Some say life’s not fair
when playboys lie on beaches and bask in lard and larceny,
while children unknown gasp just for life.
But should you choose to care and share with joyful abundance
What riches await your simple gifts.
- Mark McClure
PS – This year I’ll support the Oxfam Trailwalk in Japan by sponsoring a team of 4 super females, 3 of whom completed the course in 2007. Tough as nails, them gals!
“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.”
Professor Albert Bartlett
I came across Prof Bartlett’s work while I was googling how to better explain percentage changes to my sixth grade daughter recently.
Having taught Maths & Physics in the UK many moons ago I was intrigued enough to check out some of the Professor’s ideas on sustainable growth.
Oxfam Japan’s Trailwalker event is coming up on 16-18 May and it’s a tough one:
Complete 100Km in 48 hours through the “hilly” Japanese countryside.
Team Satree-Lek are up for the challenge and I wish them well.
They did it last year – my daughter and I were part of their support team.
If you are able and willing, please consider helping them (and Oxfam) by donating securely online – see the “justgiving” widget on the right hand column of this blog.
I will leave it there until May 31st.
Thank you for your generosity.
- Mark McClure
Have current “problems” in world financial markets (probably an understatement, I know…) spooked your career change plans?
I don’t blame you – people have a natural (survival) inclination “to batten down the hatches” in uncertain times, and concentrate on staying afloat.
And I know all too well for a lot of potential career changers that means making the best of their current job, and recognizing that putting food on the table is a priority.
Nonetheless here are five “cash flow tactics” that some coaching clients are experimenting with to help bolster their personal finances – in the belief that stormy financial skies will clear in the future and they’ll be able to spend some of these savings on furthering their career change goals.
(It may have crossed your mind that “coaching” itself is a discretionary expense that could be cut.
Indeed it can, and I know of people who have done just that because it was the best thing to do in the circumstances.
Your mileage may vary!)
In no particular order, here are the 5 cash flow tactics:
1- Eat a good home breakfast and pack a lighter lunch.
You’ll have more energy to carry you through the working day and fewer urges to eat junk snacks.
2- Track your daily spending on every item as it occurs, not later!
This takes some self-discipline. Basically, you act as your own ‘Chief Financial Officer’ (CFO) and find reasons to delay or cancel a purchase. You’ll save money doing this, for sure.
3- Delay all new discretionary expenditures by a minimum of 1 month. For example, if you see a DVD you like/want today on Tues 6 May, make a note of it, even check out where to buy and how much, but take NO further action until you review the idea again on 7 June, or later.
Putting this into daily action can save you $$$$$ !!! (or whatever currency you deal in.)
4- Pay fully in cash – no credit installments.
5- Review all monthly recurring home and living expenses in the form of a simple cash flow spreadsheet.
For #2 above, I use a simple PocketMod carried around in my shirt breast pocket. Seemed odd to be doing this for the first few weeks but now I feel strange if I don’t record what I just bought… right down to the smallest item.
After some months I began to know what my “30 day trailing average” was for personal spending – and when those little splurges happened (I had treated myself), I felt OK about it.
And because I had a target to get back on track for, I knew I could hit that rolling mean again in a few months or less.
Not only is this a good way of helping to fund a “career change project“, it’s a great habit to adopt if you are planning on running your own small/home business because adequate “Cash Flow” really is the lifeblood of many small businesses. Ouch! Don’t I know it.
Armed with just this simple awareness of daily spending habits, I reckon I’m now saving (or at least delaying for a while!) about $100 a month in “impulse” and “want” buys.
Have your career change plans been disrupted by the current “credit squeeze”?
And what are you doing about it to keep your dream alive?
- Mark McClure
… but sometimes they can be useful.
For example, many years ago my early winter athletics training schedule looked something like this:
Monday: Weight Training.
Tuesday: Hill Sprints.
Wednesday: Weights and Circuit Training.
Thursday: Hurdles (Skill work).
Friday: Rest.
Saturday: Cross Country Running (Fartlek).
Sunday: Track running.
Looking back on it now, I’m still amazed our group got so much hard work done – all based on a shared belief that the results would be seen in faster times and performances in the summer racing seasons ahead.
Can you guess which day of the week we all looked forward to the most?
Yes, I can still honestly say that ” I (and my body) l-o-v-e Fridays!”
That was the one day when mind and body were left alone for 24 hours.
And even though I no longer train at that intensity (or compete at all), Fridays still trigger an emotional high not connected with the end of the work week.
Strange then, that I of all people, would ignore such a useful habit and opt to work right through 2 consecutive Friday “rest days”, resulting in an unhealthy level of physical and mental tiredness.
Is there a habit which has served you well over the years?
And are you ignoring or honoring it?
- Mark McClure
PS- The picture was taken during a short 2006 trip to Seoul, Korea. This is near to the Namdaemun Gate – a 610 year old “South Korean National Treasure” that was destroyed by fire (maybe arson) in February 2008.