CMK READS : TOP 5 THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM "RICH FOR LIFE" BY DENNIS SY

Thursday morning. I was  grumpy. I had a stiff neck as a by-product of my reckless gym routine stretches. Now, "no-pain, no-gain" has an all new meaning to me. (insert annoyed funny face here.. Pfft).

Then, I realized, instead of mumbling, I'll just enter a zen-like status and put this "spare time" to good use. I brought home quite a few books from MIBF 2013 (some scoop HERE). And the first book to read ... RICH FOR LIFE by Dennis Sy.

First time I saw him was he's beside Thammie (his wife). On a Coffee Mate commercial. It's hard not to miss those eyebrows, really. Peace! :) I've seen some of his podcasts for Victory Christian Fellowship and most recent encounter was when we attended an Investment Conference coined as iCon last May 2013 (he's one of the speakers). 

In case he looks really familiar, he was the officiating pastor on Richard Poon and Maricar Reyes' wedding.

As I flip through the pages, I imagine Pastor Dennis' voice echoing on the background. Here are my TOP 5 TIDBITS from RICH FOR LIFE, if you may:

♣ In our quest to be rich, one has to begin with a right mindset.

You are a son (or daughter). You are no longer a slave. Like a swish of fresh air, my eyes lit up. I knew I'm in for a treat! A contract is when both parties have to fulfill their part. If one fails to deliver, the other party may opt NOT to do his part. A covenant, is different. He expounds. A covenant says, I love you even if you don't love me anymore. I'll remain faithful to you even if you're now unfaithful to me. And that's GOD telling us just that. <sweet>

So, how is this connected with being rich? Simple. Being rich starts with the mind. With the thought knowing with GOD, I can make things happen. Abraham cannot see Sarah's baby bump but he believed that he will be a daddy of many nations. Maybe it's time that we claim the promise of a prosperous living! That's just the tip of the iceberg. And so I read on...

 

  

♣ Money in your hands? There's a reason why you have those.

My favorite part is a chapter called The Purpose of Wealth. It's so easy to be swayed when you're on a rat race and this is a welcome reminder for us, yuppies. Allow me to paraphrase a clip from the book:

There was a girl named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu who felt called to ministry when she was a teenager... One day, she approached her superiors and said "I have 3 pennies and a dream from GOD to build an orphanage." Her superiors said, "You can't build an orphanage with 3 pennies. You can't do anything with that."

Agnes smiled and said "I know. But with God and 3 pennies, I can do anything." In 1979, Agnes "Mother Theresa" won the Nobel Prize for her humanitarian work. -p.35 

♣ Practical tips made even more practical. The Storehouse Principle.

While the book is stuffed with Biblical principles, the middle part balances things out. He discussed about what we commonly know as "action items". You get out of debt. You put up emergency fund (for, well, emergencies - and SALE is not included), but what got my attention was the storehouse principle.

It's doable. Just setup an envelope (or savings account, or mutual fund) and clearly state your plan for these funds. Whether it's for travel, retirement, charity - it's better when you know what the money is for.

♣ Getting rich has a catch -- You have to do something.

And do it ASAP. Intentions are heart-pounding. Have you attended a seminar when you want to do all things at once? That if emotions are tangible, PASSION will burst out of your heart? Then days past without you doing a thing. Then weeks and months. There you are, same as before because you did not DO anything. Intentions are nice, but you need to ACT. ☺

♣ It's NOT about GETTING rich, it's about BE-ING RICH.

Getting to somewhere ends when you arrive at your destination. Being there is a lifestyle by itself. Same with being rich. You don't get rich and live miserably just because you're worth than more zeros now (think: 1,000,000,000). You are rich because you have GOD, you have money to live comfortably and help others, you love and are being loved. Can life get more better than that? With JESUS, everyday is SWEETER than the day before. So cheers to getting being rich.

Here's a snap of my HAPPY and WISHFUL thoughts (aka review)

CMK HAPPY THOUGHTS:

☺ Quotes and References. I appreciate that the book by itself is a spark on a matchstick. Pastor Dennis offered a plethora of blog and book references to enrich your knowledge about practical money matters.

☺ Bible Verses. Each chapter is loaded with sound spiritual principle. He also shared a glimpse of how he personally struggled (and triumphed) on his financial journey. Chapters 2 and 3 encapsulate who we are in God's eyes. That He loves us, and He's on our side. I don't know about you, but I felt a surge of power knowing that the CREATOR is for me, never against me.

☺ Jokes. No spoiler here. But get ready to laugh (by yourself). Cautious if you intend to read on a coffee shop alone :))

CMK WISHFUL THOUGHT:

I find some paragraphs somewhat wordy. Common fillers like "as well", "actually" are mentioned often through out the book. What's most noticeable though are a few layout errors. I saw instances (3 times, on different pages) where paragraphs are copied and pasted verbatim.

CMK THINKS:

This is a good start for newbies. And a perfect refresher for everyone. Its edge is that there's a striking balance between Godly principle and practical action items. The book is also available on Kindle version. Retail price is $8.99 or Php 399 approximately (for kindle version).

Finally, here's a quote that left a print on my heart after reading the entire piece. I encourage you to read. -CMK