AggieStrong the Ultimate Life Coach

Did you Know,  35% of your FICO score is based on your payment history?  Fair Isaac Corporation (abbreviation FICO) provides "software for calculating a person's credit score" (Dictionary). It  is the largest and best-known of several credit- socing companies located in the USA. Building or repairing your credit can take years. Consistently making late payments can severely damage your credit score, so make sure you make every payment before the due date. It can take a few days to get the creditor which could negatively impact your credit score.  Many entrepreneurs don’t always get paid on a set frequency. That can throw their accounts into a tailspin if they are not carefully managing their budget.  Financial fitness refers to having a healthy and stable financial situation. It involves managing your finances effectively by creating a budget, saving money, and investing wisely. You can achieve financial security and reach your long-term financial goals by being...

Financial freedom is different for everyone based on their desires, lifestyle and life experiences.  For some people, it means having a financial cushion: savings, investments, a nest egg and enough cash (on hand) to afford their lifestyle and pursue their dreams. We all want to live a comfortable debt-free life, and financial freedom will allow us to make choices without financial limitations to meet our needs and pursue our goals without worrying about money.   It incorporates the five pillars of financial planning: income, investments, insurance, tax and estate planning—3ITEp.  Achieving financial freedom requires a careful life assessment: lifestyle, budgeting, investing, borrowing, and simplifying your means. It requires you to ask yourself three simple questions: What does financial freedom look like? What does financial freedom feel like? What does financial freedom sound like? It would help if you had a clear picture of what it means and looks like to you to know ...

The Truth About Mindfulness: 5 Practical Tips That Will Make Us More Mindful Everyday  As we head into the new week and month, may I remind you to stay mindful. Mindfulness doesn't require us to pray, meditate or carry out any rituals; mindfulness merely asks us to pay attention to our surroundings, how we feel inside and how we make people feel while in our presence. It is intentionally being present in each moment of our experiences without evaluating it as good or bad.  So when I speak of mindfulness, I do not speak in the Eastern sense or spiritual realm of emptying the mind of thoughts or watching our breath. For me, mindfulness invites us to WATCH: Watch our  W ords.  Watch our  A ctions. Watch our  T houghts. Watch our  C ompanions. Watch our  H abits. Watch our Words This tip reminds us to be mindful of the words we choose to use, as they can have a powerful impact on others. It encourages us to choose kind, inclusive, and respectful words...

Some days can be hard. To make them more manageable, use a #calendar to plan and design your day to optimize your time. Carve out a set time at the end of every month to visualize what the next month will look like and do your scheduling. At the start of every week, move items into the weekly calendar for a more focused vision. There are several different tools to choose from, such as Google, Outlook, Yahoo, and Slack, which are supported by iCalendar, or the actual paper planners. There are also many other Calendar Apps to help us stay focused and organized: schedule events, create to-do lists and make journal entries all in one place. Begin with a clear vision of how you want each day of the week to look, what you wish to accomplish and how you want to navigate the day: Then set a few mini goals for the day or week ahead. Prioritize tasks in a time slot on your calendar by importance and deadline. Allow for some flexibility in your schedule for unexpected events or delays. Review you...

Let’s talk about relationships. You meet someone and are excited about the new prospect, but things soon turn sour. You might not have realized that relationships are high maintenance and are used to thinking only about yourself. Right? But having people in our lives comes with responsibilities, feelings, emotions, and added financial obligations. So, I had an aha moment in an Instagram live chat on the topic of relationships! I spontaneously came up with the answer to what makes relationships work. And guess what? It's SEX!  The concept of SEX is a framework of three simple words with a powerful effect: Space , Empathy , and X-factor . The first two are relatively conceivable, but what do I mean by X-factor? That is a more complicated grasp. All three together seek to promote healthy, balanced and long-lasting relationships. So, allow me to break it down for you. Given my failed relationships, I reflected on the missing links in them. I considered that no relationship co...

What is the difference between equality and equity? That is the age-old question. For centuries, women have experienced unfair and inequitable treatment in their careers, politics, and even the church, not to mention in the home. This year, as we commemorate International Women's Day, let us celebrate and appreciate the value and impact women bring to the table in whatever capacity they undertake.  But, I would be remiss if I did not make special mention of Black women—strong Black women all over the world who blazed the trails not only on sexism but on the double consciousness of being Black and female at the same time. Not only were they instrumental in charting the path for women's suffrage and the feminist movement, but they also fought for the rights and dignity of Blacks or coloured folks in all things human.  To quote Audre Lorde: "Women are powerful and dangerous." By that, I take it to mean don't mess with women; even though they may seem small and weak, ...

  What is Your Love Language? Have you heard of the five love languages before? In the 1990s, a marriage counsellor named Gary Chapman authored a book that postulated that every person has a primary way of communicating how and when they feel most loved. The book is titled  The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.  Here is a snippet of his five love languages. 1.  Physical Touch This includes hugging and kissing but is not limited to romantic relationships. For Chapman, some people (including babies and children) “feel love with hand holding, putting your arms around one another,” or a pat. If you feel most loved, physical touch is your love language. 2.  Quality Time This one is about giving your focused and intentional attention to interact with your partner (or loved ones) to build and strengthen your relationships. For Chapman, this means mushy times like discussing ideas or contemplating and exploring the world together. If...