Personal Investing

In yet another quest for life long learning I read-up on two topics:

1) after hours trading
2) margin calls

After hours trading sounds like a place I should avoid. At least for now. It requires a gambling mentality - making bets on the movement of a stock's price - while actually playing the game with limited information and against much larger (institutional players). Passing on that for now.

Margin trading is pretty much in-keeping with the Violet Beauregarde school of life - " I want it and I want it now!"  With margin trading you borrow many to buy more than you care to spend in the expectation that the stock price will swing in the direction that you predict and then you sell and payback the loan and keep the profit. Again, this is too much risk for my bank account. But of the two topics I learned about today this sounds like something I may explore in the future.

And those are lessons well learned.

No stank

Turned out the sewage smell was related to the heat, excessive water building up under a plastic swimming pool, and good old fashioned organic decomposition. As the weather cleared up and the pool removed from the ground surface the smell was eliminated. Yeah. Lesson learned.

Something Stinks Around Here

My life stinks.

It may be the too much rain we've gotten and the fact that our little blow-up pool has been sitting on a smoldering patch of damp decaying earth. That could be it. Or, more likely I have sloshed upon a break in a sewer line and the wetness, and the smell are the beginning of a very expensive and very upsetting journey into the earth with a plumber by my side.

It seems that what I attract into my life does not smell like roses. Why is that? Why? Why is that? Actually, I have been blessed lately. I have been working full time for almost a year now. My daughter has graduated with a Masters degree in Speech Pathology and is working at a local school. She is also engaged to be married. October 11, 2014 to be exact. To a man that I pray will be good to her and treat her like the angel she is.

My son has also graduated. He has received a Bachelors degree in Neuroscience. He is planning to return to school to receive his Masters degree. A Masters in what he's not sure. But I'm sure he will find his path and he will be great in it.

My wife is healthy after 10+ years of MS. For that she, and I are grateful. We struggle though with finances. Money does not come easy to us. Seems that when we get some, we incur numerous expenses that dwindle it away. I have recently received some pension buyout funds from my time spent at NCR. We're investing it in an IRA and planning to use it for retirement. That's a good thing. But, with this sewer thing we may need to tap into it for repair money.

See what I mean. Every time we get something good. Something comes along and takes it away. I fear that. Maybe I should not. Maybe it would stop happening if I stopped fearing it so. I just don't know how to stop thinking the way I think.

 That stinks.

Just another fish in a barrel

It's been a heck of year. What have a learned:

1) It's much easier to say you are going to be different than it is to actually change.

2) Everything that happens in your life is not your fault. Sure you are a actor in that play, but you cannot control what others are thinking, nor can you control the action others take. Things will happen. It's important to be ready with an attitude that helps you move forward as quickly as possible to a positive place.

3) As the title of this post indicates I am once again a fish (unemployed person) in the barrel (the market that contains all of the fish in the water). This metaphor was voiced to me during a networking call. I found it interesting and somewhat troubling. All I could picture was a school of fish swimming frantically in search of something.

4) I need to learn more about the fish, who they are, how they swim and then flow with them for service and support while I separate myself from them in order to be seen within the barrel. This is now my quest...

The club

We have been grousing that we can not make the people connections that we desire in our community.

Well, according to the Law of Attraction, I changed my attitude lately from one of focusing on what I want instead of what I don't want, or what I lack. As mentioned in an earlier post, the result is that I was presented with a local group that just formed with people searching for a better life - just like we are. So we joined. Stay tuned for a report on the first meeting.

I also stumbled upon a prior acquaintance that just happens to be in a business that pulls together people I am trying to meet to help vet a new business idea. Speaking of a new business idea, did I tell you about the internet site I found that exactly describes the type of business I want to create along with pros - cons and business models! How cool is that.

Self doubt in Orlando

Fell back into my old trap yesterday by caring too much about what other people may be thinking of me. This state of mind led to embarrassment and general self loathing. The good news is that I realized that I was doing it, and I worked to replace those thoughts of inadequacy with thoughts of love for my work and my perfection as source energy. I reminded myself that I am worthy and valuable and perfect just the way the universe made me and no amount of external stimuli will cause me to feel differently.

I then went back to my hotel room and google'd training on the Law of Attraction and found a group in my area that was just forming. Hmmmm. Interesting.

Attraction Observations

I'm learning that thoughts, are thoughts, are thoughts. They are vibrational energetic bursts that can bring you what you want, or what you don't want. Each thought sends out a request to reinforce it. The trick is to focus(thus think)about what you want. Not what you don't want.

At first, thinking of what you do want is hard work. We, or at least me, seem to have developed a pattern of easily thinking about the negative aspects of life, then trying to move past them with action that will physically create a positive difference. I don't know about the others, but physically working hard to rid my life of the areas of disappointment, my areas of pain, simply is not working.

My plan is to catch myself in a less than serving thought, and turn it around by thinking a thought that is the best possible thought I can have at the given moment. thinking positively, with intention for a positive outcome, should do the trick.

I'm also warming up to the following methodology for attaining what I want:

1. Ask
2. Answer
3. Allow

1. Asking is the positive thought part. The clearer I can be about what I want and the amount of time I spend thinking about that clear positive outcome will make the difference.

2. Answering is the job of the powers of the universe. Every thought I have is being answered. I must be ready for them.

3. Allowing is back to me again. Through my focus thoughts, I allow myself to accept (another "a" word. Hmmmmmm. Might me able to use that somewhere in here) the gift the universe is giving. Allowing means having clarity of what I want and appreciating it when it arrives (two more "a" words). I have to be the vibrational match for the gift. I can't have the negative vibrational elements coming from me and expect to have positive things happen for me.

Some early observations of putting intentions into the universe and seeing results:

1) wanting to start a business, but lacking partners. I focused on the need for technical assistance and proven business experience..both came to me wihtin 6 months time.

2) wanted a cookie during a recent flight, but was passed by by the flight attendant. without saying a word to my seat mate, a cookie was offered.

3) thinking about a past colleague produced an email from my friend with an invitation to catch up.

I'm excited to see what happens next.