Rose of Sharon Jewelry

Quick – can you explain a personal or career goal to me right now? Here’s 5 tips to help you achieve your goals and explore new ones.

Goals are more than dreams. They are guideposts along life’s journey. If your goal is to win the lottery or become a NBA Superstar – perhaps you aren’t grasping the actual purpose of having a goal. Sure you could spend all your money on quick picks or shoot hoops until dark every night – but winning the lottery is still an uncontrollable long-shot and unless you’re an athletic teen with scouting potential – well you are just fooling yourself!

Step #1 – Start with your biggest dream and define it. Create a dream journal where you explore all the aspects of how it would feel to reach this ultimate goal, why you want it and what are the requirements needed to achieve it. This will help you learn your goal’s potential and is how you’ll recognize the success steps along the way. As the cliché goes, it’s the journey not the destination.

Step #2 – Feel it, taste it, smell it, visualize it – this is your passion. Passion is what will keep you on the path when it seems lonely and long. Without passion, why bother? If you don’t have passion in your heart and gut – rethink your goal and redirect your efforts.

Step #3 -  Why do you want it – what does it give you? Wealth, fame, satisfaction, happiness, spiritual peace, personal challenges? The WHY is actually a reality check. Sometimes it’s the emotions surrounding the goal that are what we are seeking and not the perceived goal itself. Not all dreams are realistic and attainable but the emotions associated with the dream can be. Look for the “feeling” reasons to assess your goal’s viability.

Step #4 -  Review and create a priority list of the requirements necessary to reach your goal. Break these down into small tasks (think under 30 minutes).

Rank the tasks by Must Do, Helpful and Long-term.  You should plan on completing 10 Must Do’s to every 4 Helpful and 1 Long-term. Keep an eye on the ratio so you don’t get bogged down in non-critical tasks. It’s easy to get lost in the “well-at-least-I’m-doing-something” non-critical tasks instead of taking real action. Don’t let FEAR sidetrack you!

If you need to get a Master’s Degree, don’t write down Master’s Degree! Break it down into tasks such as obtaining your college transcripts, scheduling a meeting with a college advisor, researching loan programs, applying for a grant or visiting a campus.

Step # 5 – Set firm deadlines for your Must Do tasks. Be realistic about how much time you’ll have to hike towards the pinnacle (goal). Missing a deadline isn’t the end of the world but as with any investment it’s small regular actions that are the foundation of great rewards. Deadlines are a promise to yourself and you deserve to feel the sense of accomplishment (success) that reaching each deadline gives you.

I’d love to have you share your goals with us here. A public announcement (just like a pledge of love through marriage) is a powerful step in being successful.

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Today’s Wealthy Wednesday post features the 5 books which I pull off the shelf first to help me express myself – and none has Webster in the title!

Pictures are great but it’s the words that close a sale, convince a disbeliever, inspire an action and share a thought. As a professional writer, daily blogger and Rose of Sharon Jewelry marketer, I’m always looking for the right word.

Dictionaries are great (especially the online versions which are much more forgiving of spelling errors). But frankly, the definitions are pretty boring and don’t make for great sales copy. A Thesaurus can help but the synonyms aren’t always something one would naturally use in conversation. So what do I do?

 

When all else fails and you don’t have just the right word for it – check out these great books!

Better than Webster’s

The first book off the shelf is always the Flip Dictionary. As the cover says, “For when you know what you want to say but can’t think of the word”.  This isn’t just for us 55+ writers! My copy (purchased in 2002) has gotten a lot of use.

 

Words Do Sell

The next book I discovered in a San Jose bookstore on Lincoln Avenue was Words that Sell. This small book has been the inspiration for product names, catalog copy and sales letters. This is a must own if you write any product descriptions.

 

 

I found Phrases that Sell in 2001 on Amazon.

 

 

I was thrilled when I found More Words that Sell in Amazon in 2004.

 

 

Learn from the Master

If you don’t have a marketing background, invest in copywriting guru, Robert Bly’s tome, The Copywriter's Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells. (I do and I still use this book to inspire me!)

 

 

As a professional writer, I consider these books as investments in my career and a valuable part of my reference library. I would suggest that if you regularly write anything more than a tweet or Facebook post that you spend the $15 immediately on the Flip Dictionary. It’s a very easy-to-use book (your kids will find it much friendlier than a traditional dictionary, too).

As my Flip Dictionary says: There’s more than one way to say Good-bye – Adios – Aloha – Adieu – Farewell – Sayonara – Aloha.

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Bell, CA citizens  discovered their city officials earned up to 10x the average citizen’s salary. Citizens demanded a change and got it!

This small Southern California city is filled with hard-working blue collar families barely making it in a high-cost California economy. The average salary is about $32,000. That’s considered low-income in So. Cal!

A few months ago, Bell’s citizens learned their  city mayor, police chief and part-time city council in a city of 45,000 were making more than Los Angeles officials in similar positions and even more than President Obama!

Citizens took to their anger into the streets with regular protests outside city hall and at public meetings. Soon local LA news stations and CNN were carrying their story live.

Officials caught with their hands in the cookie jar have resigned and the Mayor is working with no pay for the balance of his term. But the best news is that the State of California has opened a full investigation.

The Wealthy Wednesday lesson is that We, the people have the power to make changes in our government. It may take some righteous anger and shouting voices to be heard.

Have an issue in your city, county or state that needs to be fixed? Create a stir, shine the light on it and get others to work together and you too can make a difference like the citizens of Bell have done.

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Emotional health is the foundation of personal wealth. We seek it out but often it eludes us. Here are the 5 things I know for certain that are critical to good emotional health.

 

1. A way to keep your mind busy. This can be a hobby or perhaps a stimulating job. Don’t spent money on puzzles and other solitary pursuits – get out in the world and immerse yourself. Helping others is a great way to keep your own problems in perspective.
2. A way to keep your hands busy. You know the saying about “idle hands”. Studies have proven that manual labor increases our feelings of well-being and satisfaction. Plant a garden, volunteer at a food bank or take up knitting.
3. A sense of value. Build a life of value – it’s not too hard just be honest, work hard, share often and help others.
4. A spiritual or religious belief. The exploration of a spiritual path or being active in your church or mosque helps us develop a moral compass and keeps us humble.
5. People you love and who love you. We are not solitary creatures. Science has proven that family and friends add years to our life – and they add life to our years! Hate your relatives – start your own family by gathering people around you who you can love!

 

Best wishes as you increase your emotional health and personal wealth.

 

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Millions of Baby Boomers are now busy caring for an aging parent – sometimes for decades.  Here are 3 critical steps to take now to insure you’re prepared for caring for your parents.

Before Your Parents Are In Need

1. Talk to your parent(s) about their wishes – this includes medical directives, living wills and residency. Most people avoid these conversations but discussing these details is critical to implementing plans that will be workable within the family, maximize finances and avoid family squabbles.

• Questions to ask aging parents from Real Simple Magazine.
• Talk Early – Talk Often web site.
• The Federal Government provides info on advanced directives.
• Advanced directive information by state is available from Caring Connections.
• Talking with Aging Parents about Finances
• Long Term Health Care – Early Planning Pays Off (Mayo Clinic)

2. Call a family meeting to discuss parental care. Not every family member has the resources to have a disabled parent move in. Others simply aren’t willing to lift a finger. Better to know who you can count on and how they will contribute. Hashing out the details without your parents around is often best as buried hurts and wounds can arise when discussing parents. Doing this well in advance also gives brother and sisters time to rethink opinions and adjust to compromises.

• For help on holding a family meeting, check out Family Caregiver Alliance.
• 9 Mistakes Adult Siblings Make When Parents Are Aging, Sick and Dying.

3. Encourage parents to create a “need to know” book. Many parents prefer to not share all their financial details until it’s necessary so putting together a guide is critical. And make certain that the book/file is safely stored and someone trusted knows where it is kept. You can also open a safety deposit box at your local bank were at least two people are required to sign in for access.

•  54-page guide from Wells Fargo Bank on financial conversations with adult children.
• Aging Parents: During Emergencies, Details Count at the Mayo Clinic web site.
• Help Your Aging Parents – free forms from Boomer Books.

 

The title of the advice web site above – Talk Early – Talk Often – is great advice. Western cultures often ignore talking about death and dying which can be a critical mistake for you and your love ones.

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When you think of wealth do you think of Bill Gates or bank CEOs? Wealth is more than $.  Here’s 10 ways to measure true wealth.

Grab a pencil and pad and start thinking about your wealth. I’ll bet you are a millionaire and don’t even know it.

1. First give yourself $100,000 for being a valuable human being. All human beings are born with value to their community, their family, their God and to the world.
2. Add another $100,000 to your tally if you are an active part of an emotionally healthy extended family. Family isn’t just your blood relatives; it is also the people you gather around yourself to fill the basic familial roles of father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, husband, daughter or son. These people go beyond friendship to provide a safety net for each other. Your wealth (and health) is greatly enhanced by creating your own family.
3. Friends are like money in the bank. You’ll have another $100,000 of true wealth if you have a network of friends. Friendship is also one of the biggest factors in living a long and healthy life.
4. Religious or spiritual beliefs add another $100,000 to your value. Attending a church regularly enhances your mind, brings you friendship and fellowship and gives you a sense of peace. However, having strong spiritual beliefs can also fill your soul, bring you peace and help you figure out what your place is in the universe. If you don’t believe in a God, you actually do have a belief system. Whether it provides you with the benefits believers have, I’m not really certain but give yourself a $25,000 for thinking deeply about the topic.
5. Work provides us with money for physical things. But the  benefits go well beyond the obvious. Add $50,000 if you have a job that keeps you busy. Humans have a built-in response to keeping our hands and minds busy. A feeling of accomplishment is a strong aspect of good emotional health. Add a passion for your work and you earn another $50,000 in value. Add another $50,000 if your job serves others. Whether you are a teacher, doctor or babysitter, your service has great value to our society and beyond. If your work takes you into areas of hardship around the globe, add another $50,000.
6. Children (your own or others) add laughter, love and wonderment to your life. Add $25,000 for each child you have in your life. I’ve always treasured being an Aunt. Hearing my nieces and nephews say “Aunt Sharon” is pure gold. My stepson Josh has been my baby for 34 years. His stepson Hunter is my first adorable grandson and his twins, Kael and Orion, have transformed my life. If you don’t have children in your family, connect with a friend’s child or join Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Find a way to add a child to your life. You’ll be rewarded an extra $50,000.
7. From the day you are born to the day you die, you must be learning. My Grandmother lived a wonderful life for 103 years because she never stopped soaking up knowledge. Whether you take a pottery class, buy some audio tapes to learn a new language, return to school or just read non-stop – you are creating a healthy, active brain. Add $5,000 for each new topic you have learned in the past 3 years.
8. Do you know your passion? Passion is a fire in the belly, a twinkle in your eye and a leaves you searching for words to explain how it makes you feel. If you have a passion, add $50,000 to your wealth.
9. We are our brother’s keepers. That is a belief that runs deep within my family. Doing for others is a powerful way to increase your emotional and spiritual wealth. We are also the overseers of our planet. Volunteering, donating and speaking out about issues such as poverty, global warming, health care, homelessness, disease, war are our duty as citizens of the U.S., earth and the human race. If you hold up your share of the sky, give yourself $50,000. If you think you are too busy, don’t have anything to offer or just haven’t given it a thought, deduct $10,000. Find a way to fulfill this responsibility now and you’ll earn back the $10,000 plus another $50,000.
10. Do you take time every day to be kind to yourself? Do you treat yourself with respect and make a real effort to pamper yourself? This is a hard one for busy women and men. Add $50,000 to your asset tally if you actively love yourself. All the other areas of wealth are built upon a foundation of self-love.

Bonus Bucks

Add another $5,000 if you -

1. Own a hybrid or high mileage vehicle.
2. Teach your children manners.
3. Read a daily newspaper (print or digital).
4. Write your congressperson at least once a year.
5. Tithe at your church.
6. Laugh often.
7. Cry when needed.
8. Balance your budget.
9. Exercise or play a sport regularly.
10. Add beauty to your life – garden, paint, decorate, etc.

Add another $10,000 if you -

1. Support a charity regularly.
2. Cook your own meals more than 75% of the time.
3. Vote in every election.
4. Recycle paper, glass and metal.
5. Spend as much time outdoors as you can.

Add another $25,000 if you -

1. Create your own measures of wealth.

 

I’d recommend that you revisit these true wealth calculations annually to reinforce how valuable you are!

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Take a Gulf vacation to help families suffering from the oil spill disaster. Beaches are open, sun and fun is plentiful. Hundreds of small businesses depend upon the summer tourist trade for their livelihood. If we stay away because of unfounded fears, we will be the ultimate cause of their failure.

The news media is diligently beating the drum about the Gulf oil disaster and rightfully so – however, many tourists are needlessly cancelling vacation reservations because they erroneously believe the beaches are all closed. Even cities not located near a beach such as New Orleans are suffering.

Florida coastal areas, which often  haven’t seen a tar ball yet, are reporting as much at a 25% drop in tourist trade. Louisiana with only 10 miles of public beaches has thousands of miles of tourist areas un affected. Alabama beach towns are reporting as many as 40% less tourists.

Call your travel agent today to schedule a great vacation in the Gulf states. Many hotels, online booking sites and major attractions are offering full refunds if the oil spill creates a problem during your vacation.

To learn more about taking a vacation that will directly help feed a family and keep small businesses alive:

• Learn about the abundance of food and fun in Louisiana. Oil spill info and updates for tourists can be found on this site, too.
• Enjoy the warm Alabama sun. Learn all about Alabama tourism.
• The state of Mississippi has a special Gulf Coast tourism site.
• Florida – a favorite of millions of tourists from around the world – wants you to visit. Learn more about it at Visit Florida.

All the various Gulf tourism sites will keep you up to date on beach conditions. But as I said beaches aren’t the only attractions. If you’ve never experienced Southern Hospitality, you are in for a real treat. They know how to feed and take care of tourists!

Have fun and don’t forget to take a lot of pictures.

Sharing your happiness & gratitude increases your own “wealth.” Here’s 15 ideas to secretly spread goodness around! I was raised by women who always take time to help others. Every year, my Mom outfits 100+ “Barbie” dolls with complete wardrobes and donates them to little girls who need Christmas cheer. Until the very day she passed away last year, my Granny (my Mom’s mother) was busy fixing up dolls or making quilts to donate to those in need. My family isn’t rich except in goodness and generosity. But the powerful lesson that I took away is to not only help others but that this act of  charity shouldn’t be for self-promotion. It’s wonderful if you can donate millions for a hospital wing, but the act is diminished if you have to have your name on the door!

Secret Sharing

Here are 10 ways to secretly share what you have with others in need. It need not be much to change a life. Give with all your heart.

1. Buy gift cards from an office supply for a teacher. Leave your envelope with the school office with a specific teacher’s name or to “5th grade teacher.” Did you know that teachers personally spend on average over $500 a school year on classroom supplies?
2. Adopt a child or family through your church or synagogue. Ask your pastor or rabbi for someone in your congregation that could use some financial help from an anonymous donor. A few timely received dollars or a store gift card can be a real life saver. Secret Santa activities are great but the need exists well beyond the holiday season.
3. Sponsor a child’s school activities. Many schools require user fees for band, sports or clubs. Contact the school principal to sponsor a needy child anonymously.
4. Sponsor a child’s afterschool activities. The Boys & Girls Club or other local afterschool programs always need assistance. Also think about updating equipment, donating usable computers or offsetting the cost of a field trip.
5. Advertise your business in a school’s yearbook. Yearbooks become prized mementos. However, underfunded local high school budgets often eliminate this classroom activity that older folks (that’s me, ha!) take for granted. Sure you’ll be paying dearly for your ad but think of what you are underwriting!
6. Pay it for forward. Think of ordinary situations such as toll booths and pay for several cars behind you. This simple act can really bring a smile to someone who isn’t expecting it.
7. Mow, weed or tend a neighbors’ yard. Elderly or disabled people often struggle to keep their yards healthy and neat. It takes just a few minutes to mow another yard! Create lovely pots of colorful annuals and leave them on the door steps of neighbors. It doesn’t make much effort or time to make several.
8. Call a house-bound person every day. If you know someone who is living independently but could use a regular check in, make it a point to call and chat regularly. Local social service or police agencies can also connect you with people who need a check up phone call. Also you can create a contact list to call people in case of a local emergency such as extreme weather, fire, etc. You’d be surprised how many people have no one in their life to make certain they are okay.
9. Create a Pay It Forward program at your company. Maximize your resources by creating a group to think of new opportunities and carry them out.
10. Enlist your children to teach them your values. Help them sell lemonade to raise funds for a local charity. Ask your local pet shelter how older children can help out. Include an extra treat in your child’s lunch box especially to share with someone who isn’t popular. Make certain your child includes everyone in their class to birthday parties, show and tell activities, sharing holiday treats, etc. Reward very young children for finding ways to help others to jumpstart the compassion training. Later your child will be able to recognize the positive benefits are reward enough. Insist that your child’s schools have community service  participation requirements for graduation.

 

• For classroom oriented ideas, check out the Pay It Forward Foundation.
• For community ideas, check out the Pay It Forward Movement.
• You’ll find helpful ideas at Help Others.org

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