A Fast Nickel is Better Than a Slow Dime

I came across this idiom while reading “Wealth Cure – Putting Money in Its Place” by Hill Harper.  While Sales and Marketing professional will always take a fast nickel over a slow dime – in our personal lives, it can be harmful to succumb to instant gratification.  Hill writes, “The problem is that there are huge industries geared toward making people pay to live with those sorts of ghosts. There is the plastic surgery industry, the weight loss industry, the personal training industry, the makeup industry, the fashion industry, the hair-and-nails industry. It stands to reason that many of us buy into these industries because we are unhappy with who we are and, in one way or another, are living with a ghost of a life.”  While we chase the “fast nickel” you should instead slow yourself down and focus on obtaining the “slow dime”.

Hill writes that the two biggest happiness stealers in life are the areas of health and debt. To help focus on generating wealth he created a “list” to help keep focused on obtaining the “slow dime”.

• To build and maintain a healthy body and attitude; to do some form of exercise daily.

• To live credit-card debt free.

• To not let myself fall into the trap of debt in general and live under the cloud of owing money to various entities.

• To nurture and grow deeper friendships and relationships with loved ones.

• To give back in some way every day, whether through my foundation as a mentor or simple acts of kindness.

• To continue to work toward having a family of my own and having a two-parent, stable, and happy household for our kids.

• To continue to act in and create projects that uplift, inspire, and entertain.

• To take risks. and live courageously.

• To approach obstacles and opportunities the same way-with an attitude of gratitude.

• To say "please" and "thank you" even more.

• To give, give, give of my money, time, and talent.

• To remember that money plus wellness equals wealth.

• To be a peaceful warrior, having the energy of a warrior in the spirit of peace.

• To be a purveyor of new ideas and creative solutions to problems, rather than complaining about what "isn't being done" or how things "should be done."

 

He also offered a list of suggested readings and resources:

 

PERSONAL FINANCE

Books

Bariromo, Maria. Ten Laws of Enduring Success. New York: Crown, 2011.

Givens, Charles. More Wealth Without Risk. New York: Pocket, 1995.

Greene, Robert. The 48 Laws of Power. New York: Penguin, 2000.

Lewis, Michael. The Big Short. New York: Norton, 2010.

Lynch, Peter. One Up on Wall Street, 2nd ed. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000.

Miller, Percy. Guaranteed Success. New York: Urban Books, 2007.

Orman, Suze. Suze Orman's Money Kit for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke. New York: Riverhead, 2007.

--. The 9 Steps to Fiancial Freedom. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2006.

Ramsay, Dave. The Total Money Makeover. 3rd ed. New York: Thomas Nelson, 2009.

Simmons, Russell. Super-Rich. New York: Gotham, 2011.

Stanley, Thomas, and William Danko. The Millionaire Next Door. New York: Taylor, 2010.

Timmons, Jacquette M. Financial Intimacy: How to Create a Healthy Relationship with Your Money and Your Mate. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2010.

Websites

www.buxfer.com

www.daveramsey.com

www.fidelity.com

www.kiplinger.com

www.mint.com

www.money.msn.com

www.msmoney.com

www.suzeorman.com

www.thepennysaved.com

www.wellsfargo.com (My Money Map, My Spending Report, Budget Watch, and My Savings Plan®)

www.wsj.com/personalfinance

 

ON FINDING YOUR PASSION

Books

Bissonnette, Zac. Debt-Free U. New York: Portfolio, 2010.

Boller, Richard N. What Color Is Your Parachute? Rev. ed. New York: Ten Speed, 2010.

Gardner, Chris. Start Where You Are. New York: HarperCollins, 2009.

Johnson, Tory. Fired to Hired. New York: Berkley, 2009.

Lore, Nicholas. The Pathfinder. New York: Fireside, 1998.

Miller, Dan. 48 Days to the Work You Love. New York: B&H Books: 2010.

Rubin, Gretchen. The Happiness Project. New York: HarperCollins, 2009.

Websites

www.career-advice.monster.com

www.careerbuilder.com

www.careerkey.com

www.careers.org

www.efinancialcareers.com

 

INSPIRATION

Books

Alborn, Mitch. The Five People You Meet in Heaven. New York: Hyperion, 2003.

Bruno, Dave. The 100 Thing Challenge. New York: HarperCollins, 2011.

Byrne, Rhonda. The Secret. New York: Atria, 2006.

Carlson, Richard. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. .. and It's All Small Stuff New York: Hyperion, 1997.

Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Dittmar, Warren. Completing the Wheel. New York: iUniverse, 2010.

Jackson, Harry R. The Way of the Warrior. New York: Chosen Books, 2007.

Jay-Z. Decoded. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010.

Martel, Yann. The Life of Pi. New York: Mariner, 2003.

Murray, Liz. Breaking Night. New York: Hyperion, 2010.

Pausch, Randy, andJeffrey Zaslow. The Last Lecture. New York: Hyperion, 2008.

Ruiz, Don Miguel. The Four Agreements. New York: Amber-Allen, 1997.

Shange, Ntozake. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf New York: Scribner, 1997.

VanZant, Iyanla. Peace Through Brolwn Pieces. New York: Smiley Books, 2010.

Whyte, David. Crossing the Unknown Sea. New York: Riverhead, 2002.

--. The Three Marriages. New York: Riverhead, 2010.

Websites

www.goodreads.com

www.gratefulness.org

www.gratitudelog.org

www.happiness-project.org

www.inspirationalstories.com

www.lightacandle.org

www.peace.org

www.quotegarden.org