Overcoming Obstacles from Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

5 reasons people don't grow their asset column:
1. Fear--the main difference between a poor person and a rich person. Develop a Texan attitude: Be proud when you win and brag when you lose (at least you went for it). If you lose enough, you will win because winning usually follows losing. Losing/Failing makes you stronger if you will allow it to. Use the failures to inspire you.

2. Cynicism--Everyone has doubts or "noise" in their lives either in their heads or from outside sources. How you handle those doubts or the noise is critical though because they can make you poor. "Unchecked doubt and fear creates a cynic." p. 154 Criticizing instead of analyzing is a thought pattern that keeps people poor. When investing, you can use stops to help minimize your losses if prices begin dropping.

3. Laziness--staying busy to avoid something you don't want to face. The cure for this type of laziness is a little greed. Don't use the words, "I can't afford it." instead use the words, "How can I afford it?"

4. Habits--the reflection of your life. Pay yourself first.

5. Arrogance--ego + ignorance. What you know makes you money, what you don't know makes you lose money. If you know you are ignorant in an area, educate yourself.

Forgiven

Forgiven

Forgiven! All I had to do was ask.

Coming to a point of realization and

Asking Him for forgiveness.

I am forgiven!

Anytime, day or night,

No matter how far I have run,

One Person is waiting for me to ask Him.

I am forgiven!

No matter what I am going through

Christ is waiting for me.

All I have to do is ask Him for help, because

I am forgiven!

It doesn't matter about what I have done,

Or who I have become.

There is One name that I can call upon; and then

I am forgiven!

I am forgiven because He loved me.

He loved me so much that He died.

He died a very cruel death,

So I could be forgiven!

I am forgiven!

Tamara Renee Dugger Brown 8-19-94

Lesson 6 from Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Work to Learn; Don't Work for Money


1. You need other skills besides working hard.


2. You need more than talent.


3. Know a little about a lot. (This depends on how you apply it because the first thing that came to mind was "Jack of all, master of none." However, if you're looking at within a particular field such as a business, an overview knowledge of all aspects in needed.)


4. J.O.B.-Just Over Broke is in this chapter along with the concept of at the job you are working just hard enough not to get fired and getting paid just enough not to quit. (p. 136)


5. Analogy of getting into the bill paying routine is similar to being a hamster on a wheel--round and round you go without going anywhere.


6. Communication skills are vital to becoming successful.


7. Give as well as receive. The truly wealthy are those who give.


8. Most importantly to me--I have a better understanding and clearer picture regarding what my mentor has been doing with me for the past 2 years. He has continued to educate me and make my skills more diversified. About the time I have figured out what he expects of me in my role, he changes it. New responsibilities are given and new skills are learned. Delegation has also been included in that.

No, Really???

Do you ever have a day or two, or perhaps a week that feels that way? Wow, my week is off and running and I'm having a hard time keeping up with it. For those of you who know me really well, you know I deal with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. 

A couple of years ago I was introduced to a supplement that has changed my life. Not to retell the story (you can look at older blogs if you want to read it) but in reality, I had reached a point where I was hopeless; I had given up. I've written a lot about dealing daily with fibromyalgia on my team site but it's been a while since I've really written. Okay, I'm rambling trying to set the stage. 

Anyways, the last 2 weeks my body has been reminding me that it's not well yet. I've been running low grade fevers and feeling quite fatigued. (It took years to become this ill so it will take time to recover. Every so often my body likes to remind me that I haven't arrived yet.) The fever finally manifested itself in a way that I could respond and deal with it--sinus issues. Spent a few days dealing with it but . . . I quit too soon! So, what happened today? You guessed it! Sinus issues, headache, and fatigue back. 

It reminds me of a couple of things. First it reminds me of the Christian life. The Bible talks about being a new creature in Christ; old to new. One thing that Christians sometimes forget though is you need to replace the old habits/things with new habits/things. If you don't, you end up going back to the old. 

That principle applies to life in general, too. If you are trying to change your old habits such as eating poorly, you must replace it with good. If you are trying to change your thought process, you have to put new material in there. 

Another thing that comes to mind is the quitting too soon. So many times we are nearing the finish line, achieving the goal, and we quit. We think we are close enough or possibly we think it is too hard and we quit. If we would have continued, we would have accomplished what we set out to accomplish. By like Paul who said that he had fought the good fight and finished his course. Be a finisher not a quitter!

Also running through my head is Psalm 61:2, ". . . when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Now, my heart isn't overwhelmed but my mind certainly is! One of the issues with fibromyalgia is a term called "fibro fog" where your thoughts just don't come or come clearly. 

(If you could see me writing this post, you'd have to laugh as I experience one of those moments, lol.) My mind tends to fill up to the point that it "quits" on me. I've been experiencing that for a couple of days now. Instead of stressing out or worrying about it, I'm singing Psalm 61:2-3. It's a great way to calm the mind and de-stress the body. 

This too shall pass! Enjoy life; we all have different things that we deal with!

Lesson 5 from Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

p. 110--"We all have tremendous potential, and we all are blessed with gifts. Yet, the one thing that holds all of us back is some degree of self-doubt. It is not so much the lack of technical information that holds us back, but more the lack of self-confidence. Some are more affected than others."

Being smart is good, but those who are bold frequently get ahead.

You need both knowledge and courage. Fear that is too great suppresses your genius.

Don't wait for the "right" opportunity to come along.

Your mind is the greatest and most powerful asset you have. Learn to be creative when looking for financial solutions.

Learn to welcome changes instead of clinging to the past.

You see great opportunities with your mind.

Always remember to have fun.

"Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn. Most people never win because they are afraid of losing. In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes." . . . "Unfortunately the main reason most people are not rich is because they are terrified of losing. Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success." p. 125

Develop your financial IQ. Invest in developing your financial IQ. Results:

1. You have more options. As changes come, you will see opportunities and know how to respond.

2. You will prosper greatly. New ideas, new information is how money is invented.

Since there is always risk involved, learn to manage the risk instead of avoiding it.

Lesson 4 from Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

1. Be educated. Know the laws.

2. Knowledge is power. Without it, the world pushes you around.

3. Corporations are a secret of the rich.

4. 1031--trade up in real estate to delay paying taxes on the gains.

5. 4 areas to financial IQ--accounting, investing, understanding the markets, the law

6. A wealthy person owns nothing. They control everything but own nothing.--protection from lawsuits (Suggested book on power of personal corporations--Inc. and Grow Rich.)

7. The difference between a corporation and a person is a corporation earns, spends, then pays taxes on what's left while an individual earns, pays taxes, then spends what is left.

How about You?

O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. (Psalm 98:1 KJV)

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. (Psalm 98:4 KJV)

How about you? I know personally that I don't praise the Lord like I should. He gives me so much yet I tend to ignore that it's from Him. As I sit outside this beautiful Saturday afternoon reading my Bible, my heart is full with all He has done for me. Thank you, Lord, for the many marvelous things you have graced my life with!

Lesson 3 from Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Mind your own business aka grow your asset column.

Don't confuse your profession/job with your business.

Keep your job but use your raises and bonuses to grow your assets column.

Take the money that your assets are making and reinvest it into your assets.

Luxuries should be viewed as a reward after your assets have grown enough to pay for them.

Answered Prayers; Goal Met

As many of you know, I have a home-based business where I have the opportunity to help other people lose weight, have more energy, and feel better through nutrition as well as have their own business if they desire. The company has recently started a program where you have zero overhead each month if you qualify. I set a goal to qualify, shared it with my pastor, and we started praying. I've been lying in bed at night praying about it, asking God to show me how to meet my goal. Yesterday it happened! All I can say is "Thank you, Lord, for hearing and answering prayers!" I know that this only happened because His hand was there. I'm super excited about the person God put in my path because there is a spiritual need as well as a physical need. I am looking forward to being able to help this family feel better by using proper nutrition, but I'm more excited about the fact that they want to join us for church! Please pray that Satan will not hinder this family.

Lesson 2 from Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

1. Retirement doesn't mean not working, it means freedom.

2. Intelligence solves problems and produces money. Use my brain. Think through things, stay educated, look for opportunities to have money work for me. Once you have money, make sure you also have financial knowledge.

3. Know the difference between an asset and a liability and buy assets. Assets produce money, liabilities spend your money.

4. Ask if what I am doing makes sense financially. Going to work? Buying something?

5. Don't let fear control me. Don't be afraid to go against the flow or the norm. Don't be afraid to stand out. Don't conform.

6. As my income increases, invest in assets and let the assets further increase my income instead of increasing my expenses by spending my income on liabilities.

7. Before increasing my expenses, increase the cash flow from the asset column to cover the new expenses.

Operator's Story-FMS-Part 3

Another step in my journey with Fibromyalgia has been emotional. I have begun to stabilize emotionally. I had reached a point emotionally, after dealing with constant pain, that I was asking God why He still had me on the earth. What good could I do? What good was being accomplished by my living in constant, debilitating pain? Really, I had slipped into a state of depression unaware.

A couple of months after starting Zija, I overheard my husband make a comment to one of his sisters that sums up the journey I am on. He told his sister that he felt like he had been given back the girl he married. I am on a journey to regain my life thanks to a compassionate friend who shared Zija! I am eagerly anticipating the next stage in my amazing journey with Zija.

Difficult to Do

One of the hardest things for me to do right now is apply the following principle from my mentor: "Give 100% of yourself and expect nothing in return and you will never be disappointed." Wow, that's a difficult principle to apply! Go ahead, try it! Another really difficult principle to apply is, "Do not expect gratitude for things you do for others." If you expect gratitude and you don't get it, you are robbing yourself of the joy of giving. That thought and lesson is from another book I am reading, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie.

Lesson 1 from Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

1. Don't work for money.
2. Fear is why people work for money instead of overcoming that fear by making money work for you. Points 1-2 are great conversation pieces to have when discussing business.
3. Use your emotions to help you think instead of thinking with your emotions. Don't become emotionally involved when things happen in your business.
4. Life--how do you handle it when it pushes you around? Do you give in, give up, or push back? Do you learn the lesson that life is trying to teach you so you can move on? You either give it, fight back, or learn and move on.
5. Stop blaming others and realize you are the problem. If you blame your boss, you have to try to change him. If you blame the government, you have to try to change it. Accept the blame yourself and change yourself.

Operator's Story-FMS-Part 2

My Amazing Story--Part 2
Another battle in fibromyalgia I began to win was the battle against pain. I had spent years being afraid of someone touching me. Imagine shying away from all human contact, including your spouse! That was the life I was living. The reason I was living that life was due to the fact when someone touched me it either caused muscle spasms or it felt as though that person was pushing on bruises on my body. Thanks to Zija, those sensations started receding! Those few results were more than enough to convince me that there was truly something special about Zija.

The discovery period was not complete though! I have seen a great improvement with my allergy problems and with my legs staying cramped after I started Zija. The journey continues-I began interacting with people again. My friends have noticed a definite difference in my personality. I have been asked to tell them what has happened. I now had energy and emotion left at the end of my teaching day to invest in others! I started becoming more outgoing, too.