1. When we fail to plain, we plan to fail, and so there is always too much month left at the end of the money. Everyone needs a written budget.
2. Something magical happens when we write down our goals. We somehow begin to live out our plans. I am not saying that if you do a written plan you will automatically carry out every last detail. But clarifying your goals and aspirations changes the way you see your situation. When you see on paper what must be done, you will begin to move in that direction as a matter of course.
3. I Believe that your most powerful wealth-building tool is your income. Ideas, strategies, goals, vision, focus, and even creative thinking are incredibly important, but until you get control of your income, you will not build and keep wealth.
4. Change is painful. Most people won’t change until the pain of where they are is greater than the pain of change. You are where you are right now because of the decisions you’ve made in the past. If you don’t like where you are, then acknowledge you have to change, and go after your dream.
5. Take a lesson from The Tortoise and the Hare: slow and steady wins the race in business and most often in your personal life. We live in a have-to-have-it-now world. Slow down and take a breath. You won’t lose twenty pounds overnight just like you won’t become an overnight success. Make long-term plans for all areas of your life and short-term course corrections as you go. If you want to accomplish your goals, you must stick with them over time.
6. Whining shows a lack of character. If you don’t like the way something is, do something about it!
7. Your credit rating isn’t an indication that you have money; it’s an indication that you have debt!
8. I completely believe in married couples having one checkbook. By having a shared checking account, you are also sharing your goals, values, and passions. Without all these things you don’t have a marriage, you have a joint venture. You have two people living under the same roof with a license on the wall that says it’s legal. Making a budget, saving, and spending together forces you to act as a team.
