Book Review: Today Matters by John C Maxwell

Book Review: Today Matters by John C Maxwell

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This month I’m reviewing the book Today Matters by John C Maxwell. Of all of the books I have reviewed so far this is the most life changing. It’s easy to read, easy to follow and easy to understand. In the book the author outlines twelve habits that he calls the daily dozen. They’re really not complicated or hard to understand. They do however require discipline in the beginning to make them part of your everyday routine, but if you take the time to incorporate these twelve habits into your day you can literally transform your day into whatever you choose. I have been using these principles for the last couple of weeks, as I have been reading the book and the results have been amazing for me. I have studied these kinds of principles before but have never seen them so organized and easy to understand. In this book New York Times bestselling author John C. Maxwell reveals the surprisingly straightforward secret to daily success and fulfillment. Most of us look at our days in the wrong way. We overexaggerate yesterday. We overestimate tomorrow. We underestimate today. The truth is that the most important day you will experience is today. Making today your masterpiece is the key to success. Maxwell offers twelve decisions and disciplines-he calls it his daily dozen-that can be learned and mastered by any person to achieve success. He teaches how to possess possibilities, remain focused, enjoy good health, exhibit stability, hold an advantage, be tenacious, experience fulfillment, exercise options, sense inner peace, feel significant, receive direction, and learn to grow. These lessons are simple, but the gap between knowing and doing is greater than the gap between ignorance and knowledge. In TODAYMATTERS, Maxwell teaches how to close that problematic gap.

Many books take one aspect of life and suggest daily activities to strengthen that part of one’s life. Dr. John C. Maxwell has taken that important idea further in this book and suggested what you need to do each day in 12 different areas.

The 12 areas are:

Choose and display the right attitude

Determine and act on important priorities

Know and follow healthy guidelines

Communicate with and care for your family

Practice and develop good thinking

Make and keep proper commitments

Make and properly manage your money

Deepen and live out your spiritual faith

Initiate and invest in solid personal relationships

Plan for and model being generosity

Embrace and practice good values

Seek out and embrace personal improvements.

Each section comes with negative and positive examples so you understand the point Dr. Maxwell is trying to make. I often found the negative examples to be more instructive than the positive ones. I don’t want to be like those people!

If the thought of having to do twelve things everyday sounds overwhelming to you, don’t fret. I felt the same way throughout the book, as each task and area was added it started to feel a little daunting. But the author offers a great strategy at the end of the book and that is to start with two areas where you are doing well and one where you are not. Then, switch focus as you get one of the areas you have been working on where you want to get it. I think that’s a reasonable plan, and only wish he had suggested that approach in the beginning of the book. This is a great book and will now be on my most recommended list in the number one spot. It also makes a great gift.

“Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey

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I’ve been reading reviewing a bringing you a new book each month that I think can help you in your personal and financial life. Here is one that I live and teach. I give a two day intensive seminar called “Certified Master Contractor” or CMC for owner operators or drivers looking to become owner operators. We spend two days learning as much as possible about how to make money as an owner operator and how to really be successful.
I cover all of these topics and more:

Operations
ROI (Return on Investment)
Proper Spec’ing
Equipment Financing
Contracts
Insurance
Business Entities
Record keeping and taxes
Income Tax
Fuel Tax
2290 Tax
Cost per mile (cpm)
Calculate and compare cpm and % of income
Reading Financial Statements
Controlling Costs
Financial planning
Investing and Insurance
Debt and Emergency Funds
Retirement Accounts
Goal Setting and Personal Development

I always finish the two days with a section on good solid financial planning for your personal life and a lot of the information I cover in my seminar is also covered in this book. This is a great financial plan and a good way to handle your money. It’s not easy but nothing worthwhile ever is. One thing to remember when reading this book is that it’s not a get rich quick scheme and you’re not going to fix your financial problems overnight, but if you have a plan and stick to it you will end up better off financially than 90% of the population.

Contents: The Total Money Makeover Challenge; Denial; Debt Myths; Money Myths; Two More Hurdles; Save $1000 Fast; The Debt Snowball; Finish the Emergency Fund; Maximize Retirement Investing; College Funding; Pay Off The Home Mortgage; Build Wealth Like Crazy; Live Like No One Else; More Total Money Makeover Stories; Budgeting Forms

The thing I appreciate most about this book is that Ramsey doesn’t try to present some “buy my 10 step program for $500″ pitch nor does he promise that getting out of debt is easy and painless. If it was, most of us wouldn’t have a problem. What he does do is lay out a series of “baby steps” that if followed with “gazelle intensity”, will work to get you out of the mess you might be in today. The first step is to get an initial emergency fund of $1000. Do whatever it takes… second job, garage sales, you name it. Just get a cash buffer so that you can get yourself off the credit card trap. Once that’s done, you list all your debts and start putting as much as possible towards paying off the first one. Once that’s done, then you roll that amount plus whatever else you can afford to the second. This “snowball” effect can quickly whittle down the number of creditors you have, as well as the amount you owe. Couple this with a budget and a hard look at things that have gotten you in debt (like that third car or the boat), and you’re well on your way to reducing the financial stress in your life. Or as he puts it… “Live like no one else now, so you can live like no one else later”. Each of the following steps builds upon the work you’ve already done, and it’s a very logical progression. The book is also liberally sprinkled with a number of stories from real people who have followed these steps and eliminated incredible amounts of debt… Totals that are truly jaw-dropping…

The Total Money Makeover is written in the same entertaining and witty style Dave Ramsey uses on his talk show. I equate this book to a sensible diet and exercise book. We all know the principles, but sometimes need a reminder and some motivation. This book does just that. It reminds us of the principles our grandparents used when managing their money, “If I don’t have the cash, I’ll pass”.

Speed Limiter Debate part 2

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Last week I talked about the debate over whether or not the government should mandate trucks built after a certain date should be limited to 68 mph. I started to tell you about an article in a trucking magazine. It was an interview with a professor who is an industrial engineer. Making the argument for not slowing down trucks I’m on the same side of the argument but I disagree with almost everything he says. The problem with his arguments are that they just aren’t based on any fact or hard science. If those are the kind of arguments we make we will lose this battle. He disputes the TMC testing that says for every one mile per hour you increase speed over 55 you lose one tenth of a mile per gallon. I’ve read that test in depth and it is by far the best study on fuel mileage anywhere. he says he has talked to people and this value is too high, he doesn’t really say who he talked to or how they know it’s too high. Then he goes on to say that even if a truck driving slower will save some fuel that society as a whole will lose because cars will have to slow down and speed up to get around trucks and this will use more fuel. What an idiotic argument! Then he goes on to talk about tests that show that when a truck is driven faster that the maintenance cost goes up. Again there have been very thorough and scientific tests done over millions of miles that prove that is true. He says he doesn’t really believe thats true but again doesn’t offer any testing or proof of his theory. He uses this same illogical approach to many different aspects of this issue, but we can’t just randomly say, this is what people think so it must be true when all of the evidence proves otherwise. ok thats enough ranting for me this week if you want to go fast go fast if you want to be profitable slow down I just don’t want the government involved.  Remember be safe be profitable and “Master the Journey”.

Speed Limiters, Good Idea or Bad?

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There is lots of talk these days about whether or not the government should limit the maximum speed on  trucks manufactured after a certain date to 68 mile per hour. Let me clearly state that I am absolutely against this law. Now many of you who listen on a regular basis may be surprised to hear this from me. I’m the guy who thinks owner operators should run as slow as 55. Why would I care about a law that limits trucks to sixty eight? Because I don’t want the government getting involved any more than they already are. Let the free market handle this and it will. Trucks that are driven faster will be less profitable end of story. The government sets the law and if I break it I’ll be punished but don’t artificially force me to obey the law. I read an article this week about this topic and I was furious. It was an interview with somebody with the title Doctor in front of his name and he is a professor in industrial engineering. He made several conclusions about speed and how it affects other things like safety, fatigue and profitability. In my opinion his comments and conclusions are completely idiotic and show a real lack of understanding of the trucking industry. Here is a quote from the interview. “One of the biggest challenges of speed limited trucks is getting into the flow of traffic as the driver tries to enter a highway” DUH could he be anymore clueless? If he had even a basic understanding of how a truck operates he would know that a truck limited to a top speed of 68 mph has no affect on its ability to accelerate up to 68 mph. He is trying to make the argument not to limit truck speed and I agree at least on that, but if this is the kind of argument we make we’ll lose. stay tuned next week and I’ll have more to say about this. If you have any questions call my office at 888-262-8585 Remember be safe be profitable and “Master the Journey”.

Fuel Optimization

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Let’s get back to fuel tax, here is a quick example of how to calculate your real fuel price after tax.

Today’s average pump price in Missouri is $2.40 a gallon and we are also going to be in Oklahoma today. We see that Oklahoma’s fuel price is $2.39 a gallon and every penny counts so we better fuel in Oklahoma, right? Wrong remember to look at your sheet and subtract the fuel tax before comparing prices. Missouri has a 17 cent per gallon tax and Oklahoma has a 13 cent per gallon tax so after tax the fuel in Missouri is 2.23 a gallon and in Oklahoma it’s 2.26 a gallon. So what looks like it’s a penny cheaper is actually three cents more per gallon. Understanding this concept will save you thousands of dollars in fuel cost and usually result in fuel tax refunds every quarter.

I know what your thinking this sounds like a lot of work is it really worth it, or is there an easier way?

yes there is an easier and more accurate system than using the fuel tax rate sheet. What you really need to save the most money possible is what’s called Fuel optimization software. The way it works is that you put in your starting and ending points for your trip and the software routes your trip and then checks up to the minute fuel prices at every fuel stop along your route, then calculates the actual fuel price after fuel tax in that state and tells you exactly where to buy your fuel on each trip. You can have this system now for only $25/month for a free trial call my office at 888-262-8585 and we’ll get you started.

“How Full is Your Bucket” by Tom Rath

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Another month another book. Again, another short easy to read book. I really enjoyed this one and I think you will to. It’s not rocket science, it’s just good solid advice on improving your interactions with other people all day long. Sometimes the very best books or pieces of advice simply remind us of things we already know, or they give us a new way of looking at something we just don’t think about. This is one of those books, it’s very well written and easy to read, but will give you lot’s of new insight into dealing with people. I plan on buying several copy’s of this book and giving them as gifts. This book is available as an audio download from audible.com. If you don’t have an mp3 player you really should look into the Apple iPod shuffle, its so tiny at less than an ounce and only costs $79. I have 9 audiobooks on mine at the moment and still have some room left. I also bought one copy of the book in hardcover, because it gives you a code to go to the website and use a tool called the Clifton strengths finder. This is a really great personality profile designed to give you insight into what kind of things you are good at. My wife and I tried it and it is very accurate and useful information. I plan on having my 3 teenage sons take it soon to help them understand what kind of things they should be looking for in a career path. Now to the book review.

How did you feel after your last interaction with another person?

Did that person — your spouse, best friend, coworker, or even a stranger — “fill your bucket” by making you feel more positive? Or did that person “dip from your bucket,” leaving you more negative than before?

How Full Is Your Bucket? reveals how even the briefest interactions affect your relationships, productivity, health, and longevity.

Organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket, and grounded in 50 years of research, this book will show you how to greatly increase the positive moments in your work and your life — while reducing the negative.

Filled with discoveries, powerful strategies, and engaging stories, How Full Is Your Bucket? is sure to inspire lasting changes and has all the makings of a timeless classic.

“In this brief but significant book, the authors, a grandfather-grandson team, explore how using positive psychology in everyday interactions can dramatically change our lives. Clifton (coauthor of Now, Discover Your Strengths) and Rath suggest that we all have a bucket within us that needs to be filled with positive experiences, such as recognition or praise. When we’re negative toward others, we use a dipper to remove from their buckets and diminish their positive outlook. When we treat others in a positive manner, we fill not only their buckets but ours as well. The authors illustrate how this principle works in the areas of business and management, marriage and other personal relationships and in parenting through studies covering a 40-year span, many in association with the Gallup Poll. While acknowledging that most lives have their share of misfortune, the authors also make clear that how misfortune affects individuals depends largely on their level of positive energy and confidence. The authors also underscore that our human interactions provide most of the joys or disappointments we receive from life. The book comes with a unique access code to www.bucketbook.com, which offers a positive impact assessment and drop-shaped note cards that can be used to give praise and recognition to others.

Fuel Mileage part 4

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Over the last couple of weeks I have outlined some fuel saving strategies that don’t cost you anything to implement and will save you money immediately, the idea is to take that savings and invest it back into your business to continue improving your bottom line and put more money back in your pocket, each strategy paying for the next one. I’m going to continue that idea and show you how to calculate your ROI or return on investment. I’ll start with ideas and strategies that have the fastest ROI and then build from there, for example the ROI on the product I’ll talk about now can be measured in weeks, and something as expensive as say an APU will be measured in months or even years, so we start with the fastest return and let the savings pay for the higher priced strategies. If you have been following along and implementing the strategies I’ve outlined you should have saved enough already to pay for this next idea. I’ve been using a product on my trucks for years now that reduces smoke, improves horsepower and increases fuel mileage by as much as ten percent. It’s called the turbo 3000d vada and its actually very simple, it improves fuel flow at the injector resulting in a better spray pattern and a cleaner more efficient burn. Here is how you would calculate return on investment for a device like this. if you are getting five and half miles per gallon before installing it, you can expect an increase of 5 tenths of a mile per gallon after installing it. your fuel cost per mile was fifty two cents per mile at two eighty six a gallon and five and a half miles per gallon. After installing the turbo 3000 your fuel cost per mile will be forty eights cents per mile. It will cost you roughly $300 installed so your ROI or break even will be seven thousand five hundred miles I’ll explain this concept in more detail and give you another idea next week so stay tuned

Fuel Mileage part 3

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Over the last several weeks I’ve been covering two topics, fuel mileage and recordkeeping. With fuel prices well into the high two dollar range and at times slipping over the three dollar mark, these are the two most important areas for an owner operator to focus on. The reason that I talk about these two topics together is that they are so intertwined. As we start to look at ways to improve our fuel mileage and lower our operating costs, we need to be aware of a concept called Return on Investment or ROI. This simply means that If you have to spend money in order to lower your costs how long will it take to return your initial investment and then start producing a profit. There are ways to lower your fuel cost without spending any money at all and then there are things that you will have to spend money on first. let’s start with the strategies that don’t require you to spend any money first and let those strategies pay for the the ones that do require an investment.

Here is exactly how to get started. Go to my website and download my software, then put in your fuel receipts from the last month, this will give you a baseline fuel mileage, now as you put in each fuel receipt you will be able to see how your efforts are paying off. The program will track your fuel mileage on every fill up to the hundredth of a gallon. Then slow down three miles per hour and reduce your idle time by 5 hours this week and that will save you seventy two dollars every week, then next week I’ll give you a couple more ideas that don’t cost anything and you’ll be building your savings, so that you can start investing in things that will lower your fuel cost even more, so stay tuned and follow along each week with a new money saving strategy. For now be safe be profitable and master the journey.

Fuel Mileage Part 2

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Last week I gave you two strategies for lowering your fuel cost without having to spend any money up front, now let me give you a few more to continue that trend.

-Check and maintain tire pressure – try increasing your tire pressure 5 – 10 pounds above what you may have been using, this can reduce rolling resistance and improve mileage, watch for increased wear in the center of the tire as this would indicate that the pressure is too high.

-Drive like you have an egg taped to the bottom of your shoe and your trying not to break it – easy on the stops and starts, practice progressive shifting.

-Tighten up your trailer air gap as much as possible – the closer you get the trailer to the back of the cab the better the aerodynamics. you should be in the range of twenty five to thirty inches if possible measure from the back of the sleeper or from the back of any cab extenders if you have them.

Now you have some great strategies for lowering your fuel cost without spending any money, here is exactly how to get started. Go to my website www.masterthejourney.com and download my software, then put in your fuel receipts from the last month, this will give you a baseline fuel mileage, Then start to implement the strategies I’m outlining here, Watch in the software what starts to happen to your fuel mileage and your cost per mile. Work on one new idea each week and you will be saving thousands of dollars. Then you can take your savings and invest them in other strategies that will Lower your fuel cost even more. I’ll start with the strategy that has the shortest ROI and then move on, one strategy paying for the next.

Next week I’ll continue on with this concept so stay tuned, in the meantime “Be Safe, Be Profitable, and Master the Journey”.

Maximizing Fuel Mileage

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Earlier this year I did a series on the importance of good recordkeeping and also a series on tracking your cost per mile. If you want to review those recordings you can listen to them at Master the Journey dot com. I told you that I was working on a software program that would handle both of those tasks for you and be extremely easy to use. Well the wait is over, my new software program “Gauges” is finished, I have been reviewing bookkeeping software for owner operators for years and I just haven’t been very impressed with any of it. Most programs were too difficult to use and required you to enter too much information that you would never need again. Gauges is the result of everything I’ve learned in the last 20 years of keeping records for my own trucks and 15 years of keeping records for thousands of other owner operators. I stripped out everything that didn’t need to be there and made the data entry as easy and fast as possible. You can enter a months worth of data in less than an hour. Even though the data entry is easy don’t be fooled, the program is powerful. The main report is laid out so that you see all of your important information in one page. The program tracks income per mile, cost per mile and percentage of income for all expense categories and compares each month to your year to date average so you can see trends immediately. It tracks your fuel mileage at every fill up and compares that to your running average and also has a fuel surcharge calculator that allows you to see what your effective fuel price really is or helps you calculate what your surcharge needs to be. Tracking your numbers is the key to improving your profit and really succeeding in business. Owner operators who know their numbers make ten to fifteen thousand dollars more every year than those who don’t. If you want to see how easy and powerful this program really is you can download a free trial copy HERE or call my office at 888-262-8585 remember be safe be profitable and master the journey