Well, everyone seems to be getting hot under the collar and sucked into the endless sideshow of ‘breaking news’ headlines about one problem or another.
Then people get bogged down with politics and politicians that they have no control over.
Like… I just know that if we can get the right guy into the presidency, all our problems will be solved… won’t they?
Are you kidding?!
I hope so. If you’re waiting for one of these circus-clowns to make it all better, you’re in for a long wait. So let’s storm out of the embarrassingly-biased, dumbed-down media circus tent and focus on steps YOU can actually take to ‘make it all better’.
Please, end it now. Before you do yourself an injury.
In case it needs restating, a League of Power member is largely indifferent to the media hype, lies, and the ‘dog and pony show’ we call elections. Why? Because all a Member focuses on at a professional level is accomplishing his or her goals of wealth, power, and freedom. Ranting about things mostly out of your control has NO BEARING WHATSOEVER on achieving your financial freedom, and financial freedom is why we’re here.
What’s that you say? You think you can actually sway people to vote the way you want them to? Even though their parents voted that way and so will their children (nobody actually thinks about why they vote a certain way, they just subconsciously aim to please parents). Unless you’re skilled at Jedi mind tricks, good luck with that…
“But this is a democracy! It’s un-American not to care about your vote!” Go ahead and vote. Just limit the time you spend on the whole fiasco. And yes, this is a democracy. A system where majority rules… a majority of people who KNOW NOTHING about economics, history, etc. and who haven’t even been outside America, let alone understand foreign policy!
The only reason a you should take an interest in anything the sheep (read: mass population), the media, or politicians are up to, is to consider how it affects your goals in life.
For example, how a certain foreign policy affects the oil price and how you could trade on that information? Or how illegal government money-printing affects interest rates and the price of gold? Or social trends set by the sheep that indicate which businesses to get involved in or how to position web traffic? Which candidate is likely to tilt some of these things a certain way?
And if saving the planet or campaigning for whatever really is your calling, become financially free so you can pursue this. Either way, it all comes down to freeing up your time.
So on a daily basis, within the spare hours you’ve set aside to accomplish your personal goals, ask yourself: “Is whatever this activity is/whatever I’m ranting about going to help me get to my goal of XYZ?”
If the answer is a big, fat NO… then cut it the hell out and get back to what you should be doing!
So, next question: What is that goal we’re referring to here? You do have a personal and very specific goal, don’t you…?
If you have, then great. But I’d like to add something/refresh that part of the course with some thoughts I’ve had of late regarding goal-setting…
If I ask you right now what your specific personal goal is this year and within the next five years, what would you say?
If you just gave your computer screen a blank or embarrassed look, it’s time to take a long, hard look in the mirror. About you. About what you actually want in life.
If you don’t have a goal, how can you possibly achieve it?!
“Make Money” is not a goal. That’s a vague statement that applies to everyone. You already make money. What is it you actually WANT?
“Pay off my debts.” This is better (only just) because it has an element of specificity about it. Your debts are a specific amount, so this equates to a lump sum of money you wish to make. I also like this because paying off consumer debt is the first step of the journey to financial freedom. Let’s say your debts are $123,456.
Next. When are you going to make $123,456 by, and how are you going to make it?
This is the question you should be concerning yourself with, not which moronic puppet will be the president next year, because I can tell you now, whoever the president is, the world economy is NOT going to be kind, and ALL candidates will stand behind the basic status quo, regardless. “Change” is a popular campaign sound-bite but it NEVER happens. So you’d better be prepared… as in well on the path to financial independence by focusing on YOU.
So let’s answer this question of when and how you’re going to make $123,456…
Something like: “I’m going to make $123,456 by January 1 two years from now.”
Great. Now we can work backwards and break down what we have to do in these next two years, month by month, day by day. “What do I have to do today so that I ‘magically’ end up at my goal come that date? Hmmm. Let’s see what my calendar entry says…”
How are you going to do it? The fastest ways are by an Internet business, a financial trade, or a property deal. We have many opportunities that give you all you need to achieve that. So check them out, because if you don’t like any of them you can always send them back. I have a LOT more respect for someone who refunds a product than the person who whines about being broke but doesn’t even investigate a bona fide opportunity.
So far, so good. But here’s where I’d like to add a couple of fresh thoughts…
First. The problem with that goal we just set is it’s not going to get your juices flowing, it’s not going to motivate you in that the end result is not, in itself, exciting. What you need is a vivid picture of something to strive for, something that will really excite you, and simply paying off debts won’t suffice. And neither will being financially free or retired. These are vague goals.
So you have to explore your soul a bit, and this can be tricky. What do you love doing? What would you do on your ideal day? What did you love as a child? Any career dreams you gave up on? Who is the real you- before life sunk its fangs into your soul…? Financial freedom gives you this gift. This is the true pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…
You see, answer this question honestly and you will be suddenly energized to make it happen. Your inner soul will awaken and will fuel you towards your passion. “Make Money” or “Pay off debts” isn’t a goal, and you certainly aren’t going to be truly excited about achieving it.
Second. Strive for wealth for the right reasons…
If your goals include buying a brand new Mercedes, there’s nothing wrong with that… as long as it genuinely excites you at some passionate level… AND as long as you’re not doing it to impress others or keep up with the Joneses…!
As someone who’s owned outright an Aston Martin, a 30-foot Sea Ray, a private aircraft, etc. etc., I can tell you now, my friend, NOBODY IS IMPRESSED.
That’s right, NOBODY.
You won’t impress people with toys, you will make them jealous. This is the harsh reality of people, especially men. Get real.
So if your shiny new Mercedes is on your goal list, whose goal are you aiming for? Yours or The Joneses? Screw the Joneses. The Joneses are a bunch of superficial clowns who are treading water on credit- if they lost their month-to-month existence tomorrow all that stuff would evaporate in a puff of smoke!
Listen, you don’t need a million dollars to live like a millionaire. When you’re doing something you love every day (that’s YOU, not anyone else), you are living a richer life than most millionaires. A big house and a fancy car will only give you so much. If you discover your lifelong dream always was to live in a cabin in Montana and do oil paintings all day, then you may even have enough to retire already.
You see, if you can get your head around this, that all the trappings probably don’t need to be in your goals, something amazing happens with your goal-plan…
Your goalposts scoot a LOT nearer, a lot more achievable.
So please get yourself back on track and value your time, it’s the most precious commodity there is. And set a proper goal NOW.
Speaking of commodities… Recently several readers have asked my position on Gold. To me Gold isn’t a bet, its insurance. If you haven’t bought any gold, despite us nagging our readers to death about it for several years, it’s tricky. You should own some gold as a protection. Will it go up or down? I believe the long term trend is up, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t go down.
Gold is a store of wealth and a finite resource. Unlike FIAT currency like the US dollar, you can’t just go out and print more. So if you’re looking to buy gold hoping it goes up in dollar amounts you may be looking at it wrong. You should view it as a way for a portion of my wealth that can’t be inflated away by a printing press. Some people I know are just buying a small amount each month, regardless of the price. If you’re looking to add this hedge to your protection plan this approach might work for you.
My friend, do take care… until next time…!
Regards,
Mark Patricks