WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR A MILLION DOLLARS?

Let's say that someone is so benevolent that they would write you a check of one Million Dollars. Would you be happy? Of course you would.

Here is the catch though...(there always will be a catch): All that this philanthropist wants to see is a breakdown of how well you will use that bounty to generate more income over a period of time. He does not want you to go and prepare that plan, he wants you to show it to him...right now!

The plan must be well broken down to the detail: The projects, the resources, the time-frames, the people, the projected revenues...the works.

Question: Would you qualify?

Do you have a plan to spend use this?

Think about that. I mean, let's really think about that. Do we seriously think about this stuff? I am not just talking about a Million Benjis here...your level might be different than mine. Let's say your dream of a financial windfall is USD 50,000. Would you still qualify?

Here is the thing...I am ready to bet that cash has been eluding people because they have not been minding about cash. 

For the most part, people think about the money they do have, or what they can expect in terms of income. People seldom plan for dream cash down to the details...including me up to recently. Yet that is changing for me. If my goal is to be worth 10 Million Dollars, I need a plan on how to handle that cash.

1. How much is allocated for my projects (Assuming that the projects are already conceptualized)
2. How much is allocated for other people's projects (Assuming that I have a heart to help a certain group of people)
3. How much is allocated for investments (Assuming that I have in-depth knowledge of what kind of investments suit me. Refer to the article on Shortcuts here)
4. How much is allocated for the next generation (Assuming that I have a vision that spans my life-time to the next and the next)
5. How much is allocated to lifestyle (Assuming that I am prudent enough to schedule my joys)
6. How much is allocated to research (Assuming that I am progressive enough to invest in science and technology for the greater good of the world)
7. How much is allocated for other people's dreams (I will never forget the day Oprah gave cars and houses to several people both in her audience as well as those suggested through mails)
8. How much is allocated to spread the Gospel (Good news. It needs cash to spread it)
9. How much is allocated to nurturing the talents/ gifts of my children. (This goes without saying).
10. How much is allocated to building not just a home..but a house. 

The list is only as long as guess what? It is as long as your dreams. Which begs this question: What are your dreams? Are they documented? 

You see, those are the million-dollar questions that you need to ask yourself. Honestly, very many people do not have a dream financial figure. Chances are that they are afraid to dream...or do not have time to dream...or they have not made their dreams clear to the dregs of the details.

Your financial dream might not be millions of dollars. In fact, your financial dream is directly proportional to the purpose you want to accomplish in life. So do you know that purpose? You see, many people have this all backwards. People think about money (mostly not to an accurate figure), yet do not know what in the world they would do even with a fraction of that money! Isn't it any wonder that we do not see the money?

Our challenge today is to craft to the very dregs of detail, what we would do with our dream bounty of cash. If we can do this and look it over carefully, chances are that well below five years, that dream will become a reality.

True, isn't it?

ALL ABOUT MONEY

In case you have not noticed, I have taken some time without posting here. This is both by design and default. Money....is it the root of all evil?

I am working on my second (actually third) book. This book is a personal walk through the turmoils I have faced while seeking the dollar. It is loaded with anecdotes here and there that you can use to inject vision, passion and direction in your financial pursuits.

As such, today, we are taking some words of advice from one Personal Financial Guru, David Bach. He is an author of several books including one that I own called "Smart Couples Finish Rich". Here goes:

 

Hi Everyone,

The one incredible universal truth that has stood test of time is that the more you give the more you receive.

This notion--that the more we give back to others, the more comes back to us--is not simply a religious doctrine; it is virtually a law of nature. If you are looking to attract more wealth and happiness into your life, the fastest way I know how is to give more.

HAVING IT ALL...THROUGH TITHING
What exactly is tithing? Tithing is the proactive practice of giving back. It is a spiritual principle common to many traditions that says you should give back a portion of what you receive, that those blessed with abundance have a duty to help others through gifts of kindness, time, ideas, and money. What is amazing about tithing is that when you tithe you get a feeling we often associate with acquiring material things. You simply feel great.

HOW TO TITHE
Should you tithe? Ultimately, it's a personal decision. Still, I'd like to suggest that if you are not doing it now, you should give it a try. Take a percentage of your income and start donating it to some worthy cause. You could donate the 10% traditionally associated with tithing, you could donate more, or you could donate less. As I said, tithing is personal; it's not about percentages but about the love of giving. What's important is simply that you get started.

You might want to start small--say, by giving only 1% if your income--and let your contributions grow over time, just the way I suggested you start with Pay Yourself First. Not only will the process of starting create a momentum in your life that will change your destiny, you will also be helping others in the process.

If this sounds at all attractive to you, take a look at the simple Five-Step Plan for Tithing on my blog by CLICKING HERE. If you are in a relationship, discuss it with your partner. See if it feels right. If it does, give it a try. You will be amazed how much doing things for others can do for you.

CLICK HERE FOR MY 5 STEP PLAN FOR TITHING.

Do you tithe? If so, how has giving back impacted YOUR life, wealth and happiness? If you haven't started yet, what charity or cause would you chose to donate your time/money to? Be sure to leave your comments and stories on my blog or Facebook page.

Live Rich,

David Bach
Founder, FinishRich Media, LLC.
www.finishrich.com
9 Time New York Times Bestselling Author
Author, #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Automatic Millionaire
Author, #1 New York Times Best-Seller, Start Late, Finish Rich
Join our community of smart empowered consumers at www.facebook.com/davidbach.

YEAH BUT...WHERE IS THE MONEY?

"How will money in the hand of the foolish get him wisdom, seeing that he has no sense? "~Proverbs 17:16 (BBE) 

Let me ask you a question. What is the best time to shop for a car? Now, this is not a trick question. It is an important Life Signatures question. What is the best time to shop for nice sofa sets and curtains? Let me tell you when: The best time to shop for stuff is when you have no dime in the pocket! You know why? You tend to be very objective and you tend to have lots of time and patience to get the best at the perfect price. Woe to you if you had MONEY enough to purchase your type of car...and you have not taken time to shop around. I assure you that the first car dealership you enter, you will drive away with a vehicle. Then later on after the 'itch' you had to get that vehicle has been satisfied, you will start realizing that you could have waited longer, you could have shopped more, you could have compared prizes more...you could have gotten a better deal!

 Have you ever had this statement: "I wish I had the money...I would..." The flip side of my earlier question is this. Very many people are hand-cuffed in the illusion that without cash, they can do nothing. So you do not find people shopping for where they wanna go or what they want to own...because they have no cash right now. You find a visionary like me not writing a book...'because I have no cash to publish'. Isnt that just pretty myopic? Honestly speaking...the many things that we abdicate doing, do they really need cash? How much cash do I need to finish a manuscript? How much cash do I need to put a magazine together before it is published? How much cash do you need to do something about that thing that you are passionate about right now? Hardly a dime in most cases!!

Yes, in the end, I will need the cash for my website, my new books, and all the projects of Life Signatures...but that is just that...IN THE END. Which tells you that we can do something NOW with the fire within us...even when there are no VISIBLE funds to bring the project to completion. Look at it this way. There is a big passionate visionary, whose vision is to finance all the 'stalled' Life Signatures projects. All he wants is to see the passion, and the project...and inject in the finances. Pray tell me...do you think he will finance whatever vision is in your ka-head? Hardly! Do you think he will finance the invisible project? However passionate you are about it, if you have not done what you are in control of right now, you will not be in luck. In fact, If he was financing my book, he will very well like to read my manuscript. Now...where is that manuscript? Do not tell me you don't have it since you did not know where money to print it will come from! Break those illusionary handcuffs off of you that tell you you can do nothing until cash shows up! Cash hardly shows up where there is nothing!

I hope we understand the gist of this message. Stop sitting on your laurels because you do not see the end of your project right now. You are not God Almighty! He's the Only one able to see the end from the beginning with all dimensions. Our calling is to take charge of what is in our domain right now. Do not say you cannot sing because you do not have money. Money does not make your voice smooth...practise does!

It is difficult to talk about Life Signatures without touching that subject of the all mighty dollar. It takes provision to finance a Visionary's dreams. Yet I have come to realize that money is simply the grease, the oil that makes the machinery synergize. Without cash, it is impossible to bring the vision to fruition. Yet, the cash is not Paramount! Without the vision, forget about the cash! What do you need the cash for?

All visionaries should come to that place where they have no dime to finance their vision. In fact, very few visionaries really start out with all the pieces of the puzzle in place. Much as it would be OK to have everything in place for our dreams and Visions, I prefer that we only have the seeds, the concept of the dream. This way, we can do all there is to do that is within our control for the sake of the vision. In fact, how badly are we passionate about the dream? It will show when we keep on believing despite the seeming 'lack' of money. Listen, the other way of spelling money is V.A.L.U.E. All you have at the moment without the money, is to add concept after concept to the dream thus building multiple VALUE. Then when the money comes (It shall surely come, I tell you), you will then move with utmost speed. Remember the Chinese bamboo that is watered for four years even before it sprouts from the ground then shoots up to 45 Meters High in two months? That is the VALUE I am talking about.

The worth of an individual or a vision is not the amount of money in the petty cash box right now. This statement is deep and worthy of a retake. My worth is not necessarily my money...that can get lost tomorrow. That is why misplaced elements will always shoot at you when you exude passion about your dream, "Yeah, but where is the money?" They are gauging the progress of your dream and Vision with how much money you have to throw around. Just because there could be no PHYSICAL cash to show of your efforts right now does not mean you abandon the vision to something that brings in QUICK CASH. There is nothing like quick cash. It is a fantasy. Real steady flowing income more or less follows VALUE. I do not necessarily need Cash to build VALUE do I?

Have a week full of VALUE wont you?