I believe we are biologically predisposed to play it safe. Consider our ancestors 10,000 years ago. When a group walked out of their cave and saw grass moving in the savanna, some were curious and went to investigate. It could have been an opportunity to bring home dinner, but all too often they became dinner. When he didn’t return, the others probably thought, “he took a chance and didn’t come back. I better avoid risk and play it safe.

This may have been a good long-term strategy in 8,000 BC, but not today. Yet we still tend to use the same rationale, experiencing fear and anxiety when faced with choices. Consider successful people you admire. Do you think they got there by playing it safe, or did they choose risk, the unknown?

Do you know the stories of best selling authors Robert Kiyosaki and Wayne Dyer? I think you’ll be surprised by what you are about to read.

Robert Kiyosaki, the bestselling author of the Rich Dad Poor Dad series of books created a board game, Cashflow, but nobody wanted to buy it. So he wrote a book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, thinking surely the book would generate publicity and create demand for his game. He found no publishing company that wanted his book. So he self-published 1,000 copies shipped to his home. He was eventually invited to speak about his book on regional radio programs.

When asked where listeners could purchase his book he said, “anywhere books are sold”, even though there wasn’t a single bookstore that carried it. Within one week we received calls from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other major book stores after they were inundated with requests to buy his book, and they wanted to carry it on their store shelves.

Wayne Dyer was a college professor. A literary agent persuaded him to package his ideas into a book, which resulted in Your Erroneous Zones. Although initial sales were thin, Dyer quit his teaching job and began a publicity tour across the United States, doggedly pursuing bookstore appearances and media interviews out of the back of his station wagon, making the best-seller lists. This eventually led to national television talk show appearances including Merv Griffin, The Tonight Show, and Phil Donahue.

When Kiyosaki and Dyer were presented with options they took the path less traveled. They did what few people do. They chose to step outside of their comfort zones, turn away from the familiar, and take action. As they say, the rest is history.

What will you do the next time you are faced with choices, opportunities? Remember those who have come before you and boldly taken action. As Thoreau said, “When you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, and endeavor to live the life that you have imagined, you will be met with a success unknown in common hours”.

Have you ever thought the grass looked greener in the distance? I think we all have done that before. A friend illustrated this very well in the following anecdote.

He was standing on his front porch with a good friend admiring his neighbor’s yard saying how beautiful and amazing it looked, and how he wished he had his neighbor’s yard. The friend said, “No you don’t, because in six months it will look just like your yard.”

I have never forgotten that story and it’s meaning to me. If the grass looks green, it probably took a lot of work to get it that way, and also to keep it that way.

I have realized as I begin my new venture that challenges are really just opportunities in disguise. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn, to overcome, to improve, to synergize with my team, and find a better way. A way to turn the dry brown grass into a lush vibrant well landscaped work of art.

Consider this the next time you come upon a “challenge” and are frustrated by it. It is a learning opportunity, and invitation from the universe to create your own green lush work of art.

Large multinational corporations keep their employees in desperate need of their next paycheck. When employees are desperate they are less likely to leave, or rock the boat, especially in the current economic climate. However, does the cost of diminished productivity out weigh the gain of maintaining less turnover? Absolutely, and I have an alternative that will increase employee morale, job performance, and profits.

If an employer offered a benefit of free financial education including personal coaching, every employee would have the opportunity to get out of debt, begin building wealth, and have much more energy to focus on being effective at work and at home instead of watching the clock and wondering how their going to pay their rent.

As an author and speaker my focus has always been on the most foundational level of financial awareness. I help my clients discover what paradigms continue to hold them back financially. Changing behavior is temporary, but changing the beliefs that affect one’s thoughts is where permanent change occurs. That is how at age 22 I created my own financial plan that lead me out from under $50,000 in credit card debt in less than four years.

I have corporate benefit packages available in which I work with businesses to provide the education, tools, resources, and coaching in a fun and exciting atmosphere to ensure every employee has what they need to succeed.

Visit www.JesseMHartman.com or call (206) 817-3286 for more information.

The next 393 fans on my Facebook fan page will receive the electronic version of my book. In addition, I will give away paperback copies of my book for the cost of shipping, a $20.00 savings. Visit my online bookstore here and use code du201 for this special price. If the goal of 393 new fans is attained, I’ll draw names and give away autographed first edition copies of my book, and free passes to attend my class, The Pillars of Financial Well-Being, currently available for $299.00.

Visit my Facebook Fan Page and become a fan. Then sign up for your free electronic version of my eBook on the right hand side of this page!

I need your help to attain this goal. Below is a sample Facebook posting you can post in your Facebook so that all of your friends and family can take advantage of this opportunity. If you can reach just 5 people, we should reach 500 in the next week.

SAMPLE FACEBOOK POST:

My friend, Jesse, is the author of A Journey to Financial Well-Being, a book on improving financial health and life fulfillment. He’s giving away free copies of his book to the next 393 people who join his FB fan page. Take a look at the link below. (www.jessemhartman.com/blog)

While most people are experiencing great fear watching their hard earned retirement accounts continue to fall, others choose to see this as a great opportunity. There is usually 5% of any group that seems to find success wherever they go. Luck and skill play a small role in their success, but rather they see themselves in control of their future and their current experience. That is the single greatest reason successful people are met with success, they create it!

Here are three steps you can take right now to begin joining this 5%, and regain control of your experience and your future. Few things are as important as financial well-being, for when without it; is the major cause for bankruptcies, divorce, and health problems.

Step One:

Turn off the TV and radio, put down the newspaper, and stop looking at your retirement accounts! Will your continued fear and anxiety watching every move in the day help your financial well-being? Of course it won’t, and that is why turning off the fear and anxiety is the most important first step. –I spend the first hour of every day working out. I enjoy cardio because it allows me to spend the time reading Success Magazine, and starts my day on track to feel good, and choose the actions that will increase my financial well-being as I go throughout my day with ease.

Step Two:

Review your defenses. That’s right I am encouraging you to review your defenses to ensure that you can focus on the offensive should you have such an opportunity. This defensive review consists of monitoring your income and expenses to see where your money is coming from and going to. This will allow you to visually see where you choose to spend your hard earned dollars, and allow to make different choices to move toward greater financial well being. The other part of this is reviewing your fixed expenses such as cell phone, car payments, and all of your various insurance costs to see if any money can be saved.

Step Three:

Live with an attitude of gratitude! I remember hearing the stories from my grandmother who was 21 years old when the depression began. What strikes me as so remarkable is how everyone in America seemed to open their arms and help others in need. Everyone shared what they had, regardless of how little it was. Selfishness disappeared during a time when people came together as one whether strangers or family, lending a helping hand, feeding a neighbors family with the remaining food in the house. There seemed to be such gratitude for the simple things in life, family, food, listening to the radio in the evenings on the porch.

Times have changed but attitudes don’t have to. Simplify your life, and begin experiencing gratitude more frequently for the little things as much as the big ones. I feel like the wealthiest man in the world when I feel gratitude and a sense of contribution. I encourage you to look for ways in which you can contribute to your family, church, community, the world at large, and let the warmth of gratitude overtake your body.

Remember, you are in control. Take care to choose what you watch, read, and listen to. Review your defenses so that you are informed and can quickly make choices to create greater financial well-being. Make a contribution, and live with an attitude of gratitude. Do these and watch your level of confidence, gratitude, and financial well-being grow each day.

Many people assume they aren’t rich because they don’t earn enough money. If I only earned a little more, I could save and invest better, they say.

The problem with that theory is they were probably making exactly the same argument before their last several raises. Becoming a millionaire has less to do with how much you make, it’s how you treat money in your daily life.

The list of reasons you may not be rich doesn’t end at 10. Caring what your neighbors think, not being patient, having bad habits, not having goals, not being prepared, trying to make a quick buck, relying on others to handle your money, investing in things you don’t understand, being financially afraid and ignoring your finances.

Here are 10 more possible reasons you aren’t rich:

You care what your car looks like: A car is a means of transportation to get from one place to another, but many people don’t view it that way. Instead, they consider it a reflection of themselves and spend money every two years or so to impress others instead of driving the car for its entire useful life and investing the money saved.

You feel entitlement: If you believe you deserve to live a certain lifestyle, have certain things and spend a certain amount before you have earned to live that way, you will have to borrow money. That large chunk of debt will keep you from building wealth.

You lack diversification: There is a reason one of the oldest pieces of financial advice is to not keep all your eggs in a single basket. Having a diversified investment portfolio makes it much less likely that wealth will suddenly disappear.

You started too late: The magic of compound interest works best over long periods of time. If you find you’re always saying there will be time to save and invest in a couple more years, you’ll wake up one day to find retirement is just around the corner and there is still nothing in your retirement account.

You don’t do what you enjoy: While your job doesn’t necessarily need to be your dream job, you need to enjoy it. If you choose a job you don’t like just for the money, you’ll likely spend all that extra cash trying to relieve the stress of doing work you hate.

You don’t like to learn: You may have assumed that once you graduated from college, there was no need to study or learn. That attitude might be enough to get you your first job or keep you employed, but it will never make you rich. A willingness to learn to improve your career and finances are essential if you want to eventually become wealthy.

You buy things you don’t use: Take a look around your house, in the closets, basement, attic and garage and see if there are a lot of things you haven’t used in the past year. If there are, chances are that all those things you purchased were wasted money that could have been used to increase your net worth.

You don’t understand value: You buy things for any number of reasons besides the value that the purchase brings to you. This is not limited to those who feel the need to buy the most expensive items, but can also apply to those who always purchase the cheapest goods. Rarely are either the best value, and it’s only when you learn to purchase good value that you have money left over to invest for your future.

Your house is too big: When you buy a house that is bigger than you can afford or need, you end up spending extra money on longer debt payments, increased taxes, higher upkeep and more things to fill it. Some people will try to argue that the increased value of the house makes it a good investment, but the truth is that unless you are willing to downgrade your living standards, which most people are not, it will never be a liquid asset or money that you can ever use and enjoy.

You fail to take advantage of opportunities: There has probably been more than one occasion where you heard about someone who has made it big and thought to yourself, “I could have thought of that.” There are plenty of opportunities if you have the will and determination to keep your eyes open.

1. On Sacrifice
“Growing up in high school, I wasn’t hanging out with friends every day or on the weekends. Doing normal high-school things was something I was willing to give up.”

Phelps stepped out and devoted himself to a seemingly unachievable goal. Hard work does in fact pay off, and by applying your talents and avoiding the temptation to divert along the way, you’ll reach your own podium.

2. Learning from Mistakes
“Having my DUI happen was a learning experience. Being in a college environment, it’s my job to try and help make sure people don’t make the same mistake I made. I’ve learned so much, just from having an experience like that, and I think I’ve gown up more from that experience than from before.”

Much like your own, Phelps’ life isn’t without setbacks, failings and challenges. Following his DUI arrest at 19, Phelps visited several elementary schools, warning children about the importance of making good choices. By accepting responsibility for his actions, Michael learned from his mistake and made the best of an unfortunate situation.

3. Learn to Love the Unknown
“[After swimming,] I don’t know what I want to do. I definitely want to stay in sports, but I’m not sure what field I want to go into. And no, I’m not dreading it. There’s going to be a time when I’m ready to retire-but definitely not yet.”

It’s easy to get caught up thinking about, and planning for, the future. Realize that it’s all right not to have every aspect of your life charted out-enjoy the present for what it is and approach it without fear. After all, what’s the point of working hard to enjoy the future if you’re a neurotic wreck when you get there?

1. Become Your Own Barista. If your morning routine includes a $4 trip to grab premium java, you’re spending $120 a month—or $1,400 a year! And that’s not counting the bagel or scone. These days, many high-quality espresso machines can be had for under $300. Just add grounds and you’re saving a big chunk of change… or beans.

2. Unsure About Insurance? Then maybe it’s time to compare quotes and save. Log on to a comparison site like Insurance.com or InsWeb.com, which aggregates quotes from several companies. Rates often change based on age or marital status-and simply browsing competing offers could save hundreds a year.

3. Cut the Cord! Nearly 50 percent of the energy used to power household electronics is consumed after they’re turned off. Why? Because appliances with built-in clocks and chargers are needlessly milking electricity when you’re not using them-and driving up your electric bill. Start saving money instantly by just pulling the plug.

4. Credit Crunches. The average American household carries $8,000 in credit card debt. If you’re making minimum payments at 18 percent, you’ll spend over $1,000 a year on interest alone. Ouch. Call your credit provider and negotiate a lower rate. Depending on your credit score, you might have a great shot. It’s the easiest way to start making lower payments and eliminating a large balance quickly.

What do you get when you put 100 happy people together?

Well, lots of laughs, for starters. And a few common traits, says best-selling author Marci Shimoff, who interviewed 100 unconditionally happy people for Happy for No Reason: Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out.

Among the Happy 100, as she called them, one shared habit is focusing on the solution rather than the problem—instead of worrying or complaining, they tend to concentrate on the good in the situation and on improving it.

Another truth, “Happy people let love lead in their lives,” she says. “Although they have the same kind of fears, pains and disappointments as the rest of us, they simply have different habits that allow them to keep their hearts open in their daily lives.” One aspect of this is focusing on gratitude. “People who are happy for no reason don’t necessarily have more in their lives to be grateful for; they simply focus more often on gratitude throughout their day.”

Regardless of their religious traditions, the Happy 100 tend to connect to something larger than themselves.

“People who are happy for no reason don’t always need to figure everything out to be in control; they live in the fl ow of life, trusting underlying benevolence and wisdom from that larger wholeness,” Marci says.

While they don’t rely on others to brighten their spirits, the Happy 100 also seek a “nourishing support system,” surrounding themselves with positive people, she says.

Another key to happiness is living an inspired life, Marci says, discovering your passion and incorporating that into everything you do.

Also essential to happiness are your physical and mental well-being. Exercising, eating right and getting enough sleep are essential. And,last but not least: a positive attitude.

“The ultimate reason we want anything is that we think it will make us happier,” Marci says. “So what I say to people is to go for the happiness first and all else follows.”