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.

They all know how to lose money big time.

Some, it seems are too big to fail.

How about you, what size are your debts?

You may be eligible to get propped up like some of these institutions if you are saddled with obligations in the nefarious underworld of inter-twined and financially complex derivative markets. If not, it’s likely that you will be on your own.

I hope you are doing well; the government continues to step to the plate on our behalf. As taxpayers,they expect us to assume the financial responsibilities of these mismanaged companies that have made bad investment decisions.

The recent manipulations this past week are like a band-aid on a badly severed limb.

The real estate industry has enough headaches already, but without adequate capital, it is difficult to imagine the housing situation improving anytime soon.

As housing goes, so goes the country. Let’s see what the “rtc” model has to offer before we draw any conclusions.
Can’t shrug this one off, Atlas.

The credit markets have made it clear that risk is now the enemy.

September is notorious for being a difficult month in the US markets. This year is shaping up to be no different.

World markets depend on the continued American consumption of anything and everything. With real estate prices and home equity continuing to fall, and job losses escalating, the social mood is in a funk.

These are historic times.

Lehman Brothers is on shaky territory, and rumors abound about it’s solvency.

Even a swift perusal of Sway is enough to convince the casual reader of the irrational behavior of human nature. Individuals become victims of their own emotions.

What is now becoming more clear is the folly of the collective psyche.

Sir Alan has saddled the civilized world with debt, and now the salvation is more debt?

The major players are hemorrhaging cash, and this Ponzi scheme is rapidly unwinding.

Don’t be fooled, guard your cash and remain vigilant for the opportunities as they materialize.

Time will show us if Ben B is the modern day Heracles or not.

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?

I think that most of the really successful entrepreneurs know how to have fun while developing themselves, their ideas, and their businesses.

There is an old joke about small business owners only having to work half a day, and it doesnt matter which 12 hours they are. If Labor Day means grabbing a day off, great.  If it means rededicating yourself to bringing out your inner financial genius, even better.

I read several books while I was on vacation last week. Robert Shemin’s literary contribution borrows heavily from the likes of Arnold Patent, Wallace Wattles, Robert Kiyosaki, Brian Tracy, and Harv T Eker, so he is in good company. To become wealthy, all we need to do is to implement one good idea, and we never know what will be the catalyst for it. Check him out, he has some valuable insights.

I loved his Wealth Wall; it’s an interesting remastering of the wealth collage that will keep us focused on our goals. 

His best premise: Rich Idiots get that way by having laser-like focus and taking action, while smart people tend to overanalyze opportunities and miss them in an attempt to be “perfect” or reduce risk. They create real estate and business assets that produce income and reduce “bad” liabilites.

In between my rather poor imitation of Michael Phelps while playing in the water at Norton Point, I read another gem by Vince Poscente called the Age of Speed. Results are best achieved by singularity of focus; the hare lost to the tortoise not because of the dynamics of speed but rather because he got distracted.

Being a AAA Jet is the key: Agile, Aerodynamic, and Aligned.

Rather than fearing and complaining about the faster pace of our society, today’s winners largely embrace speed in all their endeavors, giving them more time for life.

Whatever your dreams, whatever your goals, be about it. 

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.

Mom stayed home and raised the kids while Pop went to work.

While nostalgic thoughts are important parts of our psyche, Happy Days are not here again.

The rat race continues. Tired or not, maintaining our current lifestyle seems to demand more time to support it while we suffer more intrusions into our personal lives.

Regaining control requires eliminating good things from our activities. Making time for only our highest priorities allows us to focus on the “vital few instead of the trivial many“.

Self-help superstar entrepreneur and business guru Brian Tracy continually advocates the importance of leveraging our time and resources. Nothing will change until we do.

Speaking of change, be aware of these wealth preservation thoughts during these turbulent times with a number of banks becoming insolvent. 

Gotta go, time for Laverne and Shirley .

We have had our share of asian contagion, mad cow disease, Y2K, and other memorable fears.

The reality is that life goes on, (and that’s a good thing), and we must continue to put forth our best effort at raising the bar for our financial security.

There are some things that money can’t buy , for everything else there’s…

Well, either we have it or we don’t. If we don’t have it, then we can borrow it, and pay it back later, with interest of course.

Getting off that treadmill is not as easy as it sounds.

Breaking the cycle of credit card debt is one of the most important first steps we can do to move down the road towards our financial freedom.

Saving, although unglamorous, is another.

Raising our income through income-producing businesses is vital to anyone who wants to break the trap of working for a living.

It has never been easier to begin Inertnational Commerce via Web-based businesses, through template designers like Darren Hoyt, Michael Pollack, Brian Gardner, and Cory Miller.

Fail our way to success; all we need is one good idea.

How about masterminding a social networking site like bebo ?

If a plan is necessary for success; putting the plan into action is vital.

I guess these are really desperate times for many people, especially those who tie their self-esteem to their net worth.

The simple steps to creating wealth are on hold for many would-be millionaires. Paying for gas, food, and the mortgage now have taken center stage before building the investment portfolios.

As the kids used to ask, “are we there yet?”

No one knows where the bottom is for the mess we have gotten ourselves into.

What I do know, is that there is always opportunity.

Any rational person will get their head above water, and figure out how to make a profit from whatever ideas seem to make sense in the current economic climate.

Here is one man’s idea. He is a mortgage broker who has recognized that his previous business model wasn’t working, and has made appropriate changes to help himself by helping others.

What’s your idea?

On a sad note, Randy Pausch will be missed, but his ideas have left quite a legacy for his family. He was an inspiration for all and a true wizard of wealth. Our sympathy and condolences are extended to his family in their time of sorrow.

The government has legislation approved to bailout “400,000″ potential foreclosure victims (who knows what the real number is), awaiting President Bush’s approval.

If you are into investing and trading, there are some sophisticated thinkers out there who can help us to better understand the social and herd pyschology. There are times we want to run with the herd. If they are being led to the slaughter, however, it may be a good idea to become part of the buthcher’s team.

A favorite past time of mine is connecting the dots, although many times I am quite obtuse.

I believe in learning from experts. One of my daughters is an expert on books. A number of years ago I asked her a personal question: “If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one book with you to read, what would you like it to be?”

Without hesitation, this was her answer. My reading list is mostly non-fiction, but that should explain to you why this semingly out of character book is in my library. To this day, I still agree with her choice.

Read what defense attorney Mark Zauderer has to say regarding connecting the dots in a current fraud and conspiracy case involving former Bear Stearns executives.

Evidently, many borrowers were duped, and Operation Malicious Mortgage is aimed at identifying individuals who took advantage of the hapless homeowners in the current mortgage crisis.

On a personal level, we can never abdicate the responsibility for our financial freedom to anyone else, any more than we can expect a Doctor to be responsible for the choices we make regarding our health.

On a collective level, evidently things are not quite so simple. Evidently we have personally racked up a cool half million dollars of debt per household while we hid our head in the sand. Andrew Yarrow offers chilling evidence that should be sobering to even the most liberal of spenders.

Connecting all these dots, a not-so-pretty picture is beginning to emerge.

We better say a prayer.