DON'T Act Your Wage...

Earlier I had a post entitled "Act Your Wage." The basic premise is to live according to your means.

In discussing this post with Pastor Scott, he threw a twist in for me. His thought was "don't act your wage." But he wasn't referring to spending habits; he was referring to your work ethic.

What do I mean? If you are flipping burgers at minimum wage and you work like you are getting paid to flip burgers at minimum wage, then you may be flipping burgers at minimum wage for quite a while. And typically you'll do so while whining and complaining about how your are underpaid and unappreciated.

But if you'll flip burgers like they are paying you $15, $20 dollars an hour, training you for a management position, you'll work differently. You'll work harder with a better attitude.

Maybe you are already a mid level person making $15 or $20 an hour. Work like you are making double that. Have an attitude that reflects that you are making double that.

Now some people would push back from that and say: "Well, I'm not going to be a 'Company Man'. If my boss wants more out of me, he needs to pay me better." Alright there, Bubba. You keep going with that attitude and see how far it gets you.

John Miller in his great book "QBQ!" says that we ask the wrong questions. Instead of asking "why aren't I getting paid more?" how about you ask "what can I do to show that I'm worth more?" (And if you are going to order the QBQ! you also need to get "Flipping the Switch"")

This isn't a new concept. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:41 to do double what is expected or required of us. I know, it's probably not fair for me to Jesus Juke you like that... But hey, it's in red letters, so it must be right. You could probably throw the whole concept of sowing & reaping in there too... The old saying is plant what you want to harvest.

So, in your spending, act your wage. In your earning, don't act your wage. See how far this takes you. You'll like where you wind up.

Keep the Driveway Shoveled...

Having the heart of a teacher, I look for lessons in everyday experiences.

And today I saw a teachable moment as I was shoveling our driveway after a fresh snow.

I try to shovel the snow off before anyone drives or walks on it. If not, the snow gets compacted into a dense ice. Now, for most parts of the country, that's not a big deal. In a few weeks the weather warms up and it all melts.

But, here in Alaska we still have a whole lot of winter ahead of us. If I don't stay on top of keeping the driveway clear, by spring we'll have a mess of thick ice.

In life, whether we like it or not, sometimes we get dumped on. Instead of snow though, it's things like anger, hurt, disappointment's, unforgiveness, and bitterness. When it happens, we have two choices. We can either deal with it quickly and shovel it out of the driveways of our life; or we can let it build up and build up. And if we don't deal with it quickly, it will build up into a thick, hard mess.

That's why the bible says to deal with anger quickly (Ephesians 4.26) and to make things right with others (Matthew 5.23-24).

Life happens. Deal with things as they happen. Ignoring them will not make it go away.

Act Your Wage!

Thomas Stanley in his epic codex "Stop Acting Rich" shows that far too many Americans are striving to live far above their means. We think that in having all the "stuff" we obtain a measure of wealth. In reality, those who are truly wealthy are so because they live far below their means. They live on less than they make and the excess is saved.

Multiple studies show us that in America today 7 in 10 homes in any given neighborhood struggle to live paycheck to paycheck. If you live in a "nice" neighborhood that number is more like 8 in 10.

It seems that when I was a kid, if you were poor it meant your family didn't have a nice car, a nice home, a TV and all the toys because money had to spent on food and heat and keeping the lights on. Today, poor seems to mean we don't have food, heat or lights because we have a nice car, a nice home, a couple of TVs and all the toys.

We think that in having all the "stuff" we will find happiness. But, the simple truth is this: Quality of life is not wrapped up in what you have, but in what you do with what you have.

If you want to get a handle on your finances, there's still time to get the best deal ever on Financial Peace University. But you have to hurry... The details are here...

Best. Video. Ever!!

I may have posted this video before... But it's a timeless classic that illustrates America's attitude towards money like no other.

The video quality is sketchy and the audio track is a little off, but it's the best version of it I've been able to find.

AND- Don't forget! There is just a few days left to get the best deal ever on the Financial Peace University class! Get the details here...

This Will Be Your Best (and maybe last...) Chance To Take FPU!

I have conducted back-to-back Financial Peace University classes for the last 2 and 1/2 years and I'm ready to take a bit of a break. But, before I do I want to offer the best price I've ever been able to offer.

Normally the cost to attend Financial Peace University is $100 per couple (or single person or family unit). This covers the cost of the Membership Kit and its shipping to Alaska. In the Membership Kit is the Financial Peace Revisited text book, the Financial Peace University Workbook, audio CDs of all the lessons, budgeting software and some other goodies.

Also included is 13 weeks of access to the online Membership Resource Center which is overflowing with the tools you need to find financial freedom. And if you ever want to go through Financial Peace University again, you have a lifetime membership and access to future classes.

At $100 this is a great deal. But I want to make it even better. If I can get at least 10 people to sign up and pay during the month of November I can offer the class for 10% off, costing only $90 dollars! And because I'm a nice guy I'll throw in a free copy of Dave's bestselling book, The Total Money Make Over!! That's $120 worth of stuff for only $90.

The classes will be on Tuesday nights from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. They'll start on January 18th, 2011 and through to April 12th, 2011. That's 13 weeks of life changing information.

Imagine not stressing over bills. Imagine being confident about your spending. Imagine having not debt and saving for the future. This is where you learn how to make it happen.

For more information on Financial Peace University, you can visit www.DaveRamsey.com/FPU. 

If you want to sign up, you need to contact me by November 28th. And I need at least ten people signed up to get the deal. So, maybe talk to friend, co-worker or family member about the class. I have brochures available if you'd like one.

And, I've already have one three couples signed up, so I only need 9 7 more!! To sweeten the deal, I'm doing a drawing for the first ten to sign up to win $20 cash. So if you are among the first ten to sign up you could get a deal worth $50 ($10 off, free $20 book and $20 cash)!!

Don't miss this opportunity. It won't happen again!