3 Ways to Model Generosity to Your Family This Year
Even though Thanksgiving is tomorrow, you wouldn’t know it by turning on your TV. You’d be inundated with ads for Black Friday deals galore! It seems that many retailers have skipped the annual celebration of gratefulness and jumped right into a materialistic war of consumerism and greed.
What if this year could be different? What if you didn’t have to stress over finding the perfect gifts and could sleep in the day after Thanksgiving or spend more time with your family? What if a good portion of the money that you normally spend on stuff that doesn’t matter and isn’t really needed could be redirected to make an impact in the world and bring your family closer together as a result? Here are three ways for you to do that. Read the rest of this entry
Taking Back Your Calendar
While driving home from work the other day, I heard a statistic on the radio that made my heart sink. While many of us have hundreds, if not thousands of Facebook friends, Twitter followers, or Linkedin connections, on average, a person has 2 close friends that would be there for them in a crisis. This made me stop to think how many relationships I’ve thrown by the wayside because I was too busy or too lazy to keep open the lines of communication and build deep relationships with those I care about.
A Solid Foundation for a Meaningful Future
Previously, we talked about The Question That Could Change Your Life. It’s a question that many people don’t stop to think about. However, if you do take a step back to answer that question, it may have the power to change the way you think and the way you choose to spend your time and money. Creating a mission, vision, and values statement is the next step in creating a life plan/financial plan that is meaningful, significant, and compelling to you. Your mission, vision, and values statement builds upon your answer to the first question and takes everything to the next level.
The Question That Could Change Your Life
One of the questions we ask when we meet with new clients is, “if we were sitting here 3 years from today and we were looking back over everything that’s transpired in the last 3 years, what would you like to have seen happen personally, professionally, and financially?” This question sparks a whole conversation and is a great way for us to understand what clients are looking for from us. However, I think the scope of this question may be a bit narrow and the answers end up being too focused on the tools and not the project.
How to Transition From Success to Significance
Do you ever wonder if your life has meaning? Perhaps you have achieved some level of success personally, professionally, and financially, but you still feel like something is missing. It may ease your mind a bit to know that you are not alone. Many people across the nation and around the world have begun asking themselves the hard questions and seeking more purpose in their lives.
Many people measure their success by wealth, recognition, power and status. There’s nothing wrong with those, but if that’s all you’re focused on you’re missing the boat. Using your time and talent to serve others – that’s when truly meaningful success can come your way.
- Ken Blanchard, leadership guru and author of The One Minute Manager
Knocking On Debt’s Door…..
Lessons to Learn from America’s Debt Ceiling Debate
Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, I’m sure you’ve heard all about America’s looming debt crisis. Our government has essentially “maxed out its credit card” and needs to approve a higher debt ceiling in order to continue operating. I’m not into debating about politics, and won’t go there, but there is a lot that can be learned from our country’s current situation when it comes to managing your personal finances.
Photo Courtesy of Flickr (Creative Commons)
Achieve Your Goals By Doing This One Thing…
Chances are that you have dreams and aspirations. You may have even translated those dreams into specific, written goals; and you may have gone as far as to create a plan to help you accomplish your goals. But where do you go from there? How do you put your plans into action?
Photo courtesy of Flickr (Creative Commons)
Going from dreaming to doing is a big step and can present a real challenge. The fact is that most goals have a financial aspect. In order to effectively achieve your goals, you must utilize a cash flow planning and tracking system. Having a system in place to plan and track your income and expenses will help you to:
6 Steps to an Inspiring Financial Strategy
Most people want their life to count for something, but very few ever commit to defining what that “something” is, and even fewer create and implement a plan to make it happen. It’s often said that most people spend more time planning their next vacation than they do planning their future. This, to me, is both disturbing and disheartening.
- Photo Courtesy of Photobucket.com
God created each one of us for a specific purpose, and in fulfilling His purpose for our lives, we are able to experience true joy and happiness. In order to define your purpose and create an inspiring strategy to fulfill it, you must do several things:
5 Keys to Unlocking Your Giving Potential
I read an article recently that stated that charitable giving is on the rise. Good news, right? The fact remains, however, that the average family in America gives only about 2-2.5% of their income to charitable causes. There are many reasons that contribute to this extremely low number, most of which point back to an issue of the heart.
Photo courtesy of Photobucket.com
There are ways to overcome obstacles to giving and begin impacting the world around you for the better. Here are five things for you to think about:
Read the rest of this entry
What Does it Mean to Live a Generous Life?
How do we define a generous life? It will look different for each person, depending on the resources that God chooses to equip them with. For Stanley Tam, it meant ceding the ownership of his business to God, choosing to cap his lifestyle expenses and donate the rest to Kingdom-building causes.
