PART II

Strive to Thrive
What Is My Why

Make Time in Your Day to Learn the Money Thing

Author - Abbie Kahula Reed

How Can We Afford the Unaffordable? How are Others Doing it?

When I began to question how "other people" afford the unaffordable, I looked online for months and spent many hours watching, listening, and comparing the many money experts who were eagerly talking. The "already" successful and experts on "make money grow" topics freely shared their experiences and strategies-- all with their own motives and reasons. Some talked too fast or too slow, or some talked in the English language, which seemed Greek to me. Sifting through the lot took time away from things I would normally do. Time to learn became my most precious asset--like gold. It's an investment of time to do the research. It became important to include in my life somehow. But I realized that I had to take 10 steps backward to get my WHY and REASON I spend time to learn.

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Walk Before Ya Run

What I was about to do, this new lifestyle change was huge. My time was already limited as a college student, a mother and grandmother with a personal commitment to fulfill the purpose for which I was put on earth. So much time and so little time. It was overwhelming. It soon controlled my choices. And what if I failed again? Was this another crazy idea of the many I had in the past? What would the naysayers say this time? Prajeet Singh and Oprah Winfrey set me straight. If I was to succeed, my WHY had to be solid. My reason I take on this new way of managing my time is my grandchildren's future for the sake of my grandkid's future and everyone else interested

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What Happens When you Walk Before you Run?

Take a lesson from me on failing. I am an expert at it. I am not new to trying side hustles to find fortune and financial freedom. All attempts lead to disappointment and failures for different reasons:

Network Marketing - Competition - Other people knew more
Selling T-Shirts - Competition - Other people knew more
Make and jewelry of sale - Competition - Other people knew more
Starting a florist - Competition - Other people knew more
The Pyramid - It was illegal!
and there's more you got the idea..

I lacked education in finances and knowing business because I skimped on time to learn--took shortcuts, often. More importantly, I did not have the right mentality to succeed, which kept me weak and doomed to fail. I realized I was just looking at the money and didn't really know my "why." Rather than wallowing in my failures, I learned to use them as lessons learned--stepping stones to get me to the next level and do better. I'm not alone on the list of people who failed a lot. The man who invented the light bulb, Thomas Edison failed a thousand times until he got it right. He never gave up. I won't either.

Knowledge and having the right mentality to succeed is key.

My point: Make time to learn!

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The Value of Time

I found that as I grew older, time seemed to run faster. The sun rose earlier, and it descended too soon. Many famous quotes about time, like "Time is Gold." Some may disagree that time is that important. I can't confirm its truth, but I get it. Here's another time resonating quote that is disputable, but it makes sense to me. "Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time. My point? Manage time wisely. That's all.

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Take 10 Steps Backwards before Going Forward - Walk Before Ya Run

I took ten steps backward to get a mental restart. My wake-up call was from Oprah Winfrey, who set me straight on where to start--to know who I am, really. Her advice in this short 5-minute video opened my eyes and put me on the right path. Five Minutes for the Next 50 Years of Your Life.

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Watching videos like Oprah's or by the many money experts out there doesn't automatically make you successful but with each video watched or the book or article read puts you closer to making informed decisions for yourself and your own situation. What I share here are examples that helped me with my situation.

I encourage all to dive in to get more knowledge from sources that resonate with you and your own situation. Here's advice from Oprah which resonated with me.

Oprah Winfrey courtesy of Video Advice YouTube Channel 2.85M Subscribers https://youtu.be/skj-ALA1HFE

Highlight Summary of Oprah Winfrey's Life Changing Video (above)

Everyone has the potential for enormous success..BUT there's a price that comes with that.

Figure out your true calling, your purpose. Know who you are and what you truly want.
Strive to fulfill the highest truest expression of yourself as a human being
You must have some kind of vision for your life. Have a direction. You must be in the driver seat in your life or life will drive you.
You must find a way to serve. Martin Luther King "...Greatness is determined by service"
When focused on service and the significance that you bring to your service, then success will most likely follow.
Learn from every mistake - every experience is there to teach and force you to know who you are.
People don't like or are not always happy for you - Surround yourself with people who support you and forgive those who don't.
Let excellence be your brand. Do it every way, in every example and experience.
Do it the right way, and excellence will be the brand of your work.

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Minority Mindset https://youtu.be/FWejKq8u5_8

This 8 minute (YouTube) Minority Mindset Video was a GINORMOUS LIFE CHANGER for me

Minority Mindset Free Money 101 Education

Prajeet Singh offers easy-to-follow financial education lessons on his website, Minority Mindset, to all who need help. It's a collection of everything one would need to know about finances, the good and bad. He covers everything from school, opening a bank account, credit cards, investing 101, and more. This section of his website is absolutely free. For those who are ready to invest money to make more money, he not only shares the news about it on YouTube, but he has a group membership option (for a fee $30/mo) where experienced experts help guide you on the next steps. I make no money with this referral. I recommend it because it's good stuff I would like available for me when I get to that level.

Images courtesy of wix.com

Images courtesy of wix.com

More Painful than Childbirth - Doing the Budget - True Confessions

Call me "stupid lucky" being in "money denial mode" all my life yet slid by big fat money disasters by the hair of my chinny chin chin! If I don't look at the finances, assets and liabilities, I won't see if it's terrible. I kept a rough estimate in my head instead. Then I watched a Minority Mindset video by Jaspreet Singh, who stressed its importance. He made sense. My personal reasoning - If I don't look, I won't see. Even at "grandma age,"

I was still a kid when it came to money. How could I make money grow if I didn't know what I had in the bank? I guessed I had enough to pay the bills but knew it wasn't enough to take a trip without saving up for it. It was a necessary step to do before moving forward. So I opened one eye at a time, held my breath and took the leap. I am a better money person from the experience and learning. I am proof that one is never too old to learn new things.

I never considered myself poor since I was always employed, had food in the cupboard, and provided for my children's needs. The definition of "poor" varies depending on who is doing the defining. I was grateful to have stumbled upon Dr. Lipton's video (above), whose bold title caught my curiosity. Lipton shares many videos on YouTube on topics of his expertise. He is a man of sciences in psychology with a theory of mindset developed in childhood, programmed from what they witness. I regretfully confess that I could have been his guinea pig subject. It was one of many revelations and lessons learned from my time online. Of course, what he believes is not what everyone should believe. We must use our own understanding from what we know and witnessed ourselves and clues found from research. Sometimes gut feeling plays a big part in the decisions we make.

I know I shouldn't listen to any random person talking online. But it's good to have an open mind so not to be blind when something good walks in front of you. Just sayin'

Dr. Bruce Lipton Explains "How We Are Programmed at Birth" Courtesy of Be Inspired YouTube Channel

I inadvertently passed my bad money habits down to my children, who naturally absorbed what they witnessed and thought was normal. It is on me now to correct the wrong and ensure that the grandkids learn good money habits. This revelation prompts me to think back to identify and correct any other ill habits I may have conveyed to my family and commit to learning new habits to inspire and enlighten. My mind is wide open!

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A Grandma's Confession

Grandma's Favorite

Money Reboot Video Playlist

What Happens When you Walk Before you Run?

Network Marketing - Competition - Other people knew more
Selling T-Shirts - Competition - Other people knew more
Make and jewelry of sale - Competition - Other people knew more
Starting a florist - Competition - Other people knew more
The Pyramid - It was illegal!
and there's more you got the idea..

Knowledge and having the right mentality to succeed is key.

My point: Make time to learn!

Images courtesy of wix.com

Minority Mindset is not the only channel teach financial health. Money expert Graham Stephan shares

his thoughts and guidance on how to clean up and move your finances forward in his YouTube video below.

Check it out!

Credit: Graham Stephan "How to Manage Your Money Like the 1% YouTube https://youtu.be/0O8yr3WheuE

I realized that watching videos like Oprah's or by the many money experts out there doesn't automatically make me successful. But with each video watched, book/article read, I moved one step forward towards making informed decisions for myself. The outcome of learning is different for everyone. The starting point, finance situation, the strategies chosen, time spent in learning are variables that determine the path for each individual.

I encourage all to dive in to get more knowledge from sources that resonate with you and your own situation. Here's advice from Oprah which resonated with me.

What's Your Vision? Have a Solid Why

Leslie Gilmour, owner, and MD of Cube Digital, a content marketing, and SEO agency that helps businesses create successful growth plans. He explains "Your vision needs to come from your heart. You need to give yourself the freedom to dream in order to create a vision that's compelling and exciting. A big and clear vision can energize your life and feed your goals."

Gilmour's Vision Examples:

To be free from financial burden and be an example to my children.
To help people solve a specific problem they have in their life.
To live a flexible and well-balanced life.
To provide a happy, loving home for my family.
To live a healthy life.

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Your Vision
Your Passion

Think It

Dream It

See It

Make It

MAKE A VISION
BOARD

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Image credit: A Family Works Together by Harris County Public Library CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Make it a project with the family. Having your vision stuck up on a wall "in your face" everyday helps as a constant reminder. Here's a link to some ideas on Pinterest. The more you see it, the easier you manifest it to come true. But seeing it and doing it are two different things. Besides a vision, you will need to establish goals. What are they and what's the difference?

Expect Obstacles

Money experts agree, that before reaching for the stars, have a good reason "why" you do it. Success is not easy. It takes time, work, and belief in what and why you do it. Expect obstacles.

Jaspreet Singh of Minority Mindset along with other mentors warn of naysayers who may doubt your ambitions, beliefs, or methods. This is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome. Expect it, prepare for it and forgive the doubters and yourself for failures that come with taking risks--but without risks, there is no gain. Accept it and adapt accordingly to stay strong and on track with fortitude.

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Images courtesy of canva.com

I found I was my own cheerleader when no one else cheered me on. I told myself, be kind to myself. Forgive myself. I gave myself a lot of breaks. I rode a rollercoaster of emotions in the beginning. But at the end of the day, there's another day coming around the corner. Just try again, a little more wiser. That's what I told myself and it felt kind of nice.

This is
My WHY...

The Future of the Next Generation and my Grandchildren

LEARN ON THE GO!

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Next Stop Coming Up Ahead - Side Hustles

Thanks for hanging out with me. Hope you can join me at the next stop on my journey. Just click the bus below and I'll see you there! Stay Cool. Take care