So about ten years ago, I had what I now recognize as a defining moment in my life. I was building a successful law practice on eastern Long Island and I found myself discussing the virtues of practicing law with some of the ?old timers? in the area. They told me about how proud they were having built their own practice to the point where they could support their family in a comfortable lifestyle and put their kids through college. With any luck, by the time they were 65-70 years old, they'd be able to ?slow down a little, maybe even retire?.
All the while, I began to read books and listen to audio programs. I was searching. I knew that something was amiss, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was.
Then one morning it all came together. As I took the long walk from the front door of my office to the mail box it hit me. I stood there on Main Street and looked west. As I did I recalled the earlier conversations with my colleagues about how proud they were for how long and hard they had worked. Then, I looked east and recalled similar conversations I had had with the attorneys whose offices were in that direction.
I had a realization.
If I continued on the path I was on, I'd wind up in the same shape they were in. Older, overworked, tired, spending more time telling war stories than planning an exciting future. And it was in that moment that I vowed to find a better way.
Let's face it, no matter how much you enjoy your career, at some point you want to be able to stop working. My goal is to not stop working ? total retirement sounds way too boring for me. But it's nice to know that you don't have to work forever, isn't it? Imagine if you could do whatever you wanted with your time, without having to concern yourself with money. If you could go to the office and do what you do just for the love of it.
By having your own business, you gain access to retirement plans that allow you to contribute not thousands of dollars but tens of thousands of dollars each year and to invest those funds in virtually any kind of typical investment or business so that it can grow faster than ever.
So, now you know why you must have your own business to get ahead financially. The next step is to begin taking action.
I've learned that in business recognition and accolades are the booby prize. Not so in our personal lives, but in business, if I get an ovation or a pat on the back, I've failed miserably. For me success means convincing other people to take action.
I implore you to take action.
I'm going to suggest that you set up an important account to ensure your future. That's your saving or investment account. You've probably heard the expression ?pay yourself first?. For years, I didn't understand what that meant or how to do it. So, this is how you pay yourself first.
Each week, you take a pre-determined amount and deposit it into a savings account. It might be between 5% and 10% of your anticipated profit. Over time that account will grow and provide you with the means to make other investments. After all, if you are not setting aside some savings, what are you going to retire on? Social Security? Forget it! You have to provide your own retirement plan and this is the first step.
Put the Pedal to the Metal and Drive Yourself from Zero to Success: FREE Chapter of Drew's book compels you to rev up your engines and shift into high gear visit www.ZeroToSuccess.com.
During the day our minds are taken up with our day to day activities but as soon as we lie down at night, our minds seem to come alive. One thought follows another and another and soon you are worrying about everything, including the fact that it's 2.30 am and we're still not asleep!
How can we stop negative thoughts from intruding on our sleep?
Unfortunately it's easy to become negative in our thinking. The mind tends to go into problem solving mode at the end of the day. We focus on our problems and this can build stress which keeps us awake.
To stop this nightly torture, ask yourself the following questions:
Do you take responsibility for things that you shouldn't? Are you worrying about other people's problems? Remind yourself that you can't think for anyone else and just let those worries go.
Are you worrying about something specific? Write it down before going to bed. Tell yourself firmly that you will think about this issue tomorrow morning. The subconscious mind will hear you, but you MUST consciously stop these worrying thoughts as soon as they surface. This becomes easier with practice.
Busy minds are not necessarily a symptom of stress. If you are creative you may have more ideas than you can deal with. Write them down when they pop up or use a voice recorder by the bed.
Some other ways we can stop our spiralling thoughts and get some rest:
Be aware of this; you are not your mind. Your mind is your personality, you are the person who owns your mind and you have to tell it who's in charge! You don't have to follow the path your thoughts are taking.
The mind must be redirected and made to think on one stress free thing. Realize you can control your thoughts, be aware in what direction your thoughts are leading.
I'm not going to trot out the usual remedies for sleep here, simply because physical remedies don't work too well for over active minds. Trying too hard to relax when your mind's racing can do more harm than good. You need to distract your mind and focus it on one thing only.
This will stop one thought developing into another and another.
How to do this? Well to start with we can use an outside source to focus our mind. For instance, listen to a CD. A relaxing CD is not always helpful under these conditions, try an instructional tape where there is someone talking. This will stop your mind wandering and your thoughts will focus on the voice, the more boring the better!
Training your mind to do what you want is the key to better sleep and less stress in your life.
Both Drew Miles & Wendy Owen are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Drew Miles has sinced written about articles on various topics from Free Credit Report Score, Personal Finance and Free Credit Report Score. During my years of law school, I completed an internship with a New York Supreme Court Justice and second legal internship with a law firm and also began investing in real estate. Immediately upon graduating law school and passing the bar exam, I opened m. Drew Miles's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Wendy Owen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Skin Care, Baby Shower and Fitness. For several ways to stop worry and stress keeping you awake visit: your resource for soun. Wendy Owen's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.