For those of you who know me... or have spent any time reading my blog... I like to dream. But even more exciting than dreaming, is planning... I like to do that too! :)
Planning is how a dream becomes a reality... that's how I made it out of college debt free... by planning out my scholarship options, and sticking to the plan (i.e. - not losing my scholarships!). I made a plan to come to NYC... and well, here I am!
I've had a lot of dreams... and the one's that haven't come true (yet...) are the one's that I haven't made a plan for (yet...).
So my latest dreaming obsession is money. I know that sounds incredibly materialistic and greedy, but the truth of the matter is that I left out one major step... you dream, you plan, and you fork up the cash! Often the plan involves a way to get the cash... but either way - most dreams require funding.
So again... my latest obsession is money - or more - how to keep my money and have the kind of money I want to fund my dreams (without betting on buying a winning lottery ticket!)
Several months ago a book was recommended to me (ironically by someone that I am not too fond of), and although I haven't even finished it yet, I am already feeling incredibly empowered to take control of my financial future.
The book... "Smart Women Finish Rich" by David Bach. He also wrote "The Automatic Millionaire," "Smart Couples Finish Rich"... and other varieties. All my single young male friends... please don't stop reading... even though it says "Smart Women" its all a marketing tactic... I promise the information applies to both genders!
Ok, so I'm reading this book and learning so much about how it really isn't that hard to become well... a millionaire... if you start really young and save a little money each month in the right kind of accounts and investments. I'm realizing that with a plan - I can have more money than I ever thought was really possible. Once I made that realization - I started having dreams that I never would have dreamt because I never thought I could have had the money to fund them... like retiring early and devoting the later years of my life to charitable work... or taking long trips to other parts of the world... or... well - anything!
Money is a funny thing like that... if you don't think you can get it you dream of ridiculous stuff like... if I had a million dollars I will buy a $1/2 million dollar home, take a fighter jet to work and pay someone to cook me steak dinners every night! But you only think this way because you don't really think you will get the money. If you really could get the money - your dreams might be more realistic, but even more important... they would probably be in line with your real values like "fund a music program, more time with my family, or travel." Those happen to be my dreams... yours are different I'm sure. But if you still say you would pay $1 million to have Justin Timberlake give you a private strip tease... you're going to be the rich person who files bankruptcy... I hope it was a fun 10 mins!
Anyways... now that I have all this independence and financial control and choice over my life, I figure that it's in my best interest to find out what the best choices could be. So however old you are... read the book "Smart Women Finish Rich" by David Bach (or one of his equivalents)... I doubt that you will be able to finish it and say you didn't learn a single thing.
Read it - so when I'm taking exotic trips around the world... you can come too! Because as much as they might bring a smile to your day - I doubt you really want to work through your retirement as a Wal-Mart greeter...
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