*Added New is marked with a"*"
*Added New July 22, 2009 Wednesday
Are Your Decisions Crushing Your Spirit?
Copyright © 2009 Carol Chanel
Next time you have to make a decision about a job, a relationship, a promotion, or even a date, I want you to run the fear-based vs. trust-based test past it.
In the fear-based choice, you'll make your decision to prevent something you're afraid of from happening. In a trust-based decision, you'll trust your heart and soul's voice to go where it's calling you, knowing that the Universe will respond to that desire.
How Fear-Based and Trust-Based Decisions Sound
The fear-based job decision sounds like - "I'd better take this job, they're offering me a lot of money and I might never get married, so I better be thinking of how to support myself in the future."
A trust-based job decision sounds like - "I'm grateful the company wants me, but I don't feel good about working there. They seem so cold and a little unprofessional. I'm going to hold out for a job where I can work hard, make a good living and also have fun."
A fear-based relationship decision sounds like - "Why not date Tom? He's a successful, smart and serious man. I know he wants me to dress up more than I like to, and he's kind of serious all the time, but I can manage that. And I don't know if someone as smart or successful will ask me out again."
A trust-based relationship decision sounds like - "It's so lovely that Tom wants to date me, but he's just not the kind of person I want to spend time with. I prefer men who are more relaxed and fun, where I can wear a tee shirt, shorts and flip-flops on the weekend. I'm not going to date him. I'm going to wait to spend time with someone I'd rather be with."
Why You Make Fear-Based Decisions
You make fear-based decisions in order to get love, security, approval or self-esteem from outside sources.
And when you make a decision for the sake of security or approval or love, you often go against what your heart and soul truly desires. You go for the security because you don't trust the Universe will send you something better. And you do it at a huge cost to yourself.
Oprah is a perfect example of not choosing to make a decision for security. As I recall the story, when she was very young she was offered an anchor job that would have allowed her to earn $22,000 a year. Her father strongly advised her to take that job because it was safe. Fortunately for Oprah, and all of us, she turned it down and followed her heart.
Oprah is a clear example of the Universe powerfully responding when you choose to follow your heart's desire.
Can you imagine what her life would have been like, and the thousands along the way she's helped, if she had chosen security? That was a fear-based decision she avoided. Thank you Oprah!
Other people make wrong choices in relationships because they are desperate for love. A woman might choose to marry a man she doesn't love. Her thinking is usually, "he loves me, he's a nice man, and even though I don't love him, at least I'm not alone."
More often than not, people make choices to get approval or to avoid disapproval. So you decide to buy an expensive outfit for a dinner party that you can't afford, because you think your date will like you better if you do. That's performing for approval. And it has a high cost.
Or you'll let people violate your work boundaries so they'll like you, keep you around, or maybe even promote you.
The Cost of Fear-Based Decisions
Making fear-based decisions to gain love, security or self-esteem from the outside has a high cost attached to it. And it's too high a price to pay.
THE COST IS THE CRUSHING OF YOUR SPIRIT!
And if you choose to crush your spirit, you might as well stop breathing because you are a spiritual being having a human experience. So if you're not going to honor your spirit you've just wasted your life. And you will end up depressed and questioning whether your life had any meaning.
We all have the power of the Universe waiting to provide for, love and protect us. All you have to do is trust it and receive. Oprah isn't any more special than you. She just trusted her heart and the Universe. And she receives all the goodies the Universe has for her. It has them for you too!
When you choose to honor your fears to gain love, security, approval or self-esteem, you're telling the Universe that you don't believe it will honor your heart's desires. And that is exactly what happens. The cost to your heart, soul and finances is huge!
So choose to make a trust-based decision. Trust the Universe to bring you all the amazing goodies it has for you.
Imagine the possibilities....
(c) Carol Chanel
About The Author:
Carol Chanel is a Certified Life Coach who works with people to create new, meaningful and FUN lives. You can learn more about how to create loving and healthy relationships, draw boundaries, not take things personally, be happy to be who you are, and make time for fun by going to her free ezine archive.
http://www.carolchanel.com/rockin_relationships.html Read more articles written by: Carol Chanel
This Issue
*Added Sunday February 1, 2009
By: Mary Bush
With all the doom and gloom in the financial news, how is the best way to make your life recession-proof? At this point I've been laid off four times in my 30-year career, so I have some perspective on this topic. Here are some of the things I learned.
1. Check Your Financial Reality.
First, determine your own situation. Not knowing your exact financial position breeds anxiety; the truth drives out fear. Take stock of your money. Add up how much money you have and how much you owe. The difference is your net worth.
Compare your monthly cash coming in to cash going out. If you have debt, how long will it take you to pay it off? Remember, you have to make over a 20% return on alternative investments before borrowing at 15% makes sense. Paying off debt is the best investment you can make! If you don't have a job, how many months of living expenses do you have? What is the worst thing that could happen if you run out of money? Make plans now for what you'd do then. It will probably never come to that, but just having a "Worst Thing that could Happen" plan is a big step in managing fear of the downside.
2. Practice Gratitude.
Practice gratitude. Don't let the media hype stress you out. They thrive on propagating fear, so turn off the news if necessary. Do you have a job? Then you are not an unemployment statistic. And, you can keep working to restore your retirement funds.
If you don't have a job, do you have your health? Do you have friends? Then be thankful you can look for a job. Remember: you only need one job, and it's not a statistic.
Find things to be grateful for each and every day. Write them down if that helps you focus. Start with "I woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise." Or "I have time to visit my ailing parent." "My child went to school with matching socks." Walk around outside and look at nature, or do some volunteer work to get perspective on your own situation.
3. Find Ways to Cut Back...and Start Your Own Business.
I'm from the "More is More" school of consumerism, so this one is particularly painful. During one season of unemployment, I discovered if I could just fill my car with gas and put fresh flowers in the house I felt like a million dollars. I discovered these two small things were really important and let the rest go. What makes you feel like a million?
Also, when you're unemployed, you can do more for yourself rather than hiring someone to do it for you. Like ironing your own shirts, mowing the lawn, detailing the car, redesigning your interior, or working in the garden.
I'm unemployed and living in a small town. My husband and I invented BigSlider? utility mover to help me get jobs done at home while he's at the office. My "unemployment" result: we won Popular Mechanics Top 13 Tools of 2008 award at the National Hardware Show and were featured on DIY Network's Cool Tools program. Hopefully BigSlider will turn into my full time job. In the mean time...
4. Looking for a Job is a Full Time Job.
Writing a resume, filling out job applications, talking to your friends - and their friends, and reading job listings are simple steps that take an amazing amount of time. Make sure you do at least one of these things every day to forward your job search.
Find your highest energy point in the day and use that time to make phone calls to people you don't know. Don't ask strangers for a job (that puts them on the spot); instead, ask for help or information...and take no more than 15 minutes of their time. At the end of your conversation ask for at least one other person's name to call, then request permission to use their name when you call that person. Classic networking can be the path to employment.
Get clear on what you're bringing to the table. Why should someone hire you? Take the Briggs-Myers personality test and the Johnson O'Connor aptitude test, if needed. Third-party tests objectively clarify your strengths and are a great morale booster. Write - and memorize - a 60-second pitch starting with "I'm the kind of person who..." Be ready to give it to anyone at any time. You never know who you'll meet.
5. Don't Give Up.
Finally, don't get discouraged if a job doesn't turn up immediately. The rule of thumb is it takes one month to find a job for every $10,000 per year of base pay. Review your "Worst Thing that could Happen" plan. Keep being grateful for what you already have, keep looking for a job, and use your time off to focus on other relationships. Your season of unemployment may be exactly what your family needed.
Author Resource: Finance finance
Article From Content Corral
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Is 2009 the Tax Year Where Taxpayers May Be Overwithholding?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kumar_B_Trivedi]Kumar B Trivedi
There are a number of reasons why many tax and financial experts are urging taxpayers to review their 2009 withholdings as it may be that due to the current economic crisis, the taxpayer's income may either be reduced or in some cases substantially lower!
Due to dire economic downturn, the originally filed W-4 form would not correctly reflect the taxpayer's current reality of both the current tax and financial position for tax year 2009.
Essentially, this translates in an employer possibly withholding an excessive amount of both federal and state income tax from the taxpayer's paychecks. At moments like the current economic crisis and downturn, maybe it's not prudent to have excessive amount withheld from your paycheck. Instead the taxpayers W-4 form should reflect his or her current economic situation, and should attempt to reduce his federal and state income tax withholdings so as to increase his take home pay.
The following circumstances should prompt the taxpayer to adjust his W-4 Form to lower both his federal and state withholding taxes. These are as follows:
1. The taxpayers or his spouse has been laid off in 2009. Usually, when both spouses are gainfully employed the taxpayers tend to increase their W-4 withholdings. The loss of the job for either of the spouse could be reason enough to reduce the federal and state tax withholding by claiming the maximum allowable exemptions.
2. The taxpayers whose spouse's own and operate a business may have in the prior years increased their federal and state withholdings at their regular job to ensure they that they meet the income tax obligation from their spouse's business profits. However, for the tax year 2009 the profits from their spouses business may have either been eliminated or substantially reduced. These taxpayers might find it prudent to file a new W-4 Form and drastically reduce their federal and state income tax withholdings to reflect the reduced tax liability from the spouses business.
3. The taxpayers who have recently had a baby or claiming elderly parents as dependents may also find that they are entitled to additional dependent allowances. Thus, they should consider filing a new W-4 Form to reflect the additional dependent allowances that the taxpayers are entitled to claim on their tax returns.
4. The taxpayers who have sustained substantial capital losses in the stock market are entitled to deduct up to $3,000 of the capital loss against their salary and other ordinary income. Thus these taxpayers may be entitled to claim an additional withholding allowance.
5. For taxpayers faced with reduced taxable income due to a salary reduction, the taxpayer might find themselves being placed in a lower tax bracket. Both these factors would entitle the taxpayers to reduce his federal and state income tax withholdings by claiming additional allowances.
Taxpayer's previous strategy of overwithholding so as to plan for a tax refund may not be a smart idea for 2009 if the taxpayers are faced with an extremely difficult time meeting their current financial obligations. It is better not use credit cards or lines of credit to fund your current obligations and instead increasing your paycheck by maximizing your dependent allowances that you are legally entitled to by the IRS.
Kumar B Trivedi, CPA writes for [http://www.asktaxguru.com/]AskTaxGuru.com a free online tax resource.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kumar_B_Trivedi http://EzineArticles.com/?Is-2009-the-Tax-Year-Where-Taxpayers-May-Be-Overwithholding?&id=1908208
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Time Management Tool : Finding The Right Tool to Save You Time
by Alan Orr
Find the Right Time Management Tool to get the Job Done
Do you notice that some people are calm and relaxed while others are tired out? You'll often find that the calm people have their time under control. They've found the secret of letting a time management tool work for them.
The right time management tool can make your life work smoothly and easily. These tools come in all manner of forms. They range from paper based form systems to complex computer software. Picking the right one can make a big difference.
The tool I'll discuss in this article is the calendar. It comes in all shapes and sizes form paper based to full blown all connected computer based software. The type of system to choose depends a lot on what you expect to use the system for.
If you only get a few appointments every week then you probably don't need an all singing all dancing bit of computer software. No matter what the sales blurb tells you it isn't going to make your time scheduling easier.
On the other hand if you have a lot of appointments in a week it's pretty easy to quickly gain the benefits form a computer based scheduler. This is especially true if the system connects together your calendar with the calendars of other people you know.
Being able to automatically schedule appointments and reschedule them automatically with people is a really great time saver. The other advantage it the ability of others to look into your calendar and make appointments (albeit tentatively) on your behalf.
If you're an employee you'll probably find that in terms of this time management tool they'll have made a corporate choice. If they haven't then you might be able to get them to pay for the system for you. Often the systems are pretty cheap compared to the productivity gains that'll be achieved.
Don't forget though that it's worth considering whether you really need this time management tool. You can find that it ends up stealing your time rather than adding to it. I'm sure like me you've spent countless hours fiddling with software setting that add little value to your day to day work.
It's always easy to get caught up in "technology will solve it best" idea. This isn't true. Often the best time management tool is a bit of paper and a pen. Or in the case of a calendar, a paper based system like the filofax system.
However if you're determined that software is the right approach there are two packages with looking at Outlook and Thunderbird.
Outlook is the Microsoft offering and is well integrated with the office suite. Not surprisingly it has great support and it pretty intuitive to use.
Thunderbird is the Mozilla foundation offering. It's free. Thunderbird offers basically all the same functionality as outlook but if it's a corporate roll out perhaps the support isn't quite so good. However that's a small price to pay and today most companies have their own competent IT departments.
You can download and try the products for free and generally put them through their paces. I'd recommend that you give them a trial for a week each if you want to get the fullest idea of their capability as a time management tool.
_______________________________________________________
Alan Orr is a senior director and author.
He's run large international projects and programmes with over 1000 people and smaller departments with 200 to 300 people.
Time and project management have always been an area of great interest and expertise. Visit his website at: http://www.time-management-huddle.com/personal-time-management.html
Visit Site:
Keyword(s): time management
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Article Source: http://articlewarehouse.com
Women Investment Clubs: Taking the Fear Out Of Investing
Women investment clubs offer a safe place for women to begin investing. Women are becoming increasingly independent and have increased their salaries over the past several decades. With more income comes more responsibility and investing is part of that financial responsibility.
Traditionally, women have generally been more hesitant when it comes to financial investments. They are more cautious when it comes to money. The new women investment clubs take the fear out of investing for women.
Investment clubs have been around for years and many are in existence today all over the world. They have been growing in popularity recently especially the women investment clubs.
Women are becoming increasingly independent and have increased their salaries over the past several decades. With more income comes more responsibility and investing is part of that financial responsibility. Women investment clubs offer a safe place for women to begin investing.
Successful investment clubs focus on educating the investors as well as the investments themselves. Women investment clubs often do an outstanding job of helping to provide information to those who are new to investments as well as to those who have experience with them. There are often seminars to help teach the basics about investing and help the investors feel comfortable in their financial decisions.
For those just learning about investments the decisions can seem daunting. Women investment clubs take the mystery out of investments by providing forums, chats and message boards online that assist in teaching about investing. Women learn from each other and by those who have experience in finance. There are tips and information on the web sites that present information in a way that is understandable to everyone.
There are many reasons to join a women investment club. Although your workplace often offers a savings plan, this is controlled by others and you may lose some of it when you change jobs. You can invest any amount you want in an investment club. Many people start out by investing $20 to $50 per month.
If you are new to investing, investment clubs provide a safe environment to get your feet wet. Investing along with others provides a group with whom you can share information and discuss investment topics. The group setting enables you to gain confidence in investment decision-making abilities. As you learn more you can invest more as well. The modest sums needed to start saving with an investment club are small so you can feel more confident in your plan.
While some women investment clubs meet locally, more and more are becoming online groups. If you like the idea of meeting in person, look for a club that meets locally, usually once a month. These clubs sponsor activities and often engage local financial speakers for interesting talks. You can make many new friends as well as learn more about investing. Online groups may not meet in person but often provide much more information and investment tips through the web site.
When looking for a women investment club think about what you expect from the club. Look for clubs online that will offer the most information. Compare the recent earnings results of the club before you join. Start by investing a small amount that you feel comfortable with until you learn more and are able to see results.
About the Author
It may take some time before you get comfortable in investing your hard-earned money. But as you learn the ropes of investing in your investment club you'd find it's worth your time and effort in the long run. Find out how you could join or even start your own women investment club at http://www.aboutinvestmentclub.com/home
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The Bomb Has Dropped! Help1 Useful Information About the Financial Crises!
Well the bomb dropped on the financial sector for the latter part of September and first part of October of 2008. There has been quite a financial fall out. People lose their homes and there are banks across the USA USA USA
Where this will end is anyone's guess.
At the forefront of this debacle is Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two power houses in the
Many people may lose their homes. In anticipation of this WebSpeak Ezine has found the following sites that may help homeowners avoid foreclosure.http://www.fanniemae.com/homepath/homeowners/in_foreclosure.jhtml
This is one makes WebSpeak Ezine a little nervous since it is by Fannie Mae.
foreclosure.http://www.fanniemae.com/homepath/homeowners/in_foreclosure.jhtml
This is one makes WebSpeak Ezine a little nervous since it is by Fannie Mae.
· Never buy a home based on two salaries. If one of you loses your job, this can be a problem.
· If you earn more than $50,000 a year consider buying income insurance. ( If something happens health wise to interfere with earning a living this can be a home saver)
· Consider renting at first. (You do not have to worry about homeowners insurance, property taxes or upkeep of the house.)
· Pay off as much of your home loan as soon as possible if you can without penalty. (Check out cost here)
· Budget your income.
· Save at least ten percent of your income a month
· Read any contract carefully and what you do not understand do not sign.
· Beware of balloon payments.
Calculate before buying. This way you will know for sure what the cost are. This site may be useful for that.
· Check the cost of your new home. The following can help you with that: http://homeguide123.com/articles/Determining_
How_Much_You_Can_Afford_to_Pay_for_
a_Home.html
· If you are a USA Veteran with an honorable discharge, look into the .VA Home loan
There are some more things you can do if you have trouble with your mortgage. See if you can get profession advice. .In conclusion, if any danger of foreclosure, check out the following sites:
http://www.creditpro.org/article/stop_foreclosure_save_your_home_and_credit.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12198398
http://www.savemefromforeclosure.com/articles.php (this site has many articles to help)
Suggestion on making investments:
· Never invest that which you cannot afford to lose.
· Always put aside some money from each months earnings. (10% is good if affordable)
· Budget what you spend.
· Remember if it sounds too good to be true, it is.
· There is no such thing as something for nothing
· Invest in somethat people really need like
In conclusion, WebSpeak Ezine wishes all of you that are in a financial crises the best. You are in Webspeak Ezine's prayers. May God bless and keep you all. May your financial cloud lift and the bright sun of prosperity shine upon you. May you be bless from above with wisdom and prosperity.
Any suggestions or comments from the public can be added here through this form mail. Posting is as soon as possible. Come back to this page to see what the suggestions are.
Toy Trunk Railroad by Erik Sansom
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Top 3 Reasons Why Cities Do Not Promote Growth And Progress
By Tony Seruga, Yolanda Seruga And Yolanda Bishop
Not every city has the proper political and social environment to sustain growth. In fact, there are some cities who are completely opposed to growth and work very hard to maintain the status quo, regardless of how the world is changing around them.
Land developers and investors specifically look for cities that are fully open to growth and progress. Cities that have municipalities open to growth and development are prime locations to build large commercial and multi-family properties. These cities often have future land use maps where they outline land and color code them based on the zonings, or type of properties they will allow within the border. This is a city that is looking to grow and they actually have a plan for it. These cities will be ready to help you with anything you need to get that land developed, especially with a growing population or major change in infrastructure.
The cities that are not open to growth have three major characteristics that are clear signs that growth or development are NOT in their future.
The first is purely political. Even if city officials are pro-business and development, well-organized opposition can sway votes and cause projects to die. Maybe not with the city, but with the people in the city as well. The city officials may have an election coming up or there are strong opposing forces and any major moves may hurt their campaign and position. It could even carry to the lenders in that if they realize there is opposition, even though they could say “Yes,” they will say “No,” to avoid public ridicule. Politics can be a huge constraint to growth in a city.
The second is that the people voted into local office are elected to keep the city the way things are. The politicians are put into office because of their commitment to keep things the same so growth and development are out of the question. They focus in maintaining not growing which is suicide for a developer. You can bet 30 acres of raw land zoned commercial will not be approved as a new mall or office park. The red tape and barriers would be so thick, that it would take years and years before a project would ever be approved- or ever approved for that matter. City officials would simply lay every obstacle in your route before they would allow such huge changes. These are the cities a land developer MUST avoid unless they want to spend 3-5 years spending money and trying to get a project approved.
The third is state law restricts local governments from planning growth. So the local government may have ideas, but the state restricts them from actually moving forward. There may be extremely strict guidelines or jurisdictions or even conflicting views between the local and state governments. And you know where this leaves the land developer or investor? In the middle running around with no real future for a project. This is where you do NOT want to find yourself.
As you can see, there are multiple reasons as to why a land developer or investor would not want to work in a specific city. You can easily find out by asking to the local brokers. You can ask them if the municipality is open to development. They will either say, oh yes definitely. In fact, they may mention that the local government will provide tax incentives for the jobs that are created and will be willing to help any way they possibly can. Or, you may get, our city government is very strict and it takes a while for projects to be approved.
A simple discussion with the local brokers and even Chamber of Commerce will give you a good idea if they will be open to working with you and your proposal. Otherwise, no matter how good the deal looks theoretically, leave it alone if the city won’t cooperate. Don’t expect that red tape to disappear- it rarely does without a good, long, expensive fight.
As a commercial real estate land developer or investor, the golden rule is to only work in cities that are willing to work with you. It makes the process so much easier and enjoyable working in a city that welcomes your presence and efforts.
About the Author: Tony Seruga, Yolanda Seruga and Yolanda Bishop of http://www.maverickrei.com specialize in commercial and investment real estate. As of May, 2006, they and their partners are managing over $600 million dollars worth of new projects.
Source:
bravenet.com