Live on £4000 for a year - Part 3

Marru

Yes I am still here as had to pack and print labels for couple of books I have sold.

Here is an article by Brian Tracy (business coach) that I have found extremely good (when I remember to use it). So SL and Bails and everybody else here goes:

The Law of Clarity
By: Brian Tracy

Clarity accounts for probably 80% of success and happiness. Lack of clarity is probably more responsible for frustration and underachievement than any other single factor. That's why we say that "Success is goals, and all else is commentary." People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine. This is true everywhere and under all circumstances.

The Three Keys to High Achievement
You could even say that the three keys to high achievement are, "Clarity, Clarity, Clarity," with regard to your goals. Your success in life will be largely determined by how clear you are about what it is you really, really want.

Write and Rewrite Your Goals
The more you write and rewrite your goals and the more you think about them, the clearer you will become about them. The clearer you are about what you want, the more likely you are to do more and more of the things that are consistent with achieving them. Meanwhile, you will do fewer and fewer of the things that don't help to get the things you really want.


The Seven Step Process for Achieving Goals
Here, once more, is the simple, seven-step process that you can use to achieve your goals faster and easier than ever before.

First, decide exactly what you want in each area of your life. Be specific!

Second, write it down, clearly and in detail;

Third, set a specific deadline. If it is a large goal, break it down into sub-deadlines and write them down in order;

Fourth, make a list of everything you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal. As you think of new items, add them to your list;

Fifth, organize the items on your list into a plan by placing them in the proper sequence and priority;

Sixth, take action immediately on the most important thing you can do on your plan. This is very important!

Seventh, do something every day that moves you toward the attainment of one or more of your important goals. Maintain the momentum!

Join the Top 3%
Fewer than three percent of adults have written goals and plans that they work on every single day. When you sit down and write out your goals, you move yourself into the top 3% of people in our society. And you will soon start to get the same results that they do.

Review Your Goals Daily
Study and review your goals every day to be sure they are still your most important goals. You will find yourself adding goals to your list as time passes. You will also find yourself deleting goals that are no longer as important as you once thought. Whatever your goals are, plan them out thoroughly, on paper, and work on them every single day. This is the key to peak performance and maximum achievement.

Action Exercises
Here is how you can apply this law immediately:

First, make a list of ten goals that you would like to achieve in the coming year. Write them down in the present tense, as though a year has passed and you have already accomplished them.

Second, from your list of ten goals, ask yourself, "What one goal, if I were to accomplish it, would have the greatest positive impact on my life?" Whatever it is, put a circle around this goal and move it to a separate sheet of paper.

Third, practice the seven-step method described above on this goal. Set a deadline, make a plan, and put it into action and work on it every day. Make this goal your major definite purpose for the weeks and months ahead.

Get ready for some amazing changes in your life.

BlueFleur

Hope you're feeling better SF. The pro/con list sounds like a good idea. If you like the one with less hours, maybe you could ask them for more? Good luck with the decision.

bails- I was in Cornwall, but I've moved accross the river into Plymouth now as I couldn't find any work there. I am the graduate brain drain personified Not sure how much of the 'brain' there is in my case though! It seems to be going well so far. I know bits of the town because I was at uni here, but I used to commute- way to expensive! Where are you based?

I'm aiming not to spend any money today, and with the wind and rain outside I'd really rather have a duvet day. Ah well- into the breach and off to work

Woodyrocks

Great post Marru. A site that I have been using for about 3yrs now is 43things.com

It is not only good to list your goals but by the very act you make yourself accountable for fulfilling them. I better get out of the house but I will leave you all with one of my favourite affirmations -

Whether you think you can or can't, you are right!

Skint_Lynne

I should hear today whether I've got my job I went for last week. I was away for another interview last night which went really well for a sales job, you get a car with that one. I would quite like that one as well, but will not hear anything until next week for that one.

I'll let you know how it goes.

SL x

Frugaldom

Good morning to all and very best wishes to SlowlyFading - any major change in life takes a heap of getting used to, especially when we haven't chosen a particular episode for ourselves. Guess that's why I find it better to attempt the 'nothing shocks me anymore' attitude.

Marru & WoodyRocks - I've never seen any of the sites either of you are talking about but I have always been a lists person and have always been a number cruncher to get me to follow each step of the way, so I can see how those basic concepts can work. I think it's more a case of pure b***dy-mindedness, to be honest, and so long as you can see the goals and keep moving towards them then anything is possible, even when it seems completely impossible. When I was training, we were taught to 'see beyond the mountain' rather than foucussing on reaching the top, that way you're also prepared for what to do AFTER you have attained each goal, something that many people forget about. I guess they should really teach that in colleges & unis and it may have served a purpose in helping SF and others know exactly what to expect when studenthood ended.

It's pouring rain yet again! Must dash to postie and then make sure everything else is indoors stuff today. Catch up with everyone soon.

Good luck with jobhunting & interviews SL

whitewing

Everbody's feelings on this challenge (good or bad) are valuable because someone else is going to be experiencing them too and it helps to know that you are not alone. ((((Hugs)))).

Nyk, I know a wedding is only one day. But I don't regret a single penny of the (considerable-to-us) amount I spent on ours. So many people got so much pleasure out of the day. I bought a dress (hundreds of pounds), that I won't sell on or wear again. I don't even regret that as the memory of the huge surprise it gave everyone, especially DH, will stay with me forever. The only thing I will say though is that it is definitely not worth going into debt over. We narrowed down our day to only a few 'wants' but the stuff we did have was higher quality. I am still very touched by how special people thought the wedding was, and how much it is still in their thoughts, and how much they have enjoyed telling people.

I did get a twinge yesterday that I will (hopefully) never have to plan my wedding again! M&S had some wedding guides for a fiver.

Yesterday was our monthiversary. So how appropriate that it was also the day that we were notified that DH now officially has parental responsibility for DS! *Big cheer*.

Off to check online banking.

Brighton_belle

whitewing your day sounded very special. I certainly didn't mean spending anything on a wedding was a waste - I mean people who talk in terms of £5-10,000 i guess & who go into debt for that. I'm truely sorry if I sounded critical of anyone's special day - definitely not. I went to a wonderful wedding of a close friend in April, where they both have loads more than me and spent it, & I didn't think she was barking at all: I knew what they had been though to get there and they deserved it, every penny. I bet I'm the first to start bulk buying matching serviettes to bridesmaisds dresses at the first sign of a bended knee:rotfl: .
Wonderful news re your DH & DS.
I've just been shredding a cabbage to try a 'red cabbage' slowcooker recipe that sound delish, thinking why do the damn fools call this a red cabbage when it is plainly purple. It now occurs to me that maybe there are red cabbages out there & I bought the wrong one:o .
Out to lunch with friend today but we've both agreed to have lunch at home before we meet:rotfl: .So really it's an MSE lunch meet.
Bluefleur - I love pymouth -my mum's from there:great tales of living through the blitz. She always lived around the Hoe. Granny was born on the Barbecan. A 1000 curses that marrying my Dad meant she settled in dullest of dull place, many miles away & I didn't grow up in PLymouth.
Like the list Marru about goals Marru.

whitewing

Oh, I don't think anyone sounds critical re: weddings. It's just different viewpoints based on personal experiences. (I got Cath Kidston floral serviettes - 5 packs: all different, much to the disgust of the lady in the shop, but they were gorgeous).

whitewing

BTW, talking of goals, Marru. We have broad goals eg a home, a happy family life with one of us at home most of the time, ability to celebrate birthdays/Xmas. Then we work out how to achieve them. The money or the job itself becomes less important. So whether DH or I am the main carer, it doesn't matter if it fits in with our goals. As long as birthdays are special, it doesn't matter if it costs 10p or £1000. It does help to clarify the goals.

bails

Brighton_belle wrote: »

I bet I'm the first to start bulk buying matching serviettes to bridesmaisds dresses at the first sign of a bended knee:rotfl: .

Quick BB, stop blubbing your acceptance, that's just the carpet fitter
If only a wedding did cost between £5,000 -£10,000... a while back the average wedding cost £17,000, which, considering some people spend just £70 or have an MSE wedding, begs the question, how much do the top end spend? :eek: Last time I asked my bro, they were on 20k...:eek:and still had lots to sort :eek: I agree with Whitewing, getting into debt for your day makes no sense to me at all and yet I still see that I would want to have certain things on the day (which I had saved for of course ). I'd like to get married in a wood... Anyhoo, the closest I'm coming is BB's carpet fitter currently so best stop dreaming :rotfl:I really feel for you Nyk because I can see both sides - I get that your DD might want certain things for her big day but I also think if that's the case they need to be thinking about funding it themselves, rather than expecting it to come from you (sorry if that sounds harsh). Whoever said (I think it was BB?) that having the other person was more than enough, now that's what it's really about :heartpuls
Thanks for the great advice and links peeps :T I am a phenomenal list maker, although yet to devise the ultimate scheme that actually works My ME group have endless hysterics about our listmaking obsessions and various antics in perfecting the technique. If anyone has the perfect solutionn I'd love to know
Good luck with the jobs SL, hope you hear soon.
Off to check the weather for our weekend in the cottage...
Oh yeah, I remember seeing something about a couple who had a money neutral wedding, anyone else see this? They basically used a Letts type scheme where they did various work for people in exchange for bridemaids dresses, venue etc. Now I quite like that idea... Which reminds me, I had a look at a skills sharing scheme here BB, can't remember if it was Letts, but the skills were directly swopped which was obviously a lot trickier. There are schemes where you do something for someone and receive credits which you can then redeem with anyone else, much better - is that Letts?