INSTRUCTIONS:

"If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know
what you're doing." (W. Edwards Deming)

Money is a poor way of keeping score....

No piece of paper will make anyone a decent human being.

Just because you care, does not mean others will.

Learning to forgive takes practice.

Never lend your car to anyone you have given birth.

Erma Bombeck

It is easier
to get forgiveness
than permission.

STUART'S LAW OF RETROACTION

Life 101 Peter McWilliams

Guilt is anger directed at ourseleves--at what we did or did not do. Resentment is anger directed at others -- at what they did or did not do.

Life 101 - Peter McWilliams

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

African quote.

One of the best examples of how strong the taboo is against making a mistake has become is the use of the word sin. In ancient Rome, sin was a word used in archery. It simply meant to "miss the mark. At target practice, each shot was a hit or a sin. If you made a sin you made corrections and tried again.

Life 101 - Peter McWilliams

There is a story of Edison, who made, say, 1000 unsuccessful attempts in the invention of the lightbulb. "How did it fail to fail 1000 times?, a reporter asked. "I didn't fail 1000 times Edison replied. "The lightbulb was an invention that 1001 steps."

Life 101 - Peter McWilliams

Experience is the name
that everyone gives to
their mistakes.

- Oscar Wilde

A problem is a chance
for you to do your best.

-Duke Ellington

I was thrown out of college
for cheating
on the metaphysic exam.
I looked into the soul
of the boy next to me.

-Woody Allen

In life, you choose what you learn from the many lessons presented to you, and your choice is fundamental to what you learn.

-Peter McWilliams

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

- Helen Keller

Life is a play.
It's not its length,
but its performance that counts.

Seneca...

The authors of The Millionaire Next Door argue that this rough rule of thumb (Your yearly income X your age / 10) can be used to describe how well people are doing at building toward financial independence.1

They noticed that over half of the 3.5 million U.S. millionaires in 1996 had household incomes less than 131,000 USD a year--even though over 7 million households reported income in excess of 100,000 USD. So, they argue that the distinguishing traits of people who become financially independent are those relating to frugality--the ability to control expenses, stick to a budget, and generally not worry about keeping up with the Joneses. Millionaires tend to save at least 15% of their income, and focus very seriously on planning on how to build their wealth--rather than on how to maintain a fancy lifestyle. The result? A high ratio of net worth--the value of all assets, after subtracting liabilities--to income.

Act without doing;
work without effort.

Think of the small as large
and the few as many.

Confront the difficult
while it is still easy.

Accomplish the great task
by a series of small acts.

Lao-Tze
(Translated by S. Mitchell)
------------------------

Author John Bogle points out that the Rule of 72 is more flexible than is commonly thought.

The Rule of 72 is most commonly used to estimate the length of time it would take a beginning amount of principal to double, if it compounds at a given interest rate (typically, one less than say, 20%, as higher numbers tend to work less well). For example, principal at 6% will double in 72 / 6 = 12 years.

What's less well known is that the Rule of 72 is also a way for estimating retirement income. It shows, for a given rate of return, how long you must regularly invest a given sum in order to begin withdrawing that sum without dipping into principal. For example, if you invest 1000 USD per month at a 6% annual rate of return, then in 72 / 6 = 12 years, you could begin withdrawing 1000 USD per month from your portfolio without depleting your principal. In effect, so long as your funds continued to earn a straight 6% annual return, that 1000 USD per month could be your retirement income.1

The average American lives approximately 27,000 days. So what has made your life meaningful today? (Anon.)

A galaxy is a group of billions of stars held together by gravity. Galaxies also contain interstallar gas and sust. The universe may have about 50 billion galaxies. The one we live in is called the Milky Way. The sun and stars we see at night are just a few of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way. Light from a star along one edge of the galaxy would take about 100,000 years to reach the other edge. Astonomers measure the distance bettween stars and between galaxies in light-years. One light-year is the distance light travels in one year - about 5.9 trillion miles. ---- Put your problems into prospective!

The journey is the reward....Chinese proverb

When our memories outweight our dreams, we have grown old.
(William Clinton)

An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.
(Friedrich Engels)

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.
(Henry Ford)

Great works are performed, not by strength but by perserverance.
(Samuel Johnson)

The needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many.
(Kirk - Star Trek III)