Mutual Finance

Life is not a competition.

Not at all. Life itself is abundant and rich and overflowing. Take a look at a tree full of ripe fruits or a field full of grain. Just by looking at it, it makes you feel rich and abundant. And you feel that there is more than enough for everybody. But usually the abundant mentality stops there.

Many of us are born and raised in a strong belief system that says that there is never enough of what we need or want. For many this is also more then a belief, it is a fact of life. There is not enough food, not enough money, not enough love, etc. You learn to think that if you don’t make sure to take your part, someone else will take it.

That is where you start to believe that life is a competition. You have to be better, stronger, faster, prettier, taller, and skinnier or whatever else you can be more than others.

But fact is that there is more than enough of everything we need and want. There is more then enough food, so nobody would have to starve. There is enough medicine to save millions of lives, and there is enough money. If all the money in the world would be balanced more equally, everybody would be very rich!

I know this may sound simple and easy, and that there are many reasons why I am wrong, but please put aside judgements and opinions for a moment.

Start to think like you care for people instead of compete with them. Would it not be fair if all human beings had equal rights? That everyone would have the right to get food, shelter, medicine and basic education. I am not talking about equality here, like the communistic idea that everybody should be earning the same, regardless of what they are doing. I am talking about getting basic needs covered. If basic needs are covered, people can choose how to live their life, instead of having to fight to survive.

With competitive mentalities like Survival of the fittest and Dog eat Dog, we justify that people are starving to death. We think that if someone wins, someone has to loose. It is now time to change this into a win-win mentality. That means we think, talk and act in a way that we want everybody to benefit. It is a way of thinking that includes all human beings. This way of thinking comes from the understanding that we are one.

We are one human race on one planet.

When I see myself as a part of this world I feel that the world is my responsibility. I understand that what I am thinking, saying and doing will affect the world. What I think, say and do to the world, I do to myself since I am a part of the world. That makes it more difficult not to care about what is happening, because I know that it directly affects me.

With competitive mentality, I do not mean the drive you have to do your best. That you want to do your best is a fantastic asset and a driving force in your life. Wanting to do your best is a great motivation! If you do your best you are the best. That means everybody is unique and exceptional, just by being who they are.
Do your absolute best; strive to do what you love with the highest quality ever seen. But do it from a place inside where you want to come out with who you are, and not to overrun others. If you do what you love doing, you are competing in a natural way; you are on top because you are giving your very best.

You hear athletes talking about “The Flow”, that means the space where their performance comes easy and seem effortless. You can also reach that space with your work, and that is actually what life is meant to be. Not a struggle, not a competition, but a flow. This flow is an energy that comes out of you because you want to create.
So remember to make your competition a heart-full one and not a horror-full one.

When you do your best, you are the best!

Copyright (c) 2005 Oyvind Hennum

Oyvind Hennum’s web site: Financial Freedom Online - A free resource directory containing book reviews, articles, biographies, motivational quotes, affirmations, practical tips, budgeting and saving advice, success tests and free e-books.

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Perhaps you are a newly married couple doing some family planning, or you may have just discovered that you have a little “surprise” coming your way. Whether you are barely trying to get the hang of marriage and money management, or if you’re simply looking ahead to a future with a baby in it, a little financial planning will go a long way once your bundle of jubilation comes along.

The US Department of Agriculture estimates that a middle income family will spend a bare minimum of $250,000 to raise a child. Yikes! Don’t worry! Time is on your side. College won’t be for another 18 years, at the very least. But that doesn’t mean that you can slack off on saving, either.

A financial advisor can help you to realistically assess your income and your debts. More importantly a professional can help you set a realistic budget. Doing this will help you set sensible goals each month. You will find that, rather than go with your impulse to buy that “gotta have it” item, you will hold off on it a little longer, only to find that something of a much higher priority will come along.

That’s the whole idea of saving saying “no” now so that you can say “yes” to the important things, later.

Nathan Dawson writes for http://www.marriedfinances.com and http://www.successfulmarriageresource.com, great online sources for marriage and finance information.

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Two heads are better than one, so sit down with your spouse and plan out your financial future together.
Prioritize your bills.

By determining which bills to pay in which order, you’ll get in the habit of making sure your essentials are always paid first.

Be careful using credit. Sometimes a financial crisis will come not because of a layoff, but because you’re overextended. Most people can afford to devote 10 percent of their net income (after taxes) to installment debt, not including mortgage or rent payments. If you pay out more than 15 percent, you need to cut back.

Establish an emergency fund. Open a savings account and start “paying yourself” 10 percent of each paycheck.

What happens if we run into an emergency and our emergency fund isn’t enough?

Don’t panic. When facing a financial crisis, stay calm. This will help you think logically and you’ll avoid unnecessary arguments with your spouse.

Quit spending money. When faced with a financial challenge, it’s easy to use your credit cards. But you may run up your balance to the credit limit and not be able to afford the payments, which will result in a poor credit ratingsomething you won’t want during a crisis time.

Prioritize your bills. Pay essential, or survival, bills first: food, mortgage or rent, utilities. Next, pay car insurance, medical needs, child support, and any loans such as automobiles and furniture that are secured as collateral.

Then pay the nonessential billsthose debts in which no immediate consequences occur if paid late: credit and charge cards, attorney, medical, and accounting bills, newspaper and magazine subscriptions, life insurance, childcare, gyms, or clothing.

Communicate with your creditors. If you can’t pay your bills or can only pay a partial amount, your creditors may be able to help you to establish a repayment plan.

Some lenders will allow you to defer one payment a year, meaning the payment for that particular month doesn’t have to be made. The deferred payment is added to the end of the contract.

Take notes of any conversations with creditors, listing the date and person with whom you spoke. Whatever arrangement you make, get it in writing from the creditor before you send in money.

Know your rights. Many collection agencies are in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. To get a copy of this legislation, visit www.ftc.gov. If you feel you’ve been violated, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at their website.

Find outside help. Many churches and Para church organizations run programs to help you navigate through financial troubles.

A debt management company may also be able to help you reduce your payments, lower your interest rates, and pay off your debt faster than trying to do it yourself.

Such companies can also negotiate with your creditors to bring your accounts current if they’re past due.
Avoid bankruptcy. Bankruptcies should be your last resort. A bankruptcy can remain on your credit report for up to 10 years.

Nathan Dawson writes for http://www.marriedfinances.com and http://www.successfulmarriageresource.com, great online sources for marriage and finance information.

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