Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Focusing on What People DO Instead of What They SAY

Don’t know what the Presidential candidates stand for? With all the rhetoric– and misrepresentations and omissions of fact that you’re hearing from both candidates, it’s tough to tell what their real beliefs are. Not to mention the fact that the press/media is being accused of being on Obama’s side. You can also see this in your daily life. The coworker filled with empty promises. The “friend” who is constantly cancelling lunch. Your local representative who did not vote the way they said when on the stump. (more…)

Chicken Little

chicken.jpgby David Bohl

Remember when you were a kid, and your mom and dad read you that story about Chicken Little?

Chicken Little feels an acorn drop on her head and assumes the sky is falling. She goes on to spread such misinformation to her animal friends. The chaos that ensues enables “Foxy Loxy” to come along and make a meal out of some of Chicken Little’s friends.

The story of Chicken Little is meant to show what happens when you pass along information that isn’t true. It leaves you vulnerable to attack because no one is paying attention to what’s really happening.

Lately, the mass hysteria that the media and the internet have contributed to is reminding me of that story. No, we’re not all running around squawking that the sky is falling, exactly. But we might as well be, with the election rumors flying around, the bailout backlash, and everything else that’s going on.

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Is Negativity Needed?

moon.jpgDon’t get me wrong; I’m all for looking on the bright side. But have you ever noticed… without the dark side, there can BE no bright side?

As Election Day edges closer, there’s an awful lot of negativity brewing. At first people seemed to thrive on pointing out how Candidate Obama didn’t do this, or Candidate McCain mismanaged that.

But now… I’m getting the distinct sense that people from both sides are just tired of hearing the criticism.

We know that the state of our country’s finances is grave. We know that something needs to change in order to fix it, and everything else that’s been or will be affected.

As the Obama campaign aptly points out, “It’s time for Change.”

But now we’ve got to figure out WHAT to do differently. And we can ONLY do that by exploring what we didn’t do right before.

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Trick Your Mind Into Saving Money

cash.jpgMost of us have been taught from a very young age by parents or grandparents that lived through the depression that the responsible thing to do is to save…. and save a lot!

But living in the generation where everything is so readily available… and can be charged or financed… spending seems to be the wheel most of find ourselves running. How do we break the cycle?

My biggest tip: use cash! Cash is much more difficult to part with than swiping your credit or debit cards. Using cash really makes the decision of “do I really need this” very easy. Cash is King, after all. Save for big ticket items. Not necessarily saving $30K for a new car… but surely you can put away a few dollars a week or month for that gaming system or washer/dryer you will be needing shortly! Saving and spending money you have saved also helps you determine if you are buying things your really “need.”
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Lifestyle Coach Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is – Offers FR.EE Teleseminar: How the Average American Can Weather the Financial Crisis Without Becoming Emotionally Overwhelmed

WEBCAST REPLAY NOW AVAILABLE – Sign up below.

Down Economy Got You Way Down? It doesn’t have to!

Join me for a FR.EE teleseminar THIS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15th, 2008 – 7:00 PM Central.

We all see what’s going on in the world.  It sure isn’t pretty.

The markets and economy are in the tank. Foreclosures, hiring freezes, salary cuts, and layoffs are a given.

We’re hunkered down in our bunkers waiting for the storm to blow over.  Is that the right approach?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Think about this:  When businesses feel the heat of the bad economy and decreasing sales, do they hunker down?  No!  They get very proactive.  They look for ways to cut costs and increase efficiencies.

AS INDIVIDUALS, WE SHOULD DO THE SAME THING.

  • Take this time to engage in some self-assessment instead of using all your energy for self-preservation.
  • Build some self-confidence, self-equity, and a foundation for your future – so that you can handle good times and bad.

Now is the best time to engage in a concentrated period of personal evaluation.

1.   Figure out where you are and where you want to go.
2.   Add things to your life that are important to you.
3.   Get rid of the things that just aren’t working anymore.

You don’t have to take it on the chin and allow the bad economy to control every aspect of your life.

Come out of the basement.  Take control.  Empower yourself!

Join me for a FR.EE teleseminar THIS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15th, 2008 at 7:00 PM Central.

WEBCAST REPLAY NOW AVAILABLE – Sign up below.

SIGN UP HERE:
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Down Economy Got You Way Down? Now is the Best Time to Do Some Personal Analysis

We all see what’s going on in the world.

The markets and economy are in the tank. Foreclosures, hiring freezes, salary cuts, and layoffs are a given.

We’re hunkered down in our bunkers waiting for the storm to blow over.  Is that the right appoach?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Think about this:  When businesses feel the heat of the bad economy and decreasing sales, do they hunker down?  No!  They get very proactive.  They look for ways to cut costs and increase efficiencies.

AS INDIVIDUALS, WE SHOULD DO THE SAME THING.

Take this time to engage in some self-assessment instead of using all your energy for self-preservation.

istock_000005985442xsmall.jpgBuild some self-confidence, self-equity, and a foundation for your future – so that you can handle good times and bad.

Now is the best time to enagage in a concentrated period of personal evaluation.

  1. Figure out where you are and where you want to go.
  2. Add things to your life that are imprtant to you.
  3. Get rid of the things that just aren’t working anymore.

You don’t have to take it on the chin and allow the bad economy to control every aspect of your life.

Come out of the basement.  Take control.  Empower yourself!

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How the Average American can Weather the Financial Crisis Without Becoming Emotionally Overwhelmed

From an interview I did this evening with Charles Benson of WTMJ TV 4 in Milwaukee, written by Katie DeLong:

“MILWAUKEE – David Bohl, a lifestyle coach and former venture capitalist with much knowledge when it comes to the economy and financial gains and losses appeared on Live at 4:30.

His message: people can actually benefit by focusing on themselves rather than just their bottom lines.

Bohl discussed how the average American can weather the financial crisis without becoming emotionally overwhelmed.”

Read the rest of the article and see the video.

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Thanks to Capitol Investor for including this post in the Investing Carnival, to My Two Dollars for featuring this post in the Money Hacks Carnival, to The Skilled Investor for publishing this post in the Carnival of Financial Planning, and to My Family’s Money for inclusion in the Carnival of 20 Something Finances.

A Question for the Readers: Are the Attitudes and Beliefs Expressed that of a Republican or Democrat?

USA Today (thank you) published an editorial of mine in today’s edition in response to MBA students take stock amid troubling times.

After reading the first response to my editorial, I am amazed that the reader made the assumption that I am a democrat.  I don’t see how what I wrote can be construed as political.

What do you think?

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Opportunity Magnified: The Value in Seeing What Others Miss

jump.jpgby David Bohl, Life Coach and Lifestyle Designer

I know it sounds cliche… but the power of positive thinking really does bring an avalanche of wonderful things pouring into your life.

From your job to your marriage to your social life to your personal interests… it pays to start listening to what your Inner Opportunist has to say.
Think for a moment about a company who lays off thousands of its employees–some that have worked at the company for 20 years. Debbie, one of these employees was the marketing manager of the company. She is laid off after giving 10 years of her professional life to the company–increasing its sales, hiring and mentoring an entire marketing area, and being at the company’s beck and call.

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Want to Know How to Design Your Life?

From my article How to Design Your Life at The Change Blog:

istock_000006913409xsmall.jpgThere are no guarantees that life will turn out the way you want… but you have a better chance of it turning out how you want if you know how to design your own life.

I like the image of an architect designing a building by first laying out the blueprints. Or a writer outlining a book starting with the table of contents. The ability to create from scratch is a powerful feeling. The house emerges from a sheet of drawings. The book takes shape from the imagination of the writer.

Can you really design your own life in much the same way the architect designs a house and the writer designs a book? 

Read the rest of How to Design Your Life.

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