Know the difference between your boat and yourself.

I was listening to public radio. They were discussing the impact of this “down economy” on individuals. One women called in to say she had been laid off. She had been working 24/7 juggling kids, house and work. She had been dealing with cell phones and emails and was constantly on call.

She said that after loosing her job, everything stopped. She felt dead.

In our society, when someone asks who you are we usually respond by telling them what we do. When you loose your job you loose your identity. On this river of life, it is important to know the difference between you and your boat.

When your boat sinks, swim for shore, build another boat and continue your journey. Take time to rest and relax then climb to a high point. Survey the river, check out where you’ve been and then decide where you are going and cast off.

Be sure you can tell people who you are and what you do. Don’t make a book out of it. Tell them in 30 seconds. Since I retired 20 years ago, I’ve been on my own. I tell people I’m a forester, a conservationist and a story teller. If they want to know more, I’m a photographer, videographer and writer. In my work, I try to help people understand each other and their relationship to our environment.

I know who I am and what I am trying to accomplish. The water may be cold and getting dumped out of your boat can be a shock. Don't drown. Don’t let loosing a job take you identity. Set your course for a higher goal. You may even find you enjoy captaining you own ship.

Bill
http://web.me.com/kumuwaiwai

Your financial ark

Noah’s Ark can teach us some things about weathering the current financial turmoil.

Noah had to plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. Yes, we know it'll be raining in 2009. Pouring hard. But the real storm is within you. So is your ark. Noah had to plan ahead. So do you. You cannot worry about the money you have already lost. Plan ahead, budget, save. Cut expenses. Build your ark. It's never too late. The river doesn’t stop flowing just because your in trouble.

Don't listen to critics, just get on with what needs to be done Only one in three Americans were building their retirement ark before the credit crunch. Most have less than $15,000 savings. Most ignored the coming flood, laughing at ark-builders for wasting their money. Don't listen, do what's right.

Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by pros. The Pros: Wall Street, Corporate America, Washington, Cable anchors, White House, Congress, SEC, the Fed. They are the best and the brightest marketing gurus, but they lost billions. Listen to their happy talk ... and you'll sink in the flood. You know what's best for you. Trust your inner voice. You cannot trust anyone but your self. If you are going to invest in the market understand how to take advantage of trends and market indicators. If you don’t know what you are doing, put your money under the mattress.

Two heads are better than one. Remember, "they boarded in twos." You're not alone. Find a mentor. My marketing mentor told me a year before the market went bust that we where entering a bear cycle. He spotted the market break in October and told me to short into rallies. Those who followed his advice made a lot of money while others lost everything. Buy and hold is not good advice. It makes no sense to hold in a down market.

Most people don’t captain their financial boat. They just follow a captain who doesn’t care what happens to them. For those who held, it will take the better part of 10 years to get back to where they were in October. My mentor doesn’t tell me what to buy and sell. He tells me why he thinks a particular transaction has potential. The responsibility for setting my course is mine.

Think long-term, if you’ve built a good ark you will survive the rapids

Build your future on a solid boat. Set goals, figure out what you have to do to reach your goals. Many people are of course and scared to death. The are frozen by fear. Successful people start now and build for the future. Savings and education can help you set your course, but don’t wait for better times. Take advantage of today’s opportunities Today's recession is a great time to rethink your goals. Just do it.

Don't miss the boat, the a good ark will keep you from sinking. Action now. Yes, the market's below last year's peak, even below the 2000 dot-com peak. Make sure you know what you are doing. Look for opportunities. The market will recover. Houses that where valued at $750K in October are selling for $30K today. Steady your ark. Recoveries happen too.

Don't forget, we're all facing a wild financial ride. How well we survive depends on how well we outfitted our arch. America is a great land of opportunity, even in a bear-recession. If you kept your credit cards under control, if you’ve saved and invested soundly, your ark is in good shape. If you are in trouble trim your sail, batten your hatches and ride out the storm. When you have a chance, throw a lifeline to someone who is in more trouble than you.

Speed isn't always an advantage. Arks are made to weather the storm. They are not made for speed.

Woodpeckers inside are a larger threat than the storm outside. Attitude is the key to success, it's an inside job folks. Successful investing does not depend on a "positive mental attitude." It begins with knowing what you are doing and having the confidence to do it. Remember, you job in a recession is to protect your resources.

When you're stressed out, take a time out. Turn within. Listen to the still small voice. Pray. Meditate. Exercise. Go for a walk. Take a break. Call an old friend, kibitz. Help someone who is worse off. Answers come when you give your subconscious a chance to work for you.

Sometimes a force bigger than you takes control and guides you through the rapids. If you are frantically trying to steer, you are not going to be listening.

Sometimes, you just have to look for the rainbow in the storm and steer for it.

The Power of Indirect Action

Rule 14 The Power of Indirect Effort

Have you ever noticed that when you argue with people the argue back, when your fight the other guy fights back. When you hate, you are hated. But, when you love you are likely to be loved. You cannot teach you kids to be honest if you lie to them.

When one of my children was very young they stole some candy from the store. My wife has an eagle eye. She made them take it back and apologize to the store owner. Then she had them work off the debt.

My son taught me about unconditional love. Love should be given with no strings attached. Simply encourage people to be all they can be. That doesn’t mean you give an alcoholic a drink when he wants one. I does mean you give them love and respect and encourage them to come clean.

Sometimes, a person doesn’t respond. An abusive husband is domineering and violent because of his need to be in control. If you are in such a situation, it is time for you to cut you boat free and plot your own course.

Don’t try to do it on your own. Look for support. A mentor can help you plot your best course. Find some one you admire and respect who has achieved what you want to achieve. Finding a mentor may be as simple as asking for help.

One last thing, live in the moment but plan for the future. Don’t get upset if things don’t go as expected. Accept the challenge of the river. If you capsize your kayak you are going to get wet, but if you know how to do an Eskimo roll, you are going to come back up on top.

To often, we value our selves by what we do. When we loose a job, it can be devastating not only financially, but psychologically. The toughest job you will ever have is looking for a job. Remember, you are never a failure until you quit trying.

The present recession headed for depression has everyone scared. Our houses are loosing value and our retirement funds have lost half their value. People worry that they may loose their jobs. Many already have.

Many people believe in the great, independent, self sufficient American. It is the idea of everyone for themselves. Such people have never experienced being a single mom struggling to feed her children on a minimum wage job.

Many street people in Hawaii hold full time jobs, but they have to live in their cars because they cannot afford $1000 a month for a studio apartment. They join a gym so they can clean up and go to work. People who are hurting and cannot help themselves need help. Who is going to do it? Charities are struggling and failing to provide services. The only organization that can provide consistent help is our government. People who arbitrarily oppose “big government” simply want fewer services. Sure, welfare has its problems, because people tend to depend on it, but we must provide help for those who cannot help themselves. At the same time, we must help those people learn the skills needed for them to become independent.

Obama is right. Create jobs by repairing much needed infrastructure; help people go back to school and providing help to people who cannot survive without help. Otherwise, this country will descend into chaos and only a fortunate minority will be able to live the good life.

We must each take responsibility for our own life, but we also must make sure that our neighbors in trouble have the help they need.

The Power of Persuation

Captains Chart Courses for Their Reasons, Not Yours

Remember, when you work for someone else, you work for their goals not yours.

Some people are lucky enough to hook their boats together when they have a similar course in mind. For many people who hate their jobs, it is because they hooked up to a boat that is pulling them where they don’t want to go.

Some bosses push and others pull. Pushers tell you what to do and when to do it. Most people resent being told what to do. Pushers can build a tight organization, but they won't have happy people. Employees who work for them, work reluctantly.

Bosses who pull their team together do it by selling their goals. They convince their employees that what they're doing is important. They lead by example.

It is strange, but most people do not know how to sell their goals to others. Common methods of motivation include criticizing, complaining, condemning, advising, demanding, manipulating, arguing, defending, and threatening. None of these things do anything more than alienate others.

Even a logical argument may not be effective, because many people make their decisions based on their gut and not on their head.

People are all different and what motivates one will fail was another. You’ve probably all heard of the hierarchy of needs. If you're being threatened, nothing but survival will motivate you. Many people in this world scratch for enough to eat and drink. Their life depends on finding food and water. You can't talk to them about conserving wildlife before they have adequate food and shelter.

Persuasion requires agreement, and you cannot force an agreement. As a sales person, I was taught to ask leading questions. If I got 20 “Yes” answers during the presentation, I knew I was going to close the sale. When you try to persuade the first step is to get agreement on the desired outcome. The only way to be sure their job is on track as to clearly define the standards and guidelines for the successful job. Next you have to make sure that your boat is well outfitted. If you're in the middle of the river and you don't have a oar, you're going to be in trouble. Make sure the rewards and consequences are clear and give them time to practice. Once they have mastered the work, get out of the way and let them do their job.

How can you get someone to agree with you? Ask questions. Our founding fathers asked, “What do you think of taxes without representation? What happens when the king's soldiers take over your home? How will you react when the king takes away your weapons?

In sales, we learned to ask open ended question. An open-ended question cannot be answered yes or no. An open-ended question leads to a conversation. An open ended question usually begins with who, what, when, where, why or how. The close comes when you asked a confirming question. The salesperson will ask, “We have compared the Perfect vacuum cleaner with your vac, and you've seen how much more dirt the Perfect pulls. We know you want to clean house, don't you agree that the Perfect is far better than anything you've ever seen?”

The confirming question is a powerful close.

When you want to persuade you first have to build trust. Then you have to gain their attention. You're never going to be able to make a sale during the Super Bowl. Use questions to understand what people want and desire. Confirm, clarify and agree upon a desired outcome. If you try to sell the world's fastest speed boat to someone who wants to sail around the world, you will not make the sale. Look for areas of agreement. The salesperson had to convince his clients that their vacuum was junk before he had any chance of closing the sale.

Don't tell people what they all ready know. I taught a course in video production to elementary school kids. I assumed they had had no experience, but I quickly learned that they were producing a major documentary for their school and a few of them even had video editing equipment at home. I had to supplement what they already knew..

Don't be afraid to close more than once. Advertisers repeat their message over and over for a very good reason. People generally have to be exposed to the sales pitch at least five times before they'll take action. Once you've achieved an agreement, be sure to follow up. Why do you think your local grocery store sends you all those ads for special prices?

People are always complaining that the river is unfair, but that's simply not true. The river doesn't even know you're there. Stop complaining about the river and learn to steer your course to take advantage of the current.

Learn to speak you boss's language

If you want your crew to listen, learn to speak their language.

I used to teach management principles to state employees. One day as the class was winding down, a gentlemen came up to me and asked, “Do you really believe that stuff?” I told him yes, and I was speaking the truth. It was only later that I learned how wrong I was.

One of the principles I taught was that you define your goals, break those goals down into measurable steps, and check regularly to make sure you are still on course. Then adjust your course before you got too far off track.

To do this, I always tried to make sure I understood my boss’s goals. Then, I would break those goals down into the steps I needed to take in order to accomplish them. In order to make sure I stayed on track I let my boss know what I was doing. It works fine, as long as my boss is understood what I was trying to do.

I was promoted and assigned to new boss. After I made my first report to him, he wrote me a letter of reprimand, telling me that I worked for him, I would not tell him what to do and he would give me daily assignments. He expected them to be carried out to the letter.

I went to him and told him I needed his guidance and was not trying to tell him what to do. I was simply trying to keep him informed as to what I was doing so he could make sure that I was on course. He told me that because of the workload we could only respond to the demands of the job and repeated that I was not to take any initiative but was to do exactly what he told me.

Now it's true that the crew must follow orders, but it is hard to work for a man who doesn't set a course. I like to work with the team, but I always got my hackles up when someone told me what to do. When you're in this kind of a situation you have two choices. One is to find a new captain. The other, is to swallow your pride and follow orders. I needed to secure a retirement. So for seven years, I followed orders.

I try to learn from my mistakes. Looking back at it, rather than trying to use my initiative to do a better job, I should have relaxed and taken orders. If you are a crew member, you have the follow orders. One thing, you always have to remember is that time often resolves problems. Be patient, the boss will retire and you may take his place. Who knows, you may even get a boss you actually like working for.

Remember, if you're part of the crew you better understand your captain's language

Based on the book, "A River Worth Riding" by Lynn Marie Sager.

Navigating troubled waters

We have some stormy financial waters ahead. People are worried about their jobs and their ability to pay their mortgage. Some people are paralyzed with fear and anger.

The present financial crisis hasn't been seen since the Great Depression. Pres. Obama may be able to spread some oil on troubled waters, but even the most optimistic experts expect the storm to last a year or more.

There is nothing we can do about this financial mess, but, we can chart a course to minimize the danger. We need to batten down our hatches and trim our sails in order to weather this storm.

The most important thing is to pay off your credit cards. Focus on the card with the lowest balance first. If all your cards are maxed out, focus on the card with the highest interest. Second, when you get one card paid off take the money you were paying on the first card and add it to the payment you been making on the second card. That way you will be able to pay down the second card as fast as possible. Repeat the process for every card until you've got your credit cards under control.

You may have to take a second job in order to accomplish your goal. But, your choice is to bail out your boat or swamp. There is nothing you can do about the external forces causing this storm, but with smart planning you can weather it. If your boat winds up on the rocks, bankruptcy is a last resort. But, even then, remember that you can build another boat and you can control your course.

You are the master of your ship. Never ignore a debt you cannot pay. Face the lender straight on and negotiate a payment you can handle. Beware of late payments. Credit card companies are ruthless when it comes to increasing interest rates and tacking on late fees. If you simply stop paying on a credit card, late fees can amount to thousands of dollars.

When faced with a crisis, you must make a decision to take control. If you don’t steer you craft, the current can carry you into the worst of whirlpools.

Get resourceful. Face your fear and plot a course that will carry you through.

Overcome fear by getting physical. Exercise will not only make your stronger but it is also a great stress reliever. Some of your best ideas will come during a long run. Get in there and row your boat. It will make you stronger in mind and spirit.

Remember the rule of entropy. Use it or loose it. Feed your mind. The book, Navigating Life, is a good place to start. Read about successful people and how they overcame diversity.

If you loose your job, there is no shame. The only shame is in quitting.

Divide a page of paper in half. On the left side write down all the things you like to do. On the right side write everything you hate to do. How does your job stack up? Many people who suddenly found themselves without a job have gone on to find work they feel is really rewarding. Others have started their own businesses.

A business of your own can have enormous tax advantages even if you only pursue it part time while you keep your day job.

People have survived terrible adversity by focusing on the good things in their life. Develop a plan to succeed. Find a mentor who has done what you want to do and model your life on what has worked for others. A river guide knows from experience where to place his kayak to be able to shoot through a rapid. You'll be wize to follow his expample.

Visualize what you want on the river of life and develop a plan to get there. If your plans are not working, pull up to the bank and take time to figure out how to adjust your course and get back on the track to success.

Rule 9 Contribution and Compensation

Rule 9 Keep the River Clean and You’ll Always Have Water

The Power of Contribution and Compensation.

The power of contribution, says for every contribution you make to the river, you will receive an equal or greater compensation. I've seen many people give with the expectation they will receive great compensation. But, that kind of giving is manipulation.

True giving is a gift of love. It is giving to help with no expectation of return.

My grandmother always taught me to leave the beach a little cleaner than I found it. Now, I can clean up the litter along the bank, but I can't keep a paper mill from dumping its poisons in the river. The only way I can do that is to work with others to pass clean water legislation and make sure the legislation is enforced.

The "drilled baby drill" people don't care about the consequences of drilling. As long as they have cheap gas in their tank, they either don't look to the future, or they don't care what kind of mess they leave to our kids. The irony of this is we can't drill our way out of the problem. By drilling, we may be able to give ourselves enough time to develop alternate kinds of fuel. But oil is finite and we have gotten all the easy oil.

The free, unregulated market only works when the buyer and the seller bargain on an equal footing. If we buy cheap products from China, our local businesses can't compete without exporting our jobs overseas. This whole financial meltdown is a result of banks being able to sell their mortgages so they can take the risks of those mortgages off their books. When they're not responsible for the quality of their mortgage, their motivation is to sell mortgages. They don't have to worry about whether or not the buyer can afford the mortgage. When interest rates began adjusting upward, people started default.

The law of contribution and compensation hit them with a vengeance. They planned on living in the house for a year and a day, selling the house for a half million dollar profit and paying a 15% capital gains on the money they made. When the housing bubble burst, a lot of people got caught in a financial squeeze. They defaulted on their mortgage. When people saw their financial companies reporting, billion-dollar losses. The value of those companies plummeted, and investors converted their stock to cash.

Credit dried up, the stock market crashed, and we haven't seen the bottom yet. The problem was created by low interest rates, by skyrocketing housing costs, and by lack of federal oversight of the financial institutions. CEOs of these companies are still being compensated with millions of dollars a year. They haven't been fired and the federal government is using $750 billion of our money to try to keep these stock market manipulators from going bankrupt.

The law of contribution and compensation doesn't work when the only contribution is selling fraudulent stocks to unsuspecting investors and the compensation for doing that is a multimillion dollar reward. White-collar criminals shouldn't be rewarded; they should be jailed.

The bottom line on contribution and compensation is we give what we get, and we get what we give. Give hate and get hate back. Give love and love will come back to you.

"Turn the other cheek" does not mean you want to accept a beating. It does mean that you control your own boat and choose your own course. Recognize the difference between manipulation and true giving. Give yourself to make sure the river is clean, and you'll always be able to drink.

From “A River Worth Riding”, by Lynn Marie Sager, www.navigatinglife.org