A Fitness and Personal Finance Blog
Well, the financial markets have been going crazy lately. Although I’ve been a bit depressed about it thus far, I still think that prudence and conservative decisions will keep me ahead of the game. Reduce debt, save what you can, and cut your expenses. Whether the market goes up or down, if you’re employeed and spend less than you earn there is no way to “lose” the financial game. And God will provide for our needs, so there is no reason to fear!
It never fails to amaze me how many people are pushing gold as an investment. They say that on an inflation adjusted basis gold is a great buy, but the fact is inflation doesn’t affect everything the same. The truth is you need to look at real (over inflation) returns for an investment over a variety of time periods to determine if something is a good investment, and I just don’t see the consistant results that I would want with gold. Maybe it’s just me though….
I still can’t believe how much money has been spent to bail out companies that took on too much risk. Whether it’s the big 3 automakers or greedy mortgage lenders, it seems like those that are prudent always end up paying for the slackers. And I’ve made my own million or so mistakes (at least!), so I’m not judgeing anyone. I’m simply saying that if I borrow too much or invest all of my money in risky derivatives and penny stocks I still wouldn’t expect to get free government handouts to make up for any lossing. Greed has taken over, however, and everyone is looking for someone to blame.
Have you ever tried to track how many times you’ve overcome a craving? This is an intersting exercise to try because “what get’s measured gets better”. Try to overcome 100 cravings. My definition of ‘overcome’ is to delay giving in to a craving for 30 minutes.
The more times you overcome a craving the more confidence you will develop. After you’ve beat 100 cravings, even if you’ve given in 100 times as well, you’ll begin to realize that a craving is not the end of the world. You can do what is best for your health because you’ve done it 100 times already.
It’s also intersting to note that when you’re hungry eating anything will stop the hunger. When you’re experiencing a craving it’s a specific food you crave. This is one way to tell the difference between being hungry and having a craving.