This article was published in the "Martinelli Newspapers" in the August 24, 2006 weekly issue of The Westchester Crusader, The Rye Chronicle, The Eastchester Record, The Pelham Sun, The Sound View News Home News & Times, The Mt. Vernon Independent, Harrison Independent
and North Castle News

Life and Money - "Be Mindful of Signs"

By Frank Sisco, CPA, PFS

Copyright 2006 Frank Sisco

Submitted to The Martinelli Publications on 8/17/2006 for publication in the 9 papers on 8/24/06

Office Tel (914.381.3737);  Cell - 914.589.1013; Email – ideasmoney@aol.com

www.LifeAndMoney.com

(Word count = 948 plus 67 words for About the Author)

Changes in direction occur often in ways we handle matters of life and money.  Ever notice that the big changes usually happen as a result of an upset or failure?  Why is that? Perhaps, when things are going wrong we are more open to see how to improve the underlying circumstances.  We then take note of new ideas and advice coming to us in the form of a new book we find out about or an old one that's resurfaced, the film we just saw, a song coming out of our car radio, our neighbor's conversation, a distant relative back in our life, helpful words spoken by someone we respect, or a thousand other ways.  All of a sudden, the ideas or advice make sense and we embark on a new path in our journey.  Or, perhaps, these bits of guidance are planted in our path by some other force, like God or the universe, which somehow senses our needs and attempts to fulfill it. 

A confluence of "unfortunate" or "unlucky" events has been happening to me during the last two weeks affecting my life and money.  Oh, I'm not really complaining, as no one has died or gotten seriously ill.  But yet, I know I've been feeling much more stress.  Last Tuesday, I was told I will need to find alternate office space and move, spending scores of hours.  Complicated story involving a new landlord.  Wasted time. On Thursday, my video camera stopped working, just before a shoot I was planning of a new client and their services.  Although the camera is covered by my service agreement, it make take ten days to get the camera fixed, postponing a lot of work I planned.  Then, last night, arriving home at 9:45pm, I turned on my laptop planning to do an hour's work, and it did not start up.  What else would go wrong? My laptop was now possibly broken requiring me to spend hours on the technical support phone line or the local repair shop, or worse yet, l lost recent data and must replace my computer.  How do I make up the time lost hassling with technical support on the phone or visits to the repair shop, or shuffling my work plans, when my time is already stretched to the limit it seems?  I realize these three occurrences seem minor in the bigger scope of maters of life and money, yet they are causing me aggravation and stress.

Furthermore, I've become much too sensitive to other happenings around me that they infringe on my time or patience.  Almost out of character.  A few examples.  Yesterday, I did not show enough sympathy in the doctor's office to my daughter who was seriously sunburned during our trip on Sunday to Robert Moses Park.   I even showed my frustration over the three hours of waiting time spent in the doctor's office and getting prescriptions. Last night while driving to a writers' group meeting at Barnes & Noble, I yelled at a driver who beeped their car horn at me, in my opinion too loudly and too long, as I got too close to her lane.  It's not like me to get so irritated at someone else and explode.  Also, out of character, I went to bed before 11pm after my computer failed to turn on.

Thankfully, I woke up this morning refreshed and comforted by the positive signs that are now apparent that have been flashing at me along with the negative signs during the past several days, yet I had not seen them as predictive or guiding me onto new paths that are beneficial to me and my family.   A few examples.

1.  Reassurances by people. Several clients have expressed their thanks for work I've done for them.  People in their phone calls that seem out of the blue have reassured me that my main profession of helping people with issues concerning their lives and money is one I need to keep as central, despite annoyances like office relocations or broken computers.  But revisions need to be made.

2.  Reaffirmation of what is important.  The two books from which I selected to share opening excerpts, in connection with a workshop in my writers' group that met last night, were "All I Really Need to Know I Already Learned in Kindegarten" and "The Celestine Prophecy."  That tells me something.  Rereading sections of those books after all these years, and doing it aloud to a group of people, was like a reaffirmation of the importance of kindness, goodness, and spirituality. Quite comforting.

3.  Reminders to remain focused on people not things.  I realized this morning that subconsciously over the last few days, I've been getting these reminders from Joe Franklin.  I've been watching closely the video clips during the last few days, while doing my editing work, that I took of Joe Franklin, nearly three years ago, during an interview of him with my friends Steve and Tom.  Joe Franklin, on my videos, talks lovingly about many people he has known and interviewed.  He has touched the lives of so many people, and they have profoundly affected him. Come to think of it, so too with editing profile videos of an 88-year-old man who has given greatly to his community and a local artist showing beauty with his craft enriching the lives of others.

Sometimes signs are very big, bold and blaring.  But often, they are tucked into our everyday activities, easily overlooked, guiding us along the roads of our lives, perhaps in the same general direction, yet with side trips down new paths.   All we need to do is get a good night's sleep, then wake up and look.

About the author.

Frank Sisco is a CPA and Personal Financial Specialist, and author of many articles about personal finance and issues of life and money.   His firm, Financial Management Corporation, is located in Harrison, NY.  Frank resides with his wife and daughter in New Rochelle, NY.  He can be reached at 914.381.3737 or by email at ideasmoney@aol.com.  Visit his website at www.LifeAndMoney.com, which contains this and prior articles.∞