Habits of The Sidewalk

[cawr]

One of my goals is to become more self-aware not to be in autopilot mode. I'm reflecting on my past, and improving on it.




Jobs
I avoided learning opportunities, not improving, not applying for greater positions, staying in the same going nowhere job.

What I should have done-
Learned about the business, how it works, is there a opportunity(niche to grow), and why are they successful.


Personal Finance
I was living paycheck to paycheck.

What I should have done-
-Set up a budget with a emergency fund.
-Thinking about a purchase before buying.
-Short term and long term financial goals.
-Lived with roommate/ bought a house have roommates pay rent.

Vehicle new car payment

What I should have done- Bought a used car not with a loan, change my own oil( use amsoil for extended oil intervals, change my own brakes). live closer to work for decreased long commute times.

Entertainment and Food
Constantly eating out, paying full price, buying in bulk to save 4 cents and wasting it because it expired, excessive drinking.

What I should have done-
Started to cook my own meals, cut out excessive drinking, bought smaller portions on new things. bought frozen veggies and fruit to decrease on waste. Go to early for discount showing of movie, wait to buy a videogame till it's used.


What are yours? What have you changed?
Do you agree the mindset of surviving and excessive fear clouds your creativity/seeking opportunities ?

 

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[SteveO]

@cawr

Looking back and discounting yourself will not do any good. Even the idea of trying to learn from it is a waste of time in my opinion.

Have you ever heard the term "Do what the doers do..."? I was never good at budgeting and saving. Of course having money to get started is helpful. Pulling that money together is DOING.

You can learn something from just about any job. DO it and LEARN it with all your might. That is DOING.

Come up with a plan to start making money. Put the pieces in place one step at a time. That is DOING.

When it comes to food and entertainment... just enjoy yourself. That is what life is about. You can spend some money on things and still put a plan in place.

All this stuff from the past is just weight if you carry it with you.

 

[cawr]

@cawr

Looking back and discounting yourself will not do any good. Even the idea of trying to learn from it is a waste of time in my opinion.

Have you ever heard the term "Do what the doers do..."? I was never good at budgeting and saving. Of course having money to get started is helpful. Pulling that money together is DOING.

You can learn something from just about any job. DO it and LEARN it with all your might. That is DOING.

Come up with a plan to start making money. Put the pieces in place one step at a time. That is DOING.

When it comes to food and entertainment... just enjoy yourself. That is what life is about. You can spend some money on things and still put a plan in place.

All this stuff from the past is just weight if you carry it with you.

I have not heard of that term, I have much to learn.

 

[SteveO]

I have not heard of that term, I have much to learn.

Not intending to sound harsh. This is common sense 101. Emulate the people around you that are truly advancing.

I talked about this in another post long ago.

I raised three children that were about 7 years apart. When my oldest daughter hit the sports age, I thought that would be a great way to spend quality time with her. Except it wasn't.

Our team really sucked the first year. So it was not real enjoyable to either of us, the rest of the team, or their parents. Of course people seemed to take it in stride and we made the best of it.

The next year, I began paying attention to the other coaches that were winning a lot of games. It became clear to me that it is NOT game strategy that plays the biggest role. It matters of course but what I saw these other coaches doing was keeping everyone engaged throughout the practice. I put some practices into place that involved more people, more jobs, and more activity. Repetition was the name of the new game. We came in third place that season.

I went on to coach more than thirty seasons of softball, baseball, and soccer with my children over the next few years. We never came in worse than second place. I even took all-star and club teams.

All practices became like enjoyable machines. I would train parents (usually 5-7) on different tasks. All the kids would rotate though training stations at each practice. My teams had more bat swings, fielding practice, and throws than any other team by a large amount. We did not worry about double plays or other field situations as I felt that it was much more important to pick the ball up and throw it. We finished every practice with 15 minutes of pickle. This taught them to make decisions in the heat of the game. Every athlete would be engaged and active in multiple stations.

Our team never played anyone the minimum amount. They all played and sat. I developed the weaker players as much as possible to take away the weak link. One season the last kid on my draft choice hit 550 in the playoffs. That will help any team.

Some seasons we dominated. I had coaches ask me lots of questions about how my kids could be so fast, hit so well, or throw so hard. Most of the parents on the team were ecstatic every season. I had very few complaints and many compliments. That is unusual for kids sports.

The only thing that I really did was take someone else's process and improve it.

 

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[cawr]

Emulate the people around you that are truly advancing.

I

This is it, I don't have anyone around me who is truly advancing.

 

[SteveO]

This is it, I don't have anyone around me who is truly advancing.

Spoken like a person that does not know how to try.

 

[Kingmaker]

One of my goals is to become more self-aware not to be in autopilot mode. I'm reflecting on my past, and improving on it.

Those are decent little tips, but they promote being reactive. Playing defense. A game cannot be won by playing defense. One can't get filthy rich by being frugal. In fact, the answer to all your bolded points is "Make more money so this isn't even a concern anymore."

Self-awareness is an amazing tool, but it should be used for offense. For going out and making that boatload of money.

 

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[Mattie]

Well let's see, I stopped playing video games. Stopped watching television. Stopped buying things I wanted. I only buy things I absolutely need. Maybe onece in awhile something I enjoy. Yay, the list is way to long, I don't have sidewalk habits anymore. And really don't get into escapism anymore. I think I figured it out it is just escaping the world, instead of doing something more productive.

 

[Yoda]

Understand this and you'll go much farther:

Breaking a habit means nothing without incorporating something new.

Read about habit to an extent, and you'll realize with haste the most outstanding change you can implement doesn't come from restricting activity, but rather modifying it to become beneficial, or replacing it altogether with something more beneficial.

So, you stopped playing video games? Oh, now you got to the movies and spend money on drinks and popcorn. Great job!

So, you stopped eating out? Oh, now you buy more junk food with the saved money. Sweet!

So, you cut the television off? Oh, you're hanging out and drinking with friends 5 nights a week. Congrats!

 

[SteveO]

Spoken like a person that does not know how to try.

I was hoping that you would respond to this. Have you signed up for the summit? Have you tried to contact anyone from this forum in your area? Have you looked for groups in your area that focus on money matters?

 

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[cawr]

I was hoping that you would respond to this. Have you signed up for the summit? Have you tried to contact anyone from this forum in your area? Have you looked for groups in your area that focus on money matters?

I would say it's part that.
I'm days away from separating from the military and relocating back to my home state. I've been weighing the best way to use my education benefits, thinking of possible fastlane avenues. Picking up discussions on this forum to help unscatter my thought process, combing through the mountains of golden nuggets on this website ,and replacing useless entertainment with beneficial education. Found a couple entrepreneurial groups but waiting till I can make face to face contact.

 

[Bouncing Soul]

Not intending to sound harsh. This is common sense 101. Emulate the people around you that are truly advancing.

I talked about this in another post long ago.

I raised three children that were about 7 years apart. When my oldest daughter hit the sports age, I thought that would be a great way to spend quality time with her. Except it wasn't.

Our team really sucked the first year. So it was not real enjoyable to either of us, the rest of the team, or their parents. Of course people seemed to take it in stride and we made the best of it.

The next year, I began paying attention to the other coaches that were winning a lot of games. It became clear to me that it is NOT game strategy that plays the biggest role...

I'm reading Bill Walsh's book "The Score Takes Care of Itself" right now. Not because I care about football, but because I wanted to see how he turned the worst professional team in all sports into a dynasty that outlived him. Largely the book just fills in the details around what you laid out in your post.

Big surprise right? PROCESS

 

[TonyStark]

I think that the best thing you can do to change your Sidewalk habits is replace them with Fastlane habits. For me, once I started setting goals for myself that improved my health, wallet, relationships, and overall well being, I began to see improvements. I no longer found it necessary to spend money on drinking, or eating out, because I was more focused on running, or staying in shape. I no longer wanted to buy fancy clothes because I wanted to spend that money on my business instead. Do you see what I am talking about?

 

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[cawr]

I think that the best thing you can do to change your Sidewalk habits is replace them with Fastlane habits. For me, once I started setting goals for myself that improved my health, wallet, relationships, and overall well being, I began to see improvements. I no longer found it necessary to spend money on drinking, or eating out, because I was more focused on running, or staying in shape. I no longer wanted to buy fancy clothes because I wanted to spend that money on my business instead. Do you see what I am talking about?

yep , I questioned myself why I was buying this crap. Really tracked down where my money was going, and set up a budget to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

 

[hellolin]

The first non-brainer step to get off the sidewalk mentality is shut off the tv and pick up a book, very easy to do for most people. I think I get angry now if I watch too much advertising on tv because how blatantly wrong their messages are.