Every great accomplishment began with the germ of an idea in the mind of a great person, then was shaped for practical usefulness and finally transformed into reality. Make your mind a fertile ground for ideas through constant study and learning, and condition through constant practice to discipline yourself to follow through on your good ideas. The most brilliant concept in the world is only a dream unless you take action. Even a mediocre idea that is put into practice is far more valuable than a flash of genius that languishes in a fallow, undisciplined mind.
"Successful People Are Average People Focused"
Opportunities never go away, they just go to someone who
is READY. For your sake, I hope YOU are ready...TODAY!
What you want in life is your Business
Helping you achieving it is ours!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Seven Steps To Becoming A Millionaire!
How To Have A Million-Dollar Consciousness
"You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed with the won / lost record of a referee"
#1. Desire is the utmost. You must decide to set goals that are far beyond what you have attained in the past. Most people are afraid of failure. They are afraid to set their goals too high as if they fall short, they will be disappointed. Where in fact, if you set your goals high enough even if you do fall short, what you have achieve is still great.
#2. You can will it to be. In other words, ask yourself for what you want and things will change. You must believe in yourself, that you are worthy. So ask for what you desire and have faith that it will happen then take action.
#3. Know what the good one's know and do what the good one's do. Seek the knowledge of how to attain the ultimate. If someone else has attained what you want, so can you. Start finding out what they did to achieve it. You can be certain that knowledge exist that will lead you to the priceless treasures of your heart and soul.
#4. Do what works and don't do what doesn't.... Do what makes you happy, successful and wealthy and don't do what makes you miserable, unsuccessful and poor. Question your desires and make sure they are in your best interest.
#5. Control your mind, your attitude and are positive. Attitude is everything! If you see yourself as someone who deserves and can achieve happiness and success, you will. Dare to leave your mental comfort zone. Re-label and see everything as good.
#6. Upgrade on a regular basis. In other words, release people; habits activities and things that were once valuable, but are now only serve as dead weights or roadblocks.
Get rid of nay Sayers. Clear out everything that does not help you achieve what you want to achieve. Surround your self with excellence and beauty. Surround yourself with positive people that believe in that you are trying to achieve.
#7. Keep on keeping on. Wherever we stop is where we end up. Don't give up before you've reached your topmost and ultimate goals. Master the attitude of " I can" and the belief that " there is a way." Develop a dogged determination to follow through on your plan, regardless of obstacles, criticism or circumstances or what other people say, think or do.
YOU CAN, WHEN YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN!
Opportunities never go away, they just go to someone who
is READY. For your sake, I hope YOU are ready...TODAY!
"You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed with the won / lost record of a referee"
#1. Desire is the utmost. You must decide to set goals that are far beyond what you have attained in the past. Most people are afraid of failure. They are afraid to set their goals too high as if they fall short, they will be disappointed. Where in fact, if you set your goals high enough even if you do fall short, what you have achieve is still great.
#2. You can will it to be. In other words, ask yourself for what you want and things will change. You must believe in yourself, that you are worthy. So ask for what you desire and have faith that it will happen then take action.
#3. Know what the good one's know and do what the good one's do. Seek the knowledge of how to attain the ultimate. If someone else has attained what you want, so can you. Start finding out what they did to achieve it. You can be certain that knowledge exist that will lead you to the priceless treasures of your heart and soul.
#4. Do what works and don't do what doesn't.... Do what makes you happy, successful and wealthy and don't do what makes you miserable, unsuccessful and poor. Question your desires and make sure they are in your best interest.
#5. Control your mind, your attitude and are positive. Attitude is everything! If you see yourself as someone who deserves and can achieve happiness and success, you will. Dare to leave your mental comfort zone. Re-label and see everything as good.
#6. Upgrade on a regular basis. In other words, release people; habits activities and things that were once valuable, but are now only serve as dead weights or roadblocks.
Get rid of nay Sayers. Clear out everything that does not help you achieve what you want to achieve. Surround your self with excellence and beauty. Surround yourself with positive people that believe in that you are trying to achieve.
#7. Keep on keeping on. Wherever we stop is where we end up. Don't give up before you've reached your topmost and ultimate goals. Master the attitude of " I can" and the belief that " there is a way." Develop a dogged determination to follow through on your plan, regardless of obstacles, criticism or circumstances or what other people say, think or do.
YOU CAN, WHEN YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN!
Opportunities never go away, they just go to someone who
is READY. For your sake, I hope YOU are ready...TODAY!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Save Today, Spend Later Or Spend Today, Suffer Later?
There is never enough time and there is never enough money. All of us face these same constraints and challenges. But tis isn't tragic state of affairs; in fact, i would say it's a wonderful characteristic of being alive.
For what would our too brief sojourn upon this spinning 'blue marble' be like withouts tests and trials to toughen our souls and strength our minds?
As I've pointed out, many of life's constraints, challenges, test and trials revolve around how we manage out time and how we handle our money. Einstein's relativity notwithstanding, when it comes to the inflexible dictates of time, we can't conjure up or manufacture more of it to magically transform next Tuesday, for instance, into a 25- or 48- or 100-hour oddity because our work schedules scream out: We need more time!!!
Both sound steward of the seconds and the wild wastrel of the minutes have the same amount of time to use, squander, invest or kill each day - 24 hours. However ...when it comes to our capacity for earning, accumulating and growing money, we can always choose to arrange our affairs to aim to end up richer rather than poorer.
So, unlike the incredible constraints that 24 precious hours impose upon us each day, the amount of money we earn or save in the unit of the time is largely up to us. It can be zero, it can be small, it can be negative ot it can be large.
If you manage money well today, it's possible you'll one day end up with far more ringgit, dollars, pounds, euros and yen to shower upon your loved ones and yourself throughout the remaining span of your life.(and possibly beyond it)
While only a fool would believe the measure of human of a human being's value and the yardstick of his or her success is how much money sits in a bank account, there's no denying it's usually better to have more money than less. In fact, the only time the reverse is true is when unwisely selected heirs receive excessive sums they never earn and therefore never developed the vital skill for wise stewardship. But most of dreamkaya team won't fall into that group.
For what would our too brief sojourn upon this spinning 'blue marble' be like withouts tests and trials to toughen our souls and strength our minds?
As I've pointed out, many of life's constraints, challenges, test and trials revolve around how we manage out time and how we handle our money. Einstein's relativity notwithstanding, when it comes to the inflexible dictates of time, we can't conjure up or manufacture more of it to magically transform next Tuesday, for instance, into a 25- or 48- or 100-hour oddity because our work schedules scream out: We need more time!!!
Both sound steward of the seconds and the wild wastrel of the minutes have the same amount of time to use, squander, invest or kill each day - 24 hours. However ...when it comes to our capacity for earning, accumulating and growing money, we can always choose to arrange our affairs to aim to end up richer rather than poorer.
So, unlike the incredible constraints that 24 precious hours impose upon us each day, the amount of money we earn or save in the unit of the time is largely up to us. It can be zero, it can be small, it can be negative ot it can be large.
If you manage money well today, it's possible you'll one day end up with far more ringgit, dollars, pounds, euros and yen to shower upon your loved ones and yourself throughout the remaining span of your life.(and possibly beyond it)
While only a fool would believe the measure of human of a human being's value and the yardstick of his or her success is how much money sits in a bank account, there's no denying it's usually better to have more money than less. In fact, the only time the reverse is true is when unwisely selected heirs receive excessive sums they never earn and therefore never developed the vital skill for wise stewardship. But most of dreamkaya team won't fall into that group.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Napoleon Hill mengajar cara menjadi kaya
Oleh: SAPORA SIPON
NEGARA tentu sekali berbangga kerana penerima pertama Anugerah Kepimpinan Global Yayasan Napoleon Hill ialah, Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi bagi mengiktiraf kejayaan kepimpinan global beliau.
Pengerusi Yayasan, Dr. Charles Johnson dalam perutusannya menjelaskan Datuk Seri Abdullah telah membuktikan khidmat penuh berdedikasi terhadap pembangunan sosioekonomi Malaysia.
Yayasan Napoleon Hill ialah sebuah institusi pendidikan bukan membuat keuntungan yang berpusat di Amerika Syarikat dan menggalakkan falsafah Napoleon dalam menjadikan dunia sebagai sebuah tempat yang lebih baik untuk hidup.
Napoleon Hill dilahirkan dalam sebuah keluarga yang miskin di Wise Country, Virginia, Dr. Hill dianggap sebagai seorang daripada pemikir paling berpengaruh di abad ini dan telah memberikan inspirasi kepada berjuta-juta manusia di seluruh dunia untuk mencapai kejayaan bagi diri mereka sendiri.
Kehidupan semasa kecilnya agak menyedihkan. Ibunya meninggal pada umur Hill 10 tahun. Digambarkan sebagai seorang yang tidak menurut kata very rebellious boy semasa kecilnya. Bagaimanapun, beliau kemudiannya berjaya menjadi seorang yang sangat berjaya apabila dewasa.
Dunia penulisannya bermula apabila beliau berusia 13 tahun. Hill bermula sebagai penulis akhbar di kawasan-kawasan perkampungan sehinggalah menjadi seorang pengarang buku terkemuka dalam bidang motivasi.
Kerjaya awalnya sebagai seorang wartawan membantunya memperoleh pendapatan untuk menyara kehidupan sebagai seorang pelajar dalam bidang undang-undang.
Kejayaan Hill mula berkembang apabila beliau mula ditugaskan untuk menulis mengenai kejayaan orang-orang yang terkenal dan berjaya. Tugasan yang memberi pengaruh besar kepada kejayaannya ialah apabila Hill diminta untuk menemuduga Andrew Carnegie, tokoh hebat jutawan besi.
Carnegie kemudiannya meminta Hill untuk menemu duga lebih daripada 500 jutawan untuk mencari formula kejayaan yang boleh digunakan oleh orangorang kebanyakan yang inginkan kejayaan.
Mereka termasuklah Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, Charles M. Schwab, Theodore Eastman, Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, William Jennings Bryan, John D. Rockfeller.
Seterusnya, Hill menjadi penasihat kepada Andrew Carnegie, dan dengan bantuan Carniegie, Hill telah berjaya merumus satu falsafah kejayaan, yang diambilnya daripada pengalaman dan pemikiran individu-individu berjaya yang telah ditemuinya. Hill mengambil lebih daripada 20 tahun untuk menghasilkan buku Think and Grow Rich sebuah buku klasik mengenai falsafah kejayaan.
Selain daripada buku Think and Grow Rich, penulisan Hill yang menjadi aspirasi kepada pembaca ialah The Law of Success In Sixteen Lessons. Buku ini mula diterbitkan pada tahun 1928 dan sepertimana tajuknya, merupakan antara buku falsafah pencapaian diri yang berjaya.
Penulisan-penulisan lain beliau ialah The Think and Grow Rich Action Pack, Grow Rich! With Peace of Mind, Napoleon Hill‘s Keys to Success, Napoleon Hill‘s Keys to Positive Thinking, Napoleon Hills‘s Action Plan, Suceed and Grow Rich Through Persuasion, Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude. Think and Grow Rich: The 21st-Century Edition:Revised and Updated.
Napoleon Hill meninggal dunia pada November 1970 setelah melalui kejayaan cemerlang dalam bidang penulisan, mengajar dan memberi syarahan mengenai prinsip-prinsip kejayaan.
Beliau telah begitu berjaya dalam kerjayanya sehingga dianggap sebagai seorang daripada pemikir paling berpengaruh di abad ke-20. Penulisannya memberikan inspirasi kepada begitu ramai orang di seluruh dunia untuk mencapai kejayaan bagi diri mereka.
Menyoroti kejayaan hebat Napoleon Hill, tentu sekali negara amat bertuah apabila pemimpin nombor satu negara kita dipilih sebagai penerima pertama anugerah kepimpinan Global Yayasan Napoleon Hill.
Namun, apa yang paling penting ialah rakyat Malaysia mesti bekerja kuat, malah amat kuat dalam menentukan sama ada Malaysia dan rakyat Malaysia akan berada sebaris dalam kalangan yang terbaik di dunia seperti mana yang telah disarankan oleh Perdana Menteri. Semangat, kepercayaan dan nilai akan menentukan kejayaan Malaysia.
Walaupun rakyat mempunyai kepercayaan dan nilai sebagai pembimbing, usaha yang bersungguh-sungguh amatlah diperlukan untuk menentukan Malaysia akan menjadi sebuah negara cemerlang,gemilang dan terbilang.
NEGARA tentu sekali berbangga kerana penerima pertama Anugerah Kepimpinan Global Yayasan Napoleon Hill ialah, Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi bagi mengiktiraf kejayaan kepimpinan global beliau.
Pengerusi Yayasan, Dr. Charles Johnson dalam perutusannya menjelaskan Datuk Seri Abdullah telah membuktikan khidmat penuh berdedikasi terhadap pembangunan sosioekonomi Malaysia.
Yayasan Napoleon Hill ialah sebuah institusi pendidikan bukan membuat keuntungan yang berpusat di Amerika Syarikat dan menggalakkan falsafah Napoleon dalam menjadikan dunia sebagai sebuah tempat yang lebih baik untuk hidup.
Napoleon Hill dilahirkan dalam sebuah keluarga yang miskin di Wise Country, Virginia, Dr. Hill dianggap sebagai seorang daripada pemikir paling berpengaruh di abad ini dan telah memberikan inspirasi kepada berjuta-juta manusia di seluruh dunia untuk mencapai kejayaan bagi diri mereka sendiri.
Kehidupan semasa kecilnya agak menyedihkan. Ibunya meninggal pada umur Hill 10 tahun. Digambarkan sebagai seorang yang tidak menurut kata very rebellious boy semasa kecilnya. Bagaimanapun, beliau kemudiannya berjaya menjadi seorang yang sangat berjaya apabila dewasa.
Dunia penulisannya bermula apabila beliau berusia 13 tahun. Hill bermula sebagai penulis akhbar di kawasan-kawasan perkampungan sehinggalah menjadi seorang pengarang buku terkemuka dalam bidang motivasi.
Kerjaya awalnya sebagai seorang wartawan membantunya memperoleh pendapatan untuk menyara kehidupan sebagai seorang pelajar dalam bidang undang-undang.
Kejayaan Hill mula berkembang apabila beliau mula ditugaskan untuk menulis mengenai kejayaan orang-orang yang terkenal dan berjaya. Tugasan yang memberi pengaruh besar kepada kejayaannya ialah apabila Hill diminta untuk menemuduga Andrew Carnegie, tokoh hebat jutawan besi.
Carnegie kemudiannya meminta Hill untuk menemu duga lebih daripada 500 jutawan untuk mencari formula kejayaan yang boleh digunakan oleh orangorang kebanyakan yang inginkan kejayaan.
Mereka termasuklah Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, Charles M. Schwab, Theodore Eastman, Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, William Jennings Bryan, John D. Rockfeller.
Seterusnya, Hill menjadi penasihat kepada Andrew Carnegie, dan dengan bantuan Carniegie, Hill telah berjaya merumus satu falsafah kejayaan, yang diambilnya daripada pengalaman dan pemikiran individu-individu berjaya yang telah ditemuinya. Hill mengambil lebih daripada 20 tahun untuk menghasilkan buku Think and Grow Rich sebuah buku klasik mengenai falsafah kejayaan.
Selain daripada buku Think and Grow Rich, penulisan Hill yang menjadi aspirasi kepada pembaca ialah The Law of Success In Sixteen Lessons. Buku ini mula diterbitkan pada tahun 1928 dan sepertimana tajuknya, merupakan antara buku falsafah pencapaian diri yang berjaya.
Penulisan-penulisan lain beliau ialah The Think and Grow Rich Action Pack, Grow Rich! With Peace of Mind, Napoleon Hill‘s Keys to Success, Napoleon Hill‘s Keys to Positive Thinking, Napoleon Hills‘s Action Plan, Suceed and Grow Rich Through Persuasion, Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude. Think and Grow Rich: The 21st-Century Edition:Revised and Updated.
Napoleon Hill meninggal dunia pada November 1970 setelah melalui kejayaan cemerlang dalam bidang penulisan, mengajar dan memberi syarahan mengenai prinsip-prinsip kejayaan.
Beliau telah begitu berjaya dalam kerjayanya sehingga dianggap sebagai seorang daripada pemikir paling berpengaruh di abad ke-20. Penulisannya memberikan inspirasi kepada begitu ramai orang di seluruh dunia untuk mencapai kejayaan bagi diri mereka.
Menyoroti kejayaan hebat Napoleon Hill, tentu sekali negara amat bertuah apabila pemimpin nombor satu negara kita dipilih sebagai penerima pertama anugerah kepimpinan Global Yayasan Napoleon Hill.
Namun, apa yang paling penting ialah rakyat Malaysia mesti bekerja kuat, malah amat kuat dalam menentukan sama ada Malaysia dan rakyat Malaysia akan berada sebaris dalam kalangan yang terbaik di dunia seperti mana yang telah disarankan oleh Perdana Menteri. Semangat, kepercayaan dan nilai akan menentukan kejayaan Malaysia.
Walaupun rakyat mempunyai kepercayaan dan nilai sebagai pembimbing, usaha yang bersungguh-sungguh amatlah diperlukan untuk menentukan Malaysia akan menjadi sebuah negara cemerlang,gemilang dan terbilang.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Designing a Dream
John Anton started selling custom-made T-shirts in college. With DesignAShirt.com, he now sells an average of $12,000 worth of custom-designed apparel every day As told to Darren Dahl
Monday, March 5, 2007
DesignAShirt.com President, John Anton www.designashirt.com
help@designashirt.com
Business Type:E-Commerce
2007 Revenue:$6 million
No. of Employees:27
12 Things You Need to Know About Second Life
Whiz Kids: America's Next Business Tycoons
6 Signs You Might Be an Office Bully
You probably remember that guy or gal from college who roamed the dormitory halls, the parking lot, and the bleachers before every big game hawking snarky and ironic T-shirts. John Anton was one such guy, and, after a brief but failed stint in the corporate world, he decided there was a fulltime living to be made peddling 100 percent cotton tees in his hometown of Tempe, Ariz. After achieving success with Anton Sports, his brick-and-mortar screen-printing and embroidery business, Anton really got things cooking in 2003 when he launched DesignAShirt.com, which now sells, on average, about $12,000 worth of custom-designed apparel every day.
"In 1985, while I was a student at Arizona State University, I got fired from a waiter job. It happened that my fraternity was having a party that same weekend. So I designed a racy T-shirt based on our rival school's mascot -- the USC Trojan -- paid for the shirts with a cash advance on my credit card, and within 20 minutes of selling, I had made a $2,000 profit. I vowed to never work for anyone again. I continued selling T-shirts for every football game for the rest of my time there. I even hired a team to sell shirts in the parking lot. By my senior year, I was driving a Mercedes.
"After graduation, though, I tried a real job -- selling chemicals for a Fortune 500 company. Wearing a shirt and tie every day wasn't for me. So, I went back to my credit cards, bought some equipment, and set up a print shop in my garage.
"In 1989, just before the state's housing market collapsed, I bought a bigger building to work in. But, following the collapse, I couldn't afford my house anymore. So I rented out my house to a bunch of friends and lived in my warehouse for the next two years.
"My turning point was when the Professional Golfer's Association announced that the Phoenix Open was coming to town in 1991. They placed a huge order with me to promote the event. After that weekend, the business took off, and I could finally move back into my house.
"By 2002, I realized that I couldn't grow Anton Sports alone to anything more than just a $2 million-a-year business. So we launched DesignAShirt.com as an e-commerce site. We thought we could give our customers, wherever they were, the ability to customize their order by themselves online. I hired a team of freelancers and we took what we saw as the best of the Internet at that time -- web sites like Coke and Lands' End -- and improved upon them. We went live in 2003 and the orders started pouring in, usually between 20 and 30 every day at an average of $400 a pop. Our minimum order is for six shirts, but if a customer begs enough, we'll print them a single one.
"Today, we've come full circle. I've launched a third business, called Shirt Software, where we are licensing our custom software to the growing number of competitors out there. I want anyone to have the chance to live the dream."
Monday, March 5, 2007
DesignAShirt.com President, John Anton www.designashirt.com
help@designashirt.com
Business Type:E-Commerce
2007 Revenue:$6 million
No. of Employees:27
12 Things You Need to Know About Second Life
Whiz Kids: America's Next Business Tycoons
6 Signs You Might Be an Office Bully
You probably remember that guy or gal from college who roamed the dormitory halls, the parking lot, and the bleachers before every big game hawking snarky and ironic T-shirts. John Anton was one such guy, and, after a brief but failed stint in the corporate world, he decided there was a fulltime living to be made peddling 100 percent cotton tees in his hometown of Tempe, Ariz. After achieving success with Anton Sports, his brick-and-mortar screen-printing and embroidery business, Anton really got things cooking in 2003 when he launched DesignAShirt.com, which now sells, on average, about $12,000 worth of custom-designed apparel every day.
"In 1985, while I was a student at Arizona State University, I got fired from a waiter job. It happened that my fraternity was having a party that same weekend. So I designed a racy T-shirt based on our rival school's mascot -- the USC Trojan -- paid for the shirts with a cash advance on my credit card, and within 20 minutes of selling, I had made a $2,000 profit. I vowed to never work for anyone again. I continued selling T-shirts for every football game for the rest of my time there. I even hired a team to sell shirts in the parking lot. By my senior year, I was driving a Mercedes.
"After graduation, though, I tried a real job -- selling chemicals for a Fortune 500 company. Wearing a shirt and tie every day wasn't for me. So, I went back to my credit cards, bought some equipment, and set up a print shop in my garage.
"In 1989, just before the state's housing market collapsed, I bought a bigger building to work in. But, following the collapse, I couldn't afford my house anymore. So I rented out my house to a bunch of friends and lived in my warehouse for the next two years.
"My turning point was when the Professional Golfer's Association announced that the Phoenix Open was coming to town in 1991. They placed a huge order with me to promote the event. After that weekend, the business took off, and I could finally move back into my house.
"By 2002, I realized that I couldn't grow Anton Sports alone to anything more than just a $2 million-a-year business. So we launched DesignAShirt.com as an e-commerce site. We thought we could give our customers, wherever they were, the ability to customize their order by themselves online. I hired a team of freelancers and we took what we saw as the best of the Internet at that time -- web sites like Coke and Lands' End -- and improved upon them. We went live in 2003 and the orders started pouring in, usually between 20 and 30 every day at an average of $400 a pop. Our minimum order is for six shirts, but if a customer begs enough, we'll print them a single one.
"Today, we've come full circle. I've launched a third business, called Shirt Software, where we are licensing our custom software to the growing number of competitors out there. I want anyone to have the chance to live the dream."
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Rich Today, Poor Tomorrow by Robert Kiyosaki
As promised in my last article, this week I'll explain why deflation will severely punish the upper middle class. These are the people who think they're rich because their houses and stocks have gone up in value -- that is, because of inflation.
What Goes Up...
People concerned about inflation today tend to buy big houses and nice cars. They believe that the purchasing power of the dollar is going down. But what happens if cash becomes king?
This cash squeeze is already affecting many people who thought they were rich. My wife, Kim, has a friend who's a successful architect. Her husband was a manager of a good sized advertising agency. They have three children, the oldest in high school, and earn about $350,000 a year in combined income.
Because they were flush with cash, this couple purchased two high-end vacation homes, one in the mountains and one at the beach. They live most of the year in a McMansion in Phoenix.
Things were going along fine until the husband lost his biggest client. Then he lost his job, and in less than three months their savings was depleted. They then tried to sell their vacation homes, but the values had dropped below the mortgage amount. Today, they continue to pay the mortgages on their houses and hope the price of real estate will go back up. They sold one of their BMWs at a loss.
In 2005, they were net-worth millionaires. In 2007, they're facing bankruptcy.
Follow the Arrows
People like this couple aren't concerned enough about is the credit bubble bursting, which could lead to deflation. Today, nationwide savings are low and debt per household is up. Most of us know the following equation from Economics 101:
cash + credit = the economy
Ever since 2000, there's been an oversupply of credit. When the Y2K threat loomed, the Federal Reserve flooded the market with credit. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the stock market downturn in 2002, the market was again flooded with easy credit. Excessive credit and lower interest rates kept the economy afloat.
It was a smart move at the time. In the first five years of his presidency, President Bush borrowed nearly a trillion dollars, more money than all of our previous 43 presidents combined, and the resulting credit bubble helped keep the stock market from collapsing entirely and led to a boom in real estate.
The problem is that this debt must be repaid. So the trillion-dollar question is, can the government, businesses, and consumers keep the credit bubble inflated? Here's that equation: ↑
cash + ↑
credit ↑
= the economy (inflationary)
If credit is cut off or the debt can't be repaid, the equation changes to this: cash +
↓ credit
↓ = the economy (deflationary)
↓
Fresh-Squeezed Stocks
If the credit bubble bursts, it could trigger a short squeeze.
"Short squeeze," a trader term, is when a stock's price is high and many traders short the stock. Shorting a stock means borrowing shares from an investment house, selling them, and hoping the price of the stock drops. When the price drops, a trader buys the stock back and returns it to the investment house he borrowed it from.
For example, say XYZ stock is selling for $100 a share. A trader borrows 10 shares from the investment house and sells them for $1,000. The stock drops to $60. Now the trader buys back 10 shares from the market for $600 and returns the 10 shares to the investment house. He now has a gross profit of $400 before paying interest and fees to the investment house.
A short squeeze occurs when the market goes the other way. In this example, instead of XYZ stock dropping to $60 a share, it rises from $100 to $150. The investment house issues a margin call, which means the trader needs to return the 10 shares he borrowed.
Suddenly, all the other traders who shorted the stock need to buy shares of XYZ in order to return them. As more short traders begin buying XYZ, the price of the stock goes up and up -- from $150 to $160 to $170, for instance. This is a short squeeze in stocks. The traders who thought the price of the stock would go down are squeezed into becoming the ones who drive the price up.
Putting the Squeeze on the Economy
A short squeeze could happen with the U.S. dollar if lenders suddenly forced debtors to pay in cash.
The couple I mentioned above is technically caught in a short squeeze, since they're short of cash and long on debt. They had to sell their luxury car at a huge loss because they were desperate. As time goes on and their savings dwindles, they may become desperate enough to sell their vacation homes at huge losses.
If the credit markets bust, there could be millions of couples just like this who seemed rich but are suddenly poor. This could send the lending rate of the dollar higher, making the value of the dollar higher as well -- essentially causing a deflation.
I don't want the U.S. economy to go into a short squeeze, and I hope the credit bubble doesn't burst. Deflation isn't good, and inflation is easier to cure than deflation.
Invest in Money Smarts
My concern about deflation is best represented by the following equation: cash +
↓ credit
↓ = the economy (recession)
↓
If the credit bubble bursts, not only will credit disappear, but people will stop spending and start hoarding cash, and savings will increase. Money is fuel for the economy, so when credit is gone and money is in hiding, the economy slows and a recession -- or worse, a depression -- can occur. In this case, prices go down, not up, and cash becomes king.
I certainly don't want this to happen. Nonetheless, given the lack of a clear direction in markets today, a good investment for 2007 may be to pay off some high-interest debt, put a little extra cash aside, and wait for bargains. If there's a short squeeze on cash, I believe it will be short lived. Once the Fed pumps more money into the system, the dollar will continue its fall.
In conclusion, your best investment today may be in time, not money. That is, invest your time in studying, reading books, and going to seminars. I recommend you study the asset class that's high-priced today, and could be low-priced tomorrow. For example, if you want to acquire real estate, study real estate while prices are high.
And if and when the market crashes, be ready to buy.
What Goes Up...
People concerned about inflation today tend to buy big houses and nice cars. They believe that the purchasing power of the dollar is going down. But what happens if cash becomes king?
This cash squeeze is already affecting many people who thought they were rich. My wife, Kim, has a friend who's a successful architect. Her husband was a manager of a good sized advertising agency. They have three children, the oldest in high school, and earn about $350,000 a year in combined income.
Because they were flush with cash, this couple purchased two high-end vacation homes, one in the mountains and one at the beach. They live most of the year in a McMansion in Phoenix.
Things were going along fine until the husband lost his biggest client. Then he lost his job, and in less than three months their savings was depleted. They then tried to sell their vacation homes, but the values had dropped below the mortgage amount. Today, they continue to pay the mortgages on their houses and hope the price of real estate will go back up. They sold one of their BMWs at a loss.
In 2005, they were net-worth millionaires. In 2007, they're facing bankruptcy.
Follow the Arrows
People like this couple aren't concerned enough about is the credit bubble bursting, which could lead to deflation. Today, nationwide savings are low and debt per household is up. Most of us know the following equation from Economics 101:
cash + credit = the economy
Ever since 2000, there's been an oversupply of credit. When the Y2K threat loomed, the Federal Reserve flooded the market with credit. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the stock market downturn in 2002, the market was again flooded with easy credit. Excessive credit and lower interest rates kept the economy afloat.
It was a smart move at the time. In the first five years of his presidency, President Bush borrowed nearly a trillion dollars, more money than all of our previous 43 presidents combined, and the resulting credit bubble helped keep the stock market from collapsing entirely and led to a boom in real estate.
The problem is that this debt must be repaid. So the trillion-dollar question is, can the government, businesses, and consumers keep the credit bubble inflated? Here's that equation: ↑
cash + ↑
credit ↑
= the economy (inflationary)
If credit is cut off or the debt can't be repaid, the equation changes to this: cash +
↓ credit
↓ = the economy (deflationary)
↓
Fresh-Squeezed Stocks
If the credit bubble bursts, it could trigger a short squeeze.
"Short squeeze," a trader term, is when a stock's price is high and many traders short the stock. Shorting a stock means borrowing shares from an investment house, selling them, and hoping the price of the stock drops. When the price drops, a trader buys the stock back and returns it to the investment house he borrowed it from.
For example, say XYZ stock is selling for $100 a share. A trader borrows 10 shares from the investment house and sells them for $1,000. The stock drops to $60. Now the trader buys back 10 shares from the market for $600 and returns the 10 shares to the investment house. He now has a gross profit of $400 before paying interest and fees to the investment house.
A short squeeze occurs when the market goes the other way. In this example, instead of XYZ stock dropping to $60 a share, it rises from $100 to $150. The investment house issues a margin call, which means the trader needs to return the 10 shares he borrowed.
Suddenly, all the other traders who shorted the stock need to buy shares of XYZ in order to return them. As more short traders begin buying XYZ, the price of the stock goes up and up -- from $150 to $160 to $170, for instance. This is a short squeeze in stocks. The traders who thought the price of the stock would go down are squeezed into becoming the ones who drive the price up.
Putting the Squeeze on the Economy
A short squeeze could happen with the U.S. dollar if lenders suddenly forced debtors to pay in cash.
The couple I mentioned above is technically caught in a short squeeze, since they're short of cash and long on debt. They had to sell their luxury car at a huge loss because they were desperate. As time goes on and their savings dwindles, they may become desperate enough to sell their vacation homes at huge losses.
If the credit markets bust, there could be millions of couples just like this who seemed rich but are suddenly poor. This could send the lending rate of the dollar higher, making the value of the dollar higher as well -- essentially causing a deflation.
I don't want the U.S. economy to go into a short squeeze, and I hope the credit bubble doesn't burst. Deflation isn't good, and inflation is easier to cure than deflation.
Invest in Money Smarts
My concern about deflation is best represented by the following equation: cash +
↓ credit
↓ = the economy (recession)
↓
If the credit bubble bursts, not only will credit disappear, but people will stop spending and start hoarding cash, and savings will increase. Money is fuel for the economy, so when credit is gone and money is in hiding, the economy slows and a recession -- or worse, a depression -- can occur. In this case, prices go down, not up, and cash becomes king.
I certainly don't want this to happen. Nonetheless, given the lack of a clear direction in markets today, a good investment for 2007 may be to pay off some high-interest debt, put a little extra cash aside, and wait for bargains. If there's a short squeeze on cash, I believe it will be short lived. Once the Fed pumps more money into the system, the dollar will continue its fall.
In conclusion, your best investment today may be in time, not money. That is, invest your time in studying, reading books, and going to seminars. I recommend you study the asset class that's high-priced today, and could be low-priced tomorrow. For example, if you want to acquire real estate, study real estate while prices are high.
And if and when the market crashes, be ready to buy.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Action Plan
Take these steps to get going on your business goals
1. DECIDE exactly what you want in life in each area, and write it down. Make your goals clear, specific and measurable.
2. SPECIFY the most important skill you could develop to move you into the top 10 percent of people in your field. Then do something immediately to begin developing that skill.
3. IDENTIFY the major constraint or limiting factor inside yourself or in your world that setting the speed at which you achieve your most important goal, and begin working on removing that constraint today.
4. DETERMINE your single biggest problem or obstacle in your business or personal life. Then focus all your time and attention on the possible solutions.
5. MAKE a list of what you would want to be, do and have if you had no limitations and you were absolutely guaranteed success.
6 ACCEPT complete responsibility to your life. From this day foward, refuse to make excuses or blame anyone for anything. Instead, take action to make your goals a reality .
7 REAFFIRM and visualize your goals on financial success, excellent health and personal happiness as a reality. Remember, the person you see is the person you will be.
1. DECIDE exactly what you want in life in each area, and write it down. Make your goals clear, specific and measurable.
2. SPECIFY the most important skill you could develop to move you into the top 10 percent of people in your field. Then do something immediately to begin developing that skill.
3. IDENTIFY the major constraint or limiting factor inside yourself or in your world that setting the speed at which you achieve your most important goal, and begin working on removing that constraint today.
4. DETERMINE your single biggest problem or obstacle in your business or personal life. Then focus all your time and attention on the possible solutions.
5. MAKE a list of what you would want to be, do and have if you had no limitations and you were absolutely guaranteed success.
6 ACCEPT complete responsibility to your life. From this day foward, refuse to make excuses or blame anyone for anything. Instead, take action to make your goals a reality .
7 REAFFIRM and visualize your goals on financial success, excellent health and personal happiness as a reality. Remember, the person you see is the person you will be.
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