Learning to Live Well IV - Finance

Learning to Live Well IV - Finance

Learning to live well is an ongoing process in anyone’s life. Growing and aging is something we all do and the more attention we pay to the process the better off we will be. As we continue this blog I will share with you another series of important words – Faith, Family, Fitness, Finance. These grow out of the progression of personal development presented in Learning to Live Well I, II, and III. They also involve more intensive work and commitment so they will be presented in a separate series for each word. Having thought about:
I - Probabilities, Possibilities, and Productivity
II - Persona, Persistence, Perseverance
III - Survival, Security, Significance
I hope you will be challenged to continue growing in your life in the areas of Faith, Family, Fitness, Finance.

Finance: It will be important for you to realize that finance is much like fitness – it is all up to you! A lot of people think that finance is first in their lives and necessary for everything else that makes life great. Better think again. Finance is more of an outcome or a product of who and what you are as a person. This is one topic in which one should be careful not to “put the cart before the horse” as they say. While there is nothing wrong with finance and becoming wealthy, it is important to keep finance in its proper place. Perhaps the most famously misquoted Scripture is this, “money is the root of all evil”. Not so. Quoted correctly it really says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”[i] It is the love of money that brings so many people grief and turmoil.

There is a good reason why my blog on Learning to Live Well did not start with finance. Finance is surely not the activation or the ending of a great life. It is, however, a vital and important aspect of the way one lives their lives and is therefore a significant part of the teaching in almost every religion. This form of teaching is not only about money, the outward and visible aspect of wealth, but even more about the primary origin or cause for a holistic aspect regarding riches. They try to teach the importance of our recognition of the majesty and gift of life itself and how we need to share this comprehensive endowment with everyone as well as ourselves.

Since this is a blog I will not go into a great detail, but Christians will readily recognize this verse in the Gospel of Luke, “Give, and it will be given to you.”[ii] Another verse, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked”[iii] will emphasize the clearness of such teaching. In the Jewish faith the Torah speaks clearly about giving, "If there will be a poor man among you... you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand toward your poor brother; you shall open your hand to him and shall give him enough for his needs"[iv] It goes even further, "If your brother becomes poor... you shall support him, stranger or settler, and he shall live with you"[v] The Muslim faith in numerous ways teaches the rule to be charitable. There is a short film on You Tube sited in the footnote below that explains very clearly what is taught.[vi]

True wealth comes from a desire to serve others. We admire those among us who have done well by developing an idea or product that helps people to live and work better. These are the people who are the inventors of almost everything that we enjoy and find useful in our lives. “Everybody can be great . . . because anybody can serve. 
You don't have to have a college degree to serve. . . .
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”[vii] “Doing nothing for others is the undoing of one’s self. 
We must be purposely kind and generous, or we miss the best part of existence. The heart that goes out of itself gets large and full of joy. This is the great secret of the inner life. We do ourselves the most good
 doing something for others.”[viii]

History bears witness to the number of people that we celebrate for serving others without necessarily possessing financial wealth. It is also not uncommon that those who have become notable in serving others have often become well off financially as well.

When it comes to money I have a favorite saying, “Money is never the problem – people are always the problem”. If you read my articles from the beginning you may understand why I concur. My first article begins with Probabilities and Possibilities leading to productivity. These characteristics were built into the fabric of our universe from the moment of creation. Then, depending on what kind of person you are, the sky is the limit, as they say, if you have persistence and perseverance. For those that move forward through life situations of Survival and Security, they have every opportunity to live a life of Significance: life that is intrinsically immersed in faith, family, fitness and finance.

Move – is the key word to moving forward in life!

MOVE – Making Opportunity Verifying Experience

Moving forward in life is obviously much better than moving backward. If you realize and understand the fabric of our universe then you know that you too can expand and grow in every area of life. We are all a part of this great creation and thereby share in this abundant inheritance. If we are unwilling to move in our course with all that lives we surely can lose these fascinating probabilities and possibilities. Inactivity and resistance are our worst enemies. The energy is there, we just need to “make” it happen. Making opportunities is our life’s work. Learning to take advantage of every opportunity is foremost. Without a good and positive attitude you are as good as dead.

When moving forward it is good to constantly verify every experience. Not everything will be good for you but you will never know whether it is or not unless you try. One of the simple rules that made sense for me was: if doors are opening then continue to help them open with deliberate caution. If doors tend to be closing then be sure that you are not forcing your way into a bad place. I did not say that making opportunity and verifying experience was easy but it is necessary to make progress and become productive.

Here are three more important helpful words: Team, Inclusive, and Diversity. A lot can be said in this area but here is a summary:

TEAM – Together Everyone Accomplishes More. This acronym has been around for a long time and it has proven to be very true. You have probably also heard; “two heads are better than one”. Adding one more head to your life is great, but the real magic is in multiplication – increasing your team by 2 x X or Y. Using the mental, emotional and physical aptitudes of your team in this way will increase your level of productivity.

Inclusive is another smart way to work with others. Too many people are exclusive in their attitudes and efforts. It is important to value interdependence with a willingness to share the benefits and the blame. Inclusivity is the best way to add strength and value to whatever you are doing.

Diversity is vital. People have said for a long time; “don’t put all your eggs into one basket”. Great advise! Trying to be successful from a single source is not working smart. Most people earn their living by exchanging hours for dollars that brings on the frustration most hourly workers feel. Diversity is how you can work smart, not hard. Using your mind and your spirit as well as your physical body is much more apt to bring financial success. Incorporating others in your efforts and sharing the load is best.

Since there are only 24 hours in each day it will be difficult, if not impossible, to gain much in financial wealth by working in jobs that exchange hours for wages. Since there are so many ways to earn money besides working for an hourly wage you should do some research online, in a library, or by asking others with money how they do it. Most of these people who have financial resources have taken advantage of a variety of ways. Here are a few:

· Spending less (buy what you need and cut down on your “wants”)

· Saving more (choose the best interest plans for maximum return)

· Credit Cards (only use ones that have some form of points or cash back AND pay them off each month!

· Use coupons for all your shopping needs as much as possible

· Combine all your insurance policies under one company to save money & get discounts

· Periodically, at least yearly, check with all service providers to get their latest discounted plans

· Time for a new car? One that is most efficient in gas consumption - even a used car may be best

· Purchase good investments (get a good team to help you and, since banks do not offer very much interest, transfer your bank saving periodically into investment accounts)

· Find part-time work that rewards you without hourly commitment (be careful of scams or get rich schemes) (do not overlook MLM[ix] opportunities but look carefully – some can waste your efforts and cost you more money than you can make)

· Shop in places or with businesses – on or off line - that will reward you for recommending them to others for product sales (our website is one of those – take a look – www.JandDInternational.com)

In closing let me remind you how magnificent and resourceful our universe is and know that you can take advantage of the fact that you are a part of this wonder. You have been created to be all that you can be in body, mind and spirit/emotions to energize a good life for yourself with enough left over to share with others. As you increase in stature as a person and become an active partner with persistence and perseverance these advantages become a part of you. While it may take some time and effort to move from survival to security it surely is not impossible to have a life of significance. Enjoy life – work smart and not hard – and become all that you have been created to become. It’s all up to you!

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[i] 1 Timothy 6:10 – New International Version

[ii] Luke 6:38 (New International Version)

[iii] Luke 12:48 (New International Version)

[iv] Deuteronomy 15:7ff

[v] Leviticus 25:35ff

[vi] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WahSNAhNP-c

[vii] Martin
Luther
King, Jr.

[viii] Horace Mann

[ix] Multi-Level Marketing –see resource for explanations - http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/

Learning to Live Well IV - Fitness

Learning to Live Well IV - Fitness

Learning to live well is an ongoing process in anyone’s life. Growing and aging is something we all do and the more attention we pay to the process the better off we will be. As we continue this blog I will share with you another series of important words – Faith, Family, Fitness, Finance. These grow out of the progression of personal development presented in Learning to Live Well I, II, and III. They involve more intensive work and commitment so they will be presented in a separate series for each word. Having thought about:
I - Probabilities, Possibilities, and Productivity
II - Persona, Persistence, Perseverance
III - Survival, Security, Significance
I hope you will be challenged to continue growing in your life in the areas of Faith, Family, Fitness, Finance.

Fitness: [Fiscal Investment Toward Necessary Evolution Sustaining Self]

Good health is a prerequisite to a great life!

This one is all up to you! I am sure you are familiar with the old adage: “Use it or loose it”. Your overall wellness and fitness depends almost entirely on you. Your fitness is fiscal because it will take some money and time. Only you can enable your body, mind and spirit to evolve toward the necessities for sustaining yourself.

CARE – Constantly Appreciate and Respect Everyone

It is important that you practice care for yourself when it comes to your health and wellbeing. Appropriate care for yourself will enable you to live and work and be actively engaged in service and care for others. Fitness is the essence of who you are and what you become. There are four basic areas of concern that everyone needs to be attentive to in order to insure fitness – exercise, nutrition, good air and clean water.

Exercise, regular physical activity, is primary to good health, as almost everyone will tell you today. There are some basic investments you will need to make like: clothing, shoes, simple tools for accountability like a pedometer, iPod, etc. Fundamental walking or running can be done almost anywhere at any time. Should you feel the need for additional equipment for exercise in your home or for signing up to go to a gym it will require a bit more fiscal investment. It is absolutely necessary that you maintain regularity toward your progress to sustain yourself properly.

Accountability is a must! Certainly accountability to yourself in an honest manner is basic, but you may also want to become accountable to an individual or a group for consistent results. “Challenges... and to be challenged, can be very motivational. That added test or obligation can be the ultimate incentive that makes the difference between think; try; do. I can easily rationalize my own procrastination; but when I am accountable to another, that additional co-dependence provides the necessary incentive to push through my reluctance to achieve what I should do on my own. So joining a "group" benefits "me"... who'd a thought of that?” – Bill Stadnik (a teammate on VitaLife Fitness). This is a place you can go to gain access to the kind of co-dependence that Bill Stadnik speaks about and it is FREE.[i]

Nutrition is very important since the energy necessary to human life comes from how much and how well you eat. Good nutrition is difficult today for at least two reasons:
1. Fresh and nutritious food is hard to come by because very few people grow their own fruits and vegetables – or raise cattle for that matter. Most of our food comes from a supermarket that usually gets their produce from distant places.
2. Because of the time it takes to transport most of our produce it is not very fresh with all the nutrients that would be present if they were eaten soon after their harvest. There is an excellent online resource available that will goes into detail to explain. Please take a look to see some of the highlighted information it contains.[ii]

How do you know what may be a healthy diet for you? Surely there is no one plan that fits all. Common sense would tell us that the more active we are the more food we will need. On the other hand, the less active we are then we certainly do not need a large quantity. We are very fortunate in these United States to have a program that provides each of us with some specific and individual guidelines for good health. I invite you to go the this site called “MyPyramid” and look through all the advise and counsel that is available to you and your family.[iii]

For many of the above situations in today’s lifestyles there is another important aspect of nutrition that is becoming more necessary – nutritional supplements. Our bodies do not absorb chemicals very well and most supplements are mainly made up of chemicals formulas. This is why doctors have often said that vitamins are not very useful for nutrition since they are mainly excreted as waste. When it comes to nutritionals, BIOAVAILABILITY is probably the most important word when you consider taking any supplements. It means that biologically your body is capable of absorbing and digesting all the nutrients that are contained in the supplement because they are made of all natural ingredients. Supplements that are made of all natural ingredients from fruits and vegetables are not in most drugstores. Douglas Laboratories is certified to produce pharmaceutical quality nutritionals and may be obtained online at: www.JandDHealth.com. When you go there you can read about the certification of Douglas Labs and learn a lot more with Flash presentation and detailed articles.[iv]

Water is another important resource that your body needs to stay in healthy. Since the percentage of our bodies are mostly water we are a virtual water machine. Our energy level is impacted largely by our consumption of water. Unfortunately water around the world is contaminated because of the amount of chemicals – drugs, pesticides, fertilizes, etc. – that enters our water resources every day. There is no new source of water on the earth since it was formed (it is all recycled) and pollution levels continue to rise and remain in the earth, our water is increasing in these contaminates. Either we filter out these contaminants prior to consumption or we force our body to be the filter! As stated in a report from the National Cancer Institute to the Surgeon General, “No level of exposure to a chemical carcinogen should be considered technologically insignificant to humans”.

You might do well to do some research on this subject to protect yourself and your family by finding out what you can do about this growing problem. You can go to Wikipedia[v] – a free Encyclopedia online – or do a Google search for yourself to see why we are very serious about this. Water is clearly vital to your health and well being so it will be difficult to think you can Learn to Live Well without looking into the water you are drinking. Because we have been seriously involved with “Learning to Live Well” since 1977 we are able to share some real solutions to this problem on our website that provides considerable information regarding health.[vi]

Air is last but surely not least. Why? How long can you live without air – only minutes?[vii] Something as vital as this ought to be of major concern to one’s health and well being. To give some weight to the importance of the four things that are essential for everyone’s health and well being, I started with exercise because it should be a significant priority relating to health and lastly with air. Somewhere I was told that people always remember most the beginning and ending of a presentation.

I think most everyone is aware that much of our air is polluted. Depending on where you live your air will be for better or worse. Many may not realize that indoor air, without proper filtration, is worse than the outdoor air. To speak about this issue, here is a government website that has a lot of information about this.[viii] This article also speaks to the fact that this is one area of health concern that can be reasonably solved with minimum cost and equipment. Unfortunately there is a variety offered that vary in price and complication. To keep this article short I will try to summarize some basics that I hope will be helpful.

Hot air heat/and or air-conditioning: Filters are necessary for whole house units to protect the units themselves and to eliminate basic particles of dust that would be circulated inside. It is important that they do not block the flow of air that will inhibit their basic effect to heat and cool. Here is a more detailed explanation from NAFA.[ix]
HEPA filtration that can be very effective but also very costly to purchase and regularly change the filters. Here is a basic comprehensive explanation from NAFA regarding HEPA filters.[x]
Air Cleaners using Ultraviolet Light Germicidal Irradiation Technology. This technology uses no filters that need to be changed periodically and no chemical are involved. They are energy efficient using only pennies a day and the UV bulb lasts about one year before changing. There are also units that can be installed directly into existing air ducts for central air purification. We make these very efficient and less expensive models available on our JandD Health website.[xi]

As an entrepreneur I have spent all of my working life is service to others with regards to the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. We have created and established ministries for people in need, especially the disabled and autistic, through my pastoral opportunities as a priest in the Episcopal Church. Along with my partner, Dwight Tintle, we have also established relationships with other astute and professional people to make available the essential resources available to a health lifestyle.

In my retirement this blog is one way to summarize our life experience and knowledge. It hopefully will be helpful to those who need it or wish to continue to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the various ways they can maintain good health. Our next blog will talk about Finance. This is the one that most people put first, but good coaches over the years and life experience teach that healthy finance is a result or fruit of a good life. Take care.

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[i] http://www.janddinternational.com/Exercise.html

[ii] http://www.foodsecurity.org/policy_trans03_brief.html

[iii] http://www.mypyramid.gov/

[iv] http://www.JandDInternational.com

[v] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution

[vi] http://www.janddinternational.com/index.html

[vii] http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2003-04/1049239760.En.r.html

[viii] http://www.epa.gov/iaq/index.html

[ix] http://www.nafahq.org/LibaryFiles/Articles/1Article002.htm

[x] http://www.nafahq.org/LibaryFiles/Articles/Article012.htm

[xi] http://www.janddinternational.com/Products.html