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Letter From The Editor

Dear Friends,

Have you noticed how difficult it can be to deal with change? Big or small, change is like a curve ball being thrown at a batter that is expecting a completely different pitch.

Change is difficult to dance with because even if we aren’t thrilled with the expected result, we like to think that we know how something is going to turn out or how someone is going to act. Yet, as we have been shown time and time again, we cannot possibly know any of it!

Change is a normal part of life. It is what keeps life interesting, our hearts pounding, and our minds creating. Change can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary day. It can also unexpectedly turn our plans upside down. Yet, living with change, and successfully dealing with whatever comes our way, is about how we dance with the changes of life. Successfully managing change is about how we choose to react and behave in the face of the good, the bad, and sometimes even the ugly… it is about who we choose to be.

So as you deal with life’s curve balls, before you react to what is headed your way, take a few moments to stop and think. Give up your preconceived notions about what you believe should be so, and be whomever you need to be to get through the change and stay on top. If you do, I guarantee you will have found a golden nugget or two along the way that you would not have found otherwise.

Savor those nuggets of ideas, friendship, love, and understanding, and know that without the change orders of life, you wouldn’t have found those golden nuggets at all.

Warm Regards,

Clay S. Nelson

Would You Like to Have Clay Speak at Your Next Event?

Clay Nelson has over two decades of experience coaching construction business leaders in creating life balance, building teams, and writing business and marketing plans. We have a number of programs that can be customized for your specific event. Visit our Speaking section for more information, or contact us with your questions and comments:

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Phone: 309.698.7966

Don’t Play the Waiting Game

We are in strange point in time, where being in limbo has become normal and we are all waiting for all kinds of things to happen. We’re waiting for President-elect Obama to get into office. We’re waiting for a new stimulus package to be formulated, put into language and then implemented. We’re waiting to see who deserves our trust again, from our neighbors to the government. We are waiting to see what the world is going to do financially so we can see what part we play in it.

Yet, waiting won’t get results and if your finances are in disarray, you need to get into action now; you’ve got to conserve now, not later!

Now before anyone feels the need to go off on how we need to spend to get the economy going, know this:

If you don’t have any credit card debt, you are paying your bills on time without any stress or strain, you’ve got money in the bank, and your job is secure… please go and spend freely. Our economy needs you to spend your money!!

However, if you have any credit card debt, your job stability is in question, you have trouble paying your bills on time, and you’ve got zero money in the bank, you’ve got to get your finances under control!

Financial freedom is liberating, and it isn’t as hard getting there as anyone imagines it being. So do you want to get started on a liberating path that controls financial chaos? Start simply by:

1. Getting clear about the amount of money you have coming in and the amount you normally have going out.
2. Creating a plan for what you need to cut and look critically at where you are spending money that isn’t necessary.
3. Getting action!

For instance, you can save money very simply by:

• Eating out less and planning your meals on a weekly basis; know what meals you are going to have when and shop accordingly.
• Always have a list when you go the grocery store, and don’t buy anything that isn’t on the list. Use coupons too, and remember, if isn’t on list you don’t need it.
• Conserve on your electric bills. Turn off lights when you aren’t in a room. Shut down your computer at night. Unplug electronics that you don’t use regularly – electronics consume electricity even when they are turned off! Turn down your thermostat in the winter and up in the summer. Use cold or warm water when doing laundry instead of hot and only do a load of laundry when you have enough for a FULL load.
• Use less water. In the summer time, set your lawn mower to a 3 inch height; longer grass holds in more water and allows you to keep your lawn green without having to water nearly as much! Take baths instead of showers. Do less laundry – convince your children that just because they wore a shirt for 1-hour it isn’t necessarily in need of another washing!
• Use less gasoline. Just because gas prices have come down from the jaw dropping figures we saw several months ago, doesn’t mean that we should go back to our gas guzzling ways. Run your errands to the bank, grocery store, post office, etc. in one well-planned trip. Keep your car well maintained and tires inflated to the recommended levels and shut off your engine if you will be stopped and idling for more than two minutes.
• Cut out the luxuries that we’ve come to believe are necessities. Cancel the satellite radio subscription. Evaluate whether you really need a mobile phone with all the bells and whistles, and the plan to go with it! Cut premium cable channels or cable all together. Cancel your gym membership and use the dusty tread mill in your basement or better yet, get moving outside!

These are just a few of the many, many ways to cut back on spending and stop wasting your financial resources. What’s really cool is that the more present you are to being less wasteful of your resources, the more ways you will find to save and eventually your path to financial freedom will be very well worn. You can even make a game out it!

Living a life that is financially responsible and moving toward complete financial freedom can be fun, but we’ve got to turn our heads around and get to a place where we believe we can have fun on a budget!

Yes, it is fun to indulge and treat yourself to something special, but stay present to what your financial limits are. Ask yourself if what you want is what you really need, and then make the choice to buy or not buy. Then, in the meantime save everywhere you can, don’t waste your resources (or those of our planet) unnecessarily, and enjoy being back in the drivers seat where your finances are concerned! Remember: only you have a say in how your life turns out. Happiness isn’t something you have to wait for. Happiness is a choice, and you can choose to be happy or not. It is up to you!

Taking Care of You

The start of this New Year is no different than all of the rest, or is it? We're still being bombarded with infomercials, Internet pop-ups, and television commercials for the latest and greatest in physical fitness equipment, diets, and supplements. Yet this year, given the economics facing our country, we need to pay attention to the core message more than ever! Whether you buy into a specific program or piece of equipment isn’t the point. The point is the need for all of us to take care of our physical well-being in order to have the mental and physical stamina to be in action around our well-being as a whole!

Eating well-balanced, low-fat, and low-carb meals, taking vitamins, and exercising are not only key components to living a long life, but they are also keys to living a balanced, happier life. Now, don’t you think we could all use more of that?

Envision for a moment your body as a capsule responsible for all of the energy, focus, and determination you need to meet your commitments, to get what you say you want, and to have fun doing it. Now, imagine that same capsule dented up, slowing running out of fuel, and in need of a good waxing! How far do you think the worn down capsule will take you?

The point here is that in order to weather the ups and downs of life, we have to have a body that will allow us to not just get by, but to be successful no matter what is going on in the world around us. Meaning, we must take care of our physical well-being!

Stay present to the fact that the state of physical well-being has a direct impact on the quality of every other facet of your life. It impacts your relationships, your business, your checkbook, the amount of fun you are able to have, and the difference you can make.

So I challenge you to eat right, take your vitamins, and exercise regularly. And just watch how your life changes, your mental attitude improves, and your physical energy level begins to meet and even exceed what you need to live the life you want. Go ahead… set the world on fire. I dare you!

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