My 2013 Work Report: Lessons in Productivity

“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” Paul J Meyer

2013 has been turning out to be a productive year.

Well, as things turned out, I not only tutored my girl – helping her improve her grade in her weakest subject to an “A”, but also improved work productivity levels on the business front.

I was not expecting things to turn out the way it did at first.

Right from January, I was all prepared to slow down my business.

I wanted to avail my time for my 12-year old girl who was sitting for national exams in October. Just to give you an idea on how competitive the situation is, parents are known to take a sabbatical or leave their jobs so that they can coach their children in an exam whereby they eventually get ranked according to their scores nation-wide. The scores would largely determine their schooling for the next 4-6 years.
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7 Painful Lessons to Avoid While Pursuing Multiple Sources of Income

“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” Soren Kierkegaard

In the book, Multiple Sources of Income, Robert Allen presents 10 sure-fire ways to generating more than $100,000 a year, on a part-time basis and with little or no money. If the topic interests you, then by all means buy his book. However, should my personal experience be anything to go by, allow me to share that some of my best tips in the pursuit of multiple sources of income.

Well, my tips come from having made many unwise decisions in finance, stock trading and buying into “make money quick” schemes. In the last two decades, I have ventured into many opportunities: from investing in Bordeaux wine in a French vineyards, physical gold holdings, foreign exchange, property in the States and elsewhere in the world, and so on. I have also explored a few business models online, only to realise later that they did not work out.
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3 Examples of Secondary Gain That Keep You Financially Stuck

What is secondary gain?

Secondary gain keeps you in sabotage. You may have a certain goal, desire or dream. However, the existence of a secondary gain obstructs you from taking the necessary steps for goal alignment. The secondary gain is the reason that keeps you stuck. You mistakenly perceive that there is a greater benefit to remaining where you currently are.

Let’s apply that to a money situation. You have the dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur. Yet, you take no action towards the dream. You choose to spend hours playing Candy Crush on Facebook or some other computer game with whatever free time you have. The secondary gain that you derive is the feel-good that you derive from the games.

It becomes difficult for a breakthrough once you are stuck in mindless repetitive activity. You could be in the same state for a very long time. You are aware of how frustrated you feel about not achieving your dream, but could be unconscious to the specific secondary benefit that is preventing you from moving forward.
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5 Possible Outcomes From Battling Money Woes

Are money woes causing you to react in a way that affects your overall wellness even more?

I have observed some common outcomes that my clients and friends – those with money struggles – report to having. Their money woes might not have started out as something huge – in the big picture of things. Yet, a number of them felt that they “cannot take it”. They experienced emotional reactions that caused them to take on irrational behavior or unwise actions.

Eventually, their behavior and actions made the situation worse. Their money woes soon became bigger. Their problems became a lot harder to deal with.

I lost a dear friend who took his own life. It was money issues that contributed a large part to his depression. Although he was not the reason why I decided to specialize with helping others deal with their money struggles a year on, his encounters certainly gave me a lot of food for thought on how financial triggers could end dramatically.
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7 Tips to Overcoming Money Insecurity While Undergoing Career Transition

“Change is always tough. Even for those who see themselves as agents of change, the process of starting a new thing can cause times of disorientation, uncertainty and insecurity.” Joyce Meyer

Are you in-between jobs or undergoing a career transition?

Or perhaps you have been thinking long and hard about quitting your job and changing line…and yet have not dared take the plunge?

If so, let me guess: you are not having an easy time.

You have been feeling a level of insecurity with a sudden loss in income or the thought of an expected loss in income.
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What You Say Daily Affects Your Wealth

Your words affects the level of your wealth. It ultimately reflects the way you think and what your mind focuses on.

What we say has a correlation with wealth patterns.

I wanted to understand the correlation more closely and was doing some research when I came across an interesting video based on this topic itself.

Apparently, Behavioral Economist Dr Keith Chen came up with the idea that languages without the concept of a future correlate strongly with high savings rates. Obviously, cultural language forms an important part of our communication and savings is a measure of our net worth and therefore amount of wealth. Futureless languages are those that use the word “will” — “It rain tomorrow,” instead of “It will rain tomorrow” – for instance.
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How to Create A Conscious Life of Financial Breakthroughs

How you do money is how you do everything. And vice versa.

Financial or money situations offer divine lessons. They are opportunities in disguise. Each presents you a chance for a breakthrough. It is a chance for you to break free yourself from worry, frustration and any limiting belief. The process of alchemy whereby you transmute into your brilliance – free from all fear – offers a holistic path to happiness.

I recall one of my coaches telling me about his vision 2-3 years ago. His vision was to lead a breakthrough life and inspire his students to do the same. When I first heard his vision, I was doubtful. My critical voice protested, “that will be overwhelming and impossible on a daily basis!” Little did I know that I would be encouraging my clients in a similar vein today 🙂
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Book Review: Choices and Illusions by Dr Eldon Taylor

“Life is indeed full of choices and illusions. What I know today is this: If we do not examine our illusions, they can take us far, far away from our intended path.” Dr Eldon Taylor in Choices and Illusions

Choices and Illusions by Dr Eldon Taylor is a book that will be great for those who wish to understand about how we can change the patterns that would lead us to greater happiness and fulfillment. Its newest revised edition has just been launched. The book was already a New York Times best seller when it was first released.

Well, I was invited to review the latest edition. I had said yes to the invitation, but do note that my post is not a compensated review. I said “yes” because the need to look into beliefs that we unconsciously buy into is something that I highly recommend doing.

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How to Activate the Shift from Being Financially Stuck

“If you see yourself as prosperous, you will be. If you see yourself as continually hard up, that is exactly what you will be.”- Robert Collier

Poverty consciousness grows on you over time. You wear its cloak without truly realizing how melancholic it has been making you feel. Ever so often, you try to shrug off your struggle, with the justification that it is your fate or destiny to be poor. Without ever stopping to take a deep reflection, you can continue to merely get by, scrambling to make ends meet.

The vast majority of people are saddled with poverty consciousness by default. Mostly, we do not grow up in wealthy family backgrounds or have environments that help us develop mindsets of prosperity. Additionally, we are brought up on beliefs that are handed down over the generations about having to struggle hard for the money. Fed on a diet of limited thinking, we are programmed with poverty consciousness.
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21 Signs That You Are Not In Prosperity Consciousness

“Let not your mind run on what you lack as much as on what you have already.” – Marcus Aurelius

It is in the little acts that you may not be fully aware of. They could be telling of whether or not you or someone else is operating from prosperity consciousness or not. Yet, if you are engaging in these acts often enough, they are indicative of what is going on in your mindset.

Here are 21 indicative signs of vibrating in lack and scarcity…

1. Set a limit to what you can receive.

2. Find it difficult to charge what you are worth; thus always undercharging and giving discounts.

3. Have a tendency to hoard eg. hoard food, money and stuff that you no longer need.

4. Refuse or avoid paying for your share often enough; by either giving the favorite excuse of having left your wallet at home or pretending to fumble through your bag for your wallet when presented with the receipt for shared dinner meals.
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