Society and the school system has us buying into the belief that attaining a college degree is equivalent to having a secure life.  I say go for it if what you want to do with your life actually requires specialized education, like being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer.  However, take time to think.  If you want to do something entrepreneurial, creative, or innovative (and this is what is needed in the new economy), then you need to ask yourself if you really need that college education, or if you can just believe in yourself enough to realize that you are more than capable of teaching yourself what you need to know with the limitless information that is available on the internet and through real world practice and experience. 




College can be a great experience, I know.  But remember, it's an experience you'll be paying for many years after it's over.  There are limitless experiences you can have and create for yourself in this world without such a huge financial burden.  And you have access to all the information you could possibly desire with the click of a mouse.  Please realize that our education system is stuck in that it is operating as if information is a rare commodity.  This was true in the industrial age.  It is not true today.  The price students are paying for a college education and the value that they actually receive from it has stopped matching up a long time ago.


Take my words or leave them, it's your choice - but that's just it - let whatever you do be your choice and take 100% responsibility for it.  If you're going to go to college, know how much debt you'll be carrying after you graduate, be mindful of what the market is like for whatever it is you're majoring in, get some real life experience of the field to know if it's something you want to spend the majority of your time and energy doing, look at people who have been doing what you're planning on doing for 10, 20 years and ask yourself if you want to be like them.  Will you be able to afford a home?  A family?  Will you be able to spend the time that you want with your family?

And if you're thinking of not going to college, then you really got to get serious and figure out what skills you need to be building and books you need to be reading.  You got to learn how to make money and how stay successful long term.  You might even need to unlearn alot of stuff you've been conditioned to believe.  You got to get comfortable with failing and being outside of your comfort zone and seeing that as a good thing.  You got to stop acting like you're always waiting for permission and start giving yourself permission.  You got to start studying the success principles and realize that everything is up to you.

Let the value you give to the world be your resume.

Make your choice.

Goal Brain Dump Worksheet pdf free ebook download from www.myfinancialindependencecoach.com

GIRL TIP

For some reason, girls have a hard time keeping two things clean and organized: their purse and their car.  Our rooms may be tidy, our clothes nice and neat, but we struggle with these two things and we don't realize the negative effect it has on us until we actually clean out our purse or car and feel the difference.  I heard somewhere how these things are an extension of ourselves...wow.

I'd like to share how I've been able to improve my messy purse situation...my car though is still another story.

Purse tips:

• You gotta break down and admit that no matter how cute a purse may be, if it doesn't have the compartments and dividers you need, it will not be useful to you.  You may like walking around with that fancy, cute bag and get lots of compliments on it, but if someone asks you for your business card and you have to commence the dreaded "black hole ritual," then you have to choose between being Miss Fashion or Miss Professional.

• Good News!  There is a source for purses that look awesome and keep you organized.  I've owned a LUG bag for years and no matter how many other purses I try out, I keep coming back to my LUG.  It still looks brand new and it serves so many purposes.  I use my LUG for:

- keeping my business catalogs and samples dent-free and easy to pull out in the middle of a conversation.
- rosary
- sunglasses
- wallet
- earphone
- toiletries, hair comb
- iPad
- business cards
- pens, highlighters
- there's even a compartment for a pair of shoes! (Yes, it's useful - I do sometimes change my shoes multiple times in a day)

All these items have their own spot in my purse.  Yes, there are that many compartments.  Gotta love LUG.  You can browse the LUG selection at www.luglife.com.  It's one of the best investments I've made. :)

• Every night, I empty my purse so I can see what needs replenishing and what needs putting away.  For example:

- any business cards I get from other people needs to be put in my business card holder book and the information on the card needs to be entered into my contact system on my iPad.  I use a program called "base" that allows me to record memorable information about the person and schedule an action step I can take to turn that business card into someone I can network more with.  You can check it out at www.futuresimple.com  If you don't take immediate, constructive action with the business cards that people give you, they can become worthless fast.

- I replenish my own business cards.  It's not a nice feeling when you're in the middle of networking with someone and you realize that all your cards are at home!

- I replenish my business tools and materials.  My business goes where I go and not having any material with me is like saying, "I am closed for business."

- I take out any receipts and input the information onto the financial app on my iPad (I currently use "Money for iPad"). 

So, now you know my secret. ;)  However, the only way that you are going to maintain this habit is if you learn to see your purse as a tool that is supposed to help you build a life that works.  This is my mindset.  My purse helps me build my business, expand my network and feel supported in my intention to focus on what's important.  Is your purse dragging you down or lifting you up?

I'd like to share an app that has made my life easier.  It's called Opus Domini.  If you've ever used the Franklin Covey Planner system, this app is as close as you can get to it!  And for me, it's better than the paper planner because those things can get heavy and when something is too cumbersome to carry with you all the time, you'll end up not using it.  This was the case with me when I invested in a Franklin Planner a couple years ago.  After that, I switched to a mini moleskine planner, but even though that was more portable, it didn't help when my schedule would get complicated.  This app has the best of both worlds - the weight is your iPad or iPhone and it has every single feature of the Franklin Planner system. 

Right now, I am using the free LITE version.  Eventually I'll pay for the full package which is 8 or 9 bucks, but I want to get in the habit of utilizing the basics before adding on the all the bells and whistles. 


(This picture looks like the Lite version I have now, except my tabs [on the right edge] only feature the first two: Daily Tasks and Master Tasks)

What I like about the Opus Domini Lite:

• I can write down all the things I need to do under Tasks, and then I can transfer the tasks to the schedule.  Writing a To Do list means nothing if you don't designate a time to get the stuff done. 
• There's this red "needle" that combs through the schedule in congruence with the time of day.  This helps because I can look at my schedule and know instantly where I stand.  There is no "Ok, what time is it now?  What's next?  Did I miss something?"  When the needle is aligned with an event/action (marked by those colored boxes), it's like a signal to my brain: "Do this now before the needle makes it out of the box."  Weirdly helpful.   
• The mini month at a glance at the top of the page is helpful.  No flipping around to get to it.
• The quotes are always a breath of fresh air and the main reason why I bought a Franklin Planner in the past.
• The empty space for Daily Notes is great for getting stuff out of your brain, even if it's not task oriented.

The paid version of the app looks super cool and extra helpful, but I recommend starting out with the Lite version so that you get the knack of using this tool as a part of your life.  In the end the simple features are really the most important features.

Visit this link for more information about this app: http://www.piso13.com/Piso13/Opus_Domini_mobile.html

Hi, here are my notes from an interview of Seth Godin that I listened to on the Smart People Podcast.

www.smartpeoplepodcast.com

People need to transfer their passion to their jobs rather than search for a job that's their passion.  This is more achievable and creates opportunities.  (Meanwhile, be working on your own business)

Fail relentlessly then fail some more.

We need to stop complying with the system and draw our own map.

The system has failed forever.

The new system rewards people who are willing to do something different.

Everyone is capable of producing "art", of being creative.

What matters is how you deal with your fear.

Failure and struggle should be your normal and the easy, "fine" times are the exception.

Use your fear as a compass of what you should do, not what you shouldn't do.

Dig deep and do the hard work longe before it's due.

Real artists don't wait for perfection.  They ship.  They GO FOR IT.

You no longer need to go to a specific school to learn things now that we have the internet.

Examples of things rarely taught in school:

• public speaking
• how to look things up
• life-long learning
• reading a book a week

We're stuck in the mindset of teachings facts rather than teaching life-long learning.

We don't teach kids that they have the power to create.

Stumbled across an interesting website the other day - www.darlingmagazine.org.  It features articles based on self-improvement, better living, etc, but what makes it unique is that the content seems to be organized according to personality type.  So, you can read according to how you operate in the world.  You simply click on the persona (signified by a really charming illustraion) that fits you - the intellectual, the dreamer, the explorer, etc.  This is great because information that may be helpful to "the achiever" could be a little jarring on the mindset of "the dreamer."  While we do embody the traits of many personality types - you can be an achiever with a bit of dreamer mixed in (making you a very creative achiever) - it's just neat to have the personalization.  Check it out. :)

Photo Credit: http://darlingmagazine.org/

Issue 5 of This girl Means Business magazine is live and in it is a book review by moi! Check it out at www.thisgirlmeansbusiness.com. :)