10 Ways to Stop Procrastinating Now!

There are tons of reasons we procrastinate in our lives. Rarely are they ever good reasons. If you don’t find ways to stop procrastinating you are going to lose precious time and energy that can be used to get one step closer to your dreams.

It happens to the best of us. No matter how far in advance that I know about a trip, I will inevitably be packing 5 minutes before we have to leave. It seems as though I am incapable of packing ahead of time. I hate every second of it, but it happens every time. I put it off and put it off and then I’m rushing around scrambling.

If it wasn’t for my wonderful fiance gathering together my clothes, I would have no shot!

Sound familiar? Do you put things off when you know you need to get it done? Do you go through the cycle? You know you have to have something done. You have plenty of time to accomplish this task, yet you put it off to do something else. You get down to the last minute and barely finish, and get extremely upset with yourself that you didn’t get it done earlier. You vow to be better about it next time.

Next time is here…and your putting it off again.

You must break the cycle! To be successful, you need to be able to focus on the little actions that will move you closer to accomplishing your goals. Procrastination is something you do to yourself. It is a mental wall that can be knocked down if you want it badly enough. Imagine how good you will feel when you break down this wall!

Here are 10 tips to help you with the demolition:

1. Set a deadline - No not the time it has to be done. Set an absolute deadline that is some time before the actual due date. Stop at nothing to reach this deadline. Eventually it will become a habit to get things done early.

2. Get some accountability - Talk to someone you trust, and tell them about the task. Explain to them that you are trying to tear down this wall and that you need their help. Have them make sure they stay on you to get it done and not stop until it is finished.

3. Break it down - Break down the task in to bite size pieces. Then start mowing through them one by one. When you have a small tasks to accomplish, the big picture doesn’t seem all that daunting and you can knock it out easier.

4. Make a list - I love lists! I make a list for just about everything I need to do. It gives me comfort. And I feel a great sense of accomplishment to see that list as it gets smaller and smaller throughout the day!

5. Reward yourself - Set up an award system. Every time you get something knocked off the list early, reward yourself. Sometimes all we need is a little motivation.

6. Do the easy ones first - Some people may disagree with me here. They say to do the longest or the hardest thing first. I think we self-motivate when we have little victories. Get a few easy ones under your belt and build some momentum!

7. Just get started - This is sometimes the hardest part. Just beginning. It’s simple, just get started. Do something, anything and you will soon find yourself rolling along. Action breeds more action!

8. Organize your life – When everything around you is a mess, you won’t want to do anything. When you are organized, you get a natural energy that just comes with everything being in its place. When the tools you need to accomplish something are where they should be, its hard not to just finish it and move on.

9, Find your WHY - Know why you are doing this task. Realize the benefits to getting it done. Understand the consequences if you don’t. A compelling reason, can solve many problems.

10. Decide to change - You can think you will follow all these tips as much as you want, but until you commit to changing, you never will. Commit to changing your life and you will. Stop at nothing!

You can beat procrastination. But you have to want to change, it won’t happen by itself. If you are serious about reaching your goals and accomplishing everything you set out to do in your life, you have to be willing to change. It’s the first step, and arguably the most important. Get started now, there is no time to waste!

You may like this article on action:  “I Will Act  Now”

Do you have any tips you can add to the list? Leave a message in the comment section – I’d love to hear from you!

How to Start Investing Now!

Many people never start investing because they just don’t know how.  It’s the not knowing that scares people in to submission.  But it doesn’t have to be scary, and overcoming this fear can change your life.

There is tons of information out there about investing, and it can seem daunting at first.  But once you know the basics, you can jump right in head first!  You can begin investing for your future right now, just start slow and take baby steps.

…But first, pump the brakes!

You need to be investing for your future.  That is a fact. But you need to make sure your ducks are lined up before you get started.   So let’s first take a quick look at where you stand today.

Do you have mountains of credit card debt?  Are the interest rates over 10%?  If they are we need to take a step back and get you out of that situation.  Remember the idea here is get your money growing for you.  So, if you are going to invest $100 per month and hope for the historical average of 10% return, but you have $30,000 in credit card debt at 27% interest, you are going to get nowhere fast.

So here are a few things you need to have done before you get started:

• You are maxing out your 401k, if your employer offers one (come on guys, it’s free money!)

• You have your credit card debt down to a manageable level

• You have some money set aside in case of an emergency (preferably 3-6 months)

If you meet these criteria, then you can keep skipping down the yellow brick road!  Otherwise, get focused and knock these things out, you’ll be happy that you did!

…Check under the couch!

Ok, so now we know we are in good shape, we need to scrape some money together to invest.  You don’t have to have much! When I got started, I had $500 bucks.  That’s all it takes.  You could theoretically start with less but it may be a better idea to save up to that amount or more in a higher interest savings account.

Time to do some planning…

Before you start buying shares of Google, you need to do some planning.  What is this for?  Are you investing to pay for college?  Is it for retirement?  How much time do you have before you need it?

You need to be very specific as far as what you are trying to accomplish here.  You don’t want to be buying stocks all willy nilly. Having a good indication of what you are trying to accomplish will help you determine how you need to get there.   So take the time, it’s very important to your success.

Well where do I put it?

There is one main thing you have to remember here.  Diversification is king. Spread it around a little bit.  Don’t put all your Dow Jones eggs in one basket so to speak.

You want to make sure if you lose some money in one area you have the potential to balance out with an increase in another area.   So if you are jumping in to stocks and mutual funds, make sure you buy some bonds too, and vice versa.  A lot of this will be determined by what your plan is for the money.

The longer time frame you have before you need the money, the riskier you can play because you have the time to make up any potential losses.  Make sure you are investing in accordance with your risk profile.

My recommendation…

Buy index funds.  That seems pretty simple.  Index funds are a mutual fund of sorts that follows the stock indexes.  So if you want the same return as the Dow Jones, you buy the Dow Jones index fund and it will be representative of the entire basket of companies that are traded there.

This takes the guess work out of investing. This goes back to what I said about diversification.  When you get in to a fund, you are buying a basket of stocks.  You have built in diversification right there.

This is a good way to get started in investing.  It gives you some returns, with a little bit less risk, and while you have the free time you can be doing more research on investing.

Research, Research, Research…

This article is a very high level look at investing.  If you really want to get in to investing wisely, you need to do your research.  There is a ton of information out there that can help you make good choices and better plans.  You have to be careful out there because it really isn’t a game.  You can lose all of your money. I’ve seen it happen.  So start with the basics and study hard on the rest and you can be very successful in  investing.

You can send your kids to college…and get that house on the beach you always wanted to retire in.  Just remember, study now…and build sand castles later…

Do you have any advice you can add to this?  Have any questions I can help you with?  Jump right in to the conversation in the comments section!

For today’s Link Day list – I thought I would put together a list of my favorite personal finance blogs.  As an accountant and former financial adviser I am very picky with the finance blogs I read.  Many are just useless babbling that doesn’t really help anyone.  But these select few are great and full of very valuable information.  I highly recommend them!

Take a look!

1.)  Get Rich Slowly – This blog is a must have if you are looking for great personal finance advice.  There is plenty of real world examples that you can apply to your own situation.  This is one of the best!

2.)  My Money Blog – Another site with tons of information.  The archives goes back several years so you could spend weeks going through posts.

3.)  The Binary Dollar - A site that is essentially personal finance for dummies.  It is very simple and gets you the basics, which is what everyone should start with anyway.

4.) Five Cent Nickel – Finally a site that isn’t dreadfully boring to read.  This blog gets you the information in a straight forward way but is definitely not dull.  Ever read in monotone?  If that doesn’t make any sense, trust me, its annoying!

5.)  2Million – This is a site about a journey to just that…with tons of useful information and practical advice given along the way.

That’s it for todays links.  I hope you check them out and enjoy them.  Don’t forget to check out my archives and read my personal finance articles too! Any suggestions for other sites?  Toss them in the comments section!

21 Reasons to Stop Smoking Today!

I plan on writing some posts on how to quit smoking very soon, but for right now lets talk about the why you should quit smoking part.

I quit smoking about 2 years ago.  I had no intention of quitting really, it sort of just happened.  I had been trying to quit for some time, with very little success.  There would be short periods where I could stop but something would always happen that would lead me right back in to it.

One day something very wonderful happened to me.

I couldn’t breath!

I had been smoking so much that it lead to me developing asthma!  I couldn’t believe it.  I had been an athlete my whole life and had never had a problem with breathing.  It was the smoking.  I have never smoked another cigarette in my life.

I can’t!  It could kill me!

Don’t let it get to this point with you.  You have a choice.  And while quitting may be the hardest thing you ever do in your life.  It will also be one of your greatest achievements.  You have to do it!  You can do it!  Don’t give up.  Keep fighting for your freedom.

Here are 21 reasons why you need to quit smoking now!

1.) Save some money - If you think prices won’t keep going up you’re crazy!  They can and they will.  Start saving that money you burn while smoking your pack a day.  You could be saving almost $2,000 per year!!

2.) Sleep better - You go through tiny withdrawals every night that negatively impact your sleep patterns.

3.) Improve your sex life - Smoking reduces circulation.  Circulation is exactly what you need to get, um, aroused!

4.) Less chance you’ll die of brain cancer - Turns out that the brain is a great place for lung cancer to spread.

5.) Look younger - Smoking shrinks the blood vessels, causing circulation to go down and aging to go up.

6.) Taste your food - Food is a magical thing.  I love it dearly.  When you quit smoking, you’ll actually be able to taste what you’re eating.

7.) Save your puppy - Studies show that secondhand smoke may be associated with lung and nasal cancer in dogs.

8.) Add more time to your day - Those 10 minute smoke breaks all day long add up fast!

9.) Avoid Bronchitis - Smokers are the highest risk for this disease

10.) Stop killing other people - Your smoke is hurting me, and I don’t appreciate it!

11.) Go through menopause when you are supposed to - Smoking may advance the arrival of menopause in some women.

12.) Stink less - I can smell you from here…please stop!

13.) Keep your eyesight - Smoking doubles your risk for developing macular degeneration.

14.) Don’t get asthma - Trust me, you don’t want it.

15.) Lower your Cadmium intake - Cigarette smoke has around 4.000 different chemicals in it.

16.) Improve your chances of getting pregnant - Smokers have a higher rate of infertility.

17.) Freedom - Don’t you hate being a slave to something?  Get control of your life back!

18.) Avoid Alzheimer’s disease - Smoking speeds up mental decline

19.) Lower chance of heart attack - Quitting smoking will drastically reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

20.) Stop getting winded opening up your car door - If you are breathing hard doing just about anything – it’s probably time to quit.

21.) Oh and you won’t die…at least not as early - Every cigarette you smoke takes 11 minutes off your life.

These are just a few reasons to quit smoking.  This list could go on for hundreds and hundreds of reasons.  Do you have any good reasons to quit that you could share?  Leave them in the comments!

5 Questions To Ask Yourself About Your Workouts

Are you asking yourself the right questions about your workouts?  Reflecting on your diet and exercise program, even if it is working, is essential to long term success.

If you workouts are lacking and you are not seeing the results you were hoping for, this is even more important.

I know that when I start a new workout program I am full of enthusiasm and excitement about achieving my goals.  I usually make it about 4 weeks on this “new program high” before I start to drag.  Then the motivation dies off and the excuses come pouring in.  I start to miss workouts and the ones I do make it to don’t go very well at all.

This is pretty common and one of the major reasons why people fall back in to the bad habits that got them to the place they hate.

There is an easy way around this.  If you are in a state of constant reflection and analysis of your program, you can keep the motivation up and the progress coming.  You have to be diligent in making sure you are doing what works and stopping what doesn’t.

Here are 5 questions you should be asking yourself from the beginning of your program to the end of your program.  Be honest with your answers, and fix the problems as they come up.  If you do this, you are one step closer to achieving your goals.

1.)  Am I working hard? -

I have always thought I was working hard at the gym.  I thought that I was going in there and taking care of business and getting the best possible workout in that I could.  Then I went to a trainer.  That turned my world upside down.  From the very beginning I was huffing and puffing.  The breaks were short and the exercises were intense.   I had no choice but to push myself to levels I had never seen before.   What I realized was that I could do this all the time.  I didn’t need to pay $50 an hour for this to happen.   I could do these same things on my own time and take my workouts up a few notches.

So ask yourself the question:  Am I working hard?  Don’t kid yourself.  If you are not exhausted at the end, you aren’t working hard.  If you have time to think about things while you’re there, you aren’t working hard.  If you notice anything about anyone else in any detail, you are not working hard.  So change it.  Take the intensity up to where it needs to be and watch the results follow.

2.) Is there variety? -

It is a fact that your body adapts to the stresses you put on it.  If you did the same weight for the same reps every day for a year, you probably are not going to see much difference in your body.    It will adapt to the stress and not have to grow to meet the new challenges.  So you increase the weight and change the rep count to force your body to react to it.   You have to do the same with your workouts.  Change it up.  I don’t use the same workout routine for more than two weeks at a time.    Keep your body guessing and you’ll appreciate the changes it makes.

3.)  Do I have great goals? -

You may have started working out on a whim.  You may have started with a detailed plan.  But without well established, detailed, SMART goals, you are not going to get where you want to go. Without goals, you’re driving without a destination, who knows where you will end up?  Do you have great goals?  Once you do, you should be constantly reviewing and revising your goals.  They should push you, but they should be attainable too.  Make sure your goals are going to get you to where you want to be when you achieve them.  And don’t forget to enjoy the journey.  As Jim Rohn says,

“The most important part of a goal is what it makes of you to achieve it”

4.) What is absolutely not working? -

Make a list of everything you hate about your exercise program.  Write down your frustrations and complications.  Write down what is simply not working.  Then change it.  The beauty of having control of your workout program, and reflecting on it, is that you can change the bad stuff and replace it with good.  You can change bad habits, eliminate bad exercises, and change workout routines.  So figure out what is not helping you reach your goals, and change it!

5.) Why am I working out? -

This is the most important question to ask about any workout program is: Why am I doing this?  What is your motivation for getting in shape? I hope you went through this exercise before you started your plan, but if not, do it now!  If you don’t have a compelling reason to be working out, then you won’t.  It’s that simple.  So write yourself a letter and explain why you want to do this.  Why you need to do this.  Is it because you want to see your grand kids grow up?  Or because you want to look good at the beach?  Or because your doctor said you have to or you will die soon?  Whatever it is, be descriptive because this is what will keep you going when you want to quit.   Read this as much as possible, especially if you are thinking about skipping a workout or quitting all together.   This is your motivation.

Reflection is a critical part of a successful fitness program.  You need to continually asking questions and improving your workouts.   Asking yourself these questions will keep you motivated and keeping you pushing towards achieving your goals.

Do you have another question we should be asking about our workouts?  Leave a comment and let us know!

I just got done reading The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino and something stuck out to me.  It is the wisdom of the scrolls.  If you haven’t read this book, you need to read it now!  It is a life changing book with a road map to success written within its pages.  If you want success, you have to act!

I read this book at least once or twice a year.  It is that powerful.  Here is the exerpt that struck me.  It’s a mantra that I will now read daily to keep it fresh in my mind.  Take a look…

“My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible.  All are of no value unless they are followed by action.”

I will act now.

Never has there been a map, however carefully executed to detail and scale, which carried its owner over even 1 inch of ground.  Never has there been a parchment of law, however fair, which prevented one crime.  Never has there been a scroll, even such as the one I hold, which earned so much as a penny, or produced a single word of acclamation.  Action alone is the tinder which ignites the map, the parchment, this scroll, my dreams, my plans, my goals, into a living force.  Action is the food and drink which will nourish my success.

I will act now.

My procrastination which has held me back was born of fear, and now I recognize this secret mined from the depths of all courageous hearts.  Now I know that, to conquer fear, I must always act without hesitation, and the flutters in my heart will vanish.  Now I know that action reduces the lion of terror to an ant of equanimity.

I will act now.

Only action determines my value in the marketplace, and to multiply my value I will multiply my actions.  I will walk where the failure fears to walk.   I will work when the failure seeks to rest.  I will talk when the failure remains silent.  I will call on 10 who can buy my goods, while failure makes grand plans to call on one.  I will say it is done before the failure says it is too late.

I will act now.

For now is all I have.  Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy.  I am not lazy.  Tomorrow is the day when the evil become good.  I am not evil.  Tomorrow is the day when the weak become strong.  I am not weak.  Tomorrow is the day when the failure will succeed.  I am not a failure.

I will act now.

When the lion is hungry, he eats.  When the eagle has thirst, he drinks.  Lest they act, both will perish.  I hunger for success.  I thirst for happiness and peace of mind.  Lest I act, I will perish in a life of failure, misery and sleepless nights.  I will command, and I will obey my own command.

I will act now.

Success will not wait.  If I delay, she will become betrothed to another and lost to me forever.

This is the time.  This is the place.  I am the man.

I will act now.

Your homework now is to read this every morning and every night for 30 days.  Let it sink in.  Think about it.  Live it.  Make these words the default philosophy in your mind.

You won’t be sorry that you did.  If you don’t have a copy of this book you can get one here: The Greatest Salesman in the World.

Let me know what you think!

5 Weight Loss and Fitness Blogs

For this weeks blogs to check out I’m going with all Weight Loss and Fitness blogs. Hopefully you find something of value on these sites. I really enjoy them and find tons of useful information when I go surfing through them.

Small housekeeping note: First, I installed a new comments plugin and it didn’t go well, I lost all the comments from previous posts. But we are back to normal now and all the comments are listed so crisis averted! Secondly, PLEASE check out the new archives page! I cannot begin to tell you how difficult that was to get on there. Should have been a breeze, but I was struggling with this one. But it’s up and looks good, so take a look around and read some of the older posts, hopefully you find something you like.

1.  Fatty Weight Loss Blog - There is nothing like a blog where you can learn first hand from people who are actually trying things.  There are tons of great ideas on this site!  I think the best part about this site is that its been around for a long time so there are tons of archives to shuffle through.

2.  Former Fat Guy - When it comes to weight loss, I haven’t found a more inspirational guy.  You MUST check this site out, and make sure you read the weight loss story and view the before and after photos.  AMAZING!

3.  Steve Maxwell - If you are tired of the same old workouts, then Steve is a guy you have to check out.  He is in phenomenal shape, yet uses unusual methods to get there.   He uses a lot of kettle balls in his training, which I have always wanted to try but have not yet.  This site is a very interesting read.

4. Zen to Fitness - This site fits in nicely with what I’m trying to accomplish here.  It’s a very simple site, but loaded with great information.  Make sure you check out the post on the beginners guide to minimalist health and fitness.  You will fall in love with this site.

5.  Fat burning tips for women - Angie over at Women’s Diet and Fitness has some great posts specifically for women.  Some of the things she touches on frequently are diets, goal setting and burning fat.  In my experience though, weight loss and fitness tips are universal.  Most concepts are the same for both men and women, so don’t let the site name keep you from visiting!

That’s it for this one – I hope you enjoy the sites!  I won’t be posting for the rest of the weekend…One of my best friends from high school is getting married this weekend!  It’s going to be a great time, I can’t wait!

21 Ways to Have Fun for Free!

In response to my post from yesterday, I got a comment from Steve that said, “Dude, you forgot #8, cut out all the fun!” While I don’t agree with Steve that those 7 ideas are cutting out all of the fun from your life in order to save money, I think this is a great opportunity to list 21 ways you can have tons o’ fun without spending a dime!

Saving money doesn’t have to be a chore.  You shouldn’t have to hate your life because you are trying to be frugal.  Just get a little creative.

Use your imagination!

When you were a kid, you didn’t have any money to spend but you had fun all day long!  What did you do then?  Why not now?  Don’t underestimate the amount of fun you can have by just acting like a kid again.

So here they are:

1. Build a bonfire

2. Go camping

3. Grab some friends and play freeze tag (you know you want to!)

4. Have a picnic

5. Go kayaking

6. Read a good book

7. Build a fort

8.  Play beer pong

9. All night board games

10.  Go do karaoke

11. Start a blog

12. Blast your favorite cd

13. Take a ton of funny pictures

14. Go swimming

15. Create your own holiday and celebrate it

16. Go see Shakespeare in the park

17. Make someone a mixed cd

18. Watch funny movies

19. Play with your kids

20.  Go to the dog park

21. Explore downtown

Extra tip: Watch the Big Lebowski as many times in a row as possible!

See, saving money and having fun don’t have to compete, you can do them both at the same time!  Do you have any ideas to add to the list?  Let us know in the comments section!

7 Ways to Save a Little Money Now

I have been doing a little cost cutting on our wedding budget in the last couple of days. And I started thinking about ways to save a little money in our every day budget as well. So why not share the love and write a post on 7 ways to save a little extra money now.

The biggest problem we have had with our budget in the last two years has been food. We have these massive weekly grocery bills that you would think would be the majority of our food spending.

Unfortunately for us this is not the case.

We spend most of our discretionary income on eating out. We buy all this food to make at home, healthy wonderful food, and we let it sit in the fridge while we go out to dinner. I never realize how often this happens until the end of the month comes and I review the budget and bank statements.

It’s never pretty!

And every month we vow to stop eating out so much. But does it happen?

Of course not.

Over the years I have come across some great ideas to counter this and many other money wasting issues and here are a few:

1. Fund an eating out envelope –

This one is going to save us! Look at your budgeted amount for eating out. For us right now it is $100.00 a month. Go to the bank and pull out the $100.00 or whatever your budget is and put it in the envelope. Eat out as much as you like with the money in the envelope, but make a promise to yourselves that once it’s gone, it’s gone!

2. Back away from the Starbucks! -

This extremely difficult for me as well. I LOVE coffee! But if I went to Starbucks every morning I would be broke. I get my venti cinnamon dolce and a blueberry scone and it comes to around $7.00. If I did that every day for a year like I would like to I would be bleeding $2,555 per year. It’s good, but not that good! Make coffee at home or better yet, start to break the addiction to coffee.

3. Cut out the video rentals –

When we want to watch a movie, which is often, we usually just pay-per-view it on our cable box. This is the fastest, simplest way to get a movie going and chill out. But because that money gets charged to your cable bill, it doesn’t seem to hurt as much. $3.99 once a week for a year costs you $207 dollars a year. Watch a movie you already own or actually watch something on that HBO channel that you pay for and never watch. These things add up!

4. Quit the tobacco –

I will admit it, I am hooked on nicotine myself. I used to smoke and I chew tobacco now, and there is nothing harder that I have experienced then quitting. It is a disgusting habit and I am working hard to quit. But what is making it easier to make that decision is the cost of tobacco. I actually have it easy because smokers pay even more than me but I am paying $4.00 for a can every other day. Forgive me for being blunt but that is just stupid! When I quit for good, which will happen soon, I will save $832.00 a year! I can think of a lot of better things I would love to do with that money.

5. Buy generic –

Everything from prescription medication to toilet bowl cleaner has a generic version. Cold medicine to toilet paper, they all have a version that is exactly the same but steeply cheaper than the name brand. A lot of times they are made by the same company in the same manufacturing facility. But only one of those two products coming off the line has to pay for advertising costs. Any time you go shopping, check the generic version, if it is the same ingredients it’s the same product. Buy generic and save a boat load of money!

6. Check out your cell phone bill –

If you haven’t closely examined your cell phone bill, now is the time. I recently went through every charge on my cell phone bill and found several things that I didn’t need and several things I shouldn’t be paying for. It is very easy to get signed up for things that are already included in your package. For instance, I found that with my plan I had unlimited text messaging but that I somehow signed up for the $5.00 per month 500 text messages program. So for a year or two I had been paying for text messages that I already get for free. Awesome! So take a hard look at your statement and see what you can cut out. You might even be able to cut your minutes back and save even more.

7. Become a vegetarian –

You don’t have to be a vegetarian exclusively, although that will add years to your life, but a part time vegetarian. Cutting back on meat will save you bunches of money at the grocery store. Meat is typically one of the most expensive items in your shopping cart and you don’t need it. My mom serves meat with every meal, she never misses and her grocery bill is ridiculous, even though the food is breathtakingly good. This is a simple way to save a bunch of money right away.

These are just a few of many ideas you can use to save money now. We could all use a few extra dollars in our pocket right now. Get creative. Find any possible way you can to save a few bucks. I know sometimes it feels like saving a couple of dollars doesn’t really make that big of a difference, but it does. Those dollars add up fast.

Let me know some of your ideas, I need the help too. I’d love to hear from you!

5 Personal Development Blogs to Check Out!

It’s link day again and today I wanted to share a few personal development blogs that I have stumbled on.  I love finding new sites to read and learn from.  Some end up being great and some don’t, so I’ve started a list of sites that I think you may really enjoy and I will share some of them with you every Thursday and I hope you head over and check them out.

Today’s links are all sites related to personal development, something I value extremely high in my own life and I hope you do too.  Never stop trying to better yourself, even the greatest minds in the world have more to learn.  So without to much rambling, here are a few sites to check out…

1.) Change Your Thoughts -

This is a great personal development site!  I really appreciate that he invites guest posts which gives us a variety of voices to learn from. 

2.) Pick The Brain -

I particularly enjoyed the section on productivity…

3.) Positivity Blog -

I was very surprised by this one.  Make sure you check the archives…Tons of great info here!

4.) The Simple Dollar -

So in my day job I’m an accountant.  Not my dream but it pays the bills.  I can tell you with some authority that this is one of the best blogs I’ve seen out there on personal finance.  There are TONS of tips on this site that you should be following right now!  Get over there and make sure you are making the best financial decisions you can.

5.) Illuminated Mind -

 A lot of the posts on this blog will make you think.  What more can you ask for from a personal development blog? 

These sites come highly recommend from me.  I’m a new reader of these sites too, so tell me what you like and don’t like down in the comments section.  Either way I do hope you check some of these out and you find something valuable for yourself there!