Category: Wealth Secrets

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CanFour: Art, Craft and Technology


‘Started as an element of the multiple streams of revenue strategy (MSoR™), then became a fulfilling passion along the way’

CanFour is an online handmade/crafts store on the Etsy™ marketplace. Etsy.com is a unique medium for people of shared interest and talent in crafts and handmade production to showcase and sell their articles.

The focus of CanFour is currently wood-based handmade items. So far, the store has four products that share a common theme of usability and colorful cheerfulness.

Below are excerpts from CanFour’s project charter:

Purpose:

CanFour is an expression of an original talent with wood. It contributes to the MSoR strategy as a manifestation of the ideal: Do what you love and let the world pay you for it!

Vision:

CanFour is a beautiful online-store, which combines wood craftsmanship with elegant, true art

Mission:

CanFour generates $10K/month, or more, for the MSoR strategy

Operation Principles:

CanFour only provides products that aim to enhance the quality of life and well-being of its visitors and customers.

The Flowing is one of CanFour’s active products:

 

The Everything, Everyday Handy Wooden Colorful Box

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/CanFour/tools/listings/556376764

C$64.99

 

 

CanFour is geared to become a destination for those who look for items that combine the touch of art while provide a useful means for everyday life

 

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Woodworking: A Sleeping Talent to Explore


‘A sleeping talent is a gift one has, but they are not fully aware of its existence.’

Most of the time it takes doing something that requires using such talent in order to wake it up. It doesn’t have to be artistic though. Being good with numbers, for example, is a gift, which could come in handy one way or another, and be awaken by a genuine need (trying to figure out where all the money is going to 🙂

Recently, I’ve noticed an increasing interest in anything wood. Also noticed liking to go to hardware stores, enjoying the smell of wood, and exploring woodworking tools, raw wood boards and blocks.

It turned out that that was an actual sleeping talent (which might have its roots back in the childhood days), and when put to the test produced two handmade products, now posted on an aspiring new Etsy store, CanFour.

 

Handmade Craft Product

This is a handmade craft, made in Canada from 100% natural Interior BC wood. Inspired by the surrounding nature, and the gradual change of colors as we move from summer to fall. No machine was used, only simple, basic woodworking and painting tools and material. Listed on my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/565798587/natural-wood-miniature-tree-stool

C$45.00

 

Of course, monetizing a genuine/original talent comes with few considerations:

  • Is it going to stay fresh and vibrant as product and financial concerns come into play?
  • While producing one item is exciting and engaging, creating a product line is a different story
  • Is there a market and what would drive sales?
  • Is an online store the right business model?

Some might argue that business, namely marketing and sales, carries an artistic spirit. I’d agree, but this is a different flavor of art.

In this case, the business vision drove creativity! The decision to start an Etsy store as an element of a Multiple Streams of Income (MSOI) strategy preceded finding product ideas, let alone alone production. I’ve found that quite interesting. I guess the lesson here is the following:

‘It doesn’t really matter where and how innovation kicks in; whether it’s a hunch while taking a walk in the mountains, or an insight popping up during a deliberate planning session. What matters is how you capitalize on that and bring it to light.’

Going forward, you will notice that The Wealth Maker blog is becoming a proactive ‘voice’ of the emerging ventures. Furthermore, it will continue its mission to deliver quality knowledge and practical tips to wealth aspirants from all walks of life…

Till our next post, stay tuned and enlightened!

The Wealth Maker

 

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Abundance or Lack?


 

“Whether we intend to make it on our own, or inherit a sum of financial wealth, our character determines how far we may go on that journey!“

Are we born rich or poor? Well, we’re born with no physical possessions, such as clothes, money, or investments. We come to this world fresh, new and empty-handed. Yet, we carry, within the vessel called “body,” what is more than enough.

More than enough to be loving, faithful, humble, courageous, and wealthy, a state which deserves pondering upon: Nothing physical (except the body), yet everything intellectual, emotional and spiritual. Then why do only few of us, 3% to be exact, become wealthy?

Yes, wealth is more than money and finances. However, those who enjoy wealthy hearts can extend helping hands to others, spreading their financial wealth beyond the small sphere of the self.

How does a newborn, with nothing on, transform? How does he or she become what they were born for? Despite the genes they carry, despite all the worry, within and without?

They see and believe. They resolve to take the higher path, even if it seems lonely, rocky, or dangerous.

What is that called? Courage!

Courage isn’t the absence of fear. Courage doesn’t fill in for knowledge, preparation and action. However, without it, all those become obsolete. Knowledge without application is a burden. Excessive preparation turns into obsession. Aimless action is a waste of time and energy. A hiker may slip back few steps here and there, yet, at the end of the day, he or she reaches the summit.

Long ago, I’d written about the courage to dream. It takes a healthy dose of bravery to see oneself outside the imagined, limited domain of roadblocks and obstacles. What had Edison seen before he discovered electricity? Light. What had Ford seen before building his first automobile? A horseless carriage.

Inspiration? Motivation? You bet! We always need those. Every moment of every day is a new creation, where you and I can start all over again. That takes courage to let go of the past.

OK. Where is courage sold? How can we get it? Can that kind of endowment be learned, cultivated, enhanced? Yes it can. Start by intending it. True, meaningful and effective intention emerges when the heart and the mind are in full coherence and resonance, for good or for worse. We intend both our joy and pain, unconsciously. To intend courage we must step out of the sleepwalking dream. We must awaken.

There is a kind of paradox here. Courage leads to action, and inaction diminishes courage. Where to start? Baby steps. Intend and take small action, then intend again and take a slightly “bigger” action (although there isn’t an inherent difference between the two).

Let’s put the pieces together:

  • We all start the journey on Planet Earth with the same amount of financial wealth, zero. This levels the playground
  • We are, nonetheless, given what it takes to complete the journey effectively
  • Only few of us utilize those bounties to the effect of enjoying True Wealth (spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and financial)
  • The single most important attribute to achieving that is courage
  • This endowment can be learned, enhanced and applied in ways that benefit both the individual and the society
  • Every moment presents a chance for a new start. Hence, letting go of the past and beginning anew is always possible
  • Intention and attention are our best friends. The first requires congruence between what the heart desires and what the mind sees. The second calls for awakening from the sleepwalking dream, living a life of awareness

We do have a choice. At the same time, our universe is governed by perfect principles. Finding our way through these two facts is both joyful and challenging! Facing a challenge to learn and grow turns it into an opportunity, and that what sets people apart…

 

The Wealth Maker

© Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

 

 

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A Farmer’s Approach to Wealth Making


farming

 

The universe is a perfect example of collaboration and interdependence. Nothing stands alone!

We are members of that system. Our lives exhibit different dimensions that must work together if we aim for harmony and prosperity.

Attaining financial wealth is the result of thoughtful and intuitive groundwork on our part. Just like love, self esteem, happiness. They are all fruits, of healthy roots!

To use farming as a metaphor, a wise farmer decides what he/she wants to grow, picks up good seeds, prepares the land (weeding, leveling, fertilizing, etc), waits for the right season (which takes knowledge), then plants the seeds carefully.

That is the bulk of the work. After that, he or she must keep tending to the land, making sure it’s well-watered, free from insects, and so forth.

The rest is not his/her job! The seeds, given the right environment, know what to do. A farmer can’t speed up or slow down their growth.

Aiming to create and grow wealth is quite similar. It starts with knowing what we want, in as much details as possible, while leaving ample room for creativity and spontaneity.

The next step is finding the right “land”, which is the right business or investment that would translate what we want into actual products and/or services, profitable investments, or both.

The “seeds” are plenty. The challenge is to choose the right ones for you and your dream. It is essential to give this enough thought and soul searching. Sit down, write down, reflect, talk to others, collect and analyze information, release negative emotions, then make your decision(s).

What we seek, seeks us! As strange as it may sound, I’m sure you could find examples from your own life to the truthfulness of this finding. Most of the time we meet halfway, but it won’t come knocking on our doors (it might for a few). We must “move” intelligently towards it, and while moving, we continue to be open to what the road might throw before us. That might be another opportunity we haven’t thought of.

Let’s summarize what we have explored so far:

  • Know what you want.
    • This can’t be emphasized enough. We either know what we want, or not. In the latter case, someone, or something, else would choose for us
    • The farmer, in the above metaphor, knows that he/she wants to grow, say, corn this season. What do you want to “grow”, and how would you know? Go back to the basics. Ask yourself fundamental questions about your life in general. Be as honest as you can when you answer. Let those responses come from “you”, regardless of others’ approval, regardless of your current circumstances, and regardless of past conditioning and limiting self-concepts (this is a tough one. Go through it gently and steadily)
    • The outcome is your vision/mission statement. The constitution of your life! Something that reflects who you truly are. Something that inspires you every time you read it!
    • Derive from that statement your wealth objectives. Write them down as intentions, in the present tense. Avoid woulds and shoulds. And stay away from “wanting”. Here’s an example: “I intend to reach $$ net-worth by end of 20xx
  • Find the seeds
    • Now that you know the destination, look for the vehicle(s) that would take you there. One source that is readily available for you is this blog. Read the articles from the beginning. You’ll find a multitude of concepts, strategies and techniques to help you decide what vehicle you’d like to ride
    • Once you find what seeds you like to grow, look for the right implementation. This is also covered in details throughout the blog. However, you can do your own research using whatever tools that are available to you. The point is to plant those seeds in a good, “fertile” environment
  • Take care of your new farm. Nonetheless, allow it to grow on its own. Give it time and be patient. A farmer wouldn’t wake up every morning, go to the cornfield, and yell at it: Grow, grow! Be watchful at this stage and well-informed, but not willful

Finally, what we set out to achieve in life follows timeless principles. The more we know and understand those changeless facts, the smoother the ride, and the better the outcome would be.

The Wealth Maker

© Image Credit: www.shermanfarmnh.com, From Google Images. © Google Inc.

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How to Weather Financial Storms


fin-storm

Wealth is a state of being. An orientation towards abundance that is unique. On one hand, you do not feel “entitled” to anything. You see what you have as a pure blessing. On the other, one believes he or she deserves prosperity as a birthright, and go out in the world to attain it, ethically and effectively.

Financial wealth is no exception. It comes as a result of who you are, and how you translate that into enlightened, guided and productive actions.

Like everything in this short passage called “life”, like the oceans that ebb and flow, the state of our physical wealth may go through ups and downs. The frequency of such changes could appear over the course of years, or months, depending on the structure of your financial foundation, and your short-, mid- and long-term decisions.

When everything is alright, everything is alright! Friends and family are close, all is well, and everyone is “seemingly” happy.

As things start faltering, guess who sticks around? Only those who love you, or like you, regardless of your financial status, or any status for that matter. This is important to know in good times, not only in bad times. It helps choose whom to trust.

On the practical level, it is advisable to always have, stowed away, a six-month reserve to cover basic, essential needs: Food, shelter, car, school tuition, etc.

What if the downturn lasted more than six months? It is possible, and we’ve seen it, especially in a soft economy. Here comes the importance of long-term planning, and preparation. As a master of your ship, you can “see” those black clouds before they hit home, and get to work on your plan B, C or even D (of course, you do have at least B 🙂

How about the emotional side of things? This could be tougher!

How can you maintain your composure, your strength, and your trust in a higher Power that knows what you’re going through, and will never leave you alone, as it always has?

This is not theoretical, or abstract. It is as real as it can get. We need our emotional and spiritual energies at their best. Otherwise, the storm might wipe us out, no kidding about that …

What we do when “everything is alright” comes to the rescue when things are not alright. Serving others quietly and candidly, helping the needy, being active volunteers in our communities, nurturing the relationships we’ve built upon love and trust. But the most important is cultivating an unwavering faith, a special connection beyond space-time and cause-effect restrictions. All of that is a different kind of “deposit” in a mysterious, yet real, emotional/spiritual account. We deposit without keeping track, for it comes naturally out of who we truly are!

And finally, we need to remember that no storm lasts forever, and that every storm brings with it opportunities for growth, which would’ve never been possible otherwise.

The Wealth Maker

© Image Credit: http://www.comparethemarket.com.au/

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How Can an Investor Read The Future?


Investing is not only an intellectual enterprise. It challenges all dimensions of an investor’s personality and character. That’s why it is an inner job, before it manifests in the outer.

Nonetheless, an investor is not a fortuneteller, a speculator, or a gambler. He or she sees the activity as a business, which is prone to loss and profit, rise and demise.

Human beings are bound by the laws of cause and effect, and governed by the flow of time. Is that so? We tend to “like” to surrender to such determinism because our minds need to find closure on everything. Without such “unconscious” obedience to these laws, without time, the mind gets lost.

Within each and every one of us is a potential greater than the mind. Tapping into that potential requires awareness and inner work. You may start by paying attention to the mind’s ceaseless thinking, and train yourself to be an observer, not a participant in the thousands of thoughts the mind conjures up everyday! You can reach a stage where you “choose” what serves you and add value to your life, while releasing that which confuses or troubles you.

The mind can’t stop working. This is a blessing. Nevertheless, it could turn into a curse when the mind starts using us to “entertain” itself, especially as it finds itself “free”. Keep it busy with something suitable to its nature, and useful to you and to the world around you. Apart from that, practice the art of “un-participation”. You are not your mind!

Here you might say: I’m confused! Are you telling me to be mindless?

Not at all. I’m asking you to be “mindful”. To be the master of your mind not its slave. There is a huge difference between the two worlds.

How is all of that related to investing? Surprisingly a lot!

When you become in command of your mind, and hence your life, all your activities start flowing effortlessly. You bypass the mind’s resistance to the new in favor of the old and familiar.

That leads to a very important fact, which sets the stage for the rest of this discussion: History does not repeat itself! Each and every moment is independent and new, and it may surprise you.

Does that make me read the future? You might ask.

Not literally. However, it advances you light years ahead in your ability to engage the moments while they unfold, which is, in my humble opinion, better than reading the future.

As you rid yourself of a troubling past, and be fully present here and now, you become “aligned” with true universal principles. Time becomes your friend. Cause and effect your servants. You are no longer asleep, spiritually. You start to “see”. You begin to “know” without thinking. You step into a new realm that has already been within you, but now you’re “awake” to its existence and brilliance.

From this new foundation, your investment decisions (and all your decisions) will change, for the better. You have on your side the best advisor ever, you! The real you…

This can only be proven through direct experience. Do not believe any of the above, but try it and practice it, honestly.

After all, whose life and whose money are we talking about? Doesn’t that deserve exploring something new? Haven’t we had enough of resigning to the old, only because it is familiar? And we all know, too well, that “familiar” does not equate to “successful”. Most of the time, it leads to the opposite.

Any breakthrough, throughout human history, has come about by challenging habitual thinking and exploring the frontiers that laid dormant behind the mind.

Gravity isn’t only physical!

The Wealth Maker

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Beware of Binary Options (BO) Trading!


Despite its newness, BO trading has almost gone mainstream. The promise of fast and easy attainment of riches fuels its overwhelming proliferation.

People with no experience whatsoever embark on this adventure. After all, opening an account takes seconds. Placing a trade is swift and instant, and so is losing money!

The business model of the so-called binary options brokers (many of them are regulated by gambling authorities, if at all) is an old-fashion scheme, where the winners take part of the losers’ money, and the house keeps the rest. Does that remind you of any other business model?!

New brokers are popping up everywhere. The only region that doesn’t welcome them as much is North America. None of them is recognized or regulated by financial authorities in either Canada or The US.

The platforms, the graphs, the glamour, and even the so-called “rules” play on the psychology of the users, who soon become losers of hard-earned funds.

What is the split? Probably one winner in every 100 or more members. So let’s run a quick calculation. The winner is so good, he/she nets $1000 a day. The losers, on the other hand, give up an average of 50/member. Total loss: 50 *100 = 5000. The winner gets a grand, and the house keeps four; not bad at all! Keep in mind that this example assumes a very low-end of the game. Usually, the split is one winner out of at least 500. And the losers let go of more than 50 a piece.

Is that business, investment, or even trading?

No. It is not, by any measure. It’s a new form of online gambling. People talk about using technical analysis to “predict” the closing price of an asset, when the trade expires. What’s that called? Betting, right. Fighting the odds, with eyes less than half-oppened.

Financial markets are unpredictable on the long-term, let alone for minutes and/or seconds. A price graph may decide to have a “hiccup” right before expiry, costing you all the money you’ve put on that price closing higher (or lower) than the entry point. The reason could be a piece of news, High Frequency Trading (HFT), or any other unpredictable event that may have taken place momentarily, causing a trend to change direction, wiping out your “investment.”

Is that fair? Well, first, no one forces you to do it. And second, which is more important, this is an emotional rollercoaster. Very few people can maintain their composure in the face of such rapid changes. Those are the few winners, exactly as in poker, or any other money game.

Money is a vehicle to exchange real value. Playing with it isn’t healthy, both for the individual and the economy.

Please notice that nothing is being exchanged, not even futures (for example, commodities or stocks). The whole deal is about prediction and speculation. The “trader” buys the “right” to put money on a probability, which is affected by factors that are entirely outside the reach and control of the trader. Can you buy and sell probabilities? You can utilize statistical data to make an informed investment decision. Here, that piece of information has become the asset!

We need to know the traps so we wouldn’t step on them.

Go back to the articles on this blog, or any other source you trust. Gain the knowledge of real investment, real work. Know your options, and never commit money to buying fish in the ocean!

The Wealth Maker

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What is Wealth to You?


Everything is created twice: First on the screen within that reflects heart wishes and mind logic, and second, in the physical world, as a manifestation of what is reflected on that screen.

Now, the actual realization of one’s wishes and desires may or not precisely reflect what was within. Individual beliefs, self concept, and guided action, all, among others, determine what actually takes place before our eyes.

Wealth is no exception. In order to attain it, you’ve got to know what it means to you! Can you hit a target you don’t see?

I was inspired to write this article by a book titled “The Rules of Wealth” by Richard Templar. The 2nd rule in that book is “Decide on your definition of wealth”.

Templar has a good point there. It is not enough to tell yourself: “I want to be wealthy”. What does that mean?

If you couldn’t “define it”, then how would you go get it?

Once you finish reading this article, grab a pen and paper, your smart phone, tablet, whatever, and write down at least five things that would give your dream a meaning; something you can visualize, internalize and start moving towards.

It could be a list of possessions. Or, a combination of things to have, activities to do, and character traits to develop and sustain. No matter what comes first to the mind, and seems flowing from the heart, write it down. That’s how a commitment is shaped.

Use present tense, and avoid hoping and wishing. Here’s an example:

I intend to get a graduate degree in (fill in the blanks) by end of 20xx

I intend to create a residual income of ($$$) by June 20xx

By the time you finish writing down your intentions, you’ll have a “contract” with yourself. If you enjoy a high, healthy self-respect (which I’m sure you do), chances are you will attain those intentions, because the first, and most important, creation has already been taken care of!

The Wealth Maker

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Can Wealth Be Attracted, Unconventionally?


 

The advocates of the law of attraction suggest that people “attract” into their lives what they think and feel repeatedly. That is a big statement, and an alarming one, for that matter.

I recently stumbled upon an audio product titled “Attract Wealth”, by barainsync.com ™. It is presented (and probably authored) by Kelly Howell, a well-known figure in that field.

The message is this: If you could bypass the traffic lights of your conscious mind (the gatekeeper of everything you know since you were in your mother’s womb), and delve into the subconscious, impressing upon it messages of wealth and prosperity, you would see different, positive results manifest in your financial life.

Coming from an engineering/science background, I can’t seem to find a method to “test” or measure such claim. The only way of validation is direct experience. And that differs from one person to another.

Regardless of whether the proposition is valid or not, my own view is that it should be treated as a supplementary resource, just like multivitamins.

What does that entail? We still have a need to work, to provide value and be rewarded for it. If something can make that meaningful effort easier and more enjoyable, then why not?

On the other hand, it is true, in my opinion, that the universe is much more than what the five senses convey to our minds. If we can’t see, smell, hear, taste or touch something, it doesn’t necessarily mean that “something” does not exist. Existence is not as simple as we might think. It’s real, complex, and mysterious at the same time.

A word of caution before you try to “experience” the above-mentioned product (or something similar). The soundtracks have embedded brainwaves and subliminal messages. If you don’t know what those are, Google™ them. You’ll find thousands of pages. Here’s the one I’d suggest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainwave_entrainment

If you decide to give it a shot, why not share with us your findings by commenting on this post?

 

The Wealth Maker

 

 

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Are you ready to start?


Why do most dreamers end up at the nearside of their dreamland?

Why do only three percent of the population, or less, make it, financially?

Is it lack of knowledge or lack of courage?

Or is it a main effect (not a side-effect) of a widespread disease called: Perfectionism?

How much preparation does one need in order to start? And what kind of preparation is that?

We tend to fall prey to our own predictions! Our own procrastination, which is, oftentimes, an implicit result of our fears…

So, when do we start? At the onset of the dream, or when the dream starts vanishing!

When the dream is ripe; clear in your mind and soul, and you take one action, just one simple action, something remarkable happens!

Trouble? Challenges? You bet! Yet, you got a huge advantage there; the image is still vivid behind your eyes and between your ears. Sometimes it’s even pounding in your chest.

While challenges mount up the moment you start, your momentum has been set in motion. Just before that one action, you had been in total inertia. Your own dream had been weighing you down.

Never wait till your plans are perfect. They will never be.

Dream vividly, intend purposefully, plan carefully, yet, start taking actions now!

The process is not linear. Always balance out your preparation and your action energy, even if you have to juggle between the two. Actions give you valuable feedback on your plans, so you would revise and improve them. Plans, on the other hand, guide your actions, so you wouldn’t shoot in the dark!

The Wealth Maker