 We’ve all done it before. You’ve looked at someone who is successful at something and thought, “if only”! The thing is, whilst some things seem to happen just by chance, good luck or bad luck, a huge percentage of the time people put themselves in the situation that creates that luck. Nothing just happens. As someone who comes from a VERY strong Christian family I have my fair share of aunties and uncles that put it all in God’s hands and then proceed to do nothing to help things along. Fact: the Lord only helps those who help themselves is not just a statement. If you’re in a room sat in prayer the whole time, you are NOT going to find a job. Who will make the job applications? Who will practice for the interviews on your behalf? This is not a post on religion but a post on ACTION. Those that take action just seem to have a little more luck than those that don’t. For every single person you admire for their skill at something you best believe that the basis of that skill is a set of actions. Indeed, research backs this up: How To Attract Good Luck: 4 Secrets Backed By Research. One of the skills I am currently trying to learn is makeup. I make it habit to learn something new every year either for fun or for my business and this year it’s makeup. I keep wishing I could wear makeup as well as the YouTubers I’m watching forgetting that these gals (and guys) have been doing it for ages. They didn’t become that good overnight. I normally take professional courses when I want to learn a new skill but for now I am watching YouTube videos and dropping strong hints that I want a makeup course for my birthday. I hope the Good Husband is saving up because the course I want to do is £1,000 ($1,600).Eeeek, I here some of you say. Yes, I know it sounds like a lot but once I master the skill and do my own makeup tutorials on YouTube I’ll probably get some makeup gigs for weddings or events that will pay me £200-£250 each so it’s an investment.  I’ve wanted to learn makeup for a long time now because it fascinates me.Indeed, many of the things I do for fun frequently end up earning me some dosh. Back in 2006 or so I did a course in therapeutic massage. Fast forward to 2008 and bonuses in investment banking were VERY BAD. I wasn’t broke but I needed more cash to fund one of my property renovation projects, so what did I do? I printed off simple flyers advertising massage for women and put them through a few doors in my neighbourhood; before that day I had two clients. I wanted women only because I didn’t want to put my safety at risk. Sometimes making money is that simple. I already had essentials oils and base oils so two massages later I had another £100 (=$160) in the bank. When I did the massage course I never planned on using it to earn but in the end it was another skill I could use to better my financial self. I didn’t do the massage thing for long because I was too lazy but I could have easily had two clients a week with minimal effort and without changing my lifestyle at all. Just to be clear that would have been £5,200 for the year or $8,320. Not bad for a hobby business that has almost zero costs. My point is, what do you want in life?Importantly, what are you doing to get that thing? If you’re doing research and planning how long have you been doing that for? Sometimes you just need to start. You will figure things out along the way. That’s how life works. Most people, even the billionaires you see today, don’t always know the final outcome that certain actions will have but they know that if they take no action then they can be 100% certain that nothing will happen. If you would like to build a product business and if you want to maximize the chance of building it into a 6-figure annual income then you should do The Money Spot Program. Live the life you want. This year the workshop is at New Hall Spa Hotel in Birmingham, UK on 17 & 18 October. A night’s accommodation is included. Join us. If you’re based in London the train out there is less than 1.5 hours and if you’re in Europe you can fly into Birmingham International Airport. If you can’t make the workshop then the online-only course is waiting for you.  Want to Build a 6-Figure Beauty Business from the comfort of your sofa? Then my course is designed for YOU!
"Beauty" includes a WIDE range of products from the not so obvious non-perishable foods and crafts to the more obvious hair, makeup, fashion, health & fitness.
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 I’m glad I have indulged myself for the last six months because let’s face it, I grew a baby in my tummy and that in itself should allow one to enjoy some pampering. However, at the back of my mind I knew that the daily cakes and lattes would need to come to an end. If not for mywaist line, then perhaps for my now acne-ridden face. A mere week into eating better and exercising I already feel brand new and have seen an energy boost – I’m much more productive when I work. It’s reminded me of how important it is to look after the body we have. I love cakes and desserts more than the next person but I also like waking up and feeling like I can defeat the world. When your body gets to a stage where you think“uuurrgggh, I’m not happy with this”, bite the bullet and start transforming yourself. Within a short space of time you will see that other parts of your life just seem to start working better too;you think better and you work better. This is how I’ve changed. Since 5 July (Day After I got back from holiday) Until I fit into my favourite yellow trousers, cakes and desserts are OUT. This will probably take about two months. At the moment there is at least an inch before I can claspthe button on the trousers. Having a clothes goal works well for me because it’s more real than standing on a scale. I consider things like bread and butter treats. I am allowed both but I am trying not to eat more than one slice of bread 3 or 4 times a week. When I was out of control I started having 2 slices of bread a day thicklycoated in my favourite whey butter, yum. I still use full fat milk but I now dilute it with water when I make my oats. The full fat milk is fine; my personal trainer says my diet is currently too low in fats (and protein) anyway. Oh, yeah, I’ve recently got a personal trainer too. Besides cakes, chocolates and desserts I can have small quantities of everything. Instead of having a whole tub of my favourite rice pudding I might just have half and give the rest to The Good Husband.  Exercise I have started strength training to increase my muscle mass so that I burn more calories during rest. I am currently so, so weak; I was told 60-seconds is the amount of time you should do a plank for if you are of average fitness, I could only do 5 seconds before I collapsed. I am currently physically weak but within 4 weeks I know I will have made leaps and bounds in physical fitness. I would love to start running 5km twice a week again as I did for ages before I had my baby but at the moment time is a little scarce. Personal Trainer This time around I realizedI need help to get fitter because I just got so lazy with my habits so I’ve forked out £500 ($800) on a personal trainer. It’s pricey and I was very hesitant but at the end of the day I remembered that good health is my top priority in life. No amount of money can makeup for bad health. If I got a bad illness today I would probably give everything I own away to get my health back so with that mindset I closed my eyes and handed the cash over. I’m quite glad I did now. Immediate Results I feel fitter and more energetic and I’ve already lost 5lbs. That’s about a quarter of the weight I want to lose so I am already 25% there. The fact that it’s come off in just one week shows just how badly I was eating before. The more overweight you are,the bigger the impact of small changes. Are You Physically Where You Want To Be? Eating well and keeping fit is hard and frankly every once in while we all fall off the wagon. If I facilitated a New Year’s 30-day detox would you be interested in joining me? It would involve a small group of women encouraging each other via a closed Facebook page and friending each other via “myfitnesspal” to keep motivated. You would also get some nutrition-expert approved menus to help guide your meals. A small fee would be applicable. Take the below survey and let me know.
 Want to Build a 6-Figure Beauty Business from the comfort of your sofa? Then my course is designed for YOU!
"Beauty" includes a WIDE range of products from the not so obvious non-perishable foods and crafts to the more obvious hair, makeup, fashion, health & fitness.  One of my best friends is loaded but you’d never guess she was unless you went to her house; she drives a clapped out car and she dresses well but very simply. Let’s call her Evelyn (not her real name). Evelyn once quit the 9-to-5 to pursue one of her hobbies but it didn’t work out the way she envisioned. She wasn’t making much money from the hobby and she ultimately lost interest in it so she decided to go back to the world of work. We met up for lunch and being the nosey person I am, I asked how much she was being paid, “£300,000 before bonus,” she said. For all those that need the conversion that is about $500,000 – and that was in 2012, she’ll be banking way more than that right now. Of course I was a little green with envy and for a brief instant I regretted leaving the world of banking, who couldn’t do with a couple of hundred thousand – I was happy for her too, though – if there’s one person who likes to see her friends succeed it’s me.  Apparently we’re all the average of the closest five people in our life – financially, healthwise etc. – success and failure both have a way of rubbing onto our friends. Anyhow, I digress. Two years into that new job she was still driving her clapped out car but she and her partner had bought a beautiful new home.They were paying down the mortgage and putting money aside so that they could retire early and pursue hobbies in their 40s. She’s about the same age as me so she was in her late 20s when she embarked on her high-paying career. My friend is extra special in how little she cares what people think of her. Almost everyone I know, myself included, would have spent some of that money on a lot more luxuries but not Evelyn. This got me thinking: why do so many of us care what everyone else thinks? Will Smith put it best when he said,“Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like.”  How much more financial progress would we make if we simply stopped caring what other people think and exclusively focused on ourselves. To a certain extent you will dress well and beautify yourself to look good for yourself but there is a residual amount of expenditure that’s exclusively done to impress others. This is why when you’re at home you’re happy for your hair to be stuck under a bonnet the whole day and hang around in your jogging pants all morning but you never step out looking like that. I’m not saying you should go out looking a hot mess but a little inner reflection regarding what you do for yourself versus the things you do simply to impress others despite your better judgment wouldn’t hurt. I don’t know about you but I think if everyone was a little more like Evelyn they would not only be happier but their bank manager would love them too. To caring less about what other people think!  Want to Build a 6-Figure Beauty Business from the comfort of your sofa? Then my course is designed for YOU!
"Beauty" includes a WIDE range of products from the not so obvious non-perishable foods and crafts to the more obvious hair, makeup, fashion, health & fitness. |
Heather on WealthI enjoy helping people think through their personal finances and blog about that here. Join my personal finance community at The Money Spot™. Categories
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Heather Katsonga-Woodward, a massive personal finance fanatic.
** All views expressed are my own and not those of any employer, past or present. ** Please get professional advice before re-arranging your personal finances.