The Goal Kicker - November 2008

Welcome to this month’s edition of “The Goal Kicker” – the monthly ezine produced by achieve-goal-setting-success.com - dedicated to helping you achieve your goals by providing goal setting related articles and reviews of the latest goal setting products available. In this edition you’ll find:

• An article on “Don’t panic! It’s just a recession.”
• A review of the “7 Day Success” program.
• A review of the book package “The Unbreakable Laws of Money”, by Brian Tracy
• A review of this month’s Featured Link to www.your-money-and-finance.com
• ToolBOX Talk – how to get the best out of the ”Budgeting” worksheet
• Our inspirational quote of the month explained.

And don’t forget that you can inspire others to achieve just by telling YOUR story of success or lessons learnt from a life experience.

Yours truly,

Sam Sander

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As part of this subscription we also issue a mid-month mini-newsletter – “The Goal Kicker: Hot Topics”. This mid-month issue is part of the same subscription as the monthly “Goal Kicker” and will include a short punch-list of new releases, new websites and refreshers on a range of success topics.

”Don’t Panic! It’s just a recession.”

But what does this really mean to you and me? And more importantly, what can we do about it… well read on to find out!

A recession occurs when there is a general downturn or slow down in the economy – people aren’t earning as much, or spending as much – and is considered a ‘normal’ and manageable part of the business cycle. After some time, the economy recovers and the cycle starts again.

A depression is just a degree worse, and is typically when the economy slows by more than 10%. This can result in job losses or significant cuts in salaries, inflation (or deflation) and reduced values of property and investments.

The current global economic crisis is due to the collapse of the sub-prime property market in the US. And because the US represents about 20% of the world economy, there is a domino effect to other economies – US stocks lose value, reduced imports to the US reduce income for other countries and so on.

But whatever the reason for a recession (or a depression), it just means that you may have less money available than you did, and the money you do have won’t go as far as it used to. And even though recessions typically only last 2-3 years, these can indeed be tough times for normal people like you and me.

But there are some things you can do to help yourself through.

First of all, DON’T PANIC! Recessions and depressions have happened before – and the world has got over them and moved on. We WILL get over this current crisis – but it may take a few years (or maybe more) to really get back on track.

So:

• Don’t panic sell – unless you have to. The horse has already bolted when it comes to selling to avoid losses. If you sell now, you WILL lose money.
• Hold onto property, unless you can’t afford to keep it – property will almost always return its value once the recession/ depression has passed. Be aware though that this may take some time.
• DO seek financial advice on your particular assets and investments – there is also a risk attached to holding onto your current investments (particularly stock). Get professional advice on your stockholdings and the best strategy for minimizing your losses.

Secondly, since in a recession earning more money could be more difficult or things may cost more, the emphasis needs to be on making the most of what you have. So budget like you’ve never budgeted before!

So:

• Scrutinize your spending – go through your last credit card statement and see where your money really went. And then…
• Cut Costs – cut back on unnecessary spending. See Your Money and Finance for cost cutting ideas…
• Cut back on the use of utilities – save power, water, walk to work and reduce your use of the phone. You’d be surprised how much these utilities cost you.
• Don’t be tempted to cut back on insurances – it’s times like these that you need to protect what you have.
• Prepare a new budget to see you through these tough times.

Over the past decade of relative affluence, our spending habits have become rather decadent. So a bit of reigning in of expenditure is probably a good thing for improving long term spending habits.

And thirdly, take advantage of the opportunity to invest in some real bargains!

If you have any spare cash:

• Pay off your debts.
• Invest in Gold.
• Invest in carefully selected property, if you don’t need to take out a significant mortgage to do so – and pay off any mortgage as quickly as you can.
• Invest in carefully selected dividend stocks – see a financial professional for advice in this regard.

And don’t forget about charity! If you think you’re doing it tough, just think about the people out there who are even less fortunate.

Note: It is important to seek professional financial advice before investing in anything!

Just remember that in 5 years time you’ll be able to look back at today’s financial crisis and evaluate how you handled it. Make sure you can give yourself a good financial report by making decisions now based on best financial advice.

For more information, check out Your Money and Finance – Achieve financial success and security using these FREE practical tools including personal budgeting and finance worksheets, templates, forms and action plans... not to mention, lots of information on everything you need to know about money - how to make the most of it, how to make more of it and how to deal with any money problems you may have.

Product of the Month – “7 Day Success”

We all have our own special dreams that we would like to accomplish - unfortunately though, only about 3% of all people ever achieve their dreams.

But achieving great results is no surprise or just luck. The Top 3% in society were not luckier in any area of life. The only secret is that they developed clear, focused goals and plans in the direction of their goals! That is why they always know how to use their time in order to achieve those goals.

Now there are several essential steps required to achieve your goals, each one representing a success creating skill that all successful people possess and practice. There are many self-help programs available that teach you these steps – one of the better ones is the 7-Day-Success program.

This program takes all the critical success strategies and turns them into a step-by-step process that thousands have already used to reach all sorts of goals, from tripling income, to starting a business to losing 50 pounds and more.

This is an Action-Step-By-Step-Guide which will take you virtually by the hand and push your life in as little as 7 Days onto the road to success. This isn’t a simple self-help eBook that is going to end up in some folder on your computer. This is a complete program — including follow up and accountability – that is literally a “lifeline” to whatever you want to achieve.

Every day you will be guided to fulfill one step towards the achievement of your dreams. You are not left alone with theoretical explanations because the core element of the 7-Day-Success-Ebook always is Action.

I definitely recommend that you take a closer look at this program.

Refer to the ”Software” and ”Systems” tabs on the NavBar for more reviews on other goal setting software and systems available.

Book of the Month – “The Unbreakable Laws of Money” package from Brian Tracy

Brian has compiled this valuable information into one incredible package – the “Unbreakable Laws of Money Package” – and given the current global economic crisis, what better time than NOW to learn more about money.

This super set contains a 60-minute CD audio program, a 239-page book, and a bonus 1-hour Teleseminar CD which are described below:

The 21 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Money (60-Minute CD)

You can become a master of money! Follow these laws to build your financial wealth. Over the years Brian has studied successful business owners, and self-made millionaires to find the real secrets about money. His studies have revealed the 21 absolutely unbreakable laws of money. Now is the time to become the master of your money. Learn the 21 absolutely unbreakable laws of money now and begin the life you've always wanted to live

Million Dollar Habits (239-Page book)

You are where you are today because 95% of what you think, feel and do is determined by your habits. New, positive habits can be learned. By altering your habits and replacing worn-out, ineffective practices with optimal behaviors, you'll notice dramatic, immediate benefits to your business and bottom line. You'll find your results, your income, and yourself changing for the better!

Money, Money, Money (60-Minute CD)

You make your own choices and decisions about money. If you are unhappy with the amount of money you are making, the only question you should be asking is How can I make more money? In this CD Brian teaches you important concepts about making more money, right now. These concepts will shift your limiting beliefs about money into limitless realities.

You can also download Brian’s FREE CD’s "21 Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires".

Featured Link of the month - www.your-money-and-finance.com

This new website compliments the ”Financial Goals” section of our Achieve Goal Setting Success website by providing more ‘how-to’ information on managing your money and finances.

You can find out about:

• Learn the basics about money and finance - Find out how to budget, how to save money and reduce debt, and get some great tips on how to tighten that money belt!
• Find out about debt – the good, the bad and the ugly! Find out how to make debt work for you, and how to avoid the pitfalls of modern credit.
• Find out how to make more moneymake more money – investments, assets, career, wealth creation, e-commerce and more.
• Teach your kids about money and set them up for life – kids that start ahead stay ahead!

So check out Your Money and Finance today!

ToolBOX Talk – how to get the best out of the ‘Budget’ worksheet

In the ”Financial Tools” section you’ll find a Budget Worksheet. The purpose of this worksheet is to prompt you to get together the details of all your income and expenditure – and then use this information to create a useful personal budget – just the thing we ALL need in today’s economic climate.

Remember that a budget is a plan of how to intend to manage your money. Like all plans, it is flexible and subject to change as your circumstances change – in this case income and expenditure (and this may fluctuate depending on how the ‘recession’ progresses).

You also need to keep in mind that budgets need to provide a positive cashflow – in other words, you need to earn more money and you spend. Negative cashflows (ie where you spend more than you earn) are not sustainable and are particularly dangerous when the economy is on shaky ground because there is no ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ to see your way through.

So, when filling in the budget worksheet, keep the following things in mind:

• Be particularly conservative when estimating your income – consider what may happen to your income during this recession. Are you likely to get a pay cut? Could you or your partner lose your job? Is your employer likely to cut back on overtime to save money?

  Try to predict the ‘worst case’ income scenario and base your budget on that. As long as your income does stay above your worst case scenario, then put the difference into savings or use it to accelerate your debt reduction payments.

• Be speculative when estimating your expenditure – are mortgage interest rates rising? Is inflation high and putting up prices of general goods and services?

  Again, put your worst case scenario into the budget spreadsheet and see what the output brings.

• If your worst case budget produces a negative cashflow, consider cutting back on costs where you can so that if the worst case does eventuate, you’re prepared and able to weather the storm.

  And in the mean time, cutting back on expenses gives you more cash in your pocket for reducing your debts or putting into savings.

For more information on money and finance, check out our new sister site ”Your Money and Finance” or stick to the “”Financial Goals” page on the Achieve Goal Setting Success website.

Have you got a better goal setting tool that you’d like to share with the world? Well, send it in and we’ll add it to the ToolBOX – kudos to you of course!

Our Quote of the Month – explained…

Both of these quotes are intended to motivate and inspire you to launch into goal setting action, but for subtly different reasons.

“Just Do It!” Is a great little booster for those moments of procrastination we all get from time to time. There is NO magic solution to procrastination – tasks won’t magically happen if you don’t do them [unless you believe in the housework fairy like my 4 year old son does!]. So for tasks you’re putting off, the best way to do them is to ‘just do them’.

There are some other little tricks you can use to motivate yourself to do these tasks – offer yourself a reward once you’ve completed the task, give yourself a deadline and stick to it – of course, the best reward is that feeling of satisfaction you get when you actually do it.

Of course, sometimes there are more sinister reasons for procrastination. One of them is ‘fear’ – either of the task itself, or of failure to perform at the task. If this sounds true to you then “No Fear” is the quote you should be using.

But what have you really got to fear? Unless the task you’re putting off involves wrestling with a crocodile, you’re probably not going to cause any physical pain to yourself. And as for the fear of failure – learn to learn from failure and just see it as a stepping-stone to success.

There are two useful books in the website Library that may help you with this – “Feel the Fear and do it anyway” and “The power of failure”. Don’t let fear paralyze you from taking action on your goals – remember, “No Fear”.

Well, that’s all for now!

But don’t worry, the next edition of “The Goal Kicker” is only a month away.

We would love to get your feedback on “The Goal Kicker”– what do you like? What don’t you like? - so we can make it even better.