In Plastic We Trust: 4 Keys for Smart Credit Card Use Pt. 2

(continued from part 1)

2. Delayed Gratification and Impulse Control

Practice delayed gratification and impulse control to develop your money smarts.

We live in a “broadband” society. Everything is about high speed. Everything is about “now”. (Except for hard work- people always want to delay that, right?)

A Lesson on Failure from Alfred H. Duncan,Sr.

“Happy first Father’s Day!”

A warm, tingling sensation filled my chest as I responded to my father’s words of congratulations: “Thanks, Dad. Happy Father’s Day to you, man.”

After being on the phone for a few minutes longer, my father and I said our good-byes. As I stood there, in the middle of our kitchen, looking down at the bundle of endless potential in my arms, the sensation in my chest started to get more intense.

“I promise with all that is in me to be a good dad and to show you how to be a good man.”

Unable to really focus his eyes, Mekhi Eli, my one month old son, looked up at me as if to say: “You had better. I’m counting on you to lead the way.” Then with a stretch and a yawn, it was back to sleep for my little man.

As I contemplated various things to teach my son, I thought about how grateful I am for the myriad of lessons my father taught me. I wouldn’t be half the man I am had it not been for him. But there is one lesson, for which I am extremely appreciative, that stands apart from the others.

A Lesson on Leadership from Jackie Robinson

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”-Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson

Yesterday, Sunday, April the 15th, was the 60th anniversary of an exceptional act of leadership that has left an indelible mark on history. Jackie Robinson became the first African-American major league baseball player.

Drifting into reverie while watching the ball games on Sunday, I wondered what it would be like to be a trendsetter of that magnitude.

How would it feel to be a leader that has affected the lives millions and millions to come? What do you say to yourself when you know you’ve taken a swing at history, caught a ball for the future, and rounded the bases for the ages?