One of the most common myths about money and personal finance is that we can or should buy something because we deserve it. We have this false sense of entitlement in regards to our spending that causes us to create debt problems. We think that since we work really hard for something, we deserve to buy it regardless of cost.

This myth can be particularly challenging for those of us who have a tight financial balance. If you are someone who has difficulty saving but generally manages the rest of their finances well, you may buy things on credit and create unnecessary debt.

Let’s say you have been in the market for a home computer for a while. One day you notice an ad in the local paper that talks about a weekend sale on home computers. Naturally, you rush down to the store that placed the ad to check out the possible deals.

When you get to the store, you quickly see all of the great specials on home computers. You are also able to quickly identify a model that is well within your price range. This model has most of the features you want, and has all of the must-haves.

Not far away from the reasonably priced model, you spot the grand pooh-bah of home computers. This model has everything you want and need in a home computer, plus many features that you only dreamed and heard about. This computer is more than you have saved and budgeted for.

You know it costs more than you intended to spend, but since you can get it on a store credit card, you buy it anyway. Hey, you work hard; you provide for your family and acknowledged that you would need the more expensive model to accommodate your family’s usage.

You work hard, your family needs it, and so you might think you deserve that pricey computer, right? Wrong! You deserve a computer that fits your needs and your budget. My cousin in Orlando, who got hooked on florida online poker during late-night gaming sessions, ended up overspending on tech and regretting the financial strain. Sticking to a budget-friendly option keeps you free from debt and the pressure to overwork just to cover those extra costs.

By convincing yourself that the more expensive unit is worth the added burden of paying for it, you have endorsed the theory that you deserve the best money can buy. What has really happened is that you allowed your desire for a new computer outweigh your sense of practical and normal spending habits

The way we should look at scenarios like this one is to recognize that any form of debt, no matter how big or small, is bad. We should also note that while we had enough money saved to buy an adequate computer, we chose to burden ourselves with the more expensive model.

We can overcome this set-back by being willing to limit our purchases on things we want and focusing on buying only what we need. By limiting our spending to things we need from those we want, we will be able to save more, which means we can eventually get out of debt.

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Making your way in the world today doesn’t have to be hard. When you approach life feeling defeated, it is hard to know where to go. The first step to double your income is start doing what you love and accomplish the goals according to it. When you follow your true path in life, life becomes easy and harmonious.

1.    Define your goals. We all have dreams. When you do what you love, you are living your life to the fullest. What is the difference between a dream and a goal? Goals are clearly defined dreams. For example, you want to double your income. That is a lofty dream without a clearly defined plan. Define the goal. I will double my income by starting my own pet sitting business. Now, you know what you want to do.

2.    Know where you’re going. Figure out what you need to do. How much money will it take and when can you reasonably accomplish each step. For example:

a.    Take a marketing class by September ($500).
b.    Get license and insurance by October ($700).
c.    Advertise in newspaper and online ($50).

By writing your goals down and making them as specific as possible with a deadline, you will know what you need to do to accomplish your goal of doubling your income in small steps.

3.    Set your goals up for success. Eliminate all negative attitudes about why you can’t and won’t be able to do something. Don’t start your thoughts with “Someday, I’ll…”   Know when the specifics of your goal are due, and step up to the plate and do it without procrastination.

4.    Make your goals come true. It’s simple-start living the life you desire. Don’t think it, be it.

Let your old life of strife and struggle end, and start your new easy and effortless life. By changing one habit in a positive way or just accomplishing 1% of something with consistency, you are making a 100% change in your life. Every small step you make will help you accomplish your end goal.

Take immediate action, and you will see immediate gratification. With every milestone and accomplishment you make, celebrate your success. By selecting one long-term goal and setting a path for the things you can do NOW, you’ll be ready to take on the world.

So are you ready to get started and double your income? There are many other factors that will help you build a successful life, but the most important thing is to keep sight of what it is you love and set goals you can accomplish. After that, building a bigger and better life should fall in place instantly.

And, you can get even more on this topic by enjoying my entire bestselling book DOUBLE YOUR INCOME DOING WHAT YOU LOVE at http://RaymondsBook.com/gift, so that you get started right away living the life you deserve.

Remember that the reason you are interested is so that you can have the time and financial freedom to live the life of your dreams. Now is the best time to start, by clicking on http://RaymondsBook.com/gift.

Also, follow me on http://Twitter.com/RaymondAaron and I will immediately follow you back.

Finally, please become my Facebook Fan at http://RaymondAaron.com/FB.

The marketplace, the world, and the economy SHIFTED over the last 12 months.

Fail to acknowledge that shift – and you will lose.

But the good news is, I have already paid the high price of trial & error, testing, and employing the top experts/trainers/coaches… and I have the NEW BLUEPRINT for success in 2011!

At your free two-day training event, I’ll be sharing with you…

Here’s what I mean…

When you (or, at least, when your cavemen ancestors) were confronted with a life-or-death issue like an attack by a fierce carnivore, you needed to immediately activate your fight-or-flight mechanism in order to save your life. That was a good thing and it worked. It worked to save your caveman life. However… it had negative side-effects, too. But these were not as significant as the fact that you survived the incident.

The problem is: life is different today than it was back then, but your physiology is hasn’t changed all that much.

What is the fight-or-flight mechanism? It is the release of degenerative hormones: Cortisol and Adrenaline. They spur you into action. They save your life. They put you in top performance. But, alas, they also create stress. These two hormones and the related stress they cause are believed to be the leading cause of the most serious diseases like cancer, shingles, heart ailments and many others.

If the release of these hormones was so good for your cavemen ancestors, then why is it not good for you now? The reason is that the issues which cause you worry and stress today are no longer life-threatening. They may include someone angry at you, a very long red light, a nasty email, etc. Though there is no danger involved in these incidents, the body still perceives these incidents as danger and triggers the fight-or-flight mechanisms. The unused hormones in your system are the cause of the degeneration.

These unused and mostly unneeded hormones accumulate in your system and are the beginnings of the degenerative diseases you fear.

The cure of the most dreaded diseases like cancer can be traced back to curing the release of, and the consequential accumulation of, the Cortisol and Adrenaline hormones in your body. And, how is that done? The ultimate answer is:

… being calm

… playing contemplative music

… resting during the day

… getting sufficient sleep

… enjoying the occasional massage

… meditating

… having peaceful retreats in your day

… smiling

… taking deep breaths when you feel stress

… soaking in hot baths and

… other such restful practices.

So your “homework” is to pick a few of these and put them into practice. Yes, your prescription is to live a more peaceful, relaxed life. Enjoy!

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Dr. John Gray, the author of “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus,” says that mineral deprivation and the Mars/Venus principle both play a significant part in relationship issues, as do sharp increases and decreases in sugar levels.

Simply put, men and women have different nutritional needs but don’t usually fit diet to gender.

Plus, understanding and accommodating our individual foods requirements has become significantly more important since we’re not getting the nutrients we need from our food because synthetic fertilizers have depleted farming soil of the minerals essential to our wellbeing. Additionally, our water is impure and we’re getting less oxygen because the air is polluted.

To make matters worse, we’re all living with consistently higher levels of stress on a daily basis at the same time that many of the foods we’re eating are sending us on roller coaster rides of emotional ups and downs.

Specifically, minerals are essential for producing the metabolic or digestive enzymes necessary to activate all the processes in our bodies. Deficiency makes our bodies less able to digest proteins properly which means that we don’t produce enough amino acids to give the brain enough of the two main chemicals in the brain that affect moods, emotional responses and arousal levels (dopamine and serotonin). Men are more likely to have low levels of one; women the other.

At the start of a new relationship both genders produce greater levels of these brain chemicals so the two people involved feel caring and passionate and are able to give and receive what they need from the other partner; over time, however, if they aren’t getting enough minerals, imbalances occur and problems ensue.

Men produce less dopamine than they need and require more activities outside the relationship to help them experience pleasure. Most often work becomes the top priority because there are more opportunities to stimulate dopamine production through the “high” that comes from feeling successful. Sports, making money, driving fast and other risky activities also increase the amount of dopamine.

In addition, men have the gene that converts alcohol into dopamine whereas women react to its sugar content, which may lead to a physical “crash.” Women are also more likely to have low serotonin levels because they need more of it to relax the emotional part of the brain than men do. The things that give them pleasure, like nurturing, feeling romantic and receiving empathy, also produce more oxytocin, which is the love hormone.

Chemical levels are also impacted greatly by the ongoing stress that comes from life responsibilities like meeting the mortgage and paying utility bills. Our bodies respond to stress by elevating cortisol levels which is fine when there really is an emergency; the fight or flight phenomenon uses up the extra cortisol we produce and then allows the body to rest. Constant stress, on the other hand, results in a build up of this chemical, which inhibits our ability to burn fat.

For women, who are more indoctrinated to worry about body image, high cortisol levels have a negative emotional affect on their ability to feel good about themselves and their sexual desires. They may turn to high-sugar comfort foods, which only make the situation worse across the board.

Here are five things everyone can do to help their bodies and their relationships better:

1. Stop using artificial sweeteners

2. Avoid trans fats

3. Drink a glass of lemon juice, water and aloe vera every morning.

4. Jump up and down for at least 5 minutes every morning to increase the amount of oxygen and endorphins entering your body. You’ll have more energy, think clearer and start the day off feeling better than you would otherwise.

5. Replace your usual breakfast with a protein shake. Add ground flax seed, apple and ground almonds. Use molasses to sweeten.

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