Dawn's Evolution

A much needed vacation

2009-06-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

I just had the weirdest, scariest weekend ever. My week or the last few weeks have been a bit stressful with work and school exams coming up, but I am trying to maintain a bit of positivity through it all.

I do have some good news though. As of this month I have reached my tuition goal!
Yep, it's at 100%. I am so happy with it.
I also have a small buffer or emergency fund saved up that I will be fattening.

Right now I am realigning my goals to add on some fun/play time. It's been a while since I have done anything just for fun and I have yet to set foot outside my country.
I plan on traveling, either spending a week abroad or spending a weekend outside the city just having fun.
I'm setting up a budget, I'm hoping to vacation in either September or October. I have to start my internship in November and want/have to be well rested by that time.
At this point my budget is not air tight, most of the amounts are guesses and I will be spending the next month ironing out the needed details.

What do I need:

To renew my passport. I have been a procrastinator, this is bad as it could take me a few months to get this in order.
Ticket costs of ~$400.
Play money of ~ $300.
No hotel cash needed as I have friends and family there who can and want to take me in.

I plan on staying a week, packing lightly and spending as much time outside as possible.
I'm being intentionally vague as to where I am going, but there will be further details when it is all set in stone.

The downside of working with others.

2009-03-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

My presentation was last night.
I had been dreading it for too long, I put of studying and refused to touch it until I absolutely had to.
I was one of the last students to speak, so I could enjoy watching the other students screw up, have blackouts and get roasted by the Teacher and the representatives from the companies.
So yeah, I was plenty scared and overwhelmed when it was my turn to get up in front of the class.
My hands were shaking, my knees were shaking, I stood in front of the class with my notes, clicked on my slides and it all went black.

I don't know how I did it, but I did it.
I spoke eloquently, said all I needed to say and for the first time ever I actually spoke loudly enough for the entire class to hear me.
When I was finished I let out a sigh of relief, called up the next speaker, clicked away my slide and took my seat.
I'd survived it, but the worst was yet to come.
To say the teacher and representative roasted us in front of the class would be a vast understatement.
He attacked us full force, she attacked us full force and then a few classmates decided to join the roasting.
And the worst part was, that I had seen it coming. Yep.

See my team consisted of 4 people. Before me there were 2 speakers, one did the introductions and spoke about the company history, the other spoke about current state of the company. Which is where it all went down hill.
See this speaker works at the company that we analyzed, so instead of speaking about our report he just spoke about how he saw the company as an employee there.

Which he gave far too much information and some of it went against what stood in our report. Which is what prompted the roasting.

I am angry at him, but even angrier at myself.
I was a part of it all and I let it happen.
Next time will be better.

Never be afraid to take on new challenges in your career.

2009-03-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

I started a new job a few months ago.
I mulled it over quite a bit because, while I was unhappy with the management, I was pretty comfortable at my old job.
The pay was good, the work was light, I knew what was expected of me and they were allready impressed with my work.
I was comfortable.

And then I got this offer.
It was something new., bigger responsibility, better pay and a new challenge.
My old boss wasn't so happy with me leaving, but he could not offer me the same pay and he was a bastard, so I left.
My last day was on a Friday and I started at the new job on Monday.
Yep, no rest for me.

The first month on the new job was all about getting to know the new people, getting to know my new responsibilities and stressing about the change in my already comfortable routine.
Having a new boss and new coworkers meant I had to learn new work habits. I had to learn what this boss expected of me.
My old boss was a bit of a dictator and everything had to go through him. You had no freedom and no room to be creative. The new boss likes go getters, people that get things done on their own.
Call up clients, stay in contact and just keep him updated.
So it was a switch for me.

As the new girl I am still trying to find my place in all of this. I now have a better idea of what is expected of me and what my coworkers are like.
I now know their work culture a bit better now.
I know who I can turn to and for what.
I know who I have to hound to get stuff done.

It's fun, it's a new challenge, I'm scared out of my mind and it's my step forward.
I love this because I no longer feel like I am standing still, like I was in my last job. I am learning new skills and challenging my self to be better.
I was scared out of my mind to take this step, but I am happy I did.
It keeps me moving forward.

So here's to new challenges and growth,

Procastination101

2009-03-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have presentations and exams coming up this month and yet I am not focused.
Instead I am youtubing, sleeping, reading fiction or watching dvd's. I really need to pick up my books and get ready but I'm not.
I'm avoiding touching my coursework like it's infected with some horrible disease. Even this blog post is a manner of avoidance.

Why am I like?
Why do I feel the need to avoid the work I am supposed to be doing in favor of doing nothing. At this point I have been spending more hours just staring at the walls of my bedroom than doing actual school work.
I'd rather sit bored out of my mind than touch my school work.
Even when I know I need to do it if I want my credits for this semester.
Even though I know I need the credits for this semester.
Even though I know that I probably won't be getting a "do-over" for this.

Where does this self-destruction come from?
Where does this need for avoidance come from?
Where does this need to flee come from?
Simply put, how did I get so lazy? When did I get so lazy?
And most importantly how do I snap out of it?

Do you guys ever get days like this?

Let me update you

2009-03-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month I payed of my laptop, woohoo!
When I made my last payment I received some money back that I then transferred to my tuition account.

With a monetary gift I received from a friend, I fed my tuition account some more and am happy to say that I now have 30% of my tuition saved up.

Yep, I did not blog for a month and that's all the news I have for ya!

The rude awakening

2009-02-16T03:26:00.000-08:00

Part of the Carnival of personal finance
I had the rudest awakening this weekend.
Nothing is certain, I could lose my job just as easily as everyone else.
I always felt like I was on the outside looking in, not really feeling the crisis, just waiting for it to blow over.
And then I woke up.
The crisis is here and it affects me as well.
So I am making my emergence fund my priority and pushing paying back my debt back a bit.
I can do this because I don't have to pay interest on my debt.
I'm not sure how much my E-fund needs but I will be feeding it cash every month from now on and not set a limit.

For February I put 500 in savings and 500 in the E-fund.
For March I will put 900 in my school account and 300 in my E-fund account.
I don't have any more books to buy so I expect it to be a frugal month for me. The only thing that could set me back would be my sisters birthday, I have a set amount that I am willing to spend on her gift and am now on the lookout for that special something.

At the end of the month I will placing all my extra cash into my extra account, the one I keep forgetting to feed even though I absolutely have to.

That is the plan for now.
If I lose my job now I am in deep trouble, loosing my job would mean no more school tuition, books or anything. My schoolfund is way too small right now.
But my E-fund will be my priority, while I plan on continuing my set saving plan for my tuition.

My accidental shopping strike

2009-02-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

Entered in the 164th Festival of Frugality
I broke my foot in December, December 31st to be exact. Yep I rang in the New Year with a painfully swollen foot. I got a fiberglass a few days later and suffered the teasing of my classmates, family members and coworkers, who thought the way I walked was ultra funny. Yep, I need new friends, humpf!

And of course when they heard how exactly I had broken my foot, I never heard the end of it.
I really need new friends, any offers?

Well with my foot in a cast and in pain I was forced to spend 4+ weeks off my feet. I went to work in my car, sat in my office all day, got home and sat or lay on my bed all day.
This meant: no shopping! Yep I was on an unexpected and hated shopping strike!
So, no visiting the city, no new clothes, no new shoes and no getting pampered. Yep very, very boring.

But also very frugal. I saved a whole lot of money in those four weeks.
It was nice staying well within my set budget, and made me fully aware of my addiction too (window) shopping.
But those 4 weeks were frustrating because I felt so trapped, I could not go where I wanted to, walk freely and when I had my cravings for sweets (which I often do) I could not go out and buy them.
So I was on a forced and unnecessary diet as well.

What did I spend money on?
Well if you must know (hehe) : my mobile phone (I needed minutes so I could whine to my friends about my pain), getting my crutches (hate them, they hurt my arms), occasional food and some small miscellaneous stuff that I needed.

All in all this experience taught me that I NEED to at least window shop to keep from going crazy(or crazier).
What about you, how long could you last on a shopping strike?

Carnivals for the week

2009-02-02T04:46:00.000-08:00

Personal Finance
Carnival of Personal Development
Festival of frugality

HOME PURCHASE PLAN

2009-01-30T06:33:00.000-08:00

THE HOME PURCHASE PLAN (from Dimple's)

The home I want:

Price: $0 -> $80,000

Down payment: $20,000

Ideal Monthly Mortgage (including taxes, PMI, HOA, & hazard): $1000 (max)

Location: close to the city(preferably a gated community)

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 1+1/2

Square footage: ?

Year Built: New (custom)

NEEDS/WANTS:

* Quiet neighborhood
* Quick access to major highways
* Close to where I work
* Nice neighborhood
* Gated community
* Hardwood flooring

What would you do if you had a short time to live?

2009-01-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

Inspired from Zen Habits.

Well that's a hard question, there is so much I still want to experience and do. I'm still so young and I have spend most of my life waiting for my life to actually begin. Just waiting instead of going out there and actually living it.

But if I truly had a short time to live, what would I do? Probably recreate "The last Holiday"
- Empty my bank accounts and go to the Bahamas.
I've always wanted to travel and I have yet to set foot outside my country. I want to experience snow(just 1 day). I want to see blue oceans and beautiful beaches. But if I had limited funds I would just settle for the sun and sand(Bahamas).
I'll experience snow in my next lifetime.

-Walk on the beach and watch the sunset. I've always dreamed of a romantic walk on the beach. You know the one where you are walking hand in hand with your love and watching the sun set.
I want to dance on that beach under the stars and dip my feet into the ocean, just so I can literally get my feet wet.

- I will probably cry myself to sleep on the last night, because of all the things I never got to do. the life I never got to live. All that I never got to experience.
Things like:

true and trustworthy friendship
the joy of owning my own home (and car)
having a child
writing that book
writing that screenplay
marrying the love of my life.

On my last day I would also write a letter to my future incarnation, just to let myself know what I had wasted. And to make sure I do not make the same mistakes again.
I hope I get it.

What about you? What would you do?

Being cheap vs Being Frugal

2009-01-28T01:49:00.000-08:00

Image by malla_mi via FlickrA few months ago I went shopping with my family. We picked up some clothes and I needed a new belt. In one of the stores my uncle ran into a coworker with who he ended up chatting for a few minutes.
Afterward when we left he made the comment that inspired this post: There are tons of cheap clothing stores nowadays, you don't need to spend lots of money on clothing.

To which I replied: but the quality is very bad.
Him: So? How long do you expect to hold on to one shirt? How many times do you expect to wear one shirt?
Me: I keep my clothes and wear them quit often. I have a dress that's 8 years old I think.
Him: That's not exactly a good character trait. You really should get rid of that dress.

Yeah not likely!

So where are you in this discussion?
Do you prefer like me to invest in quality clothes that will last you?
Or do you prefer to buy a bunch of cheap clothes that will not last long?
My teacher in highschool once said that she would rather buy seven new shirts and wear a different one everyday than spend the same amount on one shirt that would last her.
For the longest time I had the same mindset, untill I truly evaluated my clothing-choices and habits.

I keep my closet small. I buy new things once a month and purge the old stuff once a year. Buying new clothes is always a hassle for me as I need clothing for work, school, going out and some stuff to lounge in.

While my school garments tend to be cheap, mostly just jeans and a simple top, my work and going out attire needs to be a bit high end.
For work I prefer something profession and lasting because I do want to make a good impression upon my bosses and clients. And I do not like to have to constantly buy new clothes for work as finding the good stuff takes far more time than I usually have.
For work I need a uniform. Just standards: blouses, dress pants, dark-wash jeans and blazers.
On my dress pants I have to spend some extra money because finding a good pair in my size is practically impossible. I don't need many and I love the fact that the few I do own will last me a while.
I don't need to go to work all flashy I just want to look well put together and professional. Finding pieces I like is hella hard so I tend to hold onto the good ones I find for as long as possible. This is an area I do need to invest in.

Going out?
I go out on a whim most of the time and for those occasions I just go to the back of my closet, pick out a dress and go. I love dresses because they are easy, beautiful and girly. Also there is no need to match which is a real time saver for me.
Because I mostly do not know when I will be going out I like to keep a few dresses in my closet at the ready for those occasions. These dresses will of course have to last me for obvious reasons (hehe).
But mostly because I can not be bothered to go shopping because I NEED something new. I never find something good when I need it.
For the most part I like building a wardrobe not just buying clothes.

You want to know a secret?

2009-01-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

There is no secret to success, there are no set rules on how to attain that wealth you have been dreaming of. There are just actions that one takes and certain circumstances that favor us.

Remember this: Success is 70% luck and 30% hard work. Yep! 70% is all luck!

I bet, like me, you wished that hard work played a larger role but the simple truth is that without just a little bit of luck we are nowhere. You can put in all the hours at work and take on all the hard projects and yet never get promoted to your dream position.
Why?
-That darn glass ceiling
-You can get lost in the sea of other hard working coworkers who network harder than you do
-Luck favoures your coworker
-Your employer prefers to keep certain high level positions within his circle of friends or family
-etc.

Please do not be discouraged by this post and remember to keep up the hard work as you may never know when you catch that lucky break.

The son of an African immigrant

2009-01-22T04:56:00.000-08:00

Was I the only one pissed off at Rick Warren for referring to Obama as the "son of a African Immigrant"?
I mean what about his mother?
People are so preoccupied with Barrack Obama being the first African American president that they just gloss over the fact that he is mulatto, and not African American. They have completely pushed aside the heritage from his mother's side and only embrace the african father.

But Warren was right it sounds so much better to say "the son of a African immigrant" than to say "the son of a African immigrant and a American woman who fully embraced racial-equality, who judged people not by the color of their skin but the content of their character, who knew the importance of education and dedicated her life to helping others who were less fortunate. A true humanitarian."

She was a fearless woman who did not conform to the norms of that age, she lived her life how she wanted and stood up for what she believed was right and for those who could not stand up for themselves.
And now her son is the president of the United States of America, and will be celebrated as the "son of a African Immigrant".
Even though his father was hardly a part of his life.

The (African) American people were so hungry for black president that that is all they saw and all they wanted to see.
They refuse to accept that Obama does not share their slave ancestry, Obama can never reach back and touch slavery like Michelle can.

Barrack is not the first African American President of the USA.
He is the first minority President of the USA.
He is the first mulatto President of the USA.
And that is too hard to swallow for many African Americans.
They are so proud of the fact that Barrack was inaugurated in the same building that was build by African slaves. Slaves that he can never claim as his ancestors.

Be proud of your president but do no redesign his heritage to fit your purposes.
Do not gloss over the remarkable deeds of his mother just because she was white.
Do not pretend that she did not exist.
Do not pretend that she did not play a large role in making Obama the man he is today.

Do not regard President Barrack Obama as the son of a African immigrant, but as a man who knows the value of hard work and education.
A man who did not sit back and complain but took action.
A man who did not ask what can my country do for me?
but what can I do for my country?

Why I love politics

2009-01-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

The housing market in the US is rotting away and the housing market in my country seems to be booming. Everywhere I look people are building houses, housing projects and gated communities. Practically all national sites are advertising homes for sale or rentals. The prices are good(if you know where to look), the houses look great and there are new projects every day.

What does this tell me?
The elections are coming up. Period.

The election year and the year leading up to it are the best times to buy housing or seek government funding. They will do anything to get that vote and then forget you even exist when they get into office.
Man I love politics.

The secret to forming new habits

2009-01-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeWhat is a habit if not something you do often? Something that you are used to doing.

Those of us who read lifehack sites and the many self improvement books out there, know what habits we should be adopting. We know what habits we need to develop to be effective, successful and happy people. We know what makes us ineffective and unhappy and yet we are still unhappy and highly ineffective.

Why?
Because we have not yet developed the habits we have been reading about.
We keep reading post after post about the secret of success and how to attain it and then we leave it at that. We expect instant results and are discouraged when it takes longer than we initially projected.
Developing new habits takes time and most people lose interest after the first few weeks. We live in a fastfood/google world where we are used to getting instant results. So waiting weeks and months for significant change is close to impossible for most of us.

Many self-help guru's try to help us over this by including step by step instructions on how to form new habits. Getting very personal with us through notebooks and daily affirmations, hoping to keep our attention long enough that we may see results.
But the sad and simple truth is that most of us do not improve to the degree that we want to and sometimes need to.
We fall back into old habits far too easily, just because they are our habits and old habits are very hard to break.

So how do you form new habits?
Well first you have to know which habits you want and which you want to let go. Keep these 2 sets of habits in mind and make note whenever you feel you are falling back on the bad ones.
The most important factor when forming new habits is you. It's all up to you.
No one can change you if you do not want to be changed.
So it's time to make that decision and work at it.

So what is the secret to forming better habits?
It's all on you.

Some friday link love

2009-01-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

Be More Than A Social Media Groupie: Circulate. Converse. Cultivate.

Invest in people not ideas

5 Ways to Dig Out of Christmas Holiday Debt

Buying My House

A Statistical Explanation for Women's Under Representation

So far so good - We're off to the Bahamas and $178 richer

A new bookreview

Have fun reading

6 lessons in personal finance from my mother

2009-01-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

Posted in Carnival of Personal finance

Growing up most children learn about money from their parents. Some parents take the time to show their kids how to handle money, how to save etc, while others just lead by example.
My mom has always been a frugal woman. Well she had to be, she was a single mother raising 3 daughters.

1. Keep track of your income and expenses
She had a low salary and still tried to take of us on her own, she used to write down all of her expenses on notepads.
I can remember her notepads on the side table, she would make columns and write a description and amount each day. She would close it of at the end of each month and sit with a calculator before she would start on the new month. I always admired her drive and her ability to stick to this habit as I most of the time do not know where some of my cash is going. I need to start tracking my money like my mother did.

2. Generate multiple streams of income
My mother her strategy for getting by was generating multiple streams of income. She would bake cookies or cakes to sell. She knew how to sew so she took orders from people and had her little side business. The money she made from sewing alone was enough for us to live on so she left her salary untouched on the bank.
My mother never finished highschool but kept her focus on courses that she knew would make her money. She took cooking and baking courses, she took courses on sewing and how to create the popular traditional dresses. To this day she still uses the skills she learned at these courses. She now not only bakes and sews but now also teaches these skills to others, while still maintaining her day job(albeit with reduced hours but still full pay).

3. Save through automatic payments
This is something I recently picked up from her after her virtually drilling it in my head since job one. I had always been saving my money the wrong way by keep it all on one account. So when I felt like shopping I would end up going into my savings. I wish I had picked this up much sooner.

4. Make sure the money you are saving is not easily accessible
Makes sense right?
And still I was making this huge mistake. For as long as I can remember my mom has been saving for me and my sisters, we all had our own savings accounts safely tucked away. We could not touch the money even though we really wanted to use that cash to buy new toys(or clothes).

5. Windfalls, gifts etc go directly into savings
Every birthday or good report card me and my sisters would get some money from family members as congratulatory gifts. My mom would take this money and deposit it directly in our savings accounts. We would sometimes kick and scream because we want to spend the cash but ultimately I am thankful for her decision. This is something I have really been slacking on. All my monetary gifts have been spend on frivolous things and I now regret not taking her teachings to heart much sooner.

6. Save for big purchases do not borrow (unless it's a house or car)
Another important lessons I learned from my mother was to avoid loans as much as possible. If you really want it: then you should save for it. If you can not save for it then you must not really want it or you just can not afford it. This is a lesson I fully embraced, even now I am working full time to save for my school tuition instead of taking a student loan. No matter how they market those loans to us at school I stay away, because interest is interest and I do not want to spend years paying of probably twice of what I actually borrowed.

This is some of what my mother thought me, how about you? Any money lessons to share?

Bookreview of the Last Lecture

2009-01-12T04:37:00.001-08:00

This book is going on my to read list :)

Bookreview: Outliers, the story of succes by Malcolm Gladwell

2009-01-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. - Matthew 25:29

Outliers, the story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell.

According to Mr. Gladwell's new book Outliers, a person's success is dependent far more on circumstance than it is on your own input or ability. Ability and input are still important factors but both are out shined by the importance of circumstance.

You can be smart and hard working and yet never amount to anything, to be successful you have to hard working and in the right place at the right time.
According to Mr. Gladwell to be successful you have to be very lucky.

The book is divided into 2 parts and 9 sections:
Introduction: The Roseto mystery

Part 1: Opportunity

Sect. 1 The Matthew effect
Sect. 2 The 10,000 hour rule
Sect. 3 The trouble with geniuses part 1
Sect. 4 The trouble with geniuses part 2
Sect. 5 The three lessons of Joe Flom

Part 2: Legacy

Sect. 6 Harlan, Kentucky
Sect. 7 The ethnic theory of plane crashes
Sect. 8 Rice paddies and math tests
Sect. 9 Marita's bargain

Epilogue: A Jamaican story

My thoughts
The book is a wonderful read, full of interesting and wonderful anecdotes that really make you rethink the way you have always seen success and talent.
In the book Mr. Gladwell tells us about how many successful men rose to prominence because of -their handwork,
-knowing the right people,
-good social skills,
-being born in the right period and
-and being at the right location at the right time.

The myth that is talent is redefined in Outliers as being: the will and drive to work hard in your chosen field.
There are no people who are naturally gifted at anything, there are only those who choose to work hard to master various disciplines.

I loved this book because it forces people who hide behind the talent myth to get up and own up to where their life is right now.
It tells you that you can excel in anything if you work hard enough,
I don't need a super high I.Q. to be truly successful in my life,
In order to get what I want out of life I have position myself appropriately.

Near the ending of Outliers the author does broach a controversial subject: the effect our culture, place of birth, race and upbringing has on your ability to be successful. He even argues that race sometimes plays a very important role.

The epilogue: A Jamaican story, was something I really could relate to because I grew up in a similar environment. That same culture still exists today so it was interesting to read about its origin.

None of Mr. Gladwell's ideas are new but he knows how to keep a reader, especially someone with a short attention span like myself, interested in the written words. The entire book is written in a way that it looks more like a series of fun stories, some ending happily while others were tragic.
It really forces the reader to think about the type of education they received, their own input, their past and upbringing.
In what category do you fit? Are you the genius that could not make it because the world was against you?
Or are you the one who knows how to convince others to give you that chance?
Are you the type of person who can spend hours on a math assignment? Or do you give up after the first few minutes and seek help? What type of Outlier are you? Are you even an Outlier?

I highly reccomend this book and give it a 8/10 rating.

The new home owner!!

2009-01-11T06:06:00.000-08:00

No it's not me. Yet.
I am still scraping and saving to own my own home. This post is to congratulate and celebrate the success of Sistah Ant!
She did it!
She saved and worked hard for it too. I'm so proud of her and cannot wait till I can join that home owners club :)
Go send her some love!

http://www.sistahant.com/?p=497

For your reading pleasure

2009-01-06T09:00:00.001-08:00

My exams are coming up so I will be holding of on posting the next few weeks. Here are a few posts and articles that have caught my attention that hopefully you will enjoy as well:

The Dream Home

How to Get On Track for Your First Down Payment on Your Dream Home

The Challenges of Buying Your First Home
House: Asset Or Liability?
Make Yourself Impossible to Fire

Goal Setting from the Inside Out

A promise to myself

2009-01-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

I realised after a lot of soul searching and analyzing my spending that the main thing that can keep me from reaching my financial goals is my need to take care of my family.
I want to take care of my mother, so I spend money on things I think she needs but does not buy for herself.
I want to take care of my mother, so I spend money on things my sisters need and want that my mom can not afford.
I want to take care of my mother, so I spend money on things she wants but does not buy for herself.
I want to take care of my mother so I try to relieve her financial burden all the while stagnating my own financial growth.

This is the big thing that can put me in debt. The big eye opener for me was when I decided that I wanted to buy my own car. I knew which car I wanted and I knew the approximate cost but the thing that was holding me back was my mom.

She didn't want me to get my own car yet as she thinks I am too young. In my mind I listed the reasons I did not need to buy a car now and they all revolved around my mom.
If I buy a car now, I will have less money to spend on my mom.
If I buy a car now, I will have less money to help out my mom and sisters.

And I know I need to step away from this caretaker or gravedigger mentality. My mom is a grown up, she's made a few bad financial choices in her life and is now paying for it but that is her burden not mine.
I am in the process of making the same mistakes that she made when she started working. She tried to do more than she could. She tried to lighten the load for her mom, she had to buy all the things she had been deprived of when she was younger. She had to give her daughters all the things her mother had never been able to give her as a child. And now she can not give us anything. I do not want to end up like that, I need to start putting my own needs first.
So this year is going to be about me.

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-18T03:45:00.000-08:00

The year is drawing to a close yet again, time to plan for the next year and to reflect on the past 11 months. Sitting down and thinking back to where I was this time last year, my frame of mind at that point, all the things that I had set out to do and all the things that I have actually done. It really makes me look forward to a new and exciting year but it also depresses me just a bit.

I have learned so much over the course of the year and have grown so much as well. I have actively pursued the development of new skills and I have also allowed myself to develop a few unwanted and unneeded skills.*sigh*

So what did I do this year?

1. I learned the value of good boss and manager,
2. I learned to stay away from hateful and spiteful people,
3. I saved enough cash to pay my tuition and buy the new school books I needed
4. I got enough credit points to qualify for this year’s classes,
5. I finally joined a public service club(been planning this for so long),
6. I bought my own laptop (still paying for it lol),
7. I learned to reach out and ask for help when I need it,
8. I learned to recognize when I needed help,
9. I am learning that I cannot save the ones I love if they do not want to be saved,
10. I learned that there are people out there who want to help me,
11. I learned to ask for what I wanted,
12. I learned to go after what I wanted,
13. I got experience in negotiating the price of my work,
14. I got a few new mentors in my life,
15. I finally (from firsthand experience) learned why some people succeed and others do not,
16. And so much more.

It was a hectic and stressful year; I remember my super emotional moments, the highs and the lows. I’m glad it’s almost over and though I have some regrets I am happy with the lessons I have learned.

This time last year I was so afraid of losing my job (didn’t lose it) and so scared of what my year would be like if I ended up unemployed.

And now 11 months later:
· I have left that employer on my own accord,
· I have a new job,
· a higher salary,
· nicer and more optimistic coworkers,
· a shorter ride to work and
· of course new tasks and more responsibilities.

It’s a new beginning for me, it’s scary but I believe that if one wants to be successful one must step out of one’s comfort zone and dare to do more. I know what the consequences are if I fail but I have hope that everything will be all right. I know what the benefits are when I succeed and I have planned accordingly.

Goodbye 2008, thanks for the memories, the lessons and life.

The power of D.U.M.B. goals

2008-12-16T05:11:00.000-08:00

I've already set my S.M.A.R.T. goals, now just for fun I will be setting my D.U.M.B. goals.
What are D.U.M.B. goals?
D.U.M.B. is an acronym for:
Dangerously
Unattainable,
Monstrously
Big

There are at least 2 other meanings for this acronym but all authors do agree that D.U.M.B. goals are virtually unattainable. D.U.M.B. goals encourage you to reach far farther than you thought possible. It's about writing down your dreams and secret(or not so secret) desires. Here you let your imagination soar.

So what are my D.U.M.B. goals for 2009?
- Double my net income withing the year
-Buy a brand new Toyota Harrier by Januari as a New year's gift to myself
-Go on a 2 week vacation in the Bahamas
-Go on a shopping spree in Los Angeless
-Go on vacation in Rome
-Buy myself a new Iphone and Blackberry also in Januari (more gifts yay!)
-Get my BsC by December 2009 (that means a 2 months to intern and to write my thesis)
-Buy my own Home by September 2009
-Get 1000 rss readers by Januari 2009
-Get 100,000 visitors per day by Februari 2009
-Write an article on Lifehack.org
-Write a guest post on Brazen careerist
-Write a guest post on fabulous financials
-Have my blog featured on a prominent website
-Write an episode for my favorite tv show
-Write a book of vampire fiction
-Create my own sci-fi series

I have soo many more but I'll stop there. But what are your D.U.M.B. goals for 2009?

My SMART goals for 2009

2008-12-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

Since I have already defined what my ultimate goals are, it’s time I listed my short term goals. To do this I will be using the SMART method just to put my schooling to good use. Hehe
What is the SMART method? You may ask, the SMART method helps you properly define your goals. SMART is an acronym for:
S=Specific
M=Measurable
A=Attainable
R=Realistic
T=Time based

So here goes:
My Specific goals:

Pay my school Tuition
Receive my 2010 goal salary in 2009 ( I need $14 more, hehe)
Build up an Emergency fund

How will my goals be Measured:

Save 2000 Euro’s by the end of February 2010, I still need 1500 Euro’s to pay for next schoolyear
Get a great performance review and receive more than the minimal salary adjustment (+$14)
Save up to $1400 and place this amount into a special account for my emergency fund

What do I need to do to Attain my goals:

Put 150 Euro’s into my school savings account for 10 months
Educate myself in my new work-project and make use of my contacts. Network some more.
Put $200 into a separate savings account until I reach the desired amount in my E-fund

Are my goals Realistic based on my current resources:

I can live comfortably off the money that will remain in my account.

Are my goals Time based? When will they be reached?

I will reach my tuition goal before February 2010 when I have to make my last tuition payment
I have my performance review on January 23 2009
I will reach my E-fund amount within 7 months

I also have goals for this site but before I can fully flesh them out I will need to do some more research. When I have the information I need I will blog about it.
Now all I need to do is figure out how to put a tracking graph in my blog’s sidebar.

These are my short term SMART goals, what are yours?