4 words that kill
4 major words that kill
Have you ever heard these four words ever come out of your mouth “I can’t afford it”? This is one of the most common phrases I hear people use today. In addition, this phrase can be suffocating.
Not only did this phrase come from my clients who would be sitting across the table from me, but it would also come from my business associates who had been in business for over 10 years looking to build a six figure income. I found this to be quite an interesting statement that people would say without much thought. The question is, “Why?”
When I sit down with my clients and take a look over their financial statements, I would see that they spend a great deal of money eating out regularly, buying the latest gadgets, upgrading their cable, buying coffee at Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks daily. And yet, they would have no idea how much money was being spent on these things. It’s so funny because they would say, “I truly don’t know where all my money is going!”
This week, as we celebrate Independence Day, I thought, “What does true freedom feel like?” if we live our lives financially strapped, do we feel we are being vindicated by buying unnecessary items? Is that really freedom or is that a life of bondage? Our fore fathers founded this country with hopes of liberty and freedom. They wanted everyone to have the best of what life has to offer.
Well, I have it quite interesting to look closely at where you’re spending your money….. The majority of it is spent on things you really don’t need. When we pay attention to the money we spend, we find that we often spend it without giving much thought to our purchases. Do you think you really needed to go get that new pair of shoes that was on sale at Macy’s this week, or do you think you really needed the extra calories that the Big Mac just added to your thighs? What does the cable TV show add to your brain at the end of the day? What do all these impulsive buying habits truly make you feel like at the end of the day?
Are these things adding real value to your life? Benjamin Franklin said it best, “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.” We, as a society, need to go back to old school ways of living, thinking and believing so we can become free once again!
Most often what I find is people truly don’t even have the extra money to be speeding on things that really don’t serve them. A lot of people will end up swiping their credit cards thinking that it’s free money and end up paying for the item plus high interest charges. This kind of spending leads to a road of financial disappointment and frustration. Why do most people end up falling into this financial trap? Today, most individuals feel they need to keep up with the Joneses and have the latest, greatest, and fastest of everything.
We as a society have fallen away from just being happy and content with the small things that we often take for granted today. In America we have an excessive supply of everything right at our finger tips. We need to get back to basics. We need to look at our spending habits and change some of our thinking on what is truly important.
If you really take what I am suggesting into consideration, and you honestly start saving all of your receipts to actually SEE where your money is going, you will be very surprised. You can find ways to spend less money on things that don’t serve you well and find a way to invest into your education. Your education is something that no one can ever take from you and something that needs to be sharpened daily, my friends. We sometimes get too comfortable with where we currently are vs. becoming uncomfortable for a moment to stretch our minds into learning something new. What do I mean?
Well, there are several programs out there that may give you the hype and get your attention for a moment, cost a lot of money and sell you a pipe dream, but do they really give you the end result? Let me tell you about my client, Miles. This man learned to break away from excuses and live a life of freedom. Not allowing the excuse of, “I can’t afford it or I have a disability,” hold him back. The following is his testimony:
I am a hard of hearing individual who is looking for a change in my life. I met Courtney at the business meet up and got her business card. I checked out her website and liked what I saw so I decided to connect with her via emails. I saw her again at another meet up and told her how I was struggling as a father of 2 kids and how people don't give me a chance to help them to succeed through my business because of my hearing disability. She made me feel good about myself and told me that I can do it regardless of my hearing disability so I decided to do her coaching session. She went the extra mile to get the sign language interpreter for me. We met for the coaching session and I learned great deal of information on what to do and what I could do better. It also built my self confidence that I can do it. I went to a next business meet up and when it was time for me to introduce myself, I just show them who I am by doing sign language and talking at the same time. I am looking forward to next coaching session, Coach!
So if you’re looking for a way out like Miles, here are some tips that I recommend you take into consideration RIGHT NOW so you can live in FREEDOM and start putting your money towards investing to the most important thing and that is YOURSELF. I’m here to help you succeed so you can finally… Get seen, Get heard, Get Hired whether you’re looking for a career or looking to go into business for yourself. What are you willing to do to get the results like Miles?
Don’t just save the receipts from the places you go to, but start buying everything in cash. Get rid of the credit cards. Credit cards equal debt. If you have credit card debt, you need to start paying them off. Don’t just pay the minimum; pay more than the minimum so you can get rid of them ASAP. Once one credit card is paid off you want to apply what I call snowballing effect. What does that mean? Here is an example: if you have a cc that is $10,000 and you’re paying $150 on a month. Once you are done paying that cc off you then take the $150 you were paying and apply it to another cc monthly payment. You were already paying that $150 so now you would apply it to another card. You continue this method with all your credit cards until everything is all paid off.
Other tips:
-Don’t eat out on a regular basis. It’s ok to do this once a month out of what I call your fun budget, but to do this on a regular basis isn’t only expensive it’s also unhealthy, too.
-create a fun budget. Each week set aside a certain amount of money say $20 bucks or so where you’re going to do something fun. Don’t exceed that budget.
-plant a garden and eat from the garden. I did this for the first time this year and love it. I started from seeds and planted a bed in the ground. You can eat a lot of the veggies and fruits. Make jams and things.
-cut the cable bill. It doesn’t serve you. Read a book from the library… it will add value to your skills and by adding value to your skills will ultimately increase your income!
-stop going to Starbucks and make coffee at home. It’s very simple to do.
-stop upgrading all your gadgets. You don’t need the newest and greatest everything. (I still have the Iphone 3s) I won’t be upgrading anytime soon).
I hope that these simple tips will not just help you to make smarter financial decisions for you and your family, but I hope that you will share them with others. I choose never to use the words, “I can’t afford it.” I’ve retrained my thinking pattern as I’ve learned these words kills, steal and destroy individual’s lives. As I’ve chosen to live a life set free from what holds people down, I’ve been able to have everything I’ve always dreamed of and more. Why? Because what you speak over your life can be used to curse you or bless you. So go ahead— bless someone today by sharing these simple strategies with someone you love. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Do it today!
Until next time, Blessings,
Coach Courtney
