What Do You Want From Life?
The tragedy for millions of people is that they never decide what they want from life and make plans for it. Life will provide whatever we demand. Most of us don't demand what we want but simply settle for what our job supplies. Too many jobs are dead-end with little room for advancement.
Many don't know what they want to do, so they drift through life with the hope that success will overtake them. Some still have no idea for their life's profession after they have graduated from college. Sometimes you try something and get lucky. Your talent and temperament fit the job and you do well. Countless others hate their job and never advance to a satisfying one.
Decide what you want from life and what it will take to get it. College can be used to explore areas you are interested in. Investigate the requirements of the position you want. Set short and long term goals to do what it takes to achieve it. Stick to your plans no matter what happens. Those that set goals and follow them usually succeed.
If you have no goals, you tend to drift through life being the victim of circumstances instead of controlling them. Not having a goal is like driving on the highway when you don't know where you are going. You had better find out. You might be going in the wrong direction. If you aim for nothing, you are sure to hit it.
Ten % of life is having things happen to you that you have no control over. Ninety % of life is how you react to the other ten %. You can't control the ten % but you can control the ninety %. You can't control what happens, but you can soften the blow of unfortunate times by saving money for emergencies.
Millions fall into the credit trap. Credit is a great thing when used wisely, but it will ruin your chances for a decent life if not controlled. Anyone familiar with simple arithmetic should know that you can't pay out more than you take in, yet most families are thousands of dollars in debt. Pay it off as soon as possible. If you pay the minium amount on a large debt it will take most of your life to pay it off, if you ever finish. You can't afford the extra interest.
Most of us have to buy homes and automobiles on credit. It is best to use as little for other things as possible. Leave your credit cards at home when you go shopping so that you will have to think about it for a while before using them.
Getting enough ahead to make some sound investments is a tremendous help. Compound interest adds up fast and having it work for instead of against you makes a big difference. After you have invested regularly for a few years, the interest you receive makes it unnecessary to live from paycheck to paycheck. You can subtract your IRA investment from your taxable income. You pay no tax on it until you take it out. Roth or other plans may work even better for you.
It is recommended that you save at least ten % of the money you make. Keep some in the bank and invest the rest. Set aside a certain amount to invest each month. If the market is up you will buy fewer shares. If it is down you can buy more.
If you have a knowledge of investments and are willing to keep up with how they are doing, you might do well deciding what to invest in yourself. If not, it would be wise to rely on a professional. Choose wisely because some brokers are more interested in their profit than yours, and will load you down with a lot of activity with the resulting commissions you will have to pay. Look for someone you can trust who has your best interest at heart.
If you don't have a plan for your life, you have no purpose. There is no sense of urgency and you are more inclined to splurge on pleasure and creature comforts. When you have a goal and a budget you already know what to spend your time and money on. You can be content in tough times because you know that you are doing the best you can with the present circumstances. You know that difficult times will only be temporary and that success is hidden behind the rough spots.
Having short time goals permits you to break down the task into bite size steps and are more likely to stick to your plans. If you just have a long time goal, you will be more easily discouraged because what you have to do seems out of reach.
It is important to know what you desire from life, so that you won't waste your time doing things that do not contribute to what you want to accomplish.
--
You have permission to publish this article if the byline at the bottom. Please notify me when you do at lynn_b2@yahoo.com. Total words 880.
Lynn Bradley is also the author of the paperback book, "Climbing the Heavenly Stairs." To read more about it click on the following link. http://www.thelynnbradleybook.com
 Google News Updated : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:07:34 GMT Dodgers overtake first place - MLB.com
MLB.com - By Michael Schwartz / MLB.com LOS ANGELES -- Manny Ramirez's five RBIs propelled the Dodgers into first place in the National League West for only the second day all season Saturday after a 7-2 win over the D-backs at Dodger Stadium. Ramirez, Billingsley lead streaking Dodgers into first place Dodgers move into first place Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:14:26 GMT Palin and McCain’s Shotgun Marriage - New York Times
New York Times - By FRANK RICH SARAH PALIN makes John McCain look even older than he is. And he seemed more than willing to play that part on Thursday night. An Apostle of Alaska 'Sarah Palin Is Wasilla': Town Stands Behind VP Pick Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:18:29 GMT Report: Samsung working to acquire SanDisk - San Jose Mercury News San Jose Mercury News - AP Samsung was reported Friday to be considering buying Milpitas-based SanDisk, whose revenue has diminished and stock has plummeted in recent months due to the saturated flash-memory market. SanDisk Shares Soar on Samsung Interest SanDisk Shares Surge as Samsung Considers Acquisition (Update3) Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:19:13 GMT European space probe completes asteroid fly by - Reuters
Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Space Agency obtained on Saturday the first images of an asteroid 360 million km (224 million miles) from earth, part of a space mission which scientists hope will help them understand the origins of the planets. Rosetta spacecraft takes asteroid photos Spacecraft flies by remote asteroid, camera stops Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:13:31 GMT Movies opening this week - San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News - By Mercury News "Burn After Reading" (R): The Coen brothers follow "No Country for Old Men" with a dark comedy about two inept gym employees who get hold of a CD-ROM containing a CIA operative's memoirs. Toronto Review: The Coen Brother's Burn After Reading Pitt Rocks to Madonna Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:56:32 GMT Gates outacts Seinfeld in Back To The Future - CNET News
CNET News - Which is why Crispin Porter Bogusky, the agency responsible for the otherworldly new Microsoft TV spot featuring the clowning Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, is already happy. Microsoft's Renewed Vista Strategy You Thought Vista Was Bad? Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:01:52 GMT Jenkins: Murray willing to play the spoiler - San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle - (09-06) 18:24 PDT New York -- Andy Murray must feel very alone just now. He's a long way from his native Scotland. He's carrying the hopes of British tennis, but the London press would really prefer him to be English. Federer beats Djokovic to reach US Open final Split stadiums for US Open semis ruffles crowd Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:44:27 GMT Amazon RSS |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... I was asked last week for an article about employment,... Read More Whether you are a person who is thinking about becoming... Read More People work to live, but most also live to work.... Read More How is your job hunting going? Have you had problems... Read More When it comes to modern career development, one thing we... Read More Many people do not bother to look at their own... Read More Before we start discussing how to search for a six... Read More If you have good genes, you are blessed. If they... Read More Yes, Nurses can be entrepreneurs. In today's market place nursing... Read More What is the first step to take in a job... Read More "The Emperor's New Clothes" was a favorite childhood story of... Read More Learning how to type a resume may feel like a... Read More That's not you? Great! Bad habits are hard to break... Read More One of the biggest mistake for job seeks is to... Read More I have something to say that's driving me batty. It's... Read More A study conducted by the Journal of Consumer Research in... Read More She stretches in the break room for 30 minutes before... Read More Let's face it?not everybody likes going to school and high... Read More As much as you are yearning for career-change, and as... Read More Applying for work is stressful, no matter the circumstances. Even... Read More It Is Up To YouSo, you want to get promoted.... Read More Sooner or later, the interview invitation is going to say... Read More Although interview preparation is everything it's sad to say that... Read More Mobile oil change and mobile lubes are great for fleet... Read More Down-sized? Outsourced? Burned-out? Wizened up? That's what I said. Wizened... Read More
Adsense
websites
Talented People
What You Should Know About A Medical Billing Specialist
Helping Mid-Life Employees Find Meaning
Using Freelance Websites to Telecommute
21st Century Career Success
Stacking The Deck In Your Favor
The Six Figure Job Search
Genes and Work Ethic
Can Nurses Be Entrepreneurs?
One Step at a Time in the Job Search
Find Those People
How To Type A Resume For Employers
How To Stay Calm in Tryng Times
Dont Forget to Say, Thank You
Internships: Bonkers or Brilliant?
Job Interviews: Use the Personal Touch to Get a Job
Stripper--Turned--Waitress Cant Leave Former Job Behind
Ten Careers For High School Seniors Who Hate School
Career Change: A Glittering Invitation To The Emotional Stalkers
Job Hunting Tips: Accepting Judgment
How To Get Promoted - Take Control Of Your Destiny!
Interview Presentation Skills: Dealing With Your Nerves
Overcome Interview Nerves: Be Better Prepared than Your Interviewer
Advantages of Mobile Oil Changes; A Potential Small Business for You?
Career Transitions: Creating Complementary Careers in a Day
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Master Responding to Selection Criteria and Win Your Next Job!
As a human resources specialist for many years, I've seen... Read More
5 Interviewing Tips To Get That Job!
Anyone who is a jobseeker knows that looking for a... Read More
Why You Need To Be An Intrapreneur
When a client asks me if I think he or... Read More
5 Simple Rules for A Great Job Interview
Many years ago, when I was a young job-searching greenhorn,... Read More
10 Tips to Help You Ace the Interview and Get the Job
The interview is the "beauty contest" part of the job... Read More
8 ?Thurvival Skills? for 05
Just what is a "thurvival skill?" It's a skill that... Read More
How Hedgehogs Hire
In my last column, I explored Jim Collins' "hedgehog" principle,... Read More
How To Resign Gracefully
Once a new job has been accepted, you need to... Read More
9 Secrets to Career Success
Are you miserable at your job (or what you are... Read More
Brainteasers: Or, How Many Crazy Interview Questions Does It Take to Get Hired?
You've looked at all the job interview tips and techniques.... Read More
Writing A Resume That Gets You Noticed
As the old saying goes, "you never get a second... Read More
Auto-Disqualification - When Your Resume Never Reaches the Decision Maker
How would you know if your resume did or didn't... Read More
Whats Stopping You from Getting Your Next, Good Job?
This question comes up often when I'm working with someone... Read More
Career Success: Take Charge of Your Career
People react very differently to the waves of change that... Read More
Your Job Search -- a Marketing Campaign?
The successful job search is really just a personal marketing... Read More
Which Half Are You?
When more than half of Americans were identified as overweight,... Read More
Big Job Sites Vs The Small Ones
There is much to say about posting resumes on the... Read More
12 Steps to Targeting Success in Your Career or Job Search
Is your job search sagging? Are you still looking for... Read More
No Experience? No Problem!
Are you a new graduate with little or no work... Read More
Playing from the Blue Tees: Women in the Federal Government
Throughout the past decade, workplace diversity issues have allowed organizations... Read More
Relocation Issues...Who Will Pay?
In light of recent unemployment figures, and a continual downturn... Read More
How to Turn Career Mistakes into Career Wins
I recently talked with a client who was paralyzed at... Read More
Jobseekers! Look For Smoke, Not Fire
"If you always do what you've always done, you will... Read More
Avoid a Three-ring Circus with These New Interviewing Strategies
I referenced the circus because I just finished another interviewing... Read More
Get Beyond Your Tasks
Ever hear the story of the two masons working side... Read More
Careers, Jobs & Employment |