Quick Hits: Give responsibly. Shut down the negative voice. Ethiopian kids with tablets.

• One of the benefits to getting your finances under control is the opportunity to give generously. However, your giving is a resource that needs to be managed, too. You can’t just give to every organization with their hand out without checking them out first. Tony Morgan recently published a list of ten things that people will want to know before they will give to your church, but I think you can turn them around to make great guidelines for the giver to use before donating to any charitable organization. How will your giving make a difference? How will the resources you give be used? What is the vision of the organization? How can you get further involved? How transparent is the organization? Don’t give blindly.

• Pessimism has always tempted me. Out loud, I’d use the word “realist” but, deep down, I had made Murphy my patron saint. It’s taken a lot of work to change my mindset, and to recognize, by and large, our world and my life just keep getting better, not worse. The biggest part of that has been to shut down that fear-filled, negative voice before it can convince me otherwise. Give yourself a chance to see what’s good around you. There aren’t boogeymen around every corner.

• How’s this for an education experiment? The One Laptop Per Child project wanted figure out ways to encourage the children of countries with little or no education infrastructure to start teaching themselves. So, they delivered some boxes of tablets to two villages in Ethiopia, taped shut, with no instructions whatsoever. Within five months, the children had begun to learn English and even circumvented some of the security settings on the tablets. How could we implement something like that here in America? Education has to get beyond memorizing facts and procedures, and move on to inspiring children to constantly be learning.

Ask For Help! Be Accountable To Someone.

C is for Coaching. It probably seems a little self-serving, since I’m a financial coach. While I do think that more should seek out services like mine, the truth is we each should have somebody in our life that we trust to guide and urge us on to be better, especially in the area of money. Sadly, too few of us do.

For some reason, our money – more than almost any other issue in our lives – is not to be discussed with other people. It’s taboo. We talk about personal relationship issues, health issues, spiritual issues, addictions to pornography and drugs, but we don’t talk about money.

– Russ Crosson, The Truth About Money Lies.

So, how do you find a money coach?

• Think about your money. How are you struggling? What do you want to change? Coaches can only help you make progress if you’ve thought about the direction you’re trying to go.

• Speak up about it. Being open about your need gives others the opportunity to bless you with options you might not have been aware of.

• Learn more. We’re living in an age of information. Take advantage of books, videos, and podcasts. Find out what kinds of money management classes and seminars are being offered in your area. Also, read the Bible. The books of Proverbs and the teachings of Jesus are full of valuable lessons about money.

• Act. The more you expose yourself to sound money principles, and the more you surround yourself with like-minded people, the sooner you’ll find a coach. Maybe it’s that millionaire that looks nothing like a millionaire – or the teacher of the money management class you’re taking – or a pastor. Buy them lunch, and ask for help.

You might decide that hiring a financial coach is your best answer. It’s worth paying to get results because your heart follows your money. If you spend it on knowledge and accountability, then you’ll put your heart into it.

Where do you go for great money advice? And who’s holding you accountable with your saving and spending? Anyone have a good word for Z? Let me know in the comments below!

[image from publicdomainpictures.net]

Quick Hits: Poverty is different than being broke. Pixar’s rules for stories. Insert pee joke here. Barbie’s anatomy.

• I drive through one of the most run-down parts of Tucson almost every day. The obvious poverty is staggering. I pray for churches and the Christians who attend them to stand up and show grace and love to those in our city who desperately need it. It’s part of the reason why I donate to MAN Tucson. There’s a delicate balance to maintain there though, because there are a lot of people who, choice by choice, day after day, have decided that living broke is all they have. Showing them too much grace is enabling them. No one should be comfortable with poverty, especially those who have the ability to pull themselves free.

• Pixar Studios. Just for The Incredibles alone, I would name them one of the top movie-makers of all time. So, when some of the best story-tellers make a list of their rules for writing stories? You sit up and listen. All of them are great, but I’m especially inspired by numbers 2, 7, 11 and 15. Which ones are your favorites?

• Look, I’m all for exploring and developing alternative and cleaner forms of energy. Really, I am. Still, doesn’t this take the whole idea just a touch too far? Would you want to carry that battery around in your pocket? Brings a whole new meaning to the words “Energy Drink.”

• Psht. And they called her anatomically incorrect.

Break the Chains! Free Yourself From Debt

B is for Bondage. Nothing ties up your income and locks up your dreams more than the bondage of debt. If you want to turn your finances around, escaping those chains must be a priority.

Truths about debt:

• Debt is a product being sold. Credit is the most aggressively marketed product in the country. Remember that “Life takes VISA” is an ad slogan, not a fact.

• Debt limits options. Lenders must be paid. Any job that covers all of those bills is a requirement, no matter what. And an underwater mortgage can turn a home into a prison.

• Debt increases risk. Being able to pay today doesn’t guarantee tomorrow. Failure to repay leads to threats and legal action, and can result in losses of property and wages.

How to escape:

• Get intense. You can’t passively drift out of debt. Escaping requires passion. It’s time to get angry. It’s time to get focused.

• Get intentional. You have to drive every dollar you bring in towards a purpose. Make a plan for your income. Write it down.

• Stop borrowing. No more new debt. Draw the line here, and get ready to fight.

What do you think? Are you living without debt? How did you escape? What should be my word for Q? Let me know in the comments below!

[image from publicdomainpictures.net]