Move Over, Bill

There's a new richest man in town.

It's interesting to say the least to see these guys with net worths over $50 billion, yet 53% of Mexico's population of 104 million lives below the poverty level - about $2 a day. This guy could afford to give every single family in Mexico $1 million and still have plenty left over for himself.

You Have the Wrong Number

I experienced a new level of frustration this morning. My cell phone kept ringing and when I answered I heard a fax machine. Now, let's look at some facts:

First of all, many people put their documents on the fax, dial, and walk away, expecting everything to work fine. So when they get my voice mail, no one is there to say, "Oops, I better check the number!" Secondly, every time the fax calls me, it costs me at least 1 minute if not more.

Put those together and you have repeated useless cell phone calls eating up too many minutes to consider sane.

What do you do? I answered and said in a loud voice, "This is not a fax machine!" hoping that someone was listening. No dice.

Has anyone had this happen before? Can you call the cellular company and get the minutes taken off? Am I making too much of this in the first place?

Token Love

So, am I the only one who thinks that these "tents" outside of grocery stores that will eventually house drive-thru floral arrangements are sad, sad things?

I love you so much that I took 30 seconds out of my day to swing by the tent outside of Kr0ger. It goes hand in hand with a drive-thru wedding. Wait...I can even see some of the fun that could come from a wedding in a car. The tent o flowers is still beyond me. And lets not even mention the fact that these flowers that are so briskly tossed at you as you slow down to 5 mph are marked up 300%. Yes, yesterday these flowers were $5.99. But since it's February 14th, your low cost is $79.99! (OK, that's more than 300%, but you get the picture)

I suppose my outrage just goes along with my whole opinion of Valentine's Day. It's a "Hallmark holiday." The women get entitled, the men get sweaty and the florists and candy companies get rich. Along with so many other things in modern society, V-Day has been taken over by materialism.

My husband asked me the other day what I wanted for Valentine's Day. I told him that I would be mad if he got me anything, and I meant it. Getting obligatory gifts is not my cup of tea, unless it's my birthday or Christmas. Punkin will be having her school party, so indulging in sweets and Spongebob Squarepants valentine cards will do me just fine.

So, what about you? What are your thoughts on Valentine's Day? Am I just a cynic?

Taking Care of Bizness

As if on cue from Phil, the sun has come out. As I was driving Punkin to school this morning, I felt a little irritated as I had to put down the sun visor - then I caught myself. You have been wanting the sun to come out for weeks now...be glad it's in your eyes! That was that.

Business has been so busy lately! People are really starting to come out of the woodwork, and all of them are full-fee, which is an extra added bonus. I spent the first year of my practice basically taking what people said they could pay. I used to joke about how I'd do therapy for a bag of oranges. I guess when you are building a service business, it's easy to undervalue yourself. I thought I wasn't worth more than a bag of oranges, I suppose. I know better now.

And speaking of business, I am redoing my office now that I don't have an officemate. I am going to paint the walls a nice taupe color. It will be great not to have to look at the cheap white walls with smudges all over them from moving furniture. I have debated getting curtains too, but the window in there is just weird. It's off-center (which I could disguise with curtains) and it's really high up. Perhaps if I come across the perfect panel...

I figure that people need to feel that they're getting their money's worth. I know I always feel better when the offices I visit have been thoughtfully decorated.

What do y'all think? Does the decor in doctor's offices (and other service places) make a difference in your overall experience with them?

Lazy, Awkward and Rich?

Ever since I got my little iPod, I have been listening to "podcasts," which you can find on iTunes and various other spots on the net. One of my favorites is called "Theatre of the Mind." The host, Kelly Howell, interviews various people in the scientific and metaphysical fields.

Yesterday I listened to her interview with Marc Allen, the man who has come up with the personality label of Type Z.He apparently has a whole book about how to be relaxed and successful at the same time. He doesn't do Mondays and keeps about 30 work hours per week. I could do that!

Somehow, it's hard for me to imagine being lazy and successful at the same time. How can someone work only 30 hours per week and be a multi-milionaire? Yet, if you do what it is you want to do, you tend to shine and you're automatically successful. If you can get paid (well) for doing what you love, then you have hit the jackpot!

Theoretically, I should be cashing in. I absolutely love being a counselor and am pretty darn good at it. I am just now learning how to promote myself as an "expert." I must admit, it feels weird to be hyping myself. But, as I tell clients, anytime you make a change, especially a positive one, you will feel strange and awkward at first.

What positive changes have you made recently that had you feeling awkward at first? What changes are you resisting because you may feel uncomfortable?

you're as rich as you feel...

...and i feel abundantly rich in so many ways. i woke up at 1:30am and started worrying about various things - packing up the house, selling this house, moving, the expenses involved in that, selling my mom's condo and buying her a new place...

before i knew it, i had worked myself into feeling overwhelmed and panicky, which is something that i do not experience on a regular basis anymore. in fact, those feelings are unacceptable to me now that i know what inner peace feels like. it's all about contrast, i suppose.

anyway, after lying there in bed for a while fighting the anxiety and desperately trying to change my thoughts, i got up and started paying bills. they were mostly my mom's bills (i manage her finances). but when my mom has no money with which to pay the bills, i get to do some creative money-juggling.

i got that done and i was still feeling broke. so, i did this exercise that always makes me feel better about my finances. i have a little trial money management software package that covers the bare minimum. it was free, and something that's fun to play with. back in october, i started a fantasy bank account. every day, i deposit progressively higher amounts of money, starting at $1000, $2000, $3000 and so on. my job is to try to spend it as quickly as i deposit it, which is no easy feat.

today, i had to make up for a couple of weeks of missed deposits - $589,000 to be exact. I paid off my current home, my new home, my car, my credit card bills, my upcoming trip to sedona, my personal assistant, pre-paid the movers and put $65k in my mom's checking account. i still have $200k to spend!

even though this is a fantasy exercise, it is a good demonstration of how easily money flows into and out of my life. i have been very fortunate to never worry about money, even if i only had $5 to my name. my dad taught me early on never to dwell on my finances, because i can always make more moolah. he's right, too. even in the "darkest hours" of my financial situation, i have made it out just fine, and am still alive and kicking!

well, it's approaching 3am and i am getting mighty sleepy. now that i am feeling abundant again, i think i will go back to bed.

"money is the root of all evil"

i was talking with a friend yesterday about philosophy, religion and society. [yes, mark - kumbaya] she kept repeating the phrase, "i can't afford that," referring to a spectrum of things from a cold stone milkshake to a new home. we got to talking about the theory of attraction - like attracts like - rich attracts riches, poor attracts poverty. that conversation generated some really interesting ideas for me.

if someone goes around saying that they "can't afford" something, the universe will deliver them lack and wanting, according to the law of attraction. however, if someone says that they can afford something (even if they couldn't see a way to purchase it at that exact moment) and really believe that they will purchase it very soon, the universe tends to rearrange itself in order to pave the way for that person to meet that goal.

and i must put this disclaimer in before the flame comments begin - yes, i am talking about money. yes, i like money because it allows me to obtain the things (and time) i need to be happy. and when i am happy, i am more likely to feel like helping others, which is apparently extremely more noble in this society than pursuing material wealth. however, if you desired to give everything you own to the poor and live on the streets, wouldn't you still need money to accumulate the very possessions that you will give away?

the right to be rich

"whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich." -- wallace wattles, the science of getting rich

think about it.