Financial Thinking

Chasing Time, Money or Both?

If a farmer wants lots of corn that farmer has to invest in planting a lot of corn. Most of people are all chasing time, money, or both. The only way to have plenty of free time and plenty of money is to do what a farmer does, to invest time and money. So simple, yet so few do it!

The following nuggets focus of the proper thinking about having time and money:

1.      Stop spending time and money and start investing time and money now.

2.      It’s easier to stay out of financial trouble than to get out of financial trouble.

3.      If you own a-cash purchased Bentley don’t get financial advice from the broken broker that drives a financed Fiat.

4.      The financial world is kind to those who are generous to themselves and those around them.

5.      Financial insanity is to be wealthy and marrying for money.

6.      Extraordinary financial results come to those who consistently take disciplined ordinary money actions.

7.      The time to fix broken financial thinking is before you have money.

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Minding the buck

7 Common Financial Mistakes People Make

Financial freedom comes to the diligent, to those who mind the little money. My dad taught me that those that don’t care for one cent don’t care about one million. Mind the little money; mind your money period or you may become slave to your money.

Today’s nuggets are on the common mistakes many people make when it comes to personal finance, the handling of their money.

1.     Not paying yourself first. Just put it on remote. Tuck away at least 10% of what you make. Do it and you will be glad you did. Automate this one.

2.      Little money impulse. You know those lottery tickets or the little goodies at checkout counters or convenience stores. Resist this one.

3.     Buy a fancy new car with borrowed money. This is a big, very big mistake. If you can’t buy cash you have not earned it yet. Think about the real cost of this one.

4.      Not negotiation or renegotiating. From big items like cars and houses to smaller items like furniture. $1,000 saved on the purchase of a car from a one hour negotiation. Think of the cost of this mistake.

5.     Only paying the minimum payment on credit cards. Pay the balance off. 

6.     Not sticking to a budget. Only the most disciplined people, the one percent, can have their finance in order without a budget. The rest of us need a budget!

7.      Failing to self-educate on personal finance. Make sure the sources of information are from people with the fruit on their trees. Perform a fruit check. No fruit- run run run! Run away from the broker that has been brokering for 30 years and he is still broke. Run like running from a plague.

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Truth brings freedom

Truth Is Powerful – Part II

When hit by the truth, take time to think and reflect on it.

Here are today’s nuggets carrying truth in them.

1.     There is no greater calling then leading people to the truth.

2.     All great books lead to the greatest of all books, the bible.

3.     The wise became wise by being humble to seek the counsel from the wise.

4.     The humble is the most courageous.

5.     Being fearful is being selfish. Fear is rooted in the lack of faith.

6.     Don’t let zeal get in the way of maturity.

7.     The greatest serves others, loves the unlovable, takes abuse, takes criticism, and takes their beating.

What are the truths that have impacted your life the most?

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Powerful Truth

Truth Is Powerful

When hit by the truth, take time to think and reflect on it.

Here are today’s nuggets carrying truth with them.

1.     The clarity of our dreams determines the clarity of our priorities and the quality of our lives.

2.     Tell yourself who you want to become and you will become who you believed who you would be. You become the commercial you play in your head.

3.     Find the words or the music that speaks to your soul and play it every day to lift your spirit and warm your heart.

4.     Think right and you will act your way to a great future. We are the product of our most prevalent thoughts.

5.     It is easier to follow the crowd than to think. Thinking is difficult work and that is why so few people do it.

6.     Every great life has a sentence that is defined by. Choose a great sentence to be remembered by.

7.     We earn our courage a little experience at a time. We get experience one action at a time.

What are the truths that have impacted your life the most?

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Victory over Defeat

The Victory in the Defeat

 

Best selling author Orrin Woodward has one of the best quotes I ever read - 

“Find a victory in every defeat to remain hopeful and find a defeat in every victory to remain humble.”

A defeat should never be wasted. Instead of blaming the circumstances learn lessons and prepare for the next battle. The common mind whines and complains. The truth is that defeat happens for us to learn lessons from them. It is in defeat that champions are born. Champions take responsibility and learn from their defeats.

Here are today’s nuggets via questions for finding a victory in every defeat:

1.      Did we play against a good opponent? Did the opponent challenge us to become better players?

2.      What lessons can we learn from this defeat?  What can we do better next time? What moments of greatness did we have?

3.      Did we give our best? Did we leave it all in the field of battle?

4.      What could we have done better? Where did we fall short?

5.      What good will come out of this defeat? Where do we need to work on to prevent this from happening again?

6.      How can we turn this defeat into positive energy? Can we see a victory in this defeat or do we see another defeat?

7.      How can this defeat increase our resolve? How so?

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Lies to Bondage

Self-Deception

Self-deception - the lies we tell ourselves. Self-deception is the enemy of leaders. Are you telling lies to yourself? Self-deception leads to a distortion of the self, and ultimately, to bondage. John Wooden believed and lived by "being true to oneself." 

These nuggets contain tough words so we can reflect and ponder about lying. 

Here are today’s nuggets on self-deception:

1.      I give my best. I am doing my best. Are you really doing your best? Be honest with yourself. Seize the day. Make every day your day.

2.      Don’t have time and money. Where are your time and money going? We have to make time for what matters most. Stop spending money and start investing money; invest in you. I have not found a broke person without cable TV yet. Skip a meal and buy a great book.

3.      I was betrayed. I have been hurt. Why do you allow others to hurt you? It is not what happens to us that matter, what matters is how we respond to what happens to us.

4.      I deserve it. Most people that don’t understand money. If we cannot afford to buy cash we have not earned it yet. People that say that money is not important to them don’t have money. The sad thing is that they are working in a job they don’t like for money they don’t have.

5.      I am accountable. I don’t need others to hold me accountable. I can do it myself. Are you doing what you telling yourself and others that you will do? Remember there are always two that know everything we do.

6.      I read all the time. I love to read. The only lie that tops this one is the answer to how many portions of spinach or broccoli we eat per day. What are you reading? Who is choosing the books you read? How many great books are you reading per month, per year? If you are not reading at least two great books per month to get better you are falling behind. Security today is found in the quality of your thinking and speed of your learning. Why are you relying on others to provide security for you?

7.      I don’t need motivation. Motivation comes from within; inspiration comes from without.  Where is your motivation coming from? Who inspires you? Do you have a coach or a mentor? Why not? If Michael Jordan needs a coach, who are we not to have one?

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Urgent vs Important

Sense of Urgency

Are you focusing on the urgent or the important?

Here are today’s nuggets on having a sense of urgency:

1.      Priorities. Most people do not have a schedule to follow. They just live day by day, by the seat of their pants. Are you following your calendar where you determine your priorities or are you letting the world dictate where your time is going?

2.      Fanatical Focus. Only the fanatics achieve greatness. Are your focusing on the few important goals or are you chasing the trivial many goals? Be fanatical about your freedom. Fight for your freedom and the freedom of your loved ones.

3.      Purpose in Crisis. It is in our crisis that we find our purpose. It is in our suffering we find our greatness. Are you finding your purpose and greatness in your crisis and you’re suffering or are you becoming a victim of them?

4.      Action. Action conquers fear. How come you have not started yet? Why so many people hesitate to make simple decisions? Make good decisions once, and then manage them. Deciding and acting are two different attitudes of the mind.

5.      Business or Busyness. What are you so busy about? Who is running your life, your business? Focus on what matters most if you want to live a significant life, the life you want to live, not the live the world wants you to live.

6.      Urgent to Important. How do you go about sifting through all that is in front of you to select the important few from the urgent many? Use a prioritizing system to arrive at doing what moves you towards your goals and dreams. The urgent screams while the important whispers at you.

7.      The Routine. Following a great schedule turns into a productive routine. Are you a slave to a productive routine or is the world encroaching on your schedule? Use your blessings for a purpose not your pleasures.

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)