The Name Game...

Hi Max!

I've been asked a few times how we came up with your name so I thought I would let you know. I use the initials m2 (pronounced m-squared) for documents and other places. As soon as we found out we were having a boy, we wanted to go with MMM as your initials. This led us to names like Mason, Matthew, Mitchell, Max, Michael, Martin, Mickey, Miller, Miles, etc. There are quite a few Matthews in the family so we put that one on the back burner. It came down to Mason, Miles, and Max (or Maxwell). We really liked the name Max. It means great and my grandpa's nickname was Mac. We didn't consider his real name Ignatius Strecker Maher. Strecker was my Great-grandma's maiden name. It's a family name that goes back to English royalty. We decided on Maxwell based on a few things: 1) we could call you Max, 2) one of my favorite authors and someone who transitioned my to find Jesus Christ and religion - he really tied religion to success for me - was John C. Maxwell, and 3) if you didn't like the M theme, you could call yourself Wells as well. We went with Michael as the first name because it had the best ring with Maxwell.

All in all, a wonderful name, Michael Maxwell Maher, for a wonderful boy!

To Your Success,

Max's Dad (Michael)

The Car Jar...

Hi Max!

I was reading on Facebook and a note by Joe Stumpf caught my eye. 

> How To Create your Jar For The Car

The day my oldest daughter Traci was born, September 10th 1986 my best friend and mentor Milton Merrill said to me “ today is the day you start the jar for the car.”

I said “ what do you mean,” he said get a couple of empty 5 gallon sparkles jugs put them in you closet and every time you have loose change throw it in the jar because in 16 years you will need to buy her a car and hopefully you will have a your jar full which will be the jar for the car. 

I did what he said, and 16 years latter I saved $7,200 in penny's, nickels, dimes and quarters. A smart man once said to me," Joe when it comes to money most people overestimate what they can achieve in 1 year and underestimate what they can achieve in 5 years."

But when your commit to the long term, amazing thins start to happen. Saving $1.25 a day doesn’t amount to much over a month, but over 16 years it’s $7,200 and bought ½ a car.

What sort of life do you want to have in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years? 

Go to the website http://www.ingyournumber.com/ and discover how much money you need in the future to create a vision of the future you desire, then become willing to do whatever it takes to bring it into being. 

As you focus each day on the future you’re creating and keep taking action to continue bringing it into being, you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish

As you continue to deepen your money making mindset you may choose to further embrace the wisdom of Woody Allen when he said, "Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." 

Today ask yourself.. What can I start saving today that will have a big effect in the long term?

Joe Stumpf <

Today, I start my Car Jar for you Max (I have a change jar started and today it gets bigger and more important - behold The Car Jar!). At 16, I'll help you buy your first car. It will be some sort of tank and it will have a speed governor, but it will be your first car. :) 

Thank you Joe for the great note and the inspiration to consolidate my change to a specific goal. What was ordinary change, now has a name and with that name, a purpose. Max, remember that. Take what may be insignificant and taken for granted, give it a name and a purpose. For example, your mom and I have been going on Date Nights every Friday for several years now. What is Date Night? Essentially, it is time for your mom and I to quit thinking about our professions and focus on each other. Date Night legitimizes this time off and has now become something we both look forward to each week. 

To Your Success, 

Max's Dad (Michael)

It's a....

So, we went in to the doctor's on Wednesday. It was a beautiful, yet warm day. The yards were looking great, great for playing catch with a baseball or ring around the rosey. Looking at the clouds, you could see different shapes start to form here and there - an army man, a doll in a dress, a gun, a teacup, and on and on. The radio was blaring some of the great songs - Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, and some Boys II Men songs. :) I drove to the doctor's office whistling a happy tune. I was as nervous as I had been the entire time of Sheri's pregnancy. I was finally going to know...

The sonogram went well. All is healthy. We made a healthy...

Bay-Bee Boy! :)

Yes, we are having a boy in November (due date of November 12). We're excited. We would have been happy either way. Now we are going to go through our boy's names to come up with a fitting one. We're thinking about (we'd like to stay with MMM theme):

Matthew Michael Maher
Michael Maxwell Maher or Maxwell Michael Maher
Mason Michael Maher
Miles Mason Maher
Matthew Maxwell Maher
Michael Morgan Maher
Michael Maddox Maher
Maddox Miles Maher
Maxwell Mason Maher

Which one do you like? Please comment with your favorite or suggest a different MMM name!

Bay-Bee appreciates your input! :)

To Your Success,

Bay-Bee's Papa (Michael)