2 Days left until the New Year...

Only 2 days left of 2016!!!

Are you ready for it?  In eager anticipation, waiting for a fresh new start.  Hoping that this coming year will be better than the last or at least not worse.  Let us delve into what 2016 has done for me...

2016 has proved to be a much better year from those past.  I have saved more than I ever imagined.  Gave more than I ever did before.  Earned more than I ever have in my entire life.  I have been able to get things for my family that I probably would never have if I didn't follow some tried and true financial steps.  All in books I continue to read.  I have a lot of time to do this on my numerous flights through the year.  It still might not have been the perfect year but it leads me to believe that I am better prepared than ever before for any financial challenges that might occur.

In December of 2015 my wife had weight loss surgery. Even the whole year of preparation for this was life changing for the family.  Our eating habits have changed and the foods we get have improved.  Ingredient checking is a must, even more so than in the past. Part of the process is that my wife needs to exercise everyday.  Having a back issue can cause this to be problematic.  Way back in 2009 we bought a pool, against my better judgment, and have been paying for it since.  This is one of the last loans I need to clear before being pretty much free other than our mortgage which has tax saving qualities.  To help with her exercising, at least in the summer months, I decided I'd open it.  It had not been used in two years and now needed a liner.  In the past this would have been a problem financially but I was able to afford it because I had spent the last few years taking steps to insure funds for unexpected projects.  I will elaborate further at a later time on how you can accomplish this as well.  The problem that confronted me next was how to empty the now very pungent and stagnant water that was still in the pool.  This had to be done in order to remove the old liner and install the new one.  More funding was needed to obtain a gas powered trash pump that could siphon out the bad water.  This investment proved to be worth while since I used it again at the end of the season to bring the level down to close the pool for the winter.  Another project that cost a bit of cash was the new garage door.  Our old door was built by a company that was no longer in business and from the 1950's.  I had to special order the door since only a commercial size door would fit.  Some time was involved in assembling the door and my son helped a bit.  Our schedules didn't match very well but in the end a new door was in place.  I once again attempted to install my new set of windows that I had boarded up but found I needed some more materials to rebuild the frame.  Our 2005 Yukon XL had seen better days so I started looking for a 3/4 Ton from 1999 to replace it.  I was able to get a great deal on a low mileage '99 GMC Suburban in CA.  I flew out, spent the night in a Double Tree near the airport.  Used Uber for the first time and paid cash for the truck.  I then proceeded on the 24 hour drive home.  This may sound crazy but I was able to see parts of the country I never would have if I didn't.  Needless to say, if I hadn't followed some of the learned strategies that my books had offered, the opportunity would have been missed.

2016 also allowed me to help my son get another car and I lent the 2005 Yukon XL to them until he can get his truck fixed.  None of this would have been possible a few years ago.  I continue to watch what I spend and caution the wife on items she's looking at but we have been freer to buy things unobtainable in the past.

So let's recap on how you too can achieve this kind of success...

1. Pay Yourself First...  You've earned it, worked for it and deserve it!!!
2. Give... Of yourself either time or money to help others, it will come back to you ten fold.
3. Have a goal...  Where do you see yourself in the next 5 yrs, 10 yrs?  Write it down!!! No goal is too big... New house, car, career... Only you can decide this.
4. Find your passion... What are you passionate about and how can it help you succeed?
5. Focus on your goal(s)... How can you achieve it?  Is what you are doing now going to help you get there?
6. Reward yourself... When you reach a goal, you need to give yourself something back.  Our minds work better when we know that there will be some reward to the hard work we've done.
7. Stop worrying and start living...  What's the worst that can happen?  What will the result be if it does?  We sometimes think and then worry about the worst but 9 out of 10 this never comes to pass.  So why worry about it?  Except the worst and breath easier when it doesn't.
8. Make even the little things in life count...  When you wake up, take a deep breath and thank God or the Universe for another day.
9. Change the "I'll try" attitude to a "I Will" attitude...  If you continually tell yourself "I'll try", nothing will be accomplished.  There is no such thing as try.  Your mind works with "I will" and having a strong "Will do" attitude brings in many positive things into your life.
10. Reduce the clutter... I'll admit I'm a bit of a hoarder and need to channel my focus at times.  So I've created a journal to keep thoughts in.  In the process of doing this I have found a system that seems to work very well.  It's called the Bullet Journal and is very effective at organizing your life.

I could probably go on with many other things to help you get closer to your inner success but these are some things that helped me over the past few years.

Tomorrow we will say goodbye to 2016 so be safe and Happy Holidays...