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Total Rewards Credit Card

Card issued by FIA Card Services, NA.
Earn 1 Reward Credit for every $1 you charge in net retail purchases anywhere
0% Introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on balance transfers and cash advance checks for one year
No annual fee

Earn 1 Bonus Reward Credit for every $1 you charge in net retail purchases anywhere- at the grocery store, mall, gas station, online, even when you pay recurring monthly bills. These Reward Credits will be added to your Total Rewards account balance, which can also be filled by your gaming play at any Harrah's Operating Company casinos.§

Total Rewards Credit Card

DID YOU KNOW?

	…In the beginning “The Sun Also Rises…” a famous quote, but for the majority of Americans who bear the pain of Bad Credit, it is nearly impossible to imagine that the “American Dream” of home ownership is actually possible for them. I know that pain well, I've "been there and done that..." a few times in my life. I would like to share a few thoughts on the subject based upon my Personal Experience with credit problems, and my many years of Professional Experience helping clients overcome their bad credit situations and achieve the “American Dream” of owning their own home. In fact, there is a special process that I have developed over the years, that guides people through not only buying a home despite having bad credit, but a step by step method of overcoming the entire trauma surrounding credit problems. This special process leads one through how to buy a home, overhaul (repair and restore) your credit, and return, to financial health! A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a First Step. Therefore, First, and Foremost, let me declare that Bad Credit is NOT a Terminal Illness! If I have learned anything in life, it is the fact that This Is America and You Can Start Over… Not Matter What! The miracle of this country is that one can make a committed decision and by following a written plan, overcome virtually any setback or misfortune! This especially applies to those with bad credit, bruised credit, no credit, or miscellaneous credit problems in general. Bad Credit Mortgages are obtainable... so let's take the first step. “You Must Be Born Again!” What does this famous Bible quote have do with me? Well, a lot, actually… Starting over again, rebuilding, renovating, overhauling anything is indeed the purest form of “rebirth.” Thus it is with Bad Credit. The Good News is that it is actually possible! Just think of a few famous and successful Americans… have you ever thought of the behind the scenes details of their life? Has it occurred to you that their path to success wasn’t “all gain and no pain?” Take, for instance, Fred Smith, President and Founder of FedEx. Did you know that he was nearly bankrupt and was considering suicide, and that FedEx nearly never “Got Off The Ground?” Can you imagine what his credit report looked like? How about Colonel Harlan Sanders, founder of KFC? Did you know that he was in his 70’s and chose to reinvent his financial status when he started KFC. Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds was middle aged milkshake machine salesman, and had a few financial problems of his own when he discovered a small hamburger stand in California, and had an idea and the determination to start over. Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel, founders of the Corporate Giant, Amway, had begun with several failed businesses. If you only knew how many people have suffered the same type of setbacks as you and managed to overcome, you would and should be greatly encouraged! Approximately 33% of Americans have a Credit Problem, so cheer up, you are not alone! Join The Club… Since we all have heard that “membership has its privileges," well, I guess you’ll need the secret passwords then. They are; Income, Equity, and History. These are the four most important “passwords” needed to join the home ownership club. We will explore these in more detail, even revealing the most important password of all, in my next article in the “Life After Debt” series, Buying a Home With Bad Credit -- The Secret Passwords. Stay Tuned for more…

Q: I started my business about a year ago and everything is going fine. We're growing and making a profit, but the stress of running the business is really starting to get to me. I spend more time worrying than working. Sometimes the pressure is almost more than I can take. I'm starting to think that I'm not cut out to run my own business. Do you have any advice that might help me decide what to do? -- Steven S.

A: I'm full of advice, Steven, and it's totally free. Just remember, you get what you pay for and I can't be held legally or morally responsible if my advice somehow lands you behind the counter at McDonalds. I'm not Dr. Phil, for petesake. I'm shorter and have more hair and less money.

Seriously, the first thing you need to do is take a few deep breaths and take comfort in the fact that you are not the first entrepreneur to feel the weight of the business world on your shoulders. Every business person, including yours truly, has felt the way you do at one time or another. For some, it's a feeling that occurs daily, especially when things aren't going as well as we'd like them to. And don't think the stress will magically disappear if your business takes off. I know people who run multimillion dollar corporations and they will tell you that the stress level goes up in proportion to the size of the business. These same people will also tell you they love what they do and would never consider doing anything else.

The difference between these entrepreneurs and you, Steven, is that they have been in business longer and have learned to not only handle stress, but to take stress and transform it into a driving force. They feed off the stress. It fuels their creativity and innovation. Stress challenges them, it makes them think, makes them better entrepreneurs.

I think the real question isn't whether or not you have what it takes to run a business. The real question is do you have what it takes to handle the stress of running a business. These are two very different questions and the answers depend totally on you.

Even on the best of days running a business can be incredibly stressful, not to mention overwhelming and exhausting. It's only natural that there will be times when you wonder if it's really worth it. Asking yourself the "should I just get a real job" question simply means that your human side is showing. And as a human you have a limited tolerance for things you can not control. And that's really where the stress of being an entrepreneur comes from. We worry about things we can't control. Things like finding new customers, paying the bills, making payroll, and a thousand other things. Sure, we can put forth our best efforts to make these things turn out in our favor, but we really can't control the outcome.

So we worry. And worry breeds stress and stress breeds doubt and doubt breeds the feeling that an 800 pound gorilla is using your chest for a lawn chair. It's only natural that you being to wonder, "Is this what I really want to do? Do I have what it takes to run my own business?"

I remember once complaining about the stress of running my business to an elder entrepreneur. He waved at me like he was swatting a fly and said, "Son, if it was easy, everybody would do it. Now suck it up and move on."

Suck it up and move on… probably the best business advice I've ever gotten. No fortune cookie was ever so on the money.

My mentor's eloquent point was this: running a business is never easy and always stressful, but that's what makes it so dang exciting. Running a business is like walking a tight rope… backward… with your eyes shut… and your pants on fire… Man, sure beats working for a living, huh.

Steven, it sounds to me like you're having what I call a "garbage truck moment." That's when the pressure of running your business starts getting to you and you begin to question whether the entrepreneurial life is right for you. The debts are mounting, your staff is shrinking (or growing), you get that nauseous feeling in the pit of your stomach and you find yourself longing for the apparent simplicity of driving a garbage truck.

Note to garbage truck drivers: save your hate mail, boys. I know you work very hard and I respect what you do. Without you the world would be a very different, very smelly place, indeed.

What's happening to you, Steven, has happened to us all. The stress is causing you to doubt not only your decision to start your own business, but your ability to run it, as well. There's no magic bullet for dealing with stress and you certainly can't eliminate it totally, so you must learn to handle it.

I believe the key to handling stress is to first identify the source of the stress, then formulate a plan to deal with it.

Here's what I do. Take a pencil and paper and list all the things that are causing you stress. For each item listed ask yourself: Is there anything I can do about this? Is there anything I can do to change this from being a point of stress to a point of accomplishment? In other words, is this something I have control over?

Stressing over things you can't control is a total waste of time. Tell yourself that you're burning brain cells in vain and mark that item off your list. Some people don't have this ability. Some people are just natural born worriers who are not happy unless they have something to worry about. They revel in worry. They work in worry like a great artist works in paint. Even when things are going great they worry that the sky is about to fall. If you are a natural born worrier, Steven, nothing I say will help you handle stress.

Great, now you have something else to worry about.

Next , determine if each point of stress is something that has happened in the past, is currently happening, or has not yet - or may never - happen. If the stress point is the past, there's not much you can do but attempt to rectify the situation causing the stress. If it's a current problem, formulate a plan to deal with the problem and eliminate the stress it's causing. And if you're stressing over things that may never happen, remember what Mark Twain said: "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."

Finally, Steven, it's important to remember that working for someone else can be just as stressful as working for yourself. Sure, you don't have the stress (and responsibility) associated with running a business, but you will have other stresses that can be far worse; like impossible work deadlines, sales quotas you can't meet, a boss that learned his management skills on a chain gang, coworkers who don't pull their own weight, possible layoffs, etc.

Very few things in life are without stress. Just ask any garbage truck driver.

Here's to your success!

Tim Knox tim@dropshipwholesale.net