Don't Get Trapped with Credit Cards and Loans!

Did your credit card bill arrive already? How many bills do you have?

I have a friend who has credit cards. Her total card balance is AED 20,000. She struggles to pay her bills every month. The purchases of signature bags, shoes, dresses have all accumulated into one big bill.

There is nothing wrong in buying signature brands if you have the excesses. However, if buying means borrowing from your credit card to pay it later, then you are simply spending beyond your means already.

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Banks are chasing her. She realized that she should have managed her finances wisely before taking the splurge in shopping malls.

The cold calls from banks collection agents are downright stressing. You cannot sleep comfortably.

A couple of days ago, I was reading Express, a weekly newspaper here. I flip the pages until an article named “12 dirty tricks UAE banks play” caught my attention.  Reading it made me cringe.

I don’t want to go through the ordeal of these people. I don’t want to feel like a criminal because of unpaid loans.

The time, money and effort wasted on these credit cards and loans issues are just taxing. You’ll feel tired, spent and drained.

Your daily problems should be enough to spend your energy and yet when the collection agent calls, you dried up.

I cannot overemphasize the value of not incurring loans for personal consumption. It’s a trap. And once you are in, you’ll be lucky if you’ll find a way out.

The time that should have been spent to your family, friends, passion, hobby and moments that will help others and humanity are taken away.

Living within the means is the key. Coupled with financial discipline and personal development, you’ll go far in pursuit of your dreams.

Start paying larger chunk of your credit card bills now until it is fully paid.

Once you are clear of debts, throw a party and invite your friends for you have summoned the courage to go out of your comfort zone. Your freedom is back. Your peace of mind is back.

To start arranging your finances, you can read Bo Sanchez’ My Maid Invests In the Stock Market... And Why You Should Too.

Personally, it’s a good read. Bo Sanchez explains financial jargon in plain, simple English.  

Rules for Great Mornings

When you are dealing with your boss and he's having a hot temper early of the day, we typically say " Hindi maganda ang gising". 

There are mornings when you feel the day is going to be beautiful and wonderful. 

There are mornings when you feel sleepy and your bed is pulling you to sleep more even though it's seven thirty already and you're late for work.

There are mornings when you get your tablet or phone and  automatically open Facebook.

There are mornings when you still feel the effects of last nights booze. 

There are mornings when your toddler wakes you up and crawls over your body for the next hour so. 

There are mornings when you feel lucky such that if you bought a lotto ticket, you'll win the grand prize.

There are mornings when you browse over your phone and see if your crush left a message to you.

There are mornings when you feel like not reporting for work.

There are mornings when you feel like going into wilderness for no apparent reason at all.

Is it really true that our circumstances defines what makes for a great morning? 

With all the different moods we have upon waking up, Robin Sharma says there are rules for a great morning.

If you've been reading my blog for longer period of time, you know that one of my favorite author is Robin Sharma. Bo Sanchez follows his works too. Here is an example. 

Well, here are Robin Sharma's rules for a great morning. 

Enjoy and have a great morning! :-)

--Plan the first 60 minutes of your day the night before so you set yourself up for success in advance.

--Eat breakfast within an hour of getting up.

--Use the first 20 minutes of your day to exercise so you jump start your brain's chemistry.

--While you're exercising, listen to something inspirational and of value (the influences that you expose your mind to at the beginning of your day set the mental tone for the rest of the day).

--Hydrate. You've been sleeping all night. Drink lots of water to get yourself fired up.

--Review your Big 5. This takes just a few minutes, but list your five main goals for the year on a mirror with a dry erase marker. Look at it every morning to renew your focus.

--Do your affirmations. Perhaps in the shower, recite words like "excellence" and "focus" and "mastery". Also repeat one line statements to prepare yourself for a world-class day ahead.

--Get into nature. As much as possible, get out into nature every morning. The fresh air as well as the environment has a superb effect on your creativity, productivity and sense of happiness.

--No news. Start your day in what I call "a tight bubble of total focus". Avoid the news, complainers and toxic situations. The first 3 hours of your day have the least distractions...and are GOLDEN. You know that the way you begin your day drives how you live it. So start it strong.