Archive for December, 2009
The Keys To Achieving Your Goals in 2010
Posted by Aparicio Giddins in Life Coaching on December 30, 2009
I can remember writing out my goals this time last year and I posted them on my dream board. I believe I worked extremely hard achieving all of my goals, but it is that time again, where I look at my life and establish new goals based on where I am and where I want to be. I thought the below information could be impactful to those that want to make their goals actually happen.
Another year and another set of resolutions. If you’re like most Americans, you’ll probably forget your goals by mid-February. So how do you make your resolutions actually happen this year?
First, keep in mind that goals are dreams; but don’t stop at just dreaming. Turn your dreams into bite-sized pieces that will gradually create a big event in your life. If you’re waiting on an outside variable to change your life, you have a long wait. You have to do something. It’s your responsibility to fix your life, not someone else’s. It’s time to sit down, make some goals, and take control.
Goal setting is how you win. Once you’ve made your resolutions, they will drive you forward. The goals will motivate you to seek activities that will help you succeed. It’s not always fun, but those exercises bring you closer to your goal and make you a winner.
If you want to actually achieve your goals this year, then consider the following:
Be specific. When setting goals, be specific in what you want to achieve. Vagueness will only cause you to feel overwhelmed, and you will just give up.
Make your goals measureable.
In order to know if you achieved the goal, it must be measurable. For example, if you want to lose weight, don’t simply write down “lose weight” as a goal. How much weight do you want to lose? Or don’t just write “spend more time with family.” How much time do you want to spend with your family every night
Are they your goals?
Only you can set your own goals. If your spouse, co-worker or friend sets a goal for you, you’re not going to achieve it. Taking ownership will give you more incentive to meet your goal.
Set a time limit.
Setting a time frame will help you set realistic goals. For example, if you want to save more money, list how much money a month you want to put into your savings account.
Put them in writing.
Putting your goals in writing will make you much more likely to achieve them. Write down your goals and review them often. This will give you motivation to make them a reality.
This is the process to succeed. Successful people reassess their lives and then start living intentionally, in writing, on paper, on purpose. Make your resolutions a reality in 2010.
This was a repost from Dave Ramsey
Do You Have A Store Branded Credit Card?
Posted by Aparicio Giddins in Financial on December 8, 2009
I was recently reading a story in the Wall Street Journal about consumers that have credit cards with major retailers (e.g. Gap, Macy’s, Best Buy, etc.). Due to federal regulations, consumers will no longer be able to get instant credit when they are at the cash register. The Federal Reserve is forcing retailers to gather more information about customers including pay stubs and income information before providing them with credit. In this world of instant gratification that would be a huge blow to the retail industry. For years retailers have been able to convince consumers to apply for store credit to receive an additional 10-15% off their first purchase. In many cases, consumers would accept the store credit and retailers would provide an upfront discount in hopes of making money off of the consumer on the backend. If the consumer does not pay off the balance in 30 days, interest will be charged to the customer, thus off-setting the upfront discount. Most store cards have interest rates that start at 21.99%, regardless of your credit score.
I was surprised to learn that in the third quarter of this year all of the sales at Macy’s were rung up on store branded credit cards. With unemployment as high as it is right now and economic uncertainty surrounding the country, how many people do you believe will be able to pay off their balance in 30 days? I suspect not that many, which will make the upfront discount null and void.
Getting back to the new proposed regulations, I think this is a good thing. As Americans we are so dependent on credit, maybe it will force retailers to go back to the basics. I remember when you could have Gap coupons mailed to you to use in-store. The Gap corporation does not offer coupons anymore. You have to use your store card to reap the benefits of the discounts being offered. Retailers make their money off of the interest that customers are paying for their purchases. I think it is good that the government is willing to watch out for the consumers that are spending recklessly. Generally I am in not in favor of government intervention. Overtime I suspect that if these proposals are made law, instant credit will decrease because customers will be less likely to share financial information.
Tiger Woods Admits To “Personal Sins”
Posted by Aparicio Giddins in Life & Current Events, Uncategorized on December 2, 2009
Let me the first to admit that no one ever expected to hear about Tiger Woods having an affair, but that is what happens when you put a human being on a pedestal. Woods released a series of statements from his website about the accident and then an apology about his “transgressions.” There was wild speculation about an affair with a woman in New York and then there was a story in the National Enquirer about a cocktail waitress in California that he reportedly had an affair with too. I am not sure why Tiger decided to cheat on his beautiful wife, but I am not sure why most athletes cheat on their wives in general. I think it has to deal with this spirit of invincibility that athletes have. Let’s take a look at the notables that have cheated and I will only name a couple, otherwise we’ll be here all day. Some of the most notable sport stars to get caught cheating are: Alex Rodriquez, Michael Jordan, Shaquile O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, and there are more lesser known athletes that do it everyday. In addition to sports stars, there are other people that are public figures that most recently dealt with infidelity issues: Gov. Mark Sanford (South Carolina), David Letterman, Former Senator John Edwards, and Josh Duhamel (husband of Black Eye Peas singer Fergie), who reportedly slept with a stripper after only 9 months of marriage. What I’ve come to realize is that they think they will never get caught and that they are invincible. I’ve heard athletes say, “that won’t happen to me because I won’t get caught.”
The Tiger Woods story intrigues me because I like Tiger. I’ve been told that I look like Tiger from time to time and I like the fact that he is an aggressive athlete that wants to be the best at what he does in his respective sport. I think most people in and around the world, even outside of golf know who Tiger Woods is and how famous he is for playing golf. We don’t know all the facts about Tiger’s affair(s), but I do believe that this is a personal matter between him and his wife. He does not owe the public an apology for his “personal transgressions.” At the end of the day we go to the tournaments and turn on those LCD televisions to see him play golf. Think about how many times we have seen his wife, Elin on TV. It’s very rare. I do not condone domestic violence if it did occur, but I think if it had, we would have already heard about it. I do believe that this is a personal family matter.
This is why the athlete population intrigues me so much. It’s not that I am attracted to the celebrity status of these star players in their respective sports, but it is the willingness to hold them accountable for their choices and to help them make better life decisions. The real lesson in all of this is that Tiger is going to have to deal with his choice(s) for the rest of his life. Even the world’s number 1 golfer needs a life coach to keep him accountable in his own life. Everybody needs a co-pilot in their life to help fly their personal 747 of issues. I am sure that TW will make it back to what he does well on the golf course in January and hopefully he will mend the mistakes that he made with his wife.
Do you think TW needs to apologize to the public for his “transgressions?”
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