Are you a perfectionist? Do you think … just a little more polishing and you’ll be ready to launch that two-year-old project you’ve revised, reworked and re-engineered to death?

Old School

Are you so old school that you were taught “if it is worth doing, it’s worth doing perfectly?” Well, let me share a truth with you. They were wrong. Your teachers, bosses, parents … all the people who pushed for perfection at the price of completion were off-base and out of step with this time.

I used to be a perfectionist. I made sure there were no critical omissions in my completed documents. The problem is that I didn’t publish as many articles as I might have if perfect wasn’t part of the goal. Actually, perfect was not my personal goal. It was the required operating procedure standing in the way of project completion.

Perfectionism was a girdle in the old-school world. It was tight, restrictive and painful. There was nothing fun about wearing the girdles I wore as a young woman. Why didn’t I question the need to adhere to such a rigid rule then?

I am not endorsing sloppy work. I don’t advocate half-ass effort. I am recommending that you allow yourself the creative freedom of knowing that good enough is good enough.

Life is your personal laboratory. It is yours to explore, experiment, and decide what’s most important to you. It is your place to dream, test ideas, and implement plans. To accomplish more in your life, think of life as a beta.

Do the best you can as quickly as possible, then launch the program, project, or venture. Revise and perfect it later. Think beta –the first iteration. The Microsoft method. Decide how to monetize the initial effort and price future updates. Get it done.

Launch Beta 1. Get Feedback. Revise. Improve. Price. Launch Beta 2 to a market of early adopters waiting expectantly, and to the later-adopters who have been waiting for Beta 2. What a great operating model. Rinse. Repeat. Replay.

Go launch your new product.

Peace and prosperity,

P.S. Get the best money tips, personal finance news and expert interviews. Sign up to the new Financial Fitness eZine.

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© 2010 Judith Stephens. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Get Rich Slowly is one of my favorite personal finance blogs. I like the way JD Roth (the admin) thinks and analyzes his financial behavior. I also like how he writes about money and finance. It takes considerable writing skill to make personal finance articles interesting and keep your audience entertained enough to read it. JD does a very good job.

As we prepare for the money management portion of the Money Attraction Bootcamp, I’ve asked my group to read this blog post. Discretionary spending bits and pieces. I’ve encouraged them to get their feet wet, and assured them that the water isn’t cold. We’ll discuss opinions and views in the Financial Fitness Academy’s new membership forum. Bootcamp members never disappoint. It should be great fun.

See how JD analyzes his 2009 restaurant spending. This is a good model of how to analyze and control your financial behavior too. See how he proactively asks IF this is the way he wants to spend his money? Look at the techniques he uses not to spend impulsively. See how he rewards himself for sticking to his spending plans. There is a lot of substance in this blog entry.

I hope you find Get Rich Slowly as interesting and informative as I do.

Judith
The Money Lady

PS  If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to my new Financial Fitness eZine. Simply click and enter your name and email in the form. Thanks!

What’s your plan for 2010? Do you have a plan for growing your business? What about a plan to grow your life?

When I worked in corporate America, we started the annual planning process for the new year in September or October. Planning involved every layer of the corporation. We forecasted sales by product line, and included evaluating all aspects of the business — staff size, operating expenses and projected profits. Planning forces you to think specifically about your business’ future.

What’s your plan?

As we end 2009, take the next few weeks to think through your strategy for 2010. Start by thinking about what you want.

If you want to increase your 2010 income by 15% over 2009, what do you need to do to achieve it? Will you sell more of your products/services at the same prices? Will you raise your prices? Will you Introduce new products at higher price points, or decrease your overhead by reducing the number of employees on your payroll? Will you outsource more administrative tasks?

Here’s the benefit: The planning process strengthens you and your business. It provide you with a mental agility that only comes from thinking through your options.

Would you like to learn more about developing your 2010 business/life plan? Join me at my free Money Attraction Secrets! Discover How to Use Spiritual & Business Tools to Attract & Manage Your Money teleseminar on Tuesday, December 8, 2009. Register today at http://themoneyladyteleseminars.com

Inviting more money into your life isn’t woo woo. Money attraction is about incorporating proven spiritual principles and sound business practices into your planning process.

To Your Financial Success!

Judith

Smart money management skills are part of the learn-about-money-so-you-can-protect-your-own-ass(ets) action plan. Learning the mechanics of money management is important. Why? Because you need to increase your money awareness, get clear on your personal finances, and stop the game of financial dishonesty that so many people play.

Smart money management skills provide us with clarity. You know your monthly income and outgo. You know the amount of money you have in the forms of cash expected, account receivables (money others owe you), savings and investments. You know what you owe in terms of bills, debts and long-term obligations.

An accurate cash flow analysis tells you when to expect cash to flow in and out of your business. A spending plan helps you see and be clear about your spending intentions, thereby affording you more control over your money. When you have a spending plan you’re less likely to do impulse buying. These are the analytical components of managing your money. Find and use the right tools, and perform ongoing analysis to stay on top of your unique money situation. Make it a routine. By doing so you gain the discipline and confidence that comes from knowing exactly where you stand.

Tools to Use

Set up systems that work for you. Some tools to consider are Mint.com for maintaining bank accounts. Use Quicken or Quickbooks for your personal and/or business accounting. Consistently use and maintain the tools you decide are best for your needs. It’s about Full Story →

Like many people, I have issues around money. I call them money baggage — those limiting thoughts, beliefs and emotions around my finances. What about you? What feelings do you associate with money? Do thoughts of money make you feel anxious, angry, unworthy or confident and relaxed ? What’s your money self-talk like? Do you think about abundance and achievement or lack and limitation?

I decided to clear out my baggage and increase the abundance in my life. I needed support to build a new financial fitness routine. I know about the Laws of Attraction, the importance of affirmations and declarations, and the benefits of positive thinking. I wanted an improved relationship with money. I needed personal development tools and exercises to clear my resistance and anchor my wealth building intentions. I sought to rewire my emotional circuitry, to take myself off automatic pilot and kick my energy up a notch or two.

Full Story →