Part One in a Series

This past week, I was truly blessed to attend our annual Retriever Merchant Solutions summit. It was a very powerful and informative two days. The fellowship was fantastic and it was great to see old friends and meet new ones.

I had the opportunity to be the last speaker on Friday afternoon and was both humbled and filled with gratitude to be able to share what was on my heart. “What are your plans for 2020?” was my opening question.

I pose that to everyone reading this as well, referring to every phase of your life. I’m talking about your family plans, business plans, financial plans, travel plans, ministry plans, etc., etc. There is a lot of information here and I don’t want to leave anything out, so I’m going to cover this subject over the next few Monday morning motivations.

The first step is to grab a sheet of paper and at the top of it, write out the word “PLANS”. Instead of beginning each sentence with “I want to,” start with “I will.” This will help to turn your dreams into goals. Goals are simply dreams with a plan.

I am recommending to you, as I did everyone else, to read the number one best seller of all time and use it as a guide for your life. The name of that book is called, “The Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”. This book has sold over 5 billion copies and over 100 million are sold each year; it has been translated into 532 languages. Inside this book, there are 66 books and 185 songs. Another bit of information I found interesting is that it is the most stolen book in history.

One of my favorite verses in the B I B L E is from Jeremiah 29:11…For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. It is incredible to know that the true author of this book has these plans for us.

Let’s take three words out of that verse and focus on them. The first word is PROSPER. The definition of prosper is to succeed in an enterprise or activity, especially to achieve economic success. It also means to become strong and flourishing. Our goal is to prosper in all phases of our life.

Let’s take the word “prosper” and focus on that word from a financial standpoint. In this country and especially with our company, we have an incredible opportunity to become prosperous beyond our imagination as long as we have the right plan. Unfortunately, many people make a lot of money but they become broke at a higher level because they do not have a good financial plan. I described this as having all flash and no cash.  I am very passionate about this topic and I am committed to helping others. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in this area over the years and I hope others can learn from them. Here are some steps that will definitely help you.

1) Get Organized

It’s very important that you separate your business expenses from your personal expenses. Have a separate business account and do not mix that with your personal one. If you have not done this, go to the bank and open up a business account. If you are not an LLC or a corporation, you can open up a separate account and simply call it a business expense account.

2) Have an Appointment Book

I have been doing this for years. The first thing that you should do when you get into your car is write down your starting mileage point for the day. Keep track of every single expense. Write it down in your book. You can also get an app on your phone which will help with organization also.

Make a commitment to be disciplined in this area and get into the habit of doing this daily.

3) Pay Your Taxes Every Quarter

I know what it’s like to be behind on taxes and I don’t want any of you to fall into that trap. Please understand that a minimum of 25% of your earnings is NOT yours, that belongs to the IRS. My CPA gives me a quarterly statement on what I need to send in to the IRS each quarter based on my income. I take that a step further and send them money each month that adds up to what I owe for the quarter. At the end of the year, you will have a good feeling knowing that you have covered your taxes. Chances are very strong that you will have a refund coming which I strongly recommend that you apply to the following year.

This is a great starting point for all of us. Next week, we will continue to focus even more on the word “Prosper.” Make a commitment to prosper in your relationships, your health, your business, your finances, and every phase of your life. 2020 is your year, it’s time to prosper!

Have a super prosperous week!

RICH NORTON
Regional Sales Manager RMSNPC
www.RetrieverMerchantSolutions.com

Image by free stock photos from www.picjumbo.com from Pixabay