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The Pursuit Of
March 29, 2011
What do you like to pursue? Is it leisure time? Is it power and status? Is it money? It is happiness?
One of the great principles in the founding of the United States of America includes our right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
One of the great things about life is to be able to chart our own course and make our own way. Being able to decide what we want to do is a great blessing.
Along the way, a lot of considerations come into play. Many of them pertain to money. Most of us have to get some kind of job to produce income. It may or may not be what we would have chosen if we could have picked anything that we wanted.
On one side we have the things that we dream of doing and on the other side we have the things that we feel that we have to do. Finding BALANCE that we can live is one way to get the most out of life.
What do you pursue? Do you know what you really want in life? Do the things that you really want align with the things that you pursue?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2011
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Follow Through
February 22, 2011
Do you do a good job with your follow through? If you are hitting a baseball, a tennis ball, or a golf ball, the follow through portion of the swing is essential. For a baseball pitcher, the follow through component of the motion is essential.
Follow through is important to get the results that you want in all areas of life. If you want to lose weight, you have to figure out your plan, take action, and follow through.
The same applies to getting your personal finances in order. If you want to get out of debt, develop a budget, or start saving and investing, you have to figure out your plan, take action, and follow through.
Be diligent with your follow through. This is an area that keeps many people from being successful. They have good intentions, but they don’t follow through and stick with it.
How is your follow through?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2011
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Self-Reliant Finances
February 8, 2011
Do you consider yourself to be self reliant? Can you take care of yourself? Do you think independently?
What about in the area of money. Are you self-reliant in your personal finances? Can you take care of your own needs or are you depending on someone else to come and bail you out?
Do you believe that it is your own responsibility to provide for you and for your family? Or do you believe that someone else should pick up the tab if you make bad decisions with your money?
America was built by tough and determined self-reliant people. The people who built this nation were pioneers and they had to provide for their own needs.
They were far from perfect people. They made lots of mistakes. But they provided for themselves. They had a choice to either provide for themselves or to do without.
Unfortunately, some of this self-reliant spirit disappeared over the years. As America grew more and more affluent, some of this sense of self-reliance gave way to a belief that others such as the government would provide for us.
When we see the financial mess that our federal government and so many state governments are in, this should be a wake-up call to all of us regarding our need to be able to take care of ourselves.
Do you want to be self-reliant with your money? If you are not self-reliant in your finances now, are you taking steps to get this way? Is this really important to you? If so, what will you do immediately to make this a reality?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2011
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Rising Gas Prices
January 21, 2011
Have you been to the gas pump lately? Gas prices are rising. There are a lot of expert predictions now that gas prices may still go significantly higher.
What does this mean to you personally? Most Americans can’t do a lot about gas prices on a daily basis. If the prices go up, most of us end up paying them.
For most of us it has a negative impact on our monthly budget. Do you have a budget? Do you have enough room in your budget so that if gas prices go up you can cover this expense without exceeding your monthly income?
Are you living within your means enough to handle higher gas prices? If not, are you prepared to drive less? If all of your driving expenses are back and forth to work, this can be a challenging expense to cut back.
Some people look to trade their larger vehicles for smaller ones when prices rise. This could be one good idea but this also has some potential pitfalls to consider. The last time gas prices increased rapidly, some car dealers added market surcharges to the most economical models as the demand for them increased. This meant that potential fuel cost savings had to be weighed against the extra vehicle costs.
When this happens it becomes a matter of doing the math to see if projected fuel savings costs offset getting a different vehicle.
Once again, most of us just pay the higher prices at the pump. And unfortunately, as gas prices rise, many other product costs such as groceries increase due to increased transportation costs.
One important yet simple thing you can do is to get yourself as prepared as you can be in case prices rise. There may be some simple steps that you can take to prepare.
- Can you start saving now in anticipation of rising gas prices?
- Can you make some small (or larger) cuts in other budgeted areas?
- Can you cut down on some discretionary driving?
- If you have more than one car, can you drive the most economical one more?
Ultimately we all have to live with our choices. Sometimes taking simple little steps such as the ones above and doing them over and over can make a big difference. Do you have other helpful ideas on how to deal with riding gas prices?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2011
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Money, Resume, and Objective
January 10, 2011
Sometimes when we are trying to live within our means and make our money go as far as we can, we may need to get a better job or a part time job for additional income. For most of us a resume is part of the job search process.
Following is an article by resume writing expert John Holmgren with some tips for you.
INCLUDING A RESUME JOB “OBJECTIVE”: A MUST?
By: John Holmgren, TheExpertResumeWriter.com
There are two schools of thought on the subject.
Pro: A job “OBJECTIVE” not only should, but must be a part of your resume.
Con: The “OBJECTIVE” narrows your applicability.
Pro:
First and foremost, HR and hiring managers have a problem to solve; an open job
They’re not reading idly
They’re not concerned with you individually
They must fill the position soonest
They must identify capable candidates
Desirable positions attract many resumes
It’s a multi-phase selection process.
First, received resumes are briefly scanned (½ – 2 minutes). Today, job specs are very precise. Those not fitting the job description are eliminated out of hand. Yours must state clearly your job position “OBJECTIVE”.
If the company needs an “auto claims adjuster” and your “OBJECTIVE” doesn’t say “auto claims adjustor”, you’re gone.
I make the point because it’s so important. Be specific. Don’t say you want to contribute to the prosperity (or whatever) of the organization or that you want to advance your career.
Second is close evaluation of selected resumes. This reading still only involves scanning the top half of page one. Therefore, after your “OBJECTIVE”, a “PROFILE”, or “EXECUTIVE SUMMARY” is necessary. It states the skills and capabilities supporting your claim of qualification. That may get you an interview. It should get you on the short candidate list deserving closer examination.
Con:
Assumptions:
1: “If I don’t get this job, I’ll fit somewhere else in the organization”. Job criteria are very specific. It’s unlikely you’ll get “shopped around” the organization.
2: “If I don’t get this I’m “dead” as a candidate. Nonsense! HR and hiring managers look to satisfy needs. That, or a related job, may resurface. And, if you have strong skills your resume will be retained.
3: “It’s easier for me to have just one resume format to submit”. True, if you’re lazy. Your must customize your resume for maximum impact with each job situation. Each must be one-off.
4: “I’m a generalist. I can do most anything”. Bull! That’s not the way it works.
My conclusion: you MUST have an “OBJECTIVE” in your resume to stand out!
The above article was used with permission from John Holmgren. For more information on resume writing, please visit his website at TheExpertResumeWriter.com
Copyright Kevin Drum 2011
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC