Paul Ferraresi

I find that as each new year comes, people often state, “Gee, where did the year go? It went by so quickly.” And yet, other times people bemoan that things are moving too slowly. Since we, in general, are here on this planet for 100 years and then pass away for eternity…here is a glimpse of how long eternity is….

“In the cold northern wastes there is a mountain a thousand miles long, a thousand miles high. Once each thousand years a small bird flies north. This small bird flies north to sharpen his beak on the cold hard stone of the mountain. When the mountain is thusly worn down, one second of eternity shall have passed.” –Tibetan Poem

The end of the year and the beginning of a new year make people reflect back on their lives and lessons learned. I received a list of “Lessons Life Taught Me” from a 90-year-old woman. Over the years I have added to this list and continue to do so.

May I suggest you sit in a quiet place with your family and add to this list and continue to do it each year. Maybe by the time we all get the list up to 1000, well…we will have gotten this “life” thing down.

Wishing you success and happiness.

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s okay to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
14. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry – God never blinks.
15. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
16. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
17. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
18. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
19. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
20. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
21. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
22. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
23. The most important sex organ is the brain.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, “In five years, will this matter?”
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
34. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
36. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
37. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
38. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
39. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
40. The best is yet to come.
41. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
42. Yield.
43. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Most people do not realize that small changes can add up to “big” gains. For instance… if you saved $100/month, that is, $3.00 per day (3/4 of a Starbucks coffee), from the day you started work, until age 65, at the stock market’s average return, you would accumulate $1.2 milllion.

Let’s take a look at 3 friends…Larry, Moe and Curly. They all live in the same neighborhood, all earn around $50,000 per year, have average health and body weight.

Larry:

o Goes along with his everyday routine.

o He is happy.

o Complains that nothing ever changes.

Moe:

o Makes some small, seemingly insignificant changes that are positive.

o He reads in the evening and listens to 30 minutes of something instructional or motivational.

o He read an article from Doctor Oz and decided to cut 125 calories from his diet each day. Also, he started walking a couple of thousand extra steps a day.

Curly:

o Has made a few bad choices.

o Bought a new big screen TV so he can watch more of his favorite shows.

o Is trying out new fattening recipes from the Food Channel.

o Installed a bar in the family room and added 1 drink/week to his diet.

After 5 months:

No difference seen in the 3.

After 15 months:

Still no noticeable changes.

After 25 months:

Changes showing.

After 27 months:

Expansive differences show up.

After 31 months:

o Changes are startling.

o Curly is fat; Moe is trim. By cutting 125 calories per day, he lost 33 pounds.

o Curly only ate 125 calories more than Moe and gained 33 pounds. Thus, Curly weighs 66 pounds more than Moe now.

o Also, since Moe has been reading, he has a new job, and a happy marriage. Curly is unhappy at work and in his marriage.

o Larry is about the same as before.

You can and must make changes in your financial life immediately. It can be small but the payoff is great.

Ah yes, discipline or regret.

“Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to.”

A man I truly admired was John Wooden. He coached the UCLA basketball team to a record number of National Championships. I wonder if his record will ever be surpassed.

He had a unique philosophy and attention to detail. (Like teaching his college players how to properly put on their socks. If done incorrectly, it would lead to blisters and make them unable to play).

He followed a creed for happiness. One of his principles was in a poem:

Making the Most of Oneself

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

He had high ideals for excellence and a code of conduct to find happiness. He said happiness comes from making and keeping nine promises:

1. Promise yourself that you will talk health, happiness and prosperity as often as possible.

2. Promise yourself to make all your friends know there is something in them that is special that you value.

3. Promise to think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best in yourself and others.

4. Promise to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

5. Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

6. Promise to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements in the future.

7. Promise to wear a cheerful appearance at all times and give every person you meet a smile.

8. Promise to give so much time improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

9. Promise to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit trouble to press on you.

John suggested everyone should recite these every day and he believed that you will have lifetime happiness. John is now deceased but I can still say…Thanks, Coach.

“You cannot win if you do not begin.”

If you have a desire to help motivate entrepreneurs in developing nations, you may want to consider Microfinance. No, this is not lending to your brother-in-law, by the way, who will never pay you back. These are responsible (gee, that is a new word for a lot of Americans) individuals that want a way out of poverty. In many countries and cultures, people are more entrepreneurial than
in the U.S.

I remember, many years ago, when Ross Perot was running for President of the United States. He uttered one line that stuck with me …”Give me an immigrant (legal); I’ll back him financially, and, we will both become millionaires.” In my own lifetime personal studies, I have found the further away (number of generations) Americans are from their immigrant ancestors….the fatter and happier they are (I do not mean waist measurement). So, take a look at being a banker via Microfinance.

There are about 4,000 registered microfinance banks that make small loans to entrepreneurs in developing nations (many times, comprised of women in small villages who cannot get money from traditional banks). The purpose of the loan is so they can start up a new business or expand an existing one. The business may be as simple as sewing clothes, raising chickens or selling food in a local market.

The interest rates charged by microbanks may be in the range of 30% to 40% because of the high costs to service the small loans. Although these rates seem high by our standards…they are much less than black market “loan shark” rates.

As the loans are repaid …and… they are…the microbanks put the money back to work and pay out a reasonable return to you, the investor. There is about a 5% default rate, so, 95% of the loans are repaid. The interest paid out to investors is in the mid to high single digits.

Here are some examples:

• A 5-year note by MicroVest paying 6%.
• A senior tranche by FINCA was paying 7.5%.
• Those with, say, only $1,000, can take advantage of Community Investment notes offered by the Calvert Foundation.
• You may want to look at the Global Impact Investing Network (GINN).

Do your research online. There are a host of avenues in which your money can help another person, in a remote place in the world, and have a chance to improve their lives.