Weirdforgood Hangout – 8 – Fishy Out of Water & CONTEXT is King!

Our floppy fishy story, leads us deep into a discussion about the ‘CONTEXT’ of the world we live in. Did you know that the CONTEXT you perceive the world to be, is actually a construction of your mind that can be remodeled at any time, by YOU?

Dig Deep again with us this week, in one of the most enlightening and real conversations on the web, here at our weirdforgood world!

With Aaron Nichols & Michael Wright

You’ll want to have a notepad handy again this week!

You can read more about me, Aaron Nichols on my about page. (sorry that my video feed is choppy!)

or Michael Wright’s website — http://www.fatherofone.com

Enjoy!

To be part of next week’s Hangout — Email Me at aaron@truenorthffc.com, each week I send out an invitation email with the details on how to get setup. (It’s pretty easy) then join us at 5:30 CST with 45 minutes to get in depth and have a fun — REAL discussion!

Weirdforgood Hangout – 7 – The Big Bad Wolf of Self Judgement

The Two Wolves Story begins a fantastic discussion about self judgement in our Hangout this week. It is an empowering feeling to recognize that we are in control of whether we ‘feed’ and give life to our negative thoughts and beliefs, or our positive and life enhancing thoughts… OR, how we can take anything that comes at us, and find the message, and be the change that we want to see in the world.

With Aaron Nichols & Michael Wright

You’ll want to have a notepad handy again this week!

You can read more about me, Aaron Nichols on my about page. (sorry that my video feed is choppy!)

or Michael Wright’s website — http://www.fatherofone.com

Enjoy!

To be part of next week’s Hangout — Email Me at aaron@truenorthffc.com, each week I send out an invitation email with the details on how to get setup. (It’s pretty easy) then join us at 5:30 CST with 45 minutes to get in depth and have a fun — REAL discussion!

You Gotta’ Know When to Hold’Em, Know When to Fold’em!

Pocket Rockets – Big Slick – Cowboys or Ladies, Yup: “I’m All In!” Okay, maybe on Middle Pair or Suited Connectors too, just depends on the Feeelin’…
Ever play a friendly game of pitch or hearts or spades or maybe pinochle? Well these games are fun, but the one we’re talking about today is Texas Hold’Em Poker.
A poker table surrounded by family and friends can have all the drama, excitement, strategy and disappointment that you can find on the WSOP with a little less $$ at risk.

I know this well.
Truthfully the Texas Hold’em Games that I have played in over the last several years have been more of a source of camaraderie, social time & family fun than any money-making-or-losing endeavours.
But a thought occurred to me recently whilst the game was slowly getting going for the night…
“Nobody wants to win early”
Huh? Why would that be?
Well we all want to win Big don’t we?
You see the early games are usually when people are just getting warmed up. There are fewer people at the beginning to enter the pot. They haven’t decided to risk much yet on their hands. The stakes are therefore quite small.
A general feeling among the players at these Non-Tournament games is that our luck and skill can only bring in so many winning hands. It is near impossible to take every pot for a whole night. I’ve never seen it done.
So if our Luck is finite and we know we want to win big. The best time to win is later in the game.
If we spend our dough riskily in the beginning, maybe win some, maybe lose some, we don’t lose big, but we Cannot win big, there just isn’t a bunch of chips being bet to take. If we lose all we’ve brought to play with, we are done.
We need to have chips available later in the night. More people show up. Many have lost a little and bought more chips to play with. The stacks around the table grow. The betting gets bigger. The stakes are higher. Now is the time to use your best skills. Ideally, you don’t have to risk everything to take down a big hand, when you’ve built your wealth slowly over time.
So conservative play early, leads to the chance to be in the game later when the stakes are much higher. The big winners understand this, and consistently over time, they can beat out luck.
How come in Life “Everybody wants to win early”?
We want to have the things now that it took our parents or grandparents 30 years to accumulate. Waiting to save up for stuff or cars or the house we deserve is Not part of “what everybody thinks”.
Truth is: the principle works the same in Life as is does on the Poker Table. Winning Early, doesn’t mean Winning Big, in fact it can prevent us from being in the game at all later on…
The record number of bankruptcy cases and the state of our economy in general is proof of this. Lots of Americans thought they had big blessings of the house, car & lifestyle of the American Dream, for just a few reasonable monthly payments. Those things weren’t blessings, they were burdens.
Those who showed us the Real American Dream didn’t borrow their way into it, they paid as they went, started small and invested over time.
“Radical” ideas of conservative spending and money management are starting to look a lot smarter now.
These three things are the essence of poker: Mystery, Risk & Luck. Without any one, the game completely changes.
In Life we can embrace the Mystery, feel the thrill of Risk, but there are proven ways to beat out Luck.
I hope you take the time to educate yourself on what these proven ways are. If you have Any questions, I would be glad to show you the way.
You DO Deserve to Win BIG!!

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols
True North Financial Fitness Coaching
aaron@truenorthffc.com
785-218-6134
http://www.truenorthffc.com/

Got a leaky Wallet? Bulging budget or none at all? Dilapidated Debt that you’re sick of living with?  You are losing hard earned dollars every month! Let me show you how to spackle the cracks and firm up your financial foundation. DIY or using my professional services, either way, the best time to fix your finances is Now!

We’re droppin the Green Flag!

Financial Fitness. It’s coming on like a nitrous-powered dragster. Can you feel the ground rumbling?
Surely you are noticing this new wave of thinking. It’s actually old school that is now becoming cool again 🙂
  • Interest in having savings.
  • Pride in conservative spending.
  • People starting to go on a Stuff Diet.
  • Less impulse to get a loan for a purchase.
  • Overall more emphasis on wise money habits.
This is absolutely the best thing to come out of the change in our economy in the last couple years. The growth of our relationship with debt and it’s impacts on our lives is tremendous.
We all had a wonderful chance to learn how important it is to not be spread too thin with our money. I see GREAT things in the future for those who’ve learned from the mistakes of our culture in recent years.
Wise people from Ottawa and the surrounding areas about to embark on a financial learning journey. They have chosen to attend Financial Peace University. These classes are being held all over the nation. I am volunteering to host one at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Ottawa. It starts on Monday night… I AM EXCITED!!!!!
“More than one million families have attended Financial Peace University with amazing results. On average, these families paid off $5,300 in debt and saved $2,700 in just the first 90 days!” (from DR’s website)
All 18 people in my class had a pivotal moment when they made the decision to do this. With one little three letter word of “yes”, they’ve transformed thier financial future forever. VICTORY with a word.
It won’t be easy, but Everyone who attends all 13 weeks and implements the changes, will be driving a fast moving dragster toward Financial Peace!
Proud and honored are just a couple of the things I feel about being the host for this event.
I have personally lived the experience of the ride to debt-freedom. It will be inspiring to watch this class develop toward the same goal. In this group setting they will see that they are not alone. Together they’ll support and encourage each other. It will be a wonderful gathering of energy focused on the acceptance of debt-reality and real action toward improvement!

My individual coaching services are best for the kickstart needed to get your financial engine rebuilt and idling correctly. We can even work together toward a sweet tune-up and solid reliable ride.

Financial Peace University is always a recommended follow-up to that package. For the long term health of your money-motor, FPU provides instruction for You to become your own certified mechanic, customizer and driver of a Real Financial Hot Rod! Are you ready?
Visit the first night of an FPU Class near you. It is free with no obligation. I warn you, it is tough to see the fun and not want to join up. In this race, Everybody gets to win!
Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols
True North Financial Fitness Coaching
aaron@truenorthffc.com
785-218-6134
http://www.truenorthffc.com/

Got a leaky Wallet? Bulging budget or none at all? Dilapidated Debt that you’re sick of living with?  You are losing hard earned dollars every month! Let me show you how to spackle the cracks and firm up your financial foundation. DIY or using my professional services, either way, the best time to fix your finances is Now!

College Prep Chemistry at Ottawa High

Good Morning from a nice sunny January Day in Princeton!
Waaaaaay back in the 90’s when I attended Ottawa High School, in Ottawa, Kansas, There were a couple words that could strike fear in the heart of this slightly above average student: “Doc Cain!” Although I had no rational basis for being so scared of Mr. Cain and his College Prep Chemistry Class, I just plain was.
I took the course in my Junior Year and have many vivid memories. College Prep Chemistry was the most comprehensive and in-depth study that I had experienced in my 16 years. The kids in class were your typical over-achievers. We felt this was important stuff that was preparing us for the courses we’d take at University level in the years to come. We did experiments and bent little glass pipettes. We used crucibles and torches and took notes and were very serious about it all. The work load was tough, the subjects abstract.
Big projects required extra time in class. Somehow no matter how early you showed up, it seemed that Mr. Cain had already been there for hours. The classical music on NPR was a mind-bending contrast from the CD’s I was spinnin in my 84′ pickup truck.
We spent many hours after school as well. Small groups in the Cyclone Room would be head-down and scribbling pages and pages worth of equations, observations and solutions to complex problems. Usually we would work together and share ideas on how to complete the task at hand. Among these kids, we would usually find a suitable answer.
The most crushing moments came for me while working on a several page written document, and coming to a point where I could continue no more. The problem was not solved, and I was stuck! I would have had an hour or maybe many involved in this one equation. After asking the other smarties, and seeing their looks of confusion at what I had created, I knew there was only one thing to do… I had to go back into the class and ask Him for help… Mr. Cain was always glad to assist, but the pain of showing my stupidity to him on paper was an ego-killer!
I remember several of these moments, I always had the same experience. EVERY SINGLE time I went to him for help, I had two pages or more worth of words, numbers and symbols written by hand. I wanted help with the last two sentences or equations where I had become stuck. I proudly showed him all the work that went into this huge mess of lead on paper and asked him for just a little boost or fix for this little issue I had run into…
EVERY SINGLE TIME I had made my mistake Waaaaaay up at the beginning.  Every single time, he would look at the place on the page I was pointing, disregard that, and run his eyes hours back in time, up the sheet, to the place I started my screw-up. Aaaggghhhhh! NO!!
Humbled, Crushed and feeling stupid, I would sulk back to the booth by the windows and start all over…
You know what? When I would use his advice and do it right from the beginning, the problem would usually be Much faster, easier and more satisfying to complete than before. Even in starting over, the problem could get finished on time and turned in with a good grade.
In that world and in our financial world we are allowed to continue with our mistakes for awhile. We get to struggle along and think we’re getting somewhere. It may even look, at first glance, like we are. These denials of the truth and false-identities are what Debt gives to us. Our metaphorical chemistry assignment page of life can look like we’ve accomplished much. A nice big house, expensive college degree, newer cars and lots of trips to the city for Stuff we Need. This is what the average American’s written page looks like.
But, we are not living at a level of True Wealth. We have financial problems. Our money stresses do not stem from this month’s high utility bills. The issue is not our unexpected flat tire. It’s not Christmas’s fault or the cost of the kids’ traveling sports team.
Truth is, we’ve made a mistake waay back at the beginning. Our behavior pattern, our perception of money and wealth in general is Wrong. I guess I’ll be just as unpopular as Mr. Cain when I tell you that you’ve got to start over with your ideas about money in general. We’ve got to go back to square one and learn new things. That is, if you ever want to get unstuck from your finances and move on to the exciting and prosperous next level.
The shining silver lining here parallels my experience with a long chemistry equation back in 1996. When you start over and get it right from the beginning, the answer to the problem comes so much Faster, Easier and More Satisfying that you forget all about the years and years of doing it the wrong way. That moment of regret from being dumb, is blown away by the Fun and Thrilling stride after stride you’re taking when you know you’re on the right track.
Stay tuned to my blog, check out my website http://www.truenorthffc.com/ or go to http://www.daveramsey.com/ . The truth is out there and I’d like to introduce you to it. You deserve it! You work too hard to not be enjoying the level of peace, security and generosity that you have earned. Take it from me, a debt-free kid from Ottawa High, it is absolutely worth the ego-hit to start all over and get it right.
Thanks Mr. Cain, for the chemistry and more importantly: Life Lessons!
Sincerely,

 

 

Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
aaron@truenorthffc.com
785-218-6134
http://www.truenorthffc.com/

Got a leaky Wallet? Bulging budget or none at all? Delapidated Debt that you’re sick of living with?  You are losing hard earned dollars every month! Let me show you how to spackle the cracks and firm up your financial foundation. DIY or using my professional services, either way, the best time to fix your finances is Now!

Reading is like Cheating… At Life!

Happy Thursday and I hope your day is going GREAT!!

Question: Do you Read? If so, what kind of books or magazines do you read? If not, why not? I could post some statistics here on the percentage of Americans reading today and all that jazz, but mostly I care about the population that is reading this blog.
I know the reasons why I don’t read often enough: not prioritizing it high enough, not sticking with a book all the way through or basically doing other things with my time… BUT, I have, in the last several years found that the things that made the biggest impact in my daily life are the great books I have read, and certainly not any TV program or movie I’ve watched.

Motivational speaker and humorist Charles “Tremendous” Jones has a famous quote that goes like this:

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and books you read.”

There are so many great resources out there for people wanting to know more about any topic in life. Being able to sit down and ingest pages of information that took someone else years of research, study and hard-knocks to figure out, is almost like cheating! Why would we think that figuring out every aspect of our journey on our own is the best way?

I am as independent and adventurous as anybody, but still love to have my mind blown by ideas expressed by experts in their own fields. Recently it has been Seth Godin’s words about entrepreneurship and how to market in today’s world. Everyone knows that Dave Ramsey’s book completely changed my life two years ago. Also about one year ago, I read Men are From Mars and Women are from Venus… Seriously, life-altering words on a page! What a fantastic gift we can give to ourselves is knowledge that someone else has gained over years of hard work and trial and error.

I am publicly making my own goals known. I want to read 1 non-fiction book per month. I have fallen behind in the last couple months for sure, but for Christmas I’m giving myself a gift of time and focus on finishing 12 books for 2011… I currently have bought titles in the realm of small business, marketing, human relations, motivation & success in general.

What genres are you interested in or already reading? I would love to hear feedback and suggestions on your favorite books!

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”  – Harry S. Truman

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching

http://www.truenorthffc.com/

785-218-6134
Free 30 Minute Financial Analysis – No Obligation – Completely Confidential

Rat-In-A-Wheel or R-A-D-I-C-A-L!!!

Hello Thursday!! Just a little insight, Thursdays have always been my favorite day of the week 🙂 Almost into the weekend and still time to get things done!

Okay, so the title of this post was meant to get your attention. Did it work?? I am throwing a radical idea out today.

Right smack dab in the middle of the consumer culture of christmas, I want to speak a minute about where we’re getting to with our financial goals. Do you ever feel that you work hard all day and when that paycheck comes in you sit down to send it all back out? A rat in a wheel spins that baby all day long and is tired from the exercise but really didn’t go anywhere. I’ve been there, done that. I’ve felt the stress of juggling due dates of bills vs. when the paycheck comes in. I’ve longed for the purchase of some item I just had to have, and it seems the only way to buy it is on a monthly payment. Where was I getting to with this lifestyle?
Enter the world of the radical for a minute. This is when it’s time to get control of your money instead of it controlling you. How about the first moment of clipping your credit cards and never again using their Capital to Chase your future into the American Distress? How would you like open and honest communication and assistance from your spouse on handling the finances as a team? What about the power of walking into the store buying exactly what you want and not having to do any mental math on how it affects your checking account? What if your mailbox seems to be emptier every time you check it from paying off those little nagging medical or store credit debts?
Go in your mind to the drivers seat of your paid for car. I guarantee it will drive better. Then remember that you’ve freed up another $300 or $400 dollars per month. Where did that go? Now it’s time to see a balance of savings piling up in your emergency fund. How about the moment that your car’s tranny goes out and you get to decide to put in a new one with cash or just pay cash for a whole car instead? What about the understanding that your retirement will be well funded because you made strides today that your 65 year old self will love you for?
Finally, (and I love this one 🙂 What about pulling into the drive of your paid-for home, having been living debt-free for several years, and this is the night that you decide to write a 5-figure check to anonymously help a family in need. You can relate to the stress this family is under. This money is extra, above and beyond what you need for yourself. Then you have the power to drop a money-bomb on them and change their futures forever… Radical? Yes. Possible? Absolutely!
In the world of the radical there are some sacrifices and things to be cut back on. You will and should feel weird about some of the changes you’ll make. There are huge gains to be enjoyed from stepping off of the revolving hamster wheel and starting to use your energy to propel yourself truly forward. I hope this little journey has been fun. The real thing REALLY is fun. I can attest to that.
I hope your holidays are going great. I am offering discounts and lots of free material on my website for you to utilize, please take advantage of them as you step toward a Radical new lifestyle!
“True Nobility is not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
aaron@truenorthffc.com
http://www.truenorthffc.com/
785-218-6134

Free 30 Minute Financial Analysis – No Obligation – Completely Confidential

Windshield or Rearview??

Happy Thursday as the sun shines and cool weather has set in.

Today’s question seems simple enough… “When driving to work this morning did you happen to look out of windshield of your car or did you only use the rearview mirror?”

Silly question right? It would be terrible if everyone decided to use their rearview mirror to drive all over town. I think my friend Kevin would have a lot more work in his industry as an auto insurance adjuster!

Financially how are you driving? Do you know how much you’ve spent every month, feel comfortable about that and use the past month’s expenses to know exactly the amount it took to make it to the end? This would technically be the same as driving using your rearview mirror. Some people even write out their “budget” and have expenses marked down on a nice spreadsheet and track them very clearly. This is a step in the right direction, although we are still focusing on where we’ve been and not where we’re going.

Just like our cars, the best way to navigate financially is to look forward, see what’s ahead and plan to steer around the curves and stop when we come to an intersection. A Pre-Planned Zero Balance Budget is the best way to plan your month’s money. We start by looking forward into the upcoming month, writing down our income that we expect to bring in, and then working down the list of expenses until every dollar has been spent. Also this should be done at the beginning of each month because expenses change as the months change. We can plan our lives a month at a time and make adjustments along the way knowing that we are staying on the road we’ve planned out the entire time.
Some folks have irregular income amounts and may feel it’s impossible to plan things out this way. On the contrary, it is even more important to get a written plan ahead of time to know where to put money as it comes in. With the same form that you can download in the link below, write out all your expenses for the upcoming month. Then in the left column put a priority number on each expense. #1 would be food, then utilities, then house payment, then car gas, payment & insurance… Food, Shelter, Clothing & Transportation are the 4-walls it takes for all of us to live.  Make sure and spend out categories up to the amount you expect to bring in and beyond. Then as the money comes in, pay yourself into each category by the numbered order on the list. Do not spend money on a credit card bill or to eat out until the house payment is paid. This will make sure your basics are taken care of and you have a plan for each dollar as it arrives.

Click Here for Aaron’s Zero Balance Budget Tool -on the Resources page at TrueNorthFFC.com where I’ve uploaded my Zero Balance Budget Tool and some other great documents to help you get your financial ferrari on the autobahn!

Now we have to be honest here… Not everyone is looking out the windshield or the rearview… some are wearing a blindfold and mashing the gas! The results of this plan of driving are obvious. The car gets beatup, rides really rough and sometimes causes fender-benders with others out there on the road. By downloading my budget form and filling it out, we take off the blindfold and know where we are at. Seeing on paper how much we have coming in and going out helps us to know if we should slow down some spending or plan to pull into a service station!

All of us are really driving ourselves somewhere financially every day. I hope we are headed where we want to go! I would love some feedback on the budget files I’ve posted for download. Remember that you can get yourself going in the right direction, but if you need navigational help, a tune-up or overhaul, I’ll be at your service.

Money flows from those who don’t manage it to those who do. ~Dave Ramsey

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
785-218-6134
Free 30 Min Financial Analysis – No Obligation – Completely Confidential

Swap a Swipe

Happy Thursday and THANK YOU for checking back in with my blog!

Today’s update is gonna be Quick and Dirty! No fancy pics or flowery descriptions. I want to switch up the focus for this one.

Usually I’m expressing the “Why’s” of the journey to debt freedom. Usually we’ll have examples of the reasons to, and feelings obtained by bringing your finances under your control, instead of being under theirs.

Today, I’ve got a quickie challenge for you. This is one small step in the right direction. I’m sure that anyone reading this, can incorporate this one little adjustment into their habits.

Swap A Swipe! There are purchases you’re making on a daily or weekly basis that are just part of the routine. Is it coffee and a donut on the way to work? Or maybe grabbing lunch out with friends on a Friday? How about Happy Hour Drink at a certain Drive-In? Probably the biggest weekly purchase for most families would be groceries. Do you use plastic to make these purchases? If it is debit or credit, studies have shown that we have a different emotional response when we swipe a piece of plastic vs. handing over cold hard cash!

So, the challenge is this. Think about your “normal” expenditure for one of these weekly purchases. Take out that same amount in cash and put it in an envelope in your car, purse or wallet and label it coffee, lunch, Sonic, groceries, you get the point.

Then, leave your plastic in the car or at home when it is time to make that purchase.

Whip out your envelope. Hand those green bills over. See if it feels any different.

My guarantee is this. If you create this envelope, promise yourself you’ll only spend what is in it for that purchase, and follow through, it will be impossible to overspend. Now, we didn’t change anything about your buying habit, except the method of payment. I know that this one small step is something we can all incorporate into our day-to-day life.

I use envelopes all the time and love it. My clients begin to use them and feel power over their money instead of it having power over them. Give it a shot, what have you got to lose??

Post your ideas here on the comments page or on the True North FFC Facebook Page. I would love to hear what you decide to use cash to buy instead of the card.

“Children do what feels good. Adults devise a plan and stick to it!” – Dave Ramsey

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols
True North Financial Fitness Coaching
785-218-6134
aaron@truenorthffc.com
www.truenorthffc.com

Free 30 Minute Financial Analysis – No Obligaton – Completely Confidential

Out of Order and Backwards

Happy Thursday and welcome back to Ready for Better. Thanks for being here!

“I Owe, I Owe, So Off to Work I Go!”

Anyone relate to this quote?? I’ve put together some of my roadtrip pictures to help illustrate our Out of Order and Backwards way that most of us are using to handle our finances… I have lived this way for many years, so please know I am speaking first hand!

Ahh, Oregon, Beautiful Trees and Driving…

Oh the doowdeR’s – How majestic!

The odaroloC and hatU border, one of my favorite stops 🙂

Facing South down the coast… Wait a min, shouldn’t the Ocean be on my right??

Okay, Okay, these photos have been mirrored and are all out of order!

Like the pictures above, we sometimes like the overall colors of our financial situation. It is nice and even pretty because it is ours and we created it, even in it’s backward-ness.
When we choose to buy-now and pay-later, or purchase on credit, we have flipped backwards the natural order.
Have you ever heard this? “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7 – Really think about that SLAVE word.
When we head off to work in the morning, what are we usually doing… Earning an income to pay for our basic needs of course, but those are only part of that reason. What about consumer debt in the form of credit card bills, student loans, car loans, or maybe a HELOC (Like I once used to buy a 4-wheeler!!)? These all represent moments where we were backwards in our purchasing process.
Working because we owe a lender their monthly payment for something we bought weeks, months or years ago is exhausting. There is no way to get ahead in this system.
The thunderstorm of commercials and marketing we have dumped on us every day, convince us we are smart to choose the backward system of credit. Zero percent interest, 90 days same as cash, and double airline miles are all efforts to seduce you by companies who know how to really make money. Who is getting the best deal when we choose to buy now and pay later?? They do of course, they understand the “Borrower is Slave to the Lender”…
If we first work, then save, then purchase an item, we have returned to the natural order. At that point we are slave to no one and can choose to live our days as we would most like to. Planning forward with savings and then truly owning the stuff in our life, opens up the doors to financial peace and a wealthy future.
Are you Ready for a Better life than debt has brought you so far? Does this message stir any emotion? If so, that is good, because it means that there is hope for you to find freedom and release the chains of consumer debt.
You are special. You work too hard to not be getting ahead. You are worth it! It requires sacrifice to climb out of debt, and when we sacrifice, we are blessed with fantastic results!“Debt gives you the ability to look like you’re winning, when you’re not.” – Dave Ramsey

Sincerely,
Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
785-218-6134
Free 30 Minute Financial Analysis – No Obligation – Completely Confidential