We've been conditioned to think small, simplify, not to be greedy, and to overall expect less and demand less from life. We’ve been taught that we should be happy and thankful with what we have and that there are many others less fortunate than ourselves.I read somewhere that, as an experiment, someone put two adverts in a newspaper. They were for the same job, doing the same work with the same hours, but one of them offered to pay a salary many times the other. Guess what? About ten times more people applied for the lower paid job! People think small. And that's one of the reasons they…
Lifehacks
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Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life
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The Power of Thinking Big
8 Feb 2010 | 5:03 am -
Who’s In Charge of Your Life?
7 Feb 2010 | 12:04 amThis might seem like an odd question. Who’s in charge of your life? Who tells you what to do? Who says which choices are valid, and which are silly or self-indulgent?On the surface of it, if you’re an adult, there’s probably no-one standing next to you and telling you exactly what you should be doing. But many of us have ceded control of our lives to someone else. Often unconsciously, we’ve taken on their values, even their likes and dislikes, and we’ve made them their own.Do you ever feel that you “should” be doing something that you aren’t? Why? Is that impulse really from… -
8 Foods That Will Hide Your Bad Breath
6 Feb 2010 | 4:54 amThere’s nothing worse than having bad breath and not knowing about it!There are certain foods that are guaranteed to cause bad breath. Most people are quite aware that eating foods such as curry, garlic, onions or coffee before a meeting or function might be the kiss of death when it comes to social etiquette.You can try chewing gum, but you’ll have to chew for a long time because until that bad-breath-causing-food clears from your system (which can take up to 24 hours), you’ll be stuck with that bad breath. That’s unless you know which foods you can eat to mask the problem.When it… -
50 Ways You Can Create a Better Day
5 Feb 2010 | 6:45 amEvery now and then I wake up in a crappy mood, feeling totally unmotivated and not wanting to do anything or see anyone. It could be due to something bad happening the previous day, or it could be due to nothing at all. I just feel crabby for no reason. Weird, I know. But, I'm sure you know what I mean. Everyone has experienced dreadful waking moments in the past.In fact, it is not really surprising that a lot of people nowadays feel bad the moment they wake up. If you are bombarded with negative news like the recent airplane crotch-bomb threat and the Haiti earthquake, it is little wonder… -
5 Reasons You May Want to Start a Side Business
4 Feb 2010 | 3:10 amWhether your “real” work is a full-time day job, an academic course, or taking care of kids, you might have a few hours to spare each week which you’d like to use productively. Have you ever thought about starting a side business?A few years ago, I thought that “business” was the realm of tough go-getters with a focus on profit and nothing else. Since then, I’ve met lots of individuals who run their own businesses from a couple who make rosettes for horse shows in their spare time, to people working as consultants with government organizations. These business owners come from all…
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43 Folders
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First, care.
5 Feb 2010 | 12:51 pmAsked and answered by the wonderful Frank Chimero: Anonymous asked: ‘How do you maintain focus (on work, dreams, goals, life)?’ You do one thing at a time. You might be amazed how many times–and over how many years–a given person can ask this same simple question, hear that same simple response, and still find themselves casting about for the great and arcane “secret” to achieving real focus. But, this is pretty much it. Mostly. Although, I must add one important “Step Zero,” borne of my own tedious experience. Before… -
Mark Pilgrim, On *Really* Writing
1 Feb 2010 | 12:48 pmMark Pilgrim on The Setup I’m a three-time (soon to be four-time) published author. When aspiring authors learn this, they invariably ask what word processor I use. It doesn’t fucking matter! […] Picking the right text editor will not make you a better writer. Writing will make you a better writer. Writing, and editing, and publishing, and listening – really listening – to what people say about your writing. As I said in that interview with Seth Godin, most people are taken way aback when they unknowingly receive the advice they really need —… -
Admin: Pardon My Dust (On Many Levels)
1 Feb 2010 | 12:10 pmForgive the site some hiccups over the next few days. After what feels like decades of neglect (read: ugh, book), I’m happy to say I’ll be returning to occasional 43f posting this week. Easy tiger: no promises on volume one way or another. Still the same slacker; just trying a little harder, y’know? Exactly. Oooo, shiny Anyhow, I’m tweaking or adding a few site features over the next few days, including, by popular demand, the return of Remaindered Links, which, in its day, was one of the most popular things on the site. Plus, frankly I’ve missed having… -
`Nerdgasm.txt` - Notational Velocity Now Syncs with Simplenote
1 Feb 2010 | 8:34 amNotational Velocity - Version 2.0β2 Release Notes Two of the best things on my Mac now sync programmatically and without the need for either spit or baling wire— that means syncing with “the cloud,” syncing with my iPhone (App Store link), and, by extension, syncing with every computer I own via the game-changing Dropbox. Yes. Big. If you live in text files and crave seamless, no-brainer syncing (that doesn’t require growing a neckbeard), that little icon represents a milestone in the evolution of simple, low-friction workflows. [via… -
43 Folders - Interview with "Linchpin" author, Seth Godin
26 Jan 2010 | 4:45 am43 Folders - Interview with “Linchpin” author, Seth Godin (audio mp3, free on iTunes) I talk with Seth Godin, whose new book, Linchpin (Kindle, Hardcover, Worldcat, ISBN), comes out today. Topics include, “The Lizard Brain,” Bob Dylan, protecting the well, and beating back the fear and resistance that drive mediocrity. Direct MP3 Download Episode details Direct MP3 Download Subscribe via the iTunes Store Subscribe via another podcasting app The Linchpin Posts on Squidoo Get Linchpin: Kindle (Amazon) Hardcover (Amazon) Worldcat…
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Lifehacker
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Move the Users Directory in Windows 7 [How To]
9 Feb 2010 | 10:30 amEd. note: If you've tried moving the Windows Users directory to a location other than the default, you know it can be quite an undertaking. Reader Roobs wrote in detailing how he moved his Windows 7 Users directory without nasty registry hacks. (Every day we keep a close eye on our #tips page to see what readers have to offer. Sometimes we get links, other times quick suggestions, and sometimes we get full-fledged how-to guides. Here's one of them.)When scouring the net for hours on a method of relocating the entire Users directory (in Windows 7) on another partition, most of the methods were… -
Gadget and Gear Deals of the Day [Dealhacker]
9 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amWhether you're looking for a new HDTV, laptop, camcorder or even a boot dryer, we've got you covered with today's Dealhacker roundup. If you're here for the freebies we didn't neglect you, you'll find free music, games, and more. Computer Gear! 15.6" Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop for $399 + $13 shipping (Regular Price: $509). 15.6" Toshiba Satellite L505D Laptop for $549.99 + free shipping (Regular Price: $645). 15.6" Acer Aspire 5740 Core i3 Laptop for $499.99 + free shipping (Regular Price: $630). 13.3" HP Pavilion dm3 Laptop for $559.95 + free shipping (Regular Price: $600 - use this form). 12"… -
Add Universal Keyword Control to All of Your Browsers with Quix [Saving Time]
9 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amImagine typing the same few keystrokes from any browser to email or clip a page, or start any kind of search. Quix is a universal browser commander, on your desktop or mobile, and it's my favorite new timesaver. Here's how it works.We've previously taken a peek at Quix, but having played with it quite a bit since then, it's turned out to be far more helpful, adaptive, and just plain cool than we'd initially thought. It does everything that a whole fleet of bookmarklets do, but it does them all from a single button—or, if you're of a keyboard shortcut type, one quick command. Quix may… -
Grill a Perfect Grilled-Cheese Sandwich [Food Hacks]
9 Feb 2010 | 8:30 amIf your grilled-cheese sandwiches never achieve that perfect diner-style golden grill but instead end up a shade too far into burnt-marshmallow territory, a simple tweak or two can make your sandwich perfect.Over at the baby and kid-centric blog OhDeeDoh, they put together a tutorial to help a friend of theirs who has a finicky 3-year old will reject any grilled-cheese sandwich with even a hint of burnt bits on it. The tutorial is focused on grilling a perfect golden-crust, char-free, gooey-cheese, sandwich. Their two critical components of the perfect-sandwich grilling process include a… -
1DayLater Tracks and Graphs Your Time, Money, and Mileage [Time Tracker]
9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amIf it's time for a self-assessment of where your workday time or cash go, 1DayLater can help. If you're a freelancer looking for lightweight client tracking, 1DayLater's also got game. It's a really lightweight, web-based tool for watching where everything goes.After signing up and signing in, you'll see 1DayLater's basic interface: Value, Project, Date, and the optional "Note." If you drove 18 miles earlier to pick up poster something for a project, simply enter "18m" in Value, "Smith Account" in Project, and "Today" in date, and type in "Poster supplies" in note if you need to. That's…
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Wikihow
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Low on Cash? Try Bartering.
9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amBartering is a way to trade goods and services directly, without any kind of currency. People have been bartering for centuries, but the Internet has opened up a whole new world of bartering possibilities. It is also eco-friendly because it encourages reuse. Find out how to set up one-time or on-going bartering for everything from food to personal care products to resort stays. -
How to Hack Bicycle Tires into Studded Snow Tires
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pmTo deal with that pesky ice and snow on your bike, you'll need traction. If your wallet is tight, then it's time for some real "MacGyver" style craftiness. -
12 Simple Ways to Curb Your Appetite
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amAppetite is both a psychological and physical phenomenon. Sometimes we eat when we're bored, stressed, or just because it's "time" to eat, even though we're not really hungry. There are many weight loss programs and diet pills marketed as appetite suppressants; this article will show you some things you can do to decrease your appetite naturally. -
How to Make Gluten Free Brownies
7 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pmYummy brownies!Just about everyone loves brownies. There are many brownie recipes, some of which may contain gluten. If you are on a diet and have to avoid gluten, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them! Here is an easy recipe for you to make and share. -
How to Find a Quiet Beach in Oahu, Hawaii
7 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amAside from sightseeing, learning about new cultures, food, and attractions, many people escape their hometown to seek peace and quiet from their chosen vacation destinations. When one thinks about Hawaii's beaches, the images of sunbathing, surfing, and other water activities year-round comes into mind. However, it may be discouraging when you find yourself at a crowded, noisy beach.
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DIY Life
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The Daily Fix: How to Repair Rotted Wood
9 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amFiled under: wood working, Know-How Photo: nathansnostalgia, Flickr Got a wood fence that's flaking or peeling apart? You might have a case of wood rot. Wood, particularly if it's untreated, can easily succumb to rot once it comes in contact with moisture. Rotted wood in and around the house is commonly thought to be beyond repair, but this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it's a pretty painless DIY job. With a bit of epoxy , wood hardener and know-how, rotted areas of wood on decks, fences, doorways, and windows can be healthy again! Need help diagnosing wood rot? Test the wood… -
Carpenter's Pick: Block Planes
9 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amGot a door that won't quite close? How about a drawer that fits a bit too snugly? You can rummage around for a chisel, a scraper, a jigsaw, or even a power planer to trim the edges of uneven and too-tight drawers and doors. Or you can turn to the one tool that will do the job the right way: a block plane. A cheaper home center plane in background and an older, well tuned Stanley #220 in foreground. Photo: Michael Dinsmore A block plane is a small hand plane whose blade is set at a lower angle than other woodworking planes. The lower angle makes the block plane useful for cutting the wood's… -
Construction Calculators: The DIYer's Handy Helper
8 Feb 2010 | 11:30 amPhoto: InchCalc Anyone who has built a home or taken on a hefty home improvement project can tell you that there are lots of measurements, calculations, and costs to keep track of. Even for seasoned DIYers, it can be overwhelming. Enter the construction calculator. This handy device -- available in handheld units, iPhone apps, and web-based apps -- makes short work of the dizzying array of computations common to the construction industry. Figuring board/feet, fractions,slopes, and converting feet to inches or metric can be challenging on common or scientific calculators, but a construction… -
DIY Time! Make a Personalized Clock
8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amFiled under: Crafts, Holidays Craft a clock out of your sweetie's favorite novel. Photo: Erin Loechner So, you want to give your Valentine a gift that's original, adorable, and straight from the heart? Well, you have less than a week to do it (yes, V-Day is this Sunday). No worries, though: I have just the project to keep you in the good graces of your spouse, kids...well, just about anyone this February 14th. Inspired by David Stark's blog, I'm excited to present this super-easy and totally doable craft that you can personalize to your heart's content: custom clocks! Yep, you can make a… -
The Daily Fix: Stainless Steel Smudges Be Gone!
8 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amKeep that shiny new look on your stainless with a few inexpensive products. Photo: dsleeter_2000, Flickr It's no mystery why stainless steel is one of the most popular finishes for the kitchen: it's chic and goes with everything. But if you own stainless appliances, you know the cold, hard truth: they're a chore to keep clean. Every time you wipe off a fingerprint, a new one seems to appear. Here are a few tried-and-true techniques for eradicating smudges on your stainless -- and preventing those smears from showing up in the first place.Continue reading The Daily Fix: Stainless Steel Smudges…
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Unclutterer
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Discover your style to keep clutter out of your closet
9 Feb 2010 | 8:56 amOn page 23 of Unclutter Your Life in One Week, I promote the idea of discovering your style to help you keep clutter out of your closets. If your closet is limited to clothes that fit, clothes you want to wear, and clothes that project your desired image, you’re less likely to find yourself overbuying or with a mess you can’t control: You may not know exactly what you want your clothes to say about you, but you probably have a good idea what you don’t want them to say. When I was in my twenties and leading a forum on school uniform policies, a group of high school students… -
What clutter affects an unclutterer?
9 Feb 2010 | 4:30 amWhen I talk about struggles with clutter, I tend to speak in generalities — messy closets, disorganized desks, etc. My assumption is that the specific ways I fight with clutter in my life are different than other folks, and using generalities can make the advice applicable to more people. However, I know there is value in concrete examples, and I believe our Friday Ask Unclutterer column is a great way to explore specific problems readers face. I received an e-mail from a reader recently, though, asking if I would talk about actual problems I face in my daily life. She wanted to know… -
Why we hold on to sentimental clutter
8 Feb 2010 | 10:30 amSentimental clutter plagues our attics, basements, closets, garages, and desks. These sentimental trinkets can keep us from moving forward with our lives physically and emotionally. If there is so much of the past taking up space in the present, there isn’t room to grow. The article “What is nostalgia good for?” from BBC News discusses a recent report from the financial services firm Standard Life, the book Get It Together by Damian Barr, and research conducted by psychologist Clay Routledge at North Dakota State University that may provide insight into why we accumulate so… -
A year ago on Unclutterer
8 Feb 2010 | 7:30 am2009 Storing specialty hangers?How do you keep the non-standard hangers organized when they aren’t in use? Unitasker Wednesday: The snowman kitSnowman kits include everything except the snow! Flipside walletI wanted to add the Flipside Wallet to the list of wallet alternatives due to the ease of use and cool design. ROO: Return on OrganizationA recent article in USA Today explores organization and how it can help keep expenses low in these tough economic times. Workspace of the Week: Crafts containedThis week’s workspace of the week is Ali’s craft office. Ask Unclutterer:… -
Moveable mudroom
8 Feb 2010 | 6:08 amSmall spaces often lack utilitarian areas where people can hang hats and gloves, process mail, and store purses, backpacks, briefcases, and keys near their main entrances. It’s easy for mail and travel items to clutter up the inside of your home when there isn’t somewhere convenient to place these things when you immediately come indoors. I don’t have a mudroom or even a simple coat closet in my home, so I’m always on the lookout for storage solutions to replace these conveniences. Late last week, my husband forwarded me a link to a beautiful storage solution from…
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Stepcase Lifehack
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How to Kill a Radical Idea
9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amEinstein said that all great original ideas at first appear absurd. This is why it is so easy to dismiss radical suggestions when they surface. We point out that they are absurd and so miss great opportunities. How would you react if an unorthodox business idea was presented to you and you could immediately see problems with it? Imagine that you are the boss in each of these situations:1. Spectacles manufacturer in the 1960sEmployee: I think we should investigate a new idea I have heard about called contact lenses.Boss: How does it work?Employee: We make prescription lenses that… -
6 Websites To Help You Get Out Of The House And Find Something To Do
8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amHave you just moved to a new town? Are you a couch potato? Or have your friends decided they don’t want to do anything this weekend? Have no fear, the internet is here! We’ll get you out of the house yet with these six websites.Six Places Online To Find Something To DoCraigslist. The grand daddy of all websites to help you get out of the house. Classes? Check. Events? Check. Just friends? Check. More than friends? No problem. I use Craigslist all the time – my favorite sections to post are “strictly platonic” when I’m looking for tennis and hiking… -
5 Steps to a Calmer Evening
4 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amWhether you work outside the house or stay at home full-time, the toughest part of the day is the same: those frantic early evening hours when there are mouths to feed, homework to do, and cranky kids to handle. The trick is to streamline your to-do’s so you can feel calmer and focus on what counts – spending time with your family. Here’s how. -
Productivity Pr0n: 5 Unusually Useful Notepads
2 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amHi. My name is Dustin, and I’m addicted to notepads.I first realized I was addicted when I found myself prowling office supply stores in the wee hours of the afternoon, trying to score a college-ruled composition book. Pretty soon, I couldn’t go anywhere without my works – a battered red Moleskine and a black Sharpie click-pen.And it got worse. I started thinking, “maybe there’s a perfect notebook out there for this particular project.” My Moleskine’s 192 leaves bound in pocket-sized covers wasn’t enough to satisfy my growing need for specialty papers.The worst part is, I… -
Congratulations to our Giveaway Winner!
29 Jan 2010 | 4:30 amCongratulations to KO, the winner of our Book Launch Giveaway. KO has won her choice of Veronica London fashion laptop bags from CareerBags.com. I want to thank everyone who entered for all the great job-hunting advice you gave with your entires — I’ll try to round up the best of it in a post in the next week or so.And I especially want to thank Ellen Hart at CareerBags.com for her generosity and support. Ellen founded CareerBags to fill a gap in the laptop bag market that desperately needed filling — bags that complimented women’s styles and wardrobes — and…
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MAKE Magazine
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LED people remake
9 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amLim Chen Pin Kenneth made this cute remake of the blinking LED people I built a couple of years ago. There's not much info on how his works (I'm guessing those ICs are microcontrollers?), but they are pretty. It solves a slight problem that I had with mine... Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! -
9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amWe're all suckers for romance, even if most of us believe Valentine's Day is a holiday dreamed up by industry fatcats. Here are MAKE's staff picks for ways to celebrate with that special someone, maker style. Read on, it's a big list! Build a bike A personalized bike built for your sweetie can be really romantic, since all that hard work and custom choices relate specifically to the one you love. MAKE Advisory Board member Saul Griffith built a bike for his lady, Staff Editor Arwen O'Reilly Griffith. She writes: When my husband and I were dating, we had a running argument about flowers. I…
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Don't walk! Controlling a pedestrian sign with an Arduino
9 Feb 2010 | 7:30 amIn this tutorial about controlling a pedestrian sign with an Arduino you can learn a few important things. #1 How to control relays with an Arduino, which is really useful for a ton of different projects. #2 How to use an IR remote to control your Arduino, another cool technique. #3 Never trust a crosswalk sign with an Arduino hanging out of it! My latest project is controlling a pedestrian sign with an Arduino, so it will automatically step through the states of walk, flashing don't walk, and solid don't walk. In addition, I added infrared remote control support so I can use a remote control… -
UC Berkeley has "Nobel Laureate Only" parking spaces
9 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amImage courtesy Jonathan Fiamor Photography. When I was at UT Austin, a school which is famously car-unfriendly, it was rumored that one of the elder patriarchs of the College of Natural Sciences--a man who had multiple doctoral degrees and had been given countless awards for his work both as a scientific researcher and an educational administrator--had once quipped that the honor that was most valuable to him, on a daily basis, was the "O" parking permit that let him leave his car literally in the shadow of UT's iconic tower. Well, in terms of available parking, UC Berkeley makes UT Austin… -
LEGO PCB Agitator
9 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amEtching your own PCBs can be a time consuming chore to say the least. Anything that automates the process or cuts down on the time it takes is usually appreciated. Maker Rui Cabral of Oporto, Portugal pieced together this handy PCB agitator out of LEGO to help him speed things up a bit. The project initially took him only 20 minutes from start to finish. More:HOW TO - Make Printed circuit boards - An illustrated guide (and round up)HOW TO - Use a laser to etch PCBs (printed circuit boards)PCB makingPCB etching on the cheapInkjet PCB kits Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles…
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The Art of Manliness
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The Perfect Valentine’s Day Menu: The Have Her Over for Dinner Cookbook Giveaway
8 Feb 2010 | 8:28 pmImage from Ellynkocher Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Matt Moore, author of Have Her Over for Dinner. See below for details on how to win a signed copy of Matt’s cookbook. Share Amber Jones, 6th Grade, and Valentine’s Day. I can remember it like it was just yesterday. You see, up to this point in my life, Valentine’s Day was an exciting holiday that meant cards, and most importantly, candy from friends and loved ones. In grade school, our teachers required us to write notes to the entire class, ensuring that everyone was equally appreciated. The stresses of defining… -
The 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America
8 Feb 2010 | 12:28 pmEditor’s Note: This is a guest post from Harry R. Burger. Mr. Burger joined the Cubs Scouts at six years old and has now been involved with Scouting for 20 years. He earned his Eagle in 2001. Share Today marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America. For the past century, the Boy Scouts of America has been a premier organization for teaching boys to be good men. In addition to camping and outdoors skills, boys are taught leadership, character, citizenship, and service to others. They also have fun while they are doing it – after all, middle and high school… -
The World Belongs to Those Who Hustle
7 Feb 2010 | 9:08 pmWe get a lot of emails from men lamenting the fact that they feel stuck in neutral and asking for advice. Many of these men have great aspirations, but that’s all they have. Aspirations. Many don’t have any results to show for all their ambitious goals in life. Some are on year seven of a four year degree, and others are stuck in a job that’s going nowhere. Maybe you know a man like this. Heck, maybe you feel like this. Unfulfilled goals, of couse, can lead to frustration, depression, and just a general dampening of your man spirit, which only makes it harder to get… -
Manvotional: The Right Kind of People
6 Feb 2010 | 10:53 pmThe Right Kind of People By: Edwin Markham Gone the city, gone the day, Yet still the story and the meaning stay: Once where a prophet in the palm shade based, A traveler chanced at noon to rest his mules. “What sort of people may they be,” he asked, “in this proud city on the plains o’erspread?” “Well, friend, what sort of people whence you came?” “What sort?” the packman scowled; “why, knaves and fools!” “You’ll find the people here the same,” the wise man said. Another stranger in the dusk drew near, And… -
Man Knowledge: The Greek Philosophers
4 Feb 2010 | 8:27 pmEditor’s Note: This is a guest post from Ernesto Fernandez. Ernesto is a graduate student in the Philosophy Department of Biscayne College at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, FL. So there you are, deadlocked in the men’s underwear section, torn between the solid and striped cotton boxer-briefs and wondering which one Chuck Norris would buy. And then you remember: Chuck Norris doesn’t wear underwear, just two pairs of pants. Oh, how low we’ve fallen. Once upon a time, men called on their knowledge of the great, introspective minds of history to inform their…
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SidSavara.com
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Today Is Your Golden Ticket
4 Feb 2010 | 1:59 pmEver have one of those days where you wake up, and the whole day you just can’t get your mind off an event that night? This is a story about one of those days.All day I waited – waited and watched the time tick by; waited for 8 p.m.The usher scans my ticket and I walk in – up the stairs, to the balcony, row L, seat 15.My heart is pounding, and everyone in the arena is sitting on the edge of their seat, their eyes focused with anticipation at the piano on stage. It’s almost showtime.Suddenly the lights go down – and the whole place erupts in cheers.It’s… -
You Can’t Start a Fire…
28 Jan 2010 | 10:19 amIt’s 1984. Bruce Springsteen is about to be one of the biggest stars in the world – and he’s enraged.After wrapping up his final recording session at The Hit Factory in New York city he meets with Jon Landau, his manager, to pick the final 14 songs for his upcoming album Born In The USA. Over two years in the making, they have at least 70 tracks to pick from, however, Landau tells Bruce there isn’t a single hit among them and the two of them get into an argument. Bruce is frustrated, not just by the argument, but also by the challenges of trying to finish this… -
How to Track Where You Spend Time With A Time Log
21 Jan 2010 | 1:48 pm“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie DillardDo you wish you had more time? If you had an extra hour or two a day, can you think of how you’d like to spend it? In a recent article about How To Instantly Make Time For Yourself I discussed some research which found that for those surveyed:70% rated themselves as busy or very busy50% were more busy than they were the year before90% wished they had more time to spend with friends and familyYou can’t be busy without spending your time somewhere – the question is, do you know where… -
The Seven Rules Of New Year’s Resolutions
5 Jan 2010 | 12:47 pmThe first rule of New Year’s Resolutions is …You Do Not Talk About New Year’s ResolutionsAccording to a study by Peter Gollwitzer (PDF, When Intentions Go Public, Psychological Science pg 612), announcing your intentions towards your goals publicly can make you less likely to actually do the hard work to follow through on your intentions.The Experiment: Gollwitzer had a group of law students rate a series of statements from “definitely yes” to “definitely no”— statements like: “I intend to make the best possible use of educational… -
Reflection Questions – The Most Important Questions You’ll Answer This Year
29 Dec 2009 | 10:52 pm“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” – Peter F. DruckerTowards December each year I like to think back over the last past twelve months, and plan for the year ahead by asking myself a number of reflective questions. In the interest of being thorough my list of reflective questions gets longer each year, since we’ve always heard that more is better: more money, more time, more “stuff.”Except that sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes, more is just distracting. Since reading Leo…
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Ramblings From A Glass Half Full
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The One Question Every Successful Leader Must Answer (Even Before It Is Asked)
8 Feb 2010 | 7:03 pmThe supervisor is frustrated – in his mind, he has done everything right to manage his team to a successful outcome. He carefully explained the task at hand and its deadline for completion, how it was supposed to get done (and by whom), and outlined the expected results. He has monitored the resulting team activity and provided useful feedback. And yet, the outcome was less than what he expected. What went wrong? It’s one of those situations that can drive leaders crazy. I know, because it’s happened to me. There’s a missing element here, and it’s about a question that needs… -
A Critical Difference Between a Good and Great Leader (And It’s Not What You May Think)
2 Feb 2010 | 3:09 pmRemember this famous quote? “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it” – George Santayana I’ve heard this one time and time again in my years in the business world. And it’s a very powerful message about learning from the past. However, I would offer that this quote should be amended to truly reflect using history to a leader’s advantage: “Those who learn best from wisely selected history are destined to greatness” Note the phrase “wisely selected“. When it comes to history, great leaders essentially have… -
The SOBCon2010 “Blog it, Earn it” Discount- And An All-Expense Paid Ticket Giveaway
31 Jan 2010 | 3:08 pmSuppose you could take a weekend retreat away from the noise of the Internet … to focus entirely on your business to work with the support of a mastermind team to get quality time to interact with the top people in social media to get the best information AND time to discuss how you’ll apply it to work with sponsors who are doing the same thing in a room limited to 150 people — all focused in the same direction without worry because the food and the wireless are outstanding. Imagine a weekend work retreat with these people totally invested. Would you write a blog post to get… -
3 For Your Leadership Reading List: The Half-Full Book Review
28 Jan 2010 | 4:38 amAs the big stack on my desk attests, I love to read books that expand my knowledge and offer new insights on topics that interest me. My reading list over the past several years can be found on my Amazon page (and if you do buy a book that way, all my commissions go to the National Park Foundation), and yes, they are skewed heavily toward business books. This interest stems from the simple premise that you just never know when a book, or a page, or just a paragraph, might alter your way of thinking forever, and push you to a personal breakthrough. So it’s with great pleasure that I… -
5 Things Every Business Leader Should Know About Social Media
24 Jan 2010 | 1:36 pmIt’s the new elephant in the room. Boardrooms and conference rooms, that is. Businesses have been wrestling with this thing called Social Media for several years now, and while some have entered the fray, it’s still an enigma to many. Is it friend or foe? A great benefit , or a horrible nuisance? Do we dive straight in, stick our toe in the water, or just put our head in the sand and hope it goes away? Because this elephant can take on so many faces, there is a good chance that all of those points of view exist within the management ranks of many companies – even the…
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Shanel Yang . com
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Is College Right for You?
14 Jan 2010 | 12:01 amPhoto by asp.org Fewer students are willing to borrow money for college now than in the past. And fewer parents may be willing to let their kids go simply for a “well-rounded” education, insisting instead on a selection of courses and majors likely to translate into a high-paying career when all is done. Here are some things to consider: 1. COLLEGE DEGREE = HIGHER PAY College graduates earn about 60% more than high-school graduates, both annually and over their lifetimes. But, that means getting that degree. If you’re not committed to finishing, you might spend a lot of time… -
10 Scary Ways Bosses Keep Tabs on You
13 Jan 2010 | 12:01 amPhoto by youthblog.org Be warned that if you ever want to sue your boss or company (or anyone for that matter) your work records may become evidence for or against you. What kind of records? For starters, at least these 10 types: 1. PHONE RECORDS Not only can your boss listen in on your calls, there is a permanent record of all calls made from your line. Make excessive personal calls at your own risk. Recruiters or other company competitors calling you on your direct line? Not such a good idea. Step outside of the building and use your personal cell phone instead. 2. COMPUTERS Everything you… -
A New Way to Get Rid of Emotional Baggage
12 Jan 2010 | 12:01 amPhoto by polyvore.com Think you are stuck with bad memories forever? Apparently not. For the first time, behavioral scientists have found a way to erase the bad feelings (as in a fear, anger, anxiety, or other negative responses) people associate with old memories — without the use of any drugs. This is great news for phobia sufferers who often relapse under stressful situations. Not to mention all the people who want to get rid of excess emotional baggage. Who doesn’t? HOW MEMORY WORKS For a long time, psychologists believed that once memories were formed in our brains, they were… -
6 Common Heart Attack Triggers
11 Jan 2010 | 12:01 amPhoto by lasplash.com 1. HIGH-FAT, HIGH-CARB MEALS Such foods constrict blood vessels, making blood more likely to clot. A daily aspirin helps prevent this, but the best preventive care is smaller portions when you do indulge. 2. SITTING IN TRAFFIC Getting stuck in traffic raises blood pressure and triples heart attack risk. 3. WHEN YOU WAKE UP 40% more heart attacks occur first thing in the morning when you awake. “As you wake up, your body secretes adrenaline and other stress hormones, increasing blood pressure and a demand for oxygen. Your blood is also thicker and harder to pump… -
131 Sports Quotes
9 Jan 2010 | 12:01 amPhoto by kiiitv.com 1. My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging. - Hank Aaron 2. The triple is the most exciting play in baseball. Home runs win a lot of games, but I never understood why fans are so obsessed with them. - Hank Aaron 3. Trying to sneak a fastball past Hank Aaron is like trying to sneak the sunrise past a rooster. - Joe Adcock 4. I’ll be floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. - Muhammad Ali 5. It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound…
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Lifestyle Blogs on Blogged
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Grill a Perfect Grilled-Cheese Sandwich
Lifehacker If your grilled-cheese sandwiches never achieve that perfect diner-style golden grill but instead end up a shade too far into burn-marshmallow territory, a simple tweak or two can make your sandwich perfect. Over at the baby and kid-centric blog OhDeeDoh, they put together a tutorial to help a friend of theirs who has a finicky 3-year old will reject any grilled-cheese sandwich with even a hint of burnt bits on it. The tutorial is focused on grilling a perfect golden-crust, char-free, gooey-cheese, sandwich. -
Dating After 40? Just Be The (Young, Beautiful) Product They're All Looking For!
Jezebel Need proof? "Six months later, we had a storybook wedding in the south of France. It's a numbers game - it's as simple as that. I'm no beauty, but there's someone out there for everyone." Well, then: Divorced, fed up with bad relationships that went nowhere, apparently absolutely determined to find a man, Paula Rosdol decided to get scientific (or at least pseudoscientific.) -
Climate change; is it for real or are we being mislead?
NowPublic Climate change is on many peoples mind these days and some do wonder whether it is for real or if we are being mislead? One may first have to define climate change. Climate change is any change from a given point of reference or an average of a period of reference wish would be either higher or lower then the point of reference, wish would be either colder or warmer then the point of reference. -
Parents, Media Going "OMG" Over "Sexting"
Feministing By now, unless you've lived in a cave or have Sprint as your cell phone carrier, you've heard all there is to be heard about "sexting" and all of its controversies. The main problem, it seems, is the legality behind it, and that many teens with significantly older significant others are sending racy text messages and pictures of themselves to those, and as a result, those photos and text messages might be publicized, begging the question of what constitutes child pornography, and what is a private matter between lovers. -
Mice Shed New Light on Causes of Childhood Deafness
Signs of the Times Deafness is the most common disorder of the senses. Tragically, it commonly strikes in early childhood, severely damaging an affected child's ability to learn speech and language. In many cases, children gradually lose their hearing to become profoundly deaf over a long period of months to years, but scientists know very little about how this progressive loss happens, making prospects for prevention and cure very slim.
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Instructables.com
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How to Make a Fake Tree Branch for Your Reptile
9 Feb 2010 | 9:33 amLarge climbing reptiles require a suitable habitat. Nothing is more disturbing than seeing large pythons, boas, or iguanas in tiny barren tanks with inappropriate things to hang or climb on. These reptiles need naturalistic environments that mimic their natural rainforest habitat. The trouble is tha...By: pipervin -
Dieselpunk Stereophonic Amplifier
9 Feb 2010 | 9:33 amEvery so often projects start out simple but end up taking way more time than first anticipated. Here is one of those project that got out of hand. My original intent was to make a small, simple, powered speaker box. Nothing fancy, just a low power amp, used computer speakers, all housed in a t...By: garagemonkeysan -
MagSafe for the Rest of Us: A DIY Magnetic Power Adaptor
9 Feb 2010 | 7:12 amWe all know that one of the most common places for a laptop to break is its power adaptor. The combination of being directly attached to the motherboard, heat, and constant moving and shifting leads the connector to become loose and sloppy. Eventually the connection stops working altogether. Apple h...By: Freeload -
Sew a set of upcycled sweater fingerless gloves
9 Feb 2010 | 6:47 amFingerless gloves are a fantastic way to keep warm in the winter, while still retaining the use of your fingers, much needed tools for delicate work, even in the cold. Why not take a favorite sweater that has out-lived its use, and give it a second chance at life in the form of a toasty pair of fing...By: skyisblu -
Self-Portrait Camera Mirror
8 Feb 2010 | 12:16 pmInspired by Samsung's new Dual View TL220 digital camera that has a second LCD screen on the front so you can see yourself when you snap your own picture, I velcroed a small mirror to my existing digital camera and saved over 300 bucks! When I thought about how many pictures I have taken of myself ...By: noahw
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Productivity501
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EchoSign Review
9 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amIn my years in college and in the work force, I haven’t heard many people say that they enjoy paperwork. Sometimes it’s time consuming, rather boring and potentially messy. EchoSign is a product designed to help eliminate physical paper trails. Keeping track of several different documents from the same transaction can be frustrating, especially if you want to work in a paperless environment. For those that prefer to keep the paper trail organized in computer files instead of physical files, EchoSign would be a great help. Pricing Contracts have been faxed and mailed for years… -
Random Stuff
8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amHere is a bunch of random information I’ve discovered over the last few months. I figured it might be interesting for someone, so I thought I’d post it all together. If you see anything that you think would be interesting to see a full post about, please leave a comment and we’ll try to write about it in more detail. Overdrive Digital Library Many state libraries have digital books, audio books and movies that can be checked out electronically from a company called Overdrive. Most of the time, all you need for access is a card from a local library or your state… -
Free Tax Preparation Sites
4 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amWith April 15th rapidly approaching, many will start looking for fast, efficient ways to file taxes. The IRS has partnered with a number of sites to provide free online filings. This helps the IRS by decreasing the number of paper forms they have to process. In most states you are still going to have to file a state return. If you plan to use software, it may be easier to do the Federal and State together at the same time. Still, for states without an income tax, this is an easy way to do your taxes and get them submitted for free. Here are a few free sites that offer free filing services:… -
High Goals and Expectations
3 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amEveryone has a different idea about success. Many times our expectations are determined by the way we were raised and our interaction with our peers. These expectations can cause us to set artificially low goals. I know a man whose goal is to get his GED so he can get a job and make payments on a car. I just met a girl who has a goal to finish a 9-month cosmetology program so she can work at SuperCuts in front of Wal-Mart. When looking at your goals, make sure you understand the expectations you carry that influence the magnitude of those goals. If no one in your family went to college, you… -
Tuesday’s Tip: Dressed for Productivity
2 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amYou’ve heard of “Dressed for Success.” Well, what about “Dressed for Productivity?” I think that the way we dress can have a big impact on our performance. Where I went to college required that all the guys wear ties and all the gals wear dresses to class. There was quite a bit of debate among the students about whether this was really beneficial or not. Many students met the dress code to the letter, but were extremely sloppy in the way that the were dressed. Overall, it would probably be impossible to tell if having a dress code helped make anyone a better…
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PracticalHacks
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Quick Take: GoLite TraveLite Convertible Carry-on
9 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amGoLite's entry into the lightweight convertible carry-on niche is the TraveLite, a bag that offers Patagonia good looks with out the Paty sticker shock. The similarity doesn't end there: the ripstop material used appears very similar to that used on some Patagonia bags, the polymer shoulder strap hardware is identical to that on the MLC, the zippers are the same, and the off-center briefcase handle is eerily similar to that on the MLC. It's entirely possible this bag isn't made in the same factory as are some of the Paty products, but if that turned out to be the case, I wouldn't be… -
BlackBerry & smartphone users: say goodbye to Boingo & hotel internet fees
8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amA couple of weeks ago I spent a few hours at DEN, and in a moment of weakness, ended up paying $7.99 for a T-Mobile daily hotspot fee. Aaarrgghhh! Yes, I carry a Blackberry and it's great for quickly checking emails, but it's awfully limited when it comes to truly working on, and exploring, the internet. I had tried to figure out a way to tether the Blackberry to my laptop, but it wasn't possible as we were transitioning to a new provider & new phones. With my new Blackberry Tour and a simple program from Verizon, I'm now able to surf the net... -
Acer Aspire 10.1″ 6 Cell AOD-250 w/ optical DVD drive & wireless mouse for $279
6 Feb 2010 | 6:41 amI thought I’d post this here and on the Forum as this offer at sellout.woot.com will last only as long as supplies hold out… Note that this is a refurb; click on the image to see all the details. I have no connection to Woot or Acer. Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) [...] -
“Hacking Italy” suffers mission creep, remains big bang for the buck
5 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amA brief recap: I see a deal on TravelZoo a few months ago for a 6N trip to Sorrento, Italy that my wife and I can do for ~$2700. My immediate reaction: I can do better. In fact, in turns out that I can do much better: the cost of our alternative trip is now [...] -
6 unusual, inexpensive gifts from Lee Valley
3 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amAlthough Lee Valley Tools has traditionally focused on the needs of woodworkers and gardeners, their line has expanded over the years to include a number of neat products appealing to a much broader audience. These are perfect little gifts for coworkers, close friends, and of course, yourself. The following descriptions are from the Lee Valley site; click on any of the images to see the item there...
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Gail Lynne Goodwin's Blog
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Fundacion La Puerta- Making a Difference in Tecate
8 Feb 2010 | 12:36 pmA few days ago I was inspired by the smile of a small boy named Diego, who lives in a poor community of Tecate, Mexico. I spent last week in Mexico as a guest of Rancho La Puerta. Our group of 18 bloggers visited Diego’s community last Thursday. As a border town, Tecate is known as a migrant town and is highly transient. The average worker earns $5-10 per day. Diego and his family live in the outskirts of Tecate where people can still acquire land by squatter’s rights. Diego’s neighborhood is crammed with one tiny home after another, many without running water. Poverty is… -
The Incredible Deborah Szekely of Rancho La Puerta
3 Feb 2010 | 10:18 amRecently I had the privilege of meeting Debrorah Szekely, the founder of Rancho La Puerta. I’ve been enjoying a luxurious week here at the ranch in Tecate, Mexico, as a part of a group of 18 women lifestyle bloggers. Deborah is an incredible woman and a mentor to all of us. The life story of Deborah is as full of achievements as it is improbable. Born in Brooklyn in 1922 and raised in New York City, Tahiti, and Marin County, California, Deborah found herself at age 18 jouncing down a dusty road in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, in an old car with her husband, Edward, a 34-year-old… -
Inspiration from Rancho La Puerta
1 Feb 2010 | 9:26 amAh…. morning inspiration from Rancho La Puerta…. While on a walk yesterday, I found a permanent exterior chalk board that is the ranch’s version of InspireMeToday.com. This board is about 3′ by 3′ in a stone monument with inlaid tiles. The artwork is exquisite! Each day they feature a different inspirational quote. Today’s quote “The soul is not where it lives, but where it loves. “ It was so beautifully done that I wanted to share it with you…… with hopes that some of the peace I’m feeling this morning comes through this… -
Blogger Bliss at Rancho La Puerta
31 Jan 2010 | 9:25 pmA few weeks ago I was invited to visit Rancho La Puerta, in Tecate, Mexico. I’m here this week as a part of an international group of bloggers to experience this incredible resort and spa. I am truly excited to share Rancho La Puerto with you as I’m inspired just being here. We met yesterday at the San Diego airport and boarded a coach bus for the hour-long ride to the ranch, just over the border in Tecate, Mexicao. The light at the end of the tunnel, on in this case, the resort at the end of the very windy bus ride, was certainly worth the wait. The grounds are beautiful…. -
“O”, I “LOVE” the Magic of Cirque du Soleil!
26 Jan 2010 | 10:10 pmI am so grateful for my InspireMeToday.com family! Because of this blog, I had the great honor and the incredible privilege of being spoiled in a really big way. Cirque du Soleil "O" My friend Jessica with Cirque du Soleil gifted us with tickets for “O” and backstage passes and great seats for “LOVE” too! I want to share this amazing experience with you and sincerely hope that you too will find a way to experience the magic of Cirque du Soliel for yourself. You may remember I had the honor of interviewing the founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Lalaiberte for…
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Schaefer's Blog
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C.S. Lewis on Equality
9 Feb 2010 | 7:30 amMany know C.S. Lewis for his Chronicles of Narnia series or Mere Christianity, but few realize how much he discussed things like freedom and democracy. From his book, Present Concerns, Lewis wrote an essay concerning equality. The following is a segment from that essay that I came across via The Beacon blog: A great deal of democratic enthusiasm descends from the ideas of people like Rousseau, who believed in democracy because they thought mankind so wise and good that everyone deserved a share in the government. The danger of defending democracy on those grounds is that they’re not true. -
Friday Video: Do Schools Kill Creativity?
4 Feb 2010 | 10:56 pmA presentation I’ve come back to many times over the past year – a brilliant call by Sir Ken Robinson to rethink our education system and how it is currently set up to kill, rather than nurture creativity. Enjoy! Related posts:Friday Video: Nose-High C-17 Takeoff Haven’t done a Friday video in a while, so here... Friday Video: The Limits of Power – Andrew Bacevich Retired Army Colonel Andrew Bacevich, a West Point Graduate who... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
London, Not Central Asia the Real Terrorist Threat
4 Feb 2010 | 8:24 amFrom Foreign Policy’s Reality Check, Last month, an official told the Daily Telegraph that their country “has the greatest concentration of active al Qaeda supporters [in the West],” posing a threat to Britain and “the rest of the world.” The same article cited a fresh and ominous finding from the director of MI5. He estimated his service was aware of some 2,000 “radicalized Muslims” who might be involved in terrorist plots. That figure, of course, doesn’t include the population of plotters who have escaped MI5 scrutiny, like Abdulmutallab. As… -
Friday Video: Jeff Rubin on the End of Cheap Oil
28 Jan 2010 | 8:00 pmEconomist Jeff Rubin discusses the future of oil (peak oil) in an entertaining way that doesn’t take a PhD to understand. If you are a regular reader of Schaefer’s Blog this is a must-watch, even if you just watch the first 10 minutes. Basically, Rubin lays out a convincing argument why triple digit oil, translating to $6-$7 per gallon at the pump is all, but inevitable and will probably come sooner than we think. HT to Paul Kedrosky for this find. No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
Lessons in Unsustainable Futures: GM and the DoD
27 Jan 2010 | 4:00 amIn a recent Washington Independent article, Spencer Ackerman asked the all-important, but seldom asked question, “Why Should Defense Spending Be Sacrosanct?” It’s not popular to ask this question, especially if you’re a congressman because in doing so you’re bound to be labeled as not supportive of the troops. However, the present course of the DOD is completely unsustainable. And in our current economic state ($12 trillion in debt and counting) I, like Ackerman and others, find it odd that there has been no serious talk of freezing the gargantuan DoD budget.
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Project Mojave Blog
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How I Hire Virtual Assistants (And A Deluge of Free Shit)
3 Feb 2010 | 7:56 amSo conventional “marketing wisdom” says when I give away free stuff, I’m supposed to hype it up and rub it in your face (e.g. “FREE FREE FREE”). At the very least, I’m supposed to make you opt-in to my email list in exchange for the kind of content that’s below . . . . . . and then tell you over and over again how all my friends told me NOT to give this stuff away without charging, and how I’m afraid this will cost me my business, etc.). And at a bare minimum, I’m supposed to tell you that everything below is worth AT LEAST $5k . . . and that you should use this stuff (see… -
Lawrence from Office Space’s guide to freedom
19 Jan 2010 | 11:54 am[Note: This post is by Johnny B. Truant. A good friend and one hell of a weird dude]. My dad (who isn’t the guy in the photo above; he comes later) has this really interesting way of combining the surreal with the profound. I mean, he lives above a big Italian Market warehouse populated by a gun-toting right-wing conspiracy theorist who can’t bring himself to click open a ballpoint pen, a woman with one arm, and a bizarre multipurpose hourly worker who argues that he should be paid twice what the woman with one arm gets, given that he has two. Dad will cook chili in tanker-loads… -
Mojave Members on Fire: Danielle Coleman
7 Jan 2010 | 4:32 amNote: Every other month we’re going to profile one of the extraordinary members of Project Mojave. We’re kicking it off with Danielle Coleman, who has an amazing story and an amazing gift to give to the world. Here is her story, told in her own words: I am the proud mother of a beautiful two-year-old girl named Myrdin Rose. She, like most two-year-olds, is fiercely independent. She is a definite Daddy’s girl, but can always be counted on to snuggle up to Mama at bedtime. She loves dancing and singing, being outside in the fresh air, and playing with her dolls or stuffed dog. She… -
Behind the Scenes of One of My Secret “Freedom Businesses”
12 Dec 2009 | 3:24 pmAwhile ago, I selected a Project Mojave member’s business idea and decided to personally take that idea and turn it into a successful automated “freedom business.” In my spare time. Since I started building this business, a LOT of people have asked me about it. So here’s a video that discusses the business I’m building …and how you can apply my techniques to your market to rapidly increase profits. Also – in case you didn’t know, I’m offering the final 50 spots in Project Mojave on Tuesday December 15th, 2009. These spots will only be available for a 24… -
Why Selecting A Market is So Damn Hard
10 Dec 2009 | 6:09 pmHere’s where you can enter your email address and get an early link for the new $5 offer. Email: In case you didn’t watch the whole video, here’s what’s up. On Tuesday December 15th, I’m offering 50 spots in Project Mojave…and this time (for a nominal fee of $5) you can try it out for three days. These spots will only be available for a 24 hour period (and right now I have no plans to open up Project Mojave in the future). Given the price, it’ll probably sell out supa’ fast since there’s only 50 spots.
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Zen Habits
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On minimalism
8 Feb 2010 | 12:26 pmPost written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. How does ’simple’ differ from ‘minimalist’? That’s the question someone asked me on Twitter recently, and it’s a good one. Zen Habits has become known as a leading simplicity blog, and at the same time I recently started mnmlist, a blog about minimalism. Why the two blogs? What’s the difference? It’s an important question as it forces us to examine each concept a little more closely. First, let’s acknowledge that the two concepts are related, and in some ways are two ways of saying the… -
12 Classic Zen Habits Posts You Might Not Have Read
6 Feb 2010 | 4:37 pm“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. This morning I found myself lying around, enjoying a lazy weekend with my wife and kids, basking in the peaceful simplicity of today. It’s in these moments that I find not only my greatest happiness, but my purpose in life. I am here not to achieve or even to change the world, but simply to live. Life is a gift, and I’m happy to accept every moment of it. And so, in this spirit, I thought I’d dig through my archives and share a few favorite posts, to… -
9 Unconventional Steps to a Thriving, “Very Small” Business
4 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amEditor’s note: This is a guest post from Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity. For more than ten years I’ve operated a string of one-man businesses. My model is: keep it lean, hire no one, and outsource very little. I’ve made my share of mistakes (a long list!), but one thing has remained constant—I want to add extreme value to my customers, and I want to make a good living without simply creating a job for myself. Here’s what I’ve learned. 1. Hire no one. My Unconventional Guides business took off in early 2009, and for a while I felt an internal… -
Zen Habits Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1 Feb 2010 | 2:57 pmPost written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. I get asked a lot of questions, many of them repeatedly, and I figured instead of answering them all over and over, I’d compile my answers for everyone here. Of course, there’s a lot more about me and this site on the About page, and I’d always love it if you checked out the Books page. I hope you find this useful! 1. Why did you turn off comments on Zen Habits? This has been the most difficult decision I’ve made since starting Zen Habits, as I truly loved comments here. I love hearing from readers, and it was my… -
How Not to Hurry
28 Jan 2010 | 4:56 pm“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. Consider the above quote from Lao Tzu, (perhaps mythical) father of Taoism: how can it be true? Is it possible to never hurry, but to get everything done? It seems contradictory to our modern world, where everything is a rush, where we try to cram as much into every minute of the day as possible, where if we are not busy, we feel unproductive and lazy. In fact, often we compete by trying to show how busy we are. I have a thousand projects to do! Oh yeah? I have 10,000! The…
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Business Hacks
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Learn to Use the Office Ribbon by Thinking Like a Gamer
9 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amMicrosoft has released an experimental add-on for Office apps which treats learning how to get around the ribbon like a computer game. -
Is Internet Addiction Sapping Your Productivity?
9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amLast Friday, I got out of bed to discover that my Internet cable service was out. Not only couldn't I get any e-mail in Outlook, but I was unable to see any Web pages. -
Lessons Learned From the Google Commercial -- and How to Make One of Your Own
8 Feb 2010 | 10:48 amGoogle spent millions to buy Super Bowl ad time, but almost zero to create its commercial. Yet it was one of the best of the night. I made a knockoff in about 45 minutes using free tools. -
Smaller Teams, Less Communication Equals Better Productivity
8 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amOrganizationally, we have a tendency to over communicate. Andc by adding nonessential participants to projects, we dramatically slow down the overall process. -
A Special Offer From Our Sponsor
8 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am
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Marc and Angel Hack Life
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29 Semi-Productive Things I Do Online When I’m Trying to Avoid Real Work
7 Feb 2010 | 9:05 pmYou don’t always have to work hard to be productive. Productivity can simply be the side effect of doing the right things. So here’s a list of 29 semi-productive things I do online when my mind is set on avoiding ‘real work.’ Check delicious popular tags like ‘useful,’ ‘tutorials,’ ‘tips,’ ‘howto,’ ‘advice,’ ‘entrepreneurship,’ etc. for interesting, educational articles to read. Watch one of the thousands of educational videos streaming at TED.com, Academic Earth and Teacher Tube. Read an online book list and find a new book to grab next time I’m at the… -
Less than Perfect is a Perfect Start
31 Jan 2010 | 9:29 pmHer First Subscriber “How did you do it?” she asked. “In a sea of blogs that never make it, how did you start a personal blog that attracted the attention of 10,000 subscribers?” I chuckled. “You know, I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around that one myself.” “Come on, Marc,” she insisted. “I’m being serious here. I’m getting ready to start my own blog and I’m nervous about failing. I want to cross all my T’s and dot all my I’s – I don’t want to start it until I know how to do it right.” I stared at her for a moment. “Well, one Sunday evening… -
5 Creative Ways to Upsize Your Life by Downsizing
24 Jan 2010 | 9:35 pmThis guest post was written by Betsy, co-author of Married With Luggage. Imagine relocating across the country and waiting for the moving truck to arrive so you can unpack your life and get settled. Only the truck never makes it to your destination because it caught fire in New Jersey. Everything you own is now ash, and through the magic of the Internet you find out that someone actually video recorded the fiery truck on the highway and uploaded it to YouTube. Burn, baby, burn. This actually happened to a friend of mine. And he said that after an initial 10-minute freak out session, he… -
The Most Important Question You Can Ask Yourself
17 Jan 2010 | 9:10 pmInspired Once upon a time, two thirteen-year-old boys were watching the track and field Summer Olympics events on television. Neither of them had previously spent any time watching amateur athletes strive with their heart and soul to be their absolute best, so the boys were mesmerized by the passion, determination, and athletic grace displayed by the Olympic competitors. In a moment of unadulterated inspiration, the two of them made a pact to become Olympic track and field competitors before their twenty-first birthdays. That afternoon, over a glass of chocolate milk, they mapped out a… -
One Decision that Changes Everything
10 Jan 2010 | 11:01 pmThis guest post was written by Alex, author of Unleash Reality. Money Success Freedom Happiness Glory Mmmm. YUM. Sounds good doesn’t it? And yet very few people ever live to become the success story they dream about. Why? Because all successful people have one excruciatingly simple thing in common. And it’s the only thing that’s stopping you from being insanely, abundantly, super successful. Taking Action Successful people take action. That’s it. “Take action? Yeah, right!” It sounds too simple, doesn’t it? Yeah, it does. But don’t be fooled. It is that simple. …
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WebWorkerDaily
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Work Hacks: How to Run Meetings Google-style
9 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amFor many of us, “meeting hell” is a perennial and ongoing problem, sapping both productivity and morale from our work days. So how does one of the world’s most innovative corporate cultures tackle the problem of badly managed meetings? What would Google do? Google has not only become synonymous with technological innovation, but also as a brand that employs innovative work practices, such as the famous 20 percent time for engineers and the playful Googleplex workplaces (read more about Google here). Google’s Marissa Mayer was recently interviewed by Business Week. -
ClientShow: Smoother Pitches
9 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amIf you’re a creative professional, you’ve probably had to make a pitch to a new client. Unless you’re actually able to walk into your clients’ offices, managing those pitches remotely can be difficult. Email often can’t support the big files designers and other creatives work with, and other tools don’t provide real-time interactions at the level necessary for a pitch. Realizing there was a gap in the market, ClientShow built a platform for pitching and interacting with clients that just went into beta. The company offers creatives an Adobe AIR… -
3 Apps For Collaborating on Scripts Online
8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pmHere are some apps that provide useful ways to collaborate online on writing scripts for anything from short promotional corporate videos to full-length motion pictures. Sure, there are many ways to accomplish this task, such as sharing a document using Google Docs or Zoho Write, but these three apps focus specifically on the task of writing scripts, along with the formatting that requires. They each include the ability to invite other writers to join your project and maintain a centralized copy of the material for each contributor to view and update. Adobe Story Adobe Labs is currently… -
Minute Suites: Rest and Recharge, Airport Style
8 Feb 2010 | 1:00 pmBetween security hassles and being charged fees for everything but the oxygen we breathe on board a plane, air travel has become something to be endured rather than enjoyed. But a new service that recently opened in Atlanta Hartsfield airport, called Minute Suites, wants to serve as travelers’ oasis from the stress of life traveling the unfriendly skies. Atlanta Hartsfield’s Minute Suites is located on Concourse B in a space that was formerly a business center, and bills itself as a “traveler’s retreat”. Minute Suites offered me the chance to give them a try during a layover on a… -
Taking a Closer Look with 1DayLater
8 Feb 2010 | 11:00 amThis year, in an effort to get a better grip on the ways I generate income, I’ve been looking for a free, simple app that will allow me to track my income easily. I should say that this was my first priority; as a second priority, I wanted to track my time more closely as well. Although I like feeling organized, I don’t want to spend ages learning how to use software, and one thing that really frustrates me is unintuitive systems with poor usability. Generally, I think the simpler things are, the better. So I was excited to hear about 1DayLater, a new time-, cash- and…
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Organize IT
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The Hidden Barriers Between You And Your Goals
8 Feb 2010 | 9:23 amThis is a guest post by Emma Newman of Post Apocalyptic Publishing. I once heard that former British Prime Minister Mrs Thatcher said “Happiness is a ticked off list”. I have no idea if that’s true, but regardless of how one might have felt about her politics, I can certainly relate to that statement. I always write a to-do list for every project, and having recently completed a major one, I realised something about the process that causes it all to break down. You see, as detailed as my lists are, I’ve realized that there are certain types of items that don’t… -
Clutter 101: The 3 Golden Rules For A Decluttered Life
25 Jan 2010 | 9:21 amI’ve written a lot about being organized and de-cluttering your life, in fact I did an entire book about it (you can download it for free here). It was one of the first big ‘lifehacks’ that I really mastered and it made such a difference to me. In fact I converted several other people, including my own parents, to the idea of decluttering (it backfired slightly because they started focusing on the stuff I’d left at their home when I’d got my own place). Recently I was asked how to maintain that blissful de-cluttered state. She’d followed this blog, checked… -
Whole Lotta News: My Latest eBook Is Out, Plus The 2010 Weekly Planner, The Twitter List And A New Blog Design…
21 Jan 2010 | 11:52 amI’ve been a bit busy these past few weeks getting the blog updated for 2010, so I thought I’d do one big post to share with you all what’s been happening. Firstly, you may have noticed it now has a new design. Gone is the sunflower theme which had absolutely nothing to do with the topic of the blog, and in its place is something a little more fitting (well I think so anyway). I wanted to avoid spending countless hours doing my own re-design so I bought a custom theme, and then ended up spending countless hours tweaking that instead (don’t ask). Anyways, I like it and I… -
What Going To The Gym Taught Me About Achieving My Goals
18 Jan 2010 | 9:08 amSeveral years ago I signed up to a gym. My attendance was patchy at best, despite all my intentions and it took a further two years, and changing to a different gym, before I finally got into a routine of going every week. Looking back, I think a lot of the problem was that I expected immediate results. I tried so many routines both at the gym and at home, from trying to go for regular jogs to simply doing pushups at home, only to ditch them within a month. My motivation would disappear because it was so heavily dependent on short term results. As any regular gym-goer will probably agree,… -
Ask The Readers: Productivity, Personal Development, Lifestyle Design… What Best Sums It All Up For You?
14 Jan 2010 | 9:08 amA couple of months ago I posed a little question on Twitter, having spent quite a bit of time figuring out how best to categorize Organize IT. I was surprised by the number of people who responded with their opinions and preferences. Productivity, personal development, lifestyle design, or other? What’s the name for all of this? What are all us bloggers actually writing about? And does it really matter what it gets called? Of course not, but it would be interesting to see what the general consensus is… When I started the blog in 2006, it was all about the productivity, fueled by…
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Parent Hacks
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Layer cotton pants and skirts to keep them from falling down
9 Feb 2010 | 9:21 amYou know something good's afoot when kids start coming up with their own hacks. From Bethany: My oldest daughter actually came up with this one! She is really petite and we were given lots hand-me-down cotton pants, leggings, and other pants that lack belt loops. Since I’m not great at sewing I’ve struggled to find a way to keep her pants from falling down. She recently began to layer her clothes – multiple pants/shorts/skirts on all at the same time – and she realized that when she put bloomers on under her pants, the cotton “stuck” to the cotton and her pants no longer fell… -
Skyrest Travel Pillow works well as a kids' travel footrest (no more kicking the seat in front)
9 Feb 2010 | 8:11 amDave's got a great idea for solving the "restless feet" problem on road and plane trips: We know of the problems that are caused by children's feet dangling off their car seats. But there are few alternatives on the market and they are expensive and fit few vehicles. The Skyrest Travel Pillow works great in any vehicle. Just turn it upside-down and inflate it to fill the space and reach your child's feet. The bottom is easy care vinyl. No more dangling feet kicking and resting on the back of the front seat. We have noticed our kids are less restless on the long trips. -
links for 2010-02-08
8 Feb 2010 | 10:30 amkidyos - the best of the web for kids Pre-screened videos, games and educational content for 1-6 YO kids. Thanks, Oren! Baby Toolkit: Dock those tails: Streamlining adjustable elastic pants YES! My no-waist daughter always has these thingies sticking out. Thank you, Adrienne (by way of Tracy)! Smart-Bottom Enterprises: Personal ABC Books I always admire when parents put time into projects like these. Thanks for sharing, Darcy! glue sky » Fixing Crazy Action Figure Eyes Hilarious. Sharpies to the rescue! Cook Play Explore: Avoiding Mealtime Battles Interesting...may help some, although in my… -
Life Scoop: Your own personal "events" calendar
8 Feb 2010 | 9:30 amHow do you keep track of the about-town activities you might want to do if you feel like it and have time and noone's sick and... My next post for the Intel-sponsored site Life Scoop shares my solution: a personalized "Possibilities" calendar. Related: Life Scoop: Five ways texting can make your life easier -
Contain small-parts toy play with a tray, cookie sheet or roasting pan
8 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amKobie's hack solves two problems at once -- mess and babyproofing: My daughters have recently discovered the delight of playing with HAMA beads (also known as Perler beads or fuse beads). This is small beads that you stack in a pattern and then iron to form a picture. When they started this hobby my middle daughter was four and rather clumsy so we were always picking more beads up from the floor than off the table. Having a 1 year-old didn't make this very safe. I happened on my roasting tray and gave this to her in a moment of genius and problem solved! She now works with the beads…
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The Happiness Project
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Are You in a Book Group? Want a Reading Group Guide?
8 Feb 2010 | 8:27 amHappiness is a great book group meeting! I'm in three book groups -- one in which we read books aimed at adults, two in which we read book aimed at children and young adults. Being part of these books groups is among the joys of my life. So I'm a big fan of book groups. In general, I've heard, book groups don't choose books that are only available in hardback, so I've been surprised to hear from a lot of people that their groups have read The Happiness Project. It's thrilling to imagine a book group reading my book. Zoikes! If you do choose The Happiness Project, if you'd be interested, you… -
"There Is Certainly No Greater Happiness..."
8 Feb 2010 | 5:44 am“There is certainly no greater happiness, than to be able to look back on a life usefully and virtuously employed, to trace our own progress in existence, by such tokens as excite neither shame nor sorrow.” -- Samuel Johnson * A reader sent me the link to this fabulous item on etsy -- a great, stylish way to track resolutions. I love it! * Want to launch a group for people doing happiness projects together? I'm in a group like that myself, and I love it! If so, read more here and sign up here for a starter kit to help get you going. -
Schedule Time for Play.
5 Feb 2010 | 11:54 amI’m working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too! Everyone’s project will look different, but it’s the rare person who can’t benefit. Join in -- no need to catch up, just jump in right now. Each Friday’s post will help you think about your own happiness project. One of my favorite resolutions – but also kept with great difficulty – is to Schedule time for play. I often get teased about this resolution, because people think it sounds incongruous, and even silly, to schedule time for play. Play should be spontaneous, right? Aren’t we naturally alert for… -
Happiness Is…A Great Book Event in Toronto.
5 Feb 2010 | 11:38 amI had such a great time in Toronto – I’d never been to Toronto, or even Canada, before this trip. I met a lot of interesting people during the day, and last night the famous Heather Reisman of Indigo Books and I had a conversation at one of the wonderful Indigo bookstores. Interesting note about Toronto: I saw a street sign that said, “Pedestrians obey your signals.” You don’t see this in New York City! We dart out the minute we see a break in traffic. * Interested in starting your own happiness project? If you’d like to take a look at my personal Resolutions Chart, for… -
"Marriage is About...Tea, Doctor's Appointments, Trivia, Quirks."
4 Feb 2010 | 10:39 amFrom time to time, I post short interviews with interesting people about their insights on happiness. During my study of happiness, I’ve noticed that I often learn more from one person’s highly idiosyncratic experiences than I do from sources that detail universal principles or cite up-to-date studies. I’m much more likely to be convinced to try a piece of advice urged by a specific person who tells me that it worked for him or her, than by any other kind of argument. The relationships among love, marriage, and expectations are some of the most complex and important issues within the…
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Mind Hacks
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Nine Legendary Hypochondriacs
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amABC Radio National's Late Night Live has a fascinating discussion with the author of a new book on nine famous hypochondriacs: James Boswell, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale, Alice James, Daniel Paul Schreber, Marcel Proust, Glenn Gould and Andy Warhol. I'm not sure Daniel Paul Schreber is necessarily the best example of someone with hypochondria is he is famous for writing a personal account of being genuinely mentally ill and floridly psychotic. However, I've not read the book and the programme focuses on better known figures so I am open to being convinced (certainly… -
Bonuses generate more heat than light
6 Feb 2010 | 9:11 amThe engaging behavioural economist Dan Ariely has just become a columnist for Wired UK and in his first article he describes how the promise of performance-related pay often backfires leading people to do more but perform worse. To see the effect of bonuses on performance, Nina Mazar (assistant professor of marketing, Toronto University), Uri Gneezy (professor of economics and strategy, University of California, San Diego), George Loewenstein (professor of economics, Carnegie Mellon, Pennsylvania) and I conducted three experiments. In one we gave subjects tasks that demanded attention,… -
2010-02-05 Spike activity
5 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amQuick links from the past week in mind and brain news: Sex addiction is a feminist victory, according to an article in Slate, apparently because it allows man shaming. Malevolence-based medicine rears its ugly head. The BPS Research Digest covers research finding CBT-based self-help books might do more harm than good for people who worry a lot. The public are asked for their opinion on the recent news that The Lancet retracts the Wakefield autism paper, by The Onion. Neurophilosophy has an excellent piece on big news that the first evidence for navigation essential grid cells in the human… -
Eureka brain special and more fighting
4 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amThe Times has just released its monthly science magazine, Eureka, with a special issue on the brain and all the articles freely available online. There doesn't seem to be a way to link to a whole issue, but inside you'll find an excellent piece on the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to temporarily switch off bits of the working brain, a profile of neurosurgeon Huma Sethi, an article on commercial brain-computer interfaces, a remarkable piece on how old injuries can 'return' to affect phantom limbs as well as an exploration of the link between brain activity and sporting skill. -
Time to think
4 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amBioemphemera has found some wonderfully left-field brain illustrations by Dutch graphic designer Rhonald Blommestijn. The image on the left is a brain made out of clocks. Blommestijn's blog is full of strikingly surreal eye-candy that manages both to inspire a feeling of wide-eyed wonder and illustrate scientific themes. They're certainly very original takes on the subject and the neuroscience images are particularly vivid. Link to Bioephemera on Blommestijn's brain illustrations. Link to Blommestijn's blog.
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LessonInLife.Com
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Irrational Emotion – An Explanation
20 Jan 2010 | 4:29 amSummary – Emotion accumulates Duh! I wonder if this is your first reaction to the summary of this post. Of course it accumulates. Everything accumulates. Just like a coin, if you found one coin today, and tomorrow you found another one, that will make two coins. But wait a minute, this post is meant for more than just compounding interest or wealth generation. It is one of the most interesting lesson I’ve learnt the past 2 months. The story I was very stressed that day. With all the problem I was having with work, one of my staff was giving me more problem. He did one expensive… -
How To Say NO To Abusers At Work
3 Nov 2009 | 9:20 pmSummary – How to say NO to abusers Very recently I have received an email asking a very interesting question. First of all, I would like to thank the sender, Pankaj, who had taken the time and sent me the email. It is always a pleasure getting to know my reader. The following is the email Pankaj sent me. “I want to know how exactly to say NO to people. My work is almost always overloaded, but even so, when other people come to me asking for help with his work, I can never say no. I always try to help others but in this way I am always taken negative.” Well Pankaj, this is… -
Basic Trick To Success You May Not Know
19 Oct 2009 | 3:54 amSummary – Success definition I talked to one of my colleague this morning. To make things easier, let’s call him Peter. Peter is an acting manager to an estate here but he’s going to retire next year. I actually asked him whether he will apply for extension and maybe then he will be confirmed as a manager. He simply answered “No, I don’t need the “Manager” title to become successful. I am already successful by my own definition.” That simple sentence had left me speechless (For a few seconds of course). I then continued to ask him what he meant… -
Pay Yourself First Without The Money
12 Oct 2009 | 3:18 amIf you are into financial management, I bet all my money that you have heard of the concept “Pay Yourself First”. Rest assured this post is not about finance. Basically, the idea is to allocate a portion of your paycheck to be saved elsewhere before you even settle your pay-or-die bills. The concept is created simply because saving if not forced, is an impossible thing to do. I know it is kind of harsh, but it is the truth. You can see the proof from my bank account (which of course I will not disclose here). Forget about my bank account. Just look at yours. Did you manage to save… -
10 Simple Ways To Backup Your Life
28 Jul 2009 | 8:01 amSummary – Sometimes redundancy is a bliss It was the year 2001. I was doing my internship at the time with a petrochemical company. I remember this year very fondly because this is the year I make one of the biggest mistake in my life. Please bear with me as I explain some details about the mistakes. You see, being a student, my computer was my life. I had files about everything saved in my PC. This includes notes, assignments, projects, personal pictures, diaries etc. In short, the last 5 years of my life were well documented in that PC. One fine day, I mistakenly formatted the PC and…
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Sally Walker
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You know what? It’s OK to say….NO! (or ask for more!)
I have had a strange week this week. It all started with my ‘100 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Me‘ post, it got me thinking about just what in life is important to me, how I feel and how I see the future. The most important thing to me in the world, and I am [...] -
100 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Me!
Here goes! 100 things you (probably) didn’t know about me: 1. I have lived in Kent all my life 2. I am 6ft 1” tall 3. And about the same wide 4. I am incredibly short sighted 5. And blue-green colour blind 6. I have Guillain-Barré Syndrome 7. I first met my husband when I was 14 but we didn’t start going [...] -
Calling all authors, publishers, book type people, I NEED YOUR HELP!
I am food obsessed, I love to cook and if I had my perfect day it would be spent cooking with my kids and having lots of fun. I have loved cooking since I was young and my passion exudes each day as I try new ideas. What I really want to do is write a [...] -
YouTube offers full length TV shows in new YouTube Show Channel
YouTube has teamed up with Channel 4 to offer full length TV shows hosted on through the huge video network. New content will be added by Channel 4 and other new partnerships such as BBC Worldwide, Turner Broadcasting, ITN, Classic Media, FremantleMedia, North One and Al Jazeera. YouTube viewers are already able to see full length [...] -
Internet & Social Media Marketer ordered to pay Facebook over $700mil
Facebook said Thursday a California court has awarded the social networking Web site $711 million in damages in an anti-spam case against Internet marketer Sanford Wallace. Facebook sued Wallace for accessing users’ accounts without their permission and sending phony posts and messages. The company said on its blog that in addition to the damage award, [...]
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Through The Illusion
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And So I Bid Adieu…
21 Jan 2010 | 6:14 amI’ve spent a lot of time writing here, sharing more information than is probably advisable, and generally just rocking the interwebs! But the best part has been, and continues to be, the amazing people I have met. AH-MA-ZING. The truth is that I’ve said just about everything that I want to say in this context. And it has been my pleasure, and my privilege, to be a part of this community. If you would like to stay in touch, you can find me on Facebook or bouncing around Twitter. Keep rocking the universe! -
The Secret Evil Diet Destroyer
20 Jan 2010 | 10:12 amI lost 10 lbs. in 3 days! I didn’t count calories, I didn’t weigh or measure anything, and I didn’t obsess about what I was eating. I simply substituted vegetables for all the sugar I’d been eating. But then it happened…the secret evil diet destroyer struck again! I actually have TWO secret evil diet destroyers because I’m lucky that way: mexican food and sushi. Eating mexican food is 100% guaranteed to add 5 lbs. to my behind the next morning. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll have to pry my tamales from my cold dead hands, but I still cringe… -
4 Steps Toward A Better 2010
18 Jan 2010 | 8:42 amThe new year is the perfect time to get your house in order! While everyone else is making resolutions to be more awesome, you can do something that’ll rock your awesome NOW. Clean out the fridge. No, really. I’m totally serious. Check the date of your condiments. You might be unpleasantly surprised. Get rid of any mystery food. If you can’t identify it, you don’t want to eat it! Let go of leftovers that you keep telling yourself you’ll eat. (You won’t.) First pull out all the drawers and shelves so you can clean every nook and cranny up in there. … -
Sex and Submission
15 Jan 2010 | 10:19 amWarning: This post contains adult content. I’m not going to get all “Harlequin Romance Presents” on you, but it will approach some explicit themes. If you are reading this via RSS or email feel free to delete it without going further. I don’t want to “8mm” you, which is what happened to me and my mom when we unwittingly stumbled into a Nicholas Cage movie about snuff films. If you don’t know what a snuff film is, consider yourself lucky and stop reading. Recently, Steve Pavlina revealed that he was 1) getting divorced and 2) exploring the… -
Losing Weight: The Donut Diet
11 Jan 2010 | 8:32 amMost people try to rein themselves in during the holidays. Skip the stuffing, not so much cranberry sauce, just one slice of pumpkin pie. But not me. Not this year. I had enough of “watching what I eat” and being sensible. I wanted to marinate in deliciousness. One fine day, while my love muffin was out playing volleyball, I whisked myself to the grocery store and went to town. Nothing was safe! Everything I’d ever wanted as a kid and as an adult found its way into my cart. Ho-Hos. Oatmeal Cream Pies. Heavenly Hash ice cream. Brownies. Boston and Bavarian…
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Robert Walker Online
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Being Hurt By Someone You Love
8 Feb 2010 | 12:34 pmI have never understood the idea of willfully hurting or neglecting someone you love in order to get your priorities straight. That has always struck me as childish, immature, and very selfish. It shows an utter disregard for the consequences of one’s actions and choices, a smug assumption of being able to go through life with impunity. This notion may seem to be opposed to the idea that we are not responsible for other people’s emotions or reactions. But I think that the two should, and must, ultimately, co-exist and compliment each other. I think that we need to be sensitive to… -
When They Make Us Angry
1 Feb 2010 | 9:47 amIt seems like it is easier for us to do things that hurt other people, or to leave a given situation, when they piss us off. We lose sympathy and compassion when they “make us” angry, and this makes it easier to act harshly and coldly. But, it seems to really come down to the fact that what makes us angry is that we don’t get our way, that the other person is not acting in accordance with what would make us most happy and comfortable; that they are not acting like, or saying what, we want them to. It is unsatisfied desire. It can also be childish and selfish, a self-involved… -
Sex and Making Love
23 Jan 2010 | 9:29 amI take issue with the idea of “making love” being used as a euphemism for sex. I think that it not only does love an injustice, but it distorts and confuses both sex and love by making them synonymous, which they most certainly are not. No doubt, there is a lot of sex that has absolutely nothing to do with love, as we all know perfectly well. Sex is not a simple thing. It is often used for purposes other than love and procreation, whether it be hate, lust, revenge, ego-boosting, and so many others. It is irresponsible and ignorant to use the concepts of love and sex… -
It is not MY truth
15 Jan 2010 | 4:23 pmMost dogmatic ideologies say that what the human says is the truth. I say—and those who understand what I understand—never say that “what I say is true,” that “I have the right way,” but rather that what is true is true, what is is, and it is up to us to see it or not for ourselves. That is what being open-minded, and thinking for yourself—what not being controlled by illusions—is all about. It’s the opposite of arrogance. The problem is that most people think they are thinking for themselves and are in control of their actions and beliefs… -
Glimpsing the Truth
7 Jan 2010 | 11:17 amThose who need the most pleasure, the most money, the most honor, are those who have the longer path to the Path. We all walk a path, but there is a true path, and that path, no matter where you go, or what path you may be walking now (or sitting still on, as the case may be) must begin at the self. This is what Hinduism and Buddhadharma teach, and they are absolutely right. And so those people who let their desire for wealth and power, for sensual pleasure, win out over what they may even know to be more valuable and productive need to get their fill before they can move on. It is sort of…
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Alex Shalman.com
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Build Confidence With A Package Of Successes
7 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amThis is a guest post by Armen Shirvanian. To get into a state of feeling winning confidence, you need to form a foundation of successes for that confidence to lean on. A person who feels hesitation or weakness to implement a plan, or to ask for something, would be smart in building up a package of successes, of any size, and then conquering their desired mission. You can get to a point where you feel nearly invincible, as I do at times in public, by adding another success, and another, until you start to feel like you are meant to take the biggest risks. Although I agree with the concept… -
Are You Toxic?
4 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amThis is a guest post by Bianca Perilli. This might be old news, but I am just BLOWN AWAY by the alarming statistics of disease in our country. Did you know that 80% of Americans are overweight and 30% are considered to be obese? Worse, The World Health Organization states that 75% of all American deaths are diet related! The US spent $2.26 trillion on health care in 2007!!! This is more than any other country in the world! According to Paul Lemanski, MD, MS, FACP, author of Benefiting the Planet as well as the Individual, “A reduced reliance on medication requires a diet and lifestyle… -
30 Day Trial: 4 Lessons Learned from Perfect Class Attendance (and Energy Management)
2 Feb 2010 | 6:20 amIn order to satisfy my curiosity about how perfect attendance would affect my school performance, I decided to undertake a 30 day trial, during which time I would not allow myself to miss class; no matter what. My thoughts going into this experiment was that I would have different types of exposure to the material, be able to stay on top of it without falling behind, and be more immersed within the school environment. The alternative to going to class is to watch the recorded podcast video of that same lecture from home (generously uploaded to our iTunes, within 2 hours, as a courtesy from… -
8 Simple Steps to Setting Your Priorities in Life
14 Jan 2010 | 3:26 pmThis is a guest article by Mark Foo Setting priorities is very important to having an efficient life, but it doesn’t always have to be difficult. When you take the time to set your priorities, you’re more likely to reach your goals and reach them faster. Who wouldn’t want that? You can learn how to set priorities by following the steps below. While you might not want to follow all of them exactly as they’re stated here, you should come away with a better idea on how you should personally start to set your priorities. Try these simple steps: 1. Determine Your Goals. The… -
Finish Strong
26 Dec 2009 | 9:10 pm“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” ~Jim Rohn The earth shook beside me as the enemy missiles exploded just a few yards away from me. I leaped for cover, only to discover that I was hiding in plain sight. It took everything I had to get to this point, and now I found myself struggling just to survive. This sounds like my own little version of World War III, except instead of missiles their weapon of choice was Midterms, and instead of digging trenches, I was…
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Scott H Young
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Does the Ideal Life Depend on Your City?
3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amI’m Canadian, but I’m currently living in the south of France. And, for the last five months, I’ve been doing something I never would have considered back home. I’m not talking about drinking wine, eating baguettes or speaking French (although I’ve been doing plenty of those things). No, I’m talking about riding a bicycle. For the last 5 months I’ve commuted with my bike practically everywhere. I’d guess I bike at least 5-10km every day. And, while I’ve occasionally had a bike in Canada, that becomes agonizingly impractical when there is several feet of snow. Location as an… -
Stop Using Guilt as a Motivation Tactic
1 Feb 2010 | 4:26 amIf you need guilt to motivate yourself, your productivity system is broken. “Are you procrastinating?” my roommate asks me. Three exams the next day and I wasn’t studying. “No, I laugh, procrastination means I intended to do some work. I never planned on working tonight, so technically it isn’t procrastination,” I respond. This was a conversation I had last week, during an exam period. Although my review schedule before exams tends to be a lot lighter than most, the biggest difference isn’t the time. It’s that I refuse to use guilt as a motivation tactic. Stress-Cases VS… -
The Serious Pursuit of Fun
27 Jan 2010 | 9:00 amImagine that your main goal in life was to have as much fun as possible. What would your life look like? I’m asking this question because I reject the idea that the pursuit of fun, in its maximum, would result in a life of non-stop television, fast-food binging or substance abuse. Instead I’d argue that, even if putting fun as the highest goal wouldn’t lead to the ideal life, there is still a considerable overlap. I want to make the case for two points: That serious fun requires effort. Giving up all discipline and effort results in a local maxima of fun which is far lower than the… -
Living on the Edge of Incompetence
25 Jan 2010 | 9:00 amBeing good at things is the key to success. Painfully obvious, right? That means being good, having mastered skills, ranks far higher than other commonly touted “keys” to success, such as: Overcoming fears Just getting started Rejecting societal norms Having the best attitude Sure, being a terrified, procrastinating, peer-pressured, pessimist probably won’t help you master skills. But that doesn’t remove the fact that mastery, both in your career and in your personal life, is the most important element. Why Being Skilled Matters For your career, the argument is simple: we live in a… -
How to Find Your Productivity Achilles’ Heel
20 Jan 2010 | 9:00 amEveryone procrastinates. Heck, you might be procrastinating right now by reading this, instead of doing something that should be done. That isn’t news. What I feel is more interesting is where people procrastinate when we do. Even the most productive people have Achilles’ heels, types of tasks which they procrastinate on. Similarly, even the people who claim they have no willpower still have some work they always do on time. Why is that? And how can you use that knowledge to fix the problem? I’m a Productive… Except When I’m Not I’m not superhuman. I have bouts of laziness,…
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LifeDev
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Are You Prepared to Lose Control of the Idea?
9 Feb 2010 | 5:48 amPhoto by chavalsPeople are awfully protective of their ideas (myself definitely included). There are plenty of reasons for not sharing ideas:we’re afraid people won’t like them, or worse, won’t understand them.someone might steal themthey might, in reality, be total crapthey’re hard to explain, especially when the proverbial ink is still dry in the mindetc., etc., etc.But the biggest fear I have of sharing ideas is losing control. There is an awful lot of ego that gets attached to our ideas, (see: the God Complex), and the thought of losing that grip is crippling.One… -
LifeDev’s New Design and Other Excellent Articles
29 Jan 2010 | 12:41 pmA screenshot of LifeDev’s very very beta new look. Whatcha think?I’ve been heads-down creating a new design for LifeDev for the past week and a half. It’s been three and a half years since I’ve changed the design, so it was about time change was made.I’m also a bit ashamed to admit that I’ve seriously let the design slip. There are tons of unused divs, inline styles and other big design no-nos. (I’ll save the other reasons for the redesign for a later post.) The current template has been great, but it’s about time I flexed my design muscles and… -
Lincoln’s Daring Statement: A Blueprint for Gaining Authority
20 Jan 2010 | 5:50 amPhoto by Thomas HawkAbraham Lincoln walked into the heart of the Confederate Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, on April 4, 1865. Less than a day after Richmond had fallen to the Union, the President strode to the capitol building and placed his feet on Jefferson Davis’ desk.It was a gesture that rang throughout America. The Civil War was officially over, and this President was the leader of the entire country.If there was ever an authoritative statement in America’s short history, this was it. As the broken nation looked for unity and leadership, Lincoln proved he had both.And… -
Haiti, Giving, and the Trouble With Sound Bytes
14 Jan 2010 | 9:14 amDowntown Port-Au-Prince after the massive earthquake in Haiti.My friends Carolyn and Doug are incredible people, and I don’t think I’ve ever looked up to two people more. Doug and Carolyn work in a church, and if you’ve ever worked in a church you know that all kinds of needy people use (and abuse) the church with handout requests. Droves of people come to the church with a sob story of some kind, and literally expect the church to give them money. Here’s an example:A man came into the church and said that he needed money for gas to go home to care for his wife in… -
The Fear of Our Own DNA
12 Jan 2010 | 7:24 amPhoto by Anna FischerI finished Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It! a while back, and surprisingly, I was a big fan. Nothing against @garyvee or course, it’s just that I had feared the book would mostly be an instructional for sites like YouTube. I was dead wrong.While the book does have beginner training on technologies that most of us already know (Twitter, YouTube, etc.), it also adds some excellent thoughts on not being afraid to be us.What’s Your DNA?A major part of Gary’s book is about finding your true DNA and using it to rock your business. Gary, admittedly, is a bit…
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A Life Coach's Blog
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You Suck!
9 Feb 2010 | 6:33 amI was on Twitter yesterday minding my own business as much as I am ever likely to do when @norcross tweeted: “If your life sucks, then you suck” My immediate and somewhat flippant un-life coach like response was there must be a disproportionate amount of really sucky people in Haiti at the moment because a lot of peoples lives were sucking in a major way. Andrew (who by the way I like and this is in no way an attack on him) responded with: “It isn’t their life that sucks, rather, their situation. subtle, but meaningful difference” Well I beg to differ in so much as all… -
Twenty Top Twitterers
7 Feb 2010 | 8:32 amSaying you were going to tweet somebody at little as two years ago would have generated strange looks at best and probably got you arrested at worst. Now however, tweeting is de riguer and it seems anybody that is anybody (and their virtual assistant), are up to it. Twitter has gone from literally nowhere less than three years ago to the 12th most popular website on the planet as I write this. No mean achievement, even in this day and age where meteoric rises to prominence have become almost common place. It’s still a long way behind Facebook, but in my opinion it is a far superior beast… -
It’s Ok, You’re Not Nuts
4 Feb 2010 | 5:03 amFirstly, if you have reading this via e-mail you may have seen it earlier this week, SORRY! I have no idea what I did, but I managed to send out the draft version without even knowing it, as well as an old post too. Worry not, I have given myself a damn good thrashing and warned myself that if it happens again, heads will roll. Once again I’ll keep this guest intro short because it’s another fairly long post. Adam Eason is a top fella and incredibly knowledgeable on NLP and Hypnosis, which is fortunate because he teaches it in the UK. I’ve been bugging him for 6 months or so… -
How To Be Miserable At Work
30 Jan 2010 | 8:11 pmAs a Life Coach I speak to lots of people about self-development. It’s one of the cool things about my job, I actually get paid real money to help people make their lives more fulfilling. Every now and then though somebody will say something along the lines of “Yeh I know what you mean Mr. Life Coach, but that sounds like really hard work to me and I’m not a big fan of hard work” And you know what? They’re absolutely right. Life coaching, self-development, personal growth or whatever else you want to call it is indeed hard work. It’s also a life long process, a bit like cleaning… -
Death of the Self Help Seminar
27 Jan 2010 | 6:33 pmThis is a longish guest post, so I’m going to dispense with my normal incoherent rambling intro. What I will say though is I wrote a rather amusing (in my mind) post for the How To Be Rich and Happy blog this week entitled ‘7 Reasons Dogs Are Rich and Happy’. I hope you can check it out and subscribe because we feel a bit lonely over there. Death of the Self Help Seminar What a waste of bloody money that was! It’s hard to put an actual figure on it (actually, all I’d have to do is check my bank account online, but I have the fear of God in me and an utter…
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Pick The Brain
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Simplifying Your Life: Why Less Is More
9 Feb 2010 | 1:28 amWe’ve done the binge thing for awhile; now it’s time to do the purge thing. Most of us have a tremendous amount of excess. Too many expenses, too much stuff, too many commitments and responsibilities. Do you dream of calm over chaos? Do you wish you could hit a button and be transformed to the tranquility of another era? You can create an oasis of peace for yourself and your family, but you’re going to have to relearn what it means to simplify as I bust the top three myths about the subject over the next month. Myth #1 – Simplifying means having and doing less. -
How to Stop Waiting for Permission
8 Feb 2010 | 10:03 amWhen you were a child, you often had to wait for permission to do something. Perhaps you needed to be a certain age before you were allowed to use the oven or cross the road by yourself. Maybe you needed to ask mom before you got a snack. Even as a teen, you had to stick to rules: curfew, acceptable music volume, homework… Once you’re eighteen, you’re free to do what you want (within the bounds of legality). So why do we get stuck waiting for permission? You’ll know what I mean, even if you’ve never consciously acknowledged it. Maybe: You’re waiting for someone to say that… -
How To Bust Stress With Mindfulness
4 Feb 2010 | 11:02 pmAre you worrying, hurrying or stressed? Stress comes with a long list of damaging effects of stress like heart disease, high blood pressure, accelerated aging, anxiety, depression, anger, forgetfulness, learning difficulty and sleep disorder. When we are stressed, we try to forget about stress by doing something else such as shopping, eating, watching a movie, listening to music, or even taking mind altering substances. By doing so, we might get a temporary relief from the stress but often end up more stressed. A good news is that scientists discovered very effective way of reducing stress… -
6 Traits that Separate Winners from Whiners
4 Feb 2010 | 9:54 amHave you ever been blind sided by an unexpected event that threatened to throw your dreams, hopes, and life plans off-course? If nothing that grandiose has happened (lucky you!), how about just being surprised by small obstacles that threaten to ruin your day? Big or small, unexpected events will happen. You can not avoid them, you can only control how you respond to them. It is in those critical moments after the unexpected occurs that ultimately determine your long term success. Think about it: anyone can do well when everything is going great. What separates people who succeed (the… -
Should Your Child Be Learning Mandarin?
3 Feb 2010 | 9:33 amReports in the NY Times and elsewhere point to the rise of Chinese language instruction in our schools, against the backdrop of the demise of language learning in general. People justify this rush to Chinese by referring to the growth of the Chinese economy. The US government has declared Chinese a “critical language.” How realistic is this Chinese boom, and will it last? Here is a reality check. 1) Chinese will probably not help your kid get a job. Chinese is being touted as the language of the future, given the growth of the Chinese economy. Some predict that a knowledge of…
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Life Optimizer
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The Silent Danger of Greed
8 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amI’m currently reading Hot, Flat, and Crowded 2.0 by Thomas Friedman. The book mainly discusses the ecological crisis we are facing, but the first three chapters also discusses the 2008 financial crisis. Ecological crisis and financial crisis may seem unrelated to each other, but Friedman argues that they actually have the same cause: The way we were creating wealth had built up so many toxic assets in both the financial world and the natural world that by 2008/9 it shook the very foundation of our markets and ecosystems. That’s right, while they might not appear on the surface to… -
Ten Steps to Making Your College Career a Valuable Experience
4 Feb 2010 | 7:30 amNote: This is a guest post by Bob Hartzell of Get Degrees When I went to college, I was right out of high school, overwhelmed by the freedom and very quickly baffled by the academic expectations. Today’s college students are often much more mature, more experienced – and in many cases, returning to school to improve a life. More often than not, college students are working as well. Whether you’re eighteen and new to it all or you’re back in the classroom to try and make academics work for you again, college can be rough water if you’re intimidated and/or pushing yourself with… -
Stop Wasting Time by Matching Your Past High Levels of Effort
27 Jan 2010 | 1:00 amNote: This is a guest post by Armen Shirvanian of Timeless Information If you want to see if and how you waste time, compare your current productivity to that which you have had at a winning time in your days. There is much benefit to gain from looking at a time when you felt like you were doing all the right things for a short time. You can see and reflect upon why that period of time came out feeling so good, and get new sense of how the time period you are now in is going. You Can Stay At Your High Production State The first thing to accept here is that you can maintain the high level of… -
How to Make Extra Money Online
21 Jan 2010 | 2:54 amDo you want to make extra money? I believe knowing a few ways to supplement your income won’t hurt. You might not need them now, but when you needed them it’s nice to know the available options. There are many ways to earn extra income, but here I make a few restrictions to prevent this post from being too broad: I only cover how to make extra money online. This way you can work wherever you are in your spare time. I only cover ways to make money in relatively short time. I don’t include anything that takes weeks or months to get results. That’s why I don’t cover… -
Essential Life Lessons from Ralph Waldo Emerson
15 Jan 2010 | 2:16 amNote: This is a guest post by Josh Lipovetsky of Film Insight Ralph Waldo Emerson. A literary pioneer. Not only did he find the basis of Transcendentalism, or Bright Romanticism writing; he made great contributions to the field of personal development, and gave us some great practical ideas about living, that we will ponder upon for centuries to come. He valued the individual over society, and had many works of literature to enforce his views. In his works, there were many inspirational quotes that reflected what an individual is. Emerson’s highest values were: courage, peace, and the…
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The Positivity Blog
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8 Blogging Mistakes I Have Made
9 Feb 2010 | 8:49 amImage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/evilerin/ / CC BY 2.0 “What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning – and some of them many times over – what do you find? That you can swim? Well – life is just the same as learning to swim! Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for there is no other way of learning how to live!” Alfred Adler “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein I don’t… -
Get My Free E-book: The 7 Timeless Habits of Happiness
3 Feb 2010 | 6:35 amI am very happy to announce that my first e-book The 7 Timeless Habits of Happiness is done and available for free download today. It’s a 45 page e-book in PDF-format focusing on habits, techniques and strategies that have helped me to become happier over the last few years. It’s not a magic pill, but these things have really worked for me. To get access to the book simply sign up for my new email list using the form below. A short while after you have done that you will receive an email in your inbox – be sure to check the spam folder so it didn’t get stuck there – with a… -
How to Use Personal Development Information in a Better Way
29 Jan 2010 | 7:52 amImage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zarajay/ / CC BY-SA 2.0 “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Chinese proverb “Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own” Bruce Lee Personal development books, blogs and videos can be a wonderful resource to help you improve your life. Over the last few years I have learned a couple of things that helped me to make better use of that information to get actual results in my life. I would like to share those things today. 1. Use your own common sense. It’s easy to be drawn into thinking… -
Three Things That Sound Bad But Can Actually Be Good For You
26 Jan 2010 | 5:55 amImage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tambako/ / CC BY-ND 2.0 “It is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.” William Shakespeare Some things are often deemed to be bad. Some things are often deemed to be good. Here are three things that may sound bad but can actually be good for you. Three things that I have learned to make better use of or strengthen a bit since that would help me out. Think about them. Then add and subtract as you see useful for your life and situation right now while using your own common sense. 1. Selfishness. Selfishness is rarely seen as something positive. -
11 Quick and Simple Ways to Spread Positivity Around You Today
19 Jan 2010 | 11:38 amImage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericmcgregor/ / CC BY 2.0 “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi Improving your attitude and living a more positive life overall can take a lot of time and effort. But a part of it can also be simple. You can spread positivity around you with small actions. This will not only make you and other people feel better today. Over time you tend to get what you give. You will make it easier for yourself to live a more positive life in the long run too. Smile. Smiling puts you and the people around you into a more positive mood.
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GTD Times
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The Master Key to Clarity
9 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amThe master key to clarity is maintaining a complete and current inventory of all your commitments and agreements with yourself. You need to capture, clarify, and organize them, so you can constantly review and reflect on the totality of your engagements with the world, so you can trust your choices about what you’re doing, moment to moment. -David Allen Grab the free article on the 5 phases of Mastering Workflow. -
How to find the GTD Coordinator®
8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amThe GTD Coordinator®–our GTD paper planner created with Mead and sold in many Staples stores–has been wildly popular. Which has been great for those who have been able to get their hands on one, and a challenge for those who are still trying to locate one. Here’s the latest: New GTD Coordinators complete with blank forms and 2010 calendar: Letter-size GTD Coordinators – Item#791001-05: In stock in the DavidCo store. You will also be able to find these in Staples stores in the “dated products” organizers section. Junior-size GTD Coordinators –… -
Still procrastinating about a bunch of things on your action lists?
6 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amStill procrastinating about a bunch of things on your action lists? There’s usually one of two reasons for this: (1) they have slowly slipped in importance and interest to you or (2) they aren’t really next actions (so you don’t really know what to do, where, about it). If (1) give yourself permission to move them to Someday/Maybe. If (2) then gird your loins and get back to the granularity of real next actions on your lists – not small sub-projects about your stuff. -David Allen -
Tips for BlackBerry Users on Outlook
5 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amA pretty common question we get from BlackBerry users is how to integrate Outlook Tasks with their BlackBerry. For the most part, there is a good one-to-one sync between Outlook Tasks and a BlackBerry device–if your service and server allows it (check with your carrier and/or IT dept. to find out if this is or can be enabled for you.) If you setup Outlook like our GTD & Outlook Setup Guide describes, you should be able to have that carry over to Tasks on the BlackBerry. The trick for seeing your Task categories is to “Filter” them. Several of our staff use BlackBerry… -
OneNote and ActiveWords — Ferrari Fast
4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amA Community Contribution from Ryan Oakley Whether you’re a proficient OneNote user or just started using it after reading my GTD and OneNote article posted on GTD Times it doesn’t take long to populate the software with a tonne of pages and a tonne of information (yes, I am Canadian). First, some definitions: MS Office OneNote 2007 is a digital notebook that provides people one place to gather their notes and information, powerful search to find what they are looking for quickly, and easy-to-use shared notebooks so that they can manage information overload and work together more…
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Redcatco
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Social Media Week London
29 Jan 2010 | 11:15 amRoll up roll up, it is Social Media Week. Obviously every week is social media week these days, but this is an extra special series of events all around the world. First of all, by way of full disclosure, I am on the advisory board for the London Events, which might make me even more enthusiastic than normal. With that out of the way, let me share a little about what is happening. The first Social Media Week took place in New York last year and was a great success. This year Social Media Week is happening in six cities around the world. The schedule of events can be found on the London site,… -
Open Data Opens Up Gov
21 Jan 2010 | 12:37 amToday sees the launch of data.gov.uk. Over the last few months I’ve had some privileged peaks behind the scenes, and I’m very excited to see it all now live. The front paragraphs on the site put it well: Advised by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt and others, government are opening up data for reuse. This site seeks to give a way into the wealth of government data and is under constant development. We want to work with you to make it better. We’re very aware that there are more people like you outside of government who have the skills and abilities to make… -
It’s The Phone – Even in Crisis Comms
20 Jan 2010 | 11:35 amBack in June I wrote a post: “Twitter to Replace the Phone?” - suggesting that Twitter isn’t just another marketing channel, but it is a communications channel that may end up as important as the phone. It looks like that has come to pass faster than I had imagined. This post has loitered in drafts, but I’m going to put it out there. On a weekend late last year I watched a disastrous series of events unfold via Twitter and Facebook as Eurostar had a number of failures of their service that left friends trapped and stranded. Techcrunch was quick to pick up on… -
The Social Media Business Case?
8 Dec 2009 | 3:59 amYesterday I joined Steve Lamb, Neville Hobson and a host of speakers at Dell’s B2B Social Media Huddle event. It’s always a bit nerve wracking taking to the stage after Neville and Steve, but good for getting the mental juices going – this time about making the business case for social media. Business cases discussions seem to have narrowed down to ROI these days. The ROI of social media is a particularly hot topic – often accompanied by lots of hot air too. I like Trey Pennington’s take on the issue and personally I’m not sure that ROI is the right… -
3 Point Social Media Strategy for Business Folk
25 Nov 2009 | 7:49 amEvery so often something happens to bring a moment of clarity. Having literally just returned from New York (see The Digital Mission Blog), I headed to Coventry on Monday to the UKTI-organised Technology World 09 event. Aside from meeting UK and overseas delegates, I was there to speak on the keynote panel at the end of the day: “How can businesses use social media to create value.” Far from the empty room I was expecting at the end of the day, the theatre was almost full. For a number of reasons the discussion was distinctly different than social media events I have spoken at…
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The Evolving Worker
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An Alternate Definition of Wealth
3 Feb 2010 | 10:48 amWealth = how long you could sustain your current lifestyle (same expenses) if your income stopped, today. I hope you’ll do the actual math yourself. Is it days ? Weeks ? Years ? This definition is more or less extracted from Olivier Seban’s book called Tout le monde mérite d’être riche (in english, roughly: “everyone deserves to be rich”). I have no idea who first came up with this idea. Some consequences of this definition I did some calculation to illustrate the point – but please, try to think about the definition itself instead, see how changing either your expenses, your… -
A productivity tip to avoid forgetting to answer or read an email (gmail and iphone)
12 Feb 2009 | 1:56 amSince I’ve been checking my GMail email from my iPhone, I met the two following situations: I read a mail from the iPhone then forget to reply as I intended to do, I have a quick look at an interesting email but have no time to read it in detail – and forget to come back to it later. While I ensure I don’t get tons of emails, I don’t like to forget about something when I think it deserves an answer (which is why I’m quite fond of Nozbe and a good part of what’s behind Getting Things Done). I realized I needed an easy way to label things from the iPhone or the GMail web box, and I… -
Using Screencasts to Share Knowledge Inside a Company
13 Oct 2008 | 6:25 amIn Implementing Lean Software Development, Mary and Tom Poppendieck wrote: Because tacit knowledge is so difficult to communicate, handoffs always result in lost knowledge; the real question is how to minimize that waste. How to ensure we minimize that waste when we share knowledge inside a company ? One widely-used possibility is to take notes and transcript them into a wiki. Mind-mapping also works pretty well for that purpose. There is another option though. Recording handoffs sessions with screencasts Because they could not be at the office at the same moment, two friends of mine (Damien… -
NovaMind Connect - Discover How Others Use Mind-Mapping Software
22 Sep 2008 | 12:46 amWhen people discover mind-mapping, they often want to know how to use it better, what can be done. They wonder if there a “right” way to achieve a specific task with it. I don’t believe there is a “right” way, but I do believe looking at how other people use it is a fairly good practice to enhance the way we use it (that’s why I shared the situations where I use mind-mapping a while back). Mind-mapping software goes social A couple of weeks ago, Mind-mapping software editor NovaMind released NovaMind Connect, a place where you can freely find interesting maps and share yours. It… -
Easy Graphic User Interface Design with Axure RP
19 Sep 2008 | 12:27 pmGetting Real is a great book, advocating simplicity and pragmatism in web application development. In fact, the advices in this book also apply to most kinds of projects (a recommended reading). After re-reading it, I wanted to find some tool to achieve rapid prototyping and user interface design in a more efficient way (for those times where pen and paper do not feel good enough). User interface design with no code My brother advised me to have a look at Axure RP. I started trialing it a couple of days ago and must say if you care about designing features of a web products without getting…
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Say it Better
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Apologizing Properly: Is There Enough Mea in Your Culpa?
6 Feb 2010 | 6:03 pmLast year U.S. Senator George Allen went serially apologizing across Virginia after demeaning a man of Indian descent at a campaign rally as “Macaca or whatever his name is.” Up popped a virtual cartoon bubble caption over his head -... -
Honored to be Voted a “Top 5 Speaker” on Communication
17 Jan 2010 | 2:55 pmAfter over 13,000 people who hire speakers voted on their favorites it is a thorough delight to be voted one of the Top Five speakers on Communication when others include my friends, the stellar presenters Dianna Booher and Connie Dieken.... -
Want Them to Remember and Repeat Your Story?
2 Jan 2010 | 9:47 amAs a bagpiper, I play at gatherings as varied as weddings and resorts at sunset. This winter a friend of mine, a funeral director asked me to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. No friend or family... -
The Priceless Power of Memorable Naming
27 Dec 2009 | 2:46 pmTrue Love was the name of college friend Jim’s beloved Alfa Romeo. Why? Because, as he admitted repeatedly, “It never runs smooth.” Ah the power of naming something. What will we dub this decade? What will you name your new... -
Compared to What?
9 Dec 2009 | 1:49 pmTo heal a bitterly divided nation, Nelson Mandela characterized “our” goal of bringing the World Cup to South Africa in his motto, "One Team One Country." Want to instantly shape how others feel about you or something that really matters...
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Productive Flourishing
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The Definitive Guide to Writing Better Blog Posts
9 Feb 2010 | 8:50 amI’ve read a lot of books on writing. I’ve also read a lot of ebooks and books on blogging. What I’ve been frustrated about, though, is that there aren’t a lot of books on writing blog posts that approach it from a writer’s perspective. Yes, becoming a better writer helps you write better blog posts. Yes, becoming a better blogger helps you become a better writer. But, finally, Ali wrote the book that I’ve been wanting to see: it’s a book written from an experienced, talented writer who’s also a phenomenal blogger. If you’ve been reading… -
Should You Be A Tour Guide or An Expedition Leader?
4 Feb 2010 | 7:03 amEditor’s note: This is a guest post from Cath Duncan from Mine Your Resources and The Bottom-line Bookclub If you’re getting inspired, being productive and creating ideas and things, there’s going to come a time, sooner or later, where you realize that your ideas and things are incredibly powerful change agents, that you have a tribe of your right people whose lives could be greatly improved by your ideas and things, and that the personal joy of creating those ideas and things would be multiplied a thousand-fold if you found a way to share your creations with your right… -
Comfort, Creativity, and Self-Trust – Among Other Things
1 Feb 2010 | 1:27 pm[If you're reading this in a feed reader or via email, you might have to click through to listen to the podcast.] Last Thursday, Jen Louden and I jumped on Skype to record a conversation about how taking time for comfort and relaxation is just as important as all the other direct work you might be doing on stuff. At least, that’s what we thought we were going to talk about. Here’s the thing you have to know about me and conversations: they always go “off topic.” This is good for people who love conversations and terrible for people who are trying to figure out the best… -
Just Because I’m Not Answering Doesn’t Mean I’m Not Listening
28 Jan 2010 | 2:22 pm[If you're reading this via email or RSS, you might have to click through to see the video.] This is a short one about the Stuck I’ve had since I haven’t been able to keep up with the comments here on the blog. I’d appreciate it if you’d watch it, but should you choose not to, just know that I really do appreciate and respect your comments as the gifts that they are, regardless of whether I answer every one. Thank you. If you liked this post, you might like these, too:This Is What A Veteran Looks Like It's Veteran's Day and I wanted to do something a... One of Those… -
Check Out The New Premium Planners
27 Jan 2010 | 7:50 amI’ve been working behind the scenes for the last few months to complete some capstone designs and finish the sets of planners that have been available for a while. The capstone set is available for purchase today. This product is for those of you who have been using the planners for a while but have been frustrated at the limitations of having them one month at a time. Rather than just do a couple months at a time, I decided to the full year’s worth. Since I was working on some other programs and products, I also started thinking about how to design a planner that captured the…
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MonkMojo's 1000 Cuts
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Me Cubed
6 Feb 2010 | 12:22 amOn the Blogger Radar... comment on twitter @MonkMojo -
One Big Happy Computer
24 Jan 2010 | 7:25 pmOn the Blogger Radar: comment on twitter @MonkMojo -
My Inner Child
20 Jan 2010 | 3:24 pmOn the Blogger Radar: -
Discover the Power of...
6 Jan 2010 | 4:09 pmOn the Blogger Radar... Blog Tumblr blog -
The Space Between Thoughts
3 Jan 2010 | 1:13 pmOn the Blogger Radar...
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Technotheory.com
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I’m delivering a Productivity Killers how-to call tomorrow (free, w/300+ folks) – what should I cover?
25 Jan 2010 | 6:19 amHappy Monday. We’re 7% through the year–are you 7% through your goals? Let’s make this happen together. Tomorrow at 6pm EST, over 300 people will phone in to Jason Drohn and I go through the top seven productivity killers—and offer solutions. It’s free, too. I’ve been delivering productivity training for 8 years now, but never remotely to a completely open group. So it seemed like a fun opportunity to try it out, do it for free for a lot of people, and make it really really practical. –> You can sign up here: Productivity Killers Sign Up – not sure… -
Forget means to an end, and find the meaning of life
11 Jan 2010 | 8:45 amI needed more guidance for 2010 than just ‘swim’. So I began seeking out something more concrete. In the process I found what had invisibly guided the past year, and may be the key to every decision I make going forward. Perhaps I found the meaning of it all. Goals and Paths, Destinations and Enablers Last year I was onto something when I suggested impact as my theme. What’s special about impact is that it’s both the goal and the path—I enjoy both the process of making an impact and its result. However, this year’s theme—to execute and stay solvent—was… -
Theme for 2010: Swim
4 Jan 2010 | 8:45 amLast year I suggested we should choose just one word and label it a theme for the year ahead. I reported back on that theme last week. This year is a similar theme, but it comes from a very different basis—the word is swim. I’ll explain after the jump… IOU in 2011 Last year I tested a lot of things, and I gave back a great deal to my community. I’d like to believe I figured out a formula for pulling through with my company, and I know I was able to contribute to the DC startup and arts scenes in positive ways. But as I mentioned recently, AwayFind is in a sprint… -
Looking back at 2009: successes, failures, lessons learned…and a bonus
28 Dec 2009 | 8:46 amOh, 2009, the places you’ve taken me, and the places you haven’t. Once again it’s that time to look back. In my next post, I’ll talk about what’s ahead. For now, I hope you’ll find value in my following up on goals and sharing lessons learned. As always, thank you for the company. Feel free to skip to the more interesting part—the lessons learned—if you don’t want to hear what I accomplished (it’s just that I owe you a follow up on the goals I set out). 2008’s Resolutions: A Mixed Bag I didn’t accomplish many of my resolutions, but to some degree… -
Knowing when to sprint with your startup
9 Dec 2009 | 9:32 amConventional wisdom is if you want something done fast, you’re going to pay a premium. Or that if things are rushed, quality suffers. But in a product business, time is the most expensive and dangerous enemy. There is a time to sprint, and not just because you want to work harder. Consider this: An Exercise in Human Resources Assuming 9 months of work to create a product, which would be the best hiring strategy? 1 developer working for 9 months 3 developers working for 3 months 5 developers working for (just under) 2 months 9 developers working for 1 month I’d bet most…
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Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog
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How You Give Your Power Away
2 Feb 2010 | 12:38 pmOne of the themes that repeatedly came up at the last Conscious Growth Workshop was the problem of giving your power away. Instead of focusing on your true desires, you erect false structures in front of your desires and then feed your power to those structures as a delay tactic. Here are some typical scenarios of how people give away their power in different areas of their lives: Relationships Let’s say that your true desire is to be in love. You want a relationship with someone special. You want someone that you can smooch, cuddle, play with, and make love to. You want to be with… -
2010 Conscious Growth Workshops
28 Jan 2010 | 1:49 pmOur second Conscious Growth Workshop January 15-17 was another amazing weekend of fun and personal breakthroughs. It was a real treat to see so many conscious growth enthusiasts coming together in one place. CGW #3, 4, and 5 We’re already in the process of booking the next 3 CGWs for the remainder of 2010. All of these will be held in Las Vegas. This info is still very tentative, but I wanted to give you a heads up since many people have been inquiring about future workshop dates. Most likely CGW #3 will be May 14-16, 2010 (Fri-Sun). CGW #4 will probably be in July or August. CGW #5… -
How to Build a Stronger Ego
20 Jan 2010 | 9:30 amThere’s a notion that’s been spread around the spiritual side of the self-help field that suggests one of our primary aims in life should be ego-less enlightenment, a state where we achieve near-perfect inner peace, where we’re one with everything but attached to nothing, and where nothing in the physical world can knock us off balance. This creates some personal challenges for me because whenever I write about anything remotely spiritual in nature (and sometimes even when I don’t), some readers assume I’m one of the guys promoting this same sort of ideal. Then… -
Domination-Submission and Personal Growth
7 Jan 2010 | 6:22 amI want to share some thoughts on an interesting dynamic I’ve been observing as I continue to explore domination and submission (D/s) with my consensual slave partner. A key aspect of personal growth is that in order to grow, we must stretch beyond our comfort zones and experience something new. If we stay within our comfort zones and stick to the familiar, we deny ourselves the opportunity for expansion. Yet we don’t know for certain how new possibilities will impact us until we dive in and experience them. Many years ago I thought about being an entrepreneur. Since I’d… -
Domination and Submission
4 Jan 2010 | 5:10 pmAs I mentioned in my 2010 Focus post, my personal focus for this year involves immersing myself in the fun and exciting world of domination and submission (D/s). (I really love my life!) Now one obvious question I’ve been asked a few times is: What the heck does this have to do with personal development? Once you get past the socially conditioned attitude that D/s is somehow naughty or deviant, you’ll find that it has a tremendous amount to do with personal development. Let’s start with some of the most basic elements and go from there. Body Image First, when you consciously…
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Gomestic
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Frozen Dinners, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
8 Feb 2010 | 2:14 amSo just what kind of cusine can you expect from the frozen food section? The Good: The best frozen entrees usually are low sodium, low calorie, but high on taste. These frozen meals come with little grilling trays so that the steam trickles through the little plastic vents, giving your food the fresh quality you deserve. The only downside is that they skimp on the amount of food. These tiny toasted sandwiches are delicious need I say more. So… -
Bov Rv Modifications I
7 Feb 2010 | 12:33 amBOV RV Modifications I By Joseph Parish Our new bug out vehicle is a Dolphin Motor Home which has some 116,000 miles on it and it is still running strong. It takes a lot to kill those old 22R Toyota engines. We purchased our Dolphin for use as a BOV in the early part of 2010. It is a model 400 which places the sofa behind the driver seat and the bathroom in the rear. Like anyone else who owns a motor home we take pride in the modifications that we have planned for our Dolphin BOV. All modifications listed here are planned for our own use only and we will not be responsible for anyone… -
What Kind of Skills Do You Have?
7 Feb 2010 | 12:18 amWhat kind of skills do you have? By Joseph Parish Often people simply do not have the necessary funds needed to purchase survival retreats so the next best thing is to join some sort of organized group. Naturally, nothing in life is free and you will need to pay something for the benefits of belonging to this group in one way or another. If you are lacking the necessary funds needed then perhaps your payment may be in the form of skillful labor. Any type of survival group will require certain trades and skills in order to allow it to function properly. No one man is capable of performing… -
Secrets to Making a Healthy Hot Chocolate
6 Feb 2010 | 12:28 amJudging from the calorie counts of hot chocolate at places like Starbucks, you’d think that hot cocoa is an unhealthy drink – and in some cases it is. But, a hot cocoa can be one of the healthier drinks to enjoy – if it’s made with the right ingredients. Although you can buy sugar-free prepackaged hot cocoa mixes, they often contain the sweetener Aspartame which some people want to avoid. Here are some ideas for making a healthy hot chocolate that won’t cause a moment’s guilt. Make a Healthy Hot Chocolate: Use Cocoa Powder Cocoa powder is not only low in… -
The Health Risks of Packaged Salads
6 Feb 2010 | 12:27 amPackaged salads are quick and convenient way to serve veggies without lots of preparation. They come already pre-packaged in bags or clamshell containers where you simply select a pack and then take it home and add your favorite dressing. Many of these salads have been pre-washed, and some even say they’re triple washed and ready to eat. Sounds good, doesn’t it? It may feel good to know your salad ingredients have been washed, but it may not be enough to keep you from becoming sick. According to new information published on the Food Production Daily website, packaged salads are…
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Widows Quest
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Failing to cope in grief
8 Feb 2010 | 12:37 pmIt has been a while since I did one of my so called poems….but this weekend has been hard, don’t worry I am getting through it, but wrote these words which I am sure all widows and widowers occasionally think…or at least I hope that I am not the only one I wonder sometimes what a world would be Without grief which drains the life out of me You were the one who died Yet I feel dead too, on the inside I want to believe that your love will always be there To comfort, to cherish and not leaving me bare To a world that seem so frightening right now Please tell me the secret and… -
Carnival of Positive Thinking
7 Feb 2010 | 10:12 amHere are this weeks articles to help with our sadness, a weekly intake of positive thinking Live To Inspire presents Why We All Need To Laugh More posted at Live To Inspire. Annaly Curzon presents How To Get A Life posted at Working On Me, saying, “Looking for your life? A life coach can help you find it.” michaelweaver4 presents What is Your Art? The Real You. posted at findinspirationtoday.com – Find Inspiration & Personal Development Today, saying, “An article discussing why you should be pursuing your real passion!” Toni Graybill presents tonig.net:… -
The Power of Love
5 Feb 2010 | 12:05 pmWe grieve because of lost love, we grieve because although we still have love in our hearts – we have lost the person to share it with. So when problems arise and that love is not there to comfort, nurture and well…just help, we can descend into depression. I say that because when I broke my foot I sat at home feeling lonely and lost. I wrote the blog post and all of your comments has helped me fill that void of love. Your comments made me feel loved, your comments gave me the support I was so in need of…..thank you, thank you, thank you. Love is a wonderfully uplifting… -
When you need a break…or not!
4 Feb 2010 | 12:07 pmSo I get up from my sofa yesterday with pins and needles in my foot…put my foot down on the floor and because it is numb, it buckles! Hurts a great deal but I keep going for about 3 hrs but then think this is not normal pain, so get a friend to take me to hospital….yes, you have guessed it a broken foot and torn tendons! Fortunately, grief makes you resilient and I am coping quite well with my lovely new cast up to my knee….but I tell you I had all on not to descend into deep depression… Suddenly I can’t cook easily, or carry food and even coffee making is… -
Our life versus our life
3 Feb 2010 | 3:24 amMary is one of our wonderful community, she has had her anniversary this week and it just shows how we can learn from other widows and widowers. She left a comment to The Filling Station of Hope that made me realise There is a difference in our life now to our life then. Our life before the death was about two people working together towards our dreams. We were 50% of our life. Now our life means my life. We have 100% of our relationship with our dreams. There is one person now that can determine our own destiny. What we are going through is the emergence of that other 50%. That acceptance of…
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LifeSpy
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What to Do When a Police Officer Asks You to Pull Over
9 Feb 2010 | 4:31 amYou might be innocently driving down the road when you hear sirens coming from behind a booming voice is asking you to pull over. What do you do? Do not panic. You still do not know whatever called their attention. Simply slow down and and find a place to pull over. If you can’t then simply pull off the side of the road. Turn the engine off. As the police officer is walking towards your car, have your driver’s license and car registration ready. Roll down your window a bit and place your hands on the steering wheel where they can be seen. The officer will shine a light on you. -
Taking Care of Twin Babies
8 Feb 2010 | 1:14 pmTaking care of one baby is difficult enough, but how do you do it if you’ve got twins! Although it will be difficult at first to get both babies on schedule, they will eventually get the hang of it. Feed them, and let them nap at the same time. Otherwise, you’d be seeing to their needs 24-7 and that would lead to inevitable exhaustion. Don’t be fooled by the word, twins. You still have two different individuals to take care of. Make an effort to observe your babies and you will easily find out their personalities. Use them to your advantage. Find help and take help. You are… -
Why Injury in the Workplace Should Be Taken Seriously
8 Feb 2010 | 12:49 pmLoose carpeting, rickety chairs, crowded office space with stacks of books on top of cabinets. Apart from the obvious fact they are an eye-sore, these are just some of the things that can be the source of injury to staff and workers. Any good company who value their employees would understand that safety in the workplace is of uttermost importance. If workers get injured, a lot of precious time could be lost, especially if what that particular person is doing a specialized task. It will also need assigning a substitute or it may even call for re-organizing work structure while the injured… -
Organizing Your Day Purse
6 Feb 2010 | 10:53 pmHas it ever happeed to you that you need to get something from your purse but only to rummage helplessly looking for it. Don’t waste precious time and keep your purse organized. First thing you need to do is to empty your purse of its contents. Examine what you have in there. Throw away the pieces of paper, tissue, wrappers, or any other trash that has accumulated in there. Assess the objects that are left and group them together in: a) the stuff that I need everyday – keys, money, phone, make-up, other electronic stuff, planner, etc. b) other stuff – book, sweater, etc. You… -
Diet Food
5 Feb 2010 | 6:17 amAre you going on a diet? Here are some suggestions on which food to nibble on. These are simple enough, low in calories, and quite tasty too! A bowl of high fiber cereals instead of those sugar-laden treats for breakfast (with skim or low-fat milk or yogurt) is great for digestion. You can also try oatmeal. For snacks, you can have popcorn minus the butter and salt. You can also try nuts such as peanuts, almonds, and cashews. These are full of vitamins, minerals, and protein. Stick to a handful though, as they can also be high in calories. Fruits are wonderful diet food too. Always eat fresh…
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Leading Hands Through Technology
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New Facebook Features
9 Feb 2010 | 1:20 amIf you didn’t notice, Facebook once again mixed up their interface. Basically the top and left menu bars were simplified and condensed which may cause you strife to find everything right away. Do you like this new layout or are you wishing you had a choice of the old one? http://www.facebook.com/sitetour/homepage.php Bookmark It Hide Sites $$('div.d1168').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_up',{duration:0.5}) }); [...] -
Viral Videos Gone Wild
8 Feb 2010 | 3:53 amThe other day I was flipping through the channels and I landed on what I thought at first was a joke. Months back on YouTube I saw a similar video so I thought I was hallucinating. I checked the station, it was MTV and continued to watch. Slap Chop is a culinary dicing tool that eliminates [...] -
Twitter Hover Cards
5 Feb 2010 | 2:05 amHave you heard of Hover Cards? Twitter is rolling out a new feature that gives you the ability to learn a little bit more about your fellow Twitterer by hovering over their name. Now instead of having to leave the page, you can follow, retweet and find their vital stats in a single glance. http://blog.twitter.com/2010/02/flying-around-with-hovercards.html Thanks to [...] -
Apptizr Serves iPhone Apps
2 Feb 2010 | 1:58 amLooking for another way to find new iPhone or iTouch apps? Check out Apptizr because it’s the easiest way to discover the best apps. You’ll get 10 new recommendations per week. You can rate apps and the system will begin to present the best ones to you based on your tastes. Instead of searching through top [...] -
How Do You Recognize Legit Internet Coupons?
1 Feb 2010 | 1:58 amThe other day as I stood in line with my 12 items and more, I wandered past the tabloids, assortment of flavored low- calorie gum, and landed on photocopy nestled between the cashier and my groceries. The sheet listed tips for the cashier to recognize a legitimate Internet coupon. I immediately had a Family [...]
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AspireNow
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Help Us Improve AspireNow
8 Feb 2010 | 2:43 pmHi - As you know I'm always grateful to interact with you, my AspireNow readers.I'm just poking my head into your day or email inbox to ask you a quick poll survey to help me improve AspireNow. Can you take 15 seconds and share your insight(s) with me?You can click here: http://micropoll.com/t/KDly9ZBBle or click on the Poll in the left side of the AspireNow blog side bar to enter your poll -
On Death and Dying
5 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amI must admit, death and dying is my least favorite topic to write about.In fact, I don't know what is "FUN" about dying. Not unless maybe you go out the way James Dean did. It is rumored the last thing James Dean said, as his race car was rounding the dangerous connection of Highway 46 and Highway 41, "He's got to see us, he's got to..." But the driver didn't see James and smashed practically -
7 Insights Into the Meaning of Life
1 Feb 2010 | 1:11 pmI am crying my eyes out right now. Tears are streaming down my cheeks and dropping into my lap.Okay, the headline "I'm crying my eyes out" sounds a little like I'm sad, but I'm not. In fact, I'm full of JOY! Let me take a step or two back and share how I got to this state of sitting here, tears of joy streaming down my face, to write this article about 7 Insights Into the Meaning of Life.I just -
Take AspireNow's FB Breast Cancer Challenge
12 Jan 2010 | 7:08 pmThis past week, women all around the world, through the social network, Facebook, amused us men and surprised the world by sharing in their "status update" the color of their bra, in honor of people who've been affected by breast cancer. The story made "Good Morning America" and other news shows as "women making a difference" and the "power of Facebook" and "social networks. Kudos, women!In honor -
How To Be Happy
30 Dec 2009 | 10:00 amHave you ever asked "how do I become happy?" Do you often experience times when you are sad, lacking fulfillment, or simply seeking more purpose? I've pondered this question over the past ten years and discovered a process to help me reconnect with my own happiness to be a happy person that, frankly, works better than any antidepressant medical doctors can prescribe.How WE Can Be Happy People:
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Virtually Organized
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Small Changes, BIG Results for Your Hectic Life
8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amA busy, hectic life may be the cause of your disorganization, but don’t let it be the excuse. Take some time to reflect on the things you can change in your life to make you more productive and less stressed. They don’t have to be monumental changes to make a difference. -
Disorganization: A Hazard To Your Health?
5 Feb 2010 | 5:49 amToday is National Red Wear Day! So to do my part to help spread awareness about heart health, today we're talking about the health hazards of disorganization. -
Rubbermaid Junk Drawer Giveaway Winner!
3 Feb 2010 | 7:03 amThanks so much to everyone who entered the "Conquering Your Junk Drawers Rubbermaid Giveaway!" The randomly selected winner of the 6-piece Rubbermaid drawer organizing set is (drum roll, please!) . . . -
Organizing Behind Closed Doors?
1 Feb 2010 | 1:33 pmIt's tempting to just close the closet doors or hide things in the back of the basement. But our minds don’t let us forget about these less than orderly spaces in our home. -
Rubbermaid Giveaway: Conquering Your Junk Drawers
28 Jan 2010 | 8:55 pmGot a junk drawer? Rubbermaid is sponsoring this week's organizing project and giveaway.
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Homegrown Evolution
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Least Favorite Plant: Ficus benjamina
6 Feb 2010 | 7:00 pmPhoto by Elon SchoenholzWhile Ficus benjamina, a.k.a. "weeping fig", is one of my least favorite trees, my most favorite photographer, Elon Schoenholz is currently posting a series of ficus tree images on his blog. Schoenholz, wisely, takes a neutral stance on this hot button tree describing Ficus as, "L.A.'s favorite underappreciated, unheralded, unfavorite curbside flora. I have no real love for these trees, per se, no sentimental attachment. They just express form and mass and scale and human intervention in a way that I enjoy, like nothing else in the urban landscape as I encounter… -
Bulk Bin Microgreens
2 Feb 2010 | 6:00 pmSunflower seed germination testAn admission: both Mrs. Homegrown and I are sprout haters. We love the people who sprout, but not the sprouts. Perhaps it's just the association with 1970s era health food restaurants or macramé. Sprout lovers out there are welcome to try to convince us otherwise, but I'll warn you that numerous good-hearted attempts have already failed. But we're both open to the microgreen idea. Microgreens are allowed to grow longer than sprouts and require either soil or some kind of fertilized growing medium. Usually you harvest when the first true set of leaves… -
More Fun With Food Preservation
1 Feb 2010 | 7:20 pmHomegrown Neighbor here:I realized the other day that I had too much produce and decided to do something about it. There is kale coming out of my ears, celery wilting in the fridge, lettuce is bursting out of the garden and some of my farmer friends gave me a bunch of bell peppers they were just going to throw away. So I decided to use one of the easiest food preservation techniques around- freezing. The kale, celery, bell peppers and some sad looking carrots were the most pressing candidates for preservation. The kale I washed, roughly chopped, blanched in boiling water and then let it cool… -
Seeding Change
26 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pmLora "Homegrown Neighbor" Hall is in the New York Times this week in an article by Michael Tortorello, "Packets Full of Miracles." Tortorello asks six gardeners to pick out their favorite seed varieties. Homegrown Neighbor chose New Zealand spinach, Nero de Toscana kale, Red orach, Sugar Ann snap pea, Crimson California poppy and Verbena bonariensis. I'm sure Homegrown Neighbor would appreciate a reminder that if you buy seeds from Botanical Interests using the link on the right side of this blog, 40% of your purchases will go to supporting the ag program at North Hollywood High. Let's get… -
Compost Pail Comparison
26 Jan 2010 | 4:44 pmHomegrown Neighbor here:Just a quick product review.Containers to hold your kitchen scraps are now common accoutrements sold in home stores. The idea is you fill them up as you prepare food and they are able to store the coffee grounds and broccoli stems without getting any flies or foul smells until you have a chance to get out to the compost pile.I used to use a large yogurt container for this and store it in the fridge. The problem was, the container was way too small so I still had to empty it practically every day. If I was preparing a lot of veggies I would overflow, with scraps piling…
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Office Supplies Blog
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I Love Office Supplies Giveaway!
5 Feb 2010 | 9:21 amIn the spirit of Valentines Day, we’d like to give you the opportunity to let that inner geek express their true love for office supplies! We all know how much you really love your swingline stapler and stare at all the time. Or how you love the color of a particular pocket folder and get nervous when someone asks to borrow it for just a second. It’s okay. It’s time to proclaim your true love for office supplies. Why should you admit to the world that you really love office supplies? Well, we’re giving away a netbook to someone who will be so bold! Here’s how to… -
Win the New EVOLUTION Pencil Sharpener!
1 Feb 2010 | 2:15 pmAnnouncing our FIRST weekly giveaway! Check our blog, facebook, and twitter every Monday morning to see what you could win that week!This week, our giveaway is sponsored by Westcott - check out their website (and lots of cool products!) here.I’m so excited about the new products they are coming out with for 2010! Great design, great colors, and a much more efficient way to do things. This weeks’ giveaway is all about revolutionizing the way we sharpen our pencils. Remember the days when you used the manual crank kind? You know, the one that usually ate your pencils and made your… -
Work Outfit of the Week. 2.
29 Jan 2010 | 9:47 amI just discovered this website. Polyvore. Kind of a weird name? You can create outfits so easily! This weeks outfit will help you become the office sweetheart. That’s if you’re a girl I mean. Wearing this as a guy would be a BAD idea. P.S. This outfit is expensive. Look out. Chloe Ruffled silk crepe de Chine blouse Diane von furstenberg trousers Round-Toe Oxfords Jas M.B. Messenger Bag Girlscene Necklace -
DIY: I Heart Clips
28 Jan 2010 | 2:59 pmCan you see the hearts? Or are you too distracted by Yosemite National Park? These hearts made from paper clips are so cute! What a great idea. I got it from How About Orange. Her hearts are adorable. I wish I had red or pink paperclips. Silver is kind of cool though - in a more masculine way. Oh did you want to know how to do this? Here’s the how to: (I like when how-to’s are one step.) You can get all sorts of paper clips on Shoplet.com Here’s a few good ones: Jumbo Gold Paper Clips Normal Size Assorted Colors Paper Clips I made mine with some cheap silver ones and they… -
Staples with Tracking Devices.
26 Jan 2010 | 7:41 amSounds scary right? Don’t worry, staples are still for paper. Swingline has come up with a new idea for staples with RFID (radio frequency identification tags.) So when you’re rummaging through giant stacks of paper looking for a report or wondering which trash can your colleague might have dumped it in you can track it down! Hallelujah. This does seem like a great addition to any office. I think I would push for these a lot more than RFID employee badges. Thanks to Ubisense for creating those. As DVICE put it: “Our malevolent overlords — er, bosses — can make sure…
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FitHacks.com
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15 Online Fitness Resources
9 Feb 2010 | 10:18 amLately, the interwebs have become riddled with various web applications, social networks, and training programs that are great for helping the web savvy of us get in shape. I’m very thankful for all the amazing efforts put forth by these fit-minded web developers and have used many of these sites in my own personal fitness journey. Browse the massive list below and feel free to add your own favorite fitness resources in the comments. DailyBurn.com DailyBurn.com is an all-in-one online fitness suite. It allows you to keep track of your diet, caloric intake, workouts and goals. There is… -
Fit Food Friday III
5 Feb 2010 | 5:13 amEven though I’m not a vegetarian (far from it) it is a good practice to eat like one every now and then. Today’s healthy meal is one example. It is delicious, completely filling, and is contains no meat. Black Beans and Yellow Rice: Ingredients: 1 (5 ounce) package saffron rice mix 1 (15 ounce) can black beans 3 tablespoons lime juice 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided Garnishes: sour cream (optional) sliced green onion (optional) Directions: Cook rice according to package directions; keep warm. Meanwhile,… -
Why You Should Train For a Race
3 Feb 2010 | 10:56 amIn a little over a week I’ll be running in a local half-marathon. I have been training for it for some time and even though I don’t currently feel fully prepared, I am getting pretty excited for it. Since I first became interested in fitness and weight loss, I have enjoyed running in races. Between the energetic throng of fellow runners and cheering spectators, it is pretty easy to be overcome with the thrill of the event. For a few short hours, the months of preparation seem worth it. If you have never participated in a race of any kind, I highly recommend giving it a try. It is… -
Busted! – 5 Fitness Myths I Used to Believe
1 Feb 2010 | 2:51 pmThere is no doubt that sometimes, the world of fitness can be a confusing place. It seems that common practices and expert wisdom is always changing. Sometimes, the latest study can even be proven wrong just a few months down the road. Below are 5 such pieces of “wisdom” that even I once believed in. As always it seems that we should continually be willing to test everything and hold on to the good. Don’t eat after 7pm Myth: This is a common belief that I held until recently. The old wisdom goes, if you eat anything within two hours of sleep, then the calories you consumed… -
Fit Food Friday II
29 Jan 2010 | 9:08 amFor a fresh, easy and absolutely delicious meal, try these chicken soft tacos with sliced avocados. Fresh avocados are quickly becoming one of my favorite foods in the whole world. They are also one of nature’s best miracle foods. While this meal does take some time to cook (nothing done in a crock pot is fast) it is relatively simple and easy to make. Add a single serving of tortilla chips, some guacamole sans sour cream and my usual unsweet tea, and this is heaven. Chicken Soft Tacos Ingredients: 1 pound chicken breast 1 can Rotel 1 tsp cumin 1 T cilantro 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4…
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Sources of Insight
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10 Ways to Go from Good to Great
9 Feb 2010 | 8:51 am“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” — Voltaire I see good people go from good to great all the time. It’s not magic. It’s passion, purpose, and action. They find their path, they have a purpose, and if they get knocked down, they get up again. They keep asking better and better questions that get them closer to their goals and they continue to find the people and resources that support them on their journey. They turn resistance into growth and they fully immerse themselves in the experience. I’ve boiled down the pattern I see… -
Top 10 Lessons Learned in Spirituality
7 Feb 2010 | 11:02 amEditor’s note: Meet Nadia Ballas-Ruta. Nadia is author of the bountiful blog, Happy Lotus, and her super skill is spirituality. She was trained by a Buddhist master and this turned out to be one of her most powerful, life changing events. Nadia fondly recalls this as meeting her Master Yoda, the way Luke Skywalker did in Star Wars. As a seeker of the “best of the best”, I challenged Nadia to share her best lessons learned in spirituality, top-10-style, with readers of Sources of Insight. She responded to the challenge with a great distillation of her best lessons… -
Spiritual Intelligence
31 Jan 2010 | 10:45 pmWhile working on my latest book, I had more than a few people ask me about spirituality. They wanted a succinct explanation or a simple model. I started going through various definitions, models, and testing what I could find. Here’s what I arrived at: Making meaning Living your values Finding your purpose Making impact To summarize, the most useful patterns and practices I found are living your values, finding your unique contribution, and shaping a better version of yourself. This happens to be the foundation that underscores my You 2.0 guide (which might explain why it hit a… -
Career Growth and Finding Your Way Forward
26 Jan 2010 | 11:41 pmHere’s a post that I originally published on my work blog, but I thought the readers here would benefit from it too. It’s a simple model for thinking about your career growth. With things like a “jobless economic recovery,” careers ending, and a “skills-for-hire” economy, it’s even more important to focus on growth while managing your career. At the end of the day, YOU play the most important role in your career growth – own it. This past year reminded me of a very valuable lessons – follow the growth. This means follow your own growth and growth in the… -
Dancing in the Rain
24 Jan 2010 | 10:23 pmEditor’s note: This is a guest post from bestselling author, Michael Michalko. Michael’s super skill is creative thinking. In fact, he organized a team of intelligence specialists to research, collect, and categorize all known inventive-thinking methods. One of my favorite books by Michael is Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques (2nd Edition) , which is listed by 800-CEO-READ as one of the best business books of all time. Here’s Michael on, Dancing in the Rain … To the right is a drawing. What does it look like to you? If you said frog, you…
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Avani-Mehta.com
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The Outrageous Dreamers – 10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action Part V
2 Feb 2010 | 10:35 pmSo far we have covered 6 Fabulous Motivators: 1. The Movers & Shakers 2. The Deal Breakers 3. The Momentum Builders 4. The Inspiration Generators 5. The Savvy Time Shoppers 6. The Day Simplifiers Continuing with the seventh motivator … 10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action 7. The Outrageous Dreamers Truly speaking … for some of you, it’s not really your fault if you get de-motivated and can’t get motivated. When the tasks are boring and uninspiring, motivation is difficult to catch hold off. What motivation needs is something to look forward to. What… -
The Day Simplifiers – 10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action Part IV
1 Feb 2010 | 12:25 amSo far we have covered 5 Fabulous Motivators: 1. The Movers & Shakers 2. The Deal Breakers 3. The Momentum Builders 4. The Inspiration Generators 5. The Savvy Time Shoppers Continuing with the sixth motivator … 10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action 6. The Day Simplifiers Whenever you want a crazy hectic day to go smooth, you use The Day Simplifiers. Long days filled with too many activities, huge projects and no planning can be absolutely terrorizing. They make you worry, think in circles and bring in a lot of confusion. Wherever there is worry and confusion, you… -
The Savvy Time Shoppers: 10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action Part III
28 Jan 2010 | 9:30 pmSo far we have covered 4 Fabulous Motivators: 1. The Movers & Shakers 2. The Deal Breakers 3. The Momentum Builders 4. The Inspiration Generators Continuing with the fifth motivator … 10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action 5. The Savvy Time Shoppers Time is and will always be an expensive commodity. It will always be taken away, grabbed and snatched by … well, who knows who! And that’s why you need to master the art of time shopping. When time crunch starts affecting your motivation and desire to take action, the savvy time shoppers will help you get motivated… -
10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action – Part II
21 Jan 2010 | 7:00 amIn part I of 10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action, we covered 3 motivators: 1. The Movers & Shakers 2. The Deal Breakers 3. The Momentum Builders Continuing with the fourth motivator … 10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action 4. The Inspiration Generators When you are inspired, you take action. When inspiration is multi-fold, action is multi-fold as well. As is obvious from the name, Inspiration generators include everything which lifts your spirit and gives you the boost to work towards your goals. Inspiration generators are reminders of your goals,… -
10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action – Part I
18 Jan 2010 | 10:01 pmWanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way. – Les Brown The beginnings of a new goal, a new project are wonderful. You are all worked up; full of excitement and action. However, somewhere down the line, goals remain, desire to achieve them remains but the action part goes missing. You simply lose the motivation to act on your dreams. And no matter how hard you try, you are stuck. You are stuck with inaction. To achieve your goals, you need to find ways to…
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ManageYourLifeNow.com
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Declutter Your Life By One Item Per Day
8 Feb 2010 | 1:05 pmJust so we are clear, you can do this. Actually I’m pretty sure that the majority of people in the westernized world could. And what that is, is complete a one year challenge. The prize? Well, I can only speak for myself, but it was worth it. The Challenge? That’s where things get interesting. I’m not to sure where I came up with the idea. It was probably in one of the last 4 moves I did in two years. I vowed on the last one that the countless boxes I was hauling around containing all my worldly possessions could use a little diet. Actually, that wasn’t my first thought. It was… -
How to avoid obesity
1 Dec 2009 | 10:46 amThere is no doubt that obesity is one of the biggest problems that many men and women of all ages suffer from, and although everybody wants to lose weight quickly, burning fat is no easy task. We all want to eat everything we want, when we want, in the quantities that we want. At the same time, we act as if we are concerned about staying fit and healthy. Nevertheless, here are a few weight loss tips that will help you shed some pounds with a bit of hard work and determination. Don't expect to just read these tips and tricks and expect to lose weight while you sleep, it will take a lot of… -
7 habits for longer life
26 Oct 2009 | 11:25 amAlthough nobody can guarantee you that by adopting a specific lifestyle you will be able to live a longer life, there are certain things you can do to increase your chances of living longer. By following some healthy guidelines for sure you have nothing to lose but you have a lot to gain. Anything you do in order to live longer has to turn into a habit. In other words you have to do it without realizing it. Healthy living and lifestyle is a way of living and this is how you should approach it. The 7 most important habits for a better life and outlined below: 1. Don't worry be happy It is… -
Tips on How to get pregnant with a boy
25 Oct 2009 | 6:50 amMost couples that want to get pregnant, usually say that they do not care about the gender of the baby, and that everything is okay with them, but in most cases they would prefer one or the other. This is quite common since people do have opinions about things like this and they all root to their own childhood. If they have had only brothers, it is common to only being interested on how to get pregnant with a baby boy, because they know how to handle with them, and know what to expect. Giving birth to a girl would be something that is even frightening to them. Although this is not true in all… -
How to Get a Slender Figure in 5 Easy Steps
24 Sep 2009 | 7:29 amOften it is harder to keep a slender figure than it is to get it. After a drastic weight loss diet your body acts uncontrollable and starts packing fats. This is why you should avoid using rapid weight loss diets to shed those extra pounds. What you should do is learn from the people that have a slender figure and keep it over time. The people that had all their life a slender figure, or for a long time, don’t use operations or expensive treatments to maintain it. Some do but most can’t afford them. What they all do is use some simple tricks. Here are just 5 tips that will help you get…
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Get Organized Wizard
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Organize Your Living Area [Mission #31]
8 Feb 2010 | 2:02 amThe living room can be the heart of a home – where you relax, where you enjoy conversation with friends, where the family ‘lives’ much of the time.So if your living room is disorganized, chaotic or downright embarrassing – let’s fix that now. You’ll be amazed at the transformation you can achieve in just 30 minutes.Remember: you only need 30 minutes for the basic mission. Extended Options are below.If you’re new, you might like to start here -> 52 Organizing Missions.Get Organized Mission #31: Organize Your Living AreaStep 1: Clear the Clutter (10 Minutes)The first thing to do… -
Get Organized in 5 Minutes: Establish an Errands List
4 Feb 2010 | 12:03 amHere’s something you can do to get better organized – and it’ll take you just 5 minutes!Establish an Errands ListFind a notepad or piece of paper and a pen.Place somewhere convenient – beside the phone, on the fridge door, or beside your bag or briefcase.Create 4 sections in columns, rows or quadrants.Label the sections based on your needs; eg: Groceries, Errands, Shopping, Library, Children’s stuff, School, etc.And you’re done!Now you have a simple and practical way to capture all the to-do items that need you to leave the house.Remember: 1. Move fast. 2. Don’t overthink. 3. -
Get Organized To Reduce Stress [Mission #30]
1 Feb 2010 | 4:28 amFor some of us, being organized is an end in itself – a sense of order and freedom from clutter bring us pleasure and happiness.For the rest of us, being organized is a means to an end – a smarter path to the things we want. By applying a little thought and planning, we increase the chances and reduce the effort of achieving our goals.Managing stress is one such goal. Many of us deal with daily stresses, but few of us take an organized approach to thinking about what stresses us out, and how to better handle these triggers. So let’s spend this week’s 30 minutes doing just that.Get… -
Your Happiness Depends On Your Thoughts
28 Jan 2010 | 2:30 amI love reading Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor (he was played by Richard Harris in Gladiator). His Meditations overflow with wise precepts.But these 12 words are my most favorite:The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.Like Buddha’s ‘With our thoughts we make the world’, they’re a pithy nutshell reminding us of the power of our minds over the matter of our lives.If simply using old-related words makes you walk more slowly, then just imagine the effect of that non-stop mental tirade on how you live, and how you feel.I certainly… -
Time Management: How To Make the Most Of Your Personal Time [Mission #29]
25 Jan 2010 | 4:12 amIn the last two missions we took stock of your:Business tasks, in order to improve time management at work, andHome organization tasks, for better time management at home.This week we’ll do the same for your personal tasks – like grooming and exercise – and find ways to be more effective with those precious moments of self time.Get Organized Mission # 29: Make the Most Of Your Personal TimeStep 1: List Your Self-Care TasksJot down the (ideally) regular activities on yourpersonal self-care list. Your list may include:Clothes…
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BLOGitse
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This is pure sh***** part 2.
7 Feb 2010 | 10:52 pmThis is pure sh***** part 2. Here's part 1. Sorry if you're new here and wanted something more sexier or naughty or ugly... No, this is pure SH*****! = = = > S H A R I N G! This is PURE BEAUTY! and something very special...Enjoy! The video is about 8 minutes but you do not see this kind of documentary every day, right? Voices of Cairo is a short film intended to act as a preview of Voices and -
EDITED version: your WOrds & my IMAges = WO*IMA, #54
7 Feb 2010 | 8:05 amyour WOrds of this IMAge #54: mythopolis In the words Bob Dylan spoke to his band when he went electric..... "Get F...ing Loud!" JAWhite Rock turns me on! Yaelian My guitarra usually gently weeps but this rocks! SusuPetal Please, play with me.... WhiteSockGirl aka The Fabulous Bitch Stroke me baby, and I will rock your world! Susan Higgins Like the strings of -
you give me WOrds and I give you an IMAge = WO*IMA #54
5 Feb 2010 | 1:21 pmmy IMAge #54: as usual you have time till Sunday 6 pm Cairo time Here's a link to world clock :) kuten ennenkin aikaa on sunnuntaihin asti klo 18 Kairon aikaa Don’t know what WO*IMA is about? Every Saturday I give you an IMAge. You give me YOUR OWN WOrds: thoughts, a quote, a poem etc. however the IMAge i n s p i r e s you by leaving a comment with a title: 'my WOrds'. On -
piano stairs - people love WALKING UP too!
4 Feb 2010 | 7:01 amIt's time to have fun! Enjoy! Let's walk and play! -
UPDATED!!! what women want...how to punish a rapist?
2 Feb 2010 | 4:05 amDecember 2009 issue of the What women want magazine includes an article 'If I were Queen of Egypt' by Amany Eid This chapter is about rape. "As Queen of Egypt, it means I am female, so this means, I will not tolerate rape. So any rape incident that happens - the rapist, will get one of two choices, either he gets castrated or gets executed. This will make everyone think a million times
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PluginID
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Celebrate Your Success
5 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amI recently received an email from one of our readers. The email went on to list an admittedly impressive number of goals he was able to accomplish over the last year or so. He received a 4.0 GPA in his first semester of college, lost 14 kg, began running 3 days a week, and cut down on his excessive gaming. Because I’m also freshman in college this year, the list made me smile and I couldn’t help but feel great for him. But there was one problem: Despite his impressive accomplishments, the tone of his email was somber and sad, because like many, he wrestled with the endless… -
How To Reach Your Planet B
1 Feb 2010 | 8:43 amI recently had the amazing opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to attend Steve Pavlina’s Conscious Growth Workshop. Spending a weekend with a 100 people who were passionate about growth was a fantastic experience. Those who have read Steve’s blog know that he can be a bit controversial at times, however I felt the workshop helped me tremendously in terms of my own growth and self development. I’d like to share with you an analogy that Steve explained during the workshop that helps clarify both your current situation and the place in life that you would like to be. Planet A vs Planet B… -
It’s Time for a New Face, and a New Journey
27 Jan 2010 | 3:32 amI’ve been wondering how to write this post for almost three months now. There is something important that I want to say to you all, but I also want to say “Hey, stay, keep reading” after I’ve said it, because I have a lot of things I want to explain. I try not to ramble in my posts, so I’ll just come out and say it: I’m no longer the owner of PluginID. Don’t be too alarmed though; I haven’t owned the site for three months, and not much has changed around here. A product has been launched, posts have been written and I’m still far too… -
Working On The Road? Here’s What You Need to Know
20 Jan 2010 | 5:12 amI’m on my 8th week in Amsterdam right now with ten days left before I move on to my next destination. Very recently I decided that Thailand will no longer be my next stop and instead I will continue travelling through Europe. Right now, the countries on my list to visit are: France, Sweden, Czech Republic, Italy and Belgium. The plan is to go to a number of different countries for four nights each. This way we’ll get to see most of Europe in a short space of time and have a month which is a non-stop adventure. At the end of this month I will reveal where I’m going and what… -
How Disaster Completely Changed My Reality
13 Jan 2010 | 6:42 amNote from Glen: Today’s post is by Bud Hennekes. Bud is going to be featured here at PluginID a lot more soon so I hope you enjoy his work as much as I do. What’s your attitude towards struggle? Do you look at it as your adversary? Or do you embrace it as an opportunity of growth? Do you repeatedly claim your “life is over”? Or do you rise up to the occasion and out last the temporary illusion? Photo Credit Is your relationship with struggle dysfunctional? What can steps can you take to heal those broken wounds? Break ups, death, illness and failure. What does all that mean to…
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Lifescript.com: Life
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Q&A - How Do You Know If You've Found 'The One'?
8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach Q: When a person says "he’s the one" or "she’s the one" before he or she really knows that person, is it lust or something else?-Nancy H.A: What a great question, Nancy! Since finding the one is a high priority for so many people, I think the heart overwhelms the brain in far too many situations regarding love. My knee-jerk reaction to your question is that this kind of knowing takes much more time to acquire. There are people who feel they’ve found the one at first sight or shortly thereafter, and it may work out for them. But for the… -
Q&A - Should I Go to Counseling to Save My Marriage?
18 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach Q: I’m considering separating from my husband after 19 years of being together. He doesn’t talk to me about anything and I cannot get him to work on the marriage. I’ve tried talking to him, but it only ends in a screaming match. We have two kids, ages 8 and 5. I don’t know what else I can do. Do you think counseling on my part will help? -Cheryl A.A: Hi Cheryl,After 19 years and two children, it must be heartbreaking to find yourself in this situation. But your troubles are far more common than you can imagine. The short answer here… -
Q&A – Help! My Husband Doesn’t Include Me in His Plans
11 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach Q: My husband and I have been married for 14 years. We have different views when it comes to his and my children. He does everything with his children alone and doesn’t let me know what he’s doing until later. Now he’s doing the same thing with the grandchildren. When I ask him why he doesn’t let me know about his plans, he says he doesn’t know.I’ve been letting it go, but can’t any longer.-Judy T.A: Hi Judy, I’m sorry to read about your struggle with attempting to connect your two families in a deeper way. Unfortunately,…
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Lifescript.com: Soul
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A Pyrrhic Victory
4 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal CoachWhen you have an argument with someone, how important is it for you to win? Are you the type of person who listens carefully to the other side, considers their points and then tries to find room for discussion or compromise? Or are you the type of person who simply erects a wall and aims to win at all costs? It’s a telling question regarding the kind of relationships you have with friends and significant others.I read an article the other day that contained the phrase “a pyrrhic victory.” It means a victory with a devastating cost to the… -
Q&A - Help! I'm Addicted to Fear
2 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach Q: I’m addicted to fear.Please tell me how to conquer it!-Mary A.A: Hi Mary,Fear is responsible for countless broken dreams and unfulfilled lives. While fear of the unknown is a motivator for some, it’s an overwhelming obstacle to many more. Some fears are real and justified, while others are purely unrealistic and imagined. Regardless of whether the fear you feel is real or imagined, the emotional toll it takes on one’s spirit is devastating. The short answer to minimizing or eliminating fear is to confront it by facing it and pushing… -
It's Groundhog Day!
1 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal CoachToday, the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his burrow and predicts the beginning of spring or proclaims six more weeks of winter. It’s all tied to whether or not Phil sees his shadow. As I thought about this shadowy annual ritual, I had a thought for those of you who are trying to lose weight in 2010.In the spirit of Groundhog Day and in honor of our furry friend Phil, I suggest you begin your weight-loss program today. Then, next year on this very date, you too can check your shadow and see if the shadow you cast is smaller… -
Words of Wisdom
26 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal CoachI was having a discussion with a friend the other day who said: My father always told me that if it seems too good to be true, it is too good to be true. After our conversation, I began to think about all of the sage advice I’ve been given over the years. One pearl of wisdom that immediately came to my mind is also one I still adhere to today: Always think before you act! With that as our framework, let me ask you a question.Of all the advice you’ve been given over the years, what would you consider the best? Was it something that one of… -
Barnstorming Your Life
21 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal CoachBarnstorming was a popular form of aerial entertainment in the 1920s and was the precursor for our modern day air shows. Called a flying circus, it provided stunt pilots and other acrobats a way to earn a living and thrill an audience at the same time. The purpose was initially to give those daredevil pilots a place to strut their stuff. The term barnstorming, however, was used to describe the unique excitement and energy that these shows would bring to the small, sleepy towns of yesterday.I think there’s a lesson here for those of you…
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Quips & Tips for Achieving Your Goals
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How to Lose Weight as a Couple – 6 Ways to Burn Fat Together!
8 Feb 2010 | 10:12 amThese six weight loss tips for couples will help you slim down, tone up, and get to know your partner in a whole new way! My husband and I do Pilates, core fusion, and various exercise DVDs together. Not only are we learning more about each other’s bodies and personalities, we’re increasing our motivation to get and stay fit. We’ve also found certain exercise DVDs to be a great way to lose weight as a couple. I’ve listed several of them here, in these tips for losing weight as a couple…. Before the tips, a quip: “Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is… -
6 Tips for Helping Your Spouse Through Financial Difficulties
2 Feb 2010 | 11:03 amCredit card debt, steep mortgage loans, and large medical bills are financial difficulties that cause stress for married and common-law couples. These tips for helping your spouse through money problems can help strengthen your marriage – even in the worst of times. Surprisingly, an overly supportive husband or wife can have a detrimental effect on a marriage or common-law relationship! A series of University of Iowa studies shows that too much support – or the wrong kind of support – can wreak havoc on a marriage. These marriage tips are based on current research about husbands,… -
Music Singles for Newly Single People – How to Feel Good After a Break Up
1 Feb 2010 | 10:24 amHave you just broken up with someone you love? These songs for singles may help you feel better… all the tunes below are reader suggestions from my The Best Songs for Broken Hearts – Music to Heal Heartache article – and these tips for music singles for new singles are more creative than my original songs for singles! This comment is why I wanted to write this second article about heartbreak songs: “Those are all good songs to break up by, but obviously, the person who wrote the above article, as well as the people commenting, are not into country music.” ~ C. When I made my… -
5 Anti-Aging Foods and Proteins That Reduce Skin Problems
29 Jan 2010 | 11:05 amHere are different types of protein to help reduce problem skin and improve your overall appearance – and these anti-aging foods are delicious, too! These tips are endorsed by doctors or medical estheticians, including a dermatologist who wrote a book about improving aging skin. “What you eat can clear your skin, firm your nails, and give you better looking hair,” says Dr John La Puma, author of Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine. “It’s amazing what the right foods can do.” Never underestimate the importance of what you eat – certain foods can even improve your… -
14 Unique, Creative Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Him and Her
27 Jan 2010 | 3:03 pmThese tips for romance will have you celebrating February 14 like never before! Here, a relationship expert shares several creative and unique Valentine’s Day gift ideas – you’re sure to find a romantic way to say “I love you” here… Before the tips, a quip: “When you’re in love you never really know whether your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love, or if it attributes them to her; whether the light which surrounds her like a halo comes from you, from her, or from the meeting of your sparks.” ~ Natalie Clifford Barney Expressing a romantic thought…
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Change Your Life Hacks
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The Best Fat Burning Foods
9 Feb 2010 | 6:18 amIs there a better concept than fat burning food? Delicious, tasty food, that actually helps you lose weight. Quite amazing! This article will list some of the best fat burning foods out there, helping you kick start your weight loss. Foods Rich in Vitamin C Certain fruits contain large quantities of vitamin C, these include oranges and limes. Vitamin C helps burning fat, since it dilutes it, making it less effective, thus it is easier to release the fat from the body. Foods Rich in Calcium Dairy products such as milk and yoghurt are very rich in calcium. Recent studies show that these… -
Putting Green Practice Area
9 Feb 2010 | 6:03 amI cannot believe it but my next door neighbor just installed a little backyard putting green that lets him practice whenever he wants. Fortunately for me we are pretty tight and occasional golfing buddies, so his new toy will get a little playing time from me. In fact, this really helps to even a few things outs, since he and his family are over so often in the summer to use our pool. Man, if we just combined our two backyards, we would have the ultimate set up. Anyways, I never realized how easy it can be to have a putting green in backyard areas around the home. These days it seems like… -
The Importance Of Parasites Cleansing
9 Feb 2010 | 1:51 amPeople these days tend to not realize the importance of parasites cleansing. Prior to the 20th century, this was one of the most common medicinal procedures performed. Though the remedies were often disgusting, people from those days would consistently cleanse their bodies of these unwanted guests. These days, people just assume that everything is cleaner, and that we don’t have to worry about these parasites, if they’re even aware of these little buggers to begin with. What they don’t realize is that at this very moment, there are tens of thousands of parasites floating… -
How to Plan for Retirement
8 Feb 2010 | 9:18 pmYou are programmed to plan and think ahead for your future. Thus, you were taught in school that you should get high scores and grades to be able to pursue college, earn a good job, and live a great life. Now that you are accomplished, you are starting to think about retirement investing. However, there are a few fundamental rules that you should follow when learning about how to invest for retirement. This article will assist you in creating a retirement investing plan that suits your needs. Planning for the Future Prior to financially planning ahead of time, you should recognize first what… -
Why many people are not diagnosed with Depression
8 Feb 2010 | 11:27 amAlmost 20% of all people will suffer from an episode of depression at least one time in their life. The problem with most patients is that they will not recognize their symptoms as it was a depression. Because of that many patients are not treated properly and this is a major concern because the chance on a another episode increases with every new episode. Another reason why so many patients are not seeing their doctor or psychologist is because of the fact that they have no energy to see a doctor when they are depressed and don’t believe it is useful anymore when they are feeling…
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Mystic Madness
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Risk Love And Trust
9 Feb 2010 | 1:04 amLove is the strongest of emotion and this is the reason that people don’t mind taking any level of risk in it. The biggest thing in any relationship is trust which has the capability to move mountains and stop oceans. Love and trust combined together form an integral part of relationship. And when issues happen it is only love and trust that stands out to maintain a sane and healthy relationship. But problem happens and that happens with everyone. Love and trust has the potential to stand the test of ... Related posts:Deep And Short Romantic Love Poems – True Love Poems For… -
Positive Affirmations For Success
7 Feb 2010 | 12:01 amWhen you have set yourself on the journey of excellence you cannot deny the power of positive affirmations for success. Affirmation is a declaration that something is true and you need to make yourself believe in the power of it. Human mind by its very nature gets distracted and demotivated by scores of external factors that hold a potential to deviate person from his goals. A positive affirmation offers a ray of hope to continue with our zeal to achieve the best and drive ourselves continuously on the road of ... Related posts:Positive Self Talk – Guiding Thoughts You Need Do you talk… -
How To Deal With Mean People
6 Feb 2010 | 4:54 amHow to deal with mean people is an art that you have to master to create a niche for yourself in this fiercely competitive world. You will agree that you have to exist in this world amidst people from all lifestyles. There can also be mean people. Relationship Management is what you should be able to offer your clients, external or internal. You may easily pass a comment at others but find it difficult to digest when remarked at you by people. The world does not provide any relief to ... Related posts:How To Deal With Difficult People Much has been said about… -
Never Get Too Old
5 Feb 2010 | 3:05 amThe philosophy that circles around the vary logic of never get too old is not that of your age but of attitude. Ask yourself a question – How many days do you think average healthy human beings live? and try to answer it in 5 seconds. Maximum people thought this figure to be between 80,000 days to 2,00,000 days. If you take the average age to be around 65 years the answer comes out to be approximately 24,000. Yes, it is close to twenty four thousand days only and there ... No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
Relationship Break-Up Advice: Stay Calm
4 Feb 2010 | 2:21 amThe best practical relationship break up advice one can ever have is to stay calm and look for the amicable solution. Getting into relationship is easier, but maintaining it is no child’s play. During the pink days of relationship, we often forget that our partner is a grown up individual with his or her own set of mannerism and pattern of thinking. These are bound to be as different from each other as the individuals themselves. Neglecting this very fact creates the difference of opinion; and cracks start developing in ... Related posts:How To Stay Calm In Any Situation There are…
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Illuminated Mind
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How to Live Two Lives in One
4 Feb 2010 | 11:15 amIs it possible to have two loves, both equally cherished, without jealousy? In our society, this is illegal. You can only have one (legal) love. But what about other pursuits, like our work? I think being professionally polygamous is often equally frowned upon. We’re supposed to have one specialty. One niche. And perhaps a micro-niche on top of that. I think this type of narrowly defined niching leads to serious imbalance because in reality, all things are interconnected. I’ve decided to be polygamous in my career, having commitments to multiple loves. Professionally, I write… -
Reclaim Your Dreams Reviews
29 Jan 2010 | 9:13 amJanuary 13th marked the one year birthday of my first ebook. In that time, a lot has happened. It has sold over 650 copies and has made up a good portion of my income for 2009. In December last year I also finally released the long-awaited worksheets that accompany Reclaim Your Dreams. The response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Largely in part to my free blogger review campaign, Reclaim Your Dreams has received a lot of reviews. I haven’t yet shared them (I have no idea why), so with this one year anniversary I thought I’d take the opportunity to do that. Here are a small… -
Kill Your Curiosity
28 Jan 2010 | 2:12 pm[Note from Jonathan: This is a guest post written by Jeremy Bennett.] curiosity –noun, plural 1. the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness. Curiosity is over-valued in our society, and one of the top causes of distraction in our increasingly information-saturated world. Mind you, I’m not completely opposed to curiosity. Children are curious about the world, and that’s usually a good thing! Indeed. What I am proposing, however, is a proper understanding of curiosity; what it is useful for, and some things that it is not useful for. We are, in fact,… -
Art and Pain (a story of separation)
26 Jan 2010 | 7:00 amArt and Pain seem to be the accepted relationship we have with our work. Our practice is supposed to hurt, seems to be the unspoken, unconscious mantra that we operate by. We believe that we need to come to our art begging and praying that our muse will show up. And if it doesn’t, we curse our work as if a hex or evil spell has been callously wished upon us. But our art shouldn’t have to be a painful struggle. It shouldn’t be something where we only experience joy after we’ve created our final masterpiece, completely used up. The majority of our time logged… -
One Tool That Will Change Your Life
19 Jan 2010 | 1:53 pmWebsite design is typically a pain in the ass. Big unintentional gaps, alignment that you can’t control, and boxes with a mind of their own. (Don’t even get me started on Internet Explorer 6.) So when I found Headway I was pretty blown away. For the first time, designing your site in Wordpress could be controlled within an easy to use interface, without changing any code. You could actually rearrange everything within a drag-and-drop interface. Every element, every section of your site, could be reorganized without touching code. I was impressed. And I bought it immediately. This…
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Awake @ The Wheel
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If There Was No Criticism Or Praise, Who Would You Be?
9 Feb 2010 | 8:29 amWondering how you would answer this question… It was asked by Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks International in his book, It’s Not About the Coffee… “If there was no criticism or praise, who would you be?” I’m thinking on it myself. I’d very likely be more candid in some of what I write, post and speak about. But, I’d essentially keep being exactly who I am and doing what I do. That’s an interesting realization for me. But, I still need to contemplate the question a bit more. How about you… -
8 Timeless Rules For My 8-Year Old Daughter
8 Feb 2010 | 9:01 am[Expanded & updated from the original post that appeared on this day 2 years ago today] Driving home with my organic, soy chai latte in hand, today, I began to wonder what the critical lessons I should be teaching my daughter were. She’s only 8, but I wanted to make sure I got my most treasured thoughts down, to capture my deepest wisdom. So, not wanting to be late, lose my thoughts or spill my chai, I whipped out my iPhone, began to type in one hand, while steering with my knees and balancing my chai in the other (Joking, people…I actually steered with my navel, not my knees. -
The 4 Delusions of Entrepreneurs
6 Feb 2010 | 8:03 amAsk an aspiring entrepreneur why they’d kill to make the jump and, without fail, four of the top 5 reasons will be: Freedom Control Money Passion They dream of working their own hours, not having to report to “the Man,” skipping though fields of money, loving what they do every moment of every day and changing the world. All great aspirations. Question is - How much is real, and how much is outright fantasy? Let’s take a deeper look at the 4 big entrepreneurial motivations, bust a few myths and open a few eyes: 1. Freedom. First let’s break it down. What do… -
LiftOff, Third Tribe, Troll-Gates and Paid Conversation
5 Feb 2010 | 3:32 pmEvery once in a while, I like to highlight people doing cool stuff for entrepreneurs. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had a few friends launch or make me aware of some very cool entrepreneurship, career evolution and business trainings or projects. I’m sharing them because I’m betting you guys barraged by garbage promotions, trainings and products revolving around entrepreneurship and business-building all the time and I’m happy to do a bit of vetting and bring to you people and solutions I trust (FYI – I am not a JV partner in any of these, nor do I get any money… -
What’s With The Mini Business Cards?
4 Feb 2010 | 5:42 amI first saw them circulating about a year ago… Those mini-business cards, about the size of a tear-off on a flyer at the supermarket. Sure, they’re cute. They’re different. But, here’s the problem. They’re built to lose. Just like the millions of flyer tear-offs that people take, then promptly lose or throw out, because there’s not logical place to keep them. So, somebody explain to me, why would you go and take a business card that’s designed to fit into a spot where other business cards are found, where people remember to look for it, and transform…
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Human SEO Self Exploration Optimization
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6 People You Should Be Connected With Online For Self Growth
9 Feb 2010 | 6:27 amConnections from Crestock Stock Photo Self Growth No frills and no fluff. These are all just extremely cool people I’ve actually connected with in some form or fashion via email, blog comments, Skype or Twitter. When I say connected, I mean really connected, like… I’ve talked to. A special thank you to Therese Miu for inspiring me [...]Post from: Tony Teegarden6 People You Should Be Connected With Online For Self Growth -
My Perspective On Your Perspective
5 Feb 2010 | 10:59 amPuzzle wall from Crestock Stock Photo This is actually a comment response to a Guest Post at Goodlifezen on the subject, Irrationality: The Hallmark Of Greatness? Reading it first may be helpful. I tweaked my response a tad and did it up as a post for you. I thought it was kinda important. My Perspective My [...]Post from: Tony TeegardenMy Perspective On Your Perspective -
What I Let You See Is What You Get
4 Feb 2010 | 11:29 amGoofy Man Hiding Behind a Book from Yuri Arcurs Website What I Let You See… In my on going studies of psychology, spirituality, marketing and persuasion I find there is always a trail crumb to the story behind the story. What do I mean? I find there always seems to be a story behind the story. I’ve found this [...]Post from: Tony TeegardenWhat I Let You See Is What You Get -
Why Nothing Should Last Forever (For Good Reason)
2 Feb 2010 | 8:12 amMother and Son Playing from Crestock Creative Images Nothing Lasts Forever We are in this world to have many experiences it seems to me and being happy is a big one but it’s complimented (Contrasted is a better word) by our other feelings & emotions. I call it being beautifully human. The point where we love, laugh, [...]Post from: Tony TeegardenWhy Nothing Should Last Forever (For Good Reason) -
Youth Wisdom and Personal Development
31 Jan 2010 | 8:47 ambusiness woman portrait – isolated from Crestock Royalty Free Photos Youth Wisdom and Personal Development How do you feel when someone half your age is telling you how you can change your life? What comes up for you in the way of feelings & emotions? Do you ask yourself: “How could they possibly know what I’ve been through?“ “Is this [...]Post from: Tony TeegardenYouth Wisdom and Personal Development
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There, I Fixed It
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Hulk’s Lesser Known Cousin, Haul
9 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amSubmitted by: Mad via Submit a Kludge! -
Clever Painter Now Has Steady Employment
9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amSubmitted by: dunno source via Submit a Kludge! -
Eating All Those Popsicles Paid Off
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pmSubmitted by: psplover75 via Submit a Kludge! Favorite Comment: Fixer kcwc says, “The parental conundrum: There’s no way I’m letting my kid anywhere near this thing, yet I am longing to get on it myself.” -
Chair Gets Involved With Volunteer Work
8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amSubmitted by: dunno source via Submit a Kludge! Either that, or Extreme Cheerleading Tryouts went worse than expected… -Ms. Fix-It Favorite Comment: Fixer slapchop says, “The plastic lawn furniture seat says it’s unpretentious, the mountain bike tires say it’s got that rugged, go-anywhere attitude. (actually it looks like a great idea, traditional wheelchairs are expensive.)” But in all seriousness Fixers, thanks to everyone who pointed out the website where you can see how these charitable chairs are helping the disabled in third world countries. -
Now We Know How Tom Got A Porsche
8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amSubmitted by: Ragnar via Submit a Kludge! Favorite Comment: Fixer koobaxion says, “I can’t help but notice the sign’s ominous “Ding” “Dong”. You would assume it was a doorbell. That’s what they all assumed.”
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How to of the Day
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Low on Cash? Try Bartering.
9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amBartering is a way to trade goods and services directly, without any kind of currency. People have been bartering for centuries, but the Internet has opened up a whole new world of bartering possibilities. It is also eco-friendly because it encourages reuse. Find out how to set up one-time or on-going bartering for everything from food to personal care products to resort stays. -
How to Hack Bicycle Tires into Studded Snow Tires
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pmTo deal with that pesky ice and snow on your bike, you'll need traction. If your wallet is tight, then it's time for some real "MacGyver" style craftiness. -
12 Simple Ways to Curb Your Appetite
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amAppetite is both a psychological and physical phenomenon. Sometimes we eat when we're bored, stressed, or just because it's "time" to eat, even though we're not really hungry. There are many weight loss programs and diet pills marketed as appetite suppressants; this article will show you some things you can do to decrease your appetite naturally. -
How to Make Gluten Free Brownies
7 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pmYummy brownies!Just about everyone loves brownies. There are many brownie recipes, some of which may contain gluten. If you are on a diet and have to avoid gluten, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them! Here is an easy recipe for you to make and share. -
How to Find a Quiet Beach in Oahu, Hawaii
7 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amAside from sightseeing, learning about new cultures, food, and attractions, many people escape their hometown to seek peace and quiet from their chosen vacation destinations. When one thinks about Hawaii's beaches, the images of sunbathing, surfing, and other water activities year-round comes into mind. However, it may be discouraging when you find yourself at a crowded, noisy beach.
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David Seah - Design, Development, Inspiration, Empowerment
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Making a Groundhog Day Resolutions Tracking Form
8 Feb 2010 | 6:20 pmSUMMARY: Over the past week or so I've identified many personal tips and insights that will help 2010 be more productive and goal-focused. To ensure that I can be reminded of what needs to be done every day, I made a personal tracking form / cheat sheet to help keep on task. This past weekend I spent a lot of time reviewing my current situation, qualitatively weighing my sense of progress against my sense of achievement. The net evaluation? I'm not satisfied. I didn't beat myself up too much, though, since I know I'm actively trying to reorient my work-related identity from Designer to… -
Making New Products, Yankee Swap Style
4 Feb 2010 | 9:03 amAs I've been going through my finances for 2009 and 2010, the thought that I need to create packages to sell has kept bubbling to the surface. The bummer is that everything I was thinking of required significant time to design, develop, test, and then market. However, it occurred to me that perhaps I was being too precious about making products, a point driven home by an hour well spent browsing Regretsy (tagline: where DIY meets WTF). There you will find horrifying sweaters-turned-pants, bad photo compositing sold as "exquisite" art, and baffling mashups of hardware store odds-and-ends. -
Groundhog Day Resolutions 2010: Kickoff
2 Feb 2010 | 10:26 amSUMMARY: It's time for the 2010 Groundhog Day Resolutions! I review the past three years of resolutions and distill my "operating principles" from lessons learned into a (hopefully) strong direction for the year. Being a lazy-yet-practical sort of person, every year I wait until Groundhog Day to make my yearly resolutions. The rationale, which I explain in further detail in the original Groundhog Day Resolutions post, is that I need to rest from the holidays before I'm in the right frame of mind to make important decisions. So I wait. January's chilly melancholy eventually yields to… -
Kanban, Event Modeling, and GTD
28 Jan 2010 | 8:30 amI first heard the word Kanban at a presentation of the local Scrum Club. Scrum, if you're not familiar with it, is a team methodology to create working software QUICKLY through short production cycles called sprints. This is in contrast to the waterfall model of software development, which defines the entire process from concept to deployment as a series of blocks that follow each other on a march to the end. Waterfall, in my mind, is like starting with one giant boulder of time, from which the team must carve a working model of a city in as efficient a manner as possible to conform to the… -
Design Agency Process Diagram
26 Jan 2010 | 10:07 pmIn Monday's post I went through a process of recentering myself, and identified four areas to focus on and track. The trickiest one was DESIGN AGENCY, because there are a LOT of different tasks. I just finished creating a "process diagram" that outlines a high-level roadmap of agency operations; just about any task I can think of fits somewhere the diagram. You can read about and download the PDF over on the Agenceum Blog, which is where I am running my "open design agency" experiment. Although this diagram is labeled for Agenceum, it really is for ALL of my design-related business…
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HiLife2B
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High Risk, High Reward
5 Feb 2010 | 8:48 pmIt has recently come to my attention that a great majority of people (here at the great U of C) don’t really know what they want. I thought that I escaped the “logical next step” thought process after my first year here, but it’s just become more prevalent, both in my life and the lives [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Dear Reader: My First “Business” and a Plea
31 Jan 2010 | 9:59 pmThis isn’t something I normally do i.e. ask for something of my readers, but I’m in desperate need of advice. During winter break (which was a while ago), I worked on setting up a site that would start making me “mucho dinero”. It’s been a month since my site’s launch, and despite massive social media [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
The Laundry List of False Motivations
24 Jan 2010 | 9:10 pmI once tried to use money as a motivator. It could not help me. I once tried to use power as a motivator. It could not help me. I once tried to use fear as a motivator. It helped to control me. I once tried to use hatred as a motivator. It only served to [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Existence is Futile
17 Jan 2010 | 2:25 pmWhy do I exist? Why was I put on this earth? Simply to procreate and leave my mark on this overcrowded planet? Since I was very young, I always wondered why we were put on Earth. Out of the hundreds of thousands of animals, it was probably pure luck that I was born a human being. [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Hatred Only Serves to Hurt, Not to Help
10 Jan 2010 | 10:01 pmA few nights ago, a friend told me something that I know will change me for the rest of my life. Now, you probably don’t know this, but I’ve been harboring a great pain from the social relationships I had in high school for many years. Four, to be exact. These people tormented me. They made [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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Sentiment of Success
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Living Life on Purpose
18 Jan 2010 | 7:44 pmThe following is the re-edited pre-2 AM version I wonder if people feel their lives as a pursuit of but a necessary happiness. A race back to the original finish line. A never-ending loop that seems to go on ad infinitum. Or a maze that seems to have neither a finish or an exit. What is [...] -
Why 2010 May Be Quite Similar to 2009
8 Jan 2010 | 11:58 amIf you did well this past year, I guess that’s a good thing! Friday is my market day and it seems that with the new year some realignment of the big picture is in order. Note of optimism: When you know what’s going on you can properly position yourself to benefit from its leverage. No condition [...] -
Simple Things to Make You Safer Online
7 Jan 2010 | 10:19 pmBy Dr. Steve Sjuggerud, “The Daily Wealth“ “You guys really know everything about me…” Maria Bartiromo told Eric Schmidt – the head of Google – on a new CNBC special about Google. Maria’s basically right… She said, “If I’m a Google user, you have years of my search terms [saved] – stuff that may contain all kinds of [...] -
Recent Tweets #6
4 Jan 2010 | 9:56 pm“Never be afraid to try something new; remember amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.” Visit the “10 Days to Personal Fulfillment” project Facebook Page here: http://bit.ly/4UJspd ”The greatest thing about Twitter, is that you can quote something and totally make up the source.” – George Washington Imagine if you didn’t care what anyone thought, or if [...] -
6 Steps to Writing Effective Affirmations
4 Jan 2010 | 3:35 pmSpecial Thanks to Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul – Living Your Dreams) and Colin VanderMeulen (www.positive-attitude-tips.com) What Are Your Dreams? If you want to accomplish anything in life, you’ve got to commit to wanting that success in your life. The fascinating power of the subconscious enables you to get there much faster once you [...]
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WhiteHatBlackBox.com
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Do I Need to Rest?
28 Jan 2010 | 6:35 pmIt’s cool to think that someone has supernatural strength beyond the realm of mere mortals. As much as I’d like, I can’t burn intensely forever. Sometimes I need to rest. Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been learning how to punch without breaking my hand. My phone book that I taped to a tree got a little soggy in the rain lately, but it makes it easier to see my progress. As you can tell, I do more damage with my left hand than my right. When I first started punching, it really hurt! Even though I didn’t hit very hard, I still ended up with bleeding left… -
A Trigger for a Better Life?
22 Jan 2010 | 2:31 pmThere is a condition characterized by increased energy, creativity, and elevated mood. Some people think it is just the natural personality of a lucky few. What if it is a biochemical response that can be trained and triggered? Would your life be better? My thoughts in previous years was that success required focus and a lot of hard work. I created tools to help me stay organized and on track. Everything I earned had to be a struggle that I was determined to win. Lately I’ve been thinking more about “naturals”: the people who don’t seem to work very hard, yet good… -
A New Year, A New Outlook
12 Jan 2010 | 9:56 pmI’ve done some soul searching and I think I’m done with tricks. I don’t care much anymore about productivity. I am now more concerned with core issues: happiness, fulfillment, making things better. This is my outlook for the new year. When I first started blogging, I wanted to be like David Seah or Merlin Mann and figure out cool ways to be more productive. As time passed, things changed, and Merlin Mann doesn’t even want to be Merlin Mann anymore. David Seah faithfully puts out new versions of his forms year after year, but I get the feeling it will never get to the… -
Are You Being Domesticated?
24 Dec 2009 | 10:35 amAs I was reading about the differences between dogs and wolves, I realized eerie parallels between the domestication of the wolf and the modern human. Are we being domesticated? If we are, is it a bad thing? The Differences Between Dogs and Wolves The Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training briefly discusses the physiological and behavioral differences between dogs and wolves to better understand the selective pressures that shaped the modern dog. Some of these differences include: Adrenocortical Response: Dogs are much less wary of outsiders, even other species, compared to wolves. A… -
Is Visibility Limiting Your Success?
13 Dec 2009 | 9:55 pmSometimes we want to be seen by others, while other times we want to hide. When the desire not to be seen is stronger than our desire to be outstanding, we limit our success. As I looked down from the top of the parking structure, I noticed all the people, with their own chaotic lives, behaving in a very orderly manner. The signs and lights of a street had so much power that they automatically produce compliance. Even a simple line in the ground has the authority that we are afraid to cross it. Why should we be afraid? It’s not a person who can actually do it something. Even if you are…
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Study Skills Mentor
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Back to School Morning Routine
7 Feb 2010 | 1:00 pmWeren’t the holidays great! Time to sleep in, no rushing to catch a bus. You maybe got to watch TV in the morning. Well not anymore. You are back to school and you are probably very rushed. Here are my top Back to School Morning Routines: Be organized the night before: Pack bag, get clothes out Use an alarm [...] Related posts:Exam Top Tip: Positive ThinkingHomework: Back to School EditionDaily Routine -
Guest Post: Dealing with the difficult.
7 Feb 2010 | 2:47 amHere is a post for all the teachers out there. I wrote a post about behavior management techniques for aggessive students as part of blog editor job application. Josh, over at World’s Strongest Librarian, was kind enough to let me be a guest blogger over at his site, so I changed the post a little and [...] Related posts:Edublog Awards 2009Study Skills Mentor Progress Report: 31st Aug – 6th SeptFour Fictional Characters Whose Study Habits Got Them In Trouble (And Why We Love Them Because Of It) -
Back to School: Tame the Paper Now
4 Feb 2010 | 1:00 pmAfter a week or school I want you to have a look at all the paper you have used. School Paper Trail Go find the following for me: School Bag School Binder Diary Go through each of the above items and take out every piece of loose paper. Now find a home for each bit of paper: Notes – give to parents Rubbish [...] Related posts:Day 27: Recap Daily PlanStudy PlannerRocking good study skills to start today! -
Parental Involvement in Homework
2 Feb 2010 | 3:41 pmI just wanted to let you know about a guest post over at Parentella called Parental Involvement in Homework. I discuss 5 ways that parents can help that doesn’t include actually understanding the tasks. Big shout out to my dad for helping me with this post and getting me through school and uni without reading one assignment. Related [...] Related posts:Study Skills Mentor Progress Report 18th – 23 SeptemberGuest Post: Dealing with the difficult.Do your Homework with others -
Back to School: First Impressions Count
2 Feb 2010 | 1:00 pmNow that you have settled into class I want you to think about your classes. What impression have you made? Think about the following: Walking into class – do you follow the correct procedure, are you late, early? Desk – where do you sit, is it always in the back or near your friends? Organization – do you have [...] Related posts:How can I have a great first day at school?The school won’t let me change classes and be with my friends.The Night Before the First Day of School
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Life
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The Great Transformation Dilemma: HR
8 Feb 2010 | 8:09 amThis has become a never-ending but interesting topic in the business circle: The transformation of HR! I too expressed my opinion through few articles: "Why is HR Not Embracing Web 2.0 Technology," and "What is HR Doing To Unlock The Potential of Frontline Managers?" Well, the question that really makes me stiff is: Do HR contribute to the bottom line? Most of the HR professionals, I know, are aware of the importance of an effective delivery of business oriented services, especially talent related -- contributing to bottom line. But, industry believe that there is a gap between what CEOs… -
How to Make Careful Decisions?
8 Feb 2010 | 5:35 amJames Heskett has raised an important issue pertinent to current business environment: Should we be spending more time examining our true decision-making abilities and the things that influence our results, i.e., more time "thinking twice" than "blinking"? What do you think? Read his original article Here Image Source Join Our Group "Leadership And Networking" On LinkedIn -
World's Top Universities and Colleges: According to Web Popularity
7 Feb 2010 | 7:47 pmClaiming to be an online directory of accredited 4 years institutions, 4icu.org has just released a list of 200 top ranking universities across the world - based on their website popularity - covering more than 9000 institution in 200 countriesThis ranking has no co-relation with the quality of education provided by these universities, as it highlights their web popularity only -- based on Google Page Rank, Yahoo Back Links and Alexa Rating. As far as India is concerned, only 4 universities are included in this prestigious list: IIT, Mumbai occupies the 26th slot; followed by IIT, Kanpur at… -
How Can Killing be an Honorable Act?
6 Feb 2010 | 12:01 amNo words to describe my thoughts on gruesome killing of innocent victims in the name of "HONOR." How can killing be an honorable act? How could parents execute - cold blooded - such ruthless killing of their own children? Sounds impossible, but it's fact! The latest victim is Medine Meni, a 16 years old Turkish girl. According to National Geographic News "Hundreds, if not thousands, of women are murdered by their families each year in the name of family "honor." It's difficult to get precise numbers on the phenomenon of honor killing; the murders frequently go unreported, the perpetrators… -
The Secret of How Leaders Attract and Influence Followers!
5 Feb 2010 | 2:54 amIn less than 3 years, he turned around the company from a blacklisted entity to a self certified vendor, supplying precision engineering products to a galaxy of public and private sector organizations. What made him such a good leader could be a million dollar question. But the answer is simple: Continue reading
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Genuine Curiosity by Dwayne Melancon
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Too friendly, too fast
4 Feb 2010 | 10:10 pmTraveling on the east coast this week, I’ve spent time using a number of car services, hotels, etc. in which the employees were very friendly (the rude New Yorker stereotype is not the norm, from my experiences, by the way). The problem is that they got a little too friendly, too quickly. What do I mean? On several occasions, the employees engaged me in conversations about very personal topics, or made inappropriate comments (to or about me and my traveling companions). Many businesses strive to achieve “customer intimacy,” which means you know a lot about your… -
Rewards and habits
27 Jan 2010 | 7:31 amI was visiting Aubrey Daniels’ blog today and saw a fascinating video, below (link here): This shows the power of “reward” in getting people to change their behaviors. The challenge: what is enough to get people to change? They say that people generally change in order to move toward pleasure, or away from pain. This is a good thing to keep in mind when motivating yourself and others – is there enough “pleasure” in the change you’re asking people to make? And is it enough for them to want to bring others along? -
How do you carry the load?
26 Jan 2010 | 3:58 pmI saw an interesting quote from former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holz this week that got me thinking: “It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.” I think that is very true from a few, important perspectives: Perception Once upon a time, I worked with a product manager who always seemed overwhelmed. He hurried from meeting to meeting, walked a bit hunched over, didn’t make much eye contact, and just sounded “down” when you tried to talk with him. His product was doing “OK, but not great” and you could say the same about him. The way… -
The Backchannel – a video book review
20 Jan 2010 | 7:27 pmI’ve been procrastinating long enough. I’ve been deliberating about whether to start using video on this blog and decided to go ahead and give it a shot. I’m starting off with a review of Cliff Atkinson’s latest book, “The Backchannel: How Audiences Are Using Twitter and Social Media And Changing Presentations Forever,” so please let me know what you think. Here are the links I mentioned in the video: Order “The Backchannel” Order “Beyond Bullet Points” Read my review of “Beyond Bullet Points” Also, please leave a comment and let me know what you… -
Falling In Love With Your Life
18 Jan 2010 | 12:35 pmI recently read a book by Alicia Castillo Holley, called “Falling In Love With Your Life.” Actually, I intended to review this last month but I couldn’t find it. It seems my teenage daughter saw it and took possession of it for a while without telling me. That’s never happened before with any of my nonfiction books – and that, in itself, intrigued me. When I initially read the title, I was interested but a little hesitant – is this a business book, or a relationship book? After digging in, I have to say it is really both of those things in one. This book is an…
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The Personal Excellence Blog
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Articles Concept Map
6 Feb 2010 | 8:07 pm2 weeks ago, I asked you for your thoughts on how I can improve The Personal Excellence Blog. One of the readers, aegil, suggested I use a concept map. A concept map is like a mindmap diagram that shows the relationship among different items. It’s much useful than using archives listing (sorted by date of article) or a categories listing because it shows the hierarchy and interlinking relationships among the articles. I thought this was a brilliant idea, so I took some time out yesterday to design a Concept Map for the blog. Check out the end product here (Java support needed): [ The… -
12 Dating Facts About Me
4 Feb 2010 | 8:40 pm© Pieter Musterd I recently started a 12 Dating Facts meme for singles at The Celes Show, in conjunction with V-day and the upcoming V-day episode (which will be online 12 Feb!). If you are a single, I’m tagging you to join in the meme! Visit 12 Dating Facts I Want To Know About You for further instructions. Remember to post your link in the comments box here so I can read your answers too. My Profile: Are you a guy or a girl? Girl! How old are you? 25 How tall are you? 1.70m, or 5′ 7″. Many say that I’m tall for an Asian. I guess they’re right! The 12 Dating… -
My Upcoming Talkshow – The Celes Show
1 Feb 2010 | 3:23 amHey guys! If you have been following my Twitter and Facebook updates, you would know that I have been working on the conceptualization and production of my talkshow lately. If you recall, I first shared the idea of the talkshow with all of you in one of my blog entries last Nov. In the entry, I shared the following: A few weeks ago, I was just thinking about the developments thus far since I started pursuing my passion last year. I started off with the blog in Dec ‘08, expanded to 1-1 coaching officially in March ‘09, followed by speaking after that. Just last month, I began to actively… -
Why I Parted Ways With My Best Friend of 10 Years
29 Jan 2010 | 6:08 am© alexwilkes Have you ever had a friendship which you were ready to let go? I have. It was with one of the closest friends I have ever had – someone whom I’d refer to as K. K and I knew each other for 10 years and were best friends, before we parted ways last year. How We Knew Each Other I first knew K when I was 15. That was 10 years ago. I remember at that time, I was learning web design as a hobby and was setting up my first website. As my webhost (I was using Crosswinds at that time) was frequently down, I would often visit their IRC support channel to check out what was… -
How Can I Make The Personal Excellence Blog Better For You?
20 Jan 2010 | 8:36 pmImage © eleaf Today’s post is different from the usual article sharing my personal reflections. Today is not about what I have to say. It’s about what YOU have to say As you know, The Personal Excellence Blog is all about you. Every article I write here is intended to help you live more consciously. Every decision I make is to improve the value you get. This includes closing off comments in the past, removing the ads and the continuous improvements in layouts, such as the latest revamp into the minimalistic design. However, majority of the improvements have been largely made…
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The Life Changing Project
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It’s All in How You Frame it, isn’t it Faux News?
6 Feb 2010 | 6:39 pmAn interesting pseudo interview by right-wing Scientologist and whack job Greta Van Susteren. Note how Susteren herself refers to the anti-choice lobby as “pro-life” and neglects to correct Sarah when she mistakenly refers to the Pro-Choice movement as “pro-abortion.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never known anyone who was pro-abortion – even the woman I knew nearly 40 years ago who almost died from an infection following an illegal abortion. I doubt if even George W. Bush’s college sweetheart, who, thanks to her boyfriend’s money and… -
Lifestyle Changes That Will Keep You Alive
24 Jan 2010 | 5:30 pmAmericans spend billions every year on a dizzying array of health schemes. But some of the best approaches to health care are cheap and within your grasp, if only you can find the will to make some lifestyle changes. 1. Experience the benefits of sex Sex has many apparent health benefits. Studies suggest sex can boost your immune system and reduce stress. 2. Keep your teeth clean Diabetes, low birth weight babies and heart disease have all been linked to gum and bone disease in your mouth. Even heart attacks have been linked to bad dental hygiene. 3. Use the sun A little sunshine is good for… -
The Definitive List of the Top 20 Christmas Songs
12 Dec 2009 | 8:11 pmHere, in no particular order, are the definitive top 20 Christmas songs of all time (according to yours truly and her lovely daughter). Enjoy! 1. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – Johnny Mathis 2. The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole 3. White Christmas – Bing Crosby 4. Baby It’s Cold Outside – Dean Martin/Martina McBride 5. ‘O Holy Night‘ – Nat King Cole 6. ’Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree‘ – Brenda Lee 7. Merry Christmas Darling – the Carpenters… -
What can a good attitude get you?
3 Dec 2009 | 1:24 pm“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Winston Churchill I was reminded of this quote in the past week when in search of a logo for a new product that I am introducing next month. As a divorced mother of two who receives no child support and has one daughter in college, my funds are limited. I know exactly what kind of text-based logo that I want – I know, too, that if I was still in possession of the Adobe Illustrator software that resides on my old dead mac, I could produce what I want in a manner of minutes. So, I posted an advertisement on craigslist… -
The Secret to a Glowing Complexion at any Age!
27 Nov 2009 | 7:47 amIf there’s one thing that I’m complimented on regularly (if not daily) it’s my beautiful skin. Without meaning to brag, at 52 I am virtually wrinkle free and pore less with a porcelain complexion. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that staying out of the sun has played a major role in my youthful skin. I’m a natural redhead and cannot tan to save my life. Fortunately I gave up even trying while in my teens. However, I recently watched an about.com video – from a dermatologist no less – on how to wash your skin and found it so filled with…
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Change your Thoughts for true Personal Development
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50 Ways to Get Over Failure
9 Feb 2010 | 9:53 amA man I heard about once failed completely at two different businesses and had his girlfriend die before the age of thirty. He went on in the next decade to get into politics, where he was defeated not once, but twice, in both the Congressional and Senatorial races. He became depressed, moody, and his friends began to worry about him. Yet at the age of 51, that man was elected as President of the United States. His name was Abraham Lincoln. This is but one of many examples of individuals who manage to go through a crushing series of defeats in life and come out on top with ongoing… -
A-List Blogging Bootcamp With Leo Babauta Now Open
8 Feb 2010 | 8:02 amLast week I mentioned that Leo Babauta was running another A-List Blogging Bootcamp well just to let you know registration is now open. I am certain you will love the course and everybody you meet there as well, and as I said I don’t often endorse products and don’t really sell in my posts at all so you know I must really like the course. The details It runs between 13-17 February and covers these topics: The Psychology of SubscribingHow to Use design to Hook ReadersWhy Usability is the Key to Keeping Visitors on Your BlogCrafting a Killer About Page & Prime Posting RhythmWhat… -
Working With Your Unconscious Mind
5 Feb 2010 | 4:43 amThere are two types of mind: The unconscious mind and the conscious mind and we use them in different ways to go about our daily lives. All is well with the world, but what if we could learn to harness the power of the unconscious mind as well, and cross the line between the unconscious and the conscious? Well, here is a 3 minute task you can do to show you that this is entirely possible. We’ll come to the task in a second, for now I wanted to discuss the unconscious mind. Unconscious Mind We all know we use the unconscious mind every day for essential tasks such as driving, walking,… -
Focus On Your Output, And Restrain Your Input
2 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amAt any single time, you are only able to either take in input, or put out output. Talking while you are listening is not doable in any useful form, and any variation of this will leave you tired very quickly. Accepting this concept is helpful for you to break up your time into manageable chunks. Output Is The Name Of The Game Your first priority has to be on your output. All the things we see around us are are based on some one’s output. Those people certainly had much input and knowledge obtained to be able to create, but they eventually did create. In the same way, you have to mainly… -
How To Know Your Are On The Right Path – Video
30 Jan 2010 | 9:08 amThere comes a time in your life when you are beginning to change it and you are starting to see things changing. Sometimes the changes are huge and sometimes they are small. With the big changes, and the gradual changes, how do you know when you’re going in the right direction? This is what I briefly discuss in the video, the feeling deep inside of you when you are meeting the right people, reading the right books, synchroncities start happening all the time, and the right things just comes to you at the right time. Trust in the process of change,trust in yourself and believe that…
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Exile Lifestyle
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The Insufferably Viral Arrogance of the Middle Class
3 Feb 2010 | 9:42 amMy Pyramid I – like a solid portion of my audience in all likelihood – come from a middle class family. Seldom have I felt like anything in the world was out of my grasp, and I generally assume that if I want to do something, there will be a way to do it if I’m willing to work hard enough. Vertical mobility is a psychological reality in the First World (even if it doesn’t necessarily happen as frequently as we’d like to believe) which means that if I find myself in a situation I don’t like I am certain I can figure out a way to make myself… -
The Spiky, Geographic Nature of Success
1 Feb 2010 | 12:59 pmThis post was inspired by the wonderful and incredibly good-looking Jonny Gibaud over at The Life Thing. Today he released The Success Ebook, which you should check out because it’s neat. Download the free ebook here. Comical Goals When I was a wee lad, I was certain I would be the next Todd McFarlane. I was going to be a comic book creator of such prestige and influence that I would end up with movie deals for the worlds I would envision and illustrate, along with action figures that the children of the world would beg their parents for. I would be edgy and maintain a standard of… -
The Tests Who Think They Know Me
28 Jan 2010 | 2:52 amDissing the Stars I’ve always thought that horoscopes were kind of ridiculous. Here you have a series of predictions, ostensibly that will apply to everyone, but there are only a dozen of them in total. This means that everyone on earth has been divided into 12 groups, and each person in a group will have a remarkably similar day. Seems logical…on opposite day! Ha! Not only that, but where do these ‘facts’ come from? My guess is there are some people who really buy the whole concept, who meticulously go over god-knows-what old documents and star maps to figure out what… -
I Got Punched in the Face at a Gay Dance Club in Lima
26 Jan 2010 | 8:29 amI’m dancing with the girl in yellow, pivoting and swirling, a little surprised that she had returned but resolute that this dance will be better than the last. She smiles and matches my movements, following more closely than last time, more easily picking up my improvisational modern dance movements over my more traditional and slightly flawed Latin dance moves from 15 minutes previous. And then she’s a fist. Or rather, where she was just a moment ago is a fist. A fist that connects with my right cheek. Boom. I’m confused for a moment and then I realize that the guy in gray… -
For Real, I’m Going to Die on This Bus
22 Jan 2010 | 1:56 amIt’s the final day of my 72-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Lima, and the seats around me have turned into a strip mall, my fellow passengers into skeptical (but willing) customers. It all started at the border crossing from Chile into Peru. As soon as we got through customs and back on the bus, the driver stopped to pick up two large, sweaty men wearing elaborate hats and shouting ‘iPhone! Nokia! Camcorder!’ as they hopped on board. Since their arrival, they’ve made like magicians, gleefully pulling more and more shoddily-constructed imitation electronics from…
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Freestyle Mind
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43 Ways to Start Making Money Right Now
8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amI often hear people saying that they’d like to start making some extra money to complement their full time job, but they don’t know what to do. I know there are a lot of things one can do, especially with basic computer skills, so I sat down and wrote a list of activities I could do to make some money right now. Many of these tips will certainly not make you rich, while other have some great potential. The goal of this list is to inspire you to act and do something right now. It’s better to start with something small than to not start at all. I hope you enjoy. Sell used… -
How to deal with Criticism in Writing
7 Feb 2010 | 9:42 amEditor note: This post is part of the Guest Post Giveaway at the blog Unready and Willing. If you think articles about writing or personal development (or personal development for writers) sounds like a good fit for your blog, please take a look at the Guest Post Giveaway page and see if any of the articles spark your interest. How can a writer learn to deal with criticism? Many writers go to great lengths to avoid it, and the reason why is simple. They have come to look at negative criticism as a reflection of their deficiencies, and no one likes to have their faults pointed out to them. -
How To Achieve a Zen Like Focus
5 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amEditor note: this is a guest post by Anthony from feint.me. These days, the idea of staying truly focused on any given task seems increasingly difficult. What with Twitter, RSS readers, IM clients and of course email, our lives are filled with constant distractions, engaging us in a battle for focus and productivity. We can’t take focus for granted. It’s not something that just happens. And unless we’re consciously aware that we need to shine a spotlight on the current task and block out distractions, you can pretty much forget about being productive. No matter what… -
10,000 Euros/Month January Update
3 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amThis is my sixth update to my 10,000 Euros/month goal. I missed the December update, and some people thought I was abandoning my goal. But instead, I’m still here What I did in January I’ve been working hard on both this blog and in another product. The result is that this blog has grown a lot (thanks), and that I also have my first product to offer. Don’t worry, it’s not a guide about how to make money. Instead, I focused on my programming skills and created a web application for bloggers where they can keep of comments and monitor and improve their marketing… -
The Success Ebook is Out
2 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amJust a quick post for those who haven’t heard the news yet. My friend Jonny has just published the success ebook. The success ebook contains a lot of quotes from great people about what success is, and how to achieve it. It’s a nice read and it also includes a personal quote from me. You can download the success book for free from here.
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Organize to Revitalize!
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Quick Tip: Create a Master List for Files
9 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amOnce you’ve got your filing system down pat, create a master list (ML) of contents of your file cabinet or open file cart. Why? Image by Marcin Wichary via Flickr Make it easy to find what you’re looking for when you’re short on time. Know what files you have already created so that you don’t create duplicates. Make it easy for someone who’s unfamiliar (e.g., a temp, your spouse, etc.) with your filing system to find a document. List the files on your ML exactly as they are positioned in the file drawer. Be sure to update the ML each time you add or remove a… -
Organization as Art
8 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amWho said organizing isn’t fun!? Swedish artist, Michael Johansson, has found a creative way to put order to very ordinary things. He repurposes familiar yet unrelated items by combining them to make organized, 3D sculptures. Notice how he puts particular focus on shape and color. It’s a very interesting take on organization as art…or perhaps, formerly useful items as art… I am fascinated walking around flea markets finding doubles of seemingly unique, though often useless objects I have already purchased at another flea market. Despite the fact that I did not… -
Fact Friday: Juggling Tasks
5 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amPeople who multitask are actually less efficient than those who focus on one project at a time, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. [New Studies Show Pitfalls Of Doing Too Much at Once · Sue Shellenbarger · The Wall Street Journal · 02.27.2003 · Source: NAPO] -
5 Ways to Get Back on the Decluttering Wagon
4 Feb 2010 | 5:22 amStudies have shown that most New Year’s resolutions are forgotten soon after the new year begins. Certified Professional Organizer®, Helene Segura, shares a few tips on how you can keep your resolution to stay organized. As December was ending and January approached, you were excited about the prospect of your New Year’s resolution: Get Organized! When the after Christmas sales started, you ran out and bought every container imaginable: huge bins, tiny boxes, and those cute little containers that just looked absolutely perfect in the display. You dove head-on into your first… -
Tech Review: TwitterPeek
3 Feb 2010 | 4:48 amLast year, I found out about a new gadget called Peek. It piqued (sorry, couldn’t help it) my interest, and I wondered why anyone would choose it over an iPhone or other smartphone. It seemed (and still does) that there are so many more benefits to having a smartphone, one of them being that you have access to many apps that can help you stay organized and manage your life. So, I contacted the company in December to request an interview and to hear why they think it’s a better choice. So far, no one has gotten back to me but they did send me one of their products to test.
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thesimplerlife.net
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the software i use to simplify my life
9 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amI do the majority of my work at my computer (when I’m not in the classroom or on the ice). Using software that works well and enhances my productivity is key to helping me simplify my life. I don’t want to be wasting valuable time calibrating, adjusting, and learning how to use complex programs. For that reason, I tend to use software that does one thing and only one thing very well. I’m not receiving any money for this write up so please don’t be wary of my testimonials. I am merely trying to give credit where credit is due in terms of quality software that I use… -
simple saturday links 2/6/2010
6 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amIt’s been a fairly uneventful week as I’ve gotten back into my routine of hockey practice, writing, and the occasional day at school. I’ve been taking advantage of my shiny new YMCA membership and have felt much better getting some good workouts in. Mostly, however, I’ve been feeling unsettled as to what my future holds. Grad school? A full-time teaching job? Something else? I’m not really sure at this point and am just trying to take it a day at a time. As always, please feel free to follow me on Twitter. If you like the content here, consider subscribing via… -
the art of being minimalist: a review
5 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amI’ve read a lot of half-baked ebooks that were essentially PDF’s full of blog articles. I don’t like wasting money to read something that I could have read for free with minimal effort. While I concede that the medium of an ebook is conducive to blog-esque content, I expect ebooks to feel polished. When an ebook is polished AND filled with interesting information, that’s an added bonus. Everett Bogue of Far Beyond the Stars is one of the rising writers and thinkers in the minimalism niche. His recent ebook “The Art of Being Minimalist” was released last… -
how to leverage your low energy into high returns
4 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amDespite my best intentions or repeated urgings, sometimes I just don’t have the energy to work on my most passionate projects. The things I do that add value to my life are not necessarily the easiest of activities. Writing blog posts, editing and analyzing game film, planning practices, and researching teaching/coaching strategies takes a lot of effort and I can generally only do them well when I have a lot of energy. It would be naive of me to expect my energy levels to always be high. However, it would be equally naive of me to forego doing anything productive just because I’m… -
How Much Is Too Much?
2 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amThis is a guest post from my friend Glenn McBride. We went to college together and since graduating in May Glenn has moved to Chicago with his girlfriend to pursue a career in finance. I’m honored to have him share his thoughts and voice with thesimplerlife.net. He’s an interesting guy, so if you like what you are about to read, feel free to give him a follow on Twitter. How do you consume your news and information? Has this changed in the last year/three years/decade? Do you feel overexposed? I am inclined to think that the responses to these questions will be all over the place.
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Self Improvement
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7 Ultimate Europe Travel Tips – Save Money And Time
8 Feb 2010 | 2:32 amThe tips and hints in this post are going to help you save a lot of money and time if you ever travel in Europe. Of course some of these tips apply to worldwide travel and not only Europe. The inspiration for this article comes from having spent 2 months travelling Europe and learning things the hard way. I have wasted hours and many dollars (or Euros actually) simply because there were a few simple little things that I didn’t know I had to do in order to make everything go smoothly and quickly. The beauty about travelling in Europe is that countries and different cities are just hours… -
Lessons from Tyler Durden & Ben Stiller – Stop Your Possessions From Owning You
4 Feb 2010 | 12:47 am“The things you own end up owning you” Let this post be the ultimate guide to teaching you how not to let your life revolve around the things you own but to let the things you own revolve around your life. Some people are packrats, collecting something along every step of their journey and never throwing something away. Other people are perfectly happy owning just a set of clean clothes and a toothbrush so to speak. I believe that a healthy balance is always the best solution to anything. When you are born and arrive on planet earth you own absolutely nothing but your own body and… -
Bill Gates to Jay Z – Wisdom And Quotes from 22 Incredibly Successful People
31 Jan 2010 | 11:23 pmHave you ever wondered why the incredibly successful people are so successful? Why have they achieved what they have achieved and reached a status of admiration and worship by the rest of the population? According to the numbers theory there are always going to be a select few people who will be the best of the world. Out of 6 billion people it is inevitable that one of them will be the richest, one will be the fastest, one will be the smartest and so on and so forth. I do however believe that anyone has the chance to be successful and as long as they are healthy and alive, anything is… -
Cost of living: South Africa Vs Amsterdam
27 Jan 2010 | 11:18 pmI thought it would be interesting to share my experience with the cost of living both in Cape Town (South Africa) and in Amsterdam (Netherlands – Europe). I would like you to leave a comment after reading this artice saying what your initial thoughts were about the cost of living in these two countries and which one you think would be more expensive. Initially I thought that the cost of living in Amsterdam would be way higher than in South Africa but after living in Amsterdam for the last two months I have come to the conclusion that it is not really the case. Let me break it down for… -
How To Be A Man In The 21st Century
25 Jan 2010 | 12:07 amJust because are born with the physical male anatomy and the ability to grow a beard does not mean that you are a man. So what is the definition of a real man? Being a real man means that you need to know how to start a fire with two sticks, you need to be able to survive in the wild by knowing which plants are edible and you need to know how to kill an antelope with nothing but a knife. Your martial arts skills must be close to perfection and you should be able to kick serious ass…Naaa, I’m just kidding, don’t worry. While these qualities are rather manly, they are not…
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Timeless Information
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Set Less Time To Do What You Want To Do
9 Feb 2010 | 4:36 amphoto credit: zoutedrop Activities are said to take up the period of time you provide for them. You can potentially take certain activities that normally take you an hour to do, and do them in 15 minutes. This is well within your capacity. You would then be able to spend the other 45 minutes doing whatever you feel like, as you have then created time for yourself which was not previously there. Tim Ferriss brought up this concept in a video he did with Kevin Rose for his “Random” video series, when he decided to bring up some valuable things he has written down and focuses on. -
An Interview With Gail Brenner
4 Feb 2010 | 9:35 amOne great source of understanding comes from experience. Gail Brenner, who writes at A Flourishing Life, presents very coherent concepts in her articles. There is much accuracy in her discussion of topics like memories, habits, and anxiety. Some of these articles are also accompanied with audio messages that extend the main topic, or explain a part of the article in detail. I certainly recommend these audio messages for obtaining greater understanding or inner peace. Gail has 16 years of psychotherapy experience as a Ph. D. psychologist, as is easily evident through her writings. … -
How To Achieve More And Do Less
27 Jan 2010 | 8:41 pmphoto credit: nlnnet This is a guest post from Eduard Ezeanu, a communication coach who writes personal development advice at Ideas With A Kick. You can follow him on Twitter at @eduardezeanu. What’s the most popular advice for achieving great things? It’s: “Work hard”. Since the age of seven, most of us have constantly been told by family, teachers, friends and public figures to study hard, work hard, and our efforts will be rewarded by getting ahead. Now, I am a relatively lazy person. I enjoy very much things like free time, rest and relaxation. So getting this advice, I almost… -
Protect Your Time Like Iconic Individuals Did
24 Jan 2010 | 11:29 pmphoto credit: jimbowen0306 When I mention the names Napoleon, Lincoln, Einstein, Aristotle, and Darwin, you instantly recognize who I am talking about, and what field they were in. We often hear about the wonderful thinking that people like Socrates or Aristotle brought to humanity. What we don’t tend to hear about is how they interacted with people who were wasting their time as they were rising in academic stature. You can be certain that the most intelligent or financially successful people of all time wasted minimal amounts of time dealing with people who didn’t supplement… -
What You Do Is As Intricate As You Make It
18 Jan 2010 | 2:23 amphoto credit: paPisc Take someone who works very hard on the details of a task, and have him talk with someone who doesn’t seem to care about details at all, and the conversation will be mind-opening. The difference in the amount of effort and thought that one person puts in to tasks, when compared with a person who puts in very little, can easily separate the two. My message here is that it is up to you about how much you put in to each activity you do. Cooking Example Let’s take something simple like cooking. How much effort do you put into cooking foods? There is much…
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MindBodyGreen
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Speed Dating Yoga at Crunch Fitness
8 Feb 2010 | 6:30 amMeet Mr. or Mrs. Right over a downward dog -
Words of Wisdom - 2/05/2010
5 Feb 2010 | 2:30 am -
8 Secrets of Success in 3 Minutes (video)
30 Jan 2010 | 9:35 pmRichard St John's famous TED Talk -
Happiness Coaching at Work? 6 Tips to Make You Happier
28 Jan 2010 | 9:30 amPositive attitudes can be good for business -
31 Days of Wellness, Day 27: Perform a Random Act of Kindness
27 Jan 2010 | 3:00 amA New You in the New Year - Jan 27th
