In a cultural full of consumption and instant gratification, the financial responsible and discipline to save for a purchase can be challenging…but, we all know it is the smart thing to do.

Regardless of your level of income, saving for a dream you have – such as a flat screen, a trip around the world or new BMW – can be easy if you get creative, even in these down economic times.

For instance, you could have your bank automatically take 5% of your paycheck and deposit it into a savings account for your dreams.

Another way to save is to not spend any coin money. Instead round all of your purchases up to the next dollar and deposit your coins into a savings account once a Read More...

Thank you all for sharing all the wonderful lessons learned during your days in school.

I truly enjoyed reading your responses and found it was such a great reminder to me that much of who we are today can be attributed to the concepts and ideas that we learned as students.

I also found it interesting, but not surprising, that much of what we remember from our days in the classroom had very little to do with the actual content of what was being taught. The real lessons can from the principles we were able to gain or learn.

Thanks again for your thoughtful answers. It was difficult to narrow Read More...

With students returning to the classroom this month, we wanted to focus this month’s contest around education.

Education is the cornerstone to professional success and if you continue to invest in education over the course of a lifetime, constantly improving your skills, the heights you will reach personally and professionally are limitless.

So, the question to answer for this month’s contest is:

What is the most important concept you learned in school and why?

This could be anything that you learned in grades K-12. It could be a particular subject that has served you in adulthood, a life’s lesson a teacher taught you or a kernel of knowledge that has Read More...

Thank you all for the great answers to our Hindsight is 20/20 contest. I had a very difficult time narrowing it down to 3 choices, but feel these 3 captured the essence of all the answers.

Here are the winners!!

First Place winner is John Neyer. He has won an “Expect Success” Book AND 3 Private, One-On-One, Personal Development Coaching Sessions with Renee Shupe, The Redhead Coach www.redheadcoach.com

This was John’s Read More...

You have heard the saying “Hindsight is 20/20.” Looking back in the past, we all see situations we would have handled differently, opportunities we should have taken and mistakes we wouldn’t have made.

We can’t go back and change the past and there is no benefit of regretting what already has happened.  We CAN learn from the past, share the lessons learned and adjust our actions and decisions in the present to ensure a brighter future.

For this month’s blog contest, I am curious to know what advice you would have given yourself (or another in similar situation Read More...

First of all, thank you to those who participated in our Setback to Success contest and shared a success stories. I truly believe that the more we reinforce our successes the more often we will experience and look for them in the future. Our successes are proof positive that we can accomplish amazing things if we just believe.

If you feel stuck in a setback situation, read these stories. They will give you the hope and inspiration you need to move forward to your own success.

3 lessons came to mind as I read your testimonials and Read More...

How is it that the most successful people have gotten to where they are? Is it because they are smarter or more talented then we are? Do they experience success because they have more money? Maybe it is because they are better looking or they are just plain lucky? The stars always seem to line up for them?

I would suggest that the answer to that is a resounding NO! History has hundreds and thousands of examples of how people and organizations have overcome one or all of those examples to lead very productive and highly effective lives.

If you look at your most successful professional athletes, sales professionals, CEOs, students, politicians or even parents, to name a few, there are a Read More...

Our failures and setbacks often will inform and lead us to our success. History is littered with amazing stories of individuals, teams and organizations that have had to overcome enormous obstacles and challenges on their path to eventual success.

A common thread in all of these stories, that begin with a setback or failure and in the end lead to success, is HOW the individual or organization viewed the setback. To them a failure wasn’t an excuse to give up on a goal or dream; it was a learning experience that caused them to be stronger and more determined to achieve greatness.

These setbacks to success stories are what inspire us to keep pursuing our dreams. They allow us to continue in the face Read More...