IBD’s 10 Secrets to Success

Investors Business Daily(IBD) publishes their top 10 secrets to success every day and every day I read them. Whether you are in business or an investor or a SAHM – these 10 little bits of treasure will serve you well if you heed them. They are lessons for life and if you take them seriously each day, you will experience success.

IBD is a great financial newspaper. The subscription is expensive but the information you gain far surpasses the cost. The paper gives you the interesting news of the day with a slant on how it affects the markets. It’s also a great learning paper. If you want to learn about the stock market and how to track a company’s stock, they have a great method to learn. I wholeheartedly recommend this paper.

As a mom, we are often the CFO of the family. Reading IBD every day for the past 4 years has made me more confident in how I handle my family’s budget. I’ve dabbled a bit in stocks and did pretty good. I still have a lot to learn. It’s not a way to get rich quick but it is a way to find out how money works. Even if you don’t trade in the stock market, whether the Dow moves up or down it affects us. And it’s important to understand why.

For starters, take a look at the 10 secrets to success. Print them out. Post them on your fridge. Learn them. Live them.

1. HOW YOU THINK IS EVERYTHING: Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.

2. DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE DREAMS AND GOALS: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

3. TAKE ACTION: Goals are nothing without action. Don’t be afraid to get started. Just do it.

4. NEVER STOP LEARNING: Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills.

5. BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

6. LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

7. FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY: Don’t let other people or things distract you.

8. DON’T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE; BE DIFFERENT: Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9. DEAL AND COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

10. BE HONEST AND DEPENDABLE; TAKE RESPONSIBILITY: otherwise, Nos. 1-9 won’t matter.

I get by with a little help from my friends

I have the most awesome friends in the universe. My girls are supportive, loving and they are my sisters in heart and spirit. Much of my success in life is because of these women. They are my support network. They have been with me through the worst times in my life and they have shared the best right by my side. Our children have grown up together. Men have come and gone but these women have stuck by me.

When I was making my way through college as an unmarried young mother, I had to ask for help and humbly receive it so I could accomplish my goals. The people that helped me never expected anything in return. They did it out of love. So, in return, I helped others who were in need. The “pay it forward” concept.

Many times we feel that we need to do things by ourselves for it to “count”. Pride or shame prevents us from asking for help from those around us. I have found that people are really very willing to help you out if you need a hand. Most people want you to succeed. I like to believe those that don’t are on the fringe. Reach out to those around you. Build your support networks. You can do it through your work, school, church, neighbors – even online communities. There are awesome support networks online. Check out other mom blogs, take a gander at the links I have in my blogroll. You are not alone in the universe.

Maya Angelou said it best in her poem “Alone”

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires
With money they can’t use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They’ve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely
I’ll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
‘Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.