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Transform!
Just before Thanksgiving, we were shopping  for a turkey at the grocery store. There was a dazzling array to choose from. There were some turkeys that proudly proclaimed themselves "Grand Champions", of what, they didn't say. These grand champion turkeys were moderately more expensive than the others so we decided to ask for a professional opinion before making our final decision. We asked the butcher what made the more expensive turkey better than the average butterball. With a wide grin rivaling any used car salesman's the butcher proudly announced they were better because they had no hormones. "Oh".. "OK.. we'll take it." I said.
Thanksgiving morning we put the bird in the oven, taking it out just as the built-in timer popped up. We set the table, eager to dig in to the roast turkey. As we started to eat, we were surprised to find that although the turkey was not dry, it was fairly tough meat. Evidently grand champion turkeys are tough birds.. I guess that's how they became grand champions.
After dinner we had the usual supply of turkey left over's and although we didn't want it to go to waste, none of us really relished the thought of eating it over the next week or so. My wife had an idea. She put the turkey in the crock pot and cooked it overnight giving the turkey plenty of time to think long and hard about what it had done. The next day, we tried the turkey again and found that it had totally transformed! It went from being a tough piece of meat to being deliciously moist and tender. We enjoyed eating that turkey after it's transformation more than we had on Thanksgiving itself.
Some of us need to go through a monetary transformation. We need to learn how to spend money in a totally different way. Are you always broke? Do you spend first and ask questions later? Doing what you've always done will get you where you are now. Happy here? No? OK.. Transform! (No, I won't put you in the crock pot.) If you've been through our class, you know that you should be doing a written cash flow plan every pay period.. Oh, haven't had time for that huh? Hmmm.. are you going to have time to try and figure out why those checks bounced? Are you still impulse shopping? Transform! A good disciplined cash flow plan combined with the envelope system puts an end to impulse spending ruining your finances. Still using credit cards to live? Still on the financial treadmill, never getting caught up? Transform! Make that emergency fund a priority.. Transform! Make 2008 the year you get it done and take charge of your finances!
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A Trip to Toys "R" Them
 My family and I took a trip to New York City last week. While visiting Times Square, we had to visit the huge Toys R Us store. If you've listened to the news at all, you've heard reports that consumers are spending less on their Christmas shopping this year. Well, you'd never know by the size of the crowds packed into Toys R Us right before Christmas. There were crowds of shoppers in every department. The Toys R Us management was out in force making sure retail was happening at a feverish pace. Even Geoffrey the giraffe was present in the "Photo Op" center. Geoffrey's handler was telling the crowds that Geoffrey loved to give hugs, and that he'd "love to take a picture with you." Although for some reason, Geoffrey's handler seemed to get upset if folks wanted to use their own camera to take the picture. It appeared Geoffrey only loved to have his picture taken if he was going to make five bucks on the deal.
As we pushed through the crowds picking through the mountains of plastic stuff, I was amazed at the sheer size of the displays. In Lego Land, there was a huge replica of the Empire State building complete with a Lego King Kong on top. There were also replicas of the Statue of Liberty and a pirate from "Pirates of the Caribbean." Next door to Lego Land was a two-story Tyrannosaurus Rex that roared at passing customers . Most of the merchandise was tied in to television or movie characters in a shameless display of cross-promotion, assuring bigger sales. Star Wars Mr. Potato Head, anyone?
Shoppers shuffled in long lines as they snaked their way toward the cash registers, plastic in hand.. Plastic to play with, plastic to pay with. What? No more plastic to pay with? Maxed out? Oh! The horror! No plastic left to charge more plastic things? What to do? Don't panic! Stay calm! The giraffe will save you! Geoffrey will give you instant credit! (After he's done posing for that last $5 picture.)
As we left Toys R them, I couldn't help thinking about the people that would fall victim to the call of instant debt to buy more plastic stuff for their children. Debt that would be around long after their children grew tired of playing with whatever was purchased. Hopefully you will make 2008 the year you start buying things with cash and start dumping debt and building wealth!
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What are you willing to do for success?
What are you Worth?
People have very different opinions on what they're worth. According to the Indiana School of Medicine, if we were broken down to our chemical makeup, we'd be worth about $4.50. Perhaps it's a good thing we can't be broken down into our chemical component packages easily and purchased in say, Sam's Club, or it might be tempting to replace spouses and children. But if you could shop at Sam's Club for "packaged people", would you pay more for a Payton Manning or Denzel Washington than a John Doe? Why? They have basically the same chemical makeup. But we place different values on them don't we. We're amazed at the huge amounts of money these people earn. Some might say "it's ridiculous the salaries stars and professional athletes make!" "Nobody's worth that much money!" Well, how much value are they adding to their employer's bottom line? Stars like Denzel and Athletes like Payton ensure that millions and millions of dollars keep coming in.
We'd all like to be paid more, and most of us probably think we deserve a raise. To figure out what we're really worth we have to consider how much value we add to other's lives. If we want to earn more money, how do we make that happen? We have to add more value to something or someone. We have to make a difference. We can do this by being the absolute best at what we do so that our employers take notice and reward us accordingly. (or we can find an employer that will) Perhaps our chosen field doesn't provide much income or opportunity for advancement. What then? Are we forever trapped in monetary mediocrity? Of course not! We just have to add value somewhere else! Maybe we get a part time job, or start a business providing something that adds value.
So how much money should we look to make in our endeavors? We shouldn't! What I mean to say is that instead of focusing on how much money we can make, we should focus on how much value we can add to others lives. If we add as much value as possible, the money will take care of itself. Many years ago I was a young Airman in the Air Force trying to earn extra money by joining a multi-level marketing company. I worked very hard, trying to sell products and recruit others to join my organization. I made a few dollars and got a few representatives to join, but it never grew into the success I had dreamed of. I am convinced the reason I was never as successful as I wanted to be was because I was focused on making money instead of adding value. I was focused on recruiting a sales force to increase my income instead of focusing on changing lives. The entrepreneur inside of me never gave up and years later as I grow my current business, I am convinced it is successful because I don't focus on money. I focus now on changing lives. I try to add much more value to my customer's lives than they pay for and the money takes care of itself.
What are some ways you can add value to other's lives? What steps can you take to ensure that others feel they have gotten more value than they paid for?
"You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
- Zig Ziglar
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We'd like to hear from you!
We'd like to know how you're doing on your journey to becoming debt free. Drop us a line and let us know! We'll include it in upcoming newsletters to encourage others!
Have a question? Send it to us and we'll answer it in an upcoming issue of the newsletter.
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Events If you enjoyed our last "Dump Debt! Build Wealth! Live Free! class, tell your friends! We will be running another class at Northampton Community College in March. The class will meet Wednesday 3/19 and 3/26 from 7 - 9 PM. For more information contact Northampton Community College or click here.
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