Hi Clappy
What great questions and insight you have.  I think the best place to start is with your goals..you already mentioned music equipment and holidays..fantastic!  If you can spent time regularly working on your goals, what you want, when you want it, why you want it..if you make them SMART specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely then you can work backwards to what you need to do today to achieve them.  eg if you want to own your first property by 1 Jan 2013 in …. valued at …. then you can work out a plan to help you get there.  Knowing why you want these goals really helps too, this is what will be the driving force.  Identify what it is you really want and by when and why and take the action required and you will be well on your way.  Go through your goals every week, put them where you can see them, cut out pictures, tell people.

The next thing after you work out your goals is a budget, know what you have coming in and going out.  If you want to buy a property work on saving a 20% deposit or consider other options…you can rent to buy, go part owners with a friend/family member in an add value property, guarantor etc..there are always options and opportunities, work our want you want and then find a way to make it happen (win/wins are always good).

Reading – Steve McKnight's First Book, a great read, inspirational, easy to read, definately read his first one first a much easier read than the second.  Rich Dad, Poor Dad, The Real Deal, Stephen Covey 7 Habits (Long but main habits worth knowing), Agents of Action (havent read it but heard its great) and many more that I cant think of right now.  Another thing you could consider is starting a passive income business (eg internet based) to help you to get into property if property is the way you want to go.

If you know what you want and why and are willing to take the action required then you will get there.  There are plenty of opportunities and always will be (if you could work out right now how to come up with a lump sum of $20,000 then you could go to NZ or US or some places in AUS and buy a property that would bring you in income every week).

I wish you every success, Michelle

Hi Beth
Well done for being in control of your own destiny through what sounds like research, knowledge, positive thinking and thinking outside the square.  No one ever got great by doing nothing.  We are still investing and so are many others.  Negative spins on everything helps nothing.  Facts and figures, research, numbers, education, goals, vision, count for so much more.  We are still investing happily as are many others.  Yes it is different today than yesterday and it will be different next week and next year.  To be good at something only when things are easy is not that difficult!  I have sent you my contact details.   Happy investing.
Michelle