire by exploring their website, or listen to the audio book or song.

After the quote, you will find the Millionaire Meditation Moment. This is where I expand on the quote and give you something to think more deeply about. I encourage you to use the guidance of the Millionaire Meditation Moment to spend some time each day processing or reflecting upon the quote or message for that day. Allow the momentum to build in your mind and your heart and be open to the motivation to reach your millions.

Make the Millionaire Meditation Moment manageable for your schedule, patience, and personality. For you a moment may mean one minute, one hour, or an entire day…but invest some time into thinking about what each message means in the context of your life and how you can apply it to accelerate your journey to financial freedom.

This year, my goal is to make ONE million dollars in one year. Thus I have named this year, “One Year to One Million.” Time and time again we have heard that it takes thirty days to form a habit. Therefore, this book has been designed with thirty days of inspiration. My hope is that once you complete this book you will be infected and inspired with the momentum to keep your thoughts and actions in alignment with your financial goals throughout the rest of the year.

Let’s embark upon this journey of one year to one million together…one manageable moment at a time. Let the momentum begin!

Week One

One Year to One Million

          No matter when you begin reading this book, this marks the first week toward your journey to financial freedom. How you start determines how you continue which in turn determines how you will end, so start out strong, be consistent and make the commitment. All you have to do is commit to one moment per day.

Millionaire Meditation Moment

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”

-          Martin Luther King Jr.

Day One

“The journey to financial freedom starts the MINUTE you decide that you were destined for prosperity, not scarcity – for abundance, not lack.”

The One Minute Millionaire: The Enlightened Way to Wealth by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen

Millionaire Meditation Moment

One thing that ALL of the books about financial freedom have in common is that they all say that it all comes down to how we think…particularly how and what we think about ourselves. What do you believe to be true about you? Make a decision. Will you continue to operate from a poverty mentality, or, will you believe that you are destined for great things? What decision will you make?

The Balance Between Strength and Surrender

 While in yoga class the other day the instructor was explaining the importance of relaxing the neck and shoulder muscles while in the various poses. She went on to share how as we get stronger, we have a tendency to tense up those muscles. Then she mentioned something quickly and simply that hit me so powerfully, she said, “We have to find the balance between strength and surrender.” Of course this applied to the literal moves that we were doing, but I also realized that this applied to my life. 

Sometimes we tend to be so tough or strong in situations that we tend to “tense up” and stress ourselves out which ultimately leads us to being far less effective. I have been guilty of this in relationships. I try to be so strong to avoid getting hurt, that I end up stressing myself out and missing the beautiful moments that are right in front of me. 

Surrender is not equivalent to weakness. The ultimate truth is that it takes real strength to know when to surrender. We must be strong in order to know when to back off, when to be vulnerable and when it’s time to let go. 

This week I encourage you to think about how this applies to your life. I’ll bet it fits in somewhere for you. Take some time to reflect on why and how your scales of strength and surrender are out of balance then come up with a plan for what you need to do to get them back on track.

Unplugged...

Do you remember what life was like before Facebook and Twitter? Before Myspace? Before Yahoo Messenger?  When was the last time you had a deep meaningful conversation on a land line phone or face to face? Technology is absolutely amazing. It connects us with people all over the world. I have had conversations and interactions with some of my favorite authors, actors and other celebrities that I never thought I would have had the pleasure to meet. But eventually there came a time where I experienced social media sensory overload…and I’m not sure if you noticed or not, but for three months, I unplugged from the matrix.

For those three months I lived in real life…not in a virtual reality. I had many face to face interactions and conversations. I was far more productive. I took time to think, reflect, pray, travel and experience life…in real life.  I got so much accomplished. I came out of mental cloudiness and now I feel mental clarity.

I’m back online now, but only for 5 minutes or less per day if that. Just like food when we are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, it’s all about moderation.

Don’t let the computer, the television, or your smart phone be your life. These things can be a dangerous addiction just like any other. Go for a walk, breathe in some fresh air, smell a flower, hug a friend, write a hand written letter or thank you card and mail it via snail mail…

What are you spending too much time doing that isn’t necessarily adding value to your life?  What do you engage in daily that distracts you from handling business or being focused on your personal or professional goals? This week I encourage you to Live Life…unplugged.

"Don't Wait for the Weight"

Me at my current weight of 185

One morning I almost got discouraged when my weight had increased by five pounds from the previous day’s reading, but then I had to catch myself and remember how the scale can be a true set-up. Several factors contribute to the reasons why our weight on the scale may fluctuate from day-to-day and sometimes throughout the day.

From my research, I have found that our true weight is the weight that we see first thing in the morning when we wake up after we have used the bathroom. We must also keep in mind that different scales are calibrated differently thus giving us a different reading. Don't pay so much attention to the number. Pay attention to the gain and loss and try to stick with one scale. No matter what actual weight any scale may say, if you lose five pounds, you lose five pounds…just as five pounds of feathers weighs the same as five pounds of bricks.

At my highest weight (214) right after Grad School

I came to the conclusion that my weight had increased so rapidly due to two factors. One was that I had not used the bathroom yet as I always do when I wake up in the morning. The other factor was that, the day before, I had consumed far less water and far more sodium than usual, so I was suffering from water retention.

This is another reason why we should not rely solely on the scale as a measure of our progress, because often times the change that we see is a water weight loss or gain, not fat. I like to measure my progress by keeping track of my inches, gauging how my clothes feel, and measuring my body fat percentage. This helps me because I carry weight much differently than most.

When asked to guess my weight, many guess an average forty pounds lighter than what I actually weigh. When I reveal my actual weight to people, they usually don't believe me. When I was hovering around the forty pound lighter weight that they guessed me to be, I began to look too skinny and I had lost all of my womanly curves, thus I have come to the conclusion that the weight that I am right now is the ideal weight for me. I believe that I tend to weigh more because of the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. I have a lot of muscle, primarily in my legs.

I have made the conscious decision to enjoy and love my body as it is in the present. I will continue to work out, eat right, and strive to increase my quality of health and level of fitness, but I will not wait until I reach a certain goal weight to do everything that I want to do. I hear people saying that they want to wait until they shed the pounds to take pictures, put on a swim suit or perform in a show....I used to be the same way. While using things such as this for motivation to become healthier is great, I no longer believe in putting my life on hold. You can try to put life on hold if you want to, but life won’t wait for you. Take it from me, I speak from experience.

Lowest weight (146) 2.5 years after Grad School

I’ve had times where I felt too fat, then I lost sixty-five pounds and I felt too skinny (see photo in magazine ad to the right), missing my womanly curves and feeling like I was shaped like a little boy. Now, I look back at pictures and see how beautiful I was at every moment of my life, even when I was at my highest weight of two hundred fourteen pounds....the key is believing it. When you believe that you are beautiful, you exude a confidence that is magnetic.

With all of that said, I will not wait to do a professional photo shoot, I will not wait to wear a two piece swim suit, and I will not wait to do everything I aspire to do. I will not wait for the weight!

Weight may not be your issue, but I’m sure that there is something in your life, such as money or time, that you use as an excuse to stop you from enjoying and experiencing life to the fullest. This week I challenge you to stop waiting for that thing and take action.

P.S. Be sure to check out the video blog I posted on You Tube this morning about Day 1 of my 60 day fitness challenge!

You can learn more about my fitness journey in my book The Ups and Downs of Being Round (Click on the title to purchase the eBook for ONLY $0.99! It includes a lifestyle change guide that details my meal and fitness plans)

Day 1 of my 60 Day Fitness Challenge!