I Have Been Fired...

by my Financial Planner. How sad is that? Your financial planner fires you because you use your IRA as an emergency fund...

So unless or when I am actually in shape to SAVE money I can't have my IRA through his company. He feels he has enabled me (ALL these years) and so we're having an intervention...to stop the MADNESS of paying the early withdrawal fees. He's just trying to save me money and to save his company in case of an audit. I really don't blame him, it just made me a little sad that my whole world knows I can't manage my money and I have been fired. Wow! How many people can say that? He might take me back WHEN I win Publisher's Clearing House!!!

And of course, now I have to tell my boss and he knows how long I have been trying to work on my finances (soon to be 25 years)...the good news is that I have a home that is mine (as long as I make the payments), a car that runs, one credit card and I am healthy enough to have two jobs!!! WOOHOO!!!

I'm not sure I want to be a grown-up...(obviously I'm not being a very good one), but I guess I will worry about it tomorrow!!!

Happiness is a Way of Traveling, Not a Destination

I subscribe to several "helpful" emails. I thought I would share this one...


Welcome to this issue of "Dr. T's Timely Tips" by Dr. Tony Alessandra. Please send your feedback to Tony@Alessandra.com!

Happiness is a Way of Traveling, Not a Destination

The only advantage of being a pessimist is that all your surprises are pleasant. But that's pretty small change compared to the big payoff that comes from projecting positive expectations.

Much of our happiness or unhappiness is caused, of course, not by what happens, but how we look at what happens. In other words, by our thinking habits. And habits can be changed.

George Walther, in his book Power Talking, shows how you can foster the mindset that interprets setbacks as positive opportunities. He believes this is a skill that you can develop - one word, one phrase, one sentence at a time.

For starters, purge the words "I failed ..." from your vocabulary, Walther urges. Replace them with "I learned ..." to help your mind focus on the lessons involved.

Similarly, you might want to get in the habit of using "challenge" when others would say "problem," "I'll be glad to" instead of "I'll have to," and "I'm getting better at ..." rather than "I'm no good at ..."

The subliminal effect of changing even a few words, Walther says, can prompt your mind to come up with creative solutions rather than dreading or fleeing the problem.

Here's to more personal insight, www.alessandra.com

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