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Coach.

How Long Have You Been Doing That?

It’s day 35 of Lent. How do I know? I don’t.

My abs however do. I’ve done 3,500 sit-ups. 100-a-day for the last 35 days.

To be fair, this is the first time I’ve actually stuck with something through Lent and I wasn’t even raised Catholic (I’m Christian) and you are asking how that draws me closer to God? You can be sure my mommy-flabby-abs and I are desperately praying, “Dear God, when will this end?!”

Here’s the cool thing about doing something consistently. I’m damn proud of myself and it feels so good to be proud of yourself. I’ve decided that I’m going to continue the sit-ups after Lent. They make me feel good. I can actually suck in my stomach now when need be, like when entering and leaving the hot tub in my bathing suit and I can almost feel my muscles under their nice comforter when I flex them. (They stay warm. I feel sorry for those poor abs that have to be exposed to the elements without a nice comfy blanket. 😉 )

Here’s the thing. I really do suck at consistency. The one thing I can say I’ve done 90 times in a row is this blog. That is it! Creating and keeping good habits are not my strong suit, and I know as humans we aren’t programmed to have consistency and persistency come naturally to us.

Habits = Work

What you do every day matters more than what you do every once in a while.

Accomplishing great goals takes consistent persistent action.

I was having an internal yelling match in my head with one of my business coaches, wondering why my business wasn’t where I wanted it yet. I wanted to know why I haven’t “made it” yet. Then she asked me and our whole group of entrepreneurs, “Well, how long have you been doing X?” And I replied, “Maybe 5-6 weeks for this one thing, maybe 6 months for other things?!”

She said, “Come back and let’s talk once you’ve been doing it for 2-5 years consistently.” BOOM to my head. Yah, duh!

Yup, somehow we think that doing things a handful of times (like exercise, eating healthy, selling something, growing something, etc.) should yield us the results we want. It rarely works that way.

We all want the over-night success that we think we see others have, however we don’t stop to consider the small actions that we need to take today to make us great one day. (One day, people will meet me and think my business and author fame (LOL) happened overnight, however, it really took over 17 years consistently staying in the same industry doing the same job, not jumping from industry to industry or job to job. Sure, there may have been minor detours to figure stuff out, but overall, I’ve been consistent in what I’ve done. Many people I know have not.)

It blows my mind why people think that I’m amazing because I wrote a book.

Let me re-assure you that I’m not uber amazing (just semi-amazing!)

All I did was write a little every day.

If you write 1000 words a day, then in 50 days you will have a 50,000-word book too!

The problem is that we haven’t habitualized (I made it up!) what is really important to us.

Do you ever wonder why some people are rich, even though they make the same amount of money that you make? It’s because they saved better than you did. My guess is that they started good savings habits early on, then one day you stand side-by-side a person who saved and one who didn’t save, yet still earned the same throughout all their years, and their net worth will be dramatically different.

Yesterday, I was really hard on myself while I was doing my morning journaling. I back engineered what I want to be known for in my life and what kind of leader I want to be, and then wrote out the habits that will get me there.

I came up with a few new habits I need to start making non-negotiable. (Don’t do them all at once – that may be too hard, add them in slowly to your routine! Just speaking from personal experience – being in a feeling of overwhelm is a sure way to make you NOT do anything habitually!)

I love this quote:

Everyone must choose one of two pains:

The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.

What do you choose?

What do you really want from life?

I encourage you to back engineer your goals to figure out what habits done consistently are going to get you there.

Is it writing, learning, practicing a skill, saving, messaging, giving, loving, exercising, diet?

And then once you figure out your new non-negotiable daily habits.

Do THEM!

Do THEM!

Do THEM!

No exception. It may take 1 or 2 or 10 years, but I can guarantee YOU WILL BE GREAT at it and go off to ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS!

And above all, you will FEEL AMAZING!

 

 

Want to learn how to feel amazing about your financial situation? Join me for Wealth Spa Workshop at Wealth Ranch in Cochrane on Saturday, May 13 from 10am – 1pm. Cost is $99. Message me for details at lisa@ellementsgroup.com

Coach.

Caramilk Sit-Ups

My life is going amazing! Why might you ask? Well, let me tell you!

THIS IS MY AMAZING LIFE:

  • can’t lose another pound for whatever reason, been stuck at this place for 4 MONTHS trying!
  • feel like I’m making ZERO headway in my business – ALL AREAS (regular business, book, online, etc.)** This is my BIGGEST UPSTREAM
  • my kids are constantly fighting, and I’m ready to sell them
  • I snore. I don’t know why I’m telling you that, but I was diagnosed with a big tongue (There’s not even a surgery for that!) To be fair – I sleep like a baby, but no one else does

I want to blame today’s MASSIVE FRUSTRATION on PMS, because I seem to go through this every bloody month (no pun intended) and I’m so over it!

So my friends, I write you today because I’m really grouchy, pissed, depressed at life, and maybe so are you. Maybe you’ve been working hard toward your ideal goal too and it isn’t happening. Maybe it’s been years and you still feel you have no headway.

I’m sitting here writing like I do every Tuesday morning at 4am. I’m in my dining room, I can look out and see the stars, sip on my coffee and listen to the quiet and write myself some good advice. Any writer knows the secret truth of writing is not for others, but for yourself!

In these moments, my cherished ambrosial hours of the morning, with no one in my head, and no one in my inbox and voicemail, and no one around, I get to connect with the future me.

FUTURE LISA: Why are you so blah women? Get it together! Get off your lazy ass and get up out there and make stuff happen! Come on! You are SOOOO CLOSE TO ACCOMPLISHING SOME OF YOUR BIG GOALS, why are you quitting now? What else are you going to do all day? Sit on your ass and watch NETFLIX? (Side note: I just realized after editing this that FUTURE LISA sounds just like my mom….. hmmmm!)

CURRENT LISA: Yes, damn straight. I’m going to do that and eat some chocolate. I’m right in the middle of “The Blacklist” and trying to figure out why I have a secret crush on James Spader, because it baffles me, he’s not that good looking. Maybe it’s his brains….. I could re-watch Sherlock and get me some more Benedict Cumberbatch – nothing wrong with that… my brain would rather turn off the rest of my life FOREVER.

FUTURE LISA: PULL IT TOGETHER LADY! Those abs you want ain’t going to carve themselves. The impact and transformation you want to make happen in the world ain’t going to happen while hiding in bed making love to a CARAMILK.

CURRENT LISA: I don’t see your point. I’m doing situps every time I reach for a piece of my Caramilk. So far, that equals, hmmm, 24 sit-ups, clearly enough to negate the calories of the actual chocolate bar.

And this is why CURRENT LISA always wins. SHE’S STEALTHY, and she makes a really good point about sit-ups, and is damn good at justification  – she’s been practicing it for many years!

What’s the point here of this whole spiel? Good question, you are asking the wrong LISA. CURRENT LISA may be heading back to bed in a few minutes to make love to a chocolate bar. Better to ask the other one what this is all about.

FUTURE LISA has finished her next 4 books, completely transformed financial literacy in Canada, raised 2 amazing ladies that are living with love & on purpose, ran a marathon, had a REAL New York Times Best-Seller, inspired millions of people around the world to get their ASSets in order, helped thousands of families create a legacy to last for generations to come, and still does Caramilk sit-ups.

So maybe have a talk with your future self when feeling frustrated, depressed, or grouchy and get inspired to continue on, despite things not happening the way you want them to.

How can your future self inspire you today?

 

Financial.

4 Things I’m Super Passionate About

Things I’m passionate about:

  1. Shoes
  2. Chocolate
  3. Shopping
  4. Wine

But here are the 4 things I’m SUPER passionate about, that aren’t totally self-serving, although make no mistake, I will always love my shoes and shoe closet!

I’m so passionate about these things because I feel they are my life’s work to help people create a legacy of something greater than ourselves, and these are some of the ways in which we can do that!

1. Life Insurance

Why? Because I’ve seen first hand what the power of a huge sum of money can do for a family in their darkest hours. I also want to say, if you have debts or children, I think it is your responsibility to make sure you have a plan for those in case you aren’t here one day. Stop putting it off. Make sure your family is well taken care of. This isn’t about getting your family “rich” or being worth more dead than alive, it is, however, something that I believe everyone needs, regardless of age, because, let’s face it, every single person who dies has final expenses and it can become a financial burden. I’ve seen it many times. (Not to mention, Life Insurance still offers ways to shelter money tax-free in some cases, and all life insurance payouts in Canada are tax-free.)

2. Critical Illness Insurance

The average age of claims for these policies in Canada is age 46-49! YES, that is the AVERAGE, meaning approx. half above that age, but also half BELOW that age. How old are you? I have personally handed out critical illness cheques to people in their 40’s. So maybe it’s time to consider this type of insurance, especially if you have a job that you are dependent on for income (ummmm, that would be most of us) and because you can’t/shouldn’t ever be depending on your employer to take care of you in case of a disability or illness! (Yes, disability insurance is also important if you don’t have any!) This insurance also pays out TAX-FREE when you are diagnosed with cancer, heart attack, stroke, MS, etc! Trust me, the last thing you need is to be financially stressed when facing a critical illness! What will being financially stressed out do to your health and your road to recovery?

3. Organ & Tissue Donation Registry

My 9-month old 2nd cousin just received a new heart last week!! FREAKIN’ AMAZING and he’s bouncing around like no tomorrow! So this is something that has affected our family personally! Have you signed up? Did you know that Alberta (where I live) has the LOWEST sign-up rate? We have only 8% of Albertans have signed up on the Online Registry! (Now, there could be more with signed health care cards, but no one can track that and that’s because we used to have to sign the back of our health care cards, well, that really doesn’t mean too much when it gets lost or no one can find it when you are in a coma and it’s hiding in a file somewhere or under your bed, seriously!)

That’s why they now have ONLINE REGISTRY! Click here for Alberta’s registry or do a google search where you live! One organ and tissue donor can save up to 8 lives plus enhance the lives of 75 more people, such as sight or tissue, etc!

There are over 700 Albertans and 4500 Canadians on a transplant list! I signed up a month ago on the online system, and faxed in my form (with witness). Don’t feel bad if you didn’t know either!

4. Leaving a Legacy With Intention

What is it that you are here to create? What is it that will last long after you are gone? Big questions!

The truth here is this. You are dying and going to be leaving a legacy anyways, why not make it great!?

I just want you to think about that and what you want to leave behind. It’s important. My next book is all about this topic!

I believe it is important that each of us on this earth leave something behind that makes this world a better place, be it science, education, a cook book, donation to a school or hospital or organization, financial means, music, etc. – whatever it is that you came here to do, DO IT!

DO IT WITH ALL THE INTENTION IN THE WORLD for the world!

The greatest gift you can give yourself is the feeling of contribution and feeling proud of yourself!

 

Blog.

How to Get Killer Confidence!

Yesterday, I was on a coaching call with my life coach, who I’ve been working with for almost 5 years when I realized my problem with confidence.

(Quick Massive Side Note: Any coincidence that my life has literally BLOSSOMED over the last 5 years?!? Maybe it’s time to find someone you trust, like a life coach, to work through all the stuff in your life (health, relationships, business, goal setting, etc.) but only if you are serious about wanting to push through to what you dream is possible for your life and make it a reality, and TRUST me – it’s so good when you do push through because everything you EVER wanted is on the other side of fear! Hear me? Okay, back to today’s post!)

So I’m talking through stuff around my business, and was talking about confidence and why I “feel” I have so much in some areas, but then in other areas, I “feel” I have none. So I asked her,

Where does confidence come from?

So, like any good coach, she turned it back on me. DAMN! I hate answering hard questions.

This is what I’ve come up with, and MAKE NO MISTAKE, this post is written by me for me, but I realize I’m not in this alone and that y’all need some confidence too, in fact, when it comes to money, the reason why most people don’t take financial action is because of their lack of clarity and confidence.

I know how you find clarity.

Clarity comes from taking action. Period.

When you take action, you make decisions, see what feels right, what feels wrong and begin to see and figure out what you want. So to get clarity -take action. Especially important if you are in a state of confusion or you feel you are stuck, taking action will help. Important here is to not let fear of failure stop you, try something and then if it doesn’t work, who cares, you now know that that’s not what you want for your life.

I do know how you find confidence too, I just didn’t ever consciously think about it.

So I searched the Googles and looked up the word confidence, and to my amazement, it read this:

Confidence: the state of feeling certain about the truth of something, or a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities

AND THEN BOOM, it hit me.

Confidence is a FEELING and you need to create those FEELINGS inside of you & believe those feelings inside of you to be able to be confident in whatever you do.

Confidence comes from WITHIN!

One of the key ingredients in confidence is knowledge. When you learn and gather information and make sense of it, you gain knowledge and I do believe having knowledge on any given topic gives you the confidence to share that knowledge. In point of fact, I would not have the confidence to speak Mandarin, teach how to make balloon animals, shuck oysters, use Morse code, or to teach how to recognize bird calls (chirp-chirp) because I have not yet learned these things (although, perhaps on my bucket list 😉 )

But then WHY do I not have confidence around the stuff I already know?

It’s because I don’t think I’m worthy enough or smart enough or pretty enough or skinny enough or rich enough, and on and on.

AHHHHH – good ol’ negative self-talk comes back to bite me in the ASSets once more!

So what do we (I) do?

CHANGE YOUR INNER DIALOGUE!

To do that you need to REPEAT CONSISTENTLY through:

  • Mantras
  • Affirmation Statements
  • Prayer
  • Meditation
  • Declarations

And most importantly, do it all with BELIEF. You need to believe your inner voice. You need to shut out the noise of other’s voices in your head and really believe that God/the Universe has your back.

Changing the thoughts around your confidence will in time give you the belief you need to create the feeling of confidence, which will lead you to action and then to your desired results!

Do whatever you need to to do re-frame that inner negative self-doubting talk and do it fast, so you can stand in confidence with what you were put on this earth to do!

You were created to have all the confidence in the UNIVERSE to KNOCK IT OUT OF THE EFFING PARK! 

So, knock it out of the park!

 

If you want to create confidence and clarity around your money, and this is resonating with you around the topic of YOUR MONEY, then it’s time to work with me closer on this.  I have MANY ways you can work with me from 1:1 coaching, to my online money makeover course teaching you all about your money so you can create the feeling of confidence within you.  You can email me directly at lisa@ellementsgroup.com or check out my course at moneymakeoveronline.com 

 

Debt.

DON’T PAY DOWN YOUR DEBT!

The Debt / Savings Relationship Model

Have I got your attention yet?

I’ve been asked this question numerous times throughout my career, and then 5 times this week alone!

SHOULD I SAVE/INVEST MONEY OR PAY DOWN MY DEBT?

or better yet,

WHY SHOULD I SAVE/INVEST MONEY @ 2% WHEN MY DEBT IS @3%?

or any variation on that question.

I have a DAMN good answer to this questions and trust me I’m going to say something here that I’m certain I will get backlash from SO many people (mostly middle-aged older men in my industry – which let’s be honest is like 80% of the financial industry).

The people who won’t understand this post are the people who are left-brain thinkers, accountants, numbers people, people who are so logical that they can’t for the life of them see past the black and white of math. They are also the people who follow all the rules and aren’t my first choice to invite to a party until you secretly spike their coffee and then proceed to party like it’s 1999 because they really REALLY believed in Y2K. These people most likely don’t have any debt. So if this is you – this ISN’T for you! You are restrained and we need people like you in the world (and we love you!). So go off and enjoy your spreadsheet!

This post is for EVERYBODY else. Everyone who has debt. Everyone who has ever got a new credit card and instantly booked an all-inclusive to Mexico for 2 weeks when they were 19 or ran away to Vegas and left a note on the kitchen table telling her parents that she just went to Vegas with a boy that she was strictly only friends with or ran out and bought a new pair of shoes. (Because I would NEVER EVER EVER do that – who are her parent’s anyways?!? Hi Mom & Dad!) 😉 Right, like you never did those things!

OKAY – so are you with me?!?

This is why I love math – because it is black and white on paper, however, in reality, the whole world is sitting in a pure muck of GRAY!

We aren’t stupid! Come on – everybody, including my 3rd graders, knows that it’s better to pay down debt at 3% versus saving at 2%. It’s a NO BRAINER! Right?

WRONG!

I’m going to say something unheard of from a financial person.

Sometimes NUMBERS DON’T MATTER!

Wanna know why numbers don’t matter? Because when it comes to our money we are emotional and we make all our decisions mostly on emotion versus logic. ALL of our purchases are EMOTIONAL! We are created as EMOTIONAL CREATURES! And how we think about our money is far more powerful than any number! Here is the deal and I’m going to walk you through this very carefully, and again this isn’t for everyone, but probably most of us, of course as with anything – always consult your financial/tax professional. There are a million different scenarios, so there never is a right answer for everyone, however, I still want you to understand this concept from the SPIRITUAL/LAW OF ATTRACTION/POSITIVE THINKING side of things.

I see so many clients totally stressed out about their debt, sometimes to the point where it keeps them up at night and even makes them sick. So this is serious stuff.

What I want you to consider is that once you are maxed out with debt (aka, you have a mortgage, car, a few credit cards – LIKE MOST OF US CANADIANS!) that your debt probably won’t be growing by leaps and bounds. And for most of us who have a house and maxed out credit cards, chances are the banks aren’t going to be lending you too much more money, or at least you are stressed out enough about your debt not to be taking on new debt. So in other words, your emotion in relation to debt is pretty maxed out. You are feeling stress because of this. Keep in mind this has NO number attached to it! I have clients that stress out over $12,000 worth of debt and others that don’t care that they have $1,000,000 of debt. SERIOUSLY, I’m strictly not talking numbers but the feelings you have inside of you toward your debt. Even if you aren’t stressed out by your debt, you are still probably carrying negative feelings towards it.

Your debt is in a box. Your debt for the most part is FINITE. It is negative on your balance sheet. It is a NEGATIVE EMOTION within you. It also reminds you of what you don’t have, or the LACK or SCARCITY in your life. Your debt can NOT grow to infinity! This is good news! Do you sometimes wonder why you feel you can never get ahead?

As Tony Robbins says, “What you think about you bring about.”

Or the Law of Attraction: “That which is like itself is drawn to itself.”

So right here it’s important to make a plan with your debt. Minus any major inheritance or lottery winnings, you need to set an amortization schedule for your debt and make a plan to have it paid off – whether it is 10-20-25 years. Most people have a 25-year mortgage, so let’s go with that.

Make a plan for your debt and FORGET ABOUT IT!

OKAY, next part of this.

I want you to save money. I preached this last week on self-worth, and I will preach it again sista.

SAVE MONEY.

Again, I don’t care if your employer is ‘saving’ money for you (pension, RSPs), or you are waiting for some big pile of money from your dead rich uncle, I want you TODAY to make a plan and save money!

This is why. When you save money you create a POSITIVE FEELING INSIDE. You are adding to your spirit, your self-worth. You are ATTRACTING ABUNDANCE. You are focusing on “adding” not “subtracting”. The other reason is that liquid money is always important for things like emergencies (having an emergency fund), or being able to take advantage of investment opportunities as they arise.

Who cares if you are only getting 2% on your savings while your debt is getting paid down at 3%? This is where numbers don’t matter. The feeling that saving money is creating inside of you is worth far more than your actual savings! You are feeling proud of yourself. You are feeling positive! You are doing so much more than just saving money and this will begin to show up in other areas of your life. Never underestimate the POWER of a CONFIDENT WOMAN! (or man!)

When you have loads of debt (like large sums over $100,000) you feel like you will never be able to pay it off because it is insurmountable. You are in overwhelm.

Here’s the other BIG IDEA, which I’ve kinda already alluded to.

YOUR DEBT IS FINITE and YOUR WEALTH/SAVINGS/INVESTMENTS ARE INFINITE!

YES, INFINITE! You can grow your wealth to the sky! No one is going to stop you. Your debt, on the other hand, will eventually go to zero, it can’t go below zero.

I created a graphic to illustrate this. (See my Debt/Saving Relationship Model Graphic!)

Now, keep in mind this isn’t for everyone. If you have a ton of liquid assets and a small amount of debt, and that small amount of debt is stressing you out, then take out some money and pay it off. Hopefully, you learned your lesson and won’t get into debt again. If paying off debt creates a massive positive feeling inside of you – THEN DO IT!

However, here is the reality of this my dear friends. Most of us may pay off a credit card and rack it right up again. Let’s face it, we live in a society where it’s virtually impossible to get away without one. Plus, isn’t it always funny that something comes up financially right after you paid down your credit card?! Hmmmmm, think about that.

Because of behavioral psychology, I know and you deep down know that we need to almost trick ourselves or come up with a foolproof plan to get rid of debt while being able to enjoy the fruits of our labour and accomplish our savings goals. This is truly possible by the way.

I believe you can have it all! And, yes, that does mean debt-free (and yes, that is the ultimate goal!)

So start your infinity account today! 

 

Make sure you are signed up for my insider’s info & money tools! And you really need to sign up for my Money Makeover Online Course if you really want to take your money game to the next level!

 

 

Financial.

SELF-WORTH & NET WORTH

It’s the craziest thing! SELF-WORTH and NET WORTH usually go hand-in-hand. It’s simple. It’s because the people who have self-worth and self-love attract money to themselves.

You love yourself, you feel you deserve money (and you do – everyone does) and when you are CERTAIN, money flows to you. Money loves certainty. Money is attracted to people who are certain, not to wishy-washy hopes and dreams, but well laid out detailed thought-through plans!

It boggles my mind that only 6.7% (according to CRA 2013 statistics) have MAXED OUT their TFSA’s.

The MAX that any Canadian can put in is $52,000 – that’s it. $52,000 and every Canadian should be taking advantage of these accounts. There’s no reason not to.

But it goes waaaaay deeper than just TFSAs or RRSPs. Canadians, Americans, PEOPLE on the WHOLE in the world are not SAVING and INVESTING in themselves regardless of culture or income size.

BUT YOU ARE NOT! WHY IS THAT? WHY AREN’T YOU SAVING EVERY MONTH? YES, I’m talking to you.

WHY DO YOU NOT VALUE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO SAVE AND INVEST IN YOURSELF?

Trust me when I say this too, as your net worth grows so does your self-confidence, your self-love.

And it’s NOT ABOUT THE DAMN MONEY!

Saving money is about this:

  • valuing yourself
  • valuing your legacy
  • valuing your integrity and the commitments you keep with yourself
  • loving yourself
  • sharing that LOVE & your message with the world
  • and if that’s not enough, then for sure it’s about the SHOES, and being able to buy whatever shoes whenever you want because
  • freedom! (But ultimate freedom comes from living ultimately with constraint, consistency, and through some good habits!)

People who save/invest money do so because they VALUE themselves enough and know they are worth it. We as a society and world value money, and we typically value it pretty highly, higher than ourselves sadly. This needs to STOP. You need to start making money your B*TCH! It’s just a TOOL. Money gives you options. OKAY – so I just giggled saying that, but it’s true. You are not a slave to it! It doesn’t own you and the moment you think it does, you’ve lost and you’re letting money control your life.

You’re handing YOUR PERSONAL POWER over to money.

Living like that creates depression, anxiety, stress, and a whole host of other problems and diseases in your life!

You know how in the BIBLE it says do not make money your idol, your god? Well, you are doing that when you are letting money RUN your life. You are letting money be your god by default. You are living your life by default. You aren’t making any conscious choices around your money. You are doing that by not VALUING YOURSELF enough to SAVE and INVEST EVERY MONTH!

Here’s another thing, for those of you with wealthy parents waiting on an inheritance, thinking that mommy & daddy are going to take care of everything, I’d like you to save for yourself. Seriously, even if you are waiting on a boat load of cash to roll in (and I know there are LOTS of you out there!) TRUST me future-trust-fund loves, you need to do this for yourself, because you need to feel proud of yourself. YOU DON’T FEEL PROUD of yourself when you receive a gift of money. You feel proud when you work hard, save, and your self-confidence grows like crazy. So to those, stop using this as your crutch, and ditch the rich-parent-inheritance excuse! (Hey, some tough love is needed at times!) People who win the lottery and get huge inheritances usually are broke after 7 years because they don’t feel they deep down deserve it. Don’t let that be you. By saving, and taking care of you, you will feel you deserve it and you won’t end up a sad statistic!

Tony Robbins said on a podcast I was listening to yesterday, if the government raised taxes by 10%-20% you’d b*tch and complain about it, but you’d pay it right?!?! Of course. Because you follow the law, you value NOT going to jail.

Listen Love, why don’t you value yourself that much to save 10%-20%? Why don’t you look in the mirror and say you are worth more than money?

YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN ALL THE RUBIES & DIAMONDS & GOLD IN THE WORLD!

So, I’m going to plead with you to start saving money for yourself because no matter where you are financially, you really are worth it beautiful people!!! Pay yourself first sounds so cliche. But essentially you need to do that. Open up a high-interest e-saving account if you want to start small.  (Hint: YES, there is an e-savings account in Canada giving you 2.0% – if you google it, you will find it! And it’s prob NOT a bank you’ve heard of! Start weekly or monthly transfers from your main bank into this account!) I bet you that the minute you do this little step and save money for yourself and create that plan, that you will INSTANTLY feel BETTER! It’s a cup of instant SELF-LOVE & SELF-WORTH – DRINK UP!

Want to make more money? Want to increase your net worth? Want to live the life you deserve? Save more money! Start valuing yourself first. Start loving yourself first. YOU ARE WORTH IT MY LOVE – YOU ARE!

If you are serious about taking your money to the next level or want to know more about

my online course, Wealth Spa™ or my book, please email me at lisa@ellementsgroup.com!

Coach.

The Recipe for Wealth

Want to know the recipe for Wealth?

Then LOOK IT UP!

It’s really not a secret, yet most of us think that wealth is just this elusive thing we will never obtain or feel we are not worth.

And you are right, if you feel you aren’t worth it, wealth will run from you.

Self-Worth and Wealth go hand in hand. (Have you ever met a billionaire with low self-esteem?!) You weren’t created to live a ho-hum life. NO, YOU WEREN’T!

You have been given gifts, talents and a purpose. God or the Universe chose you to do something magnificent, be something magnificent and have something magnificent. All the desires of your heart! HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU THAT!

You are here to teach, to heal, to help, to share, to explore, to design, to make people laugh, to open hearts.

YOU have a specific purpose here on earth, and part of that, part of your divine right, your GOD given inheritance is ABUNDANCE and WEALTH!

So why are you sitting there right now stressed about money?

Why are you sitting here reading this thinking it’s not really for you?

Why are you sitting here thinking that you’re not smart enough or feel you don’t deserve it?

BECA– USE YOU DO!

AND you are making it much harder than you think!

STEP ONE is to KNOW YOU ARE WORTH IT! That God or the universe created you and that you are worthy of money and wealth! You know deep down all the amazing things you can do with money? Do you know how you could make an impact in your family, your town, your city, your province, your country, your world? Do you know that money can be used for AMAZING things like cures, education, new technology, and you are here to be a BIG part of God’s plan for that? He wants to use you! I know you know that deep down.

So why haven’t you figured out the recipe for Wealth?

It’s simple. My old friend, Earl Nightingale taught me this years ago!

If you have a desire for pie tonight, what do you do?

You walk over to your recipe box, or the internet and look up the recipe for pie.

You then study the recipe. You decide it’s easy to make (if you thought it was too hard to make, then you would quit!)

Then you gather all the ingredients, go to the store if you need to.

Then you assemble the ingredients, follow the steps and allow the magic to happen in the oven.

VOILA! You have pie.

BUT, where did the pie start?

The pie started in your head by the desire to have pie. It was a thought.

Same goes for WEALTH.

The desire to create riches has to start as a thought, then you need to look up the recipe.

Just like pie recipes on the internet, there are thousands, if not millions of ways to build wealth. Sure some pie recipes may taste better than the others, and some wealth recipes may get you there faster, but at the end of the day, no matter which recipe you follow you will get there.

Question for you: Why haven’t you looked up the recipe for wealth yet? What’s holding you back? Is it a limiting money belief?

Do you feel that it’s “bad” to be rich? It’s not.

Do you feel you aren’t worth it? You are.

Do you feel you aren’t smart enough or a good money manager? You will learn as you look up the recipe.

This goes for anything in life. Every time you’ve accomplished something in your life, like getting a job, you looked up the recipe to do so and did it. Wealth is no different. Look it up!

If you want to get started on your recipe with me, then you can join me in my

Money Makeover Online Course or Wealth Spa™!

(Money Makeover Online Course Now has a 4-Month Payment Plan! Check it out!)

 

 

 

Coach.

The Secret to Money & Love

Wanna know how to totally wreck a good love vibe?!

Bring up the conversation about MONEY!

In most relationships, this is a TOTAL BUZZ-KILL!

Why is that? Simple.

You have 2 different people who come from 2 different families who are of different beliefs, different money experiences, different cultures, different religions, different EVERYTHING, and then we put 2 people, who by the way have had 20-30 years of money habits totally ingrained into them, in the same room for a long period of time (aka. a relationship) and get them to work side-by-side on a topic, such as money.

NO FREAKIN’ WONDER WHY MONEY IS STRESSFUL BETWEEN ANY TWO PEOPLE!

It’s really a MIRACLE any 2 people can stand each other for more than 2 seconds.

Let’s be real for a second. I want to do money my way. (And I do! 😉 )

Enter: Cupid’s Love Arrow

For some reason or another most of us want to be in relationships, and it’s THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD TO BE IN LOVE, until real life kicks in, the magic love potion died down, and we find we are doing daily life with a partner. Okay, without me sounding too cynical (because I’m totally not! I actually do believe that you create whatever relationship you desire to have, and I’m also the BIGGEST romantic suck out there), when it comes to money, and the reality for relationships and money, this can be a huge struggle for most of us.

So here’s the secret to money and love, if you really want to know.

THERE IS NO SECRET to money and relationships! (Ya, I get it – boooo!)

You get to define how you want to do money in your relationships and no one can judge you.

You are free to keep your money totally separate or fully together. You need to do what works for you.

But I do have some good advice on the subject…

And FYI: YOUR MAN IS NOT A GOOD FINANCIAL PLAN! (I’ll repeat that again!)

Here are 3 tips for different types of relationships. Your relationship will be one of the three!

  • If you are in a relationship where your partner does handle all the money, that is great, however, I do encourage you to learn and understand where all your money is, and take some interest. (My Money Makeover Online Course is GREAT for this!) 9 out of 10 women will be FINANCIALLY ON THEIR OWN at some point in time during their adult life and will be in total control of their finances. (Again: YOUR MAN IS NOT A GOOD FINANCIAL PLAN!)
  • If you are in a relationship where you both are kinda waiting for the other person to handle the money, or don’t want to stir the pot – STIR THE POT! You need to stop waiting for your partner to take the first step, and you need to set up the appointments and the plans and be the one to take the financial reins then. Cause you will both end up sitting there in later years wondering what the hell happened and how did we end up in this crappy financial place (Hint: it’s because neither of you cared enough to just step up and get sh*t done!) (My Money Makeover Online Course is GREAT for this!)
  • If you are in a unicorn relationship, where you both take interest and equally share the financial responsibility within your relationship, then good on you! You deserve a super-hero award in my books! Chances are you both keep your money separate or separate to some degree and make your own decisions around money, which has served you both well. (BTW, my Money Makeover Online Course is GREAT for this ’cause just because you don’t fight about money, doesn’t mean you really know what you are doing with it!)

While my tips may sound like a Chinese fortune cookie, let me assure you that if you are reading this, and if you aren’t mad at this post, that means you probably are handling your relationship and money just dandy. If for some reason this post has triggered you (ie. you are mad at me, or your partner, or the dog, or your morning coffee), then I would definitely take some time to open the communication up around money in your relationship.

If you have a partner that really is not receptive to dealing with any of your money sh*t, then I would take matters into your own hands and start a plan. You don’t need to have your partner on board to take care of you and your family. Besides, they may just not be ready to confront that debt, or they may choose to live in denial. Either way, if you are ready, then you take that first step and your partner/hubs/sexyman, who loves you, will most likely be super grateful that you did.

There is a reason financial matters are the number one reason for divorce. Sometimes couples truly have 2 different life plans and 2 different visions for their lives. And that’s okay. If that is you, or you are walking through that season in your life right now, then take heart, I’m sending you love and encouragement that your financial situation in the future will not be as dire as it may seem right now. You can always start from a clean slate. That’s the beautiful thing about this life. We start each day with a clean slate, able to go out and create!

Bottom Line: Money is messy regardless whether you are single, going through a divorce or in a relationship – but it doesn’t have to be! Everything can be figured out, and it can be easy and effortless. If you have a plan in place, money doesn’t have to be a worry in your life at all.

PS. My Money Makeover Online Course is GREAT for anyone wanting to know how to take their money to the next level, learn financial basics (so the banks can’t pull the wool over your eyes!) and do so in an environment that’s gentle, fun, easy and well, made with LOVE from me! xoxo

Check it out at moneymakeoveronline.com

or

Want to know how? Message me!

 

Financial.

Want Money to Flow?

This week a woman, whom I had never met before, came up to me and said,

“I heard from a friend that you are a brilliant financial planner, but I have one. They told me they were good too and then they took my portfolio for a bad ride!”

OKAY, so this is what happens EVERY TIME I tell someone what I do for a living (or in this case, before I tell someone what I do for a living!?! …again, these were the first few words out of her mouth – I didn’t even ask or open my mouth…{yes, there is a first for everything people!})

I mention I’m a FINANCIAL PLANNER and INSTANTLY most people will naturally spew out to me what FINANCIAL PLANNING means to them and sometimes even vomit out all their financial problems. (I feel sorry for gynecologists! 😉 )

In this case, she thought that all I do is manage “investments”, which is what she was referring too when she began to tell me about how she lost money. Managing assets is one tenth of what I actually do as a Certified Financial Planner® for my clients.

This is the reason I share this, because I KNOW that most Canadians think of Financial Planners as the people who manage their investments, and that is all. But there is WAY more to financial planning than investing.

(Side Note: I used to take these attacks on my profession personally, I TOTALLY don’t anymore! For any of my gorgeous babes that struggle with this in their business or profession, people will naturally project onto you what their thoughts are about what you do for a living – don’t take it personally! What they say about you has to do with their thinking and what is going on in their life. Usually, you strike a chord deep within when people have to blurt out things to you about what you do for a living – like the time someone told me they were a fitness & weight loss coach…..poor dear….clearly, that didn’t resonate with me AT ALL 😉 )

People have said some crazy stuff to me over the last 16 years when I introduce myself as a Financial Planner as my profession when asked, such as:

“My husband takes care of ALL OUR MONEY.”

“So, what’s the hottest stock tip of the day?”

“We already have a stock guy.”

“I only buy Real Estate.”

“I do all my own investing.”

“Oh, I got burned by a stock I held.”

“Where should I be putting my money?”

“I only buy GIC’s”

“I already have enough life insurance.”

“My employer/work manages all this stuff for me.” (wha?! Really… yikes!)

I could go on and on and…..

These comments crack me up INTERNALLY most of the time because I didn’t even ask them ANYTHING! I seem to bring out people’s MONEY BLOCKS and MONEY ISSUES just by stating what I do for a living. #truestory

I’m telling YOU this because I want CLARIFY the myth of what a FINANCIAL PLANNER actually does.

I think it’s so important you know this.

PROPER FINANCIAL ADVICE DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL PAST, YOUR FINANCIAL MISTAKES, YOUR LACK OF PLANNING TO DATE.

PROPER FINANCIAL ADVICE DOES LOOK AT THE FINANCIAL FUTURE YOU WANT TO CREATE FOR YOURSELF, YOUR FINANCIAL RISKS AND FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION AND HELPS YOU PUT A PLAN IN PLACE.

REAL FINANCIAL PLANNERS who don’t just sell products but get paid for advice:

  • don’t care if you manage your own stock portfolio
  • don’t care if you only invest in real estate
  • don’t care if you had a bad run in the stock market
  • don’t care if you buy your insurance somewhere else
  • don’t care if you want to save all your money in a GIC because you are risk adverse
  • don’t care if you are self-employed and spend all your money on your business
  • don’t care if you haven’t saved a cent and are still in debt and you are 59

Don’t you see?

A REAL FINANCIAL PLANNER (and yes, that means CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS® because we are held to that higher standard by this code of ethics thing) WANTS YOU TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS, HAVE A PLAN TO GET THERE, AND REDUCE RISK & TAXES WHILE MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU ALONG THE WAY.

This is what a FANTASTIC CFP® will do for you. They will make sure you look at all your options. They want you to be diversified. (That’s the first thing I preach, I would never tell anyone to have all their eggs in one basket!)

Oh, and you got burned from your last “stock/investment guy”, I’m going to give you some tough love right now.

You need to cut your losses and MOVE PAST this. Forgive and Forget. Don’t paint all “Financial Advisors” with a bad brush. That’s like saying….well… that’s like saying all shoes are bad or all chocolate is bad, which is clearly CRAY CRAY!

You still need:

  • tax planning
  • solid investment planning
  • estate planning
  • risk management
  • insurance & benefits reviewed
  • debt management tools
  • and I could honestly go on forever about why you need to work with a FINANCIAL PLANNER

If you are serious about making sure your body is healthy you go to the gym and buy fruits and vegetables, don’t you?

If you are serious about your health you go to a doctor for regular check-ups, don’t you?

Same goes for your FINANCIAL HEALTH! You need to make time and space for MONEY TO FLOW in your life. You need to go for a financial check up! You need to do this if you want financial health!

But here’s the thing. It’s going to cost you. Yup, you heard me right. You need to invest financially in YOU! Quality advice doesn’t come free. It’s not expensive, but it will show you where your priorities are. Show me your expenses, and I will totally see what you value in your life.

PS. The government would be happy if you ignored your money and they collect more taxes… just sayin’ – no one has your back here except YOU! It’s no one’s job to care more about your money than you do.

So HERE’S the big idea today. Here’s my BOTTOM LINE:

Do you want to be financially healthy? Do you want financial peace-of-mind? Do you value being on solid financial footing? Do you value making sure you are paying the least amount of tax, making sure more money goes to your family than the government? Do you want to appreciate your ASSETS? Do you want to take your MONEY to the next level and leave all your past money sh*t behind you? Do you want money to flow and not be a block for you?

Then find yourself a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and INVEST IN YOU! I don’t care how much money you have, if you are serious about taking your financial health, you know deep down this is something you need to do. I know millionaires with financial messes, and I know people with very little money well on their way to total financial bliss.

Money doesn’t discriminate. It wants – It craves to be told where to go. Money wants a purpose and a plan.

So should you.

Because it’s time to create financial clarity and fund your dreams gorgeous! 

xo

 

 

PS. If you want to work with me further, email me at lisa@ellementsgroup.com !

Financial.

Appreciate Your Assets

You want to know how to appreciate & grow your assets?!

This is how.

It all starts with gratitude and thanksgiving for all that you have. When you are truly grateful for the gifts you’ve been given, physically, spiritually, intellectually, monetary, and that resonates with you at a soul level, then that will begin to show in your life around you.

Remember LIKE attracts LIKE. Positivity attracts more positivity.

Point in fact, I talk to my cars and tell them how much I love and appreciate them. I take care of them and keep them clean, and they in return keep me on the road. My one baby has helped me drive for over 325,000 kms in the last 9 years. I know she will last to 425,000 kms because I’ve already told her she would since the first day she was on my driveway. I do send my cars love. I treat my assets with LOVE. I don’t discard them, for they would discard me right back.

Think I’m crazy?! Well, okay, I do too! HOWEVER, you can’t argue with science.

Read this:

Researchers at the Institute of HeartMath in BoulderCreek, California, conduct experiments on the capacities of the human mind in different states of consciousness. They’ve found that when people attain states of gratitude and love, and when their brains and hearts enter into a state of coherence, the power of their intent and presence is maximized. Subjects in this state were able to IMPACT STRANDS OF DNA in a beaker some distance away, just by willing it to happen.

– Text Directly from Dr. John F. DeMartini, 2004, How to Make One Hell of a Profit and Still Get to Heaven, page 108

Not just that, but science has been proven on this many times. Take the good/bad apple experiment that shows the power of our words! Fascinating that the apple that people speak positivity into is still good to eat after 20 days, and the poor apple that got negativity spoken into its life became rotten. This is not just brilliant stuff, but POWERFUL knowledge to harness.

WORDS CREATE LIFE!

So crazy enough, yesterday marked A HUGE MILESTONE FOR ME!! I’m so proud to say after starting my 1000 Gifts Journal a couple years ago, I have written down 1000 things I’m grateful for, thankful for, and things I want to appreciate in my life.

I had a huge revelation.  (OKAY – YES I’M SOMETIMES SLOW TO THIS GAME….)

You really want to make money and grow and APPRECIATE YOUR ASSETS?!?!

THEN APPRECIATE THEM!

SIMPLE.

How do you do that?

Acknowledge your assets. Write them down. Keep track of them. Create files, and folders, and spreadsheets, and notes and send them some BLOODY FRICKN’ LOVE!!!

Do this with your MONEY. Do this with your ASSETS. Do this with your MARRIAGE. Do this with your RELATIONSHIPS. Do this with your CARS, YOUR DOG, YOUR FOOD. Do this with EVERYTHING in your life that you want to see APPRECIATE IN VALUE.

Whatever it is in your life. START DOING IT! It works!

I’m sending this article out with LOVE, like I do with everything that I write. At the end of my writing, I say a little prayer that whoever is meant to read this will read it. I appreciate you, my reader. I appreciate that I can share this. I appreciate my laptop that allows me to do this.

I also have another little rule in my business. You can ask my amazing co-pilot that keeps me on track, AKA my amazing PAM, my assistant. The first thing I told her, the very first thing in her job description, was to make sure I wrote and sent out at least one thank you card every day to my clients or people who had given me a gift, or shown me love in some way. Appreciation. At one point, I had a journal I’d keep track of the names and dates I mailed out notecards, and made it my goal to send out 365 cards in a year. Okay, so I’m not at a habit level of “everyday” yet, but I do mail out at least 3 or more per week almost every week. (PS. People appreciate SNAIL MAIL that isn’t BILLS! And a hand-written card always stands out in the crowd.)

What do I want to grow? PEOPLE! I want to APPRECIATE PEOPLE and grow them and teach them how to do the same for everything in their life, especially their MONEY!

So if you haven’t made APPRECIATION a part of your daily habits, maybe it’s time to do that again. Especially if you are serious about growing your WEALTH!

xo

Live Your Legacy. Fund Your DREAMS!

WANT TO WORK WITH ME? EMAIL ME FOR DETAILS!

lisa@ellementsgroup.com