Category: blogpost

“Some People Are So Poor, All They Have Is Money”

Let me begin by saying, we do not have to be financially rich to live rich.

Adversely, being financially rich does not necessarily guarantee you a rich life.

What does “rich” mean to you?

Would you consider yourself rich if you were working 85 hours per week, earning $1,000,000 per year?

How about if you worked 10 hours per week and made $100,000 per year?

Which of those scenarios is “richer” to you?

I have had the very fortunate opportunity to radically improve my life over the last 10 years. During that time, I have masterminded and interviewed some of the most brilliant minds that have not only made small fortunes, but truly created a lifestyle worth living…

Being in real estate and living in Ft Lauderdale, I meet people daily that “have it all”. Gorgeous homes, multiple cars, traveling the world, trophy wife, beautiful kids…

The downside is, they have all these “riches” of life and are not experiencing the “richness of life”.

• The gorgeous home has become the new norm. Always needing something and have not had a pool party in years. Thanksgiving is just shy of WWII.
• They rush through life and rarely smile and say “Man Am I Blessed To Hop Into Some Beautiful British Stitched Leather Seats”
• They travel the world and never stop for sight seeing cause they are on “busi-ness”
• The trophy wife is a distant soul that has lost the spark for her husband
• The kids have zero idea what love really is and think it comes in a package from dad that says “Im home, heres your present”.

I bleed for these people because I know no one wants to live that way. The great challenge is they have created so much momentum rolling that ball in the direction that they can not slow it down and change its course.

I’m guilty of having it all…and being emotionally bankrupt

So How do You Live Rich if You Don’t Have a Ton of Expendable Income?

Before you begin to answer that, it does us a great justice to consider this…

How do you live rich if you DO have the expendable income?

It goes to question that if those with plenty of money have access to everything they desire and aren’t living rich (whats the purpose of having it if you are not grateful and enjoying it), then is it very possible for the everyday man to enjoy a slice of those riches, at a fraction of the cost for the everyday person who works hard and would feel ultimately rewarded for having access to an oceanfront home a few times per year to spend with his family or to take his spouse on the vacation of a lifetime. Even to keep a luxury or sports car in his garage for when he wants to feel young or powerful.

[tweetthis]Part of Living Rich is enjoying the value of nice things, without having to overpay the cost[/tweetthis]

Lets also be clear about this as well…

Being rich is being rich in your mind.

[tweetthis]Don’t ever let your happiness rest in someone else’s mind[/tweetthis]

Let your riches be meaningful to you and its likely to become a blessing to others

Here are some of the ways I have been able to live rich

Being Healthy: My appreciation for health has only been to the extent of my education. However, health is my leading priority in my life now by default. Simple steps such as eliminating (ok, lets be real…reducing) sugar and adding intense exercise. Just the thought of how much sickness I can save myself if I reduce sugar (and processed foods) and began finding SOME way to do intense, low impact activity was enough to convict me that I needed to begin. Gradually it has increased. I hated working out just as much as the next guy…However, I know that if I am going to prolong my legacy and “be there” for my family, I could begin doing some form of intense activity that over time would increase the “richness” of my life. So now, I cycle roughly 60 miles per week, run a few 5k runs per year, am highly active and adventurous, I swim in the ocean often, take a lot of cold showers to shock my body, workout around my pool and have minimized the intake of flours, sugars, too much alcohol and snacking. Part of this was realizing that much of my snacking was done mindlessly. I have rerouted my mind to go for water every-time I want to reach for a snack. I also realized that the reason I have lazy mornings is because its starts the night before. Although I am not a big alcohol drinker, I woke up for years with “hangovers” from the foods I was consuming almost subconsciously. Sluggishness from carbs. Actual back pain from my body not being able to break down so much red meat. Again, its only effective to how educated I am and I am my own university slowly building my library. Summed up, health equals wealth so one of the ways we can live rich is to practice healthy habits of limiting sugar, processed food and carbs mixed with a low impact, intense activity that gets your heart rate moving. Don’t push so fast and increase the misery of what you are not liking. That’s not getting rich. Your better off cycling 10 miles or walking 5 miles instead of running 1 mile if running sucks that much. Make sure you are increasing your activity as your body responds and grows toward more mobility.

Nice Clothing: Having a healthy mind and body should also reflect in your appearance. NOT for boasting reasons but for setting the premise that you respect yourself. This will allow others to respect you as well. Nice clothing can be an investment. There is a large difference between upscale department stores and many of today’s department stores. Believe me, shopping next to the ultra wealthy is not un affordable. Just like any other store, they also feature “last seasons” lineup if you are concerned price is too much. Having a few nice tailored shirts, quality breathable polos, custom cuff links made, a few pairs of dark tailored jeans and certainly a dark pin stripped suit is a necessity of any respectable gentlemen. The great benefit of buying upscale clothing is that it truly does last longer. Like anything, know your brands and the quality they provide. As much as I can tell the difference between upscale and normal dept store clothing, I also agree with my wife that most of it is all made in one factory in one of three foreign countries where buyer agent representatives go and buy the lineups and have their tags stitched into it. Those will do from time to time, but search for quality clothing and you can keep it for the better part of your life. Go to all the dept stores and search high and low for the new you. Try on some items you may think are not your personality. Start at whatever budget you must, but by adding to this, you are investing in yourself and your actions will compound over your life. You will see the different responses from people. Dressing sharp increases your appearance, confidence and social respect. Good things happen when you have those qualities. Those are qualities of people who live rich lives.

P.S. This does not mean you go and buy the latest LV or Gucci brand clothing. It must be said that just because it has an expensive price tag, does not mean it is quality.

Driving Nice Cars: Driving a nice car is one of the greatest blessings of living rich. You spend a lot of time driving in your car and your vehicle is a statement of who you are. I have always driven nice cars because I understood how to leverage financing, buy rite, with good miles and usually sell for a profit after driving for a while. I did this before I started in real estate and to be honest, I became lazy when I began buying property. Rather than continue my car hustlin hobby, I just went out, found what I liked and settled for that for the next few years. Even still I drove an Infiniti Q45 and Lexus LS 430 for years and was able to focus on real estate. Now I am back in the game of buying luxury cars, driving it for a few months and then selling for a break even or a profit. One of the secrets of driving a nice car, even like my Inifinit and Lexus is to buy them after they lose the majority of their depreciation. Now if you really want to get the best value, find out your specific cars depreciation curve and look for one that is coming up or just past the major curve of its biggest loss. This is usually within the first 3-5 years of the vehicles lifespan Example, Brand new, my Lexus is $57,900 off the lot. If you wait twelve months of it sitting and being the “old model” (that usually only changes design every 8-10 years) it usually drops $10,000+. If someone buys it brand new, they suffer the largest loss. The expendable cash guys can afford to lose that. Where we want to pick up is when they “must have a new model” and are ready to take a significant loss on the original sale price and turn it in for that new one. Usually within 3-5 years on most luxury cars. When I bought my car, it was 6 years old and the model was still the same look at the new ones driving on the streets. I negotiated it from a deal that had it for $24,900 and bought it for $20,000. No one can tell if its the brand new model or the “old model”. However, we both sit at the stop light with the same statement of who we are…I just have $37,000 more dollars. Let me ask you who is rich?

A few ways that you can have a luxury or sports car is to understand vehicle values so you are not the one taking the huge loss on the cars value. If you buy the right car at the right time and dont put any miles, its common for rare and collectibles to begin going up in value. Focus on buying your luxury or sports car once it has suffered its largest hit for value loss and then find some extended term financing auto loans that will give you a lower payment for a longer period of time. Again, this is leverage perspective to understand that you CAN own and enjoy your $80,000 Z06 Corvette if you buy it right with financing that wont make you work 20 extra hours per week to cover the expense. Ask me how I drive a Bentley GT for the same monthly expense as what my Lexus cost and when I sell this Bentley in a few months Ill recoup all if not more than my payments back. Again, cause I bought it right, with low miles with unique financing that keeps my monthly out of pocket low. The Bentley will end up costing me less or potentially paying me to drive than the Lexus.

Living In A Nice Home: This is an interesting topic as I am a full time real estate buyer and have been for the last 10+ years. My opinion and you can do your own research, yet I am rather convinced that owning a home (in todays market for sure) is much more of an expense and risk than leasing. I justify that because of a few reasons. Number one is the net cost to live. My home I lease in Florida costs around $400,000. To own this home, with taxes and insurance would cost me around $2800 per month. PLUS when the $3400 ac goes out, $18,000 roof is needed, $3000 pool refinishing or $3000 pool heater and spa have issues, its a direct expense to the owner. I lease the same home for $2200 and treat it like its my own home and enjoy the “richness” of having the amenities that matter most to us without the huge overhead. A simple, updated, pool home oasis, close to the beach, in a desirable part of town, with kids for our son to play and an outdoor paradise we can enjoy at its fullest because we are not trading time for money to afford an overly large home that would keep us separated, cost a lot of money, require a lot of upkeep and rarely be used. I also get bored easily and we dont mind relocating to another “richer” home we may find at a great value that is in proximity to our sons private school.

HOWEVER… When our market does drop home values, I will be ready to locate and capture our dream properties which will be an oceanfront condo that will serve as my office and our weekend getaway as well as the waterfront lot with ocean access where we will build a home new from scratch. This is my version of maintaining “richness” as I maximize my living experience now, keep cashflow low while enjoying life and then capturing my desired lot and condo at the perfect price that will confidently justify a total renovation/new home that is worry free for 10 more years….at which the market will be likely increased again and I will have equity, which equals options.

I must share this little secret of how I have secretly found hidden gem homes in gorgeous waterfront communities where although I may be one of the smallest houses on the block, my neighborhood is filled with million dollar homes. I am able to live amongst the “richness” of perhaps more established, wealthier people and enjoy everything just as they are. The walks, parks, ocean, hyacinth and jasmine blooming everywhere. So I have always driven the streets and kind of “internet stalked” neighborhoods where I envisioned myself living. Places where most think they cannot live. I would find homes that are for sale but have not sold yet. Or I would find a nice looking home and see if they lived there as their primary home. Or perhaps find a vacant home that is listed for sale on line. The longer its been available the better. Then I would mail or email the owner or Realtor and include a incredibly written message about who I am, what I do, my family, our finances, our great credit, no pets, non smokers, great references, son going to private schools and include a photo of my family mentioning we are looking to rent a home in the neighborhood and wanted to know if they would consider leasing since the home has not sold. Use the words LEASE not rent. It just carries different weight. Especially to me because I am a landlord and own properties in these sort of neighborhoods. THOSE properties are my true investments. The tenants pay those off…not me. I have moved into several ocean front communities where most people think it is expensive to live and found hidden gems and negotiated incredible terms because of the adverse creativity.

At no time did I say this wont require work. Part of living rich is working. However, work harder on yourself than you do your job.

Solid Moral Character: This is where the quote above comes from. Its the very sadness of life that people set out with good intentions and over time, the wallows of life topple over and we wake up one day with just enough realization that we are not on the path where we intended. Many times we just move on with our head down. Some of us are fortunate enough to have a wake up call before the wake up event happens. This is perhaps the toughest area to live rich as we can be our own worst enemies. I know I am the creator of my own sabotage at times.

In Dr Suess book Oh The Places Youll Go, he talks about being in a slump is one of the toughest places to pull yourself out of in life. Yeah….Im wondering why Seuss was telling children about slumps as well yet I know I picked up on that wisdom.

Solid moral character is chiseled from adversity. When you resist the urge to give into temptation or participate in something unruly, you are chiseling a solid moral character. Having a solid moral character is actually my direct link to “richness”.

I have tested my own life and can absolutely testify that depositing $50,000 into my bank account on one deal, did zero for my personal excitement meter. I have also seen my own spirits rise out of a depression because I was feeding the homeless. Money is not linked to happiness and it is my deepest wish that you come to experience this yourself (this is good….means your making a ton of money and then you realize….wait…this didnt help anything I feel on the inside). Solid moral character is also using that deposit to improve my life not be lazy and waste my days away. It is to be used as a springboard to greater, “richer” things. Build your solid moral character. Its likely to be one of your greatest assets.

An Incredible Nights Sleep: I may take this for granted a little and I am pretty certain that having always been a sound solid sleeper is closely linked to my moral character. Tough to sleep when demons are haunting you, people are after you and you don’t own up to your commitments. Although a solid moral character is an aid to a great nights sleep, what I mean is a good mattress.

For somewhere we will spend 1/3 of our lives, investing in a good mattress is a worthy investment. There is no right answer here but to find the mattress that serves you and your spouse best for the greatest affordable amount. Ever since I switched out my Beauty rest for a foam mattress, I actually sleep a little less, yet more solid. I have also became a fan of using a sleep cycle app. This allows me to recharge with only around of 6 hours of sleep. It also is designed to wake up before I begin phasing into my 7th hour which is too much.

Lastly, I hate pills of any sort. They mess up your chemical balance. There are some melatonin pills that will not leave you with a “hangover” if you need to use them for a solid nights sleep. My caveat is not to become dependent on them. Keep a clean conscious, invest in a nice mattress, learn your sleep cycles and you will be sleeping better than most rich men in your community that are up all night with worry, stress, anxiety, overwhelm and many other ailments that keep us awake at night.

Having Rich Relationships: Relationships are something we are wired at our core to fulfill. We need human interaction like never before. Although we are all very busy in life and do not have time to manage several relationships, we can create a small circle of close, deeply connected friends who enrich our lives beyond what money ever could. I don’t have to juggle several “needy” people who are a constant drag.

Those who have close personal relationships are people who build me up and make me a better person. Friends from my mens ministry that meet like casual friends and hold each other to a personal accountability. Friends like those who cycle along side me, run next to me and participate in obstacle course runs. They build me up and contribute to my life. Whenever we are together we are living life richly. There are kids laughing, good food being cooked, pools splashing, deep conversations being had, go pro footage rolling, living it up at the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show. All things simple and extreme fall under the category for us. One day a friend and I swam across the Boca Channel. Not a huge deal but it definitely stirred my blood jumping into 50+ foot deep water of insane currents, where boats are zipping in and out of the inlet, possible sharks and critters swimming all around.

Even though it was only one minute, it was 60 seconds of life at its fullest. My heart was racing from the intense fight of the current and the overcoming of something 99% of people will never do in their lifetime. These sort of relationships keep me out of the rut of conformity. Making sure I own up to my marriage and parenting responsibilities. Keeping me sharp and ready for life. Always pushing me harder than I would ever willingly push myself. The goal is to pan for gold. I am always panning for golden relationships and you don’t find them in every stream and you have to pan through a lot of muck, sand and gravel for a few nuggets. Although its worth it.
There are some key principles to Living Rich that if followed simply will allow you to live a full, grateful life that is filled with rich experiences. Define what living rich is to you.

I have a contractor who lives behind me and he jams with his band 5 days out of the week from 3 oclock in the afternoon until 10 at night. Lavon is the coolest guy you’ll ever meet. He works hard in life, but just enough where he can live comfortable and spend the majority of his time doing what he loves which is jamming it out.

Doing What Matters: The great thing about being rich is its your definition of what that means. The woman whose goal is to change the life of children through teaching and wakes up every day with conviction that today is the greatest day to be alive is living rich.

Living Rich (as we know) actually has little to do with money. One of the richest people I know is a homeless man at the corner of 8 Mile and Woodward in Detroit. You will never pull up to his corner and not see him with a smile. One look at his circumstances and the physical condition of his health and you would wonder how he is still smiling.

Not to mention he is homeless. William has a rich spirit and he was the first person to ever tell me that some people are so poor all they have is money. Every day he sits at his corner and reads his Bible to his fellow homeless pals, plays his guitar and gets everyone singing. He could easily be boozing it up, harassing people yet what matters is still having hope and purpose. THATS living rich.

I hope you gained a little bit of insight into what Living Rich truly means. It is not what we are pitched day in and day out. Often, its the direct opposite.

The whole reason I wrote this article was to get you engaged into a life of Richness.

Take a few moments and tell me how you “live rich”. I have not covered every topic, but those listed above have opened up my life to a whole new world of richness by enjoying these very “things” to the fullest.

Leave your comments and stories below. I manage my own blog and respond personally to everyone.

Thank you for reading and keep on living rich.

Happy Birthday to me…Happy Blah Blah to me…Yes Indeed. Another incredible year has rolled around. I am proud to say I am better, happier and far more lively this year than ever before.

As I sit here on my ever-so-blessed 33rd birthday, I have such an overwhelming sense of joy and gratitude. I am truly blessed. Not of my own doing however. God has opened up doors that I couldn’t have pried open with a lifetime of effort.

Here are a few notes from my journal that I reflect on in light of today’s celebration.

1.  Find A Higher Purpose For Living: Living for ourselves is too shallow of a reason to exist. Do NOT confuse this as putting yourself last. You cannot give what you do not possess. However, when you are living at full capacity and giving your abundance, you are truly experiencing life at full throttle. Most of us have learned by now that acquiring possessions and always having to have the next shiny object in order to be happy is a death cycle. Happiness is not a way of living. Its a chemical reaction in the brain. Find a larger cause, purpose or benefit as to WHY you exist. My personal choice is to glorify God. Why, because just about every other “thing” I have tried doesn’t bring the satisfaction I deeply crave.

2. Let Your Light Shine (Be You-nique): In a world where you can be anything, be yourself. Don’t worry about fitting in with the masses. People attract to supreme confidence and when you let your light shine, people will see their way through (darkness) phoniness and move toward your authenticity (light). Don’t ever let someone put a lampshade over your uniqueness. Those that do are usually not meaning to hurt you. Usually they are scared of something they see in you that they are wanting to do as well. Knowing this, you no longer have to live in fear that people may laugh at you. They actually want more of what you radiate.

3.   Live Well: Don’t wait until you’ve “made it” to begin living life. Life is lived on the journey, not once you arrive. Know what a life lived well means to you and drop as many of those activities into your calendar as you can. Tying this to a cause really amplifies your ability to feel good about how you live your life. Start by answering all of your “How Are You Today”? with “I’m Living Well”.

4. Work Hard: There is simply no other way to get to where you want to go. You can leverage your efforts by being extremely clear and stubbornly focused on your mission. Lets not take 40 years to get to an 11 day destination. Be sure not to confuse busi-ness with productivity. It only cheats yourself.

 5.Bless Others: The ability to bless others is ALWAYS available. The desire to do so however is many times absent. A true show of character is ones desire to bless others. This can be as simple as a smile, a listening ear or helping someone breakthrough in a time of need. My personal experience is that I have been blessed with much, so it is my responsibility to bless others. Besides, everyones internal bank account needs “feel good” deposits. This is the best way I know of to avoid becoming  emotionally bankrupt.

6. Find Your Passion: The two greatest days on this earth are the day we are born and the day we find out why. Shifting into a life of passion can be a painful process. So is staying in a rut of conformity and mediocrity. Dig deep and discover what stirs your blood. Find out how to incorporate more of it into your life and if you are super fortunate you will even find a way to profit from it.

7. Marry The Wife (Spouse) of Your Youth: Marrying your souls equal is a gift very  few of us are able to be blessed with. I have been with my wife since I was 19 and have been told that dating today is not like it used to be. Part of the reason is because too may people replace what they don’t like instead of working through it to find common ground. Your spouse is a living, breathing being so things WILL NEVER BE PERFECT. If you focus on working through your core differences you can enjoy a life of blessings instead of living under the mindset that somewhere out there is the perfect spouse that has it all together like this world often portrays.

8. Repair don’t Replace: Having the mindset to always scrap what isn’t perfect can set you up for a lifetime of disappointment. You never get ahead since you are always building something and then stopping when it gets to tough. This is very similar to people who start something and then never finish. By building a mentality to fix what isn’t perfect will teach you to make the best of what you have an allow you to appreciate much more of life in the long run.

9.   Be Selective: In everything. The company we keep. Minds we develop. Water we drink. Our circle of influence. Don’t just let any thought or person take up space in your brain. By being selective and saying “NO, I wont allow that into my life”, we send a shockwave to the world saying we will not accept this standard for our life. Tony Robbins says the simplest way to improve your life is to increase your standards.

10. Build Something Great: We are all builders. Whether we build a life of mediocrity or a life of greatness is up to us. Make up your mind to build a better you. A happier family. A business that solves a need. A community that gives back. Too many people end up at the end of their life with regrets. This is a surefire way to not be a victim of that. Start with a solid foundation and build your way up.

11. The Air Plane Principle: This is one of the greatest principles I have learned in my life. I consider myself a giver at heart. Many times when I give, it costs me. A lot (pain, agony). Im always willing to eat last and suffer more than most. The airplane principle teaches us that we put our masks on first (to help ourselves first) so that we can continue to help many many other people. Many times we say we will sacrifice our well being to help someone else and many times we are not truly helping, but enabling. Well, you can only help so many people put their mask on before you collapse. Therefore, don’t consider it selfish to know that you serve the world best when you are getting “yours” (in this case oxygen) first.

12. Count Your Blessings: An attitude of gratitude will be your best defense to life’s overwhelm of reality. Life is fair by being unfair to everyone. We must have something we are grounded to that keeps us seeing through the blurred vision. When you know this in your heart, very little can keep you separated. This is not to seem cliche. This is not to seem over thought. If being a mother is your greatest blessing, KNOW THAT in your deepest capacity. This will keep you as fierce as a lioness protecting her cubs when life gets a little vicious.

13.  Live With Conviction: We take in a lot as humans, let alone entrepreneurs. So much that we often times don’t know WHO we are or WHAT we stand for. We must learn to convict ourselves of the evident truths that make up our internal DNA. This conviction must stand as part of our WHY that keeps us standing at our post regardless of the relentless opposition that will come our way. Be picky. Know what your values and beliefs are and don’t adopt something just because its popular.

14. Know The Power of The Mind: “For as you believe, so shall you become” Proverbs 23:7. “Whether you think you can or think you cant , you’re right”. There is no shortage of quotes to give horsepower to the power of the mind. Learn how to build a mindset that works in the upward spiral of life so you are taken down by the ever-present-but-has never-happened thoughts that consume us. If you have a hard time living by faith, try looking back at all the worry you did. Did any of those situations ever turn out as bad as we made them out to be in our minds? Be a victor not a victim.

 15.Life is Not Lived At The Top Of The Mountain: Truth is, if you jumped into a helicopter and asked them to drop you on the top of Mt Everest, your body would implode. Its also VERY hard to breathe up there. Besides, how many times have you reached the summit and thought “WOW! Great view. Is this it”? Life is lived on the journey. So enjoy the view at every turn.

16. Keep A Close, Small Circle: Small circles keep value as their main connector. Value in the form of advice, action, friendship, business. The larger the circle, the more you must maintain value to each individual and we only have so much time. When time is spread thin, there is a sacrifice. Sacrifice on the quality of our advice, action, friendship or business. Be at your very best by keeping the very best close to you.

17. Be Mindful: Mindfulness is awareness. In order to be aware, we have to know what to be aware of. To know what we have to be aware of, we have to know what we feel convicted about. Im not sure if you are connecting the dots here but many of these “lessons” come full circle once your individual answers are put together to make one giant overview. Be aware of what consumes your mind and drop little tidbits into it as often as you can.

 18. Develop A Daily Routine: This is your daily “build the best me” routine that you do every day before you begin saving lives and making a difference. This can include reading, working out, writing, reflecting or anything that makes you operate at your absolute best. I created a video you can watch that goes over my morning routine. You can watch it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixpf1_HoD-o

19. Do Life’s Work, Not Busy Work: If you are building something great, you are doing life’s work. Lets be sure we drop as many of these activities into our schedule. They rejuvenate us. They give clarity and power to our days. They make us feel accomplished. Do not live under the condemnation that you are too busy making a living that you have no time to make a life.

20. Keep A Journal: Keep several. I love to read. However, no book will ever contain as much power as your life’s legacy (except the Bible). Your experience. Your setbacks and breakthroughs. However formal or informal, leave as much legacy as you can for the rest of the world.

21. Seek Wise Counsel: This is where your small, close circle comes in. These close friends usually have your permission to kick your ass in life. They will give you brutally honest feedback. They will make you stronger. When you need advice, you will likely turn to someone you trust. If you are truly about growth, then you will want the brutal truth. People in my circle always have a healthy dose of growth tied to everything we do. I strongly advise you find counsel that doesn’t hold a biased opinion and will shed light on the truth regardless of how painful that may be. Having a “friend” who sugar coats life and tells you what you want to hear is not doing you any good.

22. Build Community: The smartest entrepreneurs and business are building  communities. They are building a fan base of loyal customers. These communities are WHY focused and looking for an outlet to their thoughts, issues and creativity. Learn how to gather great minds to give them a source of relief, direction and…community. Your reason doesn’t have to be for business. It could be to start a community garden, community conversation, community running club. Trust me. There are people JUST LIKE YOU who want to be a part of a community that shares your common interest. Gather them and build something great.

23. Know Who You Are: We are not looking for name, rank, serial number. WHO Are You? At Your Core? This question is tough to answer yet offers so much clarity as to why we bother to wake up each day. What do you stand for so strongly that you refuse to sit down be quiet? Thats Who You REALLY Are.

24. Give Thanks: Developing a heart for appreciation could very well be the greatest gift humans are capable of. We see what happens when we develop a heart for entitlement. Just look around. Don’t just be thankful. Give Thanks. To all those who helped you along the way. To someone who helped today. Or perhaps several years ago. Everyone loves to be appreciated. If we can help to put a smile on someones  face by giving them sincere appreciation, we just lived for a higher purpose, let our lights shine, lived well, blessed others, built something great, lived with conviction, were mindful, did life’s work and built community. Two simple words allowed you to live life at full throttle. Cliche as you think it is, study the greats. They all had thankful hearts.

25.  Create Memories You Can Leave Behind: I prefer to leave experiences and memories to may family instead of possessions. Aside from my journals I have, a life time of well lived memories and wisdom on how to live better, I have began to record short videos for each of my family members to watch then I leave this world. These videos are specific to my relationship with that person and are placed in a digital Do-Not-Open-Until-Im-Gone Folder. Although it may be painful to watch these videos, as they go through them they will appreciate those extra moments they never anticipated spending with me. Letters, photos, special memoire’s. Anything personal, specific and unanticipated will be a wonderful memory.

26. Assume Nothing, Verify Everything: This unfortunate value of todays society is disappearing very quickly. The do good aspects of life we once counted on as a gift in life now come with a cost. Just cause you hear, read and in many cases, see it, does  not mean its actually true. Don’t spend your time validating senseless information. Use it for that which matters.

When you are humble, your soul is at peace. You are not living to boast, compete, be noticed or need confirmation from the rest of the world. Just do it and leave your ego at the door. One of my favorite quotes is “some people are so poor all they have is money”. Think on that.

28. Listen: I am terrible at this so I may not be the best person to give advice on this. The power of listening is still one of the greatest sources of peace and power we have on this earth. I don’t mean just listening to people. What do you do when you have a moment of free time. Do you go outside and listen for a pleasant song bird? Most of us have been trained to numb our existence than listen for a moment of quick rejuvenating peace. However, lending a good ear, listening to good counsel, listening to a friend spill their life, listening to the stillness of our lives is very peaceful. When everyone is reaching for chaos or struggling to find peace, go the old fashioned route and just listen.

29. Know What You Want, Not Just What You Like: This can save you from ending up on your deathbed saying “I wish I would have done more of…”. As humans, we really don’t know what we want. We just know what we like. What a tragedy to “like” (seems like we “like” everything today) something we see someone else with and give our whole lives up to achieve it only to say “is that it”? Be stubborn in knowing what YOU want.

30.  Work Strategy, Don’t Chase Opportunity: One of the biggest breakthroughs of my business life was when I discovered the ability to work strategies instead of chasing opportunity all over. This brought a lot of security and confidence to my life. When we have the ability to see where we get results from and focus on duplicating those.

31. The Light That Burns Twice As Bright, Burns Out Twice As Fast: Most of us bite off more than we can chew. Trying to keep up with life’s constant demand is taking its toll. We add 48 hour loads on 24 hour circuits. We sacrifice health to get “success”. We lose sleep to “get ahead”. All too often we trade the golden years of our lives for tin foil. Its great to work hard. Just know that juggling too much for too long will  take its toll  on you.

32.There Will Be Toil Along The Way: Period

33. Know God: I was raised to know God as my savior and strayed away for a short period in my life. I recall the very day I just made $50,000 NET CASH flipping a house and being depressed. I had all these paid mentors and advisors around me. I couldn’t be transparent with any of them or face losing my “superman” image. I recall walking over to the Bible I had on my dresser and reading “Count it all joy when you fall unto various trials, knowing the testing of your faith produces patience”. The thing was, I wasnt in any trouble. Life was good. Bills were paid. I have a gorgeous wife, incredible son, business was growing. I was just empty inside. No matter who I met, what I bought, where I traveled I always returned to this same “dead” feeling inside. I cried out to God to forgive my sins, asked Him to show me how I could fill this void (selfish of me I know) and begin living a life of faith. Its been a painful journey shedding the old me and creating a new one in Christ’s image although I now know where I can go for comfort and truth.

On a recent trip back to Las Vegas with my wife we were taken back at how undervalued an overpriced everything was. There is a large difference between expensive and overpriced. And the difference is value.

Living in America in 2014 is expensive. Living in Vegas where the in town economy is rigged to profit as much as they can from the demand of tourists wanting to experience the best of Vegas is a prime example of overpriced and undervalued.

While walking through the shoppes we stopped into the Louis Vuitton store and checked on some purse prices. I would not mind a nice back pack for my lap top and wouldn’t mind paying a considerable amout (up to $2000 for my personal value consideration). When I saw the back pack was $5200 and the purse was $3250 I declared them as overpriced and under valued. I get zero compensation or reward by walking into an appointment or Starbucks with a Louis back pack. Actually, you’ve likely became a larger target to criminals than a respected consumer to today’s savvy business league.

As we strolled and consumed beverages that are triple what we pay in our hometown of Ft Lauderdale I once again seen the overpriced/undervalued scheme over and over.

One of the days we went on a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon and paid around $500 for the experience. A hefty sum but the value was infinitely greater than that. Being one of the seven wonders of the world and being an item on my wife’s bucket list and traveling through the sky at 100 miles an hour in a corporate chopper is a manly accomplishment especially overseeing the incredible overwhelm of beauty the experience brings. The cost was minimal in relative consideration to the value.

So how do you know when you are getting a good value?

Much of this comes down to your personal tolerance level of value consideration and largely your income. While walking we seen numerous women walking with multiple high end shopping bags and  if I have to put a price on each bag I would say roughly $2500 (just an average). Times this by three to five bags and my internal value calculator says if you make anything less than $150,000 per year with a mostly free and clear life you likely should not be spending more than 5% of your annual income on accessory items and my personal tolerance is much higher.

Living below my means has been a way of life for my wife and I. We make great income and put very little value on material possessions.

The value of the Grand Canyon experience is worth more than the value of those handbags or that back pack. Again, This is my personal tolerance.

Being that I buy discount homes as my profession I have a very hard time overpaying for anything that doesn’t carry a hard value to it. Real estate is an asset that can have value added to sell for more. This will never happen with a hand bag.

Here are a few things you can do to test your tolerance level and begin setting your bar for buying valued items in life.

1. Take inventory-Relative to your income, how is your lifestyle? Do you frequently have too much month at the end of your money? Or do you constantly get teased for not having a brand new car like your friends drive? Knowing how to determine which priorities in life provide intrinsic value to you will not only keep more money in your hands, it is proven to make you happier.

2. Know the real value of the things you buy-When I was shopping for a newer car (to me there is no value in paying msrp on a brand new model and making a u turn to sell it right back to the dealer and have the price be $20,000 less than I just forked out) I looked at comparable models for the luxury car I wanted. Its easy to get sold on style and sleekness but as a driven entrepreneur and realistic consumer I looked at cost of owner ship. I was looking to buy a used top of the line luxury car and choosing between a Volkswagen phaeton, BMW 6 series and the Lexus Ls 430. I reviewed all the consumer reports and simply discovered I will pay roughly the same price for either of them. The cost of owning the BMW and VW were triple that of my Lexus. That’s smart economics.

3. Look at your past purchases-Go through your closet or garage or storage unit and see how much “stuff” you have. How often do you truly sit back and appreciate the value of that stuff? Are you still paying for these items with high interest? Does a $5000 couch make a large difference in your life? What if you spent a fraction of that and paid $500 for a bike that would allow you to reclaim your health? Or $1000 on a good camera so you can capture the experiences of life to treasure once a month while sitting in and having a great bottle of wine with it.

The final step in making the necessary changes are up to you. Most purchases are done simply based on emotion with zero rationality behind it. Anytime we ever plan to buy a large item, we typically sit on it for 30 days and decide whether it really tugs at us to purchase. Undoubtedly if we find a super value, we no questions asked purchase it right there.

Become subconsciously aware of your buying habits. Before every large purchase, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of this page and validate the true value of that item.

Set your own personal value consideration. Know what items are worth to you and don’t go a dime over that amount. Wait until you find it at your price or find the alternative or worst case, Go without.

Dig deep within yourself and become aware of what really means a lot to you. This helps set your limit of your personal value consideration. If you truly desire to have a top of the line new car, then get it. It is your personal preference. Just don’t go forward In life thinking that the new car is going to make you happy. That usually wears off in 4-7 days.

I want to share a story of a set of chairs I really wanted. My wife and I were looking for a set of Adirondack chairs to basically have in our yard for appeal. We likely would sit in them less than ten times per year. We looked at pricing and found that each chair would run us about $220. Not something we were willing to pay for a yard display. One day while driving home I spotted a pair of chairs at the street being ready for disposal. I took them home and began to sand, tightened the screws and repainted them. Not only did I have the chairs we wanted but I have the personal satisfaction of knowing I put my time and energy into making them “our own” and now carry a much greater “value” than the “price” I would have paid for them.

It is my hope that you found a nugget of wisdom in this article. If so, please share so you yourself can impact a life. I appreciate your feedback with any consideration you have with the content mentioned above.

Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Making That Large Purchase.

#1. Are You An Impulse/Emotional Buyer? If So, Why?

#2. Do You Have Credit Card Debt for Most of Your Material Possessions? If So, Why?

#3. Do You Feel You Live Above Your Means? If So, Why?

#4. How Do You Feel When You Buy Something New? Does That Feeling Last Longer Than The Payments?

Start Considering Putting A 30 Day “Consideration” Period On Your Next Purchases. By Committing To This You Will Tell Your Subconscious Mind That YOU Are In Control And You Will Eventually Stop Purchasing Out of Habit…

Today marks one of the most incredible days of my life. Not only am I celebrating the birth of my son Kaiden Christian but at this very time, exactly one decade ago, I was drawing a line in the sand. Although it wasn’t on the beach. Actually it wasn’t even in a sand box. We didn’t have a sandbox to draw a line in…

What seems like a blink has been ten incredible years in my life that would have never occurred if I had not chosen to make a sacrifice that day.

At 8:36 AM on January 11, 2006, I was sitting in the Mt Clemens General Hospital holding our new son. Part of me was overwhelmed with joy unspoken. A joy that I have never felt ever before in my life.

Another part of me was anxious and terrified. I had never been a dad before. Most of my life up till this point was spent working (since age 11). I was no stranger to hard work so I had no fear about making changes that meant I would have to work harder. The true root of my anxiety is that I would continue to work harder and harder and not be able to provide adequately for my family. I also had anxiety that if I was able to provide for my family I would not be able to enjoy the lifestyle I created for them and spend the time needed to be a REAL father.

I’m learning today that although money plays a large role, nothing can take place of “being there” for your child as he is growing up. Even as I reflect today, and realize 10 years has truly been a blink in our lives, I realize how much I continue to sacrifice to allow my son to have the “things” I did not have growing up. Much more time could be spent enjoying the sheer appreciation of our presence. Lifes truest presents are found in our presence.

Ill never forget the feelings I had that day. I remember that was the first time I EVER sat down to write concrete goals to my life. I remember I wrote them all down and began reciting them over and over so I would no longer have to look at them. I remember signing them and knowing I could not just sit and stare and memorize these but I had to ACT. I still have those goals today and accomplished EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.

Ill never forget having to make this sacrifice that has allowed me to get where we are today…still with my family…growing in love and life each and every day.

Ill never forget having to figure out how I am going to have to tell my wife what I was about to tell her. I never was good with words so I broke it out as best as I could…not fully knowing if this sacrifice would pay off and be worth what I was about to do!

On that very day, just after my gorgeous wife gave agonizing birth to our son, at 430 PM, I walked over to her bedside and told her something that changed our lives forever.

I remember looking in her eyes as she sat up holding Kaiden. I smiled and said “Michelle, I love you. This is going to be an amazing journey for us. I am looking forward to being the best father I can be to our son.”

With that said, I also told her that I had to leave.

She looked up at me so confused. We had just ate so she knew I was not going down to the cafeteria to eat. She knew I was not going to leave her so I could finally get a good nights sleep at home after sleeping on a chair for the past two nights.

“Where do you have to go”? She softly asked

I explained to her that I was going to become a real estate investor and that tonight was the first meeting I was going to attend on this new journey.

“You have to go tonight”?

Ill never forget the pain I felt inside having to leave my wife at the hospital all alone while I went and sat at my first real estate investor meeting.

That feeling is indescribable. Yet I knew that these feelings would be overcome by the new life I was going to be able to provide for my family.

I dont recall if there were tears coming down my face that night but I do remember how low I felt having to leave my wife for that time, regardless of how short it was.

THE LINE HAD BEEN DRAWN
____________________________________________________

I returned that night a new man. Someone who had peeked into the window of prosperity and knew it was going to be alright.

Alot has happened since that night. It hasn’t always been fun.

Yet one thing remains absolutely certain. A new life opened up for us.

A life we certainly would not have lived had I kept managing a detail shop and flipped cars.

A life that has allowed us to create a lifestyle that put Kaiden into private schools since pre k

A life that improved all of our health statuses as it raised our income significantly

A life that allowed me to be a better husband because our money issues were out of the way

A life that allowed us to be at every school event ever held at Kaidens school

A life that has allowed us to travel to more places by the time Kaiden was 6 than his grandpa had traveled his whole life

A life that has allowed us the opportunity to show Kaiden what it is like to bless people all over the world and locally through giving and charity

A life that has brought on challenge, awareness, hardship, growth, breakthrough and so much more that would have not been possible had I stuck with what I was doing.

Shelleigh Anne Stark, I want to thank you for making that sacrifice beside me that day. You are the most amazing Proverbs 31 woman ever and have become ever-more beautiful each day since we met.

You are the most incredible mother to our son and on this day I celebrate many many great things

All of which would not be possible if it was not for you making these sacrifices with me from day one.

I hope it has all been worth it for you

Happy 10th Birthday to the founder of Kaidens Cars (go like his page…it will be the greatest gift to him ever to support his passion) Mr Kaiden Christian

I love you both dearly.

You are my everythings in life.

Happy Birthday Son.

– See more at: http://ww1.therealerikstark.com/blog/2015/private-money-explained.html#sthash.tYg1G40b.dpuf

“For As You Believe, So Shall You Become” Proverbs 23:7