Finance Roll

In order to really understand what I want to share with you in this post we are going to go back to my life in Virginia. This was a time in my life when I was able to experience success for the first time.

Now, success could mean several different things for each person individually, the success I am speaking of here is financial. By the time I was 21 years old, the carpet company I had started just 2 years prior, was making me a solid 6 figure income. We purchased our first home, owned 2 brand new Dodge Ram Pickups and 2 Cargo Vans. We had the big screen TV, all the latest movies on DVD, and spent more time eating at Friday's than we did in our own dining room! Life was pretty good...!?

Or, was it really? Is just making a lot of money financial success? What if I told you that everything I had, from the trucks, TVs, living room furniture, bedroom suite, and even eating out, was all on credit? Sure we made enough money to meet our payments every month, however, did we ever really keep much of it? See, I had no clue that what I was doing was actually bringing me further away from financial freedom, which is way more important than financial success.

It isn't about how much money you make, it is about how much you keep!

We wanted more "stuff", we took on more work, and bought what we wanted, when we wanted it. Exchanging more time for more money just to pay for the "stuff" we already had. The sad part is by getting stuck in this trap you pay a premium for everything you have. Interest adds up quicker than you think. Plus, you literally become a slave to your debt. You must find a way to continue working more and more just to keep what you have.

Time is more valuable than money. Choose how you spend yours wisely!

Fast forward now to the start of our life in Michigan. We left behind our old life in VA. No more carpet company, and good bye to our negative relationships which we felt were holding us back. (There are a few very close friends and family in VA whom we miss very much, and you know who you are!)

The only problem? We still had debt, and lots of it! You see up to this point in my life I learned how to make money, our best month to date was $40,000, however, I still did not have any Financial Common Sense. Just changing jobs, starting a new business, or moving to a new State won't change your Financial Intelligence. That can only happen when you change your thinking and learn how to manage your money wisely. Some of us have to learn the hard way. Unfortunately, this was one of those lessons that happened for me, and I will never forget it.

In 2005, after moving to Michigan, we built a strong 6 figure income online. Things were rolling, until we made making more money the priority of our life. Once that happened, one bad decision and our whole world came crashing down!

You must learn to be happy with all that you have while your pursue all that you want. Our flesh is never satisfied, we will always want more. There is nothing wrong with acquiring nice things, living in an awesome home(s), or driving newer vehicles, however, seek Financial Wisdom first.

So what happens when you are making $10,000 plus per month, yet your expenses totaled $12,000 per month, and your income totally stops? Imagine for a moment being punched in the gut by Mike Tyson, when he was in his prime, and that is what it feels like.

Some of you have experienced this same issue, others may be on track to doing this same thing, and some of you were smart enough to learn about money and avoided this from happening in your life!

What happened next has been the greatest, and most difficult, experience of our lives.

To Be Continued...

God bless,
Ron