Aha!

Do you ever have one of those moments when something becomes so clear that you just want to shout it to the world?
I had one of those moments today.  And because I have a sore throat (and have been yelling at the kids), I'll blog about it instead of shouting it to the world.

This morning I took Princess Monkey Eyes, Thor & Grand Duchess to the library for story hour.  After we left, I realized that I didn't fax the paper that Popeye had asked me to fax, so I ran back in & did that.  While I was waiting for the librarian, I looked at the books displayed on the counter & one of them caught my eye.
"The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me" by Richard Paul Evans.  And then sitting next to it was it's sequel, "The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me for Women".  Hmm, for women. 
Let me write out what it says on the inside flap:

"When Richard Paul Evans was twelve years old, his father fell & broke both of his legs.  With no income and no insurance, the Evans family was destitute.  At this time a multimillionaire taught young Evans the five secrets to wealth.  Evans used those five secrets not only to change his life but that of thousands of others when he wrote 'The five lessons a millionaire taught me about life and wealth'.  An international bestseller, this essential book interweaves those influential lessons with personal stories from everyday people.  Evans explains that money should not be the preoccupation of our lives, but instead our focus should be on the principles that free us to concentrate on God, family & relationships - life's true riches. Now Evans has taken years of personal research and coaching to create the perfect money book for women who want a better life.  With his classic, motivational voice, Evans offers lessons that are easy to understand and simple to follow.  Powerful, proven, and life changing, The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me for Women may be one of the most important books you will ever read."

Maybe it doesn't interest you, but it got my own interest piqued.  So I checked it out and started reading.
After reading a little through it, I've made the assumption that Mr. Evans is LDS, which makes me happy because he knows how important paying tithing is to me.  And that made me want to read even more. 

And I feel this is my answer to my prayers.  Living the principles taught in this book will give me financial security.  Let's face it, Popeye is 9 years older than me, he's in a high-risk job, he may even get deployed.  Even if we both live healthy lives, the statistics show he'll pass on before I will.  I don't want to leave my financial security to chance.

So these are some aha moments I had today while thinking about this book & our finances:

• I want to be able to stop working eventually.
• I want Popeye to be able to retire at a decent age.
• I want to have a home that I can afford and that can fit all of us comfortably.
• I want to be able to travel to grandkids' special occasions.
• I want to be able to help my children if they get into tough times.
• More importantly, I want to teach my children how to be smart about money.
• The furniture I have now (while it's old and ugly and mis-matched) will work.
• I don't need to cook extravagant meals every night, mac and cheese with ground beef will suffice once in a while.
• I want to start implementing these lessons immediately and want to work even more to help our family get out of the hole we're in.
• I want Popeye to have less stress. A lot less stress.

There are more reasons, but don't you think those ones are pretty good?

So my new mantra is:

TODAY I DECIDE TO BE WEALTHY. (Not become wealthy but BE wealthy.  Using the word 'become' makes me feel like it's a far-off, possibly attainable goal.  But using the word 'BE' makes it a positive, motivational goal.)

I've written it down and placed it in places where I am tempted to spend money or that I look at frequently.  One on my nightstand.  One in my wallet on top of my driver's license. One on my computer monitor. One in my crochet wallet. One on the refrigerator next to my shopping list. One in my van. And one on my bathroom mirror (I typically peak there before I leave the house).

And mark my words, I've already started getting my butt in gear and this time next year, I'll have a nest egg started & working my way towards attaining those goals listed above.

It's a wonderful feeling.  A wonderful, liberating, hopeful feeling.

I thought I would buy the book, but I think I'll just keep checking it out of the library instead.