I’ve just returned home from Adelaide where everyone had a great time and learned lots.

Chris Freeman delivered great information on how to go about creating a satisfying life balance AND build a successful financial future. He has the amazing ability to be able to look at complex situations and break them down into really simple basic elements that everyone can understand (and take action on).

I had the pleasure of delivering what I consider to be exciting and powerful information about how to utilize my Simply Budgets software and take control of your day to day cashflow.

Everyone went home smiling so all in all it was a successful trip to Adelaide!

This coming weekend we will be in Perth.

If you have not considered attending one of these events here is what you need to know.

The Saturdays cover a broad range of life topics from managing Time, Relationships and Money to Health, Lifestyle and Investing. There is an amazing workbook available to go hand in hand with this day that is bound to help you stay focused and on track after the week-end.

The Sundays get down to the Nitty Gritty of fine tuning your household finances using my world famous best selling Simply Budgets system. You can even bring your Laptop Computers along and at the end of the day after watching me demonstrate what to do all day long you can get me to watch over you as you make sure you know what to do when you get home.

Here is just one comment from a couple who have been following the system Chris has developed.

“………….reshaped our thinking and has empowered us to prosper not only financially but importantly in our marriage, in our friendships and in our communication about the future……”

Craig & Michelle Sparrow: 32 Radiologist / Teacher

To attend both days and bring a friend/partner for free use the CashFlow Clinic links below.

Full Week-end Events (both days) > Excellent value > $197

Perth: 28th and 29th April
Sydney: 5th and 6th May
Melbourne: 26th and 27th May
Brisbane: You missed it sorry; See you in Sydney?

Saturday Sessions only – Unbelievable value > $1

Perth; Saturday 28th April
Sydney; Saturday 5th May
Melbourne; Saturday 26th May
Brisbane: You missed it sorry; See you in Sydney?

For more info on the Saturday sessions go to www.simplybudgets.com.au/life-management -

For more info on the Sunday sessions go to http://simplybudgets.com.au/financial-education/cashflow-clinics/

(Booking the Sunday Session automatically books a place for you for both days and you can bring a friend/spouse/partner for free.)

Chris and I are really looking forward to meeting with you and others who want a successful, simple, uncomplicated life.

In the mean time, Have a great day!

Hello again David,

This is just a reminder about the exciting two day events coming up in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne over the next 6 weeks. I am running these events with Chris Freeman from Balanced Wealth Creation and can’t wait to get started! Chris brings a vast array of additional skills and expertise to what you have already come to expect from my events so these will be too good to miss..

What we will share at these workshops has the potential to transform both your Lifestyle and your Finances.

Showing how to build Wealth around a Balanced Life; not specifically which piece of Real Estate or which Shares to buy but how to systematically build not only financial wealth, but day to day lifestyle wealth, safely and progressively to set up your life way before retirement age and minimising the risk of making mistakes that can bring everything tumbling down around you.

Whether your life is terrible or terrific these week-end events will lead you down the road to a better life.

In fact just learning the real difference between Investments, Development and Speculation will be worth the effort to attend the Saturday sessions. When we define this in the workshop people look at each other and say “if only we had known that before we did such and such….”

I have split the events into two distinct days.

The Saturdays cover a broad range of life topics from managing Time, Relationships and Money to Health, Lifestyle and Investing. There is an amazing workbook available to go hand in hand with this day that is bound to help you stay focussed and on track after the week-end.

The Sundays get down to the Nitty Gritty of fine tuning your household finances using my world famous best selling Simply Budgets system. You can even bring your Laptop Computers along and at the end of the day after watching me demonstrate what to do all day long you can get me to watch over you as you make sure you know what to do when you get home.

If you are already booked in; Great’ I’m looking forward to meeting you there. If you are not yet booked in I highly recommend that you book in for the event closest to you. The quality of the rest of your life is way too important to let this opportunity go by.

Here is just one comment from a couple who have been following the system my guest speaker Chris Freeman and I will be talking about on the day.

“………….reshaped our thinking and has empowered us to prosper not only financially but importantly in our marriage, in our friendships and in our communication about the future……”

Craig & Michelle Sparrow: 32 Radiologist / Teacher

To attend both days and bring a friend/partner for free use the CashFlow Clinic links below.

Full Week-end Events (both days) > Excellent value > $197
Adelaide: 21st and 22nd April
Perth: 28th and 29th April
Sydney: 5th and 6th May
Melbourne: 26th and 27th May
Brisbane: You missed it sorry; See you in Sydney?

Saturday Sessions only – Unbelievable value > $1
Adelaide; Saturday 21st April
Perth; Saturday 28th April
Sydney; Saturday 5th May
Melbourne; Saturday 26th May
Brisbane: You missed it sorry; See you in Sydney?

For more info on the Saturday sessions go to www.simplybudgets.com.au/life-management -

For more info on the Sunday sessions go to http://simplybudgets.com.au/financial-education/cashflow-clinics/

(Booking the Sunday Session automatically books a place for you for both days and you can bring a friend/spouse/partner for free.)

Chris and I are really looking forward to meeting with you and others who want a successful, simple, uncomplicated life.
In the mean time, Have a great day!

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There is definitely a place for keeping financial records but way too many people think it is THE answer to achieving budgeting success. In my Simple Wealth Steps course we spend about 2 weeks carefully monitoring where the money goes. After that it becomes a boring and fairly pointless exercise unless you need to keep records for tax purposes.

I used to keep diligent records (and I still do to a lesser extent for tax reasons) but prior to creating the system I now call Simply Budgets I used to believe that keeping records would get my money problems sorted out.

After 20 years all I had was a big box full of notepaper that was good for two things.

1. A good laugh (like when I saw I spent $2 a week on petrol back in 1975)
2. A good bonfire

Keeping records never did sort out my money problems!

There is a really simple reason why it never did.

If you are aiming for nothing you will always hit nothing! Record keeping is all about looking at the past, something you can not change. You can regret the past or celebrate it but either way it is history that can not be changed.

Most people wish they had done things differently, saved more, invested more wisely and generally been more aware and responsible with what they earned.

However, if you stop and think about it, looking backwards has very little chance of ever changing your future for the better.

Here’s why.

If you have kept records, you can add up all the money you regret spending foolishly over the last year and you can promise yourself you will do better next year but the reality is that in 12 months time you will more than likely be looking at similar figures as the last year.

i.e. Nothing changed! You had a desire to change but no way to make it happen.

To change, you will need to do something other than keeping records and looking backwards at the end of the year (or all year long for that matter).

Everyone reading this e-mail who currently uses my Simply Budgets software knows without a doubt that looking forwards is the key to achieving the financial outcomes they want, not looking backwards.

i.e. You aim at something from the outset rather than finding out what happened after the fact!

It is well documented that if you wish to achieve a goal, you need to first state what that goal is BEFORE you start the journey. Then you need to break that journey down into a road map with easy to achieve steps you can measure and monitor along the way so you don’t find yourself two days out from your target suddenly realising you have no possible way of achieving it.

You also need to put your plan down on paper so it is in black and white and can be viewed regularly to remind you of your intention and to help you identify the progress you have made on your journey.

I did not realise when I was inventing the Simply Budgets system for my own financial rescue that it actually is based on the principles of goal setting that have been around for donkey’s years. It only dawned on me later.

I actually taught myself about goal setting and how to break goals down into easy bite sized and measurable chunks because I went looking for a solution to a specific problem that really needed goal setting principles applied to it.

So the lesson for today is this;

Keeping records can be useful for a while but the moment you get sick or have a holiday or take time out, it will become too hard to catch up on and it will all seem rather pointless anyway because it can not change your future.

In contrast to that, preparing a road map for the future that basically is your ideal bank statement for the next 12 months in advance with daily targets to aim for that will get all your bills paid on time every time can change your future.

And the good thing about doing this is that it only takes 5 minutes a week to totally take control and change your future to the one you chose rather than the one you ended up regretting.

All you need to do is check your bank balance once a week and compare it with where your road map (budget plan) shows you need to be. If you are in front you can either go shopping or just enjoy the feeling of knowing you are in a really good place. If you are behind you have time to do something about it before it causes you major grief!

Simply Budgets is incredibly powerful in that it easily allows you to see and plan the future before you begin the journey. In fact you do not need to keep records because you actually create them before you start and then check them off as you go. It is also very easy to change the plan if you want (or need) to and if you like, you can experiment with different plans before you even start out on the journey.

And if you know you need help to make this happen, I announced at the start of the year that I would be introducing a program for people who realised that they have good intentions but find they have difficulty creating and/or sticking to their plans and they just need someone to be ‘on their case’ looking over their shoulder for a while to get them on track and past the hardest part; getting started.

I have been working on setting up the system to make this happen for a while now and as of next week it will be available to anyone who wishes to have someone looking over their shoulder who they are accountable to each week.

To date, the people who have had their budgets monitored in this way have reported huge benefits. The difference is like comparing two athletes; one with a coach and one who has decided he can coach himself!

More on this next time…. For now I suggest you dust off your copy of Simply Budgets and get stuck into setting up a simple budget to be your road map to pay your ten most annoying bills and organise to transfer into a special ‘Bill Account’ each week the amount the budget tells you is required to make that bills account work. You will not touch this money except for paying those ten bills.

If you don’t have a copy then it is way past time you did. It is such a powerful tool and the foundation of everything else I teach and talk about.

Go to http://simplybudgets.com.au/order-simply-budgets-online/ if you need to order a copy for yourself.

That’s all for now. Have a great week!

Warm Regards
David Wright

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1. Don’t over commit.

   This might sound obvious but it is not so easy to achieve. The reason for this is that in a week to week environment it is easy to miss the longer term expenses that only pop up now and then but they cost a lot when they arrive.

   What looks like a simple task of paying for the weeks expenses becomes much more complex when you bring in the car replacement and the half yearly rates or car registration. Then a battery will need to be replaced out of the blue and the refrigerator will blow up. You can only under commit when you can anticipate everything that might come your way and then you need to leave a bit of room for the ‘just in case’ surprises.

   The Simply Budgets software is loaded with lists of expenses to jog your memory of all the things you might need to set money aside for and it clearly identifies the three different types of expenses you will need to plan for.

   Regular (fall regularly in a yearly cycle)
   Long Term (repeat on a much longer time line)
   Unpredictable or once in a life time.

   If you have a copy, use the list to help you identify what you want to save for but do not feel you must include all of them in your budget plan. I often advise people to just start by budgeting for the 10 biggest expenses in their year and get them under control.

   Later on you can add other expenses to the list that you decide you would like to cover in your budget plan. The important thing is to then put the money for these budgeted items in a safe place.

2. Keep Bills money separate from Play money.

   I remember a poem we studied in high school where one farmer kept saying to his neighbour “Good Fences Make Good Neighbours”.

   In other words, when it comes to money you need to separate money into protected accounts for different purposes so temptation or slackness can not bring you unstuck. With no fences you just have a big bucket of money and now way of knowing when you overspent.

   When you have a bills account you know the money in the bills account is never used for toys. That comes from the play money account! In this way you protect yourself FROM yourself!

3. Never look at what others have

   It is easy to distress over what appears to be your falling behind when you see others with fancy new stuff that you can not seem to afford. Never look at what others have but rather focus on what you have and keep a longer-term focus for your finances.

   Remember; if you are doing what others are doing you will end up like others.

   Statistics prove that most other people are not doing the right things and are not happy with their lives. That is why so many people are pinning their hopes on a Lotto win! Why would you want to be like them?

   A friend with a new car might make you wish you had a new car too but if you wait and save for your new car and purchase it when it makes sense, your friend will be just as envious of you as you might be of them now. Everything has seasons and you just need to realise this and be patient!

4. Nobody gets into trouble with money on purpose but 90% of the population gets into trouble with money just the same!

   The other 10% are not heroes; they just get the right advice when they need it and they have a plan that they stick to. They have regular meetings with themselves and trusted professionals where they identify things that need fixing and they fix them! They identify things they want to improve and they work to improve them!

   It is not rocket science.

I think the most important thing to remember is that life is a journey and not a destination. It does not start when you finally achieve what you have been working so hard for. It is happening right now so make the most of it!

The Life Management Workshops that are coming up over the next few months are designed to give you some really huge insights into HOW to make life the journey you get the most out of. Have a look at www.simplybudgets.com.au/life-management to find out more about these. I think you will be impressed with the price!

That’s all for now.
Have a great week!

David Wright

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Hello again

I announced late last year that it was 15 years since Simply Budgets began. In that time I have learned a lot about people and money.

One thing I have learned is that many people go looking for ‘the’ sexy big thing that will fix up their money mess (debts caused from spending slightly more than they earn each week over a long period of time).

This often leads to more trouble because they do not have the expertise to pick a great investment and they end up speculating (and calling it investing!).

In the end it was a small weekly leak that led to frustration, then a sense of despair and then a poor decision that made things worse!

That puts pressure on relationships and sadly some break.

So, the solution to the whole problem comes back to the humble old home budget!

Most people have no idea HOW to prepare a family budget that actually works and that is why the conditions become perfect for what I have described above to occur!

In a typical old garden variety family budget people average all their income and expenses down to a regular time frame (e.g. Weekly, Fortnightly or Monthly). This gives a total of Ins and Outs for the chosen time period and so it identifies whether there is an Income surplus or shortfall. Beyond that it is pretty useless.

Knowing it is POSSIBLE to pay your bills does not help much if you do not have a roadmap that shows you HOW to pay them. You need money available WHEN the bills arrive and the only way to ensure that can happen is to prepare a forward looking cash-flow budget.

A cash-flow budget gives target bank balances to aim for throughout the next year so you always know when you are on (or off) track. I have specialised in developing this method of budgeting because it is so amazingly effective.

If you have ever been frustrated by the constant pressure of trying to pay your regular repeating bills I would suggest that you should open a ‘Bills’ account and prepare a Cash-Flow budget for your 10 most troublesome large expenses on your yearly calendar and isolate them out of your normal day to day finances. They then get paid from this ‘Bills’ account and cause no further stress because they can be paid on time from this stash of money you have put aside solely for that purpose.

The Simply Budgets software I developed allows you to forecast future bank balances for repeating regular expenses so you can locate the worst day of your next year for that bills account and ensure that the bank balance on that worst day is not a negative number and you can join the dots between the present and the worst day and back to where you started in 12 months time. Having those target bank balances to aim for every day makes it so easy it just works!

Nobody would get on board a ship or a jet plane expecting to get to their destination without plotting the course connecting where they are and where they want to go! The same should apply to your financial journey.

If you want to become wealthy you need a road map to follow.

The most important part of your financial journey is simply making sure your day to day finances are in order and it becomes so much easier once you grasp this.

While you are stressed about your day to day money issues you can not keep a clear head for planning the big picture!

Who would have thought a budget was SO important?

Last Chance

I am about to start a special group of people on my Simple Wealth Steps program. ‘Special’ because this group will get the benefit of coming on regular teleconferences with me to go over each of the lessons, what they are all about and what action should come out of them.

If you are still procrastinating over making the decision to do this course it is time to make a decision.

It is $49 a month. You will learn so much and make so many improvements to your basics during that time. You will reduce debt and grow a nest egg. You will change your attitude to money and your beliefs about it and your relationship with it.

AND you can quit at any time!

Why not give it a go?

Go to http://simplybudgets.com.au/simple-wealth-steps and sign up now! You really have nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

Simply Budgets Life Management & CashFlow Clinic update.

Please note that I had to postpone the dates for Sydney and Melbourne for family reasons.

Sydney is now 5th and 6th of May and Melbourne is now 26th and 27th of May.

Adelaide is 21st and 22nd of April and Perth is 28th and 29th of April.

Go to www.simplybudgets.com.au/life-management for more details of what will be covered on the Saturdays and http://simplybudgets.com.au/financial-education/cashflow-clinics for more information about the Sundays.

Book for the Sunday CashFlow Clinic and automatically get free admission to the Saturday Life Management workshop. A friend/partner/spouse is included in the price but you will need to e-mail me that person’s details so I know how many to cater for.

Have a great week!

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Sydney 5th and 6th of May

Melbourne 26th and 27th. of May

Go to www.simplybudgets.com.au/life-management  and the cashFlow Clinic page on this web-site for more details.

David W

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Just a quick note to let you know that the dates for the first round of  CashFlow Clinics for 2012 is now available.

If you want to have a full days training in how to use the Simply Budgets software and the principles behind it as well as a stack of practical tips for getting on top of your household finances then these are for you.

Find out more at CashFlow Clinics at http://simplybudgets.com.au/financial-education/cashflow-clinics/

Have a goody!

David Wright

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I sent the following info out in a recent e-mail but should have put it up here at that time. People keep asking what is happening so here is the list (so far).

MORE – This year (as always) we continue to improve, develop, deliver and support the Simply Budgets and DebtBuster Software. We have had a hold-up in the development of an Apple compatible Simply Budgets product but it is a good one. There are new options coming available soon that may allow us to create one single Simply Budgets application and then compile it for PC or Apple or Linux etc at the press of a button. Pretty exciting if it is as good as it is reported to be.

Of course the hold-up is waiting to check it out to see if it is as good as it is cracked up to be and then there will be another huge job of creating the next new version but it is always a work in progress.

Another possibly exciting de velopment in this area is that hopefully for the first time software will have graphics that scale to fill your screen so an application can be written and it will scale to fit on the screen it is displayed on. Up till now every part of what you see on the screen in your software had to have a designated size in pixels and had to be moved around to try to fit the particular screen it was displayed on without flowing off the edge or becoming distorted, something that has often caused headaches. Hopefully all a thing of the past!

NEW – Reduce your electricity consumption by 10 to 15% using totally new technology that pays for itself in 12 to 18 months (guaranteed). I was so impressed with this technology I bought the company (well not really – I just remembered a line from a very old TV commercial and just felt like throwing it in there!).

I will have this product available in the very near future. I just need to take care of some technical details that will ensure people get the right sized unit for their particular needs. The way electricity prices are going up this is a top priority product.

NEW - I am really excited this year to be broadening my area of education and coaching & training. Over the years I personally have developed systems and methods to help people get on top of their day to day cashflow and I have had phenomenal success with tens of thousands of people. Now it is time to also look at the broader issues that have a negative impact on people’s lives, other than just money.

Everyone spends their days balancing relationships, time and money. I have predominantly just focussed on the money part of that trio.

Simply Budgets ‘Life Management’ will cross the line to get all three areas in harmony.

Having control of your money and paying your bills on time is a great feeling but if you and your spouse are struggling to work together on the bigger picture or your relationship is not working on a number of levels then paying bills on time does not equate to that happy fulfilling life you desire.

If you are so busy working that you don’t have time for relationships with others or time for yourself, then having your money under control is not gonna be such a great feeling either.

There are actually 12 pieces to the puzzle that go to make up your balanced life and these will all be covered on a regular schedule.

More about this in one of my next e-mails.

MORE - As usual I will be visiting all the major Australian cities to present workshops. This year I am changing the format of my training days to bring new information and more energy and excitement into the classes.

I will be presenting information personally and will also be bringing trusted colleagues who are the experts in their fields for specific workshops and seminars. Keep an eye out for dates of events in your area when these are published shortly.

MORE - As always I will continue writing educational blogs and e-mails designed to get you thinking about matters relating to money & life.

BONUS - I’m looking for an enthusiastic bunch to join my Simple Wealth Steps program in February. This group will get to enjoy the added benefit of bonus weekly teleconferences with me. We will be discussing each week’s topic and I can answer any questions that might come up and of course connecting at the same time each week in this way will help to keep everyone focused on the program. I want to make sure my Simple Wealth Steps program really delivers what it promises and this added bonus will be a really great incentive to help people make the decision to get involved early in 2012.

NEW – For people who have the best intentions to stick to their budget but lack the self discipline to actually make that happen and this is holding them back, I am adding a very powerful new service where I can watch over your shoulder and hold you accountable to your budget targets each week to get you over that lack of self-discipline. People who have used this service in the past have reported amazing results and I have now simplified and perfected the system to deliver it, so I am now making it widely available to anyone who needs it (or wants it).

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I’ll leave you to consider the quality of our media….

Have a goody.
David W

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Today we look at Big-‘E’ number 10.

So far we have looked at Emotions, Environment, Ego, Education, Expectations, Earnings, Expenses, External Forces and Excuses. You can check out all of these previous topics at my blog page.

Today’s Big-‘E’ is Energy.

So this is where the rubber meets the road! You can have everything else in place but if you haven’t got the energy to make it all happen you will never make it.

Sounds obvious doesn’t it?

Ever felt too pooped to pop? I expect we all have at some time or another. You just could not be bothered to get up, or to make one more phone call, or one more Google search, or run the numbers on one more deal. You’ve just lost interest and you’ve had it! Could not be bothered!!!!

Of course, when you are totally pooped, if a wild animal jumped out in front of you I’ll bet you would find the energy in reserve somewhere to run like blazes for hundreds of metres!

Energy comes from your head more than it comes from your muscles. Your frame of mind has a lot to do with this and if you are depressed and disinterested then it is easy to be low in energy as well.

Clearly the two are interconnected. If you act pooped, you will think pooped. If you think pooped you will act pooped. But if you push through the physical barriers and work on your mental state you can find energy you never knew you had and start to get your physical state to lift and match your head.

If you can remember the first time you were in love I’ll bet you felt supercharged and no doubt when you broke up you felt totally discharged! There is a word that often gets used with lovers and that word is ‘Passion’.

When you have passion you find energy from everywhere. You may have heard me tell the story of how I blew my first attempt at launching Simply Budgets because I targeted the wrong people. I used up all my Long Service Leave and had to go back to work with my tail between my legs.

Rather than give up though, I still had a fire inside that just drove me like a nuclear reactor drives a power station and I could not stop! I was just way too excited because I firmly believed there were millions of people who I could help and I just wanted to help them!

There really was no decision to be made. I just changed the product so it was aimed at individuals instead of professionals and began re-writing the software user guide to match. That gave me an opportunity to make it even better because I had learnt so much in my first attempt and now I was starting again.

It would be so much better second time around! The only problem was WHEN was I going to do it?

The only time I could do it was after my family went to bed so at 10pm every night for 6 months and on week-ends I would sit down to my computer and start typing. Within minutes I would be fast asleep in my chair and somewhere around midnight I would wake up, slap myself around a bit and start typing again.

Before I knew it, it would be 4am and I would have to make myself stop and go to bed because at 6:30am I would have to get up to get ready to go to work.

People would ask me where I found the energy and I would simply reply “adrenalin”; I am just so excited about what I am trying to achieve!

If you are feeling like everything is going wrong and nothing is working out for you then it is time you found your energy source by finding your passion. You just simply MUST find your passion. And that comes from your heart.

Maybe you need to get angry about something that is so wrong and decide you are going to do something about it. Maybe you need to look at your children and decide you want the world to be a better place for them, or maybe you need to look yourself up and down in the mirror and ask yourself what are you here for and find a cause. What do you love or what do you hate?

It could be a negative passion or a positive one. Look at Bruce and Denise Morecombe. What they have gone through due to the abduction and murder of their son is terrible. But look at the energy that they have found from a passionate desire to find their son. Something good has come out of that energy and it will grow to be bigger than Ben Hur.

When you are energised like that nothing gets in your way! You go around it, over it, under it or even straight through it if need be! Sure you make mistakes but there is no question of giving up. You are energy itself!

If you just can’t find the passion you won’t find the energy, so stop forcing it. Look for something that will really get you going and instead of having to put energy into it, you will draw energy from it!

So; that’s all on that topic for now (I just couldn’t be bothered writing another word about it!).

Have a great week-end.

Don’t forget I am celebrating 15 yrs of Simply Budgets this month. Last week I said I am moving office and don’t want to pack up and move hundreds of copies of Pocket Pal, my children’s pocket money system.

Stacks of them went out in the mail this week but there are still some left so they are still half price at $24.95 incl postage. Go to www.pocketpal.com.au and pick up a bargain. These would make a perfect Christmas gift for any child aged between maybe 7 and 13. Teach them good money habits while they are young and they will carry that through for life!

David wright
Simply Budgets

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So this may be a pretty confronting topic for some people.

We all have things we would like to do and we all have reasons why we are not getting to do them.

As people get older I notice they have a tendency to give up on dreaming because they lose belief in their ability to ever get to do or achieve the things they once thought they might.

Excuses

Over the years I have had all sorts of reasons given to me by people as to why they can not overcome these reasons. Here are some of them.

1. too young
2. too old
3. too tall
4. too short
5. too fat
6. too skinny
7. wrong race
8. wrong religion
9. born into the wrong family
10. went to the wrong school
11. live in the wrong place
12. born at the wrong time
13. got no money
14. too busy
15. too tired
16. single parent
17. abusive partner
18. rotten childhood
19. health problems
20. unlucky

Now of course I’m sure you have never used any one of those excuses for not achieving what you wanted.

Only True if You Believe them

The thing is that there is only one person who actually believes your excuses and that is you!

There are millions of people in the world who had an excuse and ignored it. In fact many of them used the excuse as the motivation to over-achieve! So many high achievers have had to overcome a disability of some kind. It’s almost as if people who are born quite normal lack the drive to push themselves and people who have had to push themselves to overcome a problem have gone further and excelled!

Grant Hackett had an asthma condition that he could have used as an excuse NOT to compete in swimming events. His coach did not even know of his condition for quite some time!

Libby Trickett had small feet and asthma but didn’t let that get in her way to winning 3 Olympic Gold medals in swimming.

Ian Thorpe was allergic to pool chlorine at one stage.

Leo Sayer had a number of hit singles in the 70’s and he started singing because his doctor told him it might help his asthma! He still gets invited all over the world to perform his hit songs 35 years later!

Check out these two blokes on You Tube and tell me they didn’t have a valid excuse…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiDoYIflqAY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3gMgK7h-BA

Nobody achieves everything they can dream of so don’t beat yourself up after seeing those two but you do need to work out what your excuses are!

Make a List – Write a Story

Here’s what I reckon you should do! Write down your excuses! Write down exactly why you are not being, doing and having everything that you would like.

Write at least 3 ‘stories’ about yourself. I have started each one for you here below.

1. “I don’t have xxxxxxx because…..”

2. “I am not spending time xxxxxx because…”

3. “I don’t get paid 10 times my current income because….”

Do not stop writing each story until you absolutely can not think of one more word to write. Then go on to the next one. If you find you think the last story is stupid then you really have to overcome the issue of your limited belief in what you are worthy of!

I think you will find a few excuses in there if you carry out this exercise honestly.

When you have done that, you need to ask the question, “What do I need to do and who can help me stop using these excuses”.

The Power of Belief

I remember being told in school that in Aboriginal culture if someone pointed a bone at another person they would be dead in 3 days. I’m not sure if it was a special bone or under special circumstances but I was amazed to learn that. The power of belief is an amazing thing. You need to be careful what you believe if this is true, and you also need to know what you believe!

So, we all have excuses that are holding us back and we need to find out what they are. We then need to prove them to be wrong.

Bodo Schaffer makes the point in his book ‘The Road To Financial Freedom’ that for every person on the planet with a belief you can find someone else with the opposite belief and both people have reasons that are valid and real for them.

He says, if a belief (an excuse) is holding you back then look at how someone with the opposite belief is justifying that belief and then change yours! After all a belief can be changed in an instant!

A child learning to ride a bike who just fell off for the 20^th time could say “I can’t ride a bike” and believe it. They could walk away believing for the rest of their life that they can not ride. They would then start to create the excuses. I’m too tall, too short, too something or other. Or they could decide to give it one more go.

Then on the 21^st try if they don’t fall off they will change that belief in an instant! “So I CAN ride a bike!”

I’ll leave you to give this some serious thought!

Hopefully you are enjoying and learning from my Big-‘E’s and hopefully you are able to apply each one of them to becoming more prosperous.

Have a great day!
David Wright

Simply Budgets

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