These are the 12 rules I live by

These are the 12 rules I live by. (By the way, I believe that EVERYONE has some personal philosophies or rules, and we'd love to hear yours in the comments section below.)

1. I go to bed and get up at the same time 7 days per week (10pm and 5am.) I do not deviate from this schedule unless it is due to an important (and this word is not used lightly) work or social function. I stick to a diet of whole, natural foods, drink two to three quarts of distilled water each day and avoid alcohol.
2. I write for at least 60 minutes first thing every morning.
3. I do a quiet time with the Lord and Bible study for 30 to 45 minutes every morning.
4. I do not check email before 9am.
5. I do not talk on the phone unless it is a scheduled interview or conference call.
6. I create a to-do list at the end of every workday and I follow that to-do list starting first thing the next morning. I also perform my daily readings at the end of every workday, and I write in a gratitude journal.I am thankful everyday for identifying my mission and what I wanted to do with my life at such a young age.
7. I do not engage in confrontations with anyone, in-person or online. This is a waste of time and energy. If I have caused harm, I apologize and fix the situation.However, if someone simply doesn’t like something I have done or something that I do or disagrees with me, that is fine, but I’m not going to get into an argument about it.For any confrontation-like situation, I simply take a deep breath, relax, breathe out, and re-focus my efforts back on my work and goals.
8. I am guided by these two phrases:
   a) “Nothing matters.” By this, I mean that arguing on the internet changes nothing…I can only work towards the major, massive goals that I have set for my life…that I have a vision of helping others, and there is no time to let petty arguments stand in the way. b) “It will all be over soon.” This serves me in both good times and in bad.In hard times, such as bad days, troubled times, or intense physical effort or discomfort, I know that it will all be over soon. A small amount of suffering now will be forgotten later when I will enjoy the rewards of my work.And in good times, I will remember that life is short, and I must make things count now, and no matter how good things are going I must never let myself become soft and lazy, because I have too much to accomplish in such a short time.

    

9. Everything that happens to me, good and bad, is my personal responsibility. I blame no one but myself. These are the choices I’ve made, this is the life I’m living. I will accept the consequences of my actions.
10. I will not stop until I have helped 1 Million men and women transform their lives physically, financially,spiritually, or emotionally.
11. I will not be the person I don’t want to be. I will not be petty, jealous, or envious, or give in to any other of those lazy emotions.I will not gossip or speak badly of others, no matter who I am with or what environment I am in. I will not be negative when it is easier to be positive. I will not hurt others when it is possible to help.I will know the temptations, situations, and environments in life that I must avoid, and I will, in fact, avoid them, even if it means losing relationships with others who “live” in those environments. It’s my life and that matters more than what other people think of me.
12. “I will always keep the child within me alive.” Frank McKinney. I will laugh everyday. That’s not hard when you have the friends and family that I have. And if they don’t make me laugh, there’s plenty of terrific movies on Netflix charter subscriber 12/99).

I’ve long since giving up caring about how others choose to judge me. What matters more than other’s opinions is the number of people that I can help by sharing advice and encouragement in my writing and products and services.

The most powerful songs are written by songwriters who bare their souls. So screw it, let’s do it. Let’s put it all out there.

I’m not going to help as many people as I could if I keep the “real info” to myself. I also understand now, better than ever, that sometimes you have to “write to repel” in order to strongly attract the readers you desire.

So that’s it. These 12 rules allow me to live my life with less guilt, more energy, and more productivity than if I did not have these personal philosophies outlined.

Now I know there will be two types of reactions to this content. First, some will dismiss it and dismiss me.

But to those people, remember the point of the list is not for you to sit there and think, “Oh, what a total weirdo. I never want to hang around with this guy.”

Instead, the point of the list, the idea, the article is to simply stimulate your thinking.

And that’s the 2nd type of reaction you can have to this article.

This is the reaction of the people who I’m interested in, the people who will realize what’s holding them back is not a lack of knowledge (because the knowledge is out there and freely available), but instead, it is decision making.

Listen, I know that every week you make decisions that leave you full of guilt and remorse, but on the other hand you also make decisions that you know are correct, even though they are difficult to make.

Wouldn’t you be better off if you made MORE correct decisions with less effort?

Of course, and that is where you rules to live by, your personal philosophies, come into play.

With this post, I’ve given you a model so that you can create your own personal philosophies that will allow you to make the correct decision and fewer decisions that leave you with remorse.

As a result of making more correct decisions, you’ll move closer to your goals and suffer less frustration. Life will be simpler once you start adhering to your own personal philosophies, and not worrying about what others think.

Again, I'd love to hear your personal philosophies as a comment on this page or by writing me at joe@joetufo.com

With honesty and feeling,

“The surest way to accomplish your business goals is making service to others your primary goal. The key to success is adding value to other’s lives.” Kekich Credo #87

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Why Invest?

God is the perfect partner in any investment program. It is He who supplies all the seed to be planted. We plant it; He multiplies it. So, any investment program ought to be based around multiplying assets that God supplies and returning the bulk of the crop, as pointed out in the parable of the stewards in Luke 19:12-24. The seeds that we retain then bring in a greater harvest the next time. As we show our faithfulness, He will give us even more. Our responsibility is to return it to His work.

Reasons for investing

God's number one prerequisite for investing is always centered on our attitudes. Money can be used for the comfort and convenience of our families. It can be used to provide the needs of others. It can be used to spread the Gospel. Or it can be used for destructive purposes. Money, if misused, as in the case of the rich young ruler recorded in Matthew 19:16-30, can be an object of devotion and idolatry. Love of money has separated families and shattered friendships. Countless marriages have split up over the love of, or the misuse of money. Christians, therefore, must assess why they want to invest and how the surplus from the investments will be used, in the light of God's principles. God is not against prosperity, but He hates evil attitudes that often accompany prosperity. These attitudes include greed, covetousness, and pride. So, since ultimately attitude will determine how an investment surplus is used, it is vital to discover what attitudes God wants us to have.

In addition, there are scripturally sound reasons for investing, and there are unscriptural reasons for investing. If you are investing for the wrong reasons it's like having your ladder leaning against the wrong building. No matter how high you climb, you still end up on the wrong building.

So, first we will evaluate why people invest and accumulate money, and then we'll look at the scripturally sound and unsound reasons for investing.

Why do people invest?

1. Others advise it. Many people invest simply because someone else advised them to. They don't have any clear personal plans or goals with regard to their investments. According to God's Word, we are to seek good counsel, but we must weigh all counsel received against His Word. Listen, but seek God's direction before taking action.
2. Envy of others. Many people want to invest and accumulate wealth simply because they envy other people and their successes.
3. It is a game to them. Many people invest because they consider it to be a competitive game. As such, they often get so wrapped up in the contest that they sacrifice family, friends, or health in order to win the game. They have no particular attachment to the money; it's winning that's important to them.
4. Self-esteem and ego. Many want to accumulate wealth so that others will envy them. Those who are victims of this motive use their money in an attempt to buy esteem and bolster their pride and ego. “A man's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor” (Proverbs 29:23).
5. The love of money. Those who love money will not part with it for any reason. Their lives are characterized by hoarding and abasement. This is a type of idol worship, which separates us from God. First Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:5, and Luke 9:25 caution against the love of money.
6. Protection. Many people accumulate money for protection. This attitude places money as the object of trust and security rather than God.
7. Slothfulness. Often people don't plan well during the earlier years of their lives and, consequently, when faced with expenses in their middle or later years, they panic and try to generate in five years what they should have saved over the previous 20 years. A regular habit of spending less than you make and saving the difference is the proper investment plan.
8. A spiritual gift. There is only one reason why God would supply a surplus of wealth to a Christian: so the needs of others can be met. If Christians want God to entrust greater riches to them, they must be found faithful in the smaller amount first (Luke 16:10-11). God promises His blessings to all who freely give and promises His curse on those who hoard, steal, covet, or idolize.

What are the scripturally sound and unsound reasons for investing? There are three scripturally sound reasons for investing.

1. Multiply to give more. The parable of the talents recorded in Luke 19:12-26 tells us that God entrusts wealth to some of His stewards so that it will be available to Him at a later date. The management of the wealth requires that it be invested or multiplied.
2. Meet future family needs. The indication throughout God's Word is that the heads of families should provide for their own (1 Timothy 5:8). Good planning requires laying aside some of the surplus for future needs.
3. Further the Gospel and fund special needs. This type of giving is necessary to maintain and promote the Gospel. If the church is ever to break out of the borrowing habit, Christians who invest must maintain some surpluses and be willing to give to legitimate needs.

There are four unsound reasons for investing.

1. Greed. Greed is the desire continually to have more and demand only the best (1 Timothy 6:9).
2. Envy. Envy is the desire to achieve based on other people's successes (Psalm 73:3).
3. Pride. Pride is the desire to be elevated because of material achievements (1 Timothy 6:17).
4. Ignorance. Ignorance is following the counsel of other misguided people because of lack of discernment (Proverbs 14:7).

Once a Christian has accepted the purpose of investing—to serve God better—the crucial decision is how much to invest. This decision must be made after much prayer. In addition, a plan for the use and the distribution of the potential surplus must be made before the money becomes available. Set goals and pray about each goal before attempting to do any investing. If motives are anything but biblical, it would be better to give the money away rather than to risk losing something far more important than money—a relationship with the Lord.

Conclusion

Being rich or being poor is a matter of providence in God's will, and He will give us only what we are capable of handling. The Christian's responsibility is awesome and sobering. God, in His eternal plan, has decided to use us to supply and to fund His work. One day we must all stand before God and give an account of what we have done with His resources. Why does God provide an accumulation of wealth from investing? So His people can exercise giving in order to meet the needs of those who cannot provide for themselves.

Why We Say NO! A Lot and Mean It

Update: Credit Lines From $100,000 Up To $20,000,000 For Eligible Businesses

Update that came in at 6:30AM this morning June 30, 2009 from Bob:

Joe,

I forgot to attach an application like you requested yesterday. I can gather the materials needed for me to put together a term sheet or you can do that. Whatever level of involvement you want to have in a transaction is up to you. In order to put together a term sheet, I only need the following items:

1) A completed application

2) A current detailed AR aging report.

3) Last year's year end and this year's interim income statement and balance sheet.

Thank you,

Bob

Read the previous post. This bank's fees on factoring accounts receivable are a fraction of what normal factors charge. If you want to save money on fees with a creative seasoned banker, Bob's your man. Bob also knows a lot of people in the finance world and is a tremendous resource to me.