Gustav

I have family and friends in Southwest Louisiana -- with the impending threat of another major hurricane, my thoughts and prayers go out to all.

Question of the Day

Today is the 3rd Anniversary of the landfall of Katrina.....my family lives in Southwest Louisiana, so Hurricane Rita had more impact on them, yet, never-the-less, the feelings are strong.

Thinking back on the utter devastation that happened three years ago - plus reading "The Courage to Be Rich" found me asking --

What would you have left if you lost everything? (and do you know exactly what you have to even realize that you lost it -- more on that next week)

Each of us would have a different answer. It really depends on the extent of "everything" also. Losing money -- we still have health, family......losing health -- we still have......and on it goes.

Those that lived through Katrina lost homes, jobs -- you don't have to keep adding things they lost, at this point their lives were not recognizable from the week before. What was important, isn't - and simple things, like fresh water, become a priority.

What would you have left, if you lost everything? What is important to you right now? Some things don't need to be, and we may need to move a couple of simple things up to the top. Sure gets the thoughts flowing.

Thoughts

OK -- before I begin the book -- I'm going to write down some ideas that I have on it --

Courage - to change anything in life, we need loads of it. Bring that thought into finances -- it will take courage to find out where I am financially, courage to find out what I can be doing differently, and, most importantly, courage to then change my actions accordingly.

Do wealthy people really do things differently? Is there a mind set that I need to tap into??

From what I have read on the Law of Attraction, just changing my thinking pattern will produce a change. (I am thinking of my bank account being large!) I do know that positive thinking has a direct effect on our actions -- I am all for that. I try to stay as positive as I can -- sometimes I am quite positive that I haven't any more money--and at those times, I have a hard time implementing the Laws of Attraction.

I do realize that people who have worked hard, and attained wealth, handle there money differently. That is what I want to learn about. I do not simple want to pretend that I am wealthy, I want to change my attitude and actions and become knowledgeable and wealthy.

Changing anything always takes courage.

Courage

I am beginning a book by Suze Orman "The Courage to Be Rich". I usually ask myself questions before I start anything new -- things that I hope to learn from books that I read.

My first question before digging into this book is "How much courage does it take to be rich?" Thoughts are running around in my head like a group of two year olds on a sugar rush. I think I am pretty courageous -- enough so that being rich wouldn't be a problem. I think I could do rich being a scardy cat!!!! I would love to find out anyway.......

So, I am actually looking forward to this read. I may just find out that at present, I am not that courageous -- and have some changing to do.

A Loaded Plate

I have figured out why women don't "get" finances. We don't have time. Just flipping through what few books I have -- it seems quite intimidating. Stocks, bonds, budgets, 401's, IRA's....Most women have enough to do everyday without adding any thing extra.

And at first glance learning about finances is a very big extra.

The only thing that motivates me is thinking about what happens because I don't have this knowledge. Will I have enough to retire? Questions like that one really get me to thinking. I am in a comfort zone, yes, but at what price. Being ignorant of a subject can't be an excuse for me.

A quote that I like is this simple one: The Definition of "Insanity" - Doing What You Always Do - And Expecting A Different Result.

I can't quit my job and expect to make ends meet. I can't expect to retire with a nice savings. So I need to step out of my comfort zone, learn new ways of doing finances, and stop acting insane!!

Attitude

What is a good attitude about money? Certainly not fear. And fear causes us to do nothing......So I vote that fear is at the top of the list of bad attitudes.

So, what is the best way to combat fear is to learn all you can about the subject. Knowledge is the best weapon against what we do not know.

I have gotten in a couple of finance books to look over and I have subscribed to a number of blogs by women on the subject. I am equipping myself for this journey.

Beginning

I have realized that I do not grasp money, nor the concept of money, well. I do not know how to make good financial decisions because I do not have the information or schooling to do so. Money has controlled me and the decisions that I have made for to long. My quest it to control my finances not for them to control me.

This is my journal on gaining financial knowledge.

In reading I have found that a majority of women lack this skill. I found that I was not alone. Women are also waking up and realizing that we lack this skill and we want to find it.

My journey begins now.