How is Your Relationship With Money?

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY...Now this is an interesting topic. Money is a medium of exchange. Money is always flowing from one person to the next. Just like your breath, money flows in and money flows out, constantly. Money is a necessity.

So you ask, "If money is a medium of exchange, what is changing hands?" Money is measured in terms of value. One is receiving a certain item, or service, or good in exchange for payment for that certain item or service or good. You are giving up your payment in the form of money and receiving a certain item or good or service in exchange.

The payment itself, the actual money or coin or paper (whether its dollars, euros, etc.) has no value at all. But when that money is given in exchange for a particular item or service, the value or cost becomes established.

Did you know that how you look at money, or how you view money, affects how much money you have? And it affects at what rate, or how fast or slow you accumulate it...

For example, when money is viewed negatively, such as, "Money is the root of all evil", or "Money doesn't grow on trees", then this negative view of money will usually have a detrimental effect on your accumulation of it...

However, if you have a positive view of money, then generally you will have a tendency to accumulate lots of it.

For example, do you view money as something healthy? Something you can use to benefit others? If this is your view, you will be a good service provider. In other words, if you are the seller or provider of goods or services, you usually will provide great value on that good or service.

Great providers of value will accumulate lots of money.

Money as a medium of exchange is determined by the value placed on the item or service being purchased. In short, everyone is looking to spend money because it takes money to survive. But what everyone is really looking for is getting the most VALUE for your money.

When was the last time you were at a restaurant, took a look at the menu and said, "I'm not paying that for that?"....Well, you just placed a value on that item. You are not willing to part with your hard-earned money for the value received.

A different perspective is placed on the value when an item or service or good is recommended by others. Before you even sample the item or service you already have an increased value in your mind. You are thinking that "If its good enough for Joe, then its good enough for me" or something like that.

Did you also know that your relationship with money, or your view towards money can be programmed into your subconscious mind? In order to attract more money you will have to change your views toward money.

Budget Tips: Find Ways to Better Manage Your Money

When your wallet is tight, it is time to scale back the budget. Fixed expenses are not the easiest to pare back on unless you downsize your home. Discretionary spending is the perfect place to start. There is a lot of wiggle room with money spent on costs above and beyond what you need to survive. With one significant change, a wallet will loosen up to a more comfortable spot. If several changes are made money worries will remain in the past.

Where can you make cutbacks to support a budget's success? Food costs - The amount spent at the grocery store along with dining out puts the food budget way over the amount it needs to be. A contributing factor is the habit of convenience. Whether the excuse be no time to plan or cook or just too tired by the end of the day fall back to convenient methods of pre-made foods. Whenever food is purchased ready to eat, you have paid for someone else to cook for your family. It's an expensive and often tough habit to break.

Cell phones - These luxuries are often seen as necessities. If you truly don't want to go without your cell phone, learn to negotiate a better plan. There are too many companies out there to settle with one high price plan. Just because you have been with your carrier for a long time, it doesn't mean you have to stay there. The competition is fierce. There are companies that will pay your cancellation fee in order to give you a cheaper plan. Call your carrier and try to negotiate a lesser rate if you truly don't want to change.

Utility programs - You have choices here too. Don't let longevity keep you with a higher priced company. Many electric companies offer assistance to lower income households. There are also lower cost incentives when you make energy friendly upgrades to your home. There are some companies that will call and offer the program to you, but don't wait on them. Call your utility companies and find out what programs you may be eligible for.

Insurance deductions - Set up a meeting with your insurance agent. Go through car, home, life and disability plans to find ways to cut back. If your car is older now, you may not need as much collision insurance. It is wise to have insurance policies, but you don't have to waste money on something you no longer need.

Habits - If you drink alcohol or smoke, these vices not only affect your health but your budget as well. Live a healthy lifestyle and spend your money on fancy lattes or fancy frozen juice drinks? These costs add up over the course of a year. You can make a significant difference for your budget throughout the year.

Debt - The more long term debt you carry the more money you waste on interest. If you need to use credit cards, make sure you pay them off as soon as possible. The cards are a necessity to maintaining good credit. Don't let the cost of interest tighten the noose on your wallet. It is the same for any alternative money as well. Payday loans or title loans may help in a pinch, but they squeeze any excess or much needed cash out of the budget. It is important to make cutbacks, even if they are temporary in order to keep bad debt out of the monthly budget pool.

Organize your budget. Make the effort to change the way you spend your money, even if it is only temporary. You will find that as you see progress you will want to make the change permanent.

Why You Should Keep Your Relationship Off Of Facebook

Too many couples seem to need the excitement of drama and/or the support of others when they're going through happy times or not so happy times. 

When everyone else finds out exciting details of their relationship, other people just need the attention that will come their way. 

You should keep in mind that you could actually be putting your relationship in jeopardy when you're tempted to blab all of the details of your relationship all over Facebook.

The main reason for that is the more people, strangers or non-strangers that you allow into your relationship, the less chance there is that it will work out the way you were hoping. 

Couples should work out their own issues in their relationships. If they can't do that on their own, they should see someone professional for help, like a counselor. Someone trained to help couples with their problems stand a better chance of getting them resolved and remaining together.

Your relationship stands a chance of being ruined for all time when you draw in your personal friends as well as Facebook friends that you barely know. 

These friends only know one side of the story: yours. In addition, since they're on your friends lists, they're going to take your side in things. Now, while you may not want to admit or accept it, there is a slight chance that you're the one in the wrong.

However, your friends are going to encourage you into believing that everything happened just as you said it did, and there will be no true resolution because you're going to continue believing that you did nothing wrong.

Typically, in most situations, both partners have contributed to the argument, breakup, or whatever has gone wrong in the relationship. 

While your Facebook friends are boosting your side of the story, you can bet that your partner's friends are boosting his.

Do yourself, your partner and your relationship a favor, and keep your details off of your Facebook page. When you need to straighten something out within your relationship, it should stay between the two of you and not a thousand people that are, for the most part, strangers in your lives. They're not going to really help fix things.

Your Facebook friends are certainly there to share your joys and triumphs as well as your sorrows and heartaches. 

You can have things just for the two of you that will make your relationship even more intimate. Keep this in mind when you are tempted to broadcast your relationship to all of your Facebook friends.

How To Get The Attention Of Your Special Someone

by Guest Blogger

Samatha Knowles



We have all heard about books, ebooks, audio programs- all showing you HOW to get a man to fall in love you with . They offer how to do it in minutes, weeks, and months. The truth is;none of these tactics really work, if they did, everyone would be flooding to Barnes and Noble for their copy and begin implementing it.

But, we do know a few things about what works. These ideas have been tested, thought through, worked through and they work- plain and simple.

Here are our top tips that really teach how to get a man to fall for you and the key as you likely will not be surprised is partnership and genuine appreciation and respect. However, we do want to give you a few tips you can bring home to - that you can implement right now. Read on for our best tips.


Communication: Getting the best relationship with your partner always begins with communication. By really sitting down and speaking with your partner, you will come a long way towards developing a deep and meaningful relationship together.


Get your timing right: To start off with, let's get rid of that common misconception that men don't want to fall in love; we do. The problem is that we just don't always want to do it at the same time women do. Age and maturity are key factors here, so if a man doesn't seem like he's out for more than just a good time, cut your losses and realize that he's just not ready for love yet. That doesn't mean forget about him completely, just keep him on the back burner and text every once in a while to say hi. You never know when he might be ready to come around. In the meantime, get out there and meet new people constantly. 


Bring out your inner cook: Now we turn from modern advice to old school: What they said about a man's stomach being the way to his heart is true. But this doesn't mean you always have to cook; there are plenty of interesting wine tastings or even beer tastings that might be fun for you to invite that guy you have your eye on to. The key here is being seen as the "cool, fun" woman who comes up with unique things to do out of the blue, but isn't expecting something afterwards. Believe me; creating a little air of intrigue about you isn't a bad thing. Leaving the guy wondering, "Why did she invite me to this and then not call me for a few weeks and then all of a sudden invite me to another thing" is good. It shows that you have your own life, something most men find attractive. 


The last point, and the most important one is be yourself. The very best way to get a special someone to love you is to love yourself. By respecting who you are, what you do, and surrounding yourself with people who care about you and your goals, you will naturally attract really wonderful men now and in the future. Get that great relationship with that special someone, but let it begin with your focus on you!

What Are You Focusing On?

It was a beautiful afternoon and was out for a walk when I saw them. Snowdrops. Spring was coming, I was sure of it. Then I looked across the street at a mountain of dirty snow. I looked at the park; it was still inaccessible. I sighed; spring was not here yet. I looked back to the flowers and enjoyed them for a few minutes.  

 As I continued on my walk I thought about flowers, spring and the mountains of snow I climbed around. 

Here are five lessons I came away with that I believe are vital for us to remember as we run our businesses every day. 

1. If a tiny little flower can survive winter and find its way through the frozen earth and snow, I can certainly thrive when I encounter resistance from others or more frequently, when I manufacture the resistance myself.

2. Things change subtly. There was no big sign that said "first sign of spring here". You have to be on the lookout for changes, possibility and opportunity. I could have easily walked right by those flowers and never noticed them. What opportunities and possibilities are you walking right by in your business?

3. It's up to you where you decide to look. One side of the street had a five-foot high mountain of snow, the other side had snowdrops. I chose to look at the snowdrops and not dwell on how much snow was left. Winter is not over. We are likely to get more cold weather and more snow. I focused my attention and energy on the flowers. What you focus your attention on grows. What are you paying attention to in your business? Are you focusing on the problems or the solutions? The possibilities or the issues?

4. Seasons change. There are days when it's cold and dreary out. Days when nothing seems to go the way you want it to or planned it to, give it time, give it a chance. Things shift and, as long as you don't give up, it all somehow works out.

5. Pay attention to, and acknowledge, the beauty and the good. The snowdrops won't last long. They worked hard to get to the surface and share their beauty. Oftentimes in business we work hard to achieve a goal and then the second we reach it we move onto the next thing. Stop to celebrate and enjoy what you've done. 

Snowdrops or mountains of snow? What side of the street are you going to look at?

9 Laws of Healthy Living

Why only 9 laws for healthy living? and not 10, or 15, or 20? well I tend to live a simple lifestyle, and at the time of this writing these were my absolute top laws, so I will make this short, direct, and to the point no filibustering here.

My top 9 laws for healthy living encompass all areas of life, from relationships, family, business, finances, education, religion, whatever keep in mind these are MY top 9, not necessarily your top 9 so with that in mind, here we go:

Law #1. PUT GOD FIRST - Put God first in all your endeavors, trial and tribulations...if you truly trust God, then put it first in everything you do and are involved in from business decisions, personal decisions, family decisions, education decisions, financial decisions, etc. trust in thee have faith the 'ole saying that your heart is where your money is rings true by putting your trust and faith in God, life will be much smoother sailing....

Law #2. MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE - maintaining a positive mental attitude means to me to have the right attitude for the given moment whatever the circumstance you find yourself in, stay positive but at the same time you have to deal with reality this is a learned trait and not always easy it takes practice and a willingness to keep it positive.

Law #3. LIVE BY THE PLATINUM (NOT GOLDEN) RULE - living by the platinum rule means to help others MORE than you would help yourself....if you strive to help others, then I believe you will definitely help yourself you see I believe not everything is quantitative and cannot be measured, we need a little faith so live by the platinum rule, to help others before and MORE than you help yourself and all will work out just fine.

Law #4. FOCUS - this is very important it can even be argued by some that those without faith, if you are truly focused on your objective, can achieve whatever the heart desires there may be a lot of truth in that, but I still believe that God comes first because anyone can be upbeat during the good times, but when that inevitable downturn occurs, how will you react, stay focused.

Law #5. GO THE EXTRA MILE - with this go the extra mile attitude, when you develop this habit, it spills over into everything you do for example, your boss says on Friday p.m. to have that report on his desk bright and early Monday a.m., but you have plans for the weekend what do you do? Well if you are efficient at multi-tasking, then just find a way to make it happen stay positive, get focused and get it done.

Law #6. A HEALTHY BODY EQUALS A HEALTHY MIND - never take your health for granted I know we don't live forever and eventually we will meet our maker, but our body is our temple, so keep it healthy eliminate those bad habits we tend to overindulge in, like alcohol, etc. I believe that if you feel good, your mind stays sharp, focused, and not distracted.

Law #7. NEVER GIVE UP, DON'T EVER GIVE UP - this is a great quote by one of the heroes ofhis time, the late great Jimmy Valvano (head men's basketball coach of North Carolina State University) and national championship coach he delivered his famous speech as he was battling cancer, and near the end of his life what an inspiration so in whatever you do, don't ever give up, keep at it. 

Law #8. STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE - I believe that if your focus is on being the absolute best you can be, every day, in whatever you are doing, then everything else will take care of itself if you strive for excellence, then success will surely follow. 

Law #9. LIVE WITH EXPECTANCY - living with expectancy to me means that we live with the expectations that your dreams, goals, and desires of your heart were put there by your maker and , so if you trust, it will be delivered to you if you truly believe so believe it, that today is your day, and live with expectancy.

Rediscover The Power Of Visualization In The Law Of Attraction

The law of attraction is a sensible occurrence of like attracting like. The law of attraction is like an ethereal magnet, it is an energy that circulates and returns to itself repeatedly. The energy within the law of attraction vibrates to the energy that is sent forth by our thoughts and actions.  

Our energy interacts with the energy of the law of attraction all of our lives. The thoughts within us, and the deeds we do determine our lot in life. We can consciously stimulate the law of attraction and begin the process of manifesting our wants and needs into reality, when we become determined to do so. 

After we have taken the time to sit down and figure out what we truly want, and acknowledge the honest why behind what we want, we can then begin clearly visualizing our goal fulfilled. 

Visualization is created by using or seeing pictures and images in your mind and is very important and potent tool in shifting your reality to that which you intend it to be. 

By using visualization, we add our emotional viewpoint into the energy mix of the law of attraction. Our feelings contain powerful energy, which can be useful in manifesting our goals, if we learn to use them properly. While visualizing our goal as it is happening right now, this very minute, adding any complimentary occurrences or correspondences to the visualization such as sounds, smell and feelings help to bring our visualized reality into being. 

While you visualize your goal happening now, you must be sure to experience those feelings as if they are actually happening in your life. The energy sent forth from your emotions will vibrate to the law of attraction and it will respond in like manner. 

Decide which values best compliment the outcome of your wishes and then concentrate on those positive thoughts and actions. Imagine what your goal feels, looks and smells like, you must really see these things happening in your mind and take real pleasure in them.

As you visualize your goal, bask in the powerful feelings of having your dream come true.

During visualization, there may be positive thoughts, ideas or inspirations of the actions to take to reach your goal. Stay open to the universe sending to you positive musing that should be acted on as soon as possible, these are positive affirmations letting you know you are on the right track. When these concepts come to you in visualization, it is time to take action and turn them into reality. The rewards of following an inspired nudge continues to attract and grow as lively and affirmative deeds are revered highly by the universe. 

Once we are able to see in our mind, having our goal by visualization, our goal will then begin to manifest itself to us, little by little or sometimes in a rush, depending upon the concentration and physical effort we put into activating the law of attraction.

Our conscious mind has the advanced influence, which can take precedence over our subconscious inclinations when it grows observant of its tenancy. 

By affirming positive thoughts, we attract the positively enhanced and improved beneficial vibrations into our lives. To achieve our goals we must actively choose to make them real, or believe they are real to manifest them into reality.

Routinely exercising positive thinking, deeds and positive visualizations create and attract positive energy vibrations into our life, this positive energy accumulates and brings into reality our goals and is called a manifestation. 

By the law of attraction, you manifest into your existence a reflection of your inner beliefs and sentiments, by which you focus your will and desire to cause your goal to become real on a tangible level.

Manifestation is energy, and where we give our consideration, attention and energy is what we bring to ourselves in reality. A manifestation is a sign that is promptly noticeable by all the senses, especially by the sense of sight, which is effortlessly acknowledged or understood by our minds. 

Manifestation of our positive goals is a clearly displayed and unquestionably genuine answer to the energies that we send out. A manifestation is the equivalent to your energy vibration design being answered in personification; it is a sign of the circulating energy becoming reality. 

In conclusion, showing gratitude for the things that you in reality have helps to aid the energy in the law of attraction. 

Remember to be thankful for what you do have and it will in turn bring more to be grateful of into your life. Focusing on the positive in your life encourages positive energy into the cycle of your existence by shifting your reality into a higher gear of positive consciences