To those who have noticed, I have been gone to my thinking and processing place and no new entries have been posted for a while.  Teaming up with my dear and delightful wife, we have been rethinking what the world cries out for and what we might have to offer that might help.

Listening to National [...]]]>

To those who have noticed, I have been gone to my thinking and processing place and no new entries have been posted for a while.  Teaming up with my dear and delightful wife, we have been rethinking what the world cries out for and what we might have to offer that might help.

Listening to National Public Radio yesterday, I heard a young man from Bhutan talk about his country’s GDH…Gross Domestic Happiness.  This small country, high in the Himalaya’s, has a population of 650,000 mostly Happy people.  It made me wonder.  If we were to measure the GDH of the United States, what percent of the population is actually happy?  And how does our GDH compare to other nations?

Happy, fulfilled people are creative people.  They make our nation strong economically and spiritually with their greater confidence and effectiveness.

As intriguing and distracting as technology is, it does not bring happiness.  Jobs and careers bring money, identity and maybe power in some cases, but these in and of themselves do not create happiness.  Happiness comes from living a life that is fulfilling.  You decide what is fulfilling by living your values and doing what brings internal joy and peace.  But looking at the world around us and certainly in the news, we are seeing too much unhappiness, anger, frustration and fear.  This is not just unfortunate, it really does not need to be.

So my wife and I will be doing something about it, progressively.  We have changed our focus to something we call Shared Victory TM, dedicated to helping people live fulfilling lives.  Watch for more posts, articles and other resources as we pull all of this together.

As always, your feedback, ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated.  In the meantime, invest in your own Gross Domestic Happiness!

Jimm Hughey, M.S.

Graduate Coach, People Architect

Growing Successful People is our Business

“Every morning, Every evening, Ain’t we got fun! Not much money, Oh but honey, Ain’t We Got Fun!”

From Song “AIN’T WE GOT FUN” ~Richard Whiting / Gus Kahn / Raymond S. Egan-1921

On Valentine’s Day, if things look dour, I have [...]]]>

“Every morning, Every evening, Ain’t we got fun!
Not much money, Oh but honey, Ain’t We Got Fun!”

From Song “AIN’T WE GOT FUN” ~Richard Whiting / Gus Kahn / Raymond S. Egan-1921

On Valentine’s Day, if things look dour, I have two choices – and so do you!

I can look at those two lonely bills in my wallet and feel badly or I can celebrate the fact that I have someone who is still willing to share my life!

I received an email from a male friend that felt very badly because he had been out of work for almost a year and he has no money to buy his wife a Valentine’s Day gift.  His heart aches because he wants to give his wife one of those little blue boxes from Tiffany’s with a lovely diamond necklace in it.  My heart goes out to him because I know how that feels; I too have been in that place.  But I learned something along the way.

Many women say YES, diamonds, nice restaurants, trips to Paris and a new dress are fun, but they are not the most important thing.

Don’t believe me?  Two surveys about Valentine’s Day were done recently, one by Women’s Health Magazine and the other was an on the street interview broadcast on ABC News.  Women and men were asked about the importance about Valentine’s Day.  The results of these and studies done in the past show the same thing.

It is the QUALITY of THOUGHT that counts!

When women were asked about what was important to them, their answers are not really surprising.  Women love to be loved, appreciated, remembered, honored and cherished and guess what, so do men!

For women, Valentine’s Day: 68% say plan it together, 79% say having a date on Valentine’s didn’t matter, 85% say receiving a gift is not important and almost 50% felt that if there is a gift, it should be $25 or less.  54% of women surveyed felt that the real importance of Valentine’s Day is that it is a good day to show that I care about you (their partner).

Men feel that they should plan V-Day (56%) and that they are supposed to pay for it (78%).   85% of men don’t care if they receive a gift but they feel they should spend $25-$50 on their partner.  But 62% felt that this was an artificial day created by greeting card companies.

A man’s motivation is his woman.  He likes to delightfully surprise her, gift her and express his love in the best way he knows how.  What he wants in return is a little extra kindness, recognition for his efforts and to bond deeper, (erase doubt in her mind).

He does this best when he pays attention to what his partner really wants, picking or creating gifts that are meaningful to her and connect with what she cares about.  So whether he buys a gift or writes a passionate poem, when it connects with what matters to her, she knows that she has been heard.

And that is all any of us want.  You can invest your money in this!
Happy Valentine’s Day!

Remember that you also have 364 more chances you to let your partner know they matter.

To Love, Wealth and Happiness in all aspects of your life,
Jimm Hughey, M.S.
Master Wealth Acceleration Coach
Love and Money Guru

Facilitating effective loving with financial freedom
If you want to learn how to effectively manage love and money in your relationship, go to http://www.LoveandMoneyforCouples.com now and download the Love and Money Intensive Challenge at a special discounted price.  This is your first NEW step in building financial and relationship security.

After Ecstasy, the laundry! ~Zen

It was date night, and fun was running high, when my delightful wife and I found ourselves at the wrong movie theater.  But there was the marquee telling us, It’s Complicated!  Since we both know a thing or two about Love and Money…we said YES…this is [...]]]>

After Ecstasy, the laundry!
~Zen

It was date night, and fun was running high, when my delightful wife and I found ourselves at the wrong movie theater.  But there was the marquee telling us, It’s Complicated!  Since we both know a thing or two about Love and Money…we said YES…this is the movie for us.  And it was, as we laughed and felt familiar tugs at our memories, holding hands in the darkness of the film’s glow.

This is a story of a mother of three grown children (Meryl Streep) who owns a thriving bakery and after a decade of divorce remains on casually friendly terms with her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin).

Things get complicated when they meet for their son’s graduation from college.  Baldwin’s character remarried a younger woman, but he is unhappy.  In his search for love and happiness, his ex-wife is suddenly attractive.  He seduces his ex-wife (Streep) and they begin an affair at the same time that Streep’s character is trying to find love again in her world.

What makes this story  endearing and educational for us  is it’s message.   Somewhere inside we know what we want, but until we gain clarity around that, things that come along become temporary and occasionally hilarious substitutes.  Knowing what we want, really knowing, could save time and money and might keep us out of predicaments.

We want Love and we need Money, but since we are complicated human beings, we rarely go in a straight line to what we want.   It this film, Money was not a problem.  Baldwin’s character, an attorney, drove a Porsche.  Streep’s character lived in a beautiful home she was remodeling in what was assuredly the Montecito area of Santa Barbara.  This is Oprah Winfrey’s neighborhood!   But these wealthly life styles only served as a backdrop to the story, they neither caused the problems nor did they solve them.

Additionally, the character wonderfully acted by Meryl Streep, was a confident, intelligent and resourceful woman.   Yet her heart remained vulnerable to loneliness.  But going back in time didn’t work either.

There is a saying that we can never go home again.  In other words, once we’ve grown past what used to be our lives, we really don’t fit into that same space again.

We have our shot at Love and sharing a life with another.  What we make of that matters greatly to our success in building a solid, lasting and profitable relationship.  We either grow together or we grow apart.  Going back is rarely an option because it is no longer right for us.

Another lesson for all of us is that there is a practical side to our lives.  We complicate things unnecessarily and then take them so seriously.  But Love, simply nourished and grown brings a bountiful harvest of understanding, support, and fulfillment.  Having the undying support of a partner is the quickest and most effective way to build a rich life.

What can you and your partner do today to increase the wealth in your life?

To Love, Wealth and Happiness in all aspects of your life,
Jimm Hughey, M.S.
Master Wealth Acceleration Coach
Love and Money Guru

You can really enjoy a lasting, effective loving relationship with financial freedom

P.S.    Go to http://www.LoveandMoneyIntensive.com now and sign up for our new 5-week Teleseminar series at a special discounted price. — OR—–

P.P.S. Go to http://LoveandMoneyforCouples.com , click on the self-study button, and sign up for the Love and Money Intensive Home Study course

You can do this in the privacy and convience of your own home.  This is your first NEW step in building financial and relationship security.

“At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don’t really expect it. It’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it’s not so important happy ever [...]]]>

“At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don’t really expect it. It’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it’s not so important happy ever after, just that it’s happy right now. See once in a while, ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, people will surprise you, and once in a while people may even take your breath away.”
— Zane Grey, Author

December 31, 2009 heralded in a new year, a new decade and a rare BLUE MOON. A golden opportunity to set your INTENTIONS HIGH for 2010 and this new decade!

According to NASA, the last time a Blue Moon fell on New Year’s Eve was almost 20 years ago, in December 1990. And although a Blue Moon occurs on average every two and a half years, the next time one will fall on New Year’s Eve won’t be until 2028.  An extra full moon in a month is called a “blue moon.”  It doesn’t have anything to do with color.

However, the first of any year is an opportunity for you to be reborn, refashioned and remarkable.  The very rare Blue Moon on this year’s New Year’s Eve, is a unique opportunity to greatly enhance your Love and Money results.

Set your intentions for 2010 high and here are some ideas:

1. TRUST YOURSELF and your abilities as if you have always succeeded.  When in doubt, choose to be bold, trusting your instincts and go beyond anything in the past.

2. Choose 3 things that you WILL ACCOMPLISH in 2010 and raise your personal bar.  If you made $50,000 in 2009, challenge yourself to make $100,000.  If your goal is to make your relationships better, make them great.

3. As soon as you choose the 3 things that you will accomplish, put them in your planner and begin taking ACTION immediately.  Get an accountability buddy – your life-partner or a friend and check in with one another at least weekly to hold you to your promise.

4. GROW YOUR LOVE between you and your life-partner by increasing your ability to accept, appreciate, forgive, support and celebrate as you build highly effective synergy.

5. Take the time to be aware and mindful of all you are given every day from others, from your own insight and actions and from the universe…for these things develop a deep sense of GRATITUDE.

Here is a special New Year Gift for you, a poem I love from the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda:

“Here I came to the very edge
where nothing at all needs saying,
everything is absorbed through weather and the sea,
and the moon swam back,
its rays all silvered,
and time and again the darkness would be broken
by the crash of a wave,
and every day on the balcony of the sea,
wings open, fire is born,
and everything is blue again like morning.”

— Pablo Neruda, Poet & Lover

To Love, Wealth and Happiness in all aspects of your life,

Jimm Hughey, M.S.
Master Wealth Acceleration Coach
Love and Money Guru
Certified Professional Behavioral and Values Analyst

Facilitating effective loving with financial freedom 
Go to http://www.LoveandMoneyIntensive.com now and sign up for our new 5-week Teleseminar series at a special discounted price.  This is your first NEW step in building financial and relationship security.

“True wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it”. ~Benjamin Franklin

1.    Let knowledge overcome fear. When you concentrate on the facts, “Knowledge is empowering.”

2.    Manage cash.  Balance your income with your expenses.

3.    Establish goals that work [...]]]>

“True wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it”.
~Benjamin Franklin

1.    Let knowledge overcome fear. When you concentrate on the facts, “Knowledge is empowering.”

2.    Manage cash.  Balance your income with your expenses.

3.    Establish goals that work for you.  Create blueprints for your vision of the future.  Make them measurable and implement a strategy to achieve them.

4.    Know your “risk tolerance.”   This is your comfort zone for investing.  You might be ultra-conservative or highly aggressive and you and your life-partner may have two different levels of risk tolerance.   Find a happy medium, avoiding investments that seem too good to be true.   Work within your comfort range.   If your investments keep you awake at night, your money is in the wrong place.

5.    Find good professionals and work in partnership with someone who listens and recommends rather than dominates and tells.

6.    Build wealth together!  Do not abdicate financial responsibility to your life-partner or others.   Life has no guarantees. Your spouse could die, get sick or leave.   It is essential that you are involved in making choices and sharing responsibility.  This is as much about love as it is about money.

7.    Invest in you first.  Make the tough choices.   “Invest” a portion of your income each pay-period into an investment that is right for you and will build interest for your future.   Depending upon your knowledge, experience, time line and risk tolerance,  investments can range from savings accounts and CD’s to Real Estate, stocks or other wealth building vehicles.  Invest as much as you can for your future, many professionals recommend between 5% and 10% of your net income.

8.    Take your time.  Build progressively and give yourself the time to finish your due diligence before investing.

9.    Protect your family and estate with proper insurance, including life insurance and if appropriate, disability insurance.

10.    Pass on your wealth building knowledge and experience to your children.  Ensure that they are educated about money, include them in the process.  They need to see your failures and your successes so that they too can develop wealth building judgment.

To Love, Wealth and Happiness in all aspects of your life,

Jimm Hughey, M.S.
Master Wealth Acceleration Coach
Love and Money Guru
Certified Professional Behavior and Values Analyst

Facilitating effective loving with financial freedom

Go to http://www.LoveandMoneyIntensive.com now and sign up for our new 5-week Teleseminar series at a special discounted price.   This is your first NEW step in building financial and relationship security.