In normal conditions your salary should be reviewed at least once a year. You know, the cost of living rises, your responsibilities increase, etc..
And maybe after several years of hard work and dedication to your company you've never got a raise.
Did you ask for it? And what happened?
Let me tell you that if your income has not increased, something goes wrong with your company.

Change what you need to change

We know that we should not work only for money and that we should work to learn and progress. Today at the end of the industrial age and with new technologies dawn, to stagnate is a real danger.

Do always keep your sword sharpened, for you and your company. Mostly for you. Find the necessary training and progress.
Plan your work in advance, think and act wisely, correct all that should be corrected.
To find the good answers you need to meditate about the good questions.
If your work is routine, analyze what happens around you and learn.
You are not part of the robotic race that always works without questioning anything, running after the carrot as with the rats race.
If you have good ideas and no one listens to them and time proves you were right, maybe you should change and find a more receptive environment to work.

Raise your salary yourself

I've written a lot about working for yourself and I firmly believe on it. Having a personal project gives you inspiration, motivation and money.
After all, if you are your own boss you decide what will be your salary, eh?
And you'd be living a beautiful experience in your life that changes your present and surely your future.
It is the experience of being the creator of your life and your own source of income.
With a project B, while you have no choice but to continue with the project A of working for someone else, you'll be forming and preparing exactly for what you need.
Your project B will begin to bear fruit soon.
And your project B will be soon your project A.
If you're only earning 10 euros per month, this is a start, a seed and proof that you can make 100, or 1000, or 10,000 euros in the future.
In those 10, 50 or 100 euros per month, money comes directly from you, your ideas and the work you have done for yourself, something you're passionate about.

If you don’t get a raise, do not wait, do not despair, and raise your salary yourself.
Think and act like a manager, keep on going on, you have nothing to lose and everything to win.
What do you think?

Photo by: James Brauer

Yes, you read that correctly: learn how to spend. After having written so many articles on how to save money, energy, bills, fees,  now I know that have to learn how to spend.

Now that you're out of debt and you finally started your investment plan, do you feel guilty when you buy something, ?

I think is mostly prudence after all that time with such financial problems and lack of money, you don’t want to repeat that.

Money has to flow

Now you've learned to control spenses and through your online banking account you watch what it happens with money to avoid surprises at the end of the month.
Money is something you need to take care about and watch, that’s something we’ve learned.
And with no debt and more cash, how to spend money?

Acquire things that represent value and quality over time

I have watched the rich spend money, well, I know some rich people and I’ve read about some others.
They don’t go around “burning” the credit card to fill the house with things that they don’t need. Some live in a minimalist style, in a house with few objects and lots of place to think, walk and relax the eyes on an empty space.
But when they buy something, is really valuable and lasting. they are not merely consumers that buy useless things because they need to fill a void.

Learn how to reward yourself

You've made lots of efforts and gone a long way to straighten your finances and now it is time to receive.
Extreme frugality is not forever, but you have to plan your purchases as you planned your expenses so far. Without obsessions, of course, I am speaking in a general way.
Maybe you'd like to make a great journey, one that you will remember forever, to a distant country where you forget time and spend a long vacation period.
This is something that requires preparation, and will be better than 15 day of summer vacation in the same old town.
Some feel guilty because they have bought a video game console, a smartphone, a new car, etc. .. All this is fine but not if you have to borrow and ask for credits to pay it all.

Do not buy worthless stuff, buy less frequently but buy things of value, good things.

Learn how to reward others

Think big and think also about giving to others, it is the wisest way to have a continuous flow of money, something that the great American millionaires have learned well and that is why they do so many altruist things:
Because thy’ve learnt that part of the money they’ve earned has to go back where it came from.
How do you spend money?

Fear is the fear of losing love.

When I was a child and I wouldn’t finish my meal they told me often: "Finish your food if you don’t want the bogeyman to come and get you."

This form of terrorizing small children to make them do things has its version in many countries, but the biggest fear of a child is losing love.

And that fear of losing the affection and love made me a quiet and obedient girl. Well, being quiet is part of my character in general, be obedient, not that much.

Therefore fear became a faithful friend, it followed me through the other stages of life and those inner fears were reflected in some facts of my life, like when those around you want to convince you not to do something for fear to failure.

Fear is the fear of change

And it is a contagious disease, so they actually advise you to do so and so because they are afraid themselves, especially afraid of losing comfort and afraid of facing any changes to never venture out of established routines.

Fear is a lie

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The media knows very well how to feed you with ideas of being afraid of yourself and your body (disease), fear of not receiving the retirement pay (poverty), fear of war, of violence ..

But the biggest lie is to fear yourself, when we said that we are afraid and we decided not to listen to ourselves and see what we really need, to see if our life is in line with our deeper desires.

And we prefer to take refuge in our everyday work, in compulsive shopping, stimulants and whatever.

Fear is a sign

And with all this, fear has a purpose and has a message: we are saying that all actions or thoughts that come from fear are not accurate and that something has to change.

Take full responsibility

It is the only answer. You know that the bogeyman is an invention, you know that war and violence exist, but how many real murders have you seen around you?

You know that there are people living on less than you need, but you are rich compared to them.

You know that there are always somebody who is wrong at work and someone could do it better: that someone is you.

If you change jobs or get out of your work to work for yourself, what could happen? Well, you would see that it is you who decides what to do with your life and you have a great opportunity to improve things.

Take a new attitude

What if you change your attitude? Suppose you meet a new friend, you feel good in his or her company, and inspires you when you hear him/her you think that things are going to work out for you.

This friend helps you to look at yourself directly with all the tenderness and sincerity of the world to see what you have to change, to comfort you and support you.

You would not take a step without consulting with this friend and since you’ve got this new friendship you have been slowly forgetting fear, that old faithful friend.

And also your outer world is changing, reflecting a new attitude in your relationship with others, because your new friend told you watch less TV and movies and look for inspirational readings,  for the contact with nature.
And you dare to create your world, then you have every right to change your reality and it is a pleasure.

You might guess the name of your new friend now: trust. And to have it always with you is as easy as making the right choice when talking to yourself.

If we all work to create a new oasis the desert will disappear .

How are your conversations?

Throughout this adventure of getting financial freedom is very important to consider your time management and personal effectiveness.
At the end of the day when you review all you've done, do you reach all the goals you had intended to reach?
You may have reached some, or all of them?
Let's see what may keeps you from being effective.

1. Watching TV.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles www.freedigitalphotos.net

Television is the number one cause of wasting time. Do you spend two hours a day in front of the TV screen?
Two hours a day of TV make 760 hours a year, about four months of work, ah!
Of course you can enjoy a good film or an interesting program every now and then, but when television fills in all your spare time you are putting your dream factory in the hands of the silly box.

2. People.

Social relations are necessary, but sometimes we have to analyze our relationships, especially at work, analyze the time you give to them not only in words but on thought too.
So ask yourself:

• What effect has this relationship on me? 
• Is it inspiring? 
• Am I wasting my time with someone who only seek all my attention? 
• What's in it for me?

The attention you pay certain people may be stealing the time from what really interests you and may be blocking your way and clouding your inspiration.

3. Transportation time

Every day I see in transport people hooked to smartphones or consecrating the first thoughts of the day reading the crappy free newspapers.
Our modern society is the victim of the phenomenon iPhone and other gadgets that engage you in social networking, another invention necessary for communication and very good, but you must limit the time you spend with it if you want to progress and move forward.
When you are in transport you can read something that will help you learn how to attain your goals.
In my case I write, I always carry over a notebook and pen and almost every article you read here I've started in a train, then the night I finish it with the computer.

4. Physical condition

At the end of the day you are exhausted, the week has been crazy and your menus are McDonnald based with zero physical activity.
But try something else for a week, try to eat healthy and exercise even just a fast walking for half an hour every day. Try to avoid stressful situations anticipating events.

5. Negativeness

The day begins with a troubled meeting with your boss and ends with troubled night discussing with your partner ..
Who can think of alternative projects, creative ideas and get anything constructive done in these conditions?
But you’ve got to think positive and move on. Stop discussions on problematic issues and goes to something else, take the problems as if they were your challenges and you a searcher for solutions.
Lighten your weight and keep on going on.

There are many people in crisis. They are far away from contact with nature and living in soulless cities.
People holds onto individualism, questioning themselves if it is useful to go to work everyday.
A life without values, without ideals and without goals generates a psychological disaster, but finding and making sense of your life will make you emerge and experience life differently.

Let's see how we can find support to make sense of your life.

Create

We come into this world to create and we all have this constant desire within us. It is the desire to invent, produce and give life to something. Creativity produces happiness, it is a feeling of fullness and an indicator that shows that we are on the right track.

Creativity can manifest itself in all its forms, not just in the artistic way but in every area of our lives, when we create a family, a business, a lifestyle, buildings, adventures, projects .. this is what excites us, this is what we all like.

But when you spend hours and hours in front of the screen, you let the TV think for you and taking the power over your dreams factory.

Contribute

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

According to Seth Godin humans are organized into tribes and we are living in the age of collaboration. We tend to to be part of something, to add value and render service for a better world.
So we can be useful when we are part of something bigger than ourselves and we are all united, eve if we don't see it.

But now, at the end of the industrial age, we need to communicate and collaborate more than ever.

Grow

Growth is learning all the time, work on your personal development  and what yesterday seemed impossible it is possible for you today.
Learn to control your emotions and gain a sense of peace independence from external circumstances.
Learning is acting, daring, innovating and improving.

The lack of meaning in life leads to a sense of existential emptiness, apathy or useless aggressivity . Because it's like your life was like a boat with no direction and that are external circumstances that control everything.

If you want to be different, listen to these counsels on how to make sense of your life.

Want to live a full life? Would you like to be satisfied and happy?

What do you think?

The point is that when we begin to define our goals we are in a euphoric state of motivation. We are kind of drawing our future.

In the future I see myself writing 1000 articles in two years, having published at least one book, etc. ..

Define your goals for 2013 clearly

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The secret to attain your objectives is to define the goals in a realistic way, to sit down, and think and write them down so you can be working on them in a consistent way.

First make a draft list

Yes! Write down now with all the motivation of the moment to say that you will will write 1000 articles in two years.

Make a realistic list

Let's see, how many articles do I write each week?
Suppose I write 2 articels, how many will that be in two years?
2 x 4 x 24 = 192

And now the realistic way:

What about if I write an article every day from Monday to Friday?
5 x 4 x 24 = 480

Well, that's better, you could have a goal of 500 articles, which you would reach just writing an extra article every month.

The obstacles that you will find

• Waiting for the last moment to act and wanting to hurry up and finish all at the end
• Allowing things that distract you and stress you to keep you from doing what is truly important to you.
• Allow those who try to discourage you to ruin your projects (do not listen)

Success is waiting for you

In describing your goals in detail, putting them in writing and following them quietly

• You will be focused on your goals without lacking of time to be with your loved ones.
• You move in your projects and enjoy them without stress and you feel good.
• You get satisfactory results, financial, personal or professional.

Well, you're on the right track, congratulations!

Are you going to start the year with a list of good intentions that we all know:

• I will lose weight.
• I'll quit coffee.
• I'll quit smoking.

etc. ..

What will happen if you try to do these three things at the same time? You'll end up with an anxiety breakdown.

And, of course it is fine to quit this and that, but I would say: why are you over weighted?, Why you drink so much coffee, and why you smoke so much?

Lighten your load

To run well you need to lighten your load, but above all to be at peace with yourself and others. Eliminate unnecessary things, those goals and duties you have imposed yourself and are enslaving you more and more.

There is no more noble goal than to want to leave the rat race and achieve financial freedom, but if to do this you are compromising your happiness, your health and what not, you should lighten you weight before creating new goals, eliminate those who do not have been productive, and surely:

•     You'll lose weight.
•     You'll drink less coffee.
•     You'll quit smoking.

Make a list of everything that you do not need and get rid of it

This year I've closed down one of my pages, I can not really keep up to maintain so many web sites, the goal is to have my two main web sites that I can keep up to date with the highest possible quality.

I will also lighten this web site with a lighter and more comfortable theme. I will focus on that readers can see it well in all formats and all media, including smartphones and tablets.

Selling things online

In the last two months I started selling things online that I don't need anymore and as a result I've got:

•     More money.
•     More space in the house.
•     Less things to clean and tidy up.

From now on any purchase I'll make it will be quality stuff and only because I really need it or want it.

So I’m appreciating very much what I already have and eliminating the unnecessary my mind will be focused on what really matters.

Search for inspiration

Many goals = many obsessions and obsessions are a heavy burden. So I'm checking my priorities, lightening my weight and taking a 180 degree turn.

It is fine with reading what other entrepreneurs do, we always have so much to learn, but do not let the motivation to become anxiety and frustrated. And we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others.

When you're working for you search for inspiration and do what you like. It has to be an inspiration. Someone once told me:

    Everything that takes you away from joy is part of the conspiracy of evil.

It is obvious that all you do has to be done with determination and passion, but not with obsession.
What about you, are you lightening your load?