Bigg Successmemories | Bigg Success

Are You Rich?

George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:50 +0000

As we look forward to another weekend, we have a question for you. Actually, a series of them. But the first question is…

Are you rich?

We’ll come back to that one. Before you answer, ask yourself:

Assuming you can see, what is your sight worth?
Take a minute and think about all the things you see in a day.
Nature in all its beauty.
A work of art. A photo.
The joy you see reflected on the face of a close friend or family member.

If you can hear, what value do you place on that ability?
Music.
Birds.
The voice of a loved one.
Even silence.

What about your sense of smell? Is it worth anything?
Flowers as you pass by them.
Food as it cooks.
You can often even smell danger, which triggers your survival instinct.

How about your taste?
You know what sweet means. And sour.
Spicy has meaning for you.
You know when something has no taste. Or tastes bad.

What would you trade for your experiences?
Think about how much you’ve grown over time.
For just a few seconds, think about a low time and how much you learned.
Remind yourself of your highest highs.

How much would you take to give up the people in your life?
If you’re married, your spouse. If you’re attached, your significant other.
What about your children, if you have them?
How about your parents?
Even if they have passed, what are the memories of them worth?
What would you exchange for all of this?

Are they worth $10,000? $100,000? $1,000,000? Much, much more?

So we return to our original question:

Are you rich?

Image in this post from stock.xchng

Family Fun is No Trivial Pursuit

George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Is there a better way to spend your play time than spending time with your family?

We know … we know – it depends on the family!

___

Family time is special time. It’s great to just hang out with people who you know really care about you.

The great thing about family time is that we can have fun without spending a lot of money. There are so many options, especially when the weather is nice. How much does it cost to go outside and play Frisbee?

___

George’s family has a bigg reunion every year. One of the festivities is a lively game of softball. His family is incredibly competitive, but it’s all good-natured fun.

___

Well, it’s usually good natured! You definitely have to be able to take some ribbing!

___

Your Family’s Trivial Pursuit

Games and family go hand-in-hand. So how about creating a game that’s all about your family? Think of it as your own family’s Trivial Pursuit.

It may not cost a thing. It certainly won’t cost much unless you choose to make a really deluxe version. It can be as simple as sheets of paper with the questions written on them and a blank sheet of paper for scoring.

You may create a list of questions about your close family. It will be a walk down memory lane! You may extend it to the larger family. It’s a great way to help your kids learn more about your whole family.

Make the questions both interesting and fun. Obviously, you want to avoid embarrassing family members so that it remains a fun endeavor and doesn’t turn into the family feud!

___

Here’s a question I would ask. George will know the answer right off the bat. This author was one of my mom’s favorites and is also one of my husband’s favorites. Who is he?

___

Dashiell Hammett.

___

Extra points if you can spell it, George!

___

I had to look it up! I can think of an interesting question about my dad. I bet a lot of my family doesn’t know it or they’ve tried to forget it, but it made our local paper! My dad actually spent a night in jail! So that would be the focus of my question: for what did he spend the night in jail? Answer: It was a contract dispute. Dad lost the case. He said he would go to jail before he paid the money. The judge obliged! It only took one night before dad decided he’d had enough and paid the amount required.

___

So I guess George is suggesting that our game include a “Go directly to jail – do not pass “Go” – do not collect $200” card!

___

That’s the beauty of this idea – you can create this game however you want. Have fun with it! It’s a creative endeavor. Sometimes we get more creative when we try not to spend money.

This simple game is an example. So have some fun with your family for free and work on your creativity skills all at the same time. Sounds like a bigg success to us!

What does your family do for fun?

Please share that with us by leaving a comment below, calling us at 888.455.BIGG or sending us an e-mail at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com.

Thanks so much for reading our post today!

___

Would you like more tips and tools to live your life on your own terms? Subscribe to the Bigg Success Weekly – it’s FREE!

___

Please join us next time as we talk about insurance … just for the health of it! Until then, here’s to your bigg success.

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes.

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00385-050109.mp3

Related posts

Game Date

A Wii Bit of Fun

The Most Important People of 2008

George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:46:27 +0000

Michael Bailey recently wrote a post about an e-mail you may have received before. It was very timely and got us thinking about events of 2008. Let’s test your memory …

___

Who won the World Series? We know it was NOT the Chicago Cubs. Will that ever happen? The Philadelphia Phillies won it this year. Maybe baseball’s not your thing, so let’s try this one …

Who won the Super Bowl last year? The New York Giants.

What movie won the Oscar for best film? No Country for Old Men.

___

I have to admit that I haven’t seen this movie. On the other hand, I don’t have a country either!

___

You aren't an old man either…yet!

___

Who topped the Forbes 400 this year? Warren Buffett overtook Bill Gates to be named the richest person in the world. Of course, this was long before the recent financial turmoil. We’ll see how he rates this next year.

Who was the American Idol? You may say, “Who cares?” You may not, but millions do. It was David Cook.

So how did you do? We found it interesting that we didn’t really remember many of these events without some prodding.

The surprising list of the most important people of 2008

We had to look many of these up. For example, as soon as we realized the Giants won the Super Bowl, we could picture in our minds the pass from Eli Manning, escaping the nearby defenders, to David Tyree, who caught the ball on top of his helmet. That catch allowed the Giants to keep the drive going that ultimately lead to the winning touchdown.

As we discussed it, we realized there are people who you remember without having to really think about it. So here are a few questions for you to think about to help discover the most important people of 2008:

Name a friend who helped you through a difficult time in 2008.
They deserve a toast!

Name a person who taught you something worthwhile in 2008.
Roll out the red carpet for them!

Name someone who made you feel special in 2008.
Give them a bigg party horn toot!

Name a person who you particularly enjoyed spending time with in 2008.
Reach out and touch them – figuratively, not literally!

This list is not exhaustive. Feel free to add categories. But you get the point – in spite of the fact that there are people who accomplish bigg things, who excel in their chosen field, we often don’t remember it.

It’s the people who affect us individually that we remember. We recall those little acts of kindness, that one-to-one help, individual caring and sharing. These things may seem small and inconsequential, but they’re not because they affect us personally.

So here’s one more question: Who would put you on their list?

We do! You’re on our list of the most important people of 2008 because you take time to check in on us. We thank you so much and wish you a peaceful, prosperous, and happy New Year! Here’s to your bigg success in 2009!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes.

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00298-123108.mp3

Related posts

Put Your Cocktail Napkin To Good Use

(Image in today's post by Tinneketin)

Battle Scarred vs. Battle Scared

George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:11:12 +0000

You’re probably familiar with the term “battle scarred,” which refers to the scars from wounds received in combat. Most of us are fortunate to not have to engage in real warfare where the scars are visible (i.e. physical) and invisible (i.e. mental). Our battles are more esoteric so our “scars” tend to be only the second kind – mental.

___

Today we want to talk about a different word – battle scared. It’s amazing what a difference that one “r” can make.

By our definition, “battle scared” means that the damage done in combat is so severe that the injured party doesn’t push on.

It’s possible to be battle scarred without becoming battle scared.

People who are battle scarred start with an open wound that leaves only a scar over time. For people who are battle scared, it’s as if the wound never closes.

Mentally, the battle is still fresh in their mind. So they’re unable to fight again today. Two people can engage in the same battle and experience the same thing. One pushes on to fight another day (the battle scarred) while the other can’t live with the memories of the battle (the battle scared).

An example: the recent financial crisis

We have an example of a battle recently – the financial troubles rolling through the economies of the developed world. We all may feel a little battle scared at this point because it is still so fresh in all of our minds. It’s important to pause and reflect so we’re only left with the scars of the battle.

Learn the proper lessons
“Stocks are too risky.”
“Playing the stock market is no different than gambling at a casino.”
“It’s the government’s fault.”
“It’s the banks’ fault.”

These are the wrong lessons to takeaway from this battle. They are the reactions of the battle scared.

“I took on too much debt.”
“I spent more than I took in.”
“I didn’t create a safety net for myself.”
“I focused too much on what I wanted now and not enough on my future.”
“I should have seen that stocks were risky.”

These are the right lessons to learn from this calamity. The battle scarred will come away with these things in mind.

Make the proper adjustments.
“I’m going to close out my 401(k).”
“I’m never going to invest in stocks again; they’re too risky.”
“I won’t take any risk ever again.”
“You can’t trust anyone.”

These knee jerk reactions are common among the battle scared.

“I’m going to have an emergency stash.”
“I’m going to get out of debt.”
“I’m going to learn to allocate my portfolio so I get decent returns for the risk I’m taking.”

The battle scarred will make adjustments, but they won’t go from one extreme to another.

Giving up gets you nowhere
We have to keep fighting. We have to learn the right things from every battle so we can make the correct adjustments. We should gain wisdom from the battles we fight. That wisdom will help us win the war faster with more certainty.

If we become battle scared, we fail. We fail to take advantage of the opportunities that will present themselves in the coming days. We fail to reach our full potential. We must resolve to learn from our battles and make the adjustments necessary to win the next one.

___

Get the tips and tools you need to be a BIGG success! Subscribe to the Bigg Success Weekly – it’s FREE!

___

We’re so glad you stopped by today! Come back next time to learn how to get on the radio as an expert in your field. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes.

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00268-111908.mp3

Smart Investors, Tough Times

(Image by Marion Doss, CC 2.0)

Mom’s Lasting Legacy

George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:30:42 +0000

Mother’s Day is bittersweet both for us since our moms have passed on. But their memories are always with us along with the lessons that we learned from them. That’s the lasting legacy of all of our moms.

Here are three lessons we each learned from our moms:

Mary-Lynn

Be confident in who you are.
I remember coming home from school one day in tears because some girls on the bus had made fun of me. Mom told me it doesn’t matter what other people say. She told me to walk away and ignore them. Don’t stoop down to their level because two wrongs don’t make a right. Then she hugged me and told me how special I was and how much she loved me.

Be willing to sacrifice.
Mom encouraged my sister and me to be in any extracurricular activities in which we were interested. She provided the rides – dropping us off and picking us up. She willingly gave of herself for us.

Think rainbows and butterflies, not gloom and doom.
This was one of mom’s sayings. She encouraged me to get in touch with my creative side and imagine the possibilities. She wanted me to feel free in that happy place. You can’t achieve your dreams if you’re in a gray, stormy place hiding under cover. I use this to this day when I’m having a down day.

George

It’s better to give than receive.
Mom always had this desire to help anyone in need. Even towards the end, as long as she was able, she would do anything to serve others. I remember one time she said that she had driven this “little old lady” to the doctor. Knowing that mom was about 85 at the time, I asked how old this woman was. “Oh, she’s about 87, I suppose.”

Make the most of your money.
Mom was a prodigious saver. She could stretch a penny further than anyone I’ve ever seen. One way she did this was to make ordinary things extraordinary. There were a number of meals that I thought were something special as a kid. It turned out they were leftovers or made with food that was going to go bad if she didn’t do something with it.

Don’t act your age.
I alluded to this earlier with the “little old lady” story. You’re only as old as you feel. Mom was 43 when I was born. I remember one of my friends coming over when I was a teenager. Mom got out and shot baskets with us. My friend commented on how cool my mom was because his mom would never do anything like that. Just so you know, his mom was at least 20 years younger than mine!

Turning memories into a gift for your mom
On the show, George shared a fantastic gift idea that was his sister Pat’s idea. Along with their two other sisters, they each wrote roughly 90 memories and gave it to their mom so she had a memory to read each day of the year. George said he doesn’t think his mom ever got a gift that made her so happy.

Obviously, it’s too late to do something like this Mother’s Day. But you could give your mom the gift of a memory e-mailed to her every day for the next year. It’s an amazing idea that’s very inexpensive yet very personal.