Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

Many American women are really on an adrenaline rush most of the time. I have found that if we don’t slow down and allow things to flow, the Universe finds a way to do it for us.

I have found a wonderful solution to help create balance in my life and it only takes three minutes.I call this process The Perfect Life Pause. Any time during the day that I feel overwhelmed, stressed, tired, or frustrated, I follow this process to refocus my energy and intention.

Exercise:

I suggest doing your first Perfect Life Pause when you first wake up with just four simple steps!

• Start with your eyes closed. Listen to the sounds in the room, your breathing notice your body and relax. Then focus on What you would wish for in your life if you had a magic wand and could make any wish you wanted? Pause in that moment.How you would feel, what you would be doing and how you would look.
• Now spend the next several minutes in this wonderful state of mind believing it is real.
• At the end of the three minutes, be sure to express gratitude and believe that this is your Perfect Life.
• Confirm that the right people and opportunities will flow into your life at the right time.

By pausing 3-4 times a day simply to become present and to focus on your breathing and what you really want in life like it is real, you will actually be meditating and focusing on your Intentions 10-15 minutes a day. Remember, we get what we focus on! Each day we create our reality through our thoughts and we are all very intricately connected somehow.

Example of the Law of Intention in Action:

My husband, Mark, and I were in San Francisco last August for a conference. Prior to the conference, we went to Napa for a wine tasting experience. It was one of the best vacations we ever had. We spent three days driving through wine country in a convertible with azure skies and the most beautiful scenery we had ever seen.

During our trip, we purchased a couple cases of wonderful wine and brought them back to our hotel in San Francisco thinking that we would find some packing tape and just ship the wine back with our luggage. We were enjoying our trip so much, that we never really looked seriously for the tape.

We had an early flight back to Detroit and were ready to take our bags down for the trip to the airport, when we realized we still did’nt have any packing tape. I called the front desk, and they said all they had was scotch tape.

I told Mark that I was going to go downstairs and find some tape. Specifically, I said, Let’s create the intention that we will find some packing tape and send that intention out to the Universe to see what happens.He looked at me and said, Let’s do it! So we left the hotel room and stepped into the elevator.

There was another couple in the elevator from our group, and I noticed they were holding a box, so I said, What’s in the box, did you buy wine too? We are trying to find some packing tape.The man said, No these are our costumes, we never even opened the box, and we still have our packing tape.The woman looked at me and said, Do you need some tape? Here take it we never used it.And she opened her back pack and handed me a roll of packing tape.

At that moment the elevator door opened up and they stepped out. We said goodbye and pushed the button to go back to our floor. We were both speechless. We ran back to our hotel room, slammed the door and screamed with amazement!

How does something like this happen? Some may say it’s just a coincidence. I say we created an intention and it materialized. I now do this all the time it’s amazing once you become aware of this principle. I keep the empty tape dispenser in my dresser as a reminder.

This is the principle behind focusing on your Perfect Life Pause. Something magical happens when we focus our energy and intention we actually materialize what we want.We are constantly manifesting our thoughts negative or positive even when we are not conscious of it.So try this Perfect Life Pause as a way to consciously create vibrant health, abundant wealth and happiness effortlessly!

To your prosperity!

Katana Abbott, CFP, CSA

Check out my new home study course:Get Clarity Now: Your Five Step Roadmap from your Purpose and Passion to Prosperity!www.getclaritynow.com Use coupon code “clarity” to save $100 immediately at check out!

Brian Tracy is one of my all time favorite authors and inspiriational leaders. He is also one of our Smart Women’s Coaching Contributing Experts. Below is an article where he shares his secrets of finding and expressing your true self.

Aristotle said that the ultimate aim or purpose or human life is to achieve your own happiness. You are the very happiest when what you are doing on the outside is congruent with your values on the inside. When you are living in complete alignment with that which you consider to be good, right, and true, you will automatically feel happy and positive about yourself and your world.

Know What You Really Want
Stephen Covey once said, “Be sure that, as you scramble up the ladder of success, it is leaning against the right building.” Many people work hard to achieve goals that they think they want only to find, at the end of the day, they get no joy or satisfaction from their accomplishments. They ask, “Is this all there is?” This occurs when the outer accomplishment is not in harmony with your inner values. Don’t let this happen to you.

Trust Your Intuition
Self-trust is the foundation of greatness. Self-trust comes from listening to your intuition, to your “still, small voice” within. Men and women begin to become great when they begin to listen to their inner voices and absolutely trust that they are being guided to a higher power each step of the way. Living in alignment with your true values is the royal road to self-confidence, self-respect, and personal pride. In fact, almost every human problem can be resolved by returning to values.

Watch Your Behavior
How can you tell what your values really are? The answer is simple. You always demonstrate your true values in your actions and especially your actions under pressure. Whenever you are forced to choose between one behavior and another you will always act consistent with what is most important and valuable to you at that moment. Values, in fact, are organized in a hierarchy. You have a series of values, some of them very intense and important and some of them weaker and less important. One of the most important exercises you can engage in to determine who you really are and what you really want is to organize your values by priority. Once you are clear about the relative important of your values, you can then organize your outer life so that it is in alignment with them.

Determine Your Hearts Desire
The spiritual teacher Emmet Fox wrote about the importance of discovering your “hearts desire.” What is your hearts desire? As a friend of mine asks, “What do you want to be famous for?” What words would you like people to use to describe you when you are not there? What would you like someone to say about you at your funeral? What kind of reputation do you have today? What kind of reputation would you like to have sometime in the future?

Your Past is Not Your Future
Many people had difficult experiences growing up. They fell on hard times and became associated with the wrong people. Some were convicted and sent to prison for crimes. But at a certain point in life, they decided to change. They thought seriously about what kind of person they wanted to be known as, and thought of, in the future. They decided to change their lives by changing the values that they lived by. By making these decisions and sticking to them, they changed their lives. Remember, it doesn’t matter where you’re coming from; all that really matters is where you’re going.

Action Exercise
Describe your picture of an ideal person, the person you would most want to be if you had no limitations.

You can learn more about Brian Tracy by visiting his blog.  Share your vision for your ideal self below.  What would you be doing in your life if you knew you could not fail?  What would bring you total joy and fulfillment?  We’d like to know. Thank you!

By Ruth Klein, Integrative Brand Strategist & Productivity Coach

Are you ready for the New Branding Shift in Business? This shift is large and is having a pivotal impact on most businesses, large and small. When I think of the word, “shift,” I think of a change in mental or emotional perception…even if it’s only slight.

And, in most cases the BRAND SHIFT is slight although it has legs and has quake-like impact. I’d like you to consider three aspects of this brand shift, and if used as part of your Brand & Marketing Campaign, can help propel your brand message and ‘conversation’ with your targeted prospects and clients.

Transparency
How transparent are you in your business? There are several ways to exercise “transparency” in your business. Here are two of them…

1. Are you presently providing videos on your website or your sales letters that promote your products or services?Why is this important? People your prospective buyers want to see who you are. They will either resonate with you or they won’t. We love to “know” who we’re dealing with and face-to-face is still the most prized way to establish a business relationship. Embracing technology helps bring who you are and what you do to a whole new level…a seismic SHIFT.
2. What are your messages saying to the public? Are they coming from the mind or are they coming from a place that people can relate to from the heart? Most recently I received a question for my monthly “Ask Ruth“

Question: How much of your soul should you bare, especially if you are a very “open book” by nature & in which arenas? Perhaps “how much is too much” is a better way to put it?

This is a great question because it is real and there is a balance to how transparent you want to be in business. Many people are finding this out first hand with their online profiles on Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites where they may have been too transparent and now they’re having difficulty finding jobs, for example.

My guideline is:  If you can share it with your clients, chances are it’s okay to share it with others!

Immediacy
We all have experienced the unbelievable “speed lightning” of technology and the instantaneous responses via email; instant messaging, faxes (yes, even faxes), texting, and all the other avenues.

What I’m referring to here is the ability to think of something and then get it to market immediately! How many times have you sat on a product launch; started to offer a new service; worked on a book; or invented a new product or program and then you “sat” on it for awhile, only to find later that someone else had the idea AND did something about it? I know the answer… too many times!

Here is my best suggestion for taking action: Start taking 100% Personal Responsibility for what you’re doing and what you want to do and…. Secondly, just take action. Every time you’re in doubt, just think of Nike’s great tagline: “Just Do It.” Why do most of us resonate so much with Nike’s tagline? Because we need to be reminded to “Just Do It.”

Let me give you a perfect example of what I’m referring to above

Immediacy: 100% Personal Responsibility and “Just Do It.” Just today I saw in my inbox a conference that I would love to be part of and contribute my experiences and ideas…we share the same target market. I had asked to be part of the “speakers lineup” a year ago and it never came to pass.

So, today when I saw that the conference had grown and there were a lot of new speakers, I had a momentary ok, maybe it was more like 30 minutes of “I wish….”

Then, I realized that rather than stay “stuck” and “unproductive” and “wait for someone else to come knocking,” I had a huge SHIFT…remember the title of this whole article…” How the New Branding Shift Affects Your Business??

Well, I realized that I can take Personal Responsibility and select other businesses that I share more resonance with (I’m not even in alignment with most of the speakers!!! this awareness came to me after I made the Branding Shift) and create another large event. Done! So, I spoke with wonderful professional colleagues and we are creating our wonderful offering that will help others in a soul-centered way…reinforcing my business brand!

Relevancy
Time is the new currency today and technology has helped pick up the “urgency” of time. What that means to you and me is that if we’re going to say something to our clients, prospects, community, networking groups, social media, tweets, let’s make it relevant and not waste anyone’s time…I really appreciate businesses that respect my time!

That is the number one reason that most professionals didn’t use Twitter when it first came on the scene the element of Relevancy was not perceived to be part of the Twitter culture. Of course, the Twitter map has had a pivotal SHIFT in perceived value by professionals, entrepreneurs and others …who highly value their own and other’s time.

Here are two ways to bring Relevancy into your Business Brand:

1. Start blogging if you haven’t already. It appears that blogging is no longer a step-child to email messaging or websites…it is a full-blown branding strategy to send out relevant material. Your readers, listeners, clients, communities and subscribers want good information in bite-size pieces (Immediacy). Businesses that aren’t sending out bite-size messages (in television and radio they are called “sound bites) are losing the relationship and conversation with their followers and community. These bite-size pieces of information are perfect for tweeting good content…which in turn, can take your followers to your blog.I suggest you blog three to four times a week or offer a really good article once a week…experiment and see which works best for you and your community.
2. Keep the messaging focused on what your community wants to hear and learn… and make sure it’s valuable to them.For example, Drew Gerber with Pitch Rate (pitchrate.com) interviewed me for his Happy Hour that he offers to his clients and subscribers for free…he interviews “experts” in areas that his clients and prospects would find valuable and interesting.

   If you would like to listen to the recording, click here. The call is jam-packed with amazingly useful info about finding your unique, profitable and purpose-driven brand. Find out how to uncover your brand purpose, how to package all that you do, the myths of marketing, and more. We also chatted about how I landed O, The Oprah Magazine!

   Pitch Rate (www.Pitchrate.com) is a free media connection service for journalists, experts, and publicists…it’s amazing!  Share your branding questions and experiences with us here!

Here to becoming an Expert Celebrity!

Ruth Klein
www.RuthKlein.com
© 2010 Ruth Klein

By Gail Martin

Stories sell.  Stories reach us in a deep and memorable way that sales pitches do not.

What is the story of your business? Sometimes, part of the story is about you, the business owner. Sometimes, the story is built around the owner’s passion to right a wrong. If you don’t think your business has a story to tell, here are five ways to uncover your Real Story:

#1:  The owner’s story:  Some types of stories reach very deep into the American consciousness.  Stories about second chances, self-made successes, hard-working newcomers who realize the “American dream and reinvention speak to very deeply held beliefs about who we are. I have one client who came as an exchange student from China, received her education here and met her husband.  Because of the gift of a pearl necklace from an aunt, this client and her husband now own a pearl importing and jewelry design business.  Her story of reinvention and adaptation while retaining her roots has gotten her media coverage and positive exposure for her business.

#2: The product’s story:  What need does your product meet? I have a Laundromat customer who doesn’t just give people clean clothes he helps them show their love for their families and succeed in the workplace by having a neat and clean appearance.  In his city neighborhood of recent immigrants who are climbing the ladder of prosperity, family and self-respect are very deeply held values. Do your services or products offer people security, good health or a chance to succeed?  What is the need that prompts your customer to buy?

#3:  The business’s story:  Has your business overcome adversity? We cheer for the businesses that found a way to come back after 9/11 in the TriBeCa neighborhood of New York City or after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Has your company weathered bad times, lopsided competition, succession crises or problems and come back stronger than ever?  People love a come-back story (notice that Rocky Balboa has six movies!).

 #4: Your customers stories:  Go beyond testimonials. A case study tells the story of the problem and how your company solved it but it’s really a story about a hero, a dragon and a damsel in distress.  The dragon is the business problem for example, a project badly behind schedule and over budget.  Your company is the hero. The client is the damsel in distress.  Every good adventure has a few plot twists to keep our interest what challenges happened on the way to slaying the dragon?  Did you lose key project personnel when you needed them most?  Did a piece of crucial equipment break or get delayed in shipping?  Details like this make your story compelling. And then there’s the happy ending how your company solved the problem and what it meant for the customer significant dollar savings, productivity enhancement, the ability to compete in new markets. Help listeners feel the real benefit.

 #5:  The story of your mission: Is your company part of your mission in life? Do you want to make the world a better place through the product or service you provide?  Perhaps you became a lawyer because someone in your family was taken advantage of, and you want to make sure that others receive justice.  Maybe you learned martial arts because you were robbed and ended up opening a studio to teach others to be safe.  Your mission goes beyond your personal story to have a broader impact and make a difference in the world around you. Even the most mundane business can have a mission.  Maybe you repair cars, but your commitment is to keep people from being endangered by breakdowns or from losing their jobs because of unreliable transportation. How do you make a difference?

 Telling the Real Story of your business makes a powerful connection with potential customers.  It can be the springboard to compelling media coverage.  It can differentiate you from competitors in ways they can’t copy.  Once you uncover your Real Story, it affects the way you communicate about your business and the way you think about yourself, your products and your customers.

Gail Martin is a Smart Women’s Coaching Contributing Marketing  Expert.  You can read more of Gail’s Marketing Articles at www.smartwomenscafe.com

If you are really serious about becoming wealthy, there are five primary ways that fortunes are made.

Become an Entrepreneur
The number one road to riches, at the head of the list and on the top of the hit parade throughout U.S. history, is entrepreneurship, starting and building a successful business. Entrepreneurship includes every kind of business, from farming and trucking to real estate and computers. Seventy-four percent of self made millionaires in the United States, going back 200 years, come from self-owned businesses. An individual starts with an idea for a product or service, turns it into a business, builds it up from the ground floor, and as a result becomes wealthy.

Work Your Way Up

Another way to become rich is as a highly paid executive of a successful company, or as an employee of a company that awards stock options that become valuable. Ten percent of self-made millionaires in the United States are men or women who have joined large corporations, or companies that became large, and worked for these companies for many years. They usually work hard; were promoted and paid well; earned stock options, bonuses, and profit sharing; and as a result of holding on to that money, become millionaires and multimillionaires.

Become a Professional

A major source of self-made millionaires consists of professional people, doctors, dentists, lawyers, architects, engineers, and others with advanced degrees who can charge high fees for their services. These people earn their degrees and dedicate themselves to becoming very good at what they do, rise to the top of their professions, earn high incomes, and then hold on to the money. Ten percent of self-made millionaires in the United States fall into this category.

Get into Sales

An important source of self-made millionaires is salespeople and sales consultants. Five percent of self-made millionaires in the United States are men and women who are experts and at the top of their fields in selling. They never started their own businesses. Few of them went to college or earned professional degrees. Instead, they became very good at selling a product of service, and were paid well for doing it. In addition, they managed their money well, invested it intelligently, and made it grow until they were millionaires or better.

All the Others

The final 1 percent of self-made millionaires includes all the people who have made their money in the stock market, with inventions, in show business, through the authorship of books and songs, as lottery winners, and all other sources. Unfortunately, because this group gets so much publicity, many think they are typical of the people who get rich. The fact is they are quite rare.

Action Exercise

Project forward 10 to 20 years and begin imagining you perfect life. What would it look like? What steps could you take immediately to begin making it a reality?

Brian Tracy is a Contributing Expert for the Smart Women’s Coaching Institute, he has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 40 other countries worldwide. He addresses more than 250,000 people each year as a Keynote speaker and seminar leader.

He has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. His top selling books have been translated into dozens of languages. He has had successful careers in sales and marketing, investments, real estate development and syndication, importation, distribution and management consulting.

Brian has traveled and worked in over 80 countries on six continents, and speaks four languages. He is also the President of Brian Tracy University, a private on-line University for sales and entrepreneurship.Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 40 other countries worldwide. He addresses more than 250,000 people each year as a Keynote speaker and seminar leader. You can visit his site here to learn more about Brian.

Interest rates are at an all time low.  My husband and I are in the process of refinancing our home from a 30 year mortgage to a 15 year mortgage, and the payment will just be slightly more than we were paying before. 

Our situation: We are actually combining our current 30 year mortgage and 30 year home equity line that were at 5.75% and 6.125% to a new combined mortgage at 4.25% 15 year amortization. 

Coming up with cash:  Our biggest fear was that we would have to come up with cash to make this happen because home values are so low.  If our house does not appraise high enough, we will need to put cash down to reduce the size of the mortgage.  The good news is if we do put down the cash (about $50,000, our payment will be less than we are paying now and we will save hundreds of thousands by paying off in 15 years rather than 30 years.

Comparable appraisals:  Many of the houses on the lake are very unique.  Ours is two cottages joined together into one house…then several additions…lots of landscaping and then waterfront on the lake and on the river.  Finding a comparable house on the lake may be difficult.  Our mortgage broker seems to think that our house will appraise high enough that we won’t need to come up with the cash.  It seems that there have been several home sales on the lake at favorable market rates.  All of this needs to be considered when making a decision to refinance.

What about closing costs?  When there are closing costs, you will need to compare those up front costs to how long it will take for you to break even.  In addition, if you have refinanced in the last few years and paid closing costs, you will want to bring those into this calculation.  In our case, there were no closing costs, so the decision was simple. 

Consolidating other debt:  I mentioned that we are combining a home equity line and our mortgage.  The home equity line was for a major home addition and a lot up north.  I don’t suggest refinancing your unsecured credit card debt into your mortgage especially if this could jeopardize your current financial situtation.  Consult with your tax advisor on this as well.

Is this a good time for you to refinance?  Do the math and see if it makes sense.   Again, consider having a discussin with a financial professional will be your best bet.  Good luck and feel free to share your experiences or ask your questions here.

Happy Independence Day and Celebrate Life! 

I have been talking to more and more women who are all going through similar fears that have to do with claiming their brilliance and following their passion vs. playing it safe and hiding out.  We all have these same struggles going on in our lives, especially as we reach midlife.  In addition, many of us are facing major stresses with money, relationships and family issues.  All of this can drag us down and make us want to just let our dreams go. 

Several times in my life, I have been so ready to just give it all up myself, and each time, I found a mentor or just the perfect book to help me get back on track – and you know what – within a very short time, I had reached that dream and beyond.  Here are a few quick tips to help you stay on your path and connected to your Divine Essence:

• Reach out for support from a mentor, friend or councelor
• Read inspirational books and listen to your favorite music
• Take really great care of your mind, body and heart by mediating, exercise and yoga
• Plan time for yourself and time with friends and love ones in your calendar and in advance
• Allow yourself to experience pleasure – seek out joyful experiences
• Invest in yourself and continue to move towards your dreams

Here is my chapter, “Thank God I Was Abused” in the ebook, Thank God I and how I was able to find joy and gratitute after experiencing extreme adversity:  http://www.thankgodimultimediabook.com/pg.php?p=59

I hope you enjoy it.  I would love to hear how you plan to Claim Your Brilliance!

With gratitute,

Katana

Five Secrets for Creating your Perfect Life
Personally and Financially

By Katana Abbott

No matter what our life circumstances may be, every one of us longs for something better, something more. We think, though, that we are different than those that already have what we desire. We think we have to work hard and long to achieve even the smallest amount of success. The truth is, we can have it without years of blood, sweat and tears, if we understand five basic principals or “secrets to creating our Perfect Life.  The secrets are:

Secret #1:  Clarity Visualize your Perfect Life:

The number one reason people fail to get what they want, is that they dont even have a clear vision of what they really want.  Often we just continue to live day by day without adequate focus.  Exercise:

Close your eyes and visualize you life three years from now¦you are getting ready to go somewhere and have a huge smile on your face¦Why are you smiling?  What are you doing? What are you wearing? Where are you living? How does it feel?  Who are you in a relationship with?

Write down what you were thinking and what your life looked like in this exercise; then write down what has to happen in the next three years for you to be feel that way every day?

Secret #2:  Identify whats not working in your life:

The things that are not working in your personal life are showing up in your financial life. The things that are not working in your financial life are showing up in your personal life. Consider whats happening for you:

• Financially are you in debt? Do you have cash reserves? Are you saving 10 percent? Personally are you growing? Do you wake up excited to start the day?
• Career are you passionate about your job or career?  Why?
• Health are you taking care of yourself?  Are you making time for yourself?  Are you living with Joy, Purpose, Passion and Purpose?
• Relationships do you have great relationships?

Lets take a look at a recent Smart Women Survey to over 200 women, “What is the single biggest Challenge holding you back from living your Perfect Life?

• 32%  Financial
• 22%  Dont Know Where to Start
• 12%  Confidence
• 10%  Time
• 7%  Relationships
• 3%  Health
• 14%  Other

What is holding you back from living your perfect life?  Identify things that you can control in your life and start with one thing.

Secret #3: Make a Decision to Change and Prepare for Resistance¦FEAR:

Resistance comes out in statements such as: “Im too busy, Ill do it later, This is boring, its not my thing, I meant to, but I forgot.. and other excuses.

Recognize that these are excuses, and you are in resistance craving the comfort of the familiar.  Your challenge is to accept temporary discomfort for the opportunity to change and grow. Your family and friends may not support you, but when you embrace your fear and walk through the door of uncertainty, youll come face-to-face with your personal power and have control over your own life.  Write down what you are going to do now¦What are you committed to?  Now watch for the magic and coincidences!

Secret #4: Create a Game Plan by Creating Written Goals:

Create a list of clearly defined goals. You may not think this important, but a Harvard Study showed that 30 years after graduation, the 3 percent of students who had written goals were more successful than the other 97 percent combined, and were also healthier and happier.

Make separate lists for personal goals, family/friends goals, financial and career goals. This is an important step in the holistic approach to financial freedom and being “in your power. Write your goals in the present tense, print them out, review them daily. We get what we focus on, so focus on what you want not what you dont want. Write out your goals now, and then rewrite them in present tense (as an affirmation).  

Secret #5: Find Support/Get Help/Hold yourself Accountable

Educate yourself. Read books on personal growth, financial planning, whatever areas you feel you need to explore. Register for classes and seminars. Hire a financial planner or a coach. Join or create a support group, such as those at WebMD or Smart Womens Coaching.

Questions:  How will you build your support community?  How will you handle negativity, fear and rejection?

Your Perfect Life will not come about overnight. It is a process, one that comes about from understanding the power of our thoughts and focused action. Put these five “secrets  into practice in your life, and you will achieve your Perfect Life!

Katana Abbott, CFP, CSA is a Midlife Millionaire Coach and Co-founder of Smart Womens Coaching.  After a 20-year career and building a successful financial planning business and managing over $100 million in assets placing her in the top 1% of money managers nationally, Katana retired financially independent to follow her dream of helping women experience true joy and abundance by following their passion in life. She is the host of Smart Women Talk Radio and is currently writing her new book, “Secrets from a Midlife Millionaire: How to Create a Millionaire Lifestyle While Following Your Passion. Katana is a contributing author in the books Thank God I, and Breaking Through.  Visit her new Free online Community: www.SmartWomensCafe.com to receive access to bestselling authors, 24/7 Library, member forum, their six virtual tea rooms AND to receive your Free Report on Goals by Smart Womens Coaching Contributing Expert, Brian Tracy (a $100 value)!

Five Sensible Steps for Taking Control of your Finances

By Katana Abbott

One day it hits you like a rock. Youre knee-deep in financial quicksand with no savior in sight. Maybe it comes as a declined credit card purchase, or a minimum payment higher than your bank balance. Maybe its just the realization that you really are mortal and will need funds to support you when your working days are over. The bad news is youve got to dig out of the hole before you can build for the future. The good news is that with commitment and time, you can gain control of your finances.

Start with these five sensible steps:

1. Pay yourself first

• Start a cash reserve fund with the intent of building it over time to at least three months worth of fixed expenses rent or mortgage payments, utilities, auto payments, credit cards, food, and gasoline. Start today, even if you can only save $10 a week in the beginning.
• If your employer offers a retirement plan, enroll immediately. Since women outlive men and often take time out of the workforce to care for both children and aging parents, it is important for women to save more than men.

1. 2. Respect Money and Control your Debt

• Pay your bills on time, and pay off your credit card every month, if you can. If you are in debt and able to make only minimum payments, stop spending and get help immediately.
• Buy a small journal and document every penny you spend for one week to identify your “spending leaks. Typically, leaks are things like late fees, movie rentals, overpriced coffee, fast food, and anything else you dont need for survival. These are the dollars you will use to begin paying off your debt and building a cash reserve.
• Saving $4/day at age 20 at 10% could potentially build to $1,000,000 by age 65.  Wait until youre 30 and you will need to save $11/day. At 40, youre up to $30/day and by age 50 its $95.  So get serious and start now!

1. 3. Assess your job or career path

• How is your income affecting your life and your finances?
• Are you passionate about your work, or is it “just a job? Would you still do it if you won the Lottery, or had a magic wand? If not, then why are you still doing it?
• Are you utilizing your unique talents and skills?
• Are you earning what you are worth?
• Stretch take charge of your career, and youll take charge of your income.

1. Create a game plan

• Write down your goals for the next 12 months.
• Make your goals clear, measurable, and time-specific so you can track your success.
• Tape the list to your mirror, on your refrigerator, or on your bedroom wall, where you can read them and focus on them every day.  We really do attract the things on which we focus, so keep your focus on what you want in your life!

1. 5. Find support and hold yourself accountable

• Surround yourself with positive, supportive people.
• Hire and meet regularly with a financial planner.
• Find a life coach or mentor.
• Read self improvement books and learn how to be smart about money.
• Get help on the internet with a virtual community or forum group.
• Take a tele-class or seminar focused on money, career or starting a business.

Money and financial growth consciousness doesnt come in flash. It may take months maybe even years to gain total control of your finances. But if you consistently follow these steps, that day will come. And when it does, celebrate!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Katana Abbott is currently writing, “Secrets from a Midlife Millionaire Create Your Perfect Life. After a 20-year career, she left her $100 million investment management and financial planning practice to follow her dream of helping women find their passion, be financially aware and prepared, have access to the right resources and meet some of the top business-building experts in the country. Visit www.smartwomenscoaching.com to sign up for her free 7-part audio mini course, “Your Perfect Life Focus and to access her other programs!

Five Secrets for Making Your Dreams a Reality

By Katana Abbott

No matter what our life circumstances may be, every one of us longs for something better, something more. We think, though, that we are different than those that already have what we desire. We think we have to work hard and long to achieve even the smallest amount of success. The truth is, we can have it without years of blood, sweat and tears, if we understand five basic principals or “secrets to Making Your Dreams a Reality.  The secrets are:

Identify whats not working in your life. The things that are not working in your personal life are showing up in your financial life. The things that are not working in your financial life are showing up in your personal life. Consider whats happening for you:

• Financially are you in debt? Do you have cash reserves? Are you saving 10 percent?Personally are you growing? Do you wake up excited to start the day?
• Career are you passionate about your job or career?  Why?
• Health are you taking care of yourself?
• Relationships do you have great relationships?

Visualize your Perfect Life

Close your eye and visualize your perfect life three years from now. What are you doing? What are you wearing? Where are you living?

How does it feel?  What has to happen in the next three years for you to be feel that way every day?

Make a Decision to Change and Prepare for Resistance¦FEAR

Resistance comes out in statements such as: “Im too busy, Ill do it later, This is boring, its not my thing, I meant to, but I forgot.. and other excuses.

Recognize that these are excuses, and you are in resistance craving the comfort of the familiar.  Your challenge is to accept temporary discomfort for the opportunity to change and grow. Your family and friends may not support you, but when you embrace your fear and walk through the door of uncertainty, youll come face-to-face with your personal power and have control over your own life.

Create a Game Plan

Create a list of clearly defined goals. You may not think this important, but a Harvard Study showed that 30 years after graduation, the 3 percent of students who had written goals were more successful than the other 97 percent combined, and were also healthier and happier.

Make separate lists for personal goals, family/friends goals, financial goals and career goals. This is an important step in the holistic approach to financial freedom and being “in your power. Write your goals in the present tense, print them out, review them daily. We get what we focus on, so focus on what you want not what you dont want.

Find Support/Get Help/Hold yourself Accountable

Educate yourself. Read books on personal growth, financial planning, whatever areas you feel you need to explore. Register for classes and seminars. Hire a financial planner or a coach. Join or create a support group, such as those at WebMD or Smart Womens Coaching.

Your Perfect Life will not come about overnight. It is a process, one that comes about from understanding the power of our thoughts and focused action. Put these five “secrets  into practice in your life, and you will achieve your Perfect Life!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Katana Abbott is currently writing, “Secrets from a Midlife Millionaire Create Your Perfect Life. After a 20-year career, she left her $100 million investment management and financial planning practice to follow her dream of helping women find their passion, be financially aware and prepared, have access to the right resources and meet some of the top business-building experts in the country. Visit www.smartwomenscoaching.com to sign up for her free 7-part audio mini course, “Your Perfect Life Focus and to access her other programs!