"KUROT PRINCIPLE"

"KUROT PRINCIPLE"

Ano ‘yung Kurot Principle? Ay, ang ganda nitong Kurot Principle na ito. To better understand this, I will tell you a story of a person na balak bumili ng cellphone worth P1,000.

Nagkataong mayroon siyang P100,000 na savings. Puwede ba siyang bumili ng cellphone? Puwede, kasi yung P1,000, kurot lang ‘yon sa kanyang savings.

May pangalawang taong balak bumili ng cellphone. Ang bibilhin niya ay worth P1,000 din. Mayroon siyang savings sa bangko na P1,000. Bumili siya ng cellphone. Anong tawag dun? Dakot na ‘yun! Dinakot lahat ang pera niya!

May pangatlong tao, balak bumili ng cellphone, pero walang savings. P1,000 lang naman ‘yung bibilhin niya. Bumili siya. Anong tawag ‘dun? Utang na ‘yun!

Ang tanong: ano’ng prinsipyo ang ginagamit mo sa buhay mo? Kurot, dakot, o utang?

Magtataka pa ba tayo kung bakit tayo naghihirap o baon sa utang? Ang gagaling nating dumakot! Ang gagaling nating umutang! Gusto mong yumaman? Starting today, matutong kumurot. Kapag may bibilhin, dapat kinukurot lang! Nagkakaintindihan ba tayo? Kapag ginawa mo ito, pangako, yayaman ka.

Pag-aralan nating muli ang mga pinakamayayaman sa Pilipinas, ang Chinoy. Again, bakit sila mayayaman? Ang gagaling nilang… kumurot! Tayo ang gagaling nating… dumakot! Sasampolan kita…

Pinoy vs. Chinoy Businessman 

May dalawang negosyanteng nagsimula ng kanilang negosyo, isang Pinoy at isang Chinoy. Ang capital nila pareho ay P100,000.

Sa unang buwan, si Pinoy, kumita ng P10,000. Ano ang iniisip bilhin? Cellphone. Si Chinoy, kumita rin ng P10,000. Ano ang gagawin niya? Idadagdag niya sa puhunan.

So magkano na ngayon ang puhunan ni Chinoy? P110,000! Si Pinoy, P100,000 pa rin, pero may bago siyang cellphone. Ang ganda!

Ituloy natin. After a few months, maganda ang takbo ng negosyo. Si Pinoy kumita ng P50,000. Ang Pilipinong may P50,000, ano ang balak bilhin? Bibili siya ng home theater, DVD, at LCD TV! Si Chinoy, kumita rin ng P50,000. Anong gagawin niya? Idadagdag uli sa puhunan niya. Magkano na ang puhunan niya? P160,000 na!

A few months later pa, ang Pinoy kumita ng P150,000! Ang Pilipinong mayroong P150,000, ano ang balak bilhin? Second-hand na kotse o pang-downpayment sa bagong kotse. Ang Chinoy, may P150,000. Ano’ng gagawin niya? Idadagdag sa puhunan! Magkano na ang puhunan niya? P310,000!

Buwan-buwan, si Pinoy kumikita. Dagdag siya ng dagdag ng gamit. Magkano ang puhunan niya? P100,000! Si Chinoy, buwan-buwan kumikita. Ano ang ginagawa niya? Dagdag ng dagdag sa puhunan niya. One day, Chinoy was able to save P1 million! So ginawa niya, he approached one supplier and said, “Supplier, kung bibili ako sa‘yo ng worth P1 million, bibigyan mo ba ako ng discount?” Hulaan mo kung ano ang sasabihin ng supplier. “Of course, ang dami mong bibilhin, kaya bibigyan kita ng additional 5% discount!”

Ngunit naisip ni Chinoy, “Hindi naman yata maganda na sa akin lahat ang 5%. Ang gagawin ko, bibigyan ko ang customers ko ng 3% discount at sa akin na lang ‘yung 2%.” Ibig sabihin, bababa ang presyo ng kanyang mga ibinebentang produkto.

It just so happened na magkatabi ang tindahan ni Chinoy at ni Pinoy. Pareho sila ng mga produktong ibinebenta. Given the situation, kanino kayo bibili? Kay Chinoy, because it’s cheaper. Ano ang mangyayari sa negosyo ni Pinoy? Malulugi na. Kasi mas mahal ang kaniyang produkto. Ano ang gagawin niya? Ibebenta niya ‘yung kotseng nabili niya ng P150,000. Sino ang bibili? Siyempre, ang maraming pera, si Chinoy. Tatawaran pa ni Chinoy ang kotse ng P80,000. Dahil gipit na si Pinoy, kahit palugi ay ibebenta na rin niya. Si Chinoy ngayon ay nagkaroon ng kotse na murang-mura lang!

After a few months, mauubos din ang P80,000 ni Pinoy. Ano ang susunod na gagawin ni Pinoy? Ang home entertainment niya ay ibebenta na rin. Magkano? P20,000 na lang. Sino ang bibili? Si Chinoy. Darating ang araw na pati ang cellphone ni Pinoy ay ibebenta na niya. Magkano niya ibebenta? P2,000 na lang! Isang araw, magsasara na ang negosyo ni Pinoy. Ano ang gagawin niya? Malamang, magtatrabaho na lang siya kay Chinoy. Ito ang kuwento ng bansang Pilipinas!

Naalala mo pa ba noong araw, mas mayayaman ang mga Pinoy kaysa sa mga Chinese. Bakit nagbago? Ano ba ang problema natin? Dakot kasi tayo ng dakot! Sila, kurot lang ng kurot!

Mayroon kaming naging participant before na nagsabi, “Sir, hindi naman totoo ‘yan! I know a Chinoy, he drives a BMW. That’s a P5 million car! Kurot ba ‘yun?” Malamang kurot ‘yun! Noong binili niya ‘yun, mayroon na siyang P100 million na savings! So kurot lang ‘yun! Nandiyan ka pa ba?

Isang Kahig, Isang Tuka 

Saan ka makakakita ng mga taong isang kahig, isang tuka? Saan? Sa squatters area? Magtigil ka! Gusto mo’ng makakita ng mga taong isang kahig, isang-tuka? Sa Ortigas, sa Makati, may makikita ka.

What do I mean? Kapag hindi ka sumuweldo ng isang buwan, mabubuhay ba ang pamilya mo? Kung wala kang credit card, kung mawalan ka ng trabaho ngayon, ilang araw ang aabutin para mabuhay ng matino ang pamilya mo? Kapag nawalan ka ng suweldo, patay ka!

Ang mga Chinoy, kahit hindi muna kumita o magnegosyo, mabubuhay ng maganda. Bakit po? Kasi many years ago, kumahig sila ng kumahig at tumuka lang konti. Kaya marami sa kanila ngayon, tuka na lang ng tuka. Maraming Pinoy, kapag hindi tayo kumahig, wala tayong tutukain.

Ito ang masakit–sometimes, kahit matanda na tayo, kahig pa rin tayo ng kahig. Gaano karaming Pilipino ang 60 years old na ay trabaho pa rin ng trabaho? Puwede ba, simula ngayon, kumahig ka nang kumahig at iwasan munang tumuka. I-deprive ang sarili ng kaunti.

Ang pinakamasakit sa lahat ay ito–one day, you want to work, but you cannot work. You are already old. Why? Nagpakasasa ka kasi noong bata ka pa. Inubos mo na lahat ng lakas at kalusugan mo sa bisyo.

Tanong: Masama ba’ng bumili ng mahal? Sagot: Hindi! Basta kinukurot lang! Kapag nakakita ka ng kasamahan mong naka-Nike shoes, huwag mong husgahan kaagad iyong tao! Malay mo, kinurot lang niya iyon. At the end of the day, what is happening to other people is not important. What’s more important is what is happening to you.

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:11, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you.” 

(Excerpted from Vic and Avelynn Garcia’s book entitled Kontento Ka Na Ba Sa KaPERAhan Mo?

>> 3 Years ago, Like most employees i was also financially struggling. Over worked, stressed and with no savings under my belt until i found a Money making Machine called GFI. Not only was i able to resigned from my work because of GFI, it gave me an opportunity to have more quality time with my family and secure my kids future as well.

If your interested to know more about GFI, just visit my Facebook page, add me and send me a PM and let me share to you "possibly" the greatest opportunity you'll ever do

https://www.facebook.com/dondy.gonzales

Cheers!!

Play Now then Pay Later or Pay Now then Play Later, Which one are you?

Have you ever heard of the phrase or quote  " Play now then pay later or Pay now then play later"? or to be more specific "You can pay now and play later OR you can Play now and pay later. Either way you have to pay" as per John Maxwell

This is a very common quote used in any seminars or conference specially related to financials. But what does it really mean? I can associate a word to this quote that for me leans toward "Paying now so i can play later", whats that word? "Delayed Gratification"

As per our trusted Wikipedia "Delayed Gratification" or deferred gratification is the ability to resist temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward. Its the patience to wait for that greater long term reward rater than the small short term ones. 

In regards to Financial Freedom, wait whats Financial Freedom?

Again as per Wikipedia Financial Freedom is described as the state of having sufficient personal wealth to live without having to work actively for basic necessities or simply put the capability to buy or spend without looking at the price tag and having the financial security knowing there's more where that came from =)  (that's my definition anyways hehe)

Going back, Financial Freedom is the goal or dream of any person and the quote mentioned above directly affects our Financial Freedom. How? Its the choices we make in the process that affect the end goal which is Financial Freedom. Simply put most people would rather "Play it now then Pay it later, for example, buying "stuffs" (gadgets,shoes) taking that vacation, parties and such then Paying for it afterwards with greater Time and effort. While "some"  will "Pay it now, then Play later". these are the people who will save and invest now, instead of buying that new phone or taking that short vacation so that in the long run they can get that house or that dream car.

I have met a lot of people who have chosen to "Pay now" and share these characteristics:

• Live on less than they earn
• Choose to invest and save for their long term goals

Because they are "paying now" they are going to be able to play later while  those who chose to "Play now" and while the fun lasted when its time to "Pay" its not Fun anymore =(

So how do we get to Financial Freedom? The answer lies in Savings and Investment! Now, most people will say that Savings and Investing is nearly impossible for them as their current income is not even enough. So they will put Savings and Investing on the sides for a later future when they get an "extra income" but how and when will that happen? Rather than looking down on our primary source of income, why not check a solution that's in reach but mostly overlooked.

Whats that? Our lifestyle and spending habits is one factor that we can look into and work on. If you look at our lifestyle and spending habits, its not the amount that's an issue but the "Will to save and invest" is our challenge! When a person has the "Will" to do it, then it can be done!

As i read before "Savings is not proportionate to the amount of money you earn but rather the amount of money you save from your income. As we all know, expenses is directly proportional to the amount of income that we have. The higher it is, the higher our expenses as well. In short, if we want to save, let’s take a look at how we spend our money and look for ways to decrease expenses and increase savings"

Lets look at some examples to illustrate and prove that if we have the "Will to save and invest", look at what will happen 

I know most of us drink Starbucks coffee, coming from the BPO industry, the coffee chains have been synonymous to us either for the coffee experience or for some the "status" . Assuming per order is around 200Php and you consume around 5 orders per month or even more. Instead of having this, you can change your spending habits and lets say trim down on the coffee or opt in for a more affordable coffee. Now look at this, most of the BPO employees nowadays earn 10,000 per cut off or roughly 20k in a month (give or take). Now what happens when you spend on that coffee every month that's 1000 as an expense and continue that for 12 months or 1 year that totals to 78,000Php for your coffee,  "Play now then Pay Later". Now you might say, really? who drinks that much coffee anyways! Well 9 years in the industry and Yes, people drink that much coffee (for what ever reasons) were not even taking in account those pastries consumed or lets say drinking or vices. Now i'm not saying Coffee is bad, my point is plain and simple, can you imagine what you can save and earn if you used that money wisely instead.

Now, lets say you take part of that 10k salary and instead of spending it, we chose to invest it, looking at a long term goal "Pay Now and Play Later". Lets say that investment cost 8900 and its earns exponentially every month (by the way, the figures onward are the actual figures you can earn) As any, legal and secured business, its a long term plan and as mentioned its exponential so even though the earnings at the start are at minimal in the 1 year sample it doubles, triples and continue to grow even becoming passive from an active income. That's more than 100% returns and by this time you can drink any Starbucks frap or coffee you want even at multiple times, everyday! 

How about the latest gadgets like phones and cameras? Do you really need that stuff? Is it a necessity or a luxury we try to live by today? Lets say your buying the latest phone every 3 months and it cost around 30,000php (take note that the latest Iphone actually cost around 50k). Thats 120,000php in a year compared if your already earning exponentially! Not to mention that gadgets like all liabilities, there values may go down as time goes by.  

The list of samples can go on, from shoes, clothes, bags, vices even unscheduled travels. On the other hand, what if we play it smarter and think long terms. What if think "Pay now then Play later", delayed Gratification,  this is what all rich people think and do with. What can happen to you  and what can you accomplish 5 or 10 years from now with just 2-3 years of sacrifice and disciple. Will you have that very own house or that fully paid car?

Now nobody said, getting rich and having Financial Freedom will be easy, it requires a lot of hard work and disciple but more importantly it takes "Will"

Can you sacrifice today for a better and brighter tomorrow?

If we only  practice the right money and spending habits, live by the "Pay now and Play Later"/Delayed Gratification principle then truly we can live abundantly for the years to come! 



>> 3 Years ago, Like most employees i was also financially struggling. Over worked, stressed and with no savings under my belt until i found a Money making Machine called GFI. Not only was i able to resigned from my work because of GFI, it gave me an opportunity to have more quality time with my family and secure my kids future as well.

If your interested to know more about GFI, just visit my Facebook page, add me and send me a PM and let me share to you "possibly" the greatest opportunity you'll ever do

https://www.facebook.com/dondy.gonzales

Cheers!!

              Josh (High School student) sharing for GFI

Hi and Welcome to the GFI!!

Meet Josh from a High School student, He is one of many part time GFI entrepreneurs who decided to try and succeeded in GFI! He is one of my business associates doing GFI together with his parents (but he's doing it on his own) on a part time basis after his school 1-2 hours even at home and online. 

Today, he's enjoying the weekend with us in Fontana and prior to that was tagaytay Highlands. This is the "Life Balance" that we promote and embrace among other values that make us successful, living and enjoying our lives to the fullest through GFI. 

Like Josh, your success is secure through our partners like Avida Properties of Ayala Land Corporation and Multiply.com!

SO....If you desire to make your life better, If you love your family, If you value your time and yearn to be more, better, happier and wealthier then Contact us today and Let's talk about it (just listen and see how we can HELP YOU build, improve and enjoy Life =)

Thanks & God bless
Dondy Gonzales
GFI Entrepreneur
Former BPO Manager
mobile: +63916.2513700
skype: dondy.gonzales

LEARN ABOUT GFI TODAY!

Global Fusion Incorporated Slideshow: Inner’s trip to 7 cities United States, Japan, Malaysia, Dubai, Manila, Macau and Batangas was created with TripAdvisor TripWow!

What Every Entrepreneur Can Learn From Kids

When you’re pondering about what it takes to be an entrepreneur, don’t overlook the business savvy of kids. They aren’t always consciously striving to climb the ladder of success. However, the journey from toddler to teen leaves a trail of tested developmental data.

Here we feature the 8 areas of ‘kids’ mindsets:

#1 – Negotiations

Children of all ages are masters of the art of negotiating. Watch a child engaging in the bargaining process. Kids learn early on that everything has subjective value and might be considered trade worthy in certain circumstances.

Take stock of your own negotiating inventory.

#2 – Compromise

Reaching agreements results in more rewards than stubbornly wallowing in stalemated disagreements. There is nothing defeating about walking away with a gain. When you want two jumping frogs for your slingshot, keep in mind that frogs aren’t so easy to catch. One frog or no frog? It’s that simple.

#3 – Resilience

Kids seldom take ‘no’ for an answer. When they hit a wall, they walk around it, climb over it or set up a catapult. They don’t quit until they have exhausted every possible way to achieve their goals. They are driven with passion, determination, ingenuity and optimism. You need all of those to be an entrepreneur.

#4 – Resources

It’s important to know who has the best, the most, the cheapest, the best delivery time, etc. Kids look through junkyards, yard sales, ‘free’ ads and under rocks. That’s all aside from keeping a list they’ve acquired through the grapevine of those who can offer the best fish bait, fireworks, homework help and bike repairs.

#5 – Funding

When more money is needed, it’s important to be able to turn to more than one funding source. Kids already know this. When one parent turns out empty pockets, they shamelessly hit on the other parent. Benevolent uncles and friends with generous allowances might be willing to offer some temporary financial relief.

You don’t know if you don’t ask.

#6 – Real World Social Networking

You can never have enough contacts. Most kids join activity groups to be with other kids. As the social circle widens through introductions, there is an increase in invitations. The cousin of the friend of the kid on the wrestling team knows the lady who is in charge of auditions for the play you’d love to be in. Hmmm…just maybe.

As we grow older we make less time for social groups like sports, performances and hang outs. There could be a lot of great new info we are missing out on from one another if only we made more time for social networking in the real world, not just online.

#7 – Promote Yourself

It’s okay to talk about your talents, goals and successes with pride. The power of word of mouth advertising can start with you. There is a difference between bragging and exuding supreme confidence. Just be sure that you can deliver on your claims. As you show others what you can do, word will get around.

Those who are in need of your talents will find you.

#8 – Dream Big!

While it’s necessary to be realistic, it’s also important to project a positive outcome. It’s okay to want a pony someday even if you currently only have room for a dog house.

Success will allow you to address such minor details.

As you can see from the above tips, it’s sometimes worthwhile to look back as well as to look forward. Remember when you were a kid and unstoppable! Now the risks are greater, the challenge is bigger and the potential rewards make it all worth it. Like all kids, you practiced and honed your business skills. Back then, it was part of being a kid. Now it’s all a part of how to be an entrepreneur in the adult world.



Cheers!

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Being Productive even on a lazy and rainy Tuesday

Being  Productive even
on a lazy and rainy Tuesday .................... Making a Video!


 
Its the second day that its been raining here and just imagine if i was still an employee how challenging it would be to go to work or even just get out of the bed due to the cold and very comfortable "Bed Weather"

Great thing is, i don't really need to go anywhere!, That's one of the advantages when your managing your business or investments at home and specifically online. So rather than sleep the whole day i decided to do something productive while doing my morning routine of drinking coffee and catching the morning breeze. I decided, to make a short video of how "Great" it is to stay at home during this times, how advantageous the internet has  been to me and share a very successful event last Saturday that i consider a first and one of the turning points in my career (truly i made the right choice)

To my surprise, when i powered on my laptop and just decided to check my skype and facebook, a chat box in skype already greeted me with curiosity coming from Singapore and another one from Bacolod, Philippines. Both were asking what i do for a living online =) So video stardom aside, i talked to the guys for a few hours and showed them some short video clips of what im doing and there really into it. Just Imagine, they will be one of many business associates that im working with that i met and actively make money online even if its one different country or island province to mine. Hundreds even thousand of miles apart but the web can really make things very convenient!

So after that, i already decided to work on the video and asked my wife to help out since i do need someone to work the camera =) after editing and a few sounds, here's the 6 minute video. I wont talk about it anymore since you can just watch it. Enjoy!

Cheers!

If you want to be part of our growing community and share your ideas, feel free to subscribe to this blog and Here

16 Reasons Why It's So Important To Follow Your Dreams

The 16 Reasons Why It It's So Important To Follow Your Dreams

1. The secret of living is giving, if you follow your dreams then you will have something worth sharing with others, hope, inspiration and a meaning to live, and that to me, is a great contribution.

2. Chasing your dreams will develop your courage. Courage is your fuel to achieve amazing success in life, follow your dreams and exercise courage. In sure enough time you will be unstoppable.

3. There is a reason why as kids we loved magic and dreams. Stop chasing your dreams and you will forget how it feels to live hopeful and young.

4. Great dreamers grow to be independent, learning that they can make a difference all by themselves.

5. Dreams can distract you from the negative events in life. You will weigh up what is more important, your dreams or the drama. Drama seems obsolete when you are passionate about following your dreams.

6. It gives you something to share and inspire your kids with, you have led by example that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

7. Through accomplishing your dreams you will come to appreciate the experience of failure and know that failure is just part of success and that it wasn’t really all that bad as it was all worth it in the end.

8. Regret is a terrible thing, and a dream is powerful enough to bring you regret if you don’t take the chance to at least follow it.

9. Because you are never too old to dream. Age means nothing when we know what we want.

10. You become an interesting person, you show others you have meaning, direction and purpose.

11. The unknown of following your dreams may spark a little fear, this is okay though because a little fear is known to make you feel more alive.

12. It is fun proving the world wrong, so why would you follow the status quo?

13. The more you chase and accomplish your dreams the more the lines of the boundaries that the world puts in front of us fade, as we learn that any and everything is possible.

14. When you accomplish your dream, you are the first to see it happen. You can share your accomplishments with the rest of the world but you where there in the front row on a single chair to experience the magic that unfolded.

15. Your dreams have no limits, you are the creator of your dreams, big or small. When this is understood, you are able to design a way to favour you plan and accomplish your end goal.

16. A dream is strong enough to define you, once accomplished you prove to others they have no say in who you can and can’t be.

Cheers!

If you want to be part of our growing community and share your ideas, feel free to subscribe to this blog and Here

14 Nuggets Of Business Wisdom By Donald Trump & Robert Kiyosaki

Today we feature 14 Nuggets Of Business Wisdom shared by the two most sought after Entrepreneurs with the Midas Touch, Donald Trump & Robert Kiyosaki, who have, in a combined effort, sold over 36 million copies of their business and finance books worldwide. After witnessing what both of these incredible businessmen have to offer during my visit to the National Achievers Congress in Sydney, Australia earlier this year, I’d say that this successful duo have some pretty valuable lessons to also share with you.

Read on for the 14 valuable points to consider when running your own business by Donald Trump & Robert Kiyosaki.

1. Seek to discover that little thing in your business that can be a big thing to your customers, Uncover your gift..

2. Select your tactic and choose strategies to make the tactic happen. Keep it simple and executable.

3. Recognize it’s your job to focus the mission and bring the B-I triangle to life.

4. The Midas Touch requires discipline. You can be a rebel, but understand that it will demand new levels of personal, financial and business responsibility.

5. Be generous with your energy and success. Bring others along for the ride and reward them well. The Midas Touch is not a sport, It is a team effort.

6. There are no little things, everything matters, so hire wisely and inspire your team with your vision. They will be the ones that carry it out and represent you.

7. Think big, set your vision high and go for it. You’ll be shocked by what you can accomplish when you do.

8. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth fighting for. You’ll have lots of people and obstacles in your way. Work and fight to get beyond them.

9. Don’t delay. Every day that you work in your business without a vision, without a plan and without proving it works is another day that you delay your success.

10. Discover your true self and surround yourself with people who compliment your gifts and models of operation.

11. Commit to being a life long learner by studying successful business and people to understand the little things that count in their business.

12. Design your business from the start so that it is leverageable, expandable, predictable and financeable.

13. Realize that an Entrepreneurs most important gift to the world is jobs, security and well-being for others.

14. Recognize that the world needs more Entrepreneurs. Everyone is counting on you.


Cheers!

If you want to be part of our growing community and share your ideas, feel free to subscribe to this blog and Here 

10 ways to get RICH by Warren Buffet

I was catching up with my readings last night and i stumble on this article. Its not the first time i read about warren buffet and his secrets to success, to be exact i already read a few but what i like about these articles is its simplicity, direct and common sense at some point, So i'm sharing the article with you

~Enjoy


With an estimated fortune of $62 billion, Warren Buffett is the richest man in the entire world. In 1962, when he began buying stock in Berkshire Hathaway, a share cost $7.50. Today, Warren Buffett, 78, is Berkshire's chairman and CEO, and one share of the company's class A stock worth close to $119,000. He credits his astonishing success to several key strategies, which he has shared with writer Alice Schroeder. She spend hundreds of hours interviewing the Sage of Omaha for the new authorized biography The Snowball. Here are some of Warren Buffett's money-making secrets -- and how they could work for you.

1. Reinvest Your Profits: When you first make money in the stock market, you may be tempted to spend it. Don't. Instead, reinvest the profits. Warren Buffett learned this early on. In high school, he and a pal bought a pinball machine to pun in a barbershop. With the money they earned, they bought more machines until they had eight in different shops. When the friends sold the venture, Warren Buffett used the proceeds to buy stocks and to start another small business. By age 26, he'd amassed $174,000 -- or $1.4 million in today's money. Even a small sum can turn into great wealth.

2. Be Willing To Be Different: Don't base your decisions upon what everyone is saying or doing. When Warren Buffett began managing money in 1956 with $100,000 cobbled together from a handful of investors, he was dubbed an oddball. He worked in Omaha, not Wall Street, and he refused to tell his parents where he was putting their money. People predicted that he'd fail, but when he closed his partnership 14 years later, it was worth more than $100 million. Instead of following the crowd, he looked for undervalued investments and ended up vastly beating the market average every single year. To Warren Buffett, the average is just that -- what everybody else is doing. to be above average, you need to measure yourself by what he calls the Inner Scorecard, judging yourself by your own standards and not the world's.

3. Never Suck Your Thumb: Gather in advance any information you need to make a decision, and ask a friend or relative to make sure that you stick to a deadline. Warren Buffett prides himself on swiftly making up his mind and acting on it. He calls any unnecessary sitting and thinking "thumb sucking." When people offer him a business or an investment, he says, "I won't talk unless they bring me a price." He gives them an answer on the spot.

4. Spell Out The Deal Before You Start: Your bargaining leverage is always greatest before you begin a job -- that's when you have something to offer that the other party wants. Warren Buffett learned this lesson the hard way as a kid, when his grandfather Ernest hired him and a friend to dig out the family grocery store after a blizzard. The boys spent five hours shoveling until they could barely straighten their frozen hands. Afterward, his grandfather gave the pair less than 90 cents to split. Warren Buffett was horrified that he performed such backbreaking work only to earn pennies an hour. Always nail down the specifics of a deal in advance -- even with your friends and relatives.

5. Watch Small Expenses: Warren Buffett invests in businesses run by managers who obsess over the tiniest costs. He one acquired a company whose owner counted the sheets in rolls of 500-sheet toilet paper to see if he was being cheated (he was). He also admired a friend who painted only on the side of his office building that faced the road. Exercising vigilance over every expense can make your profits -- and your paycheck -- go much further.

6. Limit What You Borrow: Living on credit cards and loans won't make you rich. Warren Buffett has never borrowed a significant amount -- not to invest, not for a mortgage. He has gotten many heart-rendering letters from people who thought their borrowing was manageable but became overwhelmed by debt. His advice: Negotiate with creditors to pay what you can. Then, when you're debt-free, work on saving some money that you can use to invest.

7. Be Persistent: With tenacity and ingenuity, you can win against a more established competitor. Warren Buffett acquired the Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1983 because he liked the way its founder, Rose Blumkin, did business. A Russian immigrant, she built the mart from a pawnshop into the largest furniture store in North America. Her strategy was to undersell the big shots, and she was a merciless negotiator. To Warren Buffett, Rose embodied the unwavering courage that makes a winner out of an underdog.

8. Know When To Quit: Once, when Warren Buffett was a teen, he went to the racetrack. He bet on a race and lost. To recoup his funds, he bet on another race. He lost again, leaving him with close to nothing. He felt sick -- he had squandered nearly a week's earnings. Warren Buffett never repeated that mistake. Know when to walk away from a loss, and don't let anxiety fool you into trying again.

9. Assess The Risk: In 1995, the employer of Warren Buffett's son, Howie, was accused by the FBI of price-fixing. Warren Buffett advised Howie to imagine the worst-and-bast-case scenarios if he stayed with the company. His son quickly realized that the risks of staying far outweighed any potential gains, and he quit the next day. Asking yourself "and then what?" can help you see all of the possible consequences when you're struggling to make a decision -- and can guide you to the smartest choice.

10. Know What Success Really Means: Despite his wealth, Warren Buffett does not measure success by dollars. In 2006, he pledged to give away almost his entire fortune to charities, primarily the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He's adamant about not funding monuments to himself -- no Warren Buffett buildings or halls. "I know people who have a lot of money," he says, "and they get testimonial dinners and hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. That's the ultimate test of how you've lived your life."

Cheers!

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