When you have to take help from family, friends, or government,
please remember:
You are a great investment.
For every dollar invested by government aid
in helping you become self-reliant, you will pay back $2
in the first year you are self-supporting. In 12 years you
will have paid back $12 for every one dollar spent. You’re
a better investment than the stock market. Use only the
help you really need and when you can you’ll say thank
you very much, I can handle it from here. Then you’ll
pay taxes the rest of your life and pay it all back.
When you go back to school, don’t worry
about taking time away from your children. When I was in
school, everyone’s grades at my house went up. I think
there are two reasons for that:
We
didn’t have time or money to do many activities so
we studied together. You couldn’t get a peanut butter
sandwich made for you at my house unless you’d ask
me my “flash cards.” I made the flash cards
from 3 x 5 in. Index cards with questions on the front and
the answers on the back. I carried them in my back jean’s
pocket and studied every chance I got. (I guess I was a
little brain dead I had a hard time remembering stuff).
While I helped my children, they were expected to quiz me
on the flash card material.
Budgeting is not a punishment. It’s your money. You
worked hard for it. Don’t give it away without a good
reason. A budget will help you spend your money the way
you want to. And remember: You can either earn interest
or you can pay it. Watch out for debt.
The
difference between you and the richest people in America
is not level of education, race, color, religion, or amount
of family wealth. The only difference is that they have
a better goal plan.
Write your goals down.
Be specific with what you want.
Be realistic.
Set
a deadline for the goal’s achievement. Read
your goals morning and night and don’t
go to bed until you have done at least one thing toward
them.
Almost every goal starts with a phone call. You need lots
of information before you know how to proceed. Pick up the
phone and make the call. You’ll find reaching your
goals much easier than you though. Mentors make a difference.
Ask someone you admire to help you brainstorm solutions
to a problem or help you finalize a goal or help you parent
your children. They have a wealth of information to share.
Take advantage of it. They will be flattered you asked.
