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Focusing ahead of the line means the future - the time between right now and everything that comes after this

Behind the line is the actions, decisions mistakes and successes of our past, the moments and years that existed just prior to this moment. We can’t change what is behind the line so the best we can do is learn from it and make decisions about what is ahead of the line.

We all have priorities but way too often we do not consider these when making a decision in the moment.

Right now - right here I can choose to include what is truly important in what I will say or do or I can settle for something that might look good and actually be a truly good use of my time, but if it does not help move me closer to my larger objectives or fulfill me emotionally by addressing a priority in my life then I have let good over ride great and mediocrity becomes acceptable.

Be sure to stop by and check out the Personal Finance Carnival at The Simple Dollar, were LivingReal’s Debt Reduction Is For Everyone post is featured.

A friend of mine used to sell water hoses. No he didn’t work at a hardware store with garden hoses, his hoses were part of a complex cutting machine used to cut steel and hard stone. The water was not a part of cooling the cutting blades, they were the cutting blades.  Focused high pressure water used to slice through thick pieces of hardened steel and marble.

The cutting force of the water is a result of the tiny size of the orifice through which it is pushed.

And so it is the same with us and our goals, focused activity aimed at a single object, has the power to cut through the objections of our clients, the criticism of our well meaning friends & relatives, the negative self talk, the baggage of our past, the false claims of competition, the pull of the refrigerator, the excuses we tell ourselves and the rationalizations we entertain.

Just like a sharp knife whose weighted handle and long blade give power to the finely honed edge, our clearly defined goals can slice through the things that have held us back  and take us to the top of the hill, where the tipping point occurs and success is ours!

“So it’s just water huh?” said the fool, as he moved his finger across the stream coming out of the machine. He quickly learned the lesson of focused energy as he grabbed the severed end of his finger tip. Whether it is the slow moving river that cut the Grand Canyon or the laser of water that cuts steel Your well defined goals, if they come from your heart, give you the YES you need to move mountains.

Vitamins: tested and rated

Here is another story in the public media demonstrating the superior quality of USANA Sciences over all other vitamin supplement brands. Dear Friends - if you already understand the importance of nutritional supplements to your continued good health - why would you throw your money away on any product that is poorly rated by science and doctors.

You can read the article here - or on Yahoo 

You can learn more about USANA by clicking here 

Reporter: Helen Wellings
Broadcast Date: August 07, 2007

From A to zinc, a staggering 70 per cent of Australians buy nutritional supplements, spending on average $200 per year: a total of $2.3 billion.

But it is hard to know which to choose, from a mind-blowing 30,000 different types on the market. An extraordinary scientific analysis by a team of Canadian and US biochemists may come to the rescue.

They have thoroughly examined more than 100 leading multivitamins available in Australia and New Zealand, evaluating and comparing their formulations by separating and measuring each ingredient: vitamins, minerals antioxidants and other components.

Dr Lesley Braun, Pharmacist and Naturopath from the National Herbalists Association of Australia and Dr Marc Cohen, Professor of Complementary Medicine at RMIT are the authors of Herbs and Natural Supplements.

We showed them the latest comparison of multivitamin products which scores brand by brand.

“What you’ve got is seven experts from the US that have put together what I would call a wish list, a list of ingredients they believe would be the ultimate to have in a multivitamin,” Dr Braun said.

Professor Cohen added: “It was done on a range of issues, which include how absorbable the vitamins were, the range of vitamins and minerals that were in the tablet and whether they were in the appropriate amounts and in the appropriate form” says Professor Marc Cohen.

Dr Braun explained the research further.

“Their aim is to try to find a product on the market that is as close as possible to their wish list of the most comprehensive, of the highest doses, for them what they would consider the best,” Dr Braun said.

“It is very important when you look at a vitamin supplement that not only have you got the key ingredients, but you’ve got them in the right combinations.”

They say the absolutely perfect multivitamin tablet would be a huge “poly-pill”, the size of a walnut, but Professor Cohen says we should be aiming for the following.

“The full range of vitamins e.g. A, the full range of vitamin Bs - and B should be done in a complex, not just 1 or 2 of the vitamins - certainly vitamin C and a range of minerals,” Prof Cohen said.

“There is also an argument to say you should not put everything in the one pill because things absorb differently, e.g. the fat soluble vitamins.”

Now the results

First, the final top 5 scorers. Remember they’re rated against an ideal multi-vitamin pill.Best: USANA Health Sciences Essentials scores a very high 74 per cent, followed by Solgar Omnium at 56.5 per cent.

Thorn Research Al’s Formula scored 47 percent, Clinicians Vitamin and Mineral Boost 45 per cent, and NFS Nutraceuticals Ultimate Sports Multi 44.5 per cent.

But you won’t find them at the supermarket nor pharmacies: they’re available online, some through naturopaths and herbalists.

What is it that gave these brands such top ratings?

“They do contain a lot of the B group vitamins, the antioxidants that are traditional vitamins, so bioflavonoids. And they contain a few other little bits and pieces as well in high doses, such as the minerals with magnesium and calcium,” Dr Braun said.

“A lot of the key ingredients are in very high doses. So when you match it up to the wish list that the US experts put together, it looks very good.”

Most of the multivitamins tested scored lower than 20 per cent. Again though, all were rated against the ideal.

About one-third only managed single figure scores. Bottom of the list, unbelievably, some of our top supermarket and pharmacy brands: Myadec and Nature’s Own Multivitamins and Minerals both with just 2.4 per cent,

Herron Clinical Nutrition All-in-One Multi-Vitamin and Mineral scored 2 per cent, Guardian Multi Vitamins and Minerals Hi Potency also 2 per cent, and last was Advocare Macro-Mineral Complex at just 1 per cent.

But at a fraction of the price of the top scorers, our expert nutritionists say you do get what you pay for.

“They tend to have fewer number of ingredients compared to the ones that rated very highly,” Dr Braun said.

“Also the strength of the ingredients tended to be lower.

“So I see them as just a very basic stopgap for someone whose diet really needs some work, whereas as they go higher in the list, they become more sophisticated and have better combinations.”

Professor Cohen said: “I think the ones in the supermarkets and pharmacies are competing on price. You could have the vitamin on the label and only a very tiny amount. It won’t actually do anything for you, but it is still on the label and consumers don’t really know how much is the correct amount.”

So are the right vitamins worth the money?

“Go with the ones that are comprehensive in good doses, the ones on the list,” Dr Braun said. “Ideally though, go to a health professional, get your diet looked at, start working on the diet and get the right supplement for you.”

“There is strong evidence now that everyone over the age of 55 should be taking a multivitamin every day to prevent long-term diseases,” Prof Cohen said.

“I’d extend that to say everyone should be taking a multivitamin because the risks are very low and the benefits are potentially very high.”

So what does an expert take daily? Here’s a tip: don’t waste your money taking multivitamins with a cup of tea.

“The best way to take them is in the morning with breakfast, big glass of water,” Prof Braun said. “Tea not so good because it binds some of the iron and you won’t get the absorption, cancels out the iron.”

Dr Lesley Braun takes:

• “Dona Glucosamine” by Your Health.
• “CoQ10″, Co-enzyme Q10 by BioCeuticals for healthy cardio-vascular function and good for people taking statins for lowering cholesterol. Lesley also takes them for migraine.
• “Multi-biocomplex” with selenium, a multivitamin by Nutrimedicine.
• A bowl of blueberries which are neuro regenerative - to combat the loss of brain-cells due to ageing. If she can’t buy fresh in season, she buys frozen blueberries.

National Herbalists Association of Australia.
Website: www.nhaa.org.au

Dr Lesley Braun and Professor Marc Cohen wrote “Herbs and Natural Supplements: An Evidence Based Guide. Published by Elsevier, November 2004. ISBN 0729536823. Contains 567 pages. Price $A40.

TEST RESULTS
The scores and brand analysis of multi-vitamins, as mentioned in our story, are in Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. A Compendium of over 100 Products available in Australia and New Zealand, written by Lyle MacWilliam BSc, MSc, FP. (Northern Dimensions Publishing, Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. Revised 1st Edition).

But it is not in bookshops in Australia. Go to www.uniprotools.com.au. You can order the book from that site by selecting Lyle MacWilliam’s name on the left-hand side of the page. Price is $40 including postage and handling.

Nutritional Supplements sorted by score
USANA Health Sciences Essentials 73.7
Solgar Omnium 56.5
Thorne Research Al’s Formula 46.9
Clinicians Vitamin and Mineral Boost 45.1
NFS Nutraceuticals Ultimate Sports Multi 44.5
Thorne Research Basic Nutrients V 44.4
Thorne Research Basic Nutrients III 38.7
Solgar VM-2000 37.9
Pharmanex Lifepak 28.1
Amway NutriWay Double X 27.3
GNC LiveWell Women’s Ultra Mega 26.1
Pharmanex Lifepak Women 25.6
BioCeuticals Multi Essentials 25.3
Pharmalliance OxiChel 24.8
Neways Orachel 24.1
Solgar Formula VM-75 23.1
Radiance Multi-Power 22.6
Nutra Life Active Men’s Multi 22.3
GNC LiveWell Mega Men 21.2
Pharmanex Lifepak Prime 21.0
Nature’s Sunshine Supplemental Vitamins & Minerals 20.6
Thompson’s Multifort 17.5
Nature’s Way Mega Multi 17.1
Thompson’s Immunofort 16.9
Nutra Life Active Women’s Multi Plus 16.4
Eagle Tresos B PluSe 16.4
Nature’s Way Women’s Energy Mega Multivitamin 16.4
Pharm-a-Care Women’s Mega Strength Multi-Vitamins 16.4
Bioglan Women’s Complete Multi Compex 16.4
Pretorius Women’s Live Better Multi Vitamin & Mineral 16.3
Kordel’s Men’s Multi (without Iron) 15.4
Nutrition Care Formula SF88 15.1
Blackmores Women’s Vitality Multi 14.1
Metagenics Multigenics 14.1
Red Seal Women’s Multi 14
Nature’s Own Daily Multi Peak Performance 14
Mannatech GlycoLEAN Catalyst 13.9
Natural Nutrition Mega Potency Women’s Multi Vitamin with Selenium 13.7
Nature’s Sunshine Mega-Chel 13.5
Metagenics Multigenics Phyto Plus 13.5
Blackmores Women’s Multi & Evening Primrose Oil 13.4
Natural Nutrition Mega Potency Fifty Plus Multi Vitamins 13.4
Blackmores Sustained Release Women’s Multi Vitamins & Minerals 13.3
Natural Nutrition Mega Potency Men’s Multi Vitamin with Selenium 13.3
Red Seal Men’s Multi 13.3
Pharm-a-Care Men’s Mega Strength Multi-Vitamin 11.7
Bioglan Men’s Complete Multi Complex 11.6
Nature’s Way Men’s Energy Mega Multi-Vitamin Iron-Free 11.6
Blackmores Sustained Release Multi Vitamins and Minerals 11.5
Swisse Women’s Ultivite Formula 1 11.5
Pluravit Time-Release Multi 11.5
Thompson’s Men’s Multi with Antioxidants 11.3
Herbs of Gold Executive Multi Vitamin & Mineral 11.1
Golden Glow Senior’s One-A-Day Multi 11.1
Swisse Women’s Ultivite No Iron or Iodine 10.9
Swisse Men’s Ultivite Formula 1 10.8
Blackmores Sustained Release Multi Vitamins & Minerals + Selenium 10.7
Melaleuca Vitality for Women 10.6
Reliv Now 10.4
Nature’s Own Multivitamin Plus Omega 3 Fish Oil 9.1
Avon VitAdvance Women’s Complete II 9.1
Good Health Men’s Multi-Plus 9.1
Pharma Foods Pharma Day with Selenium 8.7
Herbalife Formula 3 8.7
Kordel’s Women’s Multi Plus EPO 8.6
Cenovis Mega Multi 8.4
Thompson’s Femmefort 8.3
Microgenics Mega Multivitamin 8
Melaleuca Vitality for Men 7.5
Reliv Classic 7.5
Nutrition Care Formula 33SE 7.4
Microgenics Women’s Pro Active Multi Vitamin 6.8
Golden Glow Super One-A-Day 6.7
Herron Clinical Nutrition Men’s Multi-Vitamin & Minerals 6.2
Blackmores Men’s Performance Multi 6.2
Good Health Women’s Multi-Plus 6
Vitaplex Professional One a Day Multivitamin 5
New Vision Essential Vitamins 4.7
Centrum Select 50+ 4.3
Amway NutriWay Daily 4.2
Microgenics Men’s Essential Multivitamin 4.1
Myadec Gold A-Z Guard 4
Red Seal Total Multi with Minerals 3.9
Centrum Complete from A to Zinc 3.9
Cenovis 50+ Multi 3.8
Guardian Women’s Multi Vitamins & Minerals 3.6
Herron Clinical Nutrition One-a-Day Women’s Multi-Vitamins & Minerals 3.6
Cenovis Multivitamin and Minerals 3.4
Amcal One-A-Day 3.3
Berocca Performance 3.2
Healtheries Women’s Multi (AU) 3.2
Cenovis Women’s Multi 3.1
Nature’s Own Daily Multi Essentials 3.1
Pluravit Women 3.1
Golden Glow Women’s One-a-Day Multi 3.1
Blackmores Multi + Gingko for 55+ 3
Pluravit 50 Plus 3
Healtheries Women’s Multi (NZ) 2.7
Hivita LiquiVita 2.6
Red Seal One-a-Day Multi & Minerals 2.6
Amcal Multivitamin & Mineral Effervescent 2.6
Golden Glow Men’s One-a-Day Multi 2.5
Bioglan Daily Plus Max 2.5
Cenovis Men’s Multi 2.5
Myadec Multivitamins and Minerals 2.4
Nature’s Own Multivitamin & Mineral 2.4
Herron Clinical Nutrition All-in-One Multi-Vitamin & Mineral 2.1
Guardian Multi Vitamins & Minerals Hi Potency 2.1
Advocare Macro-Mineral Complex 1.1

Source: Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle MacWilliam, BSc, MSc, FP (Northern Dimensions Publishing, ISBN 0-9732538-3-5

In a world filled with so many choices and options it becomes proportionately more difficult to clarify our wants dreams and desires.

As it is now not only acceptable but expected that a woman would have a career outside of the home, those choosing the position of full time mothers are looked upon oddly. And still the woman who drops her child off at a day care provider on her way to the office often struggles between her desire for success in the marketplace and her maternal instincts. The same can be said of fathers who have come to cherish their role in the nurturing process.

These difficult choices extend to seemingly less important areas of life while creating decision making dilemmas everywhere we turn. What to order in a restaurant, which toothpaste to use, where to go on vacation, which television channel to watch, whose opinion to believe, what do I want to be when I grow up?????

H ow is one to plan a strategy for life when the choices are so numerous and our ability and willingness to make decisions are exhausted and drained by the simple act of going through the day?

Getting from point A to point B is the overall purpose.

Point A is where things are at today.

(Things = income, emotions & feelings, workload, time constraints, personal and family situations)

Point B is the clear vision of the life you want to create for yourself within the framework of family, career and personal dreams wants and desires.

We must not let the burden of or the reality of Point A to hinder the development of the vision of Point B. In other words, don’t let the muck of everyday life clog the gears of your mind in developing a clear vision of where you want to be in the future nor the creative flow required to plan the course to get there.

In addition to muck is fear. Let’s recognize it and face it. Fear will often back down when faced head on.

Fear of: Family reactions

Income disruptions

Failure

Disappointment

Client reaction

Employee reaction

Personal discomfort

On one end of the scale is fear. Balanced on the opposite end of the scale is the muck of life today. True – along with the muck are all the benefits and accolades that come from providing a good life and living to yourself and your family. But it feels like muck, the continuing demands that grow each day that become toxic. Muck has the tendency to grow and spread and infect and suck you in further.

Clarifying Point B and making it so big & bright & colorful & attractive is step one

Now climb out of the muck by facing the fears

Get Rich Slowly has written a great review of a new documentary about the credit industry, Maxed Out.

It’s a sort of Super Size Me, but with credit cards instead of hamburgers. Here’s the trailer:

What I liked
Maxed Out peeks into all corners of the credit industry. It shows us borrowers and lenders, payday lenders and pawnbrokers, commentators and collection agents.

We meet Chris and Bob, for example, the owners of People First, a Minneapolis debt collection agency. They claim their company takes a kinder, gentler approach, but then gleefully compare their tactics to those used by pirates. We also meet Lynn Stavert, a California woman whose husband recently died, leaving her unable to make the $4,000/month mortgage payment. (She used credit card cash advances for a while before giving up.) The various stories illustrate how our lifestyles have become thickly entangled with easy credit.

The film notes that lenders make money from poor credit risks. Banks don’t give you credit because they think you can repay it — they give you credit because they think you can’t.

Read the rest at Get Rich Slowly.

A good friend has always had the dream of raising dogs. Whether he would do this as a full time endeavor or a hobby isn’t clear, but the experience of being involved on a daily basis with the birthing and nurturing of quality dogs has always intrigued him - for years. With a full time career and an above average income this family man with home and cars and yard work and marriage doesn’t have much time for his family dog, let alone a whole pack of young pups.

But life is meant for living and enjoying and experiencing. If my friend finds himself one day, at age 60 or 65 or 70 and still has not tried his hand at dog raising there is a very great chance that he will look back with regret and remorse.

Tom was trained as a carpenter, and he was good at it. Ran his own show and was never lacking for work as word of mouth always brought new customers. He enjoyed the freedom of being his own boss and doing work that he loved. A look into the future gave Tom a reality check that his chosen profession was not the best choice for his future career. First there was the physical side. What his young 20 something body could handle his 30 something body was starting to feel. Then the freedom. Every day he took off from work was a day without pay. He recognized and accepted his lack of desire and ability to manage employees, he just did not fit into his paradigm of enjoyable work.

So —– in his early 30’s he made a switch, learned finance, followed his love of cars and now, in his 50s he is well established as the finance manager of a successful auto dealer, a career from which can retire or work for many more years. He has found time for many of his hobbies and his growing family.

John was not so visionary in his profession. A well respected and skilled painter and wall paper installer, John hired employees on a regular basis but his skill and speed at paper hanging always called for hands on work. His solid income, good reputation and enjoyment of his work caused him to never stop and consider the future. After his second knee operation and constant neck pain from the demands of the job he realized he could no longer continue his chosen profession.

Waiting until his 50’s when his body was giving out made his transition much more difficult. The need to return to school was not easy and the course work was incredibly difficult.

A strategy to prepare for the future which recognizes a person’s desires, dreams and physical realities becomes the plan to assure a fulfilled life of satisfaction and happiness rather than regret and remorse.

From Steve: Visionex is a product I have just ordered for the first time. Having had lasik surgery two years ago and needing to use ‘reader’ glasses more and more often, and then hearing from friends about cataracts - it is only prudent to do all i can to protect my eyes - I plan on using them alot in the future

USANA Health Sciences announced that its supplement Visionex™ has been evaluated and approved by ConsumerLab.com, LLC. A leading provider of independent test results and information, ConsumerLab.com (“CL”) helps consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health, wellness, and nutritional products.

In a recent blind study, CL purchased and evaluated lutein and zeaxanthin products from various nutritional supplement manufacturers to determine whether they contained the amounts of the compounds as stated on their labels. Upon completion, CL announced that USANA’s Visionex had “met [its] label claim and ConsumerLab.com’s standards for lutein and zeaxanthin products.”

“ConsumerLab.com is an organization at the forefront of research in the arenas of nutrition and health,” said USANA’s Executive Vice President of Research & Development Tim Wood. “USANA takes great pride in the quality systems and manufacturing practices we have established, and we are honored to have obtained this qualification from a company as reputable and highly regarded as CL.”

According to its Web site, CL publishes results of its tests at www.consumerlab.com, which receives more than 3 million visits per year, as well as in its acclaimed book, ConsumerLab.com’s Guide to Buying Vitamins & Supplements, and in special technical reports. In the past eight years, CL has tested more than 1,900 products, representing hundreds of different brands and nearly every type of popular supplement. Its research is cited frequently in the media, in books, and at medical meetings.

Over the years I have been given the opportunity to work with many different populations of people. This has been both an education and an honor. I realize from time to time how fortunate this has been to connect with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.

‘Variety’ is a way of saying from the full strata of economics, race, culture, education, intelligence, common sense, sense of humor, contentment, family background, criminal records, haves and have nots. These experiences and meetings have come about through managing a non-profit organization and owning a staffing business.

Currently my family is hosting a young engineering student from Spain who is in America for two months to improve his English. His curiosity led me to share that we have hosted five French students and 2 ladies from Korea prior to himself. We are also supporting a young girl in Nicaragua through World Vision and previously supported a girl in Thailand for over 15 years.

But I transgress

My point is that this exposure has shown me the importance of financial and physical fitness as the firm foundation of success in other areas of life. This goes deeper than saying that a person has to have money and be in good health.

Having money is different than managing money. I know many people who have the uncanny ability to make money. Far larger sums have flowed through their hands over the years than most average folks, but there is little to show for it. This is not to say that the accumulation of material possessions is a sign of wealth, nor large bank balances.

He &/or she who controls money, rather than be controlled by money has developed other traits and skills. Sound money management requires and develops wisdom, a sense of right and wrong, an empirical knowledge and gut feeling. Wisdom comes from above.

Sound money management develops a sense of priorities. It teaches patience as we make one choice over another, unaffected by Wall Street, Madison Avenue, advertising and peer pressure. It maintains control through learning wise decision making.

Wisdom, a sense of Priorities, good Decision Making - don’t these traits have an impact on other parts our life? If we lack these skills will this not cause a negative impact?

Physical Fitness on the surface is important as it helps us move around easier, pain free and avoid illness. A person who controls their eating habits and maintains a regular exercise routine has developed other very useful skills and sense of self. Self Discipline is the first and most obvious.

A person who can say no to tempting foods, who wakes up and goes to sleep when the rest of the world is resting and partying has developed discipline over them self for a greater purpose. The byproduct of this discipline is a strong sense of Self Worth, Self Esteem and Self Confidence - traits that bolster all other activities and endeavors in our life.

Financial Fitness leads to

• Wisdom
• Patience
• Sense of Priorities
• Wise Decision Making

Physical Fitness leads to

• Self Discipline
• Self Confidence
• Self Esteem
• Self Worth

For these reasons I focus a portion of the coaching process in these areas, building a solid foundation.

Thoughts?