MAKE IT SING

#MakeItSing #singing #songs #CompletingAProject #GoodJob
When someone encourages another to complete a project or otherwise do a good job, that person might say, “make it sing!”
Be careful what you wish for. Some people who sing should not be singing.
In the case of projects or other tasks, one assumes that if it sings, it has a great voice.
But not all singers have great voices.
Singing a song the way it is supposed to be sung is not always an easy task, even for accomplished singers.
“The Star Spangled Banner,” the U.S. National Anthem, is not an easy song to sing, although it is so often sung by amateurs as well as professionals. The three-octave range of the song is difficult to master, even for the trained singer.
Burt Bacharach often wrote songs that have frequent time-signature changes, making them difficult to sing. Still, singers like Dionne Warwick were able to master them.
Also, singing is not just carrying a tune, even though that in itself is difficult for some. Yes, one must carry a tune when singing, but the best singers embellish the actual tune with vocal runs and expressive voice.
Vocal range is vitally important for a singer. If you can’t hit the three octaves in “The Star Spangled Banner,” you might be better off, particularly if you are part of a group or audience trying to sing it, to mouth the words.
In TV’s singing competition “The Voice,” the coaches initially can’t see the person who is singing. They have to judge him or her based on his or her voice alone.
That’s so the coaches don’t judge a person based on how he or she performs a song, or based on how a singer looks. It’s all about vocal technique, range and whether the singer stays on pitch.
We often admire a person who gets up to sing, and does so loudly and proudly. In that admiration, we may disregard whether the person can actually sing. We admire that the person had the courage to do it with gusto.
And so it goes with a job or a project. We admire a person for doing a great job, and, therefore, the result of his or her work sings.
We don’t nitpick notes or pitch, we admire the effort and the result.
Sometimes, achieving those results requires courage. Often, it requires great effort and ability.
So, if you are told to “make it sing,” you do what you must to achieve the best results.
It may not require artistic perfection, but it likely will require courage, effort and attention to detail.
Sometimes, like the contestants on “The Voice,” mustering the courage to compete may require risk, and bring nerves into play.
The coaches understand that and can forgive minor flaws. But, overall, they are looking for somewhat polished talent.
To make your job or project “sing,” some polish may be required. But, effort is essential.
So, as you go about your work, make it sing.
Peter

NOT BUYING LUNCH CAN CREATE $90,000

#LunchMoney #savings #retirement
On average, Americans eat out lunch twice a week.
It could be more than that, if you buy your lunch at work every day.
The average American forks over $11.14 twice a week for lunch, according to a Visa survey.
If a person skipped that meal – or made or brought his own lunch – and redirected that money into an investment account earning 6 percent, he’d have an estimated nest egg of $88,500 30 years later.
These numbers were quoted in an article by Adam Shell for USA Today, also published in the June 8, 2017, edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
OK, sometimes dining out for any meal is a nice treat. And, one does not want to live a life of deprivation.
But if you are having trouble saving for retirement, or you believe you don’t have the money to do so, perhaps one can find the money in places he never thought to look.
As a child, if your parents gave you an allowance, it usually was meant to teach you how to make the most of your money.
If you got a weekly allowance, did your spending habits cause you to run out of money before your next allowance installment?
Ask the same thing, now that you are an adult, about your paycheck. Are you accustomed to cashing the check and spending the money until you run out? Put another way, how much of your money do you spend without first giving it a thought?
Some people are well off in retirement because they had a great job, with great benefits and a great pension plan or 401(k). Others have a nice retirement because, from the beginning of adulthood, they earned a paycheck, and knew where every cent was going. These folks also made sure that a certain percentage went into savings.
Once they saved enough money, perhaps they parlayed it into a house, which, for them, was probably a good investment. As they kept saving, they then began to invest in other things so that, when they reached retirement, they didn’t have to worry how they were going to live.
The younger you start this process, the more you will have when you get older.
So, let’s pose the question again: is skipping a couple of lunches out every week worth close to $90,000? Some might say that $90,000 won’t go far in retirement, which is true. But eating lunch at home, or bringing your own lunch to work, is just one way to build a bigger nest egg, even if your job is hardly lucrative.
Another way is to use some of your non-work time to find, and work on, other great ways to make extra money. There are many such vehicles out there that don’t involve taking a second job. To check out one of the best, message me. Perhaps you will also find other ways to save money, besides not buying lunch.
So, it is possible to have a nice retirement, even though your income is hardly a rich person’s tally. You may have to do without some things that give you a moment of pleasure. Naturally, don’t cut ALL fun out of your life, but just take great care in your spending habits. Perhaps you could not only bring your own homemade lunch to work, you could brew and Thermos your own coffee.
Then, you have to be disciplined enough to put that money into safe savings at the start. As your nest egg grows, you can graduate into investing, without being overly aggressive at first. Then, as the money grows you can parlay it into more diversified investing – all with the help of a trusted adviser.
So, to borrow from Stephen Sondheim, here’s to the ladies (and gentlemen) who lunch – without spending $11 a pop.
Peter