This is what I just learned in reading Seth Godin’s blog post this morning.

Mastery and success come from the preparation, the journey, and the inputs we undertake.

The outputs which are the exciting, more glamorous last step will be there when we follow the right path.

“Almost every element of good bread happens long before it goes into the oven,” Seth Godin said.

Consistent success requires the right discipline to develop positive habits of good preparation.

No short cut. No excuse.

Good preparation. Good habits.

Mariejo picking up her bag and shirt from Laurie Woodward at the Life Leadership Convention in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

I am very proud of my wife to have stepped of her comfort zone to share a shirt 7 minutes videos with friends and family and engage them in conversations about financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

Thank you to Laurie Woodward for the opportunity you give to women throughout the world to become the best them they can be.

Laurie Woodward has helped us to turn our “crazy cycles” into “energy cycles” and rewards us for this achievement.

I was at this Dunkin’ Donuts in Fort Lauderdale this morning for breakfast.

I was in line when the lady at the counter called “Next.”

“Good morning,” she said with a smile asking me what I want to order today.

I replied with a “Good morning” as well before I added:

“Let me have a medium hot coffee with cream and sugar, an egg English muffin, and a coffee cake muffin.”

She repeated my order with her eyes glancing on the screen of her cash register.

“Your total will be $6.50,” she said.

She pulled a foam plastic cup asking me my name, holding a black marker ready to write my name on the cup.

“Roosevelt,” I said.

“Rooseselvellsevelt….,” I heard her replied back to me.

I repeated my name and she said “ok. Is this the way you write it?” showing me what you see on the above picture.

I answered “this is the way you… you write it.”

At this moment, the coffee was more important to me than a spelling bee on my name. I agreed on her writing and wanted to have my cup of coffee.

Her coworker who was on her left pouring coffee told her the coffee pot does not have enough to fill my medium size cup.

She told me ” there’s not enough coffee. Would you take this as it is  pointing the half full cup at me.”

“If you were in my place, would you take it like that?,” I asked her.

She smiled, typed something on her screen, and told me “if it’s free, would you take it.”

I smiled and eased up asking her the same question repeating her name which I read on her badge “Karen, if you were in my place, would you take it?”

She said “yes, of course… why not.”

I said “ok, you decide.”

She handed me the bag with the muffins, the coffee telling me my order is 4.93.

I paid her and said “Thank you.”

“It’s not what you make but what you keep that determines financial success. Pay yourself first and save what you pay yourself.”

This is the first principles stated in the 47 principles of the Financial Fitness Pack introduced by New-York Times best-selling authors Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady.

I just read a story released by the Washington Post describing families making over half million dollars a year who are struggling financially and have no saving.

They live paycheck to paycheck being “trapped by lifestyle,” quoting Lori Atwood, a financial adviser based in Washington DC.

People need to do a money reality check. Here are some tips I cut, paste, and adapt based on that story I read from the Washington Post.

* Prioritize. Try not to live each month to the very last dollar you earn.

* Always have at least  $1,000 in liquid savings for non-discretionary expenses . If you don’t have this, the only place to turn to use credit cards.

* Never use a credit card with a balance for daily needs. You will never pay it off.

* Try to make sure your fixed expenses — housing, child care, car payments, student loans, credit card minimums — are no more than 43 percent of your household take-home pay. Anything above that percentage generally means you will feel financial stress.

* Spend less than you earn each month.

* Make trade-offs for discretionary expenses. “Should we eat out? No, let’s use the money instead for Susie’s soccer camp.”

* Never say “might as well” when it comes to a purchase if you don’t have the money on hand.

* Decide between what you must have and what is optional. Only the basics — housing, utilities, health, groceries, transportation — are “must haves.” Everything else is optional and ripe for trimming.

* Track your discretionary spending closely. That’s where the train goes off the tracks. Your utility bills are predictable. Your outside dining is not. You can change where and how much you eat so know where you spend so you can trim.

I am so glad that the Financial Fitness Services offer the tracking and other services needed to face this ongoing money reality check. But, it all starts with your ongoing financial literacy education which is the best investment you can make, and be part of a community of like minded people aspiring for financial freedom.

Congratulations to have read so far. You are qualified to receive a free gift. Just inbox me, and I will give you access to a free educational video on financial literacy and entrepreneurship which will help you start your journey towards financial freedom and to live the life you’ve always wanted.

Be well,

Roosevelt

I had fun reading this book that I received as a Christmas gift from my daughter. I am as much delighted to the coincidence that “Make your Bed, Little Things That can Change Your Life … And Maybe The World,”  has been chosen to be discussed this Wednesday January 24, from 8:00 pm, at the online Leadership Book club hosting by my friend Lois Margollin.

McRaven in  130 short pages invite us to change ourselves and the world through 10 simple lessons he addressed, in 2014, the graduating class of the University of Texas.

Those are 10 lessons he learned himself during his Navy SEAL training that helped him overcome challenges, and to become who he is throughout his life.

I invite you to read the book yourself and be part of our conversation. At least, be part of this learning experience where we will discuss our own understanding, and tell our own stories in our own words from these 10 lessons:

1.- Start each day with a task completed.

2.- Find someone to help you with life.

3.- Respect everyone.

4.- Know that life is not fair.

5.- Failure can make you stronger

6.- Dare greatly.

7.- Stand up to the bullies

8.- Rise to the occasion

9. Give people hope

10.- Never, ever quit.

Those are simple life wisdom, practical daily advice that we will discuss to empower us to live the life we want.

We will not live the life we’ve always wanted by chance, but by change. And change starts with reading and the new story narrative we are telling ourselves.

See you, hear you Wednesday at 8:00 pm Eastern time.

I was serving at the West Palm Beach, Florida, Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI,) last Saturday morning when I met bestselling author Bob Burg who was the keynote speaker for this event.

I was at the check in table when this tall man showed up with a beam smile, great eye contact, a vibrant energetic handshake to tell me with a deep low toned voice:

“Good morning, I am Bob Burg. Is this the Toastmasters’ meeting?”

“Yes, It is,” I replied welcoming him with great enthusiasm.

I told him my name and my pleasure to meet him in person having read his Go Giver series books.

Bob Burg was scheduled to speak at 12:00. He showed up at 10:30 am.

“I always want to be early to make sure everything is ok,” he said.

Bob took the stage to address an audience of 200 toastmasters leaders about the laws of Go Givers whose main goals are to add value to others by shifting their focus on others instead of themselves.

“If you want to make money in sales, don’t make money your target. Focus your target on others.  When you hit the target, you get a reward. And that reward comes in form of money, in form of kindness, in form of referrals” Bob said.

“Great leadership is not about the leader,” he added.

When we focus more on others with a giving spirit, we attract values back to us far greater than anyone owes us.

“If you can create so many great relationships with so many people who know you, like you, trust you that they want you to succeed, they want to be part of your life journey; your world  would become a benevolent context for your success,” Bob Burg said evoking the law of cause (giving) and effect (receiving).

“The greatest gifts would come at moments and from places we least expect,” he concluded with great applause.