DrBillToth-Blog

FEAR may be the worst enemy of the human species. And it’s been with us since the beginning of time. Every ancient major religious text writes about it and the damage it causes. It is fear that will turn your dream of success into an ugly nightmare that haunts you into paralysis.

Most children are pretty fearless creatures – we watch as our 3YO jumps off things, dives head first after a ball or climbs up a stack of shelves or other things we would never consider. Teenagers and even young adults continue to display mostly fearless attitudes. Remember how invincible you were as a young person?

In a bizarre cruel twist, many people grow more fearful as they age. I say bizarre because wisdom (which usually comes with age) should make us more apt to see the Truth in a situation. Unfortunately many people attach incorrect meanings to events.

And the Truth is – fear can be defeated because fear is just a learned response in the first place. We are born with 3 fears; fear of abandonment, fear of loud noises, and fear of falling. And the last two we learned from mom’s reaction to outside stimuli. Every other fear you have today was/is learned! And if you’re still above ground you can learn a new response, you can un-learn your fears.

The antidote to fear is Gratitude and Action. Grateful that you learned it because in some way it served you. And from a place of gratitude you can dismiss the fear. (Thank you very much and now like Arnold says; Hasta La Vista Baby! )

And the best way to defeat fear is through Action. DO the thing you fear and attach a new meaning to it. Very often we find; “Gee that wasn’t so bad afterall”

Re-member you’ve done it before.

Live with Intention,
Dr Bill

“Thinking outside the box”, is a phrase supposedly derived from a puzzle created by an early 20th-century British mathematician. It can sometimes refer to taking or borrowing a well known concept or idea and applying it in a unique way. The key is application.

Example, a composer named Steve Reich came up with a new idea called “phasing”, while driving to work. Apparently, he was caught in a traffic jam one rainy day and the rhythm of the windshield wipers caught his attention, and he applied what he heard to his musical compositions. I am told he has had a significant influence on contemporary music, and he is just one of many examples of how “new” ideas can come from something as mundane and functional as your windshield wipers.

Of course he was at first ridiculed, belittled and berated for his new way of composing music. How dare he disrupt the “standard”!! Such is the journey of the innovator. Original ideas often mean going against the tide, which often is a long and rocky road. The easy way to go is often the well worn path to mediocrity. And as we’ve heard;

“A man who compromises his ideas and principles is destined for a life of mediocrity.”

You and I are unique individuals. The world is rich and ripe with originality. So let’s go out there today and keep our brain turned on and our senses and hearts open to seeing simple things in a new way.

What if you could?

As you are already aware I’m not one that shouts or dwells upon gloom and doom, I’m more for “What action are you going to take?” The warning bells are getting plenty loud and more frequent out there. This week’s weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal featured an article entitled “Boomers Find 401(k) Plans Come Up Short”.

Here’s two sad observations from the article;

“The median household headed by a person aged 60 to 62 with a 401(k) account has less than one-quarter of what is needed in that account to maintain its standard of living in retirement.”

“Even counting Social Security and any pensions or other savings, most 401(k) participants appear to have insufficient savings…Facing shortfalls, many people are postponing retirement, moving to cheaper housing, buying less-expensive food, cutting back on travel, taking bigger risks with their investments and making sacrifices they never imagined.”

There are lots of people playing the blame game, pointing fingers and demanding that Uncle Sam do something. And if the “Blame Game” were an Olympic Sport there would be a lot of Gold medalists walking around. The crux of the matter is what are you and I going to DO about your situation? Wait and hope and wish and think? Really? Seriously? Has waiting and hoping and thinking put any funds in your bank account?

A more financially intelligent move would be to invest in your financial education, take back control of your money instead of giving it over to mutual fund companies and financial planners who collect fees whether the fund or market goes up or down. Read and learn from books like “Cash Flow Quadrant” or “God wants you to be Rich” or “You were Born Rich” and of course; “Think and Grow Rich”. Begin investing in ASSETS that produce cash flow such a building a business that produces revenue and ultimately becomes a sell-able or will-able ASSET. And the ASSET you and I must start with is yourSelf.

You can cut expenses, downsize your lifestyle, trim your budget all the way down to zero. And then what happens when the expense of even a meager existence goes up? At some point all of us MUST consider and ACT upon creating additional streams of income. And when we get to that point…the line in the sand…the “I’m not going to take it anymore”…the fastest path to learning is to find a coach or mentor who has already done what you seek to do. And then follow their instructions!!

Live With Intention,
Dr Bill

When first presented with business opportunities sometimes you’ll hear people say; “I’m comfortable”, “I’m set”, “I already have a good job”, “I don’t need to make more money”. There could be many things invoking these responses and in my experience it usually has to do with fear of some sort. Fear of money, fear of success, fear of wealth, fear of the unknown, or fear of something else.

The very best part of being a business owner (as per Robert Kiyosaki’s definition) is the FREEDOM that results. Here’s two quotes that you might consider putting in front of people you love or would consider having a business with;

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature nor do the children of man as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

–Helen Keller

“People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.”

–Benjamin Franklin

** It is interesting to note that one of the circumstances in which Franklin used that quote was in reference to giving handouts to the poor…ie give a fish or teach to fish.

Here’s a short clip which brings this matter to our awareness in today’s world.(<4min)

Live With Intention,
Dr Bill