Every 2-3 years I re-read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.  Reading it again re-motivates me.  Sometimes I get bored with his plan and want to get adventurous and create my own way…which most assuredly means that my Total Money Makeover will take longer 😉 !  Reading it again reminds me of the nuts and bolts of the step I’m on… AND Mrs. Peterson thinks it’s sexy when I read that book too #winning!

This time around I highlighted a ton of stuff, but a couple of things, in particular, stuck out namely some reasons why people don’t win with their money:

1. They are not aware that they need a Total Money Makeover.  They think everything is “okay.”  If they don’t get aware soon they’ll realize too late that IT’S NOT OK! 
2. They have a wrong view of debt.  They think it is good.  They think they need it to build credit.  They think it is an undeniable truth of life.  They do not realize that “the borrower is a slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).
3. They are not aware of the financial best practices so they do what they know (which is usually what they have seen from their parents).
4. BONUS – read this article from Dave “10 Money Myths Broke People Believe”)

Reading from “Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character” by Johnathan Shay

• “Many combat veterans are denied compassionate understanding by civilians, because so many people cannot comprehend a love between men that is rich and passionate but not necessarily sexual.  Veterans need to voice their grief and love for their dead comrades if they are to heal.  However, many have learned to keep quiet because of their culture’s discomfort with love between men that is so deeply felt.” (pg. 42-43)

I revisited the running plan put together for me by 1LT Hunter Firebaugh.  I made a couple of edits for my training purposes, but the distance/sprinting component is all his!

I had a conversation with my friend, Rob Polenik, in which I made some notes I need to contemplate further:

• How do I maintain what needs to be maintained while growing in other areas of my life?
• Am I addicted to improvement?  What is my “end game” or is it simply about improving for improvement’s sake?  In other words, why am I doing what I am doing?
• Rob said something that I keep thinking about… his intention is “to be happy in life while still having projects that keep me growing.” #goodonerob
• For more of Rob and his wisdom, check out his Facebook page where he links to his daily podcast, posts training videos, and shares life insight.

Reading from and discussing “The 4 Disciplines of Execution”  by Sean Covey, Chris McChesney, and Jim Huling.  Among a TON of great insights here, a couple that are sticking with me are these:

• “From X to Y by when.”  Where am I now?  Where do I need/want to be? When will I arrive?
• “Lead Measures vs Lag Measures”.  A “lag measure” determines on Saturday whether or not you lost 5 pounds that week.  A “lead measure” measures the number of times you work out in a week and the number of calories you consumed… it measures the actions necessary to achieve the goal!  Most of us measure “Lag Measures” which only tell us whether or not we accomplished our goal.  “Lead Measures” tell us whether or not we will accomplish our goal (e.g. exercise more and eat fewer calories and you will lose weight).   Here is a helpful article that further distinguishes the difference between lead and lag measures.

In a conversation with a friend regarding what makes for a productive morning, he gave me four criteria that he uses to determine “productive”: #itwasrobagain

• Did it address a priority in my life? For instance, spiritual vitality is a priority for me so studying Scripture and praying is productive.
• Did I enjoy it?
• Did it add value to my life or to someone else’s life?
• Was it efficient?
• BONUS: if you want to explore more about this topic listen to Rob’s podcast here.

An idea I’m processing now = “You don’t FIND yourself’… you MAKE yourself.”  Lots of people are hoping to “find” themselves.  That’s not going to happen.  Your future self is NOT “out there.”  Your future self is being created RIGHT NOW with the decisions you make, the habits your develop, the friends with whom you associate with, the books you read, the food you eat, the music you listen to, etc.   YOU ARE BUILDING THE FUTURE YOU RIGHT NOW!

So there’s some of the highlights from my notebook.

What about you?  What have you found interesting enough to write down so that you can ACT (Act on it, Contemplate it further, Teach it to someone else)?