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The following is a guest post by Charles from CreditDonkey.
If you are interested in becoming financially secure and living a life free from excessive debt and financial stress, then you will be interested in learning 3 ways that you can invest your time, money, and energy wisely to attain such a lifestyle.
Let’s talk about time first. Each day we have 24 hours. Each person has 24 hours to spend how he or she pleases and when it comes to becoming financially fit, time is probably more valuable than you think.
Tip number 1: Invest your time in ways that bring you financial gain.
Time equals money and time is very valuable. I think we all wish that we had more “free” time. It seems that we spend so much time working and trying to make enough money to pay the bills, purchase necessary items, and even have some left over for recreation. Many people work 40 or more hours per week to earn a paycheck that too often does not cover all of the bills, desires, needs, and so on.
If you want financial gain you are going to have to use what time you have available in ways that will produce the greatest amount of finances for you. If you work 40 hours a week, spend 5 hours each evening watching television, play Civ4 till the sun comes up (just one more turn) and weekends goofing off, and you are not satisfied with your financial status, then you are wasting time. Those hours you can invest in learning how to become financially fit and productive or you can use that time to get a second job and make more money. You can get out of debt and learn how to invest your time and money in ways that will help your finances grow.
Tip number 2: Invest your money in ways that cause your money to grow.
Investing your money wisely is so very important for financial freedom. Begin keeping track of what you spend your money on. Are you investing your money in material possessions that you simply do not need? Are you spending large amounts of money on vacations or recreational activities that you really can’t afford right now? Do you squander ten, twenty, or fifty dollars on things you can’t even remember buying?
I can’t express how important it is to invest your money in savings. Every time you get paid, put some money into savings. Do this every time even if it is a small amount. Get in the habit of putting money away. As your savings grows, consider hiring a financial counselor to help you invest your money in money market accounts, retirement accounts, cd’s, and more. Your money is valuable so invest it wisely in ways that will help you become financially free.
Tip number 3: Invest your energy on positive financial thoughts.
More than 55 percent of people worry and stress about money. That means that they are spending their emotional energy worried about finances. I know that tough times come and sometimes life does get financially stressful but I also know that you can change your thoughts about money. You can dedicate yourself to becoming more responsible financially, learning how to become more financially literate, and be a good steward of the resources that have been given to you.
Have you heard the phrase, “You are what you think?” It holds true much of the time. Do you think of yourself as broke, busted, and disgusted? Have you given up on ever becoming financially free? Do you dwell on the mistakes that you’ve made financially? If so, you can stop. Begin to invest your energy on positive thoughts regarding your finances. Stop saying you’re broke and proclaim that you are changing things up. You are taking full responsibility for your finances and getting out of debt and prospering.
Declare war on negative thinking. Begin to see yourself financially free and take steps down that road. It is never too late to change things. If you want to see change in your financial status, invest your time, money, and energy wisely in ways that work for your financial freedom. You can do it.
This post was written by Charles from CreditDonkey. Learn more ways to invest your time, money and energy wisely at his credit card tips blog including their latest article on “5 Ways to Improve Your Quality of Life and Save Money”.
Nice article. I definitely agree with #3, positive thought like one of the best way to financial freedom and abundance. Keep in mind that if others can do it, you can do it too!
I like tip #3. In fact, if done right (by learning how to become financially fit as in tip #1) you don’t have to spend time thinking about and worrying about money. This is very well expressed by Bill Schultheis in “The New Coffee House Investor”. He prefers mountain climbing and other activities rather than worrying about investments and finances.
Thanks for sharing Bill’s book (The New Coffeehouse Investor). I just read the reviews on Amazon and would love to hear your perspective on “Why do we need to lead a penny-pinching life today for a high retirement style tomorrow?”
PS: personally, I prefer snowboarding rather than worrying about investments and finances.
We all need money to live, but it is not all about money. If you set reasonable goals and work toward them without sacrificing everything, you can be happy. If I have a reasonable lifestyle, I can afford to save and enjoy myself along the way. With this in mnd, I may not be wealthy, but I can be happy.
I believe I have the first two points covered pretty well, but I think the hardest of the 3 is the last one, “Invest your energy on positive financial thoughts.”
Your thoughts are incredibly difficult to control! And, depending on what environment you were raised, thinking positively can also be difficult!
I continue to read financial books and leadership books (and most likely will my whole life) in order to keep my thoughts financially positive. I’ll most likely get some books on tape as well so that I can learn while driving! Then, hopefully I can master point number 3.
Agreed on all counts. With all of the international troubles; Japan, Syria etc. I am committed to focusing on the mountain of good grace I have in my life. I mentally smack myself everytime I even think about complaining.
@LifeAndMyFinances Positive thinking has not come naturally to me in the past so it is something I need to strive toward, but sometimes the mere intention of wanting to see things in a better light can make it happen. Mind over matter… to a certain extent. 😉
Thanks for the great guest post, Charles!
Great post!
You are what you think indeed!!!
I like tip #3…that instead of worrying about money, you can take positive actions to get into a better position.