Recommended additions to the book list.

I got this recommended reading for those in the Freedom Fast Track from their website:



Killing Sacred Cows Garrett B. Gunderson. Killing Sacred Cows boldly exposes myths, fallacies, and misguided traditions about the world of personal finance and presents a revolutionary perspective on prosperity destined to shake up an industry and create unprecedented opportunity and wealth for mission-driven individuals.



Good to Great Jim Collins. Explore what goes into a company's transformation from mediocre to excellent. Based on hard evidence and volumes of data, the book author (Jim Collins) and his team uncover timeless principles on how the good-to-great companies like Abbott, Circuit City, Fannie Mae, Gillette, Kimberly-Clark, Kroger, Nucor, Philip Morris, Pitney Bowes, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo produced sustained great results and achieved enduring greatness, evolving into companies that were indeed ‘Built to Last'.


The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. Covey. Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has been a top-seller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology for proven principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity. Celebrating its fifteenth year of helping people solve personal and professional problems, this special anniversary edition includes a new foreword and afterword written by Covey exploring the question of whether the 7 Habits are still relevant and answering some of the most common questions he has received over the past 15 years.


As A Man Thinketh James Allen. As a Man Thinketh is a literary work of James Allen, published in 1902. The title is influenced by a verse in the Bible from the book of Proverbs chapter 23 verse 7, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.”

The Dog Poop Initiative Kirk A. Weisler. A true story of scoopers and poopers, Of pointers and heroes. Of those who score real goals, And those who score zeroes.
Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics Henry Hazlitt. Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics.


The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can (Paperback) Leslie Householder. "The story that will inspire you to dream bigger than ever. Richard is at the end of his financial rope and disappears into the woods behind his home. Where has he gone, and what is required of Felicity before she can find him? Unlock with Richard the secret behind the voice of inspiration and find out for yourself how truly dependable and ingenious your own inner voice can be."


The Law Frederic Bastiat. No work before or since has made such a compelling case for freedom. Bastiat's message will influence students of liberty for years to come.


The Laws of Lifetime Growth: Always Make Your Future Bigger Than Your Past (Hardcover) Dan Sullivan & Catherine Nomura. There are some who believe that they've already gone as far as they can go. Then, there are some who find the question inspiring, but feel they lack confidence or direction. Still, there are some who answer, "The sky's the limit!", but question how they're ever going to get there by lateral moves. No matter where you are in life: There's always room to grow. The Laws of Lifetime Growth offers remarkable, instantly usable insights, changing the way you think, and empowering you to take command of your future.

Leap Robert Castiglione. Bob Castiglione is a pioneer in applying the principles of economics to personal finance. His LEAP program is a unique and coordinated approach to building and protecting wealth.

Man's Search for Meaning Viktor E. Frankl. Frankl's timeless memoir and meditation on finding meaning in the midst of suffering With a new Foreword by Harold S. Kushner and a new Biographical Afterword by William J. Winslade Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful. At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, Man's Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey for the Library of Congress that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America. Beacon Press, the original English-language publisher of Man's Search for Meaning, is issuing this new paperback edition with a new Foreword, biographical Afterword, jacket, price, and classroom materials to reach new generations of readers.


The Master-Key to Riches (Paperback) Napoleon Hill. Based on the Andrew Carnegie formula for money-making, THE MASTER-KEY TO RICHES describes in step-by-step detail today's greatest practical philosophy of success....This amazing philosophy, culled from the success experiences of hundreds of the world's most powerful and wealthy men, will show you how to succeed in any walk of life.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams & Reaching Your Destiny (Paperback) Robin S. Sharma. Everyone loves a good fable, and this is certainly one. The protagonist is Julian Mantle, a high-profile attorney with a whacked-out schedule and a shameful set of spiritual priorities. Of course it takes a crisis (heart attack) to give Mantle pause. And pause he does--suddenly selling all his beloved possessions to trek India in pursuit of a meaningful existence. The Himalayan gurus along the way give simple advice, such as, "What lies behind you and what lies before you is nothing compared to what lies within you." Yet it is easy to forgive the story's simplicity because each kernel of wisdom is framed to address the persistent angst of Western white-collar professionals.

The Proper Role of Government Ezra Taft Benson. In a few pages, Benson is able to summarize what all of us know instinctually, but sometimes have a hard time explaining in the face of current moral non-absolutes in the political world.

The Prosperity Paradigm Steve D'Annunzio. We never see the way it is, we see the world the way we are. People have unknowingly been programmed with a series of fear-based beliefs that greatly influence how they see the world, and therefore what they can achieve in the world. The Prosperity Paradigm will help you clean the lens of your inner eye, so you can more clearly see the already existing opportunities in a new way.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! (Paperback) Robert T. Kiyosaki. Personal-finance author and lecturer Robert Kiyosaki developed his unique economic perspective through exposure to a pair of disparate influences: his own highly educated but fiscally unstable father, and the multimillionaire eighth-grade dropout father of his closest friend. The lifelong monetary problems experienced by his "poor dad" (whose weekly paychecks, while respectable, were never quite sufficient to meet family needs) pounded home the counterpoint communicated by his "rich dad" (that "the poor and the middle class work for money," but "the rich have money work for them"). Taking that message to heart, Kiyosaki was able to retire at 47. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, written with consultant and CPA Sharon L. Lechter, lays out his the philosophy behind his relationship with money. Although Kiyosaki can take a frustratingly long time to make his points, his book nonetheless compellingly advocates for the type of "financial literacy" that's never taught in schools. Based on the principle that income-generating assets always provide healthier bottom-line results than even the best of traditional jobs, it explains how those assets might be acquired so that the jobs can eventually be shed.

The Road Less Traveled M. Scott Peck. By melding love, science, and religion into a primer on personal growth, M. Scott Peck launched his highly successful writing and lecturing career with this book. Even to this day, Peck remains at the forefront of spiritual psychology as a result of The Road Less Traveled. In the era of I'm OK, You're OK, Peck was courageous enough to suggest that "life is difficult" and personal growth is a "complex, arduous and lifelong task." His willingness to expose his own life stories as well as to share the intimate stories of his anonymous therapy clients creates a compelling and heartfelt narrative.

The Science of Getting Rich: Attracting Financial Success through Creative Thought (Paperback) Wallace D. Wattles. In his bestselling book, Wallace D. Wattles explains that “universal mind” underlies and permeates all creation. Through the process of visualization we can engage the law of attraction--impressing our thoughts upon “formless substance” and bringing the desired object or circumstances into material form. The author emphasizes the critical importance of attitude: only by aligning ourselves with the positive forces of natural law can we gain unlimited access to the creative mind and its abundant rewards.


The Ultimate Gift: A Novel (Paperback) Jim Stovall. The intent of Jim Stovall, in writing this book, was to share the importance of life's major "gifts" in the form of a story. The author, Jim Stovall, has made many achievements himself; despite blindness, he has authored various books and is Co-founder and President of the Narrative Television Network.


Unique Ability: Creating the Life You Want (Paperback) Catherine Nomura, Julia Waller & Shannon Waller. For over twenty years, The Strategic Coach Inc. has helped successful entrepreneurs balance their lives and make more money by focusing on the things they love to do and do best. Now this wisdom has been made available to a general audience. Full of original ideas, enlightening stories, practical exercises, and Strategic Coach wisdom, this book is sure to change lives by showing readers how to explore the endless freedom and satisfaction that comes from doing what they love.

Wealth in Families (Paperback) Charles W. Collier. My purpose in writing Wealth in Families is to encourage you to think deeply about the fundamental questions surrounding wealth and its effect on your family. If I am successful, you may find yourself choosing to alter the ways in which you plan and act with regard both to your wealth and to your family.


Rich Dad's Who Took My Money?: Why Slow Investors Lose and Fast Money Wins! (Rich Dad's) (Paperback) Robert T. Kiyosaki. Having your money work for you instead of working for your money is a good practice. But beware of investment strategies that are easy but don't offer the chance to really learn about investing. Mutual funds, banks, and some brokers often want to lock your money into buy-and-hold schemes or, worse, to trade excessively and churn up fees. In an abridgment that is both concise and far-reaching, the authors describe a step-by-step strategy for not getting snookered. A core lesson for anyone wanting financial control, this is the best ever and most personal example of Rich Dad's financial wisdom, regardless of your current job or how much you have to invest.


AR

Thought for us all.

OK guys....the question has been lingering, what would we do with a big chunk of money if we had it. We obviously don't know exactly what to do right now, but here's a thought that I had today while listening to the Investors Paradigm Podcast (10/22/07).

What if someone came up to us 15 years ago and said I need YOU to teach the gospel to this family in a foreign country in a foreign language. 15 years ago we would have been baffled by this thought!! So the obvious is that now we know that we all pulled that off and were able to change lives and teach fluently. What happened to get us there?

1. We went to teachers and had them teach us the language and the gospel, and through our own studying and education these teachings became internalized.

2. We surrounded ourselves with like minded people that all had the sames goals and desires and standards that we had and we taught each other and learned from each other.

3. We went out into "the Field" and applied all the principles and strategies that we learned, continued to educate ourselves daily, continued to discipline ourselves daily and DID IT. Although we may have embarrassed ourselves many times, failed and got discouraged, we continued to do it until the fear was gone.

We may also be able to testify that even now we fail, because we have'nt kept up on the language, it slips a little and we need to up our education and application of these things. It's not out of reach to reach our potential and live our soul purpose, it just takes time.

Your thoughts?

AR

Ideas for Curriculum of Abundant Life Principles that helped me to have a paradigm shift:

1. Define your soul purpose

We focussed on 5 categories; Spiritual, Physical, Social, Mental and Financial and wrote down macro-goals, desires, wants, needs, talents, passions, etc. Then, with a new perspective on what is meaningful to us and what makes us happy in life, we wrote down a few "soul purposes". Throughout the process we wrote down many things that we will do on a daily/monthly and yearly basis that support our soul purposes. We are far from finished but it was a great start and has already changed our lives.

2. Study the principles
So far I have been able to identify and grasp the following few principles. i don't completely understand many of them so I will phrase them in a way that I understand:

a. God is the source of Prosperity
b. The earth's resources are abundant..not scarce!. A human beings talents, virtues and abilities are abundant...not scarce!.
c. exchange creates wealth.
d. exchange is encouraged by self-interest and leads to a division and improvement of labor. The improvement of labor benefits society because I am driven by self interest to provide the absolute best service and produce possible so that others will want to exchange.
e. dollars follow value. Therefore, seek to create value and not money.
f. People are either Producers or Consumers.
g. One's Soul Purpose should be the guide to their decisions in life.
h. Human life value is the source and creator of all property value and therefore humans are our most valuable assets...not $$, not a home, not a job, etc.

So far, some of the best sources to me for studying these principles are:

a. Rick Koerber and his Free Capitalist radio podcasts. ex: July 16, 2007 The Rick Koerber show podcast. I listen everyday.
b. Adam Smith and his book; The Wealth of Nations. I read it everyday.
c. Adam Record
d. Matt Wren
e. Kristen Record
f. The Word of God
g. putting them into practice everyday.

"keep the commandments of God and ye shall prosper"

SR

The Abundant Life According to The Prophet of God

The Abundant Life

By President Spencer W. Kimball

Always remember the source of prosperity and abundance
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10.)

link

Teasers from the talk:

"The abundant life is also achieved as we magnify our view of life, expand our view of others, and our own possibilities." Spencer W. Kimball

"The abundant life, of course, has little to do with the acquisition of material things, though there are many wonderful individuals who have been blessed materially and who use their wealth to help their fellowmen. The abundant life mentioned in the scriptures is the spiritual sum that is arrived at by the multiplying of our service to others and by investing our talents in service to God and to man."

"Self-mastery, then, is the key, and every person should study his own life, his own desires and wants and cravings and bring them under control."

"Man can transform himself and he must. Man has in himself the seeds of godhood, which can germinate and grow. As the acorn becomes the oak, the mortal man becomes a god. It is within his power to lift himself to the plane on which he should be."

another great talk on abundance

Teaser from the talk:

"One of the characteristics of the earth is its great abundance. For our benefit God has cached away in sixteen inches of topsoil the ingredients for food and clothing in rich abundance. A good farmer using proven agricultural methods may get many tons of a given crop from this earth-reservoir and still have his sixteen inches of topsoil left undiminished. The Creator has provided most growing things with many times more seeds than are necessary for their reproduction. Think how many kernels of corn grow on one stalk, and each kernel is capable of reproducing the entire plant."

"Each of our bodily organs was built much stronger than our needs ordinarily require. Our stomachs will hold far more food than is needed to keep us alive. We could see well with just one eye, but the Lord gave us two. We could hear with one ear, but the Lord has given us two. He gave us two kidneys, two lungs, and two nostrils. It is also true that by the same process of exercise, our minds, our personalities, and our faith can be almost inconceivably expanded. But our greatest possibility for expansion and development comes in the area of our talents, our virtues, and our abilities. These great personality powers are capable of the most fantastic multiplication."

SR

Quick Thought

Energy (Light) can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only be transferred from one source to another-

Challenge for the day: How can we utilize the principle taught in this statement to create value for others?

Organization Method

Adam and I were talking today and he mentioned something about organizing and we talked a little bit about it. A thought from 7 Habits came into my mind and I don't know exactly what context it was used, but I think it can be a great way to organize our time, our day and our lives.

Basically we can classify everything we do into 4 different categories of importance:

Urgent and Important: Time deadlines, phone calls that need to be made now, things that if you don't do them right now, there will be undesirable consequences.

Urgent, Not Important: A fellow co-worker comes up for a chat, things that you feel you need to do right now, for whatever reason, but that aren't really that important in the long run

Not Urgent, Important: Things like reading your scriptures, preparing for a test, deep cleaning the house, food storage, things that don't have immediate deadlines, but by accomplishing them, we find ourselves prepared down the road.

Not Urgent, Not Important: TV Shows, Movies, Meaningless Chatter about sports (Michelle would be proud of me for putting that) and anything else that we do that really doesn't create any lasting value for ourselves or for other people.

Quick Challenge,

Take today and organize some of the things that you did today into these four categories. I think that we spend our time far too often doing things in the Not Urgent, Not Important realm.

Start now and for the rest of the day, write down some of the things that are Urgent and Important and need to be done right now. Then write down things that are Not Urgent, but Important and do those things next.

MW

Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas 01-SEP-01 28

Here's another good one... I'm making it tonight. Visit www.vegetariantimes.com for some great recipes. That's where I got this one. You can do a recipe search... type in Black Beans and it will come up with a bunch of recipes that contain black beans. You can also find lots of vegan recipes here too... I love this site!

6 Servings -- Egg-free

Here’s a fresh-tasting Mexican dish that is as satisfying as it is simple to make.
Meal Plan: Serve with a sliced jicama and orange salad sprinkled with fresh lime juice and a dash of cayenne.

2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1/3 cup sliced scallions (white and light green parts)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Dash of ground chipotle (optional)
20-oz. can low-sodium enchilada sauce
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or soy cheese (2 oz.)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. In large nonstick skillet, combine black beans, corn, scallions and tomato. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup cilantro, oregano, cumin and chipotle powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Coat medium baking dish with thin layer of enchilada sauce.
3. Place tortillas in stack on microwavable plate; cover with moist paper towel. Microwave tortillas on high until soft and heated through, about 1 minute. Dip tortillas in enchilada sauce to lightly coat and spread with about 1/4 cup bean mixture. Roll tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish. Spoon any remaining filling over enchiladas and cover with remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and bake, uncovered, until bubbling, 15 minutes.
4. Sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and serve.

PER enchilada: 235 CAL; 9 G PROT; 8 G TOTAL FAT (4 SAT. FAT); 34 G CARB.; 20 MG CHOL; 138 MG SOD.; 7 G FIBER