Well, the end of the year is in sight and, while there are still a few deals being done and a few smart investors are taking advantage of the opportunities that desperate sellers at this time of year can represent, I thought that this might be a good time to look back on the past year and see what we can learn from it.

Remember…“To acquire knowledge, one must study…but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Lesson 1.
There will always be doomsayers and they will always want to convince us that “the sky is falling”. The biggest mistake any of us can make is to a. listen to them or b. act on their advice.
Lesson 2.
Whilst we can always make some generalisations about the market overall, every market is different and will behave in different ways. Even during the settling of the market over the past year or so, some suburbs have done markedly better than adjoining suburbs. The key to being an astute investor is to understand what drives the market over the longer term, so you are well placed to do better than the average.
Lesson 3.
No boom ever lasts forever. The remarkable growth in property values over the past 5 or 6 years was in itself a “once in a lifetime” event, and could not be sustained forever. Those who made investment decisions based on an assumption that growth in property values would continue unabated learned a hard lesson.
Lesson 4.
The fact that property values Australia-wide only settled back by 5% shows just how sound the overall market really is. In the longer term, there is every reason to believe that values will continue to double every 10 years or so.
Lesson 5.
At the end of the day, ensuring that you enjoy the best available returns from your investment is less about your timing of the market, and more about your time IN the market.

Cheers,
Bertram

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On my travels in December to Bali I made it a point to meet with David Booth the founder of the East Bali Poverty Project, as I had heard about the great work that he was doing for these very poor and uneducated people in Bali. Bali is so well known for it’s destination as a tourist mecca and yet abject poverty exists just a few kilometers down the road. So, with this in mind I met with David and then visited these remote hamlets in the mountains not far from the nightclubs and fancy restaurants and hotels.

What I learned was that the commitment of an inspired individual could in a short period of time turn around the lives of over 3500 families in a poor and illiterate community. It made me want to help and assist and I am asking you to watch this short video in the hope that you too may want to chip in and do your bit. Here’s hoping.

Namaste

Bertram



I thought that this video was worth featuring as it says so much that I would like to say. Please enjoy.

Namaste

Bertram



Native American wisdom:

"Once I was in Victoria, and I saw a very large house. They told me it was a bank and that the white men place their money there to be taken care of, and that by and by they got it back with interest. We are Indians and we have no such bank; but when we have plenty of money or blankets, we give them away to other chiefs and people, and by and by they return them with interest, and our hearts feel good. Our way of giving is our bank." – Chief Maquinna, Nootka

Namaste

Bertram

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Two people will have the same vision, set the same financial goals, and create the same action plan…

  And sure enough, one will reach their goal, and the other one will not. What it is that makes the difference?

  It comes down to our internal invisible filament, otherwise known as our subconscious Self Image.

  You see, we each have a hidden Self Image, which is the subconscious belief about ourselves, how
successful we believe we are, and what we believe we deserve.

  It’s analogous to a filament in a light bulb…

  Even though there is enough energy to plug in a spot-light and light up the entire sky if you’re only working with a 40 watt bulb,
you’re not going to get much light.

  At best, you might illuminate the small corner of a room.

  Our hidden Self-Image works the same way.  The Universe can only do for us, what can flow through us.

  You have unlimited potential and energy available to you, but how much are you willing to allow to flow
through you?

  Herein lies the challenge…

Most people face very strong and powerful reasons why they won’t (despite wanting to) increase their
hidden Self-Image.

Anthony Robbins speaks about the 6 core needs of people and sadly many folk utilise only four and

leave out the two most important ones; Growth and Contribution, which come from a good self image.

So what will you do today to enhance your hidden self image? It is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

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 “You don’t have to be religious or spiritual to be conscious, you just have to be yourself and continue to be in the moment that presents itself.”
– Amir Zoghi –

Who are you when you are not being yourself? The moment you are being someone other than yourself, what happens to the True you? And what is it that continually invites you to be someone else rather than who you are anyway? These are good questions for you and are all worth pondering for some time.

Being yourself does not mean being a person you think you should be, neither does it mean being the person that another person has made you feel that you ought to be. Being yourself requires your entire acceptance of yourself just as you are. It has nothing to do with right or wrong, nothing to do with good, better, bad or worse. To be who you are takes more courage than it does to be someone else that you’re not. It takes great courage to stand as you are and speak who you are without the attachment of receiving the appraisal of others.

You only seek to be someone other than who you are when you are not accepting yourself just as you are. This has nothing to do with others accepting you, but with you accepting yourself. But how can you fully embrace and accept who you are, my dear, when you keep comparing yourself to your past memories or your future ideals? Acceptance of yourself can only be attained in one moment and that is the moment that presents itself to you, the present moment. The present moment is the only moment where you can Truly be yourself. When who you are is being determined by your past or future you are experiencing the shadow of who you Truly are.

Instead of trying to be someone by doing something great or by owning great things, begin to realise that you are someone great regardless. Realise that you are someone special, just as you are. What makes you special is that you are unique in who you are and you will experience this uniqueness simply by being the ‘you’ without the agendas. Let go of the past ‘you’ and the future ‘you’, and give yourself permission to embrace the ‘you’ who has presented itself in this present moment here and now. That’s special.

 By Amir Zoghi

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Every single one of us is a broadcast station.

 

We are broadcasting a vibration of the major thoughts that we are holding. Our thoughts tend to show up in the way we hold our faces, the way our shoulders are tense or relaxed, and how much we walk with a lift in our step, or with the heaviness of a drudge.

  You are broadcasting to the Universe the energy of your predominant thoughts. These thoughts, through the Law of Attraction, draw unto you ideas, people, circumstances and situations that are in exact accord or coherence with the prayers you’re saying–even if you might not realize that your thoughts actually are your prayers.

  On this day, let us make a decision to create a magnificent day by broadcasting gratitude. Let’s broadcast appreciation and feel how good and precious it is to be in this human life this day.

 

Broadcasting Abundance,

Mary Morrissey

  

 

 

http://marymorrissey.com/meet-mary-morrissey

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