Tom's Blog

It's Thanksgiving day, 2006 and this is my first blog entry. It seemed appropriate to me on this day that I should talk about the concepts of scarcity and abundance. After all, most of us in the U.S. spend this day celebrating our abundance and giving thanks for it. This is as it should be.

I wonder, though, if we maintain this focus on our abundance the rest of the year. I'm not talking about the matter of being thankful for what we have. While that is also important, I'm talking more about the way we think about what we could have and what we could share with others.

There are two schools of thought about money. One is that we need to protect our money, save it for a rainy day, because there is a limited amount of it. In other words, money is scarce. Opportunities are also scarce, so we need to protect the opportunities we have, keep them to ourselves, and never share. This is the theory of scarcity. Since there is only so much to go around, we better protect what we have and keep it to ourselves.

The other school of thought is that there is a never-ending supply of money and of opportunities. Rather than save our money, we should invest it. Rather than keep opportunities to ourselves, we should share them with others. And if one opportunity passes us by, there will be another opportunity coming right after it.

There is a great parable in the Bible about these two theories. It is called the parable of the talents. A talent, of course, was a denomination of money in Biblical times. A master was going away on a trip and he needed someone to take care of his money while he was away. He decided to split it up among three money managers. To the first, he gave one talent. To the second, he gave two talents. And to the third, he gave five talents.

When he returned from his trip he asked the money managers to give an accounting of the money. The manager who had the five talents told the master that he had wisely invested the funds and there were now ten talents. The manager who had two talents had done similarly and had turned the two talents into four. But the manager who had one talent did something different. Rather than invest it, he buried it in the ground. He knew the master would be unhappy if he lost the money and so instead of investing it, he saved it.

The master was most unhappy with this manager and called him a wicked and slothful servant. He took the talent from that manager and gave it to the manager who had the ten talents. Then he said something very interesting. He said, "For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken awa even that which he hath."

There are many things to be learned from this parable, but the one I would focus on today is that when we think in terms of abundance, we will always have more. And when we think in terms of scarcity, whatever we have we will lose.

Some of you are saying now, "Well, I never think in terms of scarcity. I always want to invest." But I believe that most of us, while wanting to think abundantly, frequently think in terms of scarcity. I know I have to continually remind myself to think in terms of abundance. After all, my parents grew up during the Great Depression, a time when scarcity ruled the world.

Let me give you and example of scarcity thinking that I encounter frequently, and find myself doing at times. This is example is what I call "Shopping for the Best Price." This happens when we in a store or talking to a service provider (e.g., an attorney or accountant) and we focus on the cost of the service or the item. That is an example of a scarcity mentality. A person thinking from an abundance point of view instead would be focusing on the value of the item or the service. "How can this item or service improve my life?" Is the cost fair compared to the value? This is different than focusing solely on the cost.

Another great example is partnerships. I am a big believer in the value of a good partnership and that teams always produce better results than independent achievers. A few years ago, I was in a partnership that was breaking up. As with most breakups, it was not pleasant. It reminded those involved of a nasty divorce. Immediately after the breakup, I formed another partnership, this time with a partner whose values aligned more closely with mine. This new partner, Ann Mathis, who is still my business partner, asked my why I would want another partner after just going through a messy breakup of my previous partnership. I responded that I believe that a good partnership will always be better than being on my own and I was willing to take the risk that any partnership entails because of the potential upside of a good partnership.

Five years later, Ann and I are still partners and have done some amazing things together, most recently the creation of the ProVision brand. And, of course, we did not do it by ourselves. We had many partners involved, including our branding company, BrandWithin and our website developers, Epsilonium. We also had tremendous help from our staff and professionals at ProVision.

So, I too am very thankful for the abundance I enjoy on this Thanksgiving Day. I challenge each of us to think abundantly in everything we do, from shopping to investing to interacting with our teenagers (perhaps a subject for another blog entry). I would be most happy to have your feedback about my blog and this entry. Please let me know what you think and how you think abundantly.

Warmest regards,

Tom

My son, Max, is bipolar. Even with proper medication, he has days when he is very "up" and days when he is very "down." (The medication keeps the highs from being too high and the lows from being so low.) But, like most bipolar individuals, he is very intelligent.

The other day, on one of his "down" days, he and I had a discussion about the meaning of life and how to be happy. Intellectually, he recognizes that some of his moods result from the chemical imbalance that makes him bipolar. But, like all of us, he would like to be happy as much as possible.

I explained to Max that I believe that happy should be more of a verb than an adjective. In other words, I think that we are responsible for our own happiness. I do not believe that happiness should or truly can come form any event or outside influence. Rather, we have to choose to be happy.

My friend, Dani Johnson (http://www.danijohhnson.com tells a story about a bumper sticker she has on her little red sports car. The sticker simply says, "I am happy." She says that hundreds of people of rolled down their window to tell her that they would be happy too if they had a little red sports car. As Dani says, they are missing the point. Dani is not happy because of the little red sports car. She was happy before she got the little red sports car.

I find this to be true in my life. While there are certain things and people in my life that please me, whether I am happy is a function of my decision to be happy REGARDLESS of what I have or who I'm with.

Like all of us, Max wants to be happy. For me, this has never been a difficult challenge. My siblings tell me that I was born happy and was always smiling as a child. But I do believe that happiness can be learned as well as forgotten. I told Max that one of the keys to happiness is GRATITUDE. I have found that if I lose focus and my happy attitude, the best cure is to remember all of my blessings. Being thankful for everything we do have makes it so much easier to be happy.

One of my favorite Christmas songs as always been "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow." My favorite line of this song is towards the end. "And when you're worried and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep and you'll fall asleep, counting your blessings." Gratitude for our blessings takes away our stress and we remember that we have much to be thankful for regardless of what else happens.

At the beginning of this new year, I hope each of us can remember to be thankful for all we have, especially our friends and family and that we will each resolve to be happy every day of this year.

Warmest regards,

Tom

Last week, I spoke twice for The Learning Annex in Southern California. In San Diego, 98 were registered for the seminar and 11 showed up. In Los Angeles, 198 were registered and 35 showed up. So only 46 out of almost 300 registered actually came to the seminar. Of those 46, 30% purchased our Financial Freedom Now! online course. So what does this say?

There could be many different reasons why so few of those registered showed up and purchased our course. But there is only one result that matters. And that's the number of people who are going to change their life financially. Congratulations to those who made the decision to take control of their financial future!!!

It's not easy to do this. Wealth does not come easy. It takes commitment, dedication and hard work. The good news is that there is no limit to the number of people who can become wealthy. There is no limit to the amount of wealth available in this world. Wealth is a commodity that can expand forever.

So why don't more people take advantage of the opportunity to learn how to become wealthy and then to apply this knowledge to actually do it? Is it a lack of optimism or a lack of willingness to work? I know that attending a 2-hour course on a weekday is something that is not easy to do after a long day at work. But WEALTH IS NOT EASY! It's possible for everyone, but it is not easy. So, for those who are looking for a fast buck, you can stop reading this blog right now. It's not going to happen! You have to study, you have to apply what you study and you have to stay with it.

But remember the good news! Financial freedom is available to all. And, as we say at ProVision, it's "closer than you think!" But you must take that first step. Spending a few hundred dollars to learn how to permanently lower your taxes or to learn how to create your own personal wealth strategy (http://www.ProVisionWealth.com/products) is just the first step. Then, you need to apply this knowledge and take control of your wealth.

To those who attended the seminars last week, welcome to ProVision! I promise you that if you will continue to learn and apply the strategies we talked about, you can have your financial freedom in a few short years. Please let me know how you are doing and how we can help.

Warmest regards,

Tom

Earlier this week I met a delightful woman, Marci Shimoff. Marci was kind enough to send me her book entitled, "Happy for No Reason at All." I have been fortunate to be one of the lucky people who has been happy for no reason throughout my life. I was a happy child and have always found the good in life and in people. But I have never know why. Marci's book explains why and how everyone can develop this trait.

The great thing about being happy for no reason is that you don't have to depend on anyone else or anything else to be happy. Maybe this seems obvious, but I find a lot of people who believe that they will be happy when they have a better job, more money, better looks or better health. And, I have a wife and son who are bipolar. Happiness for them and for others who do not have a naturally high level of seratonin does not come easy like it does for some others (like me).

I believe Marci when she says that anyone can develop this trait. While I am naturally happy, I work at it as well. I exercise, eat right, and work on my positive attitude every day. My partner, Ann, is better than I am about letting things go. I remember when we had our little issue with one of our partners in another office how she was able to let it go immediately, while it took me several weeks to get over it. Getting over stumbles and things others do to us is not easy and we have to constantly work on this.

Being happy for no reason does not mean that we ignore all of our other goals in life. In fact, being happy for no reason allows us to focus more directly on accomplishing our goals because we are not so worried about what "might" happen to keep us from our goals. This is especially true when it comes to wealth goals. As we emphasize in our Financial Freedom Now! course (http://www.ProVisionWealth.com/products), focus is critical when it comes to achieving real wealth.

So, get happy and get wealthy! I highly recommend this book, "Happy for No Reason at All" by my new friend, Marci Shimoff. Being happy for no reason will accelerate your wealth and bring you much joy in your life.

Warmest regards,

Tom

I appreciate Caleb's recent comments about the opposition in his life and looking for a higher purpose for his training. I will get to his tax question in another blog. In this entry, I want to address the whole idea of opposition.

Opposition is necessary in order for us to grow. If we want to build muscles, we must provide opposition to muscle movements, i.e., weights. If we want to build our spirit, we must work to overcome the challenges that might cause us to shrink. Our mothers referred to this as building character. And if we want to build wealth, we must address the challenges that come our way and not run away from them.

It's only through serious effort that we build wealth. I do not believe that if we think happy thoughts, wealth will land in our lap. I agree with abundance theory in that there is an unlimited amount of wealth available. This is evident in the simple concept of money supply that we learn in Economics 101. (For more on this, get my special report at http://www.ProVisionWealth.com.) But I do not believe that we can just sit around and wait for money to come. We have to work for it. And it might be difficult. But, as we flex our wealth muscles, we will find our financial strength increasing as we increase our financial literacy.

I encourage everyone to go out and just do it. And, do it now. We are in the best real estate market for investing we have seen in 15 years. If not now, when? Work hard and succeed. There is not one person reading this blog who is not capable of becoming financially free. Let me know how I can help you.

Warmest regards,

Tom

Yesterday, my son, Sam, closed on his first home. Sam is a senior in high school and will attend the university next year. Several months ago, after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad, he asked me if he could get started in real estate. He especially wanted his own house where he could live and his buddies could rent rooms from him to help pay the mortgage.

Little did Sam realize that I had started planning for this years ago. I arranged my business structure in such a way that Sam is an owner in my business and shows income from my business on his tax returns. Not only has this saved significant income taxes for me, it has enabled Sam to begin his real estate investing at a very young age. His older brother, Max, is also an owner of this new house. Max has been investing in real estate now for several years (and has an excellent credit score).

With the help of my Arizona real estate agent, Brian Matlock, we found a nice little house that is convenient to the University (and to our house so Sam can bring his laundry home or can come for a good meal). Between Sam and Max, they were able to purchase the house and get a great rate on their financing. And, we bought the house at more than $30,000 under market value.

So start planning now with your children. It's never too early to get them in the game. For more information on this topic, go to Wealth Strategy U on our website at http://www.provisionwealth.com/wealthu.

Warmest regards,

Tom

The great question of the world is, "How do I find happiness?" Some people seem to think happiness comes from material possessions. Others seem to think it comes from fame. Still others believe it comes from love and family. While there can be very happy moments from any of these and particularly from love and family, true and lasting happiness can only come from gratitude.

Gratitude cures a multitude of ills. When I was a missionary in Paris, I spent several months in the suburbs south of Paris. This has never been a very well-to-do part of the city. Interestingly, I found both very happy and very miserable people there. Those who were miserable tended to blame others for their misfortunes and were angry at the world for not giving them more.

On the other hand, there were several people I met who were extraordinarily happy, though they had very little. These people were very thankful for what they did have. They were thankful for their family, their friends, their health. They did not complain. They were at peace.

How is it that I found two such completely oppositite attitudes int he same place among people in the exact same circumstances?

It became clear to me that the difference between the two groups related primarily to their attitude about life. On the one hand, there were those who were angry at life and felt they had been cheated. On the other hand were those who were grateful for what they did have.

I have found this situation over and over in my life. People who are truly happy tend also to be those who are the most thankful for their blessings, regardless of their current station in life. Those who were unhappy were jealous our upset because they didn't have something they wanted.

I notice this in my own life as well. When I focus on how much I have been given, I am less worried about what I don't have. I also tend to focus more on how I can help others. And helping others is where true peace and contentment are derived.

What does this have to do with wealth? Everything! Wealth includes not only monetary success, but also spiritual, emotional and physical success. And we tnd to be so much more successful in these areas when we are grateful. Interestingly, I also find that my financial wealth grows as well when I am most grateful. When I can get ouside of myself and focus on helping others, giving back, is when the money seems to flow.

So don't be afraid to say a prayer of thanksgiving from time to time or to tell your spouse or your children how much you appreciate them. It will have a tremendous impact on your life.

Thank you for letting me share with you.

Warmest regards,

Tom

I was reading my scriptures this morning and came across a passage that really struck home. The verse says, "I know that he (God) granteth unto men acccording to their desire...; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men...according to their wills...." What struck me was the relationship between desire and will.

How many of us have heard the idea that if we desire something, it will happen? We read this in several great books, including, "As a Man Thinketh," and "Think and Grow Rich." And, of course, the recent phenom, "The Secret." There is no question that our desires play a major role in what we receive (especially our subconscious desires).

What I find is that the desire has to be so strong that, like this scripture explains, it becomes our will. Let me give you an example in my own life. I have long had a bad habit of biting my fingernails. Not a major challenge, perhaps, but not exactly socially approved. Not only do the fingernails look bad, there are the hangnails and other unsightly and uncomfortable results from this habit.

I tried for years to break the habit. And I have been unsuccessful until now. I set a new resolution this year to not just not bite my fingernails, but to keep my hands entirely away from my face. Unbelievably difficult. So far, though, so good. (Actually, of my 5 New Year's resolutions, this is the only one I've been close to perfect on.) I haven't bitten a fingernail in three months. I actually have fingernails that are all the same length. Amazing. I've even been thinking about getting a manicure. (Question to the guys who read this blog) - Do I lose my Guy Card if I get a manicure?)

So what's the difference this time around? It comes back to that scripture. Not only do I desire not to bite my fingernails, it has become my will. This principal doesn't just work for fingernails; it also works for all of the bad financial habits you may have. Do you spend impulsively? Do you put off your bookkeeping? Worse, do you put off your tax return filings until you are late?

All of these bad habits can be overcome if you desire it AND it becomes your will. You must will it. It has to be so important to you that you think about it not just occasionally, but ALL THE TIME. Remember, Napoleon Hill did not say, "Think once in awhile and grow rich." He said, "Think and Grow Rich." This means all of the time. It has to become your will.

As the old say goes, "where there's a will, there's a way." The converse is also true, "without a will, there's no way it will happen." (This last quote is mine.)

Focus, focus, focus on your wealth and make it your will and it WILL happen. Then and only then will your financial future be closer than you think.

Warmest regards,

Tom

For Christmas, my wife, Rosie, gave me tickets to the Elton John/Billy Joel concert. Last night was the big event. Rosie and I expected a good show - it's always good to see great performers. We weren't expecting the amazing show these two put on last night.

Elton and Billy came out and did 3 or 4 songs together and then we got 75 minutes of just Elton John doing his best work. After that, we had 75 mintes of Billy Joel's best music. Then, we got another 45 minutes of Elton and Billy together. In all, 3 1/2 hours of amazing performances from two of the greatest performers ever.

My point? These two way over delivered. Anyone in the crowd would have been thrilled with 2 hours of Elton John and Billy Joel. But 3 1/2 hours? And they weren't mailing it in, either. They were fully engaged. Very impressive.

It made me think about my own business and those of my clients. Do we over deliver? Do we consistently give more than expected? When we do, what is the result? You can be sure that the fans last night will be first in line for the next Elton and/or Billy concert. And I'm sure their music sales will skyrocket from these events. The point? The more we give, the more we get.

I hear all the time from clients, vendors and others about how amazing the ProVision staff is. The responsiveness from my employees and partners is fantastic. I appreciate each and every one of them. Especially this time of year, when they are putting in long hours and feeling the stress of what we refer to as "Prime Time." (I'm guessing the rest of you refer to it as Tax Season." Please join me in thanking everyone at ProVision for giving more than expected.

If you would like to have this kind of result from your CPA, call us at 866.467.5809 or send us an email at cs@provisionwealth.com. I guarantee you will get amazing results that will immediately contribute to your financial freedom.

Warmest regards,

Tom