If you’ve been reading this blog or my Jims’ Jems ezine, published online since 1991, you know that, from time to time, I write about environmental issues, especially as they relate to my core work- helping you create more health, wealth and happiness in your life. 

Today, I received an email from the Natural Resources Defense Council about the proposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a last ditch effort on the part of the Bush Administration to line the oil companies pockets even more - as if they haven’t done enough already. 

Considering the US has about 3% of the world’s oil reserves, this has to be seen as the smoke screen it is.

With the Bush administration’s approval rating approaching that of low fat milk, they have nothing to lose. Meanwhile, they’re trying to scare people into going along with this travesty with the threat of higher gas prices. 

Will gas prices rise? Duh! Of course they will and nothing will change that unless and until we eliminate our dependency on oil. If you were around in the 1970’s, you already know this. 

Maybe this time, we’ll actually take some action.

In the meantime, we can, as I have suggested before, change our habits, drive less and devise ways to increase our income.  

We might, if we take enough action, get our elected officials to step in and regulate speculation on oil futures, an unconscionable act that is responsible, at least in part, to the runaway prices. 

If you go back and read my Serenity Prayer article, you’ll quickly see that this is one of the only things we can change in the price of oil. For institutional investors to be reaping record profits on the backs of hard working people is corporate greed at it’s worst. 

What’s next? Listing the air we breath on the commodities markets?
To learn how you can take action and let your legislators know your opinion about drilling in one of our most pristine natural environments, go here

If you’ve read, Handbook to a Happier Life (p-5) or This is your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal (p-15), you read about the “Serenity Prayer.” This is a simple prayer, first used by Reinhold Niebuhr around 1934 and later given, by him, to Bill Wilson for use in Alcoholics Anonymous.

This simple prayer became one of the “tools” that saved my life more than once when I was in the early days of my recovery and trying to piece my life back to together. I would recite it every day as a way to keep things in perspective and it has been a great help to me since. 

There are many times in our life when the Serenity Prayer can help and our current economic situation, with rapidly rising gas and food prices is surely one of them.

Rather than get caught up in worrying or becoming part of the, usually negative, discussion about “how bad things are,” you can apply the wise message in this simple prayer, to help you maintain a positive outlook.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change”

One this is certain, you and I cannot do much about the price of gasoline, food or, for that matter, anything else.  Being upset about it will do little more than increase your stress and raise your blood pressure. 

You may not like the situation - I don’t - but you’ll be best served by accepting it as one of the things you cannot change and move onto the second part of the prayer.

“Courage to change the things I can”

Here’s where your power lies. There is always something you can change in any situation and the present economic conditions are no different. 

Rather than “follow the heard,” and complain about the things you cannot change, use your innate abilities to change the things you can. In the case of gas prices, there are many steps you can take to reduce consumption. 

You can drive slower - the “sweet spot” is 55 mph, combine your errands, use public transportation, car pool, walk, ride a bicycle, drive a smaller car, ride a motorcycle and a host of other things. Check with the American Automobile Association (AAA) for more tips.

To save on food, you can grow some of your food, use coupons, shop sales, use a list to eliminate impulse purchases, eat less (not a bad idea for some of us:-), shop locally, eat more grains, fruits and vegetables - again, not a bad idea. 

You can always do something to cut unnecessary expenses, however, you can only do this to a point. 

My philosophy has always been to look for ways to increase my income rather than lower my standard of living. I agree with Bob Proctor when he suggests you stop trying to live on less and focus on earning more. 

I wrote a new book and created an 8 CD audio program to help you do just that. If you have not yet done so, I suggest you check out the book, Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck at  or the home study audio program.

“Wisdom the know the difference”

Knowing the difference between the things you can change and those you cannot, is the key to taking charge of your own destiny and not becoming a victim to circumstances. 

In any situation, ask, “Is this something I can change or not?” Apply the wisdom of the Serenity Prayer to any challenges in your life. Accept what you cannot change, change what you can and know the difference. 

Fred went to school, studied and got good grades, graduated and got a good job. He worked diligently, was promoted and received regular raises. He was, by all appearances, living the American Dream. So why is it that he’s struggling to make ends meet? 

Fred, and many people like him, have become without realizing it, victims to run away gas prices and rising cost. They’re even being called America’s new poor by news pundits. 

What happened? He thought he was happily living a middle class life, but things changed. 

So what can the “Freds” among us do? 

One solution is to change your thinking and realize that your income can come from any number of channels, your job being just one of them. If you understand that God is the source of everything in your life, including your income, you can then explore ways to add multiple streams of income to supplement your paycheck. 

Part of the problem is that most of us were raised to be good employees and while at its core there’s nothing wrong with this, our world is changing quickly. Our once secure jobs are disappearing, as more and more US companies outsource much of their work. Whether you agree with this or not, it is here and, in many cases, necessary in order to compete globally. 

Others are trimming their workforce, again in order to remain competitive and minimize costs like rising healthcare. Even the “so called” secure jobs are unable to keep pace with rising costs and, as we learned before, putting hard working people in difficult situations. 

So, let’s take a look at some ways almost anyone can increase their household income starting with little or no investment or previous experience. It begins, as any change, by assessing your present financial condition and deciding what you would like to add each week, month or year. How much do you now earn and how much more would you like? 

Then take responsibility for your own life, giving up blame and finger-pointing. Challenge your present beliefs about your own abilities, eliminating those that do not serve you and create new, empowering one’s. 

Then, create a compelling vision that includes your new life and your new life style. 

So far so good, however if all you do is visualize your dream life, not much will happen. 

You have to actually do something. That “something” will be determined in large part by your abilities, desire and the amount of money that you want. 

For example if you have a skill, whether it is something that you are currently using in your career or not, you can offer your services as an independent business. For example, many big firm accountants have a sideline business doing personal tax returns and more than a few graphic designers, working at newspapers and magazines, “freelance” their services to small businesses in their locale. 

You can, without much initial cost or expense, begin an ebay business. Many people, numbering 150,000,000 at this time, and growing, are buying and selling on ebay.com regularly. 

To me this is a “no brainer,” since it’s something that you can begin with items that are in your garage or attic and build from there. One of the great things about ebay is that you can be earning additional income within 72 hours or less. 

If ebay or a personal services are not appealing to you, you may want to explore opportunities for a “service business” in your community. I’ve seen everything from home drying cleaning delivery to mobile pet services opening up, providing significant revenue to their founders. 

The Internet is providing numerous opportunities, ranging from bloggers who write about a subject and receive income from Google Adsense revenue and other pay-per-click advertising, to affiliates who, by building a targeted Web site and creating a database of interested prospects, can offer a range of products. They receive a percent of the selling price from the vendor for their efforts, much in the same way a traditional retailer receives a markup on products they sell. 

Others are developing information products, teaching virtually every subject, from computer software to business skills, to a pool of buyers who are hungry for information. Do you need to train your ferret? There is an information product (or several) which will teach you how, right from the comfort of your computer. 

Whatever path you choose, do something. It’s time we all took charge of our financial destiny and began implementing multiple streams of income. Living paycheck to paycheck is no longer an option.

First, I want to wish everyone in the US, celebrating the Memorial day holiday, a very happy, safe and fun filled holiday and give thanks to all the men and women serving in our Armed Forces. As a veteran myself, I can appreciate the sacrifice they are making. 

With all the media attention to rising prices, I want to try to do my part to help people learn ways to stay ahead and not become one of the people skipping breakfast to save a few bucks, like the woman on the Evening News. This is crazy!

There are so many ways to add a little more to your income it’s insane for anyone to miss an important meal so they can buy gasoline. 

To help you on your personal path, and to celebrate the upcoming holiday, I’m offering a 25% discount on any and all our programs with the exception of my books at Amazon. There’s no way I can do that but my audio programs and Georgia’s programs are at 25% off the already low prices until the middle of next week. 

If you’ve been thinking about ordering any of these, now is the time.

I can promise you that my Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck home study program, 6 1/2 hours of information packed ideas and techniques plus a 44 page workbook, will NOT be available much longer at the current price, much less the discounted one. The price is going up, at the suggestion of my advisors, by the middle of July so if you want it, order now. I guarantee you will be glad you did. 
 
Last but not least, my new book, “Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck” is available as both a paperback and ebook edition and, for a short while longer, you can still “name your price” for the ebook. If you’d like to learn how you can create additional income in your life, quickly and without risking everything, get this book right away.

Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m the crazy one - I ‘m ok with that. So be it. I’d rather be a little crazy than be a victim.

I keep running into people who are struggling, trying to make ends meet. All they talk about is the price of gas (as though that will make it go down). Now people are starting to look at the rising food prices. One woman in the supermarket recently commented to me, “I can’t afford to buy two muffins for $4.00″

She was pretty old and I really felt for her situation. Unfortunately, she’s part of a very large group of people in the US who believed the government when it said “Don’t worry, Social Security will take care of you.” I’m saying, “Worry! Better yet, do something about it because SS is not cutting it.” 

Retired people in the US and elsewhere are finding out just what a pile of crap they’ve been fed by the establishment. They’re trying to get by on a fixed income while prices are skyrocketing all around them.

I only know of one solution - don’t be on a fixed income or, if you are, make sure it’s well above what you’ll need. 

I can’t help buy think of my grandfather. He was a Deputy Inspector in the New York City Police Department. As a mater of fact, he was the youngest Lieutenant in the history of the department back then. 

I didn’t understand, until years later, why he didn’t leave much to his children when he died. It was because, even though he was very well paid at his level in the NYPD, he lived so many years after retirement that the pension he had dwindled away until, at the time of his death, it was just enough to scrape by on. 

As I said, maybe I’m strange but I find it quite sad and, somehow wrong that, as people age, their lifestyle diminishes. It should be the other way around. 

And it can be the other way around if, and this is a big if, you commit now to creating multiple channels of income. Imagine if you added just one additional channel of income each year for five years. You’d have 5 different channels of income, bringing you additional money each month. 

What could you do, right now, to start an additional channel of income to buffer you and your family? 

If you’re stuck for ideas, read my new book or order the home study audio program.

Whatever you do, please do something.

If I run into you in the supermarket, I want to see you buying whatever you want:-)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the show and watch it when I can. It’s an inspiring show, especially if you have a business, as it celebrates the ingenuity of the entrepreneur.

The guests are interesting and very often have built multi-million dollar business from their idea or passion. The studio audience, and I am sure the viewers at home, cheer and applaud the success of these individuals. Mr. Deutsch is a great interviewer and himself a highly successful entrepreneur.

So why did I ask what’s wrong? As much as I applaud what he and CNBC are doing, I can’t help but think that the majority of people watching are thinking to themselves, “That’s great, but I don’t have a big idea.”

Most people are just looking for a way out of their 9:00 to 5:00 job and fantasize a big idea dropping out of the sky and hitting them on the head.

What they may not realize is, it does not take a big idea to start following your dreams.

What it takes is a passion for something and enough belief in yourself to begin it. That is one of the reasons I wrote my new book, Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck.

Many successful business people that I know began small, following a passion and just doing what they loved. My friend Jodi Schad, of J’s Scones, is a great example. When I first met Jodi, more than ten years ago, she was working as a pastry chef at a local gourmet takeout. At the time I had an office on the second floor just above the gourmet store (talk about a temptation to eat:-)

In the morning, I would go in for my coffee and one of Jodi’s scones. She makes “world class” scones. Over time, she devised methods to sell the scones par-cooked to restaurants and local specialty stores. Working hard and believing in herself and her product, she’s built J’s Scones to a national brand and her scones are now in the Williams-Sonoma catalogue.

Notice, Jodi did not begin with a “big idea”. She began by doing something she had passion and talent for and just went from there. Too many people, maybe even you, feel that they have to have a “mega” idea to begin to follow their dreams. This is rarely, if ever, the case.

What you do need, however, is a vision, a belief and the willingness to do what it takes to succeed. If you are looking for some ideas you can develop into an additional income stream so you can stop living paycheck to paycheck, read my new book and start moving in the direction of your dreams.

You may already know that, if you live in the United States and filed a 2007 Income Tax return, you’re going to receive one of the Stimulus checks over the next couple of months. This is an idea that was created by the government to help stimulate the economy. The idea is to give people money they weren’t expecting in the hope that they will go out and spend it, thereby jump-starting our sluggish economy.

As much as I encourage getting out of debt and investing, I have to agree with the government that, in order for this check to do what it was intended to do, you need to go out and spend all or, at least, some of it. 
Why not? You deserve to have some fun with your money, don’t you?

Actually going out and spending money, especially money you didn’t expect, will do more to help you attract even more money. As strange as it sounds, by doing this you are creating a link in your mind that having and spending money is fun and, since we ultimately want to have fun, your subconscious mind will start finding more ways you can earn more money to have even more fun.

One way you can spend some of your stimulus check and still benefit greatly is to invest in a personal development program or some other type of education that will, ultimately, enrich your life.

You didn’t think I was going to let that one go by, did you?:-)

Seriously, if you want to order one of my programs, great. If not, by all means buy something that will pay you back with the type of knowledge that will bring you an even greater return over time.

I found it quite interesting that, while listening to self-made millionaire, Adam Khoo recently he commented that, while he will put off buying a toy, he does not hesitate to invest hundreds of dollars for books and other personal development information. This tends to be a pattern among highly successful people. Investing in your own development is the best investment you can make, especially since a new idea, implemented, can improve your life forever. It was such an investment way back when, that literally changed my life and put me on the path to success and happiness.

Another suggestion, is to donate a portion of your check to charity. With the tight economy, many charities and food banks are really hurting so please do what you can to help.

And, of course, don’t forget to go and have some fun with your loved ones. 

I have to admit I got the idea for this article from Georgia, my wife. She created a closet clean out exercise for women and offers it as one of her in-home services at www.TheClothesDoctor.com

This got me thinking, what about the rest of your life? What about your business?

For example, how much stuff do you have that you probably will never use? How many things are you holding onto that have outlived their usefulness? I have for example, a great JVC dual cassette recorder. It’s a wonderful piece of equipment and was quite expensive when I bought it 10 or 12 years ago, but what is the likelihood that I’ll ever use it again? Nil!

What about the vinyl CD albums that I no longer use for my audio CD programs? With everything moving to digital downloads or at least small DVD packaging, it’s unlikely that I’ll use these either. So the question is why am I hanging on to them?

What about you? What do you have stored in your attic, garage, closet, file cabinets or just lying around the house that you’ll most likely never use? Someone recently told me that the average American has $3,000 worth of merchandise that they will never use and could instead, sell on ebay.com.

Let’s apply a modified version of Georgia’s closet technique to your “stuff.”

Look at each item that you’re hanging on to and ask yourself, when was the last time you used it and what is the likelihood that you’ll use it again?

If it’s something that you are not going to use, not a family heirloom, or something with sentimental value, do one of the following:

- Sell it either on ebay or a similar online site or have a yard sale.
- Donate it and, if you want, take a tax write off.
- If it is really of no use throw it away.

If you have outdated stationery and office supplies, like the blank tri-fold brochure paper I’ll never use, you might want to give it to someone with small children, an elementary school or a nursing home. They are always in need of arts and crafts supplies.

Another benefit to doing this is that you’re creating a vacuum and, since nature abhors a vacuum, you are actually creating space for something new and better to come into your life.

If I were to ask who wants more money, most people would say “I do!” Let’s face it, in our world today, money plays a major role. Beyond survival and basic necessities it can give us pleasurable experiences, enable us to do things for our family, friends and community, and provide us with the freedom to live on our own terms.

One of the best ways to increase your income, whether you own your own business or work for a company, is to find ways to increase and, ultimately, leverage your value. People are paid varying sums of money based on the value they provide. So if you can find ways to leverage whatever value you are providing, or increase your value to society, your customer or your company, you will automatically increase your income.

One of the best examples of this I’ve ever seen is Tony Robins. When he first started much of his work was based on Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

While there are thousands of practitioners using NLP working with clients, Tony took it to another level. He used and taught these techniques to rooms filled with people. One of his seminars that I attend years ago had 3,000 people in attendance.

At that time a solo practitioner would see people for about $100 per hour. Assuming they saw four people per day, they would gross $400 per day. While a pretty good business model, it paled by comparison to what Tony did with essentially the same training.

The event I attended had 3,000 people who each paid $200 for the day. That’s $600,000 gross plus product sales. Clearly Mr. Robins understood the value of leverage.

If a chef were to sit and explain a recipe to one person, he or she may be able to collect $100 for an hour of consulting. However, if the same chef put the information into a book, CD or DVD or some other “package” they would be leveraging their time and value and would produce exponential returns.

I charge aspiring authors and publishers $150 an hour consulting. A few years ago I packaged much of the information a beginner needs to know into an audio seminar, “Successful Self-publishing,” with an accompany Ebook which I make available for only $27. The author saves $123 while receiving the information that they need.

The really cool thing is, I am able to help more people and, because I can now sell it over and over again, the potential return to me is practically unlimited.

What about you? What are some ways that you can leverage your value?

Could you, for example, add group coaching to your solo coaching practice? Why don’t you offer additional products to your existing customers? McDonald’s mastered this principal with their, now famous, “Would you like fries with that?” question.

If your working in a job, what could you do to add more value to your company?

I love the Jim Rohn story about the time he said to his mentor, “That’s all my company pays.” His mentor replied, “No, that’s all they pay you!”

Companies, regardless of size, pay employees based on the value that they bring to the business. This is one reason salespeople and rainmakers (people who can leverage high level connections) are generally very well paid.

Many “Intrapreneurs” - people who work inside a company but create added value, have earned well in excess of their salary by either saving the company money or creating additional income for it.

A good example of this is the “post-it,” invented by someone within the 3M organization who received a small override on the sales.

Where could you save money for your company or add to the bottom line? How might you present this in a way that will enable you to share in the income generated from your idea?

My friend, Wayne, spent his first career working at a local community college. Not satisfied with just doing his job, he developed a program for an under-served segment of the population. Being an entrepreneur at heart, he presented it in such a way as to share in the increased revenue to the college. His program became the largest income generator for the school and enabled Wayne to earn well above his base salary.

How might you model a similar idea in your company?

I’ll admit I was inclined to vote for Barack Obama and his “Vote for Change” rap, until I read the story in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Saturday, April 11th. 

Reading his comments from his San Francisco speech about small town Pennsylvanians being bitter and clinging to guns, religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them, as a way to explain their frustration, showed me just how out of touch he is and how willing he is to play into people’s fears and biases to continue his spin as the “messiah.”  

He obviously went looking for people and references to support his position and avoided the rest of the people living in the small towns in Pennsylvania who, rather than spend time pitying themselves, chose to change with the times and reinvent themselves, finding ways to not only survive but in many cases thrive. 

The problem is not and has never been one of trade and outsourcing. The real problem is clinging to outdated and outmoded industries rather than retrain people for jobs in growth industries that are in demand. 

Ten years ago I taught computer software skills to groups of misplaced city and state workers who took advantage of their eligibility for retraining and to learned new, in demand, skills rather than sit and complain. 

Many industries especially manufacturing are no long viable in the United States and those jobs will not return regardless of who is president. Anyone who is telling people they are is blowing smoke. 

The next time you buy a book for your child, check where it was printed or look inside your new coat to see its county of origin. 

Unless you are willing to pay many times the cost of the products you are now buying, you have to except global commerce. 

On the other hand, new industries and businesses are being created and providing new opportunities for people, regardless of where they live.

It’s all a matter of focus. You will see more of what you are focusing on or, put another way, “seek and you shall find.” 

I have to agree with Hillary Clinton when she says “Pennsylvanians (or anyone else) don’t need a president who looks down on them.” 

What we need are leaders who will see the opportunities and help to exploit them. We need leaders who will seize the promise of a new day, not rehash days gone by. We need leaders in all areas of government who have the foresight to lead America back to being a role model for democracy and inspire us toward prosperity in the twenty first century.

Sadly, I find myself, looking at the candidates and asking, “is this the best we have to offer the American people?”