Wizards of Wealth

Several weeks ago we wrote about the power of being more, doing more, having more.

And we suggested that we could choose to help more people as we build our own system of resources.

Before anyone tries to poke holes in that theory, consider the effects of this talented and visionary entertainer.

Are you committed to your dream? Are you passionate about it? Do you apply all your talents and skills and heart and soul, right up to the very end?

Much focus is on these two gentlemen these days.

Truth be told, forget about them.

Go look in the mirror. Then use your energy and artistry to shape your life, your dreams, your happiness.

Wealth comes from applying timeless principles, and another Norman was one of the first modern day preachers to remind us of the importance of belief.

In this time of financial insecurity, it is more important than ever to remain committed to doing the best we can with what we’ve got.

Dream on, do on.

How many people have you helped recently?

At Wizardz of wealth, we are always fascinated by the many paradoxes we encounter as we stumble through life. If you have followed us for awhile, you will remember that embracing “paradox” is one of the major themes discussed by Michael Gelb in his classic work on daVinci .

Let me ask you a question:

What’s more important, helping your self or helping someone else?

It seems to me that many wealthy people have discovered how to resolve this conundrum. The rest of us still get in our own way.

The other evening I watched a TV show that was star-studded and loaded with winners. Collabaratively, they were all helping thousands of others.  Bud Selig was speechless, and Steven Kimmel was not.

Again I ask the question, what comes first, the chicken or the egg?

The theme of “When we help someone else, we are helping ourselves” makes perfect sense, and is preached by many.

Staying in the game long enough is the key, and Robert Shemin talks about the need to help ourselves FIRST. The paradox of course, is that we are all taught that it is selfish to think of ourselves first.

We have tried to ilustrate this concept simply through our principle, the flat tire syndrome. The more we become, the more we have, and the better able we are to help others.

Making that choice is up to us.

Here  are a few bright men who have figured out a whole lot of people, and they are extremely wealthy.

I got a new computer the other day, and a few parts were in disarray. I used their invention to resolve my issues within minutes. I bet they have helped you in some way also recently.

How many people are you intending to help?

For those of you who love real estate let me give you a hint.

There are a lot of people hurting right now.

The next crop of millionaires are being grown, and they are figuring out how to help a lot of people like this.

Will you be one of them?

Do you love what you do?

The people who nail it usually do.

What struck me was that, win or lose, these are obviously winners with a mental toughness and an indomitable spirit.

The Olympic Spirit was briliantly revived by Pierre de Coubertin. He woud be proud of his accomplishments in displaying to the world the finer qualities of these marvelous athletes. To him it was more than just an athletic event; the development of the contestant’s moral character and turning boys into men (and girls into women) was his underlying purpose.

What makes you happy? What are you willing to sacrifice to get it?

Even if you were a gangly kid with too-big-ears who was made fun of when you were a child, there is nothing that can hold us back from our dreams if we really want it. Not age, not intelligence, not who we know, not what our friends or relatives think of us.

As Chris Gardner told his son Chris: “If you want somethin’ go get it”.

In the Good Book, there is an intriguing passage regarding the principle of momentum. If you are familiar with Mark 25:29, then you know the basis for the concept of “The rich get richer.” Along with imagination, this is one of the most important concepts for creating wealth.

Wallace Wattles, in one of his classic works, talks about the power of our gratitude as being one of the most important factors in getting more out of life. Who wants to give to someone who doesn’t appreciate what he already has? Even if we acquire more, we will just be in a new place, but still unhappy and never satisfied.

I guess Ara Abrahamian never learned this lesson, and certainly he would have some explaining to do to Pierre if he were still around.

When you see Dara’s winning smile, you know that she’s the real thing and her pursuit has been found; not in the victory but in the process of going after her dream and enjoying life to the fullest.

There are so many positive role models for us; let’s find ours and use their stories to inspire and motivate us to become who we were meant to be.

Carpe diem.

If our personal finances are in shambles, that needs to be dealt with before we move on and create wealth.

Stop the financial bleeding, think clearly, and assess the situation. Then redirect our energy into productive activity.

Alternatively, if something is going right, keep doing what we are doing.

On June 29, Nineteen Hundred and sixty-eight, the seeds were sown for my current wealthy lifestyle.

She said “I do” and without a plan or guarantee we set out to see what we could become.

We have enjoyed the ups and downs and all the in-between that life has to offer since that memorable day. Ruth Ellen has blessed our family with two very special daughters, and now the circle of life continues to expand as George became our first grandchild some 21 months ago.

Things have been going right for me since that sunny June morning, so I think I will just keep doing what I have been doing.

Wealth encompasses much more than financal prosperity, but lack of income or cash can put undue stress and a real damper on our relationships.

There is always hope, but we each must do our part.

As we continue to expand our knowledge, and apply what we have learned, we can enjoy the fruits of our labor.

My wish for you is to find the right person to be with and enjoy all of life’s journeys.

The wind has been at my back all these years with Ruth Ellen by my side.

Life is Good.

After they have heard their last lecture, this is the time of year for graduates to reflect on where they have been in life, and where they are going.

Today’s message is about reminding you to celebrate the moment you are in, the present.

It has been said that a life of education begins at birth and ends at death.

Joey has had a rare disease that has troubled him all his life. In and out of hospitals, children’s centers, and seeing one specialist after another. He had a condition where his body rejected all natural foods, and it appeared that he would be on a formula forever.

There were times we weren’t sure if he would even celebrate another birthday.

Yet all through these trials, his very special parents were unwavering in their committment to get him the best care, to study and do their own research. They had faith that there is a solution to every challenge.

He has missed all the fun foods over the years like pizza, hot dogs, ice cream and (you fill in the blank here).

He has shown a remarkable recovery the last few years after some experimental surgery, with one of the side effects being NO HAIR on his body.

Some of us are learning to live with that ourselves.

After the commmencement speaker spoke the words from a classic Irish Blessing, we all proudly and happily watched Joey march down the aisle and receive his diploma, graduating with honors.

Hat’s off to Joey. He even had a full head of hair the day of graduation, as it started to grow in about three months ago.

Tough times never last, but tough people do.

As Jim Rohn likes to say, “God’s arms are not too short, they reach everybody.”

That means me and you.

Whatever your concerns, get over it and move on, focusing on how you can help yourself by helping somebody else.

We are surrounded by weeds.

Accepting that we have negativity all around us, our challenge is to look beyond the adversity in our life and grow beautiful flowers like orchids. People like Bill Strickland have embraced this philosophy, and made the world a better place because of it.

The Tiger started yesterday’s round with a double-bogey; yet he finished with an eagle to take the lead at the U.S. Open. What a role model he is for anyone who wants to bring out the best in themselves.

“Everyboy’s got something,” my Dad often said, referring to the undeniable truth that we all have obstacles that need to be surmounted.

“I was upset and complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet” he continued. This was one of the greatest lessons that was shared with me, and I try to remember that as often as I can when I am frustrated with my results and achievements.

Pop was generous with these important gifts, because he cared about us. He knew that no matter how much or how little we had, there would always be somebody better or worse off than we were. Comparisons with others were irrelevant; what mattered most was how we felt about ourselves, and how we used our talents and gifts to help somebody else less fortunate than we were.

To me, being wealthy means recognizing the abundance that already exists in our own life, and heping others discover ways to find their own success, however they define it.

Happy Father’s Day to all those wonderful Dad’s out there like my Pop who took the time to show me that even weeds have flowers.

Time waits for no one.

What race are you running in while there is still time?

It was that time of year again, and my wife and I grabbed a drink and a few snacks and sat down to enjoy the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown came down the stretch with a mighty finish, showing the world his true spirit.

Eight Belles finished a respectable second place in one of the sporting world’s premiere events, giving it her all in an outstanding performance.

As you are probably aware, the filly fell and broke both ankles in her cool down trot, and was immediately euthanized.

Like I said, time waits for no one.

If you have plans to become wealthy, forget the distractions of an ailing economy and refocus your efforts on your goals, dreams, and plans.

And finish strong like these two great champions.

We never know for whom the bell tolls…

Further developing a theme we have talked about previously, let us acknnowledge the emotional conflict and pain we confront in the reality of our daily lives.

Bills need to be paid, there is not enough income, taxes are due, and of course college costs and retirement funding are looming.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention the rising prices of gas, oil, food, health care, and for some unlucky people, the one-armed bandit, otherwise referred to as the adjustable rate mortgage.

If you are in a “reasonably sound” financial position, however, then you may want to consider the benefits of sharing your good fortune with those who need your help.

Authors like Harv T Eker and Wallace Wattles agree on the boost in your own feelings of self-worth when you help others. Perhaps Jim Rohn has summed it up best: “The problem is not that the price is too high, the problem is YOU can’t afford it.”

We will continue to talk some more about the power of belief and the power of giving. For now, please consider sharing your good fortune with someone like Frankie.

It may be selfish, but in a way you are helping yourself as much as you are helping him.

Michael Gelb, author of How to think Like Leonardo daVinci suggests seven principles, that when applied to our daily living, allow us to act like a Genius.

Think of it as becoming the modern Renaissance Man or Woman.

One of the more intriguing principles we have to resolve is the concept of Sfumato (literally “Going up in smoke”).  It is a wilingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.

For those of us who would be wealthy, there’s the rub. How do we move out of our comfort zone and take the necessary risks to get what we want out of life?

Several other authors come to mind when we explore this thinking, and are worth reading in my opinion: Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Sway, and Take the risk. While many books on trading and Investing deal with technical or fundamental analysis, not many explore the psychological aspects.

Two other outstanding authors come to mind if you are interested in the neuro psychology of trading: Dr Janice Dorn and Brett Steenbarger .

These books make a great addition to Trading in the Zone, which you probably already have if you are following the first of the seven daVincian Principles: Curiosita.

Whatever the scale, large or small, many businesses are run by people, and that introduces the human element. 

If Societe General had applied more diligence in overseeing their traders,  Jerome Kerviel would not have been allowed to accrue a $7 Billion loss. But why did he do it?

Whether in our own small business, or in our personal trading and investment business, we need to establish systems that prevent us from sabotaging our own best interests.

Logic is usally over-ruled by our primitive brain stem and our emotional responses. If you can find a copy of Sway, you will undoubtedly see yourself as I have seen myself.

In the words of Pogo: I have seen the enemy and he is us.

It’s time to change all that.

Usually we discuss financial wealth at this site. Today we will explore another area. If you are uninterested in your spiritual side, feel free to come back next week for a visit.

I was thinking of my father the other day as I walked out of the theatre having just seen No Country for Old Men.

Ed Tom Bell: “It starts when you begin to overlook bad manners. Anytime you quit hearing ‘Sir’ and ‘ma’am’, the end is pretty much in sight.”

Some movies leave me scratching my head in wonder for awhile, but not this one.

Nostalgia sometimes distorts the reality of our past. I am afraid that this movie probably sums up the erosion of the values of the past generation and provides insight into the direction that we are evolving fairly accurately.

Although at this site we are not supporting any particular theology, on a personal level the old man that runs this organization has helped me with my moral compass for over 20 years now. (I am not being disrespectful, as I am qualified as an old man myself.)

It is possible to experience wealth on the financial level while being spiritually bankrupt; I hope to never find myself in that situation.

If you have a few extra minutes, come join our party at Two Forty-Two so that I can introduce you to another old man who had a major influence on my life. If you really have nothing to do today, then go here to hear what I said about him.

P.S. If you see someone driving around town for a few days in a polished 89 burgundy Caprice Classic, that will be me.