AskMarkJones.com

Brian Tracy is quoted, “Future intention determines present action.” Where you are going determines what your current actions need to be. If you hop in the car and your destination is the local mall then you know the steps you must take now and over the course of the drive to get there as expected. Make a couple of wrong turns without changing direction and you don’t end up at the mall. The same goes for our financial lives. If our desired destination is a financially stress free life... Read more...

Journalist Bill Vaughan joked that money won’t buy contentment, but it will pay the huge costs associated with studying the problem. That’s truer than he may have known. Studies show that money doesn’t really bring contentment or happiness. According to Fast Company magazine, “Between 1970 and 1999, the average American family received a 16% raise (adjusted for inflation), while the percentage of people who described themselves as “very content” fell from 36% to 29%. We are bett... Read more...

I have always wanted to be a winner. When it came to athletics I pushed improving and winning to a fault being overly competitive most of the time. What I did find was that as good as I wanted to be, and as willing as I was to work to get to a higher level, I always found limits that prevented me from going further. When I played baseball in high school and into college, my dream, like that of so many others, was to play at a higher level. I found that regardless of how hard I worked my body siz... Read more...

have heard it said many times in the past by my parents, by my grandparents and just recently on a walk with my wife in the Scarborough Marsh. I found myself saying, “Those were the days,” as I watched kids jump off the bridge plunging 20 to 30 feet into the Scarborough River. It sure brought back old memories of my teenage years when we did the same crazy things creating memories that will never fade such as those below with my great friend Chris Naimie.What I realized on that wonderf... Read more...

Twenty-six principles for you to consider for improved success - for you. After nearly 25 years in the lending arena the first principle is an easy choice. What could possibly be the priority that I feel is most important in life that will influence success within your relationships, your career, your health, your emotional vitality? There are several possibilities such as Appreciation, Acknowledgement, Aspirations, etc. But the priority that I feel is most important isn‟t one that would typic... Read more...

I love providing ideas to teens and young adults. They have a fresh canvas, an opportunity to get it right from the beginning and the opportunity to do truly great things. I receive frequent e-mails from kids and young adults asking for thoughts on various topics and it is always rewarding to be able to give some input for their consideration. This morning a college student, who had attended one of my seminars, e-mailed about where to start with an investment plan and I thought, wow, this guy is... Read more...

One of the original experts on the principles of success was Napoleon Hill. His much read and often quoted book “Think and Grow Rich” was written in the 1930s and nearly all of it holds true nearing a century later. I remember looking at the various chapter headings and reading “pleasing personality” and thought, well, I am sure that a compassionate, pleasing personality is nice but is it really going to be that great a trait to help you separate yourself from the masses? The answer is a... Read more...

Looking out the window this morning and seeing another rainy day unfold sure makes one realize how nice it was to see the sun over the past weekend and how nice it will be to see it over the next few days. It also brings to mind the e-mail which I sent last week which mentioned that I would be at Royal Family Kids Camp for the week and maybe being away on vacation or at camp over the course of a rainy week wasn’t the optimal place to be.What always amazes me is what we can learn from tho... Read more...

I’m not sure where the quote comes from, it sounds like a Larry Winget type quote. Winget is a motivational speaker who considers himself the bulldog of personal development. He is loud, to the point, and often just rude, but he is one of my favorite writers and speakers. No beating around the bush with him - just plain simple truth... Read more...

Brain researchers estimate that your unconscious database outweighs the conscious on an order exceeding ten million to one.  This database is the source of your hidden, natural genius.  In other words, a part of you is much smarter than you are.  The wise people regularly consult that smarter part.” ... Read more...

  One of the nice things about weblogs is an author can write down a few thoughts and a reader can relay a comment when something strikes them. The following response comes from a good friend on the heels of the last post and builds on some thoughts on a quote from Ben Stein:“I read an ... Read more...