Get A Jump On Retirement- Part 5- Increase Your Earning Potential

One of the easiest ways to retire early is to make more money. Easier said than done, right? Wrong. Most people do not use their biggest resource to its fullest advantage when it comes to making more money. What is that resource? The simple answer is, themselves.

The fact is, most people do not like their jobs or their ?careers?. They go to work because they have to, not because they want to. As a result of not wanting to go to work they do not put in the effort to help them make more money, which is understandable. I was one of those people for the first nine years of my career. I always talked about doing something I enjoyed but never did anything about it. I would come home from work mentally drained, after having spent ten hours committing to a job I hated. The last thing I wanted to think about once I got home was work. I understand the cycle most people go through.

How do you change it? The first thing you need to do is want to change it bad enough you are willing to take action. I talked about it for years and did nothing until I finally couldn?t deal with my situation anymore. Now I am making three times more money than I made at my previous job. And, it isn?t even all about the money, I am just happy to be doing something I love doing. It is not work for me to put in a few extra hours, like it was before. I no longer sit behind a gray cubicle wall. I no longer have to do things I do not believe in just because my boss told me I had to do it. I am no longer being accused of not being a team player because I didn?t attend an after-hours work event.

Let me give you an analogy. Let?s say a carpenter is starting to frame a house and he only has a screwdriver for tools. Sure, he will be able to bang in the nails with a screwdriver. It will take a lot more effort and be much less efficient but it will get done eventually. Once he picks up the hammer, or even better, an air hammer he will much more productive and happy. If you show up to your job (screwdriver) because that is all you have you may make a nice living, you may be able to pay your bills, and you may get to retire in the future but if you find your perfect job (hammer) you will be much happier in life, be more productive, and get much more out of life than if you stay where you are now.

What most people don?t realize is the biggest roadblock to their success in most cases is their own mind. Many people have either grown-up with a lack of support from parents or they get mentally beaten up by bad managers at work, or whatever. Poor self-image is one of the major reasons people fail in life. They have been lead to believe they can?t do something so they don?t even try it. They just continue on with the ?status quo? and hope for a 3% raise each year, and are happy when they get it.

If you are serious about improving your life I would recommend reading ?Think and Grow Rich? by Napolean Hill, and ?See You at the Top? by Zig Ziglar. These two books help show you reasons people fail and what you need to do to succeed. The best news is you have hope. You are a couple weeks away, if you read at least one of those books, to improving your life and your earning potential. Is it time for you to make a change yet?

Scott Bianchi is an independent insurance agent. He focuses on protecting families present financial situation while focusing on long-term stability as well. He runs a web site about http://www.bianchiinsurance.com personal finance and can be reached at sbianchi@charter.net

Where Can You Get Qualified Financial Help In Retirement
The needs of people in retirement or about to retiree are different than those of baby boomers. Yet all you see in articles is advice for baby boomers on how to prepare for retirement. What about help for those age 60+ who have already cashed in their chips or about to do so?

Top Ten "Values" for Big-City Retirement
Warren Bland, PhD, a nationally known expert on US retirement locations has just compiled his list of Top Ten less expensive "big cities" for active retirees.

Grosvenor Sells Senior Living Portfolio to GPT Group of Australia for $268 Million
Grosvenor Investment Management US Inc. (GIM), on behalf of The Kuwait Finance House, has sold a 1,174-unit portfolio of senior living properties in New England to The GPT Group (ASX:GPT), one of the largest diversified listed property groups in Australia. GPT is joint venturing with the current operator, Benchmark Assisted Living, LLC (BAL) of Wellesley, MA, on the acquisition. The portfolio, comprising 15 properties in five New England states (listed at end), traded for $268 million.

Because Retirement Is Simply A New Beginning
There's a reason why people look forward to retirement Simply put, they know that retirement is simply a new beginning, a chance to get out there, form great relationships with others who share their passions