It’s also shocking to realize that Big Tobacco – the same industry we thought we got rid of years ago – is quietly raking in some serious profits. A lot of these profits are coming from overseas markets, but Big Tobacco is still advertising here at home. After 40 years of decline, the smoking rate in the US has flat-lined for the last five years.

I’ve heard plenty of feedback this week on my recent spate of infographics, so take what you will from this one. I personally am floored by the lot of the statistics and I think that, like the other infographics I’ve posted, this one should help expose just how large the Tobacco industry is and how much it affects you and your family. Enjoy!

I figured since I didn’t have any money, there wasn’t much point in trying to learn advanced financial concepts. Fortunately, my attitude changed.

I’m not sure if it was the law of attraction, dumb luck, or divine intervention, but it seemed like once I started learning about money, I had more to practice with. Of course, I was working harder, too, recognizing that in the short term the only way to get more money was to work for it.

I started blogging about personal finances, with the realization that the best way to learn something is to try to teach it (or in this case, write about it).

I began reading books on the subject of money. I subscribed to our local newspaper and read the business section (something I usually passed over for the sports section). I began listening to some money shows on the radio – first a guy named Bruce Williams, then Clark Howard, then Dave Ramsey.

As the pieces began to come together it was obvious that winning at personal finance was a fairly simple equation – spend less than you earn, and save the rest. But it was putting this into practice that I found so challenging. It helped to surround myself with like-minded people – fellow bloggers, authors, talk show hosts, etc.

Four Ways to Find Financial Motivation

Find a mentor. My frugal mentor was my grandfather. He was a great teacher because he taught by example, not from some formal financial plan. He kept things simple, avoided going into debt, drove two vehicles for nearly 20 years each, lived in the same house for 33 years, and refused to try to keep up with the Joneses.

Join an online community. After finding Dave Ramsey on the radio, I learned of a community called My Total Money Makeover where I could download podcasts of the show, participate in forums with other listeners, and use some of their tools to track my debt snowball, budget, etc. It was money well spent, and I’ve been a member there for going on six years now. By the way, they’re currently offering a special discount to Frugal Dad readers if you sign up using the link above.

Read personal finance magazines. I used to think these were such a bore. However, I have acquired a taste for reading things like Kiplingers (my personal favorite), Money, and Smart Money.

Check out a few motivating personal finance books. My two favorites are Your Money or Your Life and The Total Money Makeover. Both are motivating, and both include step-by-step plans to help map your way out of debt and into wealth.

Where do you find motivation for personal finance? Bonus points if your answer includes FrugalDad.com!

I love to read success stories — both because I enjoy seeing people succeed, and because I want to succeed too. The success stories that I most enjoy include things like paying off a large amount of debt in a short amount of time, quitting a full time job to start a small business, traveling the world, etc.

Responses to the stories usually fall into one of three camps:

1. Congrats, that’s great! I’m working on that too!
2. Congrats, that’s great! I did that too and here’s how…
3. Well, that’s great for you, but I could never do that because blah blah blah.

It’s the last one that gets me.

You see, if you really, really want to do something, you can almost certainly accomplish it if you keep at it long enough. No matter what your circumstances. You just have to quit making excuses and start making opportunity.

And if you don’t really want to do something, go ahead and admit it.

None of us need to do everything. It’s ok to have a 30 year mortgage that you’re not trying to pay off early, to work for someone else as an employee without having your own business, and to be perfectly content with never leaving the city limits. It’s ok to do pretty much anything, so long as what you’re doing isn’t illegal or harmful.

But if you have a dream, and all you can see are obstacles, it’s time to look at things a little differently.

If the reasons why you can’t fulfill your dream keep popping up like a song that’s stuck in your head, go ahead and put the reasons down on paper to get them out of your head.

But then go beyond that.

Instead of spending your time on “I could never do that because…”, change the things you tell yourself. Start out by asking, “How can I find a way to do that anyway?”

In other words, every time an idea of yours is met with a mental “but I can’t do that because…”, respond to yourself with “But how CAN I do it?”

Ask yourself questions like these:

• What could I change?
• Who could help me?
• What could I do differently?
• What could I give up that really isn’t important in the long run?
• How could I make it work despite that?
• What other resources do I have that could help make it happen?

Then do those things. Try, try again, until you succeed.

There are plenty of people who have overcome some pretty massive challenges in life, and gone on to fulfill their dreams. You can too.

Let me end with a little story.

When I was 7 years old, I fell on the ice while walking to school and landed on my arm. It really hurt. I distinctly remember spending the school day staring at a boy who sat across from me who was allowed to use a chalkboard to write with because he had broken his arm. I think he had something helping him, too.

“But MY arm hurts too,” I whined. “It’s not fair!”.

I spent a good part of the day feeling sorry for myself and complaining that I couldn’t do my work because my arm hurt.

Luckily for me, my whining fell on deaf ears.

Finally, near the end of the day I remembered some note cards that my grandma had. They were covered with the most beautiful drawings — drawings made by a woman who used her mouth to draw because she was paralyzed from the neck down.

I figured if that lady could use her mouth to make those beautiful drawings, I could deal with an arm that hurt, and just write with my other hand.

And so I did. After all, an arm that hurt was hardly a big deal. It wasn’t like I was paralyzed or anything. (Thank goodness.)

I went on to break 5 more bones after (what turned out to be) my first broken wrist. Each time I just dealt with it and the awkwardness of the casts, and found a way to accomplish the things I wanted to accomplish despite the broken bones.

That philosophy works pretty well for life in general, too.

Obstacles are there to make you creative, and to help you create opportunities. And even if you feel (or are!) paralyzed, you can find a way.

In case you’ve been watching reruns of Alf for the past year, you probably don’t know who Susan Boyle is and why she’s famous.

As most of the world knows, she was a contestant on Britain’s got Talent—an American Idol-type show where amateurs sing in front of a panel of judges to see if they’ve got the chops to make a career out of it.

Susan Boyle was 47 at the time. She isn’t attractive and she has an odd look to her. Without railing on her too much, it’s safe to say that no one would pay to go see her do anything, much less sing.

That’s what everyone was thinking before she began to sing. People in the crowd snickered. The judges cracked jokes. There was that expectancy in the air you probably get at NASCAR events and speed-boat races: something terrible is about to happen and I can’t wait to see it.

Everyone was giddy with anticipation.

Then Susan Boyle started to sing.

It only took a few seconds for everyone to realize how wrong they’d all been. The crowd got on their feet and cheered. Simon Cowell’s eyebrows almost shot off his head—he couldn’t believe it.

The next day, she was world famous.

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover

Sure, we’ve been taught not to do it since we were little kids—and yet we still do it. It’s hard-coded into our brains to follow our instincts when they tell us something.

But as often happens, our instincts are wrong and can sometimes cost us some money.

Take MagicJack, for example. You may have seen the commercials for this “phone-replacement” device. The commercial is so cheesy that I thought it was a scam: there was no way this $40 device and $20/year could really give people all the long-distance calling they want.

So I wrote about MagicJack for Wisebread—and I was wrong. Turns out it’s a very good device that works wonders for certain people—and I almost didn’t give it a chance.

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

The next time you make a knee-jerk decision about something, take the time to re-think it. Think of Susan Boyle and how silly she made everyone look that night.

Is it possible you might be wrong?

Like you, I take stock of myself this time of the year.  I look back over the last 365 days and consider my accomplishments.  I also think about the challenges I still face. I think about what I could have done differently in 2009 and how to apply those lessons in the coming year and beyond.

This reflection is a really good thing – especially when it comes to finances.

But let’s face it.  For most of us, there is only so much you can to do.

Sure we can learn more about money.  We can earn more, spend less, get rid of more debt and invest better.  But I have to be honest with myself.  I’m going to be working on doing better in these areas for the rest of my life.  Probably, so will you.

So..yes…..taking this “financial inventory” is mission critical for me….but it’s also dangerous and I’ll tell you why.

I don’t know about you, but when I think about my finances, I think about improving things.  I focus on the outcome.  The results.  Control.

But in reality, most results are beyond my control.

Look….in 2008 my business and my income suffered a lot. When I did my financial inventory last year, it wasn’t fun.  Like you, I lost a lot.  Doing my “financial inventory” hurt.  I was in a lot of pain and fear.  Even though I wasn’t responsible for the global financial crisis – it felt like I was.

This year, things look better and I feel better.  Yes, we cut expenses…..but much of the improvement in our financial situation is a result of the economy improving and that’s beyond my control too.

I’m sick of tying my sense of well-being to things I have no control over. I am officially turning in my badge.  That’s it.  I quit.

I’m going to try my hardest to stop taking responsibility for things I have no control over – good or bad.

What I will do is take responsibility for suiting up and showing up – but that’s it.  My inventory is going to consist of a whole new list:

1.  Did I spend in a reasonable and adult manner?  Or did I act in fear and unreasonably?

2.   Did I invest in a similar way?

3.   Did I spend my time wisely?

4.   Did I have fun? What can I do to enjoy the process of earning a living, cutting my spending and investing?

5.   Am I trying to control the outcomes or am I willing to let my best be good enough – regardless of the outcome?

6.   Was I of service to other people?  Did I try to help?

This may seem really basic to you but it’s not for me.  I’m hard-wired to focus on the outcome .  That’s a good quality and it’s helped me a lot.  But that same character attribute is also a character defect when I take it too far and my natural tendency is to do so.

What about you?  What are you going to take inventory of this year? Do you think it’s OK to focus on results?

When are you “done” financially?  Are you ever “done”?

When do you kick back, sip lemonade under a shady umbrella and just relax?

I asked myself this question after reading a post by Frugal Dad several weeks ago.

You may remember the post. FD wrote about his family becoming debt free. And he mentioned that his next mission is to work on savings and retirement.  He said that he planned on dealing with these issues with the same fervor that he did debt.

I, along with all the other faithful readers and supporters of FD cheered him on.

But that post really got me thinking.  At certain points of my life, I’ve been convinced that once I accomplish a certain goal, I’ll be able to relax.  But I soon find myself with a new goal and I often approach that new goal with the same intense energy.  I’m convinced that this new goal is mission critical – just like the prior goal.  It creates a lot of stress.

Let me give you a few personal examples:

When I first got married, I was certain that if I could just hold on (financially) long enough until my daughter grew out of diapers, I’d have it made financially.  (Do you know how much Pampers cost?)

Then, when we bought our first home I borrowed money from anyone who could fog a mirror to do it.  I told myself that if I could just repay those people, I’d be in great shape.

Within a few years – I had a different goal.  I wanted to save a certain amount of money in an emergency fund.  I was sure that once I achieved that goal, I’d be satisfied.

Now, the goals are bigger.  But I’ve approached each one along the way with great determination.  I stayed focused-which is good.  But I didn’t relax until my goal was accomplished. And I only enjoyed that relaxed state for a very short period of time.

I think I’ve been way off on this.

The truth is, nobody is really ever really satisfied – and that’s a good thing.

Heck, even Bill Gates and Warren Buffet work full-time.  They probably actually work more than full-time.  Maybe they aren’t trying to acquire more money, success or power for themselves, but they are still striving for something.  Right?

It seems to me that the trick is to enjoy the progress and process rather than focus on the end result.  At least that’s what occurs to me.

I don’t really know how to do this.  I’ve always been “bottom line” focused rather than “process” focused.

I believe now that the only way any of us to be truly happy is to understand that their will always be another hill to climb and we have to learn to focus on doing the best we can and enjoy the process because that’s really all we have.

Am I happier now that I can afford Pampers and I’m out of debt?  Absolutely.  But I just don’t want to tie my peace of mind to achieving yet another financial goal – because it’s a lie.

Do you struggle with this like I do?  How have you come to terms with the long list of goals you have?  Are you waiting to be happy until you’ve checked those off your list or have you found a way to enjoy the journey?

Without a compelling story you might sound a little like the friend that likes to give marriage advice, but she’s never tied the knot. Or the couple that raise their eyebrows when you discipline your kids, but they never had children. Does that mean people who don’t have kids don’t have valuable things to say about how to raise children? Not necessarily, but it does make it difficult for parents to see them as a credible source of information.

Those examples might be a bit of a stretch. After all, personal finance is a bit of a different animal. One of my favorite writers, Jim Wang from Bargaineering, shares many excellent thoughts on managing money, including getting out of credit card debt. However, he admits that he has never had credit card debt. Does that mean I shouldn’t listen to his advice? Absolutely not. In fact, I’d be doing myself a disservice by not absorbing the information he shares on his blog.

Dave Ramsey is one of my favorite personal finance personalities, mostly because I find his life story compelling. He reached millionaire status early in life in leveraged real estate, lost it all through bankruptcy, and rebuilt his wealth by implementing the debt-free principles he lives by today. My guess is Dave Ramsey would not be as popular as he is without the fact he hit rock bottom at some point during his life. This helps him relate to others in similar situations, and provides them hope that they too can turn around their lives.

Does this mean if you hope to inspire others you should go bankrupt to be more credible? No. It means you should look at your own background, your own life story, to find your testimony. Everyone has some type of challenge in their life, and chances are they aren’t alone. Even those struggling with the rarest medical conditions find comfort in linking up with those dozen others in the world also diagnosed. Technology has made that possibility through applications such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.

If you have an interest in writing, or doing video blogs, or your own radio show, I would encourage you to give it a try even if you feel you have an inadequate testimony. Whatever you decide to share, be honest with people. You might just find an audience out there for people who have never really struggled with money, but are more interested in the advanced personal finance concepts beyond building savings and getting out of debt.

Disclaimer: I am not writing this article as a way to insult people or imply that I am somehow superior to them. I am writing this as a way to share my life journey in hopes of inspiring people to accomplish their own goals. Am I better than anyone else for the things I have done in my life? No. That is not what this is about. It is about making changes in order to become the person you hope to be. It is about being proactive in your life to make those changes possible.

When the going gets tough, the tough get…no, that’s not reality. In reality, when things get hard people quit. They give up. Instead of breaking a sweat, shedding a tear or losing a little blood they take the easy route and do nothing. It is easier to accept defeat & tell yourself that it is too hard, that you aren’t smart enough, you aren’t pretty enough, strong enough. For every inaction we find an excuse that will suit our situation. Hell, we may even convince ourselves.

It is time to stop making excuses. It is time to quit being a quitter. It is time to get off your ass and do something with your life. Yes, you might struggle. You might feel pain. You may even cry but if you don’t do something with your life why are you even here? It is time to start living. It is time to stand up and punch life in the face.

Too often we accept our lives the way they are, even if we aren’t happy with them. We are miserable at work, our relationship with our spouse sucks, our kids hate us, we waste our time doing absolutely nothing. Our joy in life is derived from a bottle; we can’t even relax without a glass of wine to settle ourselves. This is our life and it sucks.

When I was 16 years old I was a loser. My life was consumed with drugs and alcohol. If I wasn’t high or drunk I was in the process of getting there. Two days after I turned 18 I was arrested. I had just gotten high a few minutes before being handcuffed & taken to jail. I spent that night in my cell thinking about where my life had gone wrong and how I was going to change it.

I realized that I was screwing up my life. It wasn’t only the drugs and alcohol that were the problem. I was wasting my time. I couldn’t turn the clock back and recapture those years. They were gone and there was no getting them back.

In order to change my life I had to turn my back on everything and everyone. This was hard for me. It meant losing friends. It meant making major changes in my life. I had created a lifestyle for myself and people expected me to be that person. For a while I struggled to get sober. I didn’t want to disappoint my friends when they wanted to get high with me. Eventually I came to realize that I needed to change my life for me and not live my life as a consequence of other people.

Once I figured this out I made the changes I needed. I quit drinking and doing drugs entirely. I have been clean for almost 9 years.

What does all of this have to do with you? Maybe you don’t drink or get high but I have no doubt that you are wasting your life with things that are just as stupid; video games, television, Internet, gambling, celebrities, work…anything that takes time away from the person you want to become deep down inside.

It is so much easier to do nothing than to do something. If I hadn’t been arrested and had the time to sober up and reflect on where my life had come and where I was going maybe I wouldn’t have changed. I wouldn’t have traveled around the country and now the world. I would probably still be sitting in my bedroom taking hits from my bong and eating Milk Duds watching the world move around me.

Get off your ass and grab life by the balls. Do something that you’ve always wanted to do but have told yourself you “couldn’t,” for whatever reason. Stop lying to yourself. Life will go on with or without you. Just remember that you can never make up for lost time. Never.

Note from Frugal Dad: One of the greatest things about blogging is forming friendships with other bloggers like Steven who have overcome so much to lead successful lives. For me, their stories are an inspiration, and a reminder that none of us have to be victims of our circumstances.

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” -Proverbs 19:20

The weakest part of each person is where he or she thinks himself or herself the wisest. In the words of the great basketball coach John Wooden, “It’s what we learn after we think we know it all that really counts.” Those who are teachable and continually seek to improve and grow rarely contract the disease of pride.

Benjamin Franklin taught, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest” (Complied by Rev. Frederick S. Sill, A Year Book of Colonial Times, (New York: E.P. Dutton and Company, 1906) p. 15). Education and transportation are tools that get us to our destination. Over the years transportation has moved from the horse and buggy to trains, cars, and airplanes. Each new mode of transportation has enabled us to reach our destination in a shorter period of time. In the 1800s it took months to cross the plains to the west. Today, with improved tools, we can make the same journey in a matter of hours. Education is also a tool that can speed up your journey to financial independence and prosperity. Studies of those with a high net worth have revealed that they spend significant time each month on financial education (Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko, The Millionaire Next Door, (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996) p. 48, 71).  Studies also show there is direct correlation between the amount of time spent on financial education and net worth. The more you learn, the more you earn.

General Edward Braddock

During the French and Indian War, the British General Edward Braddock, age 60 at the time, employed the help of a Virginia militia. When one of the young 23-year-old Virginian soldiers who was well acquainted with the Indian mode of warfare modestly offered his advice, the haughty Braddock said, “What! An American buskin teach a British General how to fight!” (B.J Losing, Signers of the Declaration of Independence, (New York: George F. Colledge & Brother, 1848) p. 167). Braddock did not heed the advice and the British suffered a disastrous defeat and General Braddock was wounded by a shot through the right arm and into his lung. Following the injury to General Braddock, that same 23-year-old, with no official position in the chain of command, was able to lead and maintain some order and formed a rear guard, which allowed them to evacuate and eventually disengage. This earned him the title of “Hero of the Monongahela.” General Braddock was carried off the field by George Washington, the soldier whose advice he had rejected. Braddock died on July 13, 1755, four days after the battle. Before he died, Braddock left Washington the blood stained sash of his uniform. Washington carried the sash with him for the remainder of his life. Perhaps he carried the sash as a reminder of the cost of pride and of the necessity of being humble and teachable if he was to be successful in his efforts. Had Braddock listened to the advice of young George Washington, his life may have been saved.

George Washington was teachable and spent time each day reading. During his lifetime, Washington accumulated a library of more than 700 books, a great many which he studied closely. Washington’s step-granddaughter, Nelly Custis, wrote to one of Washington’s early biographers saying, “It was his custom to retire to his library at nine or ten o’clock, where he remained an hour before he went to his chamber. He always arose before the sun, and remained in his library until called to breakfast.”

This was a guest post by Cameron C. Taylor, author of the book Does Your Bag Have Holes? 24 Truths That Lead to Financial and Spiritual Freedom. www.DoesYourBagHaveHoles.org

During that time we have been relaxing the constraints on our budget.  Our debt repayment progress had slowed.  Our savings balances weren’t growing.  Money was leaking out of our checking account at a faster rate than it had in previous months.  What was the cause of this return to indifferent spending?  Complacency.

When the Going Gets Tough, So Do We

Back when we reached our financial bottom it was easy to get fired up about turning around our finances.  Mostly because finances seemed to dominate our every thought.  It kept me awake at night, and it was the first thing I worried about when I woke up.  It drove many of our decisions, and removed many options from our lives.  It was easy to get mad at the debt that hung over us, and it was easy to stick to our guns when faced with decisions to spend or save.

I’ve never been really good and doing two things at once.  Some people are natural multitaskers, and on the day-to-day stuff I do a pretty good job.  But where I fail is the big stuff.  For instance, I’ve lamented before how hard it is to lose weight and pay off debt.  Even though there seems to be a natural correlation to the two goals, I can’t seem to pull them off at the same time.  I can either get really fired up about losing weight and drop a few pounds, or I can get really fired up about paying off debt and lower our balances.  But when I do one or the other, the other goal suffers, or at best treads water until i again refocus my energy.

When Things Get Easier, So Do We

There comes a time in any financial turnaround when things begin to look up.  Maybe you’ve paid off that car loan, or a couple credit cards, and increased your disposable income thanks to reduced monthly debt payments.  Maybe you’ve also managed to pick up a side hustle, or added some overtime to your schedule, or received a promotion and increased your income.  Suddenly you find yourself not struggling quite as hard to keep your head above water.  It is as if someone is draining the pool for you, and all of a sudden you can touch your toes.  Ah…it feels good to stop flailing your arms and legs and simply relax for a bit.

Don’t get me wrong, these new feelings are a sign of progress and should be celebrated.  However, some healthy reservation is also required.  This is the same point many turnarounds have been foiled.  Think of the dieter who works out and eats right for six weeks and drops 25 pounds.  They are elated, and for good reason.  To celebrate they go out to eat something they haven’t had in a while.  And since they already blew it at dinner, that late-night ice cream won’t hurt.  And since they blew the whole night they’ll just sleep in the next morning instead of hitting the gym.  I’ll just get back on track on Monday.  You see how this can be a very slippery slope!

How To Fight Complacency While Celebrating Success

If we know that this new-found success ultimately leads to complacency, what can we do to head it off?  I would recommend allowing yourself some non-guilty pleasure not related to your ultimate goal.  For a dieter this might mean the accomplishment of a weight-loss goal is celebrated with a new dress.  For those of us working to turnaround our finances, maybe this means an increase to something that brings enjoyment, but does not cost any money.  For instance, families may agree to allow each other more time to devote to something they enjoy – exercise, hiking, learning a musical instrument, etc.

Whatever you decide, do not allow yourself to slip back into the same bad habits.  And if you feel those bad habits creeping back in, stop and reasses your situation.  Call a time out and lock yourself in a room to balance your checkbook, update your budget and take an inventory of your debts.  Don’t spend the entire time beating yourself up for making a mistake.  After all, money mistakes make us human, and they only become failures when they are repeated.  Remember the things that motivated you in the first place, and rededicate your life energy towards accomplishing those goals.