Tshepo's Blog

Tshepo: How is 2010 Helping You?

2010-03-29T17:15:00Z

Just a few years ago, South Africa got the news that they will be hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Excitement levels grew and anticipation levels became the order of the day for every African. From the man on the street right up to board level execs, the man on the street seeing an indefinite opportunity. Now that 2010 is here, the question I ask is “How is 2010 Helping You”?

Many people have been fairly disappointed by the outcome of their year this far. Could that be because people were expecting the unknown? They envisioned a newly found paradise I would say. This is something I had several conversations with friends prior to 2010, that nothing will change in the year 2010 in itself may be the opportunities will be vastly wider then, but other than that it will be just another year where you need to keep working harder and smarter.

What could’ve killed the 2010 Buzz? Could it have been the Recession, You, Me, Our President? Well pointing fingers now won’t help anyone. You know what they say (You point one finger at the world and you have four more pointing back at you)

Even though the outreach to do things differently this year to any other year has nothing to do with the 2010 World Cup Go for it. Possibilities of learning grow each year with the Country’s progress. Envision it and Achieve it, Your inner consciousness is a powerful force whose influence is felt in every aspect of your life, take advantage of the inner you that many people never get a chance to – and that’s merely channeling your thoughts in the right direction at all times.

After reading this article, I would love for you to comment below and share with me “How is 2010 Helping You and how will it continue doing so beyond 2010”? our stories will be the same, all will be accommodated in my post. Progression is life. And living life to your own tune is progress cause you’re the author of your own Book of Life.

Get commenting now, I’m waiting. And lets chat.

Tshepo: Time is Money

2010-02-17T15:32:00Z

Do you sometimes feel like time is against you in terms of your financial status? Do you feel you have seen and perhaps reached the fine line between the Prime Time (a Slowly trend) and Peak time (abundant cash flow) of your financial growth? As you get older do you wish you could’ve done something’s different in the early stages of your life whether being money decisions or certain things that were simply a waste of your time? Well maybe now is the time to stand up and do something about it, time waits for no man.

I once read a quote that says “Being rich is having money and being wealthy is having time” – and ever since I heard it, guess what I’ve been investing in more, yes you guessed it, Time. The reason I do this is because time is not of abundance as money is. Money inflates and goes down in value ever so often, but time is one thing that you can only be control of for that particular moment, as you don’t know when it will run out.

Most people coming up in Business invest a fair share of money and lots of time into their ventures and the worst thing that one can do is to not put enough of both. Time comes with valuable and priceless lessons; although can money really teach you the same stature of lessons? Franklin Roosevelt once said “Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort”. Money alone cannot make one happy, although what it does is give you the time to do all that you want to do and pay others to maintain what you least fond of – therefore giving you the access of time that you need and require.

The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money, what determines that though? Time right, well the whole point of this article is for me to show you the importance of time and money in that order. Why money becomes hard to make when you don’t invest enough time to learning the rat race. But the most important point that I want to drive home is the fact that time is one gem you can never get back, and money is at its abundance at all times. So the next time your boss says’ Time is Money, look at him and say this quote to him “Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost a part of your life”

Thank you for taking the Time to read this article, now start investing time in all that you do. I merely produced this as conversation and a brief write up not to tell you which of the two is important but much rather as a platform for you to further dig deep and research what is most important to you and which one you lack at this point. This is not a step by step article for a reason. You are the designer of your own destiny and faith and only you will have the right answers about this matter, better answers than I would in most cases. So get up and take initiative and start awakening that hidden gem inside of you, there’s not much left, or maybe there is. You will once again have the better answer than I would.

Kind Regards Tshepo Mashigo

http://www.mashonline.co.za

Tshepo: On your marks, Set, GO!!

2010-01-09T20:48:00Z

Today I begin my blog with a very important law extracted from The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene -

Law 6- Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.

This is a very important quote to help begin the year with. The festive season has in most cases shown our true colors showing whether our Discipline and non-discipline levels are what we value most and that we are conscious of them at all times, or we let the power of money over rule us.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a little spending, one must realize and be fully aware of what kind of spender they are: Emotional Spenders or Impulsive Spenders. The Festive season has sure shown you what kind of spender you are, let’s just say I’m an emotional spender – I spend for and with a reason, always keeping my ball in my court and keeping full control of it. Well it was not the easiest task to pull off, in between losing money and working with scam artists that were always out to exploit my hard working abilities, I guess I had no choice but to learn. But those very lessons were the same lessons that have built me into becoming such a person that I am today. When you make a financial mistake, don’t look at it as some kind of failure – rather look at it as a lesson and an opportunity to learn more and increase what you were not fully aware of before.

Linking back to my introduction, Robert Greene says that “what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd” – and that’s the very attitude that you should have towards your finances. Stand up and take charge, don’t be swallowed in by the pressures of this world, only the bald will survive this money rat race that we are in. Focus on the end result and never lose sight of where you are going at all times. This is the point of clarity that can make or break you as a person, and many never make it out standing, because they have lost all sense of themselves.

So as you have begun you’re 2010 with new resolutions, focus on them religiously and go the extent of writing down a plan that you will constantly refer to and check your progress as the days, weeks and months go. Good luck, keep your head up, On your marks, Set, GO!!

www.mashonline.co.za

Tshepo’s Blog - From Drags to Wishes

2009-11-19T18:36:00Z

Its finally here, the festive season has come before us although in a more subtle manner than years before. Could the credit crunch be the main cause of this slow movement? Perhaps, and the one thing that I’m visible to now more than ever is that people have become savvy shoppers, spenders and savers, well at least from those that I have spoken to with regards to the year coming to an end and the plans they have made, the morale seems to have built with budgeting which is quiet impressive. But here are 3 essential tips to keep in this time of high pressure spending.

3 tips to keep you going through this time:

1. Implement self control

A skill that many of us would have picked up while at a young age with parents not always getting you what you want and when you wanted it. A means of self control would need to kick in while awaiting that particular gift right, well now should be no different. Purchasing something on credit can be very easy, although I always say – Just because something can be done does not mean that it should me done. Saving is key at a time like this, allocate the right passive income to pay for the things that you may want to purchase in the near future. Don’t strangle your income and try to stretch it where it is not possible, you will only suffer later and that’s a fact.

2. Know where your money is and where it goes at all times

The problem that often occurs with most people and their money is that they “think” they know where their money is going at all times. Well bouncing debit orders clearly means that you don’t know what happened to your money at some point or another. Most people rush to see a surplus amount in their budget plan and that shouldn’t be the case. Allocate a budget plan that will also include emergency funds, just incase something comes up and you need to draw extra money than usual but still not letting your debit orders suffer. Plan for the worst and be efficient for the present.

3. Pay yourself first

Many financial advisors state that this is the most important factor to remember when receiving your income. This is very important. Although they also say that great bosses pay themselves last and their employees first. So what can this mean in essence, that you must pay the most important asset in your situation? For A Boss it will be their employee, for you its going to be YOU and your family. Paying yourself first gives you the opportunity to see what things you pay immediately after you, showing you what is important in a descending order and you being at the top of the food chain.

I hope this becomes a season that you make things happen and do things a little different from many others. Remember that you were born by yourself and you don’t owe anyone anything. Put yourself as first priority, do what makes sense and Rands of course. 2010 will only get better. Keep yourself in-order at all times.

With regards Tshepo Mashigo

www.mashonline.co.za

Tshepo’s Blog- Knowledge is the new money

2009-11-03T11:39:00Z

Gone are the days where money alone means you have leverage over everything and everyone. Fresh out a crunch reported to be the worst in financial history, something has to give, with the Dollar being backed up by absolutely nothing and rumored to be worth 4c of its earlier financial times and do keep in-mind that this is one the most powerful currencies in the world, at a time like this knowledge has become more valuable than money.

Clearly the same “logic” that got us into this financial mess is not the same “logic” we can rely on to get us out. Standard advice and simple non- transparent information is what we have been fed all along and when all it all came crashing down, that’s when we realized that we were mislead, mis-informed and possibly used as leverage as part of some scam with our money at the advantage of a few others [elites].

Me being a big fan of Robert Kiyosaki (Rich dad poor dad, Conspiracy of the rich author ), I have learnt to see that simple things will amuse small minds and there is nothing we can do about it mainly because our school system has failed to teach kids how to see beyond the physical and tangible. With that said, he (Robert Kiyosaki) strongly believes that ideas such as Save your money, Invest in a diversified portfolio and work for the rest of your life (until after your retirement fund runs out at least) have become obsolete concepts that will put you in some dark corner inevitably. Bare in mind, he does not say that all these concepts are pathetic or a waste of time, although he strives to push the limit of ones thinking to reach ideas that go beyond these well filtered ideas.

The biggest investment one can make at this time is reading books, researching and understanding what a simple paycheck can do for you. Lets test our limits and see beyond what’s at face value.

Recommended books from me:

Rich dad poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Capitalist N by Chika Onyeani,

Think Big by Donald Trump

Wealth of nations by Adam Smith

Richest man in Babylon by George S. Clason

Visit your nearest book stores and pick out these books, no disappointments ahead.

Tshepo’s Blog- 3 Paychecks till 2010

2009-10-20T20:58:00Z

So the year is almost through, 2009 comes to an end for most and for others such as business people 2010 mode has already kicked in, new opportunities and many new ways of acquiring CASH FLOW are the order of the day and have been since halfway through the year. 3 more paychecks to go for others and the thought of being broke come January has already settled in the minds of others. What to do, what to do??

This is a phenomenon that always amazes me, year in and year out with the knowledge that budgeting is key towards the end of the year, but people always tend over spend every year around Christmas season. Is it the bonus that most get around this time that always makes them feel on top of the world? Is it the well implemented marketing strategies of the media-world that blinds your sub-conscious brain and opens your consumer spending abilities? Maybe it’s both, but whichever the reason it may be, it needs to be to a minimum.

The December paycheck is the one that is filled with more opportunity than any other. If you simply had to stick to your normal budgeting path that you follow through out the year with all other paychecks and then save or invest your bonus, then sky rocket your savings will be. Although I’m pretty sure that one of the realities that will need to be faced is the fact that people travel, re-decorate their houses, visit distant family etc. amongst many other options in the festive season and that alone can be expensive.

What also contributes to this “January madness without money” is the fact that people take long leaves in December this making their time at home more and therefore increasing their spending as they have more time on their hands.

People must look into creative ways to enjoy their Festive season in a financially savvy manner without compromising the entire experience. I’m sure that a festive season with all the basic celebrations and also being on top financially will be a much better experience than any others that you have had thus far. There are 3 Pay checks [October, November and December] to go till 2010, but an entire lifetime to save and be financially fruitful.

Tshepo's Blog - School of Common Cents (Part 1)

2009-10-09T04:21:00Z

Instead of just going on week in and week out about the relevant views (regarding money management skills) that I feel are not well represented in our school system, I have decided to design a virtual school, to further emphasize the importance of money management in a simple and understandable guideline for parents to follow through with to their kids. Please take note that this does not mean that each standard [Grade] is to be allocated parallel to the tips in real life format, this is merely a concept/steps which I feel will be relevant in a guidance format.

Primary Steps

Grade1: Introduction: This is where the enlightment stage on the subject of money management needs to be introduced backed up with tactical planning that will be implemented upon your Childs personal likes and dis-likes. This is where you establish what your child already knows about money, what more do they want to know and what money means to them. Take things slow and be patient with their progress, guide them and show them the ropes.

Grade2: Exposure: Now they need to see what you are talking about. Behind the curtains of finance, beyond the physical cash. This is the stage that will be inclusive of such things as reading materials, e.g. newspapers, books, audiotapes. The idea of money needs to settle in and they need to be presented with first hand proof and examples of what money entails and

Grade3: Research: The research stage is implemented the moment after the idea and the example have been established. This primarily giving them a chance to venture out on their own and letting them test waters with the information they have at their disposal. Such a medium also allows you to see the opinions of others that are in the same race that you are in.

Grade4: Clarify: The research stage tends to be informative and on the other hand so is reality. The clarifying stage is the point at which you combine real life stories from everyday living to the research acquired. A conclusion of facts needs to be put on the table to further see lessons learned on the matters discussed.

Grade5: Confirm: The absorbing of new information is real exciting, especially when it is something that you are enjoying, although at some point one needs to step back and verify if all they have learned is truth, reality and relevant.

Grade6: Adjustments: All that should be implemented is checking if all their ammunition is in place for action day. They will need to prepare one last bit with no assistance in-order to fully aware of what they have learnt. The info moments come to an end here, where reality takes place.

Grade7: Moment of clarify: This is the moment of clarity, the moment that you are to present your child with funds to further prove that what he has learnt within the past few grades of learning has been fully met. You can create a medium where you open a bank account for them (if they don't have access to one already) and every month let him draw up a budget plan that they will show you, then you can transfer his allowance into the account and every end of the month view his statement and see whether he has managed his budget accordingly. Do this on random months and the moment you are certain they have grabbed the repetition. Let Go. And let them walk on the road to wealth.

School of Common Cents (Part 2) - Secondary Steps - COMING SOON!

Tshepo’s Blog - The 4 strengths that school forgot to teach your kids

2009-09-04T09:14:00Z

How does one turn a lump of coal into a diamond? The average answer without much thought put into it will be its impossible right. Well coal can be turned into a diamond; all it takes is a lot of PRESSURE. But I think that is one thing that we are missing in our schools, unconventional thinking, which is an ability that goes beyond the use of just the mind.

I have established that in life in order to excel in almost anything, one needs to focus and master 4 particular strengths in order to make the acquiring of success less stressful and more sensible. Those 4 strengths are: Physical strength, mental strength, Emotional strength and Spiritual strength.

These are vital when a person is under immense pressure, testing your patience and sub conscious on all levels of it, while also remaining healthy for any situation. The question you often need to ask yourself is: Do I use all four strengths when things are just not going my way? When all fails and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel or when you are making it and things are just going TOO well, do you still apply these strengths, equally?

We are not taught such things in our schools, why? Who knows? But I figure face value education is what our kids have access to at this point in time and the education that needs to be in place is learning that goes to extreme lengths firstly in the everyday life and secondly in the exercising of the mind. Average teachings should only be used as stepping stones that people can stem out of and made bigger through opportunity to learn the unknown about themselves. Accepting things at face value tends to be dangerous in many ways, mainly because the simplest of things are made complicated because there is a great lack of the 4 strengths.

Some of the most complex professions in the world require the use of the 4 strengths to be present at all times e.g. a doctor- when faced with any kind of situation in the surgery room, he needs to be remain calm on all levels of the mind, body and soul. Same as a soldier at war, no matter how many dead bodies they may face on a daily basis or however many people they have to kill, a certain calm [strengths] is the only thing that can get them by. This is not the hardest thing in the world to master, but it is rather the most important as it can also make you view negativity in a positive way regardless of what it might be.

What school forgot to teach your kids

2009-08-27T11:48:00Z

School is a vital process for a Childs mind; this is where they are trained and geared up for the real world and all else leading to the rest of their professional life. Although what happens when school misses a great step in the preparation of our kids futures? In early schooling a great deal of time is spent on the use of the right and left brain, although the subconscious side of the brain is never taught. This is a troubling occurrence, considering that this would be the most important of the 3 sides of the brain, as it teaches you how to handle both the left and right side of the brain. This is the part of the brain that does not think at all, but rather reacts, fights or flees in various situations. The right brain consisting of; reading, writing and logic etc, and the left; art, music, creativity and imagination.

Why is the subconscious mind important for your child?

Simple. When your kids enter the job arena after further studying has taken place [varsity], things become much difficult as they have now developed various interests on other aspects of life, it’s much easier to teach them when they are still van ruble to learning. Like the old saying goes, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". The unfortunate part is that regardless of how much your son/daughter will be earning or rather how much information they have access to at their first job, they will still need to awaken and harness their subconscious brain, as this can make or break them. Some people are able to embrace a negative result and make it a positive in no time, but others just don't have that ability. Take the recession rush that is upon us for instance. Most have lost their jobs, but the most important question is how many of these people have recovered from this occurrence. How many are in a corner saying life is unfair? Are they still job hunting, have they put matters into their own hands and started a business, what has been done? It's not about what one has gone through, but rather what they become from it.

In the mist of your success as an individual, what keeps you going and aiming for more, what keeps the distant goals seeming closer and closer? It all boils down to you and the use of your subconscious mind and one needs to awaken it as soon as possible if not yet applied. This is also something that we need to introduce to our fellow peers, family members, ourselves and our children more importantly, as this will determine their financial future. As much as implementing things such as teaching them how to budget, save etc, make sure an introduction of this orientation is introduced to them on all levels. This builds confidence and safe guards individuals to achieving all that they desire. And a great nation shall be born.