So it's been a while since I updated on my journey to financial freedom so I figured I would take a moment and catch you up to speed. I have made some fairly heavy decisions so here is an update on what my thoughts have been.
In January, I made one of the biggest decisions I have had to face since beginning this journey. After a slow Decemeber, (typical in real estate) I faced the sincere reality of having no money and nothing coming in with bills due NOW! Not a wonderful place to be in. My choices: go backward into debt to survive or cash in my investments. One of the few places of diligence in my financial life over the past years was saving 10% and investing for the future so this was not an option I particularly relished. Add the fact that pretty much all of my investments were below what I paid was not increasing my attraction to this option. Capital losses only ever look good on a tax return. But in the end I made the choice no going backward, I am committed to getting out of this hole so no digging deeper, not if I can help it anyways. So I cashed in my entire investment account, RRSPs, the whole works.
This turned out to be a very good idea in the end, with what I had I was able to 1. Pay my mortgage and eat until my next payday. 2. Payoff some of my smaller balances. Dave Ramsey calls this the debt snow ball and I am impressed with how well it works. It was absolutely freeing to see my excel spreadsheet where I have all my debts laid out shrink by those few lines. I think part of what draws us into debt is that we think $500 here and there is no big deal, and then part of what keeps up there is we get overwhelmed when we look at how they all add up.
And now I am through the tough part of the year for Realtors, this week I should get a few payouts that will add some much needed stability to my bottom line. I've been working my butt off these past few months and its about to pay off. Now though, I need to remain focused and not lose the desperation that I have been carrying. In real estate it can be easy to sit back a bit once we have a cushion and I can't afford to do that. The goals I have set for the year and in my life require that I keep moving, looking for new clients and new opportunities. And so thats what I am doing.
Till next time, Plan to Prosper!
David Whitrow
Royal Lepage Regina Realty and Trademark Homes
@whitrow on twitter
Monday, 12 March 2012
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Everything is Spiritual
So its been far too long since I have posted, and for that I apologize, I promised to bring you all along on my journey to financial freedom and I kind of went off on my own for a bit there. I will catch you up soon on that adventure (a lot has happened) but for this post I just want to share what God has been doing in my heart in this time. You see, I had been lacking in the motivation/inspiration department for the past month or so but through that desert time came an awesome revelation.
I NEED Christ in my life! This is a common statement of Christians but unfortunately it can sometimes become just words. I would never have said that I didn't need Christ but actions speak a lot louder than words and my actions were screaming unbelief. Since early in the new year I must admit that I was being lax in my walk with God. Its not that I cognitively loved Jesus any less, I simply went through a period where I just didn't care, and out of that ambivalence I lost my dependence on Christ. In that loss of dependence I also lost my peace, and my confidence. I was now walking alone instead of following the one person I know I could trust and now had to break my own trail, I began to strive and because I was doing everything on my own strength I was burning out and nothing seemed to work right.
I hit my breaking point a week or so ago and I was like flicking on a light. I realized the things I was doing/not doing was starving my spirit. Thankfully it does take anything more than realizing you are off the path to get back on it when it comes to Jesus.
Matthew 11:25 - 30 Says:
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was yourgracious will.[g] 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
So thank you Lord for your grace and mercy. It was a tough lesson to learn but by coming out of that time of darkness I truly am more appreciative of what it means to walk in the Light. And more than that I am ready to take on the world ;-)
Blessings all
D
I NEED Christ in my life! This is a common statement of Christians but unfortunately it can sometimes become just words. I would never have said that I didn't need Christ but actions speak a lot louder than words and my actions were screaming unbelief. Since early in the new year I must admit that I was being lax in my walk with God. Its not that I cognitively loved Jesus any less, I simply went through a period where I just didn't care, and out of that ambivalence I lost my dependence on Christ. In that loss of dependence I also lost my peace, and my confidence. I was now walking alone instead of following the one person I know I could trust and now had to break my own trail, I began to strive and because I was doing everything on my own strength I was burning out and nothing seemed to work right.
I hit my breaking point a week or so ago and I was like flicking on a light. I realized the things I was doing/not doing was starving my spirit. Thankfully it does take anything more than realizing you are off the path to get back on it when it comes to Jesus.
Matthew 11:25 - 30 Says:
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was yourgracious will.[g] 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
So thank you Lord for your grace and mercy. It was a tough lesson to learn but by coming out of that time of darkness I truly am more appreciative of what it means to walk in the Light. And more than that I am ready to take on the world ;-)
Blessings all
D
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Adventures with Zija! My 32 day trial
Ok so for a while now a friend of mine has been working as a distributor for a company called Zija. Zija sells health products derived from a tree called the moringa grown in countries such as India and Africa and is supposedly one the most useful trees in the world. Now I do realize that it seems that everyone is promoting some nutritional supplement and personally I fully admit that I am skeptical. What I must admit though is my distributor friend looks and apparently feels great, meanwhile over the past year or so I continually feel worse and worse. Im tired, gaining weight, my excema(skin issue) seems to be worse and in general just been feeling blah and so I figure, what have I got to lose, I'll give it a shot.
So I called up Candice and ordered a months worth of their SmartMix and decided hey why not blog about my experience while I am at it. So here goes:
Day 1 - My Zija SmartMix came yesterday which really wasn't bad for turn around time, my order was sent it on the 28th of December and received my stuff January 3. The stuff is simple enough to use too comes in a little packet that you mix with water and drink first thing in the morning. Which is cool because at least if nothing comes out of this it will get me in the habit of starting my day hydrated. The taste is good and while I am only a few hours into the day, I feel much more motivated and energetic today, though its a gorgeous day out so that could be effecting it too. Time will tell. ----its now 7:30pm and do feel like in general had energy all day long, impressed thus far.
Day 2 - was a good test, I played 2 hockey games, so energy was a factor. Played at lunch and the big thing that I did notice is that my afternoon slump that hits most Thursdays didn't occur. Played again late, the energy level was ok.
Day 3 - today will be a challenge, I didn't get to sleep until quite late last night and so am dragging my butt today. Remembered to take the supplement, but skipped breakfast. Will see if that affects anything... Gotta say I am impressed with my energy level today, despite a lack of sleep and breakfast the morning was super productive. Afternoon was fairly casual so no real test but I did have a hockey game tonight which makes 3 games in 2 days. Normally I would be a zombie at this point, but while my body is absolutely exhausted I feel alert and aware. Consider me impressed.
Day 4 - having a relaxing aka lazy day today so no real tests to the product. What it has done is give me a chance to do a little more research on moringa, Zija and their products. First off I am annoyed by the multilevel marketing "gurus" out there who say great but incredibly fake (not necessarily false) things about just about every MLM based company. Just a tip, they want you to feel great about whatever product you are selling so you will buy their "program". Scuzzy move in my books. RULE 1 only attach your name to things you can stand behind.
I did however find some good info from legit sites such as the World Health Organization. I particularly found this article interesting because it showed that World Vision mixes moringa with a peanut butter mixture to fight malnutrition, impressive. Moringatoday.com also gave a good list of books that can be picked up for more info. I also found the following video quite interesting:
Day 9 - I must admit after completing my first box of the the Zija Smart Mix I have become a believer in what the Moringa plant has to offer. My current dilemma is the cost, its definitely not cheap, my one month supply cost me $130 after taxes and shipping. That works out to about $4 a day which I suppose in the grand scheme is not super bad, it equates to about the price of a cup of coffee. The major argument for it though is that it at least appears to be working and what price can I really put on feeling better.
Day 24 - So I haven't updated in a while not because I have changed my mind on the product quite the opposite I was a "sold" customer on this product pretty much as soon as I started using it. Now the majority of my deliberation has been how deeply do I want to get involved with this company. I have looked at many multi-level marketing products over the years and have never once actually gone with it. This product on the other hand has me buying in to the opportunities that are presenting it self. For starters there is virtually no presence of this product in Saskatchewan, so a huge market readily available so my business mind is intrigued. But more than that is the opportunity that this product offers to build into the lives of those who produce the plant and those who use the product. When I found out that the US Peace Corp uses it in undeveloped countries as a means to increase nutrition with new mothers and children and to provide economic stimulus to areas I instantly became a fan. All natural product that provides social and economic impact to impoverished areas AND WORKS, one really can't go wrong. And to be honest the skeptic in me keeps trying to find negatives about it but keep turning up nothing. In fact all I keep finding is new reasons to like the product, Zija was founded by a former Dr working overseas who was so taken by the nutritional impact of the product that he brought it back to North America.
And so I enter into a new adventure, a mini adventure but still an adventure. I have signed up as a distributor of this product and while I don't intend at the moment to make it a primary income source I am definitely looking to share this impressive product with anyone who may be interested in bringing a new level of energy to their life.
Thanks for listening and till next time, Plan to Prosper!
David Whitrow
Royal Lepage Regina Realty and Trademark Homes
dwhitrow@gmail.com
306-529-0389
follow me on twitter @whitrow
So I called up Candice and ordered a months worth of their SmartMix and decided hey why not blog about my experience while I am at it. So here goes:
Day 1 - My Zija SmartMix came yesterday which really wasn't bad for turn around time, my order was sent it on the 28th of December and received my stuff January 3. The stuff is simple enough to use too comes in a little packet that you mix with water and drink first thing in the morning. Which is cool because at least if nothing comes out of this it will get me in the habit of starting my day hydrated. The taste is good and while I am only a few hours into the day, I feel much more motivated and energetic today, though its a gorgeous day out so that could be effecting it too. Time will tell. ----its now 7:30pm and do feel like in general had energy all day long, impressed thus far.
Day 2 - was a good test, I played 2 hockey games, so energy was a factor. Played at lunch and the big thing that I did notice is that my afternoon slump that hits most Thursdays didn't occur. Played again late, the energy level was ok.
Day 3 - today will be a challenge, I didn't get to sleep until quite late last night and so am dragging my butt today. Remembered to take the supplement, but skipped breakfast. Will see if that affects anything... Gotta say I am impressed with my energy level today, despite a lack of sleep and breakfast the morning was super productive. Afternoon was fairly casual so no real test but I did have a hockey game tonight which makes 3 games in 2 days. Normally I would be a zombie at this point, but while my body is absolutely exhausted I feel alert and aware. Consider me impressed.
Day 4 - having a relaxing aka lazy day today so no real tests to the product. What it has done is give me a chance to do a little more research on moringa, Zija and their products. First off I am annoyed by the multilevel marketing "gurus" out there who say great but incredibly fake (not necessarily false) things about just about every MLM based company. Just a tip, they want you to feel great about whatever product you are selling so you will buy their "program". Scuzzy move in my books. RULE 1 only attach your name to things you can stand behind.
I did however find some good info from legit sites such as the World Health Organization. I particularly found this article interesting because it showed that World Vision mixes moringa with a peanut butter mixture to fight malnutrition, impressive. Moringatoday.com also gave a good list of books that can be picked up for more info. I also found the following video quite interesting:
Day 9 - I must admit after completing my first box of the the Zija Smart Mix I have become a believer in what the Moringa plant has to offer. My current dilemma is the cost, its definitely not cheap, my one month supply cost me $130 after taxes and shipping. That works out to about $4 a day which I suppose in the grand scheme is not super bad, it equates to about the price of a cup of coffee. The major argument for it though is that it at least appears to be working and what price can I really put on feeling better.
Day 24 - So I haven't updated in a while not because I have changed my mind on the product quite the opposite I was a "sold" customer on this product pretty much as soon as I started using it. Now the majority of my deliberation has been how deeply do I want to get involved with this company. I have looked at many multi-level marketing products over the years and have never once actually gone with it. This product on the other hand has me buying in to the opportunities that are presenting it self. For starters there is virtually no presence of this product in Saskatchewan, so a huge market readily available so my business mind is intrigued. But more than that is the opportunity that this product offers to build into the lives of those who produce the plant and those who use the product. When I found out that the US Peace Corp uses it in undeveloped countries as a means to increase nutrition with new mothers and children and to provide economic stimulus to areas I instantly became a fan. All natural product that provides social and economic impact to impoverished areas AND WORKS, one really can't go wrong. And to be honest the skeptic in me keeps trying to find negatives about it but keep turning up nothing. In fact all I keep finding is new reasons to like the product, Zija was founded by a former Dr working overseas who was so taken by the nutritional impact of the product that he brought it back to North America.
And so I enter into a new adventure, a mini adventure but still an adventure. I have signed up as a distributor of this product and while I don't intend at the moment to make it a primary income source I am definitely looking to share this impressive product with anyone who may be interested in bringing a new level of energy to their life.
Thanks for listening and till next time, Plan to Prosper!
David Whitrow
Royal Lepage Regina Realty and Trademark Homes
dwhitrow@gmail.com
306-529-0389
follow me on twitter @whitrow
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
This is my city! - PHOTOS
I believe that too often Regina gets a bad rap. So often it is criticized for its appearance. BUt anyone who has looked out over the city from Douglas Park Hill. This is my favourite spot of the entire city. From the top of the hill you can basically look out over the entire city. For a time I got up everyday and went to the top of it and pray. Prayers for our city, for our people, for our University, for our arts, and our sciences, for our government and for our businesses because representations of each can seen from here.
David's Guaranteed Hangover Cure (95.55%, .49m)
The holiday season has come to a close and with all the "Christmas cheer" floating around I am sure a few of you woke up a morning or two a little under the weather. Unfortunately for you there's not a lot of advice from me in that area. What I am here to chat about is the inevitable evil January Credit Card hangover! Christmas spending pushes most of us beyond our means and then with a swipe we cripple our selves with credit card debt. I read an article earlier in the season which read that something like 1/2 of people surveyed hadn't fully paid off their last years Christmas purchases by this year. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that adding new debt to this old debt is creating an incredibly dangerous cycle.
SO STOP IT! BREAK FREE!
This year do one simple thing to help release yourself from this stress and follow this simple steps:
1. Add up what you spent this year
2. Divide that number by 26 (assuming you get paid every 2 weeks)
3. Every paycheck take that amount and before you do anything else put it in a savings account, envelope, freezer, heck burry it in the back yard if you have to just be sure to set it aside and DO NOT TOUCH IT TILL CHRISTMAS!!!!
and bingo next Christmas no evil credit card bill. And as a bonus when you see something Billy would love and its on sale in August you will have the foresight to pick it up ahead of time ;-)
You can do it!
Till next time, Plan to Prosper!
David Whitrow
Royal Lepage Regina Realty and Trademark Homes
dwhitrow@gmail.com
306 529 0389
follow me on Twitter @whitrow
SO STOP IT! BREAK FREE!
This year do one simple thing to help release yourself from this stress and follow this simple steps:
1. Add up what you spent this year
2. Divide that number by 26 (assuming you get paid every 2 weeks)
3. Every paycheck take that amount and before you do anything else put it in a savings account, envelope, freezer, heck burry it in the back yard if you have to just be sure to set it aside and DO NOT TOUCH IT TILL CHRISTMAS!!!!
and bingo next Christmas no evil credit card bill. And as a bonus when you see something Billy would love and its on sale in August you will have the foresight to pick it up ahead of time ;-)
You can do it!
Till next time, Plan to Prosper!
David Whitrow
Royal Lepage Regina Realty and Trademark Homes
dwhitrow@gmail.com
306 529 0389
follow me on Twitter @whitrow
Friday, 30 December 2011
2012 I am ready for ya! (95.74%, .49 mths)
Ok, so the one thing that I am discovering about blogging is that it brings a new level of accountability into my life. It is working great for me in the debt realm so I am taking this opportunity to apply it to the life realm.
New years is a time where everyone talks about resolutions. Resolutions though are often quickly forgotten, in fact in my 30ish years on earth only once have kept a New Years reso. (2006 I quit smoking and haven't had a puff since) I assume I am not alone in my numerous resolution failures and so this year I propose we do something different. Let's not just be resolute but let us set goals, real goals, S.M.A.R.T. goals. The SMART acronym is borrowed from my business back ground and stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.
And so here are my goals for 2012:
Physical - 160 lbs - ok so I realize I am not what most would consider fat but as I near closer and closer to the 180 mark I realize that I need to pay closer attention to my weight and health in general.
Education - 13 books - in 2011 I did 12 so why not push for one more. I strongly believe in growing your mind. I've heard it said that if you read one book on a specific topic per month for 10 years you would be considered an expert in that realm. My long term goals include being recognized as an authority in leadership and finances and so this short term goal will definitely play a part.
Business - 25 houses - As an established Realtor is quite an attainable goal. My sub goal is to have it done by the time I head to Africa in August, so there is a bit of extra pressure. To break this down a bit I would like to be the agent on 10 home buys, 10 home sells and 5 new builds. If you or someone you know would like to be a part of this goal give me a shout dwhitrow@gmail.com. Oh, and as a bit of an FYI for first time buyers the gov is giving up to $1850 back to you on your taxes if you get into the market this year so now is the time!
Financial - no unsecured debt - anyone who has followed my blog knows that I am on a crusade to eliminate the debt from my life. This one is more of a vow than a goal there will be no debt in my life beyond my mortgage by the end of 2012.
Spiritual - this one I find hard to make specific I could say read the bible or pray x amount but my real goal is to be Christ in peoples lives and not in a religious way but to be recognized as someone who honestly loves people and is an example of His incredible grace. So I guess in the interest of being specific my goal is to draw more people to Christ by my example of His love than I turn away by my example of religion.
And so there you have it. I truly look forward to this year and all the adventures that are in store! I would love to hear what your goals are so please comment and share :-)
Till next time, PLAN 2 PROSPER!
David Whitrow, CMA
Royal Lepage Regina Realty and Trademark Homes
dwhitrow@gmail.com
306-529-0389
follow me on twitter @whitrow
New years is a time where everyone talks about resolutions. Resolutions though are often quickly forgotten, in fact in my 30ish years on earth only once have kept a New Years reso. (2006 I quit smoking and haven't had a puff since) I assume I am not alone in my numerous resolution failures and so this year I propose we do something different. Let's not just be resolute but let us set goals, real goals, S.M.A.R.T. goals. The SMART acronym is borrowed from my business back ground and stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.
And so here are my goals for 2012:
Physical - 160 lbs - ok so I realize I am not what most would consider fat but as I near closer and closer to the 180 mark I realize that I need to pay closer attention to my weight and health in general.
Education - 13 books - in 2011 I did 12 so why not push for one more. I strongly believe in growing your mind. I've heard it said that if you read one book on a specific topic per month for 10 years you would be considered an expert in that realm. My long term goals include being recognized as an authority in leadership and finances and so this short term goal will definitely play a part.
Business - 25 houses - As an established Realtor is quite an attainable goal. My sub goal is to have it done by the time I head to Africa in August, so there is a bit of extra pressure. To break this down a bit I would like to be the agent on 10 home buys, 10 home sells and 5 new builds. If you or someone you know would like to be a part of this goal give me a shout dwhitrow@gmail.com. Oh, and as a bit of an FYI for first time buyers the gov is giving up to $1850 back to you on your taxes if you get into the market this year so now is the time!
Financial - no unsecured debt - anyone who has followed my blog knows that I am on a crusade to eliminate the debt from my life. This one is more of a vow than a goal there will be no debt in my life beyond my mortgage by the end of 2012.
Spiritual - this one I find hard to make specific I could say read the bible or pray x amount but my real goal is to be Christ in peoples lives and not in a religious way but to be recognized as someone who honestly loves people and is an example of His incredible grace. So I guess in the interest of being specific my goal is to draw more people to Christ by my example of His love than I turn away by my example of religion.
And so there you have it. I truly look forward to this year and all the adventures that are in store! I would love to hear what your goals are so please comment and share :-)
Till next time, PLAN 2 PROSPER!
David Whitrow, CMA
Royal Lepage Regina Realty and Trademark Homes
dwhitrow@gmail.com
306-529-0389
follow me on twitter @whitrow
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Farewell Plains Hotel! - PHOTOS
Then ask: "What do I need spiritually, physically, emotionally to make 2012 better than 2011?"
Quite frankly there is nothing stopping you. Matthew 7:7 promises "Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you." Each person on this earth was created to live an impactful life. There are no exceptions. Our role is to figure out how. Seek and you will find ;-)
Till next time, Plan to Prosper and have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
David Whitrow
Royal Lepage Regina Realty and Trademark Homes
306-529-0389
follow me on twitter @whitrow
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