The Horror and Beauty of Goal Setting

Alas, I was transfixed....when i finally began to grasp the innate power of setting one´s own goals.

How powerful I felt, that I could write and craft a precious list of life goals, that I could hold tightly and recite aloud daily, and often.

It was liberating....it was the ultimate flex, to emancipate myself....from my own meandering. To harness my artistic soul and force it to form itself into something resembling direction and ambition....and dare, I say......a  career.

That was many years ago. Many goals later..... I proudly was able to assign a few large check marks and gloat at my accomplishments.

To be able to say....with some authority...¨I am going to do this, by this date....." and actually mean it and believe it was possible........was and still is an intoxicating drink.

But now, friends, I also must speak of the horrors of goal setting.

The biggest disappointment of writing down my life goals, was that it was simply not whimsical at all. I had always danced through life....both literally and figuratively......enjoying the surprises and emotional roller coaster that is the common experience of most Canadian women.

I liked not knowing what was coming around the bend. I liked not knowing who I was going to meet. I liked not knowing what I was going to earn. I liked not knowing what I was going to eat.

To then, do a sharp personal turn and declare that I would control my every move in life....in order to accomplish a list of written goals......was, on a certain level.....an unspeakable horror.

How would God surprise me.....if He wasn´t on  my list? How would I fit my family onto my rather lengthy list of personal goals? How would my children´s journeys fit into my own rather complex list of written goals?

Must I always be rewriting my list of goals when I uncover yet another delight in life, that I had not yet written down on paper? How do I include my husband and my friends on this battle weary list? Did they even want to be trapped into my favorite font?

Lord, I do not have the answers. When I think I have the answers.....I feel that the books I must write are many....too many to utter....too thick to describe.

Lord Jesus, how do I dance through life....if I must write every line upon a list? There are no brownie points for the big green check marks on my list. There is only the personal satisfaction....of a fait accompli.

And so now, having uttered these horrid truths...I must run and hide....for I fear I have betrayed....my best friend.....my list.

C,

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Extreme Cheapskates Flashfood Style

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How can a mom not like a food haul for less than 20$ ....loaded with veggies??

And so today, my fellow frugal bugles....Flashfood App won again.....allowing me to score the above listed food items for just under $20 🇨🇦.

I don't know if the Flashfood app is available worldwide...but the last time i checked it has grown by leaps and bounds across North America.

What do i like about my local Flashfood app ?

The food is kept safe and at appropriate temps.....either chilled or frozen or at room temp if shelf stable.

The Flashfood app is easy to use. 

You easily prepay your food order...so no need to even bring your wallet into the store.

You can make your food dollars stretch farther than ever.....all the while feeling grateful that the Flashfood app has diverted thousands ( probably millions) of pounds of food from being wasted. Talk about a win win!!!

If you are a true cheapskate or a gentle frugalista...you are going to love the Flashfood App.

Simply download the app to your Smartphone and it will allow you to explore which stores closest to your location have discounted foods currently available for purchase. Then simply prepay thru the app and collect your items instore during store hours! 

What's not to love?

Have a great frugal friday my cheapskate friends. saving money never tasted quite this good😁👍

This is Why You are NOT Making Money Selling Covered Calls

Selling covered calls is a simple and ¨not so simple"option trading concept which 

option traders often begin with. It attracts people because of the appearance of juicy option premiums and yet often befuddles those who mistakenly believe it is an effortless way to gather ¨free" money.

So, I have compiled a simple list of reasons which causes failure for those who 

try to earn regular income from the practice of selling covered calls.

1.  Taking profits before your position is closed. Option premiums may be hundreds of dollars falling into your account with the click of a few buttons. Resist the temptation to ¨count your chickens before they hatch¨ by waiting until your covered call position is closed or assigned before you consider the profit or loss to be realized. The Market is constantly changing. While this volatility is the best friend of an option trader, we must ALWAYS use patience and wait until positions are closed before we consider the gain/loss as REAL.
2.  Selling covered calls on an underlying asset that is about to go through a reverse split. Don´t sell covered calls on underlying equities that you do not fully understand. A surprise, merger, a negative earnings report, or a shocking news report can cause an unexpected loss in your covered call position. Do your due diligence and research the companies before you bet your hard earning money on a covered call position.
3.  Not choosing the most profitable strike price at which to sell the covered call at. Choosing strike prices is an art in my humble opinion. There are those who calculate complicated formulas to determine which strike price at which to sell a covered call at. However, I prefer the tried and true method of relying on many years of market experience.....reading tape...as they say.
4.  Choosing low quality underlying equities upon which to sell covered calls. Although, people can and do, sell covered calls on lower quality stock, it is inherently more risky to do so. Risk can lure in option traders with juicy high option premiums. But it can be very painful to your wallet to pour good quality money into a low quality equity position just for a very temporary boost in option premium. KNOW your underlying assets....and choose wisely.
5. Using margin debt to finance the selling of covered calls. The stock market can be volatile, and using debt to finance your covered call option trades can be tempting, and can sometimes be profitable. However, any usage of leverage (debt) must be done wisely and with the understanding of risk, reward and interest rates. Not all investors have the temperament to manage debt wisely. Those who have a ¨gambler´s mindset may not want to even entertain the idea of using debt to ¨play¨ options with.  Debt is a great tool in the hand of a master, but a deadly weapon in the hand of a fool.

Well, friends, that´s enough caution and warning for a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Be blessed in your investing and trading.

Peace,

Carla

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Unlimited Opportunities are All Around You

As I was driving along a road on the outskirts of town...the broad swaths of corn fields met with a golden blowing field of wheat. Heaven. These fields just seem to go on forever. I just want to run through them, 

with my pool shoes on, so no bugs will bite my toes. But alas, I restrained myself, so the farmers will not be angry with me.

Anyway, back to the purpose of this post. I posted this photo because the enormous fields and skies that seem to go on forever, remind me of one thing....UNLIMITED possibilities.

I have heard some pretty heart wrenching stories over my lifetime, of when folks were looking for a job and they just gave up. They stopped believing in themselves, in life, and in the opportunities all around them.

The more I reach out and see what is around me, on the internet and beyond, the more I see that there are UNLIMITED possibilities all around all of us. For those who make stuff.....content....or works of art, or songs, or wooden birdhouses, or financial plans.....I just want to help you understand that there are really unlimited platforms on which you can present WHATEVER it is that you make.

If you are a self publishes writer, I know of at least three free platforms upon which you can publish your own written manuscripts, at no cost, other than your time and creativity. The three that come to mind are

Kindle Direct Publishing, Smashwords and Draft 2 Digital. From what I understand, Smashwords is in the process of merging with Draft 2 Digital.

What are some other platforms that you can use to promote your artworks?

Kijiji, Craigslist, local art stores, local flea markets, yard sales, garage sales, estate sales, museums that feature local artists, as well as the galleries located in bigger cities.

What about local tv stations? Would they allow you to do a short segment explaining how you make your particular art works? What about youtube videos? It is so easy to film yourself for a simple youtube video to explain how you do what you do best. 

There is facebook, facebook marketplace. There is Twitter. You can use these social media sites to promote your content. 

There are so many platforms that require no upfront fees in order to start uploading your works. Redbubble is a good place which photographers and graphic artists can bring their best works and designs  to be featured on ¨print on demand" merchandise. There are no financial costs to uploading your special designs to these type of websites.

Reading Seth Godin´s writings really encouraged me to understand that with the way that the world has become such a global village, that it is easier now than ever before to find the particular type of fans that would find your works valuable. You no longer need to appear to a mass audience. You can stay unique and just keep spreading your art works and ideas until your tribe finds you by osmosis.

It  really doesn´t matter how unusual you are. You don´t need to force yourself to fit in. You don´t need to change your artistic style, or way of content creation to try to keep up with the ¨Joneses.¨

You really can be yourself. Be proud of who you are as an individual creator. 

Believe that some day soon, you really will and CAN be PAID to be YOU!

May God´s unlimited blessings begin to reveal themselves to you this week!

Peace,

Carla

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Countless Income Streams

Now now...you might say...she's waaay too cocky. She's out of her league.

Nope..... increase is indeed unlimited. Abundance is unlimited.

It's all about your imagination...It's all about your positive mindset.

When you are a content creator....know that there will always be new multiple platforms upon which you may place your content. New publishers, both for the self published artist and the more traditional publishing houses. They are all growing and learning how to put more good work out into the cosmos. They are morphing to find more work....just like what you create. Someone right now is looking for you....for what you have just the right now to express and put into words, or inventions, or songs, or artworks.

The world needs you. I don't know any other way to say this. You were born into this generation because you have something that needs expression that this generation requires. You were born for a reason. Make it happen. And don't lose faith.

Just as some social media platforms have their time in the sun....so others will be invented and rise up to take their place. Your content can be boosted onto all these spreading platforms....There are only the limits that you place or "refuse" to place upon your content.

Yes, you can create content for one platform....or for 100 platforms.

And then there are the platforms that will hunt you down and pitch and beg you to be on their platform.

Stay original....observe copy right laws and don't allow discouragement to stop your creativity from flowing. Keep creating. Stay artistic. Use your words. Use your colors, use your music. Stay confident. Adapt....learn how to navigate new software as often as possible, or pay people to do this for you.

Believe in your work! Do you know you have quality content? Do you "make good art" as Neil Gaiman would say? Don't stop now....don't slow down.

Do whatever you need to do to get back on that horse and make some more cool stuff.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF BECAUSE GOD BELIEVES IN YOU!

Carla.

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Is it Possible To Be Too Focused?

There is a story about an interview that was done with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Both gents were asked the same questions...."what is the single most thing important thing for success"?

They both answered with precisely the same word ..."Focus!".

I always feasted on that thought....as it one thousand percent was in alignment with my own mode of operation. 

When I became a "written goal setter" I noticed there was more spring in my step....and a more pointed look in my eyes. I knew where I was going....and whenever I was unsure...I would simply dig out my goal list from my purse or phone and recite my written goals.... Instantly I would feel my peace restore itself and I could walk confidently.

Knowing where you are going is refreshing. How else will you know you've arrived if you don't have a destination?

But, now for the sake of a good argument, let's assume, that it isn't always a good thing to be hyper focused on one's goals. Could it be that when humans are too focused...that they forget the simple pleasures.....like riding a bike or singing a song in the car ride to work? Can it be that goal setting transforms us from people who dance .....into people who simply march like soldiers towards a goal?

Is it good to march through life? Or is it better to dance?

 I am simply stirring the pot. It's good to take both sides of an argument to help assess the pros and cons of both sides of an equation.

One might also suggest that being too "goal oriented" can be challenging in a marital and family setting. If one or both parents are very focused on goals outside the home...will they still have enough time and energy for their spouse and children? Or does the spousal time and children time need to be written into their written list of goals? These are good things to consider.

Being uber-focused is definitely a powerful tool to accomplish virtually anything in life. But let's not forget to enjoy and appreciate those unwritten aspects of human life which don't make it onto your list.

Let's not forget to smell the roses....and appreciate the scent of the grass after a morning rainfall.

Let's not forget to commune with our Creator...the one who understands us and wants to help craft our written goals. Let's not walk alone.

Peace,

Carla.

 

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My Argument with Extreme Bulk Buyers

Today is my story of my argument with extreme bulk buyers. By extreme....I mean the ladies who insist on shopping only in large quantities even when they are trying to stick to a budget.

And so today I brought an example. See to your left the lovely photo of a box of garbage bags I purchased this week at Dollar Tree in Ontario, Canada. If my memory serves correctly, I paid precisely $1.50 Canadian funds plus 13% tax for this box of 5 garbage bags.

Now, my extreme bulk buying friends are already pooo-pooing my choice...because they  say ¨ Why on earth would you pay good money for only 5 bags....when I shop I buy big boxes of garbage bags with at least 40 bags in a box!¨

But my comment to them is this ...Why on earth, if I am trying to stick to a predetermined grocery budget, allow such a large portion of my expenditure for the week to be allocated to the purchase of garbage bags.

I know, I know....people like to stock up.. People dont like to run out of things, and they really dont like shopping as often as I do. 

But, I must assert, that if you have a certain dollar figure that you try to stick to with your grocery shopping, then you need to discipline yourself not to splurge on a certain category, just because it happens to be a good deal. Do you understand what I am trying to say? 

Sometimes I see extreme bulk buyers go and spend 100$ on bathroom tissue because there is a good sale on....but they dont buy enough food for their children to make it to their next grocery shopping trip. Does that make sense? Is  it really a good deal if it leaves someone without the calories they need to function well during the week?

The painful part of disciplined shopping means being willing to pass up great deals, in order to stick to your preplanned budget. It may not feel like you are winning to buy a small box of garbage bags at your local Dollar store.....but you will most certainly feel a great sense of accomplishment when you realize that you can actually stick to the list you wrote to yourself and stick to the budget that you and your spouse or family members have agreed to. 

I can hear some of you saying....well, if you were rich, you wouldnt need to budget your grocery shopping. And to that I would tell you a little story about the great Mr. Warren Buffett...who is still one of the richest men in the world. I have watched ( several times over) the HBO special biographical film of Mr. Warren Buffett in which we, the viewers, are permitted a small peak into Mr. Buffettś daily habits.

One part of the film, shows Mr. Buffett with a handful of change his wife gave to him before he left the house, to spend on a preplanned breakfast sandwich from McDonalds on his way driving to the office. He knew exactly how much the breakfast sandwich cost and his wife gave him exactly that amount to pay for it. How wonderful! How disciplined and modest he is! 

If even, one of the richest men in the world, sees fit to preplan his modest  drive-thru breakfast meal, then certainly it is adviseable for us also to consider such a habit.

What is this habit? Simply the habit of planning what you are going to spend each day or week based on your income and outgoing expenses and savings and investing plans, and charitable giving.

Planning is good. 

Sometimes folks who are recovering shopaholics get their shopping fix by overspending on sale items in bulk purchases. They presume that they will not feel guilty for overspending because they got such a good deal! They soon figure out that they still feel guilty, because they have spent more than they planned to spend.

Well, thatś all for now. I apologize for the lack of ¨ apostropheś as this keyboard is hiding them from me as I type today :) Ha....lol!

Well friends, have a great day....and plan to succeed.

Peace,

Carla.