$$ Lessons at The Mall of America

What attracted me to the Mall was the fact they had a Barnes and Noble. I love bookstores. Did I say that already? Anyhoo, I spent an hour or so in the pf and self-help sections. Got engaged w/Richard Templar's, "The Rules of Money". Although I focused on the rules important to me, in general the book is an easy read. I'll begin w/the rule that made me think about a prior conversation.
Rule 1:You have to work hard to get rich enough not to work hard.
Worked w/a guy who had a number of side businesses and was in the process of house building. He said his father's mantra was in your 20s have fun and get acting stupid out of the way. In your 30s work your ass off so when you reach your 40s and beyond you can coast down. I'm paraphrasing cause this convo was at least 3 years ago and I may have left something out, but at the time I thought it sounded great coming from a place where I didn't have that kind of info in my own financial start.
Rule 2: Spend less than you earn. - where have I heard that before. Went along w/the next 2
Rule 3: Have a plan .- Did an initial one and now I need to go deeper.
Rule 4: You've got to know where you are before you start. - I do. Thank God!
Rule 5: Get finances under control-stop the leaks. - Needs more work.
Rule 6: Decide what you want money for. - This goes w/completing my plan.
Rule 7: Don't envy others. - I like when others are doing their thing, but I've learned unless I know how someone got that item the price I pay in debt payments may be too steep for me.
Rule 8: Wealth is a consequence not a reward. A great thought on which to chew.
Rule 9: Keep it under your hat. Many of his reasons negate what pfbloggers do daily, however, I liked the thoughts about not sounding preachy and having a secret gives you a warm glow.
It was great taking a look at my actions and thoughts thru the eyes of this writer.

I also did a quick perual of "1 Small Step Can Change Your Life" by Robert Maurer, PhD. Doing it the Kaizen way has you break down tasks into smaller pieces. As in eating the elephant one bite at a time(Ghana). I bought cards at the dollar store, tried on shoes, bought food and caught the bus back. Total cost $10.00. Not bad!
peace