Grant Baldwin's Blog (2)

Making 2010 Great Starts Now

Posted by Grant on December 14, 2009 – 7:34 am

As we begin to wrap up 2009, it’s a chance to start looking ahead to 2010. It’ll be the beginning of a new year, and we all get a fresh start and a clean slate.

So what are you going to do with your fresh start? What are you going to do that will make 2010 your best year yet? How are you going to improve on 2009?

If you haven’t started figuring that out, now would be a good time to do so. Because a year from now when we get to the end of 2010, if you’re in the same spot in life that you’re presently in, whose fault is that?

It’s not your parents’ fault. You can’t blame the government or the President. Stop whining about your circumstances.

If you accomplish nothing in 2010 and continue to settle for mediocrity, it’s your fault. So if you’re going to make 2010 your best year yet, it starts by planning now.

What do you want your life to look like in the next 30 days? 3 months? 6 months? What are you willing to do/sacrifice/risk to make that happen?

Create a plan. Write it down. If you’re taking a road trip somewhere, you make a plan before you set out on the journey. Why wouldn’t you make a plan for your year?

You won’t end up where you want to be on accident. You get where you want to be because of planning and hard work.

Making 2010 great starts now in 2009.

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Stop Saying “That’s My Goal…” When It Isn’t

Posted by Grant on December 8, 2009 – 6:59 am

Filed under Thinking Out Loud...

We’ve all been guilty of this before. We’re talking with someone and they make some type of comment related to something you want to do.

You should travel the world.

You should have your own business.

You should go to XYZ college.

You should do this with your life.

And if we’re even remotely interested in accomplishing that thing, a lot of times we respond by saying, “that’s my goal.”

I don’t know why we’ve programmed ourselves to respond that way, but it drives me nuts. Why? Because for most of us, it’s not a goal. It’s a dream. It’s a wish. It’s something we’d like to accomplish but will probably never get around to doing it.

Now I know I’m supposed to be a motivational speaker and you’re probably thinking, this guy’s not very motivational! But here’s why I say that…

Goals require planning. Dreams are supposed to just magically come together.

Goals require work. Dreams just happen.

Goals require an investment of time, energy, and resources. Dreams don’t.

Are you seeing the differences? Goals are much more difficult to accomplish. So here’s the deal…think twice before saying “that’s my goal.” Determine if what you really want is worth all the effort and energy to make it happen or is it simply a wish you hope will magically happen someday.

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Thank You Upson-Lee High School!

Posted by Grant on December 4, 2009 – 7:05 am

Filed under Events, My Book, Travels

I was fortunate enough to be able to speak at the Upson-Lee High School Career Day in Georgia yesterday. The school also gave every senior a copy of my book “Reality Check,” which was very cool.

The picture above is with Betty Thurman, the assistant principal who organized the Career Day, and Cleve Hendrix, school principal. Both were outstanding administrators who clearly care about the work they do with students.

Thank you to both Ms. Thurman and Mr. Hendrix and all the seniors that made Career Day a success!

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Dear Tiger Woods…

Posted by Grant on December 3, 2009 – 12:38 pm

Filed under Current Events, Thinking Out Loud...

We tend to forget how often our actions can influence others (even complete strangers) without us even knowing about it. I’ve noticed this through something I’ve been try to do more of lately: running.

Let me explain…

At the beginning of the year I started running and had a goal to run a few races. A few months into it my knee started bothering me, and I eventually threw in the towel on the whole idea. So for most of the summer I was frustrated with myself that I started something but didn’t finish it.

Then I was influenced by a stranger.

My wife and I were on a cruise back in August and while at dinner one night, I found myself eavesdropping on a couple of guys at the table next to us. One of the guys said he had just run a race and it all started by simply walking each day. Keep in mind, this guy was an older, larger dude…he wasn’t some elite beast of an athlete. Well that got stuck in my head and I started thinking…

“If that joker can do it, then I can do it.”

So when I got home, I started walking and have got back into a running routine again.

Here’s another quick example…Last night on my flight I ended up seated next to an old friend. We were getting caught up on life, and he told me he recently finished the Chicago marathon. I was totally impressed and immediately started asking lots of questions. He told me a story about traveling out West and stumbling across an ultra-marathon being run in Death Valley. This wasn’t just any race…it was 135 miles through temperatures reaching 130 degrees…that’s freaking insane!

But my friend said he saw those people running this race and thought…

“If they can do 135 miles in these conditions, I can do 26 miles.”

Influenced by a group of strangers.

You have no idea how your words, actions, and attitudes influence not only your friends and family but also complete strangers who you’ll never meet or know how you impacted them. Therefore…

Think before you speak. Pause before you react. Be cautious how you treat others. Why? You have no idea how it will impact others…both positively and negatively.

Are you reading this Tiger?

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The Value Of Living In The Moment

Posted by Grant on December 1, 2009 – 7:59 am

Filed under Family, Personal, Travels

I’ve written before about why memories matter more than possessions…last week was one of those experiences for me.

After speaking at the New York Student Council state conference (video here), I met up with my dad who flew in so we could visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. We’re both big baseball fans (specifically for the St. Louis Cardinals…the greatest team in all the land), so this was certainly a field trip we’ve always wanted to take.

It was truly an amazing experience I’ll never forget. To me it was more than just the experience of visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it was being able to share that with my dad.

It was a simple reminder of the importance of living in the moment. Someday when my life wraps up, I won’t remember how fancy of a car I drove, the square footage of my house, or my high score on some random iPhone game. But I will remember trips, experiences, and moments.

Take advantage of every opportunity you have to live in the present, to live in the moment. It’s what life is all about.

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Happy Thanksgiving From The Baldwins!

Posted by Grant on November 26, 2009 – 9:47 am

Filed under Uncategorized

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BrokePiggy LIVE in Perry, Oklahoma

Posted by Grant on November 19, 2009 – 7:48 am

Filed under BrokePiggy.com, Money & Finances, Speaking, Students

Yesterday, I had the honor of hanging out with some great students in Perry, OK to discuss entrepreneurship and personal finance.

We discussed investing, savings, banking, spending, credit cards, career choices, taxes, and a plethora of other things related to the world of money. It was a great event, and I know the students got a lot out of it.

If you’re looking for someone to teach your students about personal finance or entrepreneurship, let me know (grant@brokepiggy.com). Get more information about our money program here and be sure to check out our student money site, BrokePiggy.com.

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I’m Dying (Don’t Worry…So Are You)

Posted by Grant on November 12, 2009 – 7:00 am

Filed under Thinking Out Loud...

Ok, first of all, sorry to anyone who read the title and thought I was actually dying. I’m not…at least not anytime soon…I hope.

Have you ever stopped to think about this though? We’re all dying. Each day that passes you are one day closer to death.

Wow, I feel like a complete morbid freak right now.

Now when you hear something like this, you can really only have one of two responses…

1. I’m totally depressed. Life is meaningless. I’m pathetic. I’m going to go live in a cave now.

2. Wow, if I’ve only got a limited amount of time left to live, I better make the most of it. I don’t want to waste another day. I want to truly live life.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll take option #2.

Life is short. I’m going to enjoy it and make the most of it. I want my life to matter.

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Justifying Mediocrity In Our Lives

Posted by Grant on November 11, 2009 – 7:20 am

Filed under Thinking Out Loud...

Well at least I’m not as bad as _______.
How many times have you said that?

It’s a common excuse we like to use to justify our decisions and the way we live life. We use the excuse to make ourselves feel better about how poorly we’re doing at something in life. Think about how we use this…

I don’t work as much as _______.

I don’t party as much as ______.

I’m not gone as much as ________.

My grades aren’t as bad as _______.

I’m not as overweight as _______.

My finances aren’t as bad as _________.

Any way you look at it, you’re settling for mediocrity in your life. You’re not doing as well as you could be but you’re better than someone else, so you end up just being stuck in the middle.

What area of your life are you justifying mediocrity in?

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Today Is My Wife’s Birthday!

Posted by Grant on November 10, 2009 – 8:00 am

Filed under Family, Personal

Today is an exciting day in the Baldwin family…it’s my beautiful wife’s birthday!

Now we all know that you’re not supposed to ask a woman her age, so I figure for my own safety and well-being, I shouldn’t reveal how old she is! Let’s just say she still looks just as young and as good as the first time I saw her (cue your ooohs and ahhhs).

I really am blessed to married to her. She’s an amazing mother to our two girls and an incredible wife. She’s a huge support for what I do and is truly my best friend.

I love you Sheila…happy birthday!

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