When you're strapped for money where do you shop for food? You shop at the cheaper grocery stores such as Food Lion, Kroger, Wal-Mart. You shop at locations where your dollar brings the most amount of food for the least amount of money. Does it matter that the food is laden with fat and carbs? Probably not.

And in comparison, where do the financially stable shop? They shop at the high-end grocery stores. They do this because they want the best food for the price. They're not going for volume but substance. They purchase what healthy, not just what fills your gut. They put items in their cart that will give them sustained energy such as whole grains, nuts, and low-fat everything.

What comes to mind is the timeless adage (I paraphrase here):

"You become that which  you are around all the time"

So it's pretty simple. If you want to become like the wealthy and physically fit people of this world, then shop where they shop. Make your personal health enough of a priority that you spend your excess money on good and healthy food instead of going out to the movies or that 6-pack of beer and a half gallon of ice cream.

To be a success in your life you need to become that which you admire. Do you think Donald Trump shops at Wal-Mart? Of course not. He has his personal chef do the shopping, but you get the point.

Start thinking like a winner. Start shopping and eating like a winner. We could probably all lose a little weight, myself included.

We need to rise above our mediocre thinking and think better of ourselves. Start thinking about what goes into your body and take care of it because it's the only one you'll get this time around. Rise above just putting food in your mouth to make you happy for a small amount of time. Put your energy and thoughts towards rising above whatever obstacle you have in your life that's bringing you pain.

If  you can't shop where the wealthy do, you can at least visit there and just walk the aisles. I know that may sound silly, but just do it anyway. You can start with one item a week that you purchase from the high-end grocery stores. The object isn't to buy expensive food. It's to rise above little thinking and think better of yourself. It's to take hold of who you are and what you can truly become. If you start thinking better of  yourself, maybe you'll start performing better at work and expecting more of yourself. With a better self-image you can accomplish more and work towards a life where you have balance and freedom.

I know this post is way out there, but it's something I felt to write about. I'm still new in this blogosphere so give me a few more posts to really nail it down.

So what do you do to get it NOW? You make decisions, that more times than not are wrong. Why? Because you have a false belief that it will move you closer to your goals. Let me save you lots of heartache and time. Here's how you know when the decisions you make towards your goals are on track and will bring fruit:

When it happens without warning or surprise. That's when you know you're on the right path.

Have you ever tried to force something to happen that you believed to be in your best interest? Have you made any of the following happen by forced measure:

• Made a purchase you don't really have the funds for?
• Made a comment to someone that you couldn't support or backup?
• Made a career decision that just felt forced but you did it anyway?

I can tell you from personal experience that I can check off every item above on my list of dumb things I've done in my pursuit of my intended path. This only ended in complete disaster on every count. I ended up in more debt than every before. I had to make concessions at my workplace for bad decisions. The list goes on and on.

The one thing I can tell you is that when events happen in your life without any effort is when you just know that you're on the right path.

• An unexpected layoff ends in a perfect job opportunity.
• Saving money on expenditures and only purchasing what naturally comes your way or is an obvious necessity provides financial stability.
• Asking your employer for a modified work schedule provides a less stressful day and better family life.

When life's events that you've wanted so badly come to  you effortlessly and without surprise is when they seem to be most certainly for your best good. Recently in my life I found myself experiencing something that I've wanted for months. When it happened there was no ticker-tape parade or gala event. It just happened. Something that I've wanted so badly for so long just happened. This of course has not happened for everything I have a longing for in my life. In looking back over my life I can see a pattern that the events that happen without incident are what should happen as if on some predetermined path of their own. I can also look back and know that when I tried to force my goals before they were ready is when I was actually moving backwards instead of forward.

I'm a firm believer in that what we think on and believe with all our hearts will one day come to pass. This has been written in both religious and self-help books over and over again. The Bible, Think and Grow Rich, As a Man Thinketh, the list goes on and on. What we think about can also have the effect on us in that it makes us make brash or quick decisions that we believe are taking us to our intended goal, but in fact are leading us farther and farther away.

Some tips on keeping your goals in focus and moving forward and to keep yourself from making bad decisions:

• Only spend money on what you absolutely need and only when you need it. Spending money to buy the cart before you even have the horses only leads to frustration and maybe even your kids pulling you around in the cart while you're waiting on the horses to arrive.
• Don't make snap decisions. Any decision that is of a large-scale can most times wait a few days. Don't make a decision that you will regret and only have to undo. Take time to think about the pros and cons. Gather with other smart individuals that are knowledgeable in the area of what you're seeking advice on.
• Look for hidden opportunities. There are usually opportunities in every situation for advancement towards your life's goals. A lot of the best opportunities come in the way of a job layoff or unexpected illness in the family. Hard times tend to bring out the character and strength of a person quicker than comfort and money.

This is my first post on self-development so bare with me while I improve on my writing skills and content. I hope this brings a little hope and knowledge to all those that need it.

Victor

Can you read?

Then you can become whatever you want. I chose the path of becomming a software developer, or programmer as some call it. There are so many resources out there to learn to program that it’s almost too easy. I started learning to program from a book called Learn Visual Basic in 14-Days.

 I broke the spine on this book within the first 4 months. Duct tape was my friend, as it kept this book together. Most books are based on “Learn XYZ in 14 Days” and are an excellent place to start. Any visit to www.Amazon.com will get you want you need, or better yet just visit your local Barnes & Noble and browse the Computer/Programming section.

I’ll tell you a secret that most software programmers don’t want you to know. We really don’t read an entire book from cover to cover. When you see someone in the book store with one of those massive computer books and you’re thinking “Wow, that person’s really smart to be reading such a big book”, he’s really not that smart. Persistent maybe, but not necessarily smart. Most software programmers only buy books for maybe a chapter’s worth of information, the rest is throw-away.

So if you think you need to read an entire book of 800 pages just to start learning to program software, think again. Starting out to learn how to program just takes determination and persistence. If you like sitting at your computer, if you like the prospect of making on average over $40 hr, then go find a book. It’s really very simple. You just buy any book that starts with “Learn ??? in 14 Days” and you’ll be on your way.

Another secret of software developing. We rarely, if ever, know how to do everything that the client or customer wants us to do. More than not, we’re scouring the web, especially Google, on how to do a specific function in our programming language of choice (mine happens to be Microsoft’s C#). Typically, if we can’t find it in a book on our desk, it’s not in our brain, then it’s off to Google we go.

Some of the most popular and best paying programming languages to learn are:

1. PHP
2. C#
3. AJAX
4. JavaScript
5. Perl
6. C
7. Ruby and Ruby on Rails
8. Java
9. Python
10. VB.Net (Visual Basic .Net)

You can see the above list better defined from: http://tinyurl.com/5r6obl

So what are you waiting for? You can do it.

best wishes,

Victor Boba