On Hiatus

This is going to be a crazy holiday season. I have at least 30+ people coming the day after Christmas. And at least two holiday parties to attend. 

I have been working on the DHH book proposal on and off and hope to have it finished by the end of the year. 

I will return to this blog at the end of the holiday season.

Let me take this time to wish everyone Happy Holidays.

A Windy And Cold Day

Woke up early this AM and was glad to have a warm husband next to me in bed. 

I like these kinds of days. It’s a day to stay home and write. It’s also a day to make plans for the future, clean house and do laundry. 

So, today here I am in this blog posting. Later today I’ll work on a book proposal.

I promised in an earlier posting that I would write about debt support groups. 

Let me explain briefly about support groups. They are critical for those who wish to achieve a certain goal or feel a need to be with those who have similar ideals as yours. Anytime you join a gathering of people, technically it’s a support group. If you meet together in a church, it’s a large support group that supports and reflects your religious viewpoint.

Ditto for Weight Watchers, gangs, schools, girls’ sleepovers, deaf/hard of hearing parties, support for those who have mentally ill relatives, group hikes, writers’ conventions,  etc. You get the idea. 

Support groups provide moral support, safety, constructive criticism, ideas, validation, and advocacy. You meet and become friends who have the same ideals as yourself. You cannot go wrong in being part of many support groups. The more groups you are in, the better. 

Here’s an idea: Make a list of all the interests you have. Chances are good that you will find groups or clubs that support your interests. This is especially good for those who are lonely or don’t know how to get out and be socially active. 

So it’s the same for debt support groups. You tend to do better paying off debts when you see you aren’t alone. Yo won’t feel so overwhelmed and desperate. You can have speakers come to your group and offer updated information and tips to pay off debts. It’s like Weight Watchers, except you’re trying to get rid of debts.

By the way, there are also online support groups, but I don’t feel they work as well. This is because people crave actual human contact and need to talk. It’s difficult to talk to a computer, unless you have a excellent webcam. 

I forgot to mention one more important point about support groups. They usually, by group agreement, are supposed to keep your financial  information private. Sharing info about your financial information is one of the most difficult things for anyone to do.

We in America are very sensitive to how much we make and how much we owe. This is especially so for men. They have been conditioned to see themselves as pillars of financial security and money power. So when they lose a job, people will see them differently for the most part.

If you have debts, I strongly urge you to join a debt support group. They are out there. They are invisible to the public eye, but they are there. 

I will have a list of debt support group in my next posting. If ever there was a need for it, it’s now and for the new year coming up. So many people are out of work and need financial support and help.

If you have a question, feel free to leave a comment at ruth_6572@hotmail.com

 

 

Be Positive-Minded

Even though a lot of us are suffering financially, you should remain cheerful and upbeat. You can handle downbeat times by exercising. I took a one mile walk this morning and feel great. Financial downtimes are much easier to handle if you maintain your good health. I had my annual checkup last week and it was completely paid for by my health insurance. This is because I took the time to scrutinize my health insurance policy for anything I could have for free or for low-cost.

Also check out every single asset you have, besides your health insurance policy. Look for long-fogotten financial assets. Search around the house and analyze your financial papers. Especially comb through pants pockets and heavy coat pockets. Check under your sofa cushions too. You’d be surprised what assets you own. Don’t forget your childhood collections, like comic books, stamps and coins. They could be of value, especially if it’s gold. Don’t forget old jewelry. Gold prices are very high right now. Buyers even take dental gold.

It also helps to talk to a financial advisor. There are also debt support groups, which I will talk about in my next posting.

People have been telling me they lean on family members more. They ask others for loans, interest-free. That’s great to do. Loans between family members is good, so long there’s clear understanding how it will be paid back.

You should also keep networking, and stay in touch with websites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. 

LinkedIn is for professional job networking. If you are out of work and looking for a job, it’s imperative you join LinkedIn. For long distance social networking, use Facebook. Facebook is particularly good for those with disabilities and/or live long distances from social contacts. You  must keep in touch with your friends and co-workers, so that you can get recommendations and news about jobs opening up.

Although I don’t use LinkedIn, my husband does. He gets emails when someone gets a job, or if someone gets in touch with him. For example, he actually got a message from someone in Washington State who originally wanted to hire him for a job in Seattle many, many years ago. It’s nice to see that former co-workers still keep in touch with him.

A big secret to finding a job: Go to all the holiday parties you can. You’ve got to network, network, network and get every name and business card possible.

Another way to stay positive during this downtime is to visit libraries, garage sales, and make your own items. For example, this year I’m going to make jewelry gifts for Christmas for the women. I’ll give movie gift baskets to the men in my family.

Oh, and did you know you can purchase gift cards at a discount online? I will talk about those in the next few postings.

Many merchants are offering free shipping this year, especially on December 17th, 2009. Could save you lots of time, gas and trouble, if you did all your shopping online this year.

About the gift baskets. My favorite one is to make a movie gift basket. You buy a basket and fill it with low cost movie-related items. Such things would be popcorn, movie tickets, candies, DVDs, etc. Get the cellophane wrap paper form a craft store. What person wouldn’t like that?

For writers, it’s a good time to write and reflect and READ, during the holidays. It’s also a good time to make plans for the coming new year. For me, I’m hoping to finish my book proposal very soon. I have ideas for a second book already. I’m also currently reading the book The Lost City of Z by David Grann. It’s a fascinating read.

The best advice I can give anyone for the holiday season: Avoid using credit cards for gift buying!

What Are Your Passions?

I have always liked the word “passion”.

It means you are very interested, very devoted, to anything that’s is of deep interest to you. If you do at least one thing that brings joy to you, it means you find life worthwhile.

I’m going to list several little things that are meaningful TO ME in a minute. This is a good homework assignment for those who are depressed, or have not found a niche in life, or haven’t found something to be interested in. If you come and tell me there’s nothing you’re interested in, then it’s time you did the exercise. 

Just list anything and everything that is of interest to you, no matter how trivial or trite it may seem to others. The world needs people that are interested in everything.

Okay, here’s my passion list. It’s only a partial list. Some of the things in it may surprise you. I hope it gives you an idea what to write down for your own personal exercise.

Drums, drum players, drum performances. (I was a snare drum player earlier in life. I try to attend drum performances wherever possible.) Writing, reading, travelling, learning about foreign cultures. Hearing loss issues, mental health issues. Nature, national parks, waterfalls, professional counseling and guidance issues, teenagers, young adults issues. Alzheimer’s, breast cancer issues. Couples and marriage issues. Babies and little children. Crafts, crocheting, scrapbooking, photography, beading. Holidays, cooking, weather, astronomy. National news, global news, gossip. Jokes, sign languages, jewelry, hummingbirds. Deserts, cactus, wildflowers, mountains, water in any form. Certain TV shows, videos, computers, software programs. Color psychology.  Amazon, Trader Joe’s, See’s Candies. Books of all kinds. Tai Chi, walking, gardening. Good health practices, medical news, technology. Lutheran news, my husband, my daughters, good friends and family. Ancient discoveries, such as human cultures and dinosaurs and natural history. Cats, dogs, fish, museums. Camping and fishing and health food restaurants. Budgeting, finances, discipline, education and keeping up with new knowledge. Volunteering to help others, making gift baskets, garage sales. Seeing Rome, Istanbul, Syndey, London and New York City.

Sit down and make a list of what’s important to you. Some people will say to make a list of the things you want done, or seen before you pass on. Whatever it is, you need to find things that bring up passion or deep interest in your life.

I would say the average person should have at least three deep interests in life. Try to identify what they are.

For if you don’t have passion, then you haven’t identified your niche or niches in life. When you do figure them out, then that is the path you should take in life. It’s as easy as that. Even if you aren’t able to do them for real yet, you can still plan, hope and study about your passions.

Passion goes hand in hand with inspiration. 

For writers, these two ingredients are essential for successful writing.

So, everyone, go and find your passions. That’s what makes life exciting.

A North Wind

I went for a one mile walk this morning. There’s a north wind pushing at my back. Beautiful clouds drifting by in a light blue sky. Birds sitting on telephone wires staring down at me. Men were out, cutting grass and driving trucks. The weather had turned cold, so I made sure to wear a sweatshirt and heavy pants. The walk did me a lot of good. As a counselor, I can tell you quite firmly that a walk will upgrade your mood level and make you feel good all over. It helped eliminate my mild right knee pain a great deal. 

I couldn’t help but feel that the wind was a messenger for me. It was telling me to move along, to get things done, especially the book proposal. 

Okay, I said I’d talk about NFCC. Let me say here first of all, the best way to control your destiny is by controlling your finances. I’ve always said that you should control your finances. Finances should not control you. 

NFCC stands for National Foundation For Credit Counseling. I’ve had people ask me for referrals to that organization in the past. CCC is also connected with it.

It’s a good place to go if you feel you need help in budgeting and handling money problems. They can give you tips on how to budget, save and pay off credit card bills. 

And the nice thing is that they charge very little or just a reasonable bill for services. It’s a non-profit organization by the way.

They also help with bankruptcy, housing problems, and credit card problems. 

There are several offices throughout the country. For more information, click on this link: www.nfcc.org

A north wind at your back — it’s a good thing.