I realize I find it easy to think about money and yet in the end I must focus on the life I want to create for myself. Next after that clear vision of the life I want then I should think about the money.

Whenever I focus on the money I want to make I find myself further from the life I want to live.

It is difficult to balance the 2 and – well it is work in progress for myself. Comment if you feel the same.

I often think of a funny experience, very funny looking back.

I was in an elevator in Thailand where I just moved to perhaps a year or so earlier. There was myself, a Thai person and another foreigner who couldn’t speak any Thai. I spoke with the Thai person the entire elevator ride and when we got off the foreigner and I he told my Thai was very good, impressive.

I laughed and explained the conversation details. The Thai person repeatably asked me questions. I repeatably replied apologizing asking him to repeat his question as I didn’t understand. I recall thinking that I couldn’t believe he hadn’t given up on asking me questions, given I couldn’t understand him at all.

Anyway, I told my friend over several back and forth was nothing more than myself apologizing for not understanding.

The age old warning of don’t judge a book by its cover.

At the end of the day what do you count and think about your wins or your losses?

What you do here can be the difference between feeling like a winner vs feeling like a loser. Honestly, I used to leave this to chance, basically my mood. After listening to the Gap and the Gain for a 2nd time I realize, I’m leaving how I feel to autopilot as opposed to deciding how I want to feel. Who doesn’t want to feel like a winner? That feeling can carry over. For example, birds of a feather flock together, so positive people will attract positive people. Even negative people will be attracted to positive people as they want the emotional boost. Feeling like a winner definitely puts one into a positive emotional state.

OK, so how do we do this? High level the book goes into writing down just your 3 wins for the day and the 3 wins you plan for tomorrow. So do I feel like a winner now all the time, no! Though I sure feel like a winner a lot more than I did before I started this practice. Feeling better and better.

Try it, let me know how your feelings change and everything else around you as a result.

Don’t worry this isn’t a lecture on honesty. I joke the most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves. It is just about how believing our own bullshit can be costly.

Like I can go to a buffet and still eat within reason and very healthy, not! Can’t do it. At best I can go to the buffet eat without guilt – to fully honest – I eat go all out and feel guilty. So I no longer go to buffets unless friends family push for it.

I’m good at saving money and keeping it in the bank – nope suck at it. We bought some real estate properties and rent out them out – can’t spend that money if it is invested in property. The more difficult the access the less likely I’ll make those impulse buys.

The yo-yo dieting – sick of it. I’m finally more honest with myself, maybe not completely. I’m tired of pretending my temporary eating habit change will lead to a permanent body transformation. I need something more permanent – like when I quit drinking.

The worst lie I told myself for too long was I can learn drawing just watching videos. Yes a person can do this and myself, I just get sleepy and then distracted. I need live classes. For myself that’s what works. I’m in my 50s and I need to be honest, I require something like or basically an accountability buddy on things that are important. Can’t be a friend as well could easily end the friendship someone calling me out on bullshit may not work to well among friends. Depends… For myself online live classes seems to be best. Live training too. I have bad posture – sure I can physically do the stretches without someone watching me all the time, but I don’t …

Any crap you tell yourself holding you back? Feel free to share. Enjoy.

The following is true for myself, and I believe it will resonate with many others.

Talking and thinking about what other people need to do for you. Especially if you have no influence over those people. Even if you do have some influence often it is best – at least for myself to focus on what I can do. I like to lead by example. Granted if you’re a manager – even then focus on how to get better at influencing people. At least that is what you can do – as opposed why isn’t so and so or WTF is wrong with blah blah blah.

I just am so much happier when I focus on what I can do to get better and help others or what not as opposed to thinking what people should do – or worse what the govt should – nothing like thoughts on that make myself miserable.

I differentiate though between what the govt the should do and guessing what they will do. Guessing and planning for what they will do can help myself prepare better for the future. Doing this without judgement. For example, I expect higher taxes and so I figure I need to make more money to pay for those taxes. Or find better ways to reduce my taxes – either will work, though judging and complaining won’t.

Well enjoy and be happy – don’t put any conditions on your happiness 🙂

Today I’m immigration. Can’t say I enjoy. Yet when I am logical about things it really isn’t a big deal.

I mean I got to see my mentor online to study drawing. We finished another mini comic, another big win. When I am present feel great! Writing this is actually making me feel better as well.

It is all about focus most of the time. Tolle is totally on to something with the power of Now. OK he is totally correct and until you feel it, it won’t seem real.

Well enjoy your day! If you aren’t then take a deep breath, and come back to the present. Enjoy!

It is funny despite wanting more wealth I find myself drawn to minimalism of late as I caught myself thinking of getting the new mac mini – my university would buy for me. Just thinking I want to maximize my time, focus and experiences on what matters – requires wealth yet not material especially as getting into drawing – just pen and paper – required. iPad is nice. A mentor huge at least for myself, game changer – this is where I want my money to go – things that truly enough my life – like mentors helping me move forward in the direction I want to go.

Not planning on throwing out stuff and I am thinking how to focus on what’s important… Today was planning to get a health check up and I’m like can still draw it really isn’t a big deal to spend my time there – not in the way of what i love.

I think of the saying health is wealth – same could be said for happiness. I wouldn’t say the same about luxury items. Not something I care much for. I’ve read or heard experiences is more important for happiness. Also, giving brings great joy too.

Anyway, I know I will find more overall happiness and at least mental health by minimizing distractions be it from social media to the material things that don’t bring lasting joy. Thus leading to a wealthier life by my definition of wealth.

Enjoy and happy to hear your thoughts experiences.

Today was doing some breath work – meditation in the morning. Mind was racing. Couldn’t sleep, so decided to do some breath work and observe my strongest bodily sensations – forgive me as I’m over generalizing everything. An hour went by like it was nothing, probably drifted off a few times to be fair without noticing.

During this my back was itching and this and that distracting me. Sometimes I might “scratch that itch”. Then I was like holy cow – this is like how my brain can be especially when going crazy and realized just as the sensations change without doing anything my thoughts change without doing anything. Not saying never do anything just that I don’t have to listen to every thought even if that thought is screaming for attention. It will pass and again sometimes it is best to scratch that itch. If you’re sitting on a nail… Though I found this connection comforting. I’m sure to some it is obvious, and yeah heard this before though feeling it hit me so much harder this more than just intellectually know it.

Can check out Kam and Stu Wilson at BreathInspired.com as they’re the experts here that I’ve studied under, especially for this specific technique – Vivation (which I didn’t cover how to just my experience today).

Often I’ve chosen methods I liked even if I didn’t like the results. Then there are other times when I picked something for the results even though I didn’t like the method. Ultimately, when the results were good to great I ended up enjoying or at least appreciating the method a lot more.

Prime example, not getting better at drawing is probably more common than many realize or at least I realized. I haven’t gotten better at drawing in a long time until I hired a mentor actually. We did a lot of drawing boxes he was worried that I might get bored and I said as long as I’m improving I’m enjoying. I spent years of not improving it was getting boring and painful.

I can’t say I really totally love drawing boxes and yet I do love getting better so I can enjoy. Lol.

This actually taught me that I should maybe focus more on results than enjoying the process because I got to say when the results suck after a while the process gets harder and harder at least for myself. And when the results are good the process actually can be more and more fun. You can think of exercise if you get the results you like you start to actually enjoy exercising. Now I love exercising.

Well I got to thank my mentor in drawing for all his help and support. Dynnaro You.

Also got to thank Bob Proctor for making me think of this from one of his books he talked about this, something to this extent. I don’t think he mentioned you’d start to enjoy the method when the results were good that might be my addition. Or maybe he did. Anyway I love his work.

Random thought after just posting this I take way too many supplements. I don’t like the results they’re definitely easy to take though basically I like the method and not the results it’s a work in progress. I also like the research that is supposedly they are of them supported by but who knows, that said I’m not sure on what to make of many of them.

Ever heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals? The acronym stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable (or Attainable), Relevant, and Time-bound (or Timely). They sound so smart. Maybe they are and maybe they’re great. What they aren’t is big, I’d wager they are what Bob Proctor would call A type or B type goals. A type goals are goals you’ve done before and B type goals are goals you you believe you know how to obtain/achieve and the path to take to accomplish them.

Now there are another type of goals Bob Proctor would call them C type goals. They’re goals I’d say that aren’t S.M.A.R.T. because you have know idea how to obtain them. Sure you may believe they are obtainable and this is important that said the how to is unknown as they are very big compared to where you are and will require a paradigm shift. These goals I’d say are very very smart to have in life, at least one. We are capable of so much more than we realize. Have faith and go for it. Believe!

He said something that really struck me. God does not work for you but works through you. Can replace God with higher power what not – though think about that, the concept of faith. Bob mentions if you really have faith and expect the results to come true you’ll do the work. Also, if you are praying for something and don’t do the work do you really have faith? Do your doubts outweigh your faith? Perhaps, and in many cases perhaps not. I know I have been filled with doubts at times, to say the least.

Comment below and let me know what you think. 🙂

Just after publishing this I saw on yahoo!finance how Elon Musk will get a billion shares if he can settle a million humans on Mars. Love him or hate him- Musk definitely makes C-type goals. Here’s a link to the article. https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/articles/elon-musk-billion-shares-spacex-164407735.html