AGAINST THE FLOW

To be counter-intuitive is something most of us are naturally geared against, Warren Buffet put it best, " when everyone is being greedy, be frightened, when everyone else is frightened be greedy". This is one of the principles that has made him one of the most successful investors in history.

For home owners with a mortgage most are waiting for the next rate drop which has been anticipated by a significant percentage of our leading economists. Hardly a time when you would be thinking of fixing your home loan rate, why would you do that when rates are going down? What most people miss is that this is exactly the time when you should consider fixing all or part of your home loan. Why?

Because long before interest rates begin to rise lenders will be increasing their fixed rates, and at the moment the 3 year and 5 year fixed rates are well below the standard variable rate.

Every borrower's circumstances are different, but now would be a good time to talk to your mortgage broker or financial adviser.

GOYA

Just had a wonderful week away with my wife in beautiful far north Queensland. One question that came to mind on this my 12th trip to Cairns, if you live in paradise where do you go for holidays?

While we were there relaxing had plenty of time to do some reading. There is an absolute wealth of information available to all of us, in particular how to get the best out of ourselves and what makes us tick.

One thing that does stand out, no matter how much information you acquire, how much you learn, it is worth very little unless you...

Get Off Your Arse!

NLP

It really can be a wonderful journey when you go to places that you have never been. Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend an NLP seminar presented by Terry McClendon. Terry is a native of California who emigrated to Australia in 1982, he studied at UC Santa Cruz with the founders of Neuro Linguistic Programming, Richard Bandler and John Grinder. NLP is a communication model that is well worth a look, google is really good for this. I know I'm repeating myself, but I do have my grand daughters to thank for my new found curiosity to explore new thoughts and ideas, again, for that I am forever grateful.

HELP TO GET OVER THE HUMP

"What will get us all through the tough times is giving respect to those who need it, accepting help from the most unlikely sources and a communal spirit that celebrates even the smallest of achievements.

You find inspiration and life-changing experiences in the most unusual places and sometimes at your lowest point."

Whilst I have enormous respect for what Eddie McGuire has achieved from his humble start in life, I never really thought I would be quoting him in my blog. I was searching for information about a fellow by the name of Mick Dugina, one of the unknown and unsung people behind the Collingwood Football Club, a man who from all reports overcame a very challenging start in life to become an integral part of the most successful football club, in financial terms and membership numbers at least, in the history of sport in this country.

The above quote comes from an article that Eddie wrote in the Sunday Herald Sun on the 16th November 2008. The article describes how Eddie managed to climb Mt Humphrey in Arizona with the the football team during their high altitude training camp, and the assistance he received from Mick Dugina to complete the challenge.

To paraphrase Eddie, you never know where you will find the help, inspiration and strength to get through the tough times that we will all surely endure at some time.

Vale Steve Jobs

In this new world of electronic communication I think you know you have left your mark when your passing can generate 10,000 tweets per second and almost collapse the twitter network.

LIVE LEARN GROW

A conversation I had today reminded me of a quote used by Tony Robins, "every living thing is either growing or dying", you have the choice to either exist and mark time, or to continue to learn and grow, and it is YOUR choice.

I had the opportunity this morning to speak with one of the most awarded Life Coaches in Australia, Master Coach, Noel Posus. While it was only a relatively brief conversation, I finished our chat knowing a lot more about Life Coaching and Life Coach training than I did before and also confirming my goal to complete the required study to practice in this field.

Take advantage of the vast amount of people and resources that are available to help all of us achieve our goals, and never miss an opportunity to provide that same assistance to anyone you can help along the way.

Check out - www.noelposus.com

Well worth a visit.

THERE'S STILL TIME

For some of us in Australia it's Monday evening at the end of a long lazy, long weekend. Three days into a new month, the start of the last quarter of 2011. While there are some who are not fans of new years resolutions, it doesn't seem that long ago that this year had dawned with all the hopes, dreams, ambitions, expectations and plans that generally accompany the start of each year. Maybe this is as good a time as any to reflect on where we were at the start of the year and where we are now, in our personal and professional lives. Have you achieved all of part of what you thought possible this year? Thinking about how you thought this year would be, on a scale of 1 - 10, how would you rate it thus far?

The really good news is that there is still time to re-focus your energy and make this year the best yet.

Remember:

"Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements."
Napoleon Hill