The Foundation of a Life Stoked

May 1, 2012 By deacon 8 Comments

Where do you start when you want to build an awesome life? What’s the first thing you should do? What’s the key to building a solid launch pad? I could argue a number of different starting points, but one in particular sticks out as crucial to me. One thing in particular is the linchpin of your future.

Money. It’s simple. It’s measurable. And whether you like it or not, money touches every aspect of your life. Manage it poorly and you’ll be a slave to it (or lack of it). Learn to manage it wisely and it will take you anywhere you desire.

And as you start to look around you’ll notice that people who are good at managing money are also good at managing their lives. It’s not a coincidence.

So how do you make the most of your money? One simple philosophy: live debt-free*.

[Read more…]

Five Books That Changed My Life

April 17, 2012 By deacon 15 Comments

Readers are leaders, who doesn’t know that? It was the mantra of educators and public service commercials throughout my entire childhood.

But I hated to read. I “read” when I had to at school. Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter – I hated it! What good is this ever going to do me?

Is this really the reading that makes leaders?

In my humble opinion, no. Not even close (and I’m not just saying that because I couldn’t pass a simple quiz on any of them).

The reading that makes leaders does so because it changes their lives. It shapes them. It gives them new ideas and helps them learn from the paths of others.

The bad news is I was in my mid twenties before I discovered this type of reading. The good news is that is plenty early for it to radically change my life.

And that’s exactly what it has done. After reading over a hundred books in the last few years, here are five that literally changed my life for the better.

[Read more…]

How I Saved Over $20,000 In One Year

December 5, 2011 By deacon 12 Comments

I always liked to think I was good at the personal finance thing. I knew to never carry a balance on my credit cards. I knew how to invest for retirement. I knew how to stay out of trouble for the most part. I was doing pretty well – or so I thought.

The truth is I was living in a very dangerous place financially speaking. I wasn’t in any danger of not making rent or having my new 4Runner repossessed. I was investing 4% of my paycheck into my 401-k. I was doing okay. Just okay.

And “just okay” is a scary place to be. When you’re doing “just okay” you don’t have any incentive to do better. When you’re doing “just okay” you don’t have a reason to change. You can live you’re entire life doing “okay.” [Read more…]

New Milestone Reached!

September 5, 2011 By deacon 18 Comments

Today is a significant milestone for the Bradley family. We’ve been working towards this for about four years now, and my wife Cameron and I are both so excited it’s finally here.

Today Cameron begins her dream job as a full time housewife.

Yes, dream job. Since Cameron was young she’s always dreamed of being able to spend her energy taking care of her family instead of working at a 9 to 5. It’s a goal I’ve also had personally for my future wife since before we ever met.

Now I’m hearing some murmers out there. Maybe some of you aren’t impressed Cameron landed the gig. Or perhaps you’re wondering why we have to work nearly four years towards quitting a job. Or you might even be annoyed because as you’re reading you want to quit too!

The Job Requirements

Like most jobs there were several requirements we had to meet before Cameron’s application could be accepted.

– Must be debt free (except the house) with an emergency fund. We’ve been following Dave Ramsey’s personal finance plan since before we were married. Being debt free with money for a rainy day is a pre-requisite for taking our foot off the gas. For all you Ramsey fans out there I’m talking about Step-6.

– Must own a house we can afford. Living in a single family home is another goal we wanted squared away before we became a single family household. The big requirement here was that the mortgage had to be less than 30% of (only) my take-home pay (after taxes). We put off buying a home for a while while we saved up to meet this requirement! It wasn’t easy to be patient, but it was worth it.

– Must have a husband who loves his (stable) job. Once you go down to a single income household that one income becomes very important. Being the sole provider and simultaneously despising your work is a stressful situation. Last winter I spent quite a bit of time hunting for the perfect place to land, and I was blessed to find it at Invodo.

So What’s The Big Deal?

The big deal is that there’s nothing special about the Bradleys. We don’t have a trust fund. We never made gigantic salaries (and I still don’t FYI). We didn’t inherit anything.

We just decided where we wanted to go. Planned how to get there. And followed the plan.

So yes, you can do this. If you happened to have a trust fund, gigantic salary, or inheritance, even better! But if you’re like us the only thing you need is a goal and a plan to get there.

What’s Holding You Back?

I know there are some of you out there that will read this and think, “We could never do that because _______.” Or “That sounds great, but I’m not sure where to start.”

I want to challenge you on that.

Your thinking, no matter how harmless it may seem, will make or break you on this. Instead of saying “We could never do that.” Ask “How could we do that?” Instead of saying “I don’t know where to start.” Say “I’m going to start by learning more.”

As Henry Ford observed: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

My offer to you:

If you’ve got a dream you’re afraid to think about because it’s just too big then I want to help you. Add a comment, find me on Facebook, or just drop me an email privately and we’ll chat (deacon [at] lifestoked [dot] com). Just think what your life could look like six months from now…

(photo credit)

Meeting My Biggest Influencer

July 29, 2011 By deacon 3 Comments

Today I have the opportunity to meet the man who has influenced my life more than anyone else. That’s right, the guy who has influenced me perhaps more than anybody is someone I’ve never met. They wouldn’t recognize me in a crowd (unless they spotted me excitedly waving like some kind of freak show). They won’t read this post with misty eyes, and they won’t be telling their friends about their talented protege.

So how am I going to meet him? Well I’m stopping by his office in Nashville Tennessee. I’m going to sit in the lobby of his paid-for building and listen to him host the radio show that got me hooked on all this stuff. His staff tells me he comes out during breaks to meet people who stop by.

In case you haven’t guessed (I dropped a big clue in that last paragraph), it’s Dave Ramsey. Dave (as we call him around our house) has had a profound and lasting influence on my in so many areas. Here are a few of the big ones:

Money

Of course the first thing I learned from Dave was how to handle money properly. His wisdom about personal finance is second to none and his methods work. Dave taught me how to manage my money in such a way that I am virtually guaranteed to reach the lofty level I aspire to.

Since becoming debt-free my wife and I have been able to get out of jobs that weren’t a good fit and go after our dream lifestyle. I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to be able to do that!

Success

If you’re unfamiliar with Dave’s story he was a self-made millionaire twice before he was 40 (yep, that means he lost everything the first time). Anyone who can do that has racked up a phd level education in what it takes to succeed.

It was Dave’s influence that first turned me onto Success Magazine (my top resource by far. Go get it today!). He also opened my eyes to the importance of character and integrity in high level achievement (not always so clear with all the short cuts you see widely used).

Reading

Dave is fascinating to listen to because the wisdom of years and years of constant reading poured out of him. He made it clear the importance of reading to opening doors for you and launching you to your biggest potential.

Thanks Dave! I’m on pace to top 20 non-fiction books this year!

Leadership

Dave is a talented leader and someone I’ve learned a lot from observing. In a world where people think you’re crazy for not using credit Dave built a thriving business on being different. He knew the way to handle money properly, and despite experts constantly hurling rocks his way he continues to lead people to freedom.

I’ve always admired Dave’s willingness to take bold actions about what he feels is right and encourage us to come along. In 2008 he led an amazing event helping people gain a realistic perspective on the credit crisis, and just a couple weeks ago he held another event teaching families how to take control of their futures.

Who has had the biggest impact on your life (other than family)?

[box]I’m not gonna lie, this was a hard post to write because Dave has had such a huge impact on my life. It kept getting longer and longer and longer and less organized. If you haven’t listened to this guy I highly recommend it! Changed my life![/box]

(Photo Credit)

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