The Power Of Thought

Positivity and controlling ones thoughts may be the single most important thing a human being can do.

Not only do these actions affect EVERY area of your life, they dictate exactly how those areas will turn out.

You can turn bad situations in to good ones and good ones in to great ones. It’s simple.

It’s is up to you.

Problem is, it may be one of the most challenging processes for all humans.

Self-discipline is the key to a successful life. Whether it is family, faith, business, etc. it is truly the end all be all.

Without self discipline and the ability to control yourself you are lost.

Jesus had complete self discipline. That is precisely why he is the most famous person who ever lived even in a time when social media and instant media were thousands of years away.

He fasted, performed miracles, prayed, and was ultimately crucified all because he had incredible self-discipline, will-power, and faith.

These three characteristics will provide you with all you need if you can master them. If you do not have control of yourself how can you control anything else?

Think about your areas of weakness – I guarantee you that you are lacking in one of these three key areas of not 2 or all 3. I know I am. That’s why I continue to work on those new good habits every single day.

It is never too late to right the ship!

Wow, Why Our Economy Stinks

Hobby Lobby May Close All 500+ Stores in 41 States

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

By David Green, the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn’t much bigger than most people’s living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God’s word.
From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the  nation’s largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.
We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I’ve always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week’s biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest.
We believe that it is by God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We’ve not only added jobs in a weak economy, we’ve raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at  80% above minimum wage.
But now, our government threatens to change all of that.
A new government healthcare mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs.
It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one.
If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.
Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy.
Our government threatens to fine a company that’s raised wages four years running.
Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs.  It’s not right. I know people will say we ought to follow the  rules; that it’s the same for everybody. But that’s not true.
   The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost.  But it won’t exempt them for reasons of religious belief.
So, Hobby Lobby and my family are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business. We don’t like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit.
My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is  going to make that much more difficult.
The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law.  I say that’s a choice no American and no American business should have to make.
The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies but will not except Christian organizations including the Catholic church.
Since you will not see this in the liberal media, please pass this on to all your contacts.

Sincerely,
David Green
CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

The Fate Of The Dollar

Silver Prices – When Monetary Demand Trumps Industrial Demand

silver-coin-investor.com
JANUARY 17, 2014

It is crystal clear to anyone willing to go a few steps beyond the headlines that massive intervention and ignorance of risk act as massive governors to progress, real economic growth and natural capital formation. Nevertheless, what is less clear is how these failures will manifest in precious metals – especially the silver market.

The catalyst for much higher prices will be of a monetary, rather than an industrial, demand-led series of events.
A Parallel to the Current State of Finance

The current financial markets are a giant slow motion train wreck that we are living through, slipping along a surface lined with frictionless fiat.

In retrospect, it will be seen just how obvious the event must have been and how once again (or why) most people failed to act on account of basic psychology.

It is sad that as humans armed with self-awareness we are unable to expand our moral circle to be able to look at our situation from the ground level.

Many see it but don’t understand it.

Silver always looks too good to be true. Many understand it but have not yet embodied the concept. Price performance has been abyssal.

The loudest voices will always condemn the metals for what they represent politically and therefore, financially (as an afterthought).

The steps needed to take advantage of cheap prices and an unencumbered position run absolute counter to how most people assume money should work for them.

There is physical exertion involved in taking position. We are a financial culture that refuses to stoop to that level.

Easy to Sit on the Fence

It’s not so much that it’s off the radar for most – the issue is more that sentiment creates fence sitters.

Trillions sit in retirement accounts that could cheaply be converted to nests, or at least put into quasi-self directed accounts that enable the option.

Instead, many who know better fall in love with bitcoin and the so-called future of money, the next best thing to the social media craze they are “missing out on” with some sobriety.

Most have heard how pre-hyperinflation Germany was the pinnacle of progress, the cultural center of civilization, and the leading edge of the rational movement. How quickly it imploded. Sadly, humans today are not much different – just more comfortable.

We are collectively even more entranced by our financial oligopoly and at severe risk of crisis.

The Return to Fair Prices

With regard to precious metals, artificial pricing has gone on for so long that consideration of the fundamentals seems to be an exercise in the abstract. At some point, prices will move freely – though not necessarily orderly. How will one know?

You will see it in the character of the trading. In fact, we caught a glimpse of what a parabolic might look like in 2011. Then, the power of a short covering rally pushed prices to a nominal resistance level not seen in some 30 years.

And the fact that it was a nominal high is one key to framing the mis-pricing. Even the average price of the late 1970’s into the early 80’s would be unrecognizable if expressed in real inflation adjusted terms.

The initial power of a price return untethered by the bullion banks would be like nothing you we have ever seen. However, it will still be accompanied by a wall of worry and anxiety – though of a different caliber. Just as we saw in the run up to the colossal price smash in early May of 2011; the character of anxiety changed significantly as speculators poured in late.

Not to mention the havoc it will cause to the trading platforms. Circuit breakers would be triggered as the market goes limit up each time it opened.

And the chaos and uncertainty surrounding a closed market would place another layer of bid under the prices.

The worry will shift from concern over when price will rise come back down to concern over the time to take profits. Fear over confiscation could feed on itself.

Not to mention the barrage of bubble callers that will rise up like a phoenix.

Most Will Likely Miss it Anyway

Real price discovery is a foreign concept for precious metals. The market is completely disconnected from its true origin – its fundamentals. But more specifically, it is detached from the ebb and flow of those fundamentals.

The unorthodox return to fair price will be as unnatural as the decades-long price suppression. The trigger will not come from individuals standing for delivery.

We will see it in retrospect; the big banks will simply back away from capping rallies.

The mistake is currency versus store of wealth.

Many will simply not do anything about it, yet almost anyone can take minimal steps to prepare. The beauty is that the pendulum could easily swing much further the other way, vastly changing the purchasing power of the select few who choose to take action.

The Advantages of Real Estate Investing

via BiggerPockets.com

Rental Property Benefits: A Dummies’ Guide

by ALI BOONE on JANUARY 13, 2014 · 22 COMMENTS

There are a million articles floating around on the internet and probably even in some books that talk about the benefits of owning rental properties. You’ve probably read them and even heard everything I’m about to tell you already, but sometimes it’s good to bring it up a notch, leave out major details, and really hammer in the big picture.

You’ve inevitably heard that owning rental properties is a very strong investment method with tons of benefits. Could you explain those benefits to a kindergartener? If you can’t, it means you don’t quite understand them fully yourself so how about I explain them for you. Very simple, straight to the point, no-nonsense or confusion.

Rental Property Benefits

1. Cash Flow. Every month your tenant pays rent. That rent should cover all of your expenses on the property with some leftover. That leftover money is free money in your pocket. Score.
2. Equity. This one is a kicker. You buy a rental property and after however many years let’s say your mortgage has been paid down $40,000. The cool thing is you didn’t have to pay a penny to pay down that mortgage, your tenants essentially paid that down for you. So now you have an additional $40,000 equity to which you can now take a cash-out refinance on the property or use that as a home equity line of credit, or whatever other way you can pull that $40,000 out. That is $40,000 of free money you just earned! Oh, and it’s tax-free too.
3. Appreciation. Or, your property appreciates a good bit and you decide to sell. If you’re smart you sell it for more than you paid for it, so any profit there (a lot due to inflation) is free money in your pocket. You can also get that money tax-free if you 1031 exchange it. You also profit from whatever principal your tenant paid down for you too, so maybe it’s that $40,000 plus whatever the house appreciated for. Holy mother.
4. Tax Benefits. Have you ever stopped and thought about how much more money you would have in your pocket if you didn’t have to pay anything out in taxes? Seriously, think about it. So how cool would tax-free income be then? Well guess what, income from your rental properties is basically tax-free. You get to write-off depreciation on your properties which just about cancels out any taxes you would owe on the income. And whatever amount isn’t covered by depreciation is probably covered by the gajillion other write-offs you can take when you own a rental property.

You’re making so much free money people!

Cash flow every month is free money, the equity you build in the house is free money to you, anything you make with appreciation is free money, and you get to save what you would normally have paid in taxes… for free! Yes, all investing methods should give you free money (if it doesn’t it’s a bad investment), but rental properties stand out a lot from the rest because of how many ways the free money can hit your pocket.

While rental properties may not put as large of an amount of cash in your pocket in a short amount of time like some other methods, those other methods also force you to take a huge tax hit (so you have to forfeit a good bit of your free money) and the income stops if you stop working.

Now do you see why rental properties are awesome? On the surface it seems like they only bring in a small amount of cash flow every month, but there is sooo much as far as your returns going on behind the scenes. At the end of it, you gain serious financial gain. All the while, rental properties are really nice because you have so much control over the operation of them. If something starts going sour with them, you have quite a few options on how to remedy the situation.

If you are more of a flipper or want to focus on wholesaling or whatever you want to do, that is all great but make sure that you are investing whatever profits you make from those into smart passive investments, such as rental properties. Flipping and wholesaling will never make you financially free (unless you are able to put an entire team together who does all the work for you, but even then you essentially just started a business), but rental properties, whether small residential or large commercial, will.

In case you didn’t grasp the overall benefit, it’s free money. I love free money. Do you?

A Letter From “The Forgotten Man”

(Excerpt from The Glenn Beck Show)

Glenn,

The Republicans caved as I expected, but that’s not news where I live. As the discussions were going on in Washington this week, I called my senator and I called my congressmen too. I left them a message with my phone number and my e-mail address. I asked them to stand tall, to get the spending in order, to make Obamacare equal for all Americans, not just special interests. The recording that I received said they would send me a response. I’ve called them before, got the same recording. I won’t hear from them. After all, I’m The Forgotten Man.

The media today is blaming the TEA Party for all the ills in Washington. I laugh when I hear that, Glenn. Just give me 10 minutes with each of those so-called journalists, just 10 minutes. I’d ask them, “What is the TEA Party? How did the TEA Party get started? What do people who support the TEA Party principles actually believe in?” I can guarantee you, Glenn, they don’t know the answers. But I would share it with them anyway. We believe in liberty. We believe in freedom. We believe in a much smaller representative government. We believe in the God-given right that has been given to each individual. And then I’d ask those journalists, “When you give your daughter her allowance on Saturday and she comes back to you the next Wednesday saying she spent it all, and more, what do you tell her?” If they reply, “Well, you’re going to have to wait until next Saturday and you’re going to have to work it out,” I’d tell those journalists, “Welcome to the TEA Party.” If I met somebody in Hollywood and I asked them, “Why do you use Toronto to depict New York City in their recent movie,” and they told me, “Well, it’s cheaper to do it there,” I’d say, “My gosh, you sound like not only a capitalist but a new member of the TEA Party.” I’d ask them if they believe that every man, woman, and child should be treated equally, regardless of their gender, race, or religion. They would all say, in their journalistic ivory towers, “Of course.” And I would say, “Welcome to the TEA Party.”

You see, where I live, Glenn, using common sense, sharing common values, and exhibiting common courtesy is not the exception. It’s the norm. But I’m The Forgotten Man. And speaking of parties, maybe it is time for a third one. But not for the so-called journalists I see on TV because they already have enough parties. That’s why I don’t think they ask any that you had probing questions. In April I was watching the White House Correspondents Dinner on C-Span. Before it got started, they showed the journalists arriving. I thought I was watching the Academy Awards. Designer dresses, tuxedos, limousines. As each one entered, the flash bulbs would go off. Then they would stop, smile, turn slightly to the right. More flash bulbs, slightly shifting to the left, more pictures. I thought to myself, they’re not journalists; they’re the Kardashians. And it’s the same thing when the Washington Post or the New York Times or Vanity Fair throws a party. They will sell their souls to be there. But they don’t really have any souls to sell because they’ve already sold them before. If you work in the media in Washington or in New York or in Hollywood, I guess you have a decision to make: You can ask the tough questions that Americans actually would support you on, actually expect you to ask, or you can ask the “I want an invitation to the next party” question.

Glenn, I’m through with all of them, but I want you to know I’m also through with complaining. Misery loves company, but I’m kicking misery to the curb. The next time I write to ya, I’m going to focus on what’s good, on what’s possible, what’s remarkable about America. I may be The Forgotten Man, but I haven’t forgotten about America. You say this all the time, “We’ll get through this.” We will. Just wait and see. Much the sun is always brightest right after the storm.

– The Forgotten Man

Are You Prepared For You and Yours?

We are living in very volatile times. I believe they are very scary times if you ask me. Not just because of the domestic problems we could face in this country as evidenced in the video clip below, but because of the New World Order that people in high positions all around the world want to impose on us.

China just came out and stated that we need to “De-Americanize the world”. If talk like that isn’t scary then I don’t know what is. This global change will happen through financial meltdown and chaos. It won’t be fought via war (although that could still happen) because America is still by far the strongest military power. But, that could easily change if our currency collapses.

This is meant to wake people up. Many of the problems we face are leviathans and will happen no matter what we do now but there are still things we can do. There are things that can be done to prepare when **** really does hit the fan.

Buy some gold and silver. Buy canned food and water. Buy a generator. Buy extra gasoline. Buy some guns.

Know how to use these items and how to store them. You should have these regardless. Hopefully, you NEVER have to use them because of collapse but what if a natural disaster hits your area?

Are you prepared for your family?

FInancial End Times?

Pro Tips

• Be well educated on many different investment strategies
• Be an expert on my local real estate market
• Watch for changes in that market
• Take ACTION

 

And for the best description on Obamacare yet…..here you go.

Obamacare  

 

These are times that try men’s souls. Incredible opportunity and destruction lie ahead. Prepare wisely and keep grinding.

Work It

Work hard.

Network just as hard.

“Its not what you know, its who you know.”

We have all heard that quote a million times. So many times that I don’t think anyone even knows where it originated.

It holds true for all walks of life. I thought it just pertained to sports or more specifically hockey – the sport I played. But, as I grow older and venture in to other arenas I have realized it effects every walk of life. “Politics” is a part of human nature and people are going to naturally defer to people they know and like.

You can either use this to your advantage or you can use it against you. This will never change. I tried fighting it for years but it doesn’t work. I worked extremely hard but not extremely smart.

You HAVE to use those around you. You must look to those where you want to be and learn from them. Success leaves clues.

You must be willing to work hard AND smart. There is no other way around it. You can do what you wish but the fastest path to success is following those who have had or are having success.

In the process of following others and finding mentors you build relationships and those can be the the extra edge you need to get you to the top. As a reminder, follow this principle is only if you want to be extremely successful. If you want to just be mediocre, then make your own path and see how far you can get. No saying it cant be done, it is just not very likely.

Work hard but SMART.

Education Is The Destroyer Of Slavery

This decade is going to prove to be very volatile. The world is teetering on the edge of a cliff. There are things you can do and there is hope!

You MUST get educated! That is the most important thing you can do. No one can tell you exactly what do. Each situation is different and you must educate yourself and devise your own plan.

The world’s demise could be your biggest opportunity!

Why Gold and Silver Are SO Important

This site is run by one of my favorite mentors, Mike Maloney. He is phenomenal at education and informing people about the upcoming storms.

You can find pretty much anything you need to know on his site. Plus he regularly talks about other people he looks up to and learns from!

Enjoy!

Research Your Life

Open your eyes.

Enough to change your whole life.

Stop living your life with someone else’s eyes. You don’t have the same environment, thinking, or surroundings as that person.

Make your own decisions and do your own homework. I’m not talking about doing homework in school – that is topic for a while different day.

Do your own homework for life. Research before any big decision you make. Even smaller decisions like which kayak to get.

Women do it about petty things like clothes and makeup. Men do it with things like TVs and video games.

Take that time to do it on things that really count – like where your kids to to school, where to invest, etc..

Plan your life. Research it. Study it.

You only have one life. Spend the time necessary to give you and your family the best one possible.