Living the American Dream is still real but it takes action
Fred went to school, studied and got good grades, graduated and got a good job. He worked diligently, was promoted and received regular raises. He was, by all appearances, living the American Dream. So why is it that he’s struggling to make ends meet?
Fred, and many people like him, have become without realizing it, victims to run away gas prices and rising cost. They’re even being called America’s new poor by news pundits.
What happened? He thought he was happily living a middle class life, but things changed.
So what can the “Freds” among us do?
One solution is to change your thinking and realize that your income can come from any number of channels, your job being just one of them. If you understand that God is the source of everything in your life, including your income, you can then explore ways to add multiple streams of income to supplement your paycheck.
Part of the problem is that most of us were raised to be good employees and while at its core there’s nothing wrong with this, our world is changing quickly. Our once secure jobs are disappearing, as more and more US companies outsource much of their work. Whether you agree with this or not, it is here and, in many cases, necessary in order to compete globally.
Others are trimming their workforce, again in order to remain competitive and minimize costs like rising healthcare. Even the “so called” secure jobs are unable to keep pace with rising costs and, as we learned before, putting hard working people in difficult situations.
So, let’s take a look at some ways almost anyone can increase their household income starting with little or no investment or previous experience. It begins, as any change, by assessing your present financial condition and deciding what you would like to add each week, month or year. How much do you now earn and how much more would you like?
Then take responsibility for your own life, giving up blame and finger-pointing. Challenge your present beliefs about your own abilities, eliminating those that do not serve you and create new, empowering one’s.
Then, create a compelling vision that includes your new life and your new life style.
So far so good, however if all you do is visualize your dream life, not much will happen.
You have to actually do something. That “something” will be determined in large part by your abilities, desire and the amount of money that you want.
For example if you have a skill, whether it is something that you are currently using in your career or not, you can offer your services as an independent business. For example, many big firm accountants have a sideline business doing personal tax returns and more than a few graphic designers, working at newspapers and magazines, “freelance” their services to small businesses in their locale.
You can, without much initial cost or expense, begin an ebay business. Many people, numbering 150,000,000 at this time, and growing, are buying and selling on ebay.com regularly.
To me this is a “no brainer,” since it’s something that you can begin with items that are in your garage or attic and build from there. One of the great things about ebay is that you can be earning additional income within 72 hours or less.
If ebay or a personal services are not appealing to you, you may want to explore opportunities for a “service business” in your community. I’ve seen everything from home drying cleaning delivery to mobile pet services opening up, providing significant revenue to their founders.
The Internet is providing numerous opportunities, ranging from bloggers who write about a subject and receive income from Google Adsense revenue and other pay-per-click advertising, to affiliates who, by building a targeted Web site and creating a database of interested prospects, can offer a range of products. They receive a percent of the selling price from the vendor for their efforts, much in the same way a traditional retailer receives a markup on products they sell.
Others are developing information products, teaching virtually every subject, from computer software to business skills, to a pool of buyers who are hungry for information. Do you need to train your ferret? There is an information product (or several) which will teach you how, right from the comfort of your computer.
Whatever path you choose, do something. It’s time we all took charge of our financial destiny and began implementing multiple streams of income. Living paycheck to paycheck is no longer an option.
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