I have a bunch of friends who are car racing junkies.  They attend the local races and they watch Nascar on TV.  They know who’s who,  and what’s what.  You could call them full fledged FANatics.  Some people I know make several trips a year to see the big races in other cities.  And yes, they were totally supportive of bringing a NASCAR track here to the Seattle area.  

I have to admit that I am not a big car racing fan.  I don’t like watching it on TV and I can’t understand anyone listening to it on the radio.  I have attended a few local races over the years and the truth is, once I get there I do enjoy it.  I just don’t like big crowds.  Getting there seems to be the biggest impediment to my participation.  I am a maverick by nature, whichever way the group is going, I tend to go the other way.  

Anytime you have big events, where lot’s of people are going to the same place at the same time, you have traffic and long lines and waiting.  

That’s it, the waiting.  That’s what I don’t like, the waiting.  You have probably heard that it is the journey that is important, not the destination.  Well I don’t buy it.  I am goal oriented and I am a finisher by nature.  I like to complete what I start, so if I am going to a place where lot’s of other people are going at the same time, I just want to get there to enjoy what I went to experience. 

I don’t go to some events that I would like to for that very reason.  I don’t participate in some things in life that I would like to just because the journey is unpleasant for me.  Sure I could put up with it but I don’t.  

Many people do this with their money.  They give up the enjoyment of being financially sound because they don’t like the journey to get there.  Believe me, I understand.  But, not being willing to fight the crowd for a NASCAR event won’t affect my ability to live my older years in comfort.  It won’t stop me from being safe and warm in my own home and it won’t stop my kids from developing whatever skills and interests that could make their lives better. 

Find ways to enjoy the journey.  Becoming financially stable does not have to be a difficult journey.  You can do it like the NASCAR racers do it by following a couple of simple steps. 

1. Start with an attitude that you are going to win.
2. Plan your race.  Figure out where you are going and what is the best way to maneuver through it.  There are corners and you will have to turn.
3. Look for ways to do it better and faster.
4. When you start to slide more than you should, make a quick stop to change your tires and fill up with gas.
5. Visualize yourself in the winners circle. 

 As you start to have some success, you will find that there is less traffic.  The crowds get smaller once you hit the winners circle, everyone will want to know the secret of your success.   

 Just tell them you gave it everything you had, stopping only to change the tires and fill the tank.

I have been talking for years now about the way of the turtle.  How slow and steady wins when it comes to money.  I came to this understanding from my experience working with clients and talking to my wealthy friends.  

My wealthy friends all have taken that slow and steady approach to accumulating wealth.  They understand that their plan was the most important part.  

Their strategy is to make money, live on less than they make and save and invest the rest.  They are focused on the end goal and they are deliberate about the day to day carrying out of their plan.  These people are followers of the way of the turtle whether they know if or not.  

My wife and I were having a discussion about this the other day.  She is more focused than I am about a lot of things and needless to say, she is a deeper thinker too.  

A turtle understands the way of the turtle because God made them that way.  It is inherent in their nature to behave in a certain way.  They can’t move fast.  They are stable and are forced to be more deliberate in their movements to get where they are going.  They have small brains and they focus on staying alive, eating and procreating.  Simple life. 

 As humans we are not wired that way.  God gave us the ability to move faster, he gave us minds that and invent and build.  We have created vast communities to live together and we have the ability to change the face of our world for the comfort and enjoyment of all who inhabit it.  We might just have too many options. 

 The Indians have a long heritage of being in touch with the earth and its animal population.  They associate with animals and learn from the behaviors and strengths of that animal.  When asked what your spirit animal is most people have one that they resonate with and rarely is it a turtle. 

 In the martial arts there are fighting styles that take on the characteristics of a particular animal.  This helps them get out of the human mindset and focus on the strengths that a particular animal has.  Again, turtles are not part of that thought process.  

My wife reasons that because the turtle is a simple creature (we men are too) they have a much easier time moving through their lives and doing what they do.  When we humans try to emulate the turtle in any way, we get in our own way.  We over think it.  We try to make it better and faster. 

 When it comes to your money, it just doesn’t work.  Let me give you some examples.

 The clients that I work with that are struggling financially all have a few things in common.  I believe that is why they are struggling with their money.  Here are some commonalities I have found in working with thousands of people over the past couple of decades.

1. They don’t focus on their money.  They think that focusing on money is a bad thing.  If the turtle didn’t focus on food, it would ultimately violate the first goal of being a turtle, staying alive and life in the meantime would not be enjoyable.

    2.   They don’t believe they can make their money situation work.  The turtle believes there is food in their world.  They may know where it is, they may not.  Every day they have to set out to find it.  They keep plodding until they do.  If people believed that money is plentiful and just set out to find it, it is my belief that they would indeed find it. 

    3.  They think there is a shortcut and if that doesn’t work that someone will bail them out.  There are no shortcuts when it comes to your money.  No one gets rich quick.  It is up to you and you alone.   

 A little about bailouts…

 I have a friend who’s house burned a couple of weeks ago.  The fire started with a light that was set up to keep a turtle warm. 

This was a turtle that got a bail out.  The turtle didn’t have to do anything anymore.  Just sit under the light and wait for food to be delivered to him.  Rule number two of the turtle taken care of.  Not a bad gig some would say. 

 On the other hand, he lost his battle with rule number one of the turtle, to stay alive. 

He didn’t have to worry about rule number three.  No sex. 

All in all I would say that the benefits of his bailout didn’t outweigh the costs.   With humans it is the same way.  If someone bails you out, something is lost.  You may get easy money, but will it be enough to help you fulfill your dreams or will it be just enough to get by.  

 Bailouts come from the excess that others create.  

Your talents are gifts God gives to you. 

What you do with them is the gift you give to God. 

 Use your talents and the way of the turtle to create your own excess, then do something with it.