All About Living With Life

How I Was Voted as One of the Top 50 in an Online Contest

2012-05-30T00:00:00.002-07:00

Recently I took part in an online contest for the first time. In order to participate and get into the final you will have to get votes from the public. According to one of the rules the top 50 entries in each category with the highest amount of votes will be shortlisted as potential winners. I am glad that I am among the top 50 for the category Blogger of the Year. I would like to share with you my tactics to get votes:

· Press Release: This was the most successful method. I sent a press release at free-press-release.com on the eve of the voting period. The title of the press release is 10 Ways to Get Votes Online . It had generated more than 4000 views during the voting period. I do not know how many among the viewers voted for me. Assuming a conservative figure of 10%, I would get more than 400 votes just for one vote each. The beauty of the press release is that there are three clickable links to my voting site.

Take-home message: If you want to get what you want, you have to give to others what they want.

· Articles: I did the same in the form of an article telling people how to get votes online and posted on my site and on an article directory site.

· Slides: I turn the article into slides and posted at SlideShare . It was a good move because it had received 70 views.

· On my blog: I have two contest banners, one at the sidebar and another one at the end of my posts, asking for readers to vote for me. Also at the end of each article there is a message to solicit for votes.

· Social networking sites: I sent out a notice daily during the contest period like this:

I need your vote. I am taking part in the Blogger of the Year contest in Malaysia. Voting is from April 23, 2012 to May 13, 2012. If you have the time you can vote daily during the voting period using your Facebook and Twitter accounts. I would appreciate if you can get others to vote too. Please vote at http://goo.gl/1qLp5.

Thanks for your support.

Charles Chua C K @ www.allaboutlivingwithlife.com

By using Pingfm my message was posted on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many other sites.

Take-home message: People do not know what you want. When you want something you have to ask for it.

· Exchange for votes: It is quite an effective way but you have to do the work. The site is at

Get Online Votes.

· Getting votes from people offline: Of course you will be able to get votes from friends, relatives and family members.

I write this article to thank those who have voted for me, I appreciate your support very much. Thank you.

7 More Benefits of Living in the Present

2012-05-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. There is only now.

~Christopher Paolini

You are physically here but are you really present and living now? Living here and now offers tremendous benefits:

1. Mindfulness: Get into the flow and enjoy what you do. You perform better with the task at hand because you are conscious of what you are doing and your mind is focused and your thinking is clear.

2. Getting things done: Living in the present is productive. Things get done as planned because your mind is not drifting here and there. You work with full concentration and energy. There is a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction as you cross out your to-do list.

3. Happiness: To forgive and forget is the way to live in the present and be happy. You avoid the past to hold you back and enjoy the present. Start every new day with happiness. When you are in the present, your mind is calm and you breathe slowly, you will feel good about yourself.

4. Effective learning: To understand and absorb what you are reading is to be engrossed. You will spend less time but get more out of what you learn when you are fully present.

5. Better interaction with others: You go to a movie and you enjoy it because you like it and you pay full attention. Likewise you will enjoy it more when you fully participate in a conversation.

6. Creative: You will be more resourceful in getting ideas when your mind is fresh and not distracted. A calm and relaxed mind is more likely to work better.

7. Appreciate the moment: One of the key ingredients of living in the moment is to go slow. When you eat slowly you enjoy eating your food. When you take breaks, you avoid stress and regain your energy and stay alert. You will notice more when you don’t hurry by. More importantly you will be able to appreciate more when you take your time to be delighted by the marvels of nature.

Be totally aware of what you are doing, feel it, touch it, enjoy it and be happy.

7 benefits of being present

5 Tips to Get Your Mortgage

2012-05-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Financial institutions may be more stringent and thorough in vetting your housing loan application; you still can get your application considered favorably. Here are the things you can do:

1. Debt to Income Ratio: According to Wikipedia, a debt-to-income ratio (often abbreviated DTI) is the percentage of a consumer's monthly gross income that goes toward paying debts. The bank may still approve your loan even your debt ratio is above 30%, it is prudent to maintain it at 30% and below. It means for every $100 of your income only $30 or less should go to paying your debt (such as personal loan, car loan and housing loan).

2. Credit Worthiness: Are you paying your credit card bills on a timely fashion. If you don’t your credit rating will be impacted negatively. It implies that you are not able to manage your personal finance and honor your financial commitments. In Malaysia you can get a copy of your report from Central Credit Reference Information system once a year. It is a record of all your loans and payment pattern. When you default in payments, it is reflected in the data. A bad record will get your application rejected even if you meet other requirements

3. Save for a bigger down payment: One effective way to get a loan is to apply for a smaller amount. You need to save for a bigger initial payment. You borrow less, incur less interest and get shorter loan tenure.

4. A permanent job with a permanent address: It is an important factor that you are able to hold down a job and not moving about without a full-time career and a fixed place to live. It tells others that you may not have a regular income to service your loan.

5. Budget: Have you factored in the amount you need to pay the bank every month and other debts you need to service? Your monthly budget should be within your income or else you are going to incur new debt. You will be in a danger zone when you need to borrow more to cover your monthly expenditures. Be wise and be comfortable to live within your means to avoid financial crisis.

A housing loan is a good debt because landed properties appreciate in value over time. Wisely review your financial situation before you sign on the dotted line for a mortgage.

Stress test your own debt

What Can You Do With Scoop.it?

2012-05-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Nowadays the Internet is abuzzed with curation. To be precise it is about content curation. There is a great platform just for that; Scoop.it is it. Like Pinterest, it is loaded with stunning images, but it is also filled with texts like a magazine. How do you take advantage of Scoop.it?

Curate your interests: Select a topic or topics that you are deeply interested and look for the best articles on the Net and scoop them to your topic pages. You will be building a wealth of information and knowledge on topics such as personal development, blogging and business. For each post that you have curated, there is a link to the original source of the story.

Interaction: You share your passion with others at Scoop’it. You get more views from visitors and they will + or rescoop your posts when they find your posts interesting and valuable. You follow other curators on topics that you like and you can even suggest posts for other curators’ topics that you follow.

Scoop.it Score: The site is also able to measure your topic quality based on dynamism, depth and audience engagement. Seethe number 65 (out of a score of 100) on the right side of my topic, All About Happiness. I have just joined the site and I have 8 topics and you can see the score for each topic.

Leader board: This is the place to show how influential you are among other curators. You can see how many views and + you have got for each day for your posts.

Curate your original and best posts: If you are a blog owner like me, share your best posts on your favorite topics at Scoop.it. It is one fantastic way to drive traffic to your site. Scoop.it is one of the top 2000 sites on the web with a PageRank of 6.

Start an account with Scoop’it and start curating if blogging is too much work and time consuming for you.

10 Worries of the Taiwanese Workers

2012-05-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

What do the Taiwanese workers worry about the most in the next 10 years? According to a survey by Yes123, a Taiwanese employment site, they worry about the following top ten things:

1. Persistent rising cost of goods (11.7%)

2. Cannot afford to buy a house (10.7%)

3. Can’t find a job (9.7)

4. Unable to save for retirement (9.4%)

5. No pay increment (9.2%)

6. Cannot afford to rear children (7.5%)

7. Long-term care for critically ill parents (6.7%)

8. To be Retrenched (6.0%)

9. Getting seriously ill or met with an accident (5.7%)

10. No money to get married (5.6%)

How do you cope with such situations?

Life is full of obstacles and problems and a positive mental attitude is the right way to face challenges.

Here are some productive ways to address the pressing issues:

· Solve the problems: Don’t worry and dwell on the problems but focus on getting solutions now to soften the impact or prevent them from happening. Taking action is the surest way to build your confidence and avoid anxiety.

· Invest in yourself: The best way to combat inflation is to earn more. To earn more you have to provide value. In order to provide value you have to be competent in what you do. Acquire more skills and stay updated is the way to be relevant, skillful and keep your job.

· Save: As long as you are getting a regular income, you can set aside an amount every month. The amount may be small; it will accumulate over time with compound interest. The most important thing is to start now. You can save for a rainy day. You can save, invest and grow your money. You can buy your dream house when the amount has grown big enough for an initial payment. Managing your money requires discipline and faithfully following a budget to save and live within your means.

· Look after yourself: Drive with care, avoid smoking and drinking. Exercise often, eat healthily and avoid junk food. When you take good care of yourself, you will stay fit, alert and healthy. You will avoid accidents and critical illnesses.

· Live life positively: Do the best you can with what you have and be hopeful. You may not be able to solve all the problems in life, but as long as you live one day at a time and focus on the present on the tasks at hand, life will be worth living.

What is your take?

7 More Soul-Searching Questions to Ask Yourself

2012-05-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Is your daily life fulfilling, satisfying and happy? Do you feel you are living purposefully? Touch base with yourself with these soul-searching questions:

1. Have I achieved what I have planned to do today?

Have I been productive? Am I able to get things done efficiently and effectively?

Did I procrastinate? Am I doing the things that are aligned with my dreams and goals in life? Am I satisfied with what I have done today?

2. Am I present today?

Am I living in the moment? Am I engaged and focused on doing the tasks at hand?

Have I avoided distractions? Living fully in the present and enjoying what you do is the greatest happiness in life.

3. Have I taken good care of myself?

Have I had enough sleep? Am I feeling good every day and living energetically? Sleep sufficiently every night is the way to be rested and recharged to start a new day with enthusiasm. Have I kept my body hydrated by drinking water throughout the day?

Drinking water is an excellent way to sustain a high level of calmness and concentration.

Incidentally, urination is the way to discharge toxin from your body. Have I exercised today to achieve physical fitness and mental alertness? If you sit around all day doing nothing and watching TV, you will feel more listless and tired.

4. Did I care much about others?

Did I pay attention to the people around me? Did I smile and greet people I meet? How often did I use the words please and thank you? Am I able to persuade and convince others with my ideas? Am I talking with confidence and energy?

5. Have I been positive today?

Am I thinking positively? Positive thinking is the way to influence you to act and react positively. It gives you the right frame of mind to deal with challenges in life successfully.

6. Have I managed my time productively?

Did I care about my family and pay equal attention to my work? Am I able to manage my time efficiently so that I do not overlook important areas of my life? Have I got a daily to-do list? Breaks and breakfast are some of the productive things to have daily.

7. What have I learnt today?

Did I learn something new today? Have I sharpened my skills to improve my value at work? Did I try to do things differently to be more productive? Continuous learning is the way to enrich your mind and be more resourceful.

It is never too late to do what is right. Every new day gives you an opportunity to start afresh and change your life for the better. Do it now.

7 Soul-Searching Questions to Ask Yourself

10 Things Taiwanese Workers are Unhappy About

2012-05-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

According to Yes123, an employment site in Taiwan, there are top 10 things that workers are unhappy about:

1. Lowe pay (19.3%)

2. Poor welfare (12.7)

3. Sacrifice quality of life (10.8%)

4. Long working hours (9.4%)

5. The work is not what I am interested in (8.4%)

6. Too much work (8%)

7. Can’t stand the boss (7.5%)

8. Under pressure to meet targets (6.9%)

9. No time to spend with family (6.8)

10. Can’t get along with co-workers (3.9%)

What do you do in such situations?

Ideas to consider:

· Create value for yourself: Acquire additional skills and be more competent at work. The key is to be more productive. You are measured by your performance. Be prepared for a promotion.

· Ask for it: One effective way to get a pay raise is to ask for it. Before you do, do your homework. Are you performing as expected? Did your boss notice your good work? Ask for it at the right time when the boss is in good mood. You may not get it; but if you don’t ask there is no way to get a pay increment.

· Work Smart: Plan ahead and get organized. Do what is important. Work with focus and without distractions. Work on one task at a time and take breaks to regain your energy and concentration. You may not like your job but you have to develop an interest in it and get things done.

· Change your attitude: Examine yourself closely. Do you need to change your attitude?

Do you show up on time? Do you get things done as promised? Do you miss deadlines often? You have to gain the trust of others in you. Can you accept constructive criticism? Are you willing to make changes?

· Work with others: Working together in harmony is the way at work. Learn to be interested in others. Pay attention to the people around you and get others to be interested in you.

· Lifestyle: Your work is important and so is your family. Start a new day early to avoid working overtime if you can. Spending time with children and spouse is important because family happiness will contribute greatly to your career well-being. Go for a balanced life.

· Change your job: Before making a move, you have to change yourself and your attitude. A new job may get you a higher pay and better welfare. You will be frustrated in a new job with a negative attitude.

Wish you more happiness at work.

10 Things to Learn From Successful Salespeople

2012-05-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Salespeople possess certain positive characteristics that help them excel in what they do. You may not be a salesperson but you are selling every day. You want to persuade others to accept your ideas. You want to ask for a raise and you want to negotiate for better terms from your suppliers. At home you want to motivate your children to study hard and smart in school. You want to convince your spouse not to buy an item. Here are 10 things you can learn from productive salespeople.

1. Persistent: They will not take no for an answer. They will review the situation and try and close the deal again. In life, you try to do something and you fail. Just do it in different ways until you get it done.

2. Confident: They dress smartly and they talk in a firm voice. They are sure of what they are doing. You have to believe in yourself that you can achieve what you set out to do. Positive thinking is essential to live life and realize your goals.

3. Enthusiasm: They are proud of their products and services. They know they are selling something good for you. Are you eager to get to work when you wake up and get up in the morning? Enthusiasm is the fire in you that propels you to take action every day.

4. Energy: They are energetic and excited to talk to people about their products and services. They take care of their health and well-being. They exercise, they sleep well and they drink water throughout the day. They need the energy and the drive to perform well. Are you well-rested? Do you maintain physical fitness and mental alertness? To live and work well is to be energetic.

5. Challenging goals: Selling is a challenging job. They have targets and deadline to meet. They are driven by their goals. Do you have written goals so that you are focus in your daily life and do the right things every day?

6. Know the customers: To sell effectively they have to know the customers well. They have to find out about their problems and offer suitable solutions. When you want to ask for a raise do you know when the best time is to approach your boss? Is the boss happy with your performance? When the pay increment is justified and you approach your boss at the right time, you will get what you want.

7. Hard working: Successful salespeople work hard. They are rewarded by their commitment and eagerness day in and day out. Are you working on your goals every day? It is your daily effort that counts. You may work smart, but working hard makes a positive difference.

8. Passionate: The job may be tough, but successful salespeople are not discouraged by problems and rejections. They love what they do and they continue to fine tune their approach to close more sales. When you are passionate in what you do, you enjoy the challenges and the satisfaction of overcoming obstacle in your life.

9. Stay in touch: They pay attention and are in constant contact with customers. When you care about others, they will notice it and response to you positively.

10. Good listeners: Successful salespeople talk less and ask more questions and listen attentively. They want to find out more about their customers so they can serve them better. When you listen, you pay attention and actively respond to questions. By listening you get to understand the message fully and act appropriately and avoid misunderstanding. Listen to your children and spouse for a closer relationship.

What have you learnt from top salespeople?

10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Get a Job

2012-05-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Are you getting a job for the first time or are you thinking of changing your job? Answer these soul-searching questions and be sure of making the right move:

1. What are you good at?

Are you working with your talents and applying what you do best in your job? The best thing in life is to release your potential in a job you are capable of because you are matching your skills to a relevant job.

2. What do you like to do?

If what you like to do is marketable, useful to others, you can build a career out of it. Passion is the key to excel in your career.

3. What capabilities are you proud of?

It is most likely that you have overcome some problems in the past successfully. How can it help you connect to a challenging job?

4. What are your strengths that others compliment you?

Perhaps you have overlooked what you can do but others have noticed about you. Find out what it is.

5. What have you learnt and you are now skillful?

You should continue to learn and know more so that you can stay ahead with the skills that you have acquired.

6. What are the things that you have tried and still not good at it?

Don’t waste your time to correct your weaknesses. Instead develop your strengths further and sharpen your skills. You will be able to sustain your effort in things you are interested in.

7. What are the things that you dislike to do?

Delegate those mundane tasks so that you can focus on those things that you find interesting and productive.

8. To get the job done well, what skills do you need?

Equip yourself with additional skills and make yourself a more valued employee.

9. What are the people that you are happy/ angry to work with?

Learn to get along well with everyone in the workplace. It is important to maintain a cordial relationship so that you can get things done easily through others. Be interested in the people around you.

10. What is your career ambition?

Is the job able to fulfill your dreams in life? Do you see potential for growth in your present job?

Hopeful you are able to find a challenging job which is fulfilling and satisfying after answering the above questions.

Quote

2012-05-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying things which are beyond the power of our will.

Epictetus

Number your List Quickly and Easily with Excel

2012-05-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with Excel? How do you number a long list like 100 or 1000? Do you type 1, 2, 3… manually? You don’t have to and here is a quick and easy way to do so for Excel beginners:

1. What is the first number of your list? If it is 1 just type 1 and remain in the cell. You can even continue with a previous number and continue from there. You just remain in the cell of the last number and then click Fill and follow by Series.

2. You will get the following form after clicking Series. Do you want to fill the numbers in rows or columns? Click accordingly. What is your step value? If your numbering is in sequence it is 1 and it has already done for you. If it is 2 you have to change it and your numbering will be 2, 4, 6…… What is the last number in the list? Just fill in the stop value. It can be 100, 1000, 10000 or any other numbers.

3. Press OK when it is done and the numbering job is also done too. Try it. It is quick and easy.

20 Wise Quotes to Inspire You to Take Action

2012-05-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Your success in life is measured by the action you have taken. It does not matter the outcome of your action because you will either gain success or learn some valuable lessons. The most important thing is to continue to take action and change your life for the better.

1. Action expresses priorities.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

2. I never worry about action, but only inaction.

~Winston Churchill

3. Success comes from taking the initiative and following up... persisting... eloquently expressing the depth of your love. What simple action could you take today to produce a new momentum toward success in your life?

~Tony Robbins

4. The path to success is to take massive, determined action.

~Tony Robbins

5. Action is the foundational key to all success.

~Pablo Picasso

6. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into action.

~Napoleon Hill

7. Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.

~Napoleon Bonaparte

8. Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

~Dale Carnegie

9. Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.

~Norman Vincent Peale

10. The time for action is now. It's never too late to do something.

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

11. Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.

~Benjamin Disraeli

12. You must take action now that will move you towards your goals. Develop a sense of urgency in your life.
~H. Jackson Brown. Jr

13. Goals help you channel your energy into action.

~Les Brown

14. Your actions, and your action alone, determines your worth.
~Evelyn Waugh

15. It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.

~Karl Von Clausewitz

16. An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.

~Edward de Bono

17. The greatest happiness is to transform one's feelings into action.

~Madame de Stael

18. Action conquers fear.

~Peter Nivio Zarlenga

19. Enthusiasm... the sustaining power of all great action.

~Samuel Smiles

20. A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction.

~Rita Mae Brown

Take action and do it now.

Will You Be Happy With $50,000 Income?

2012-05-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

According to an article, Why $50,000 May Be the (New) Happiness Tipping Point, you get genuine happiness when you earn $50k or more in a year.

The question is: Can you really be happy with an income of $50K?

I am doubtful because real happiness is more than the income that you can earn. Here are 5 things to consider in getting lasting happiness:

1. Budget for it: If you spend as you wish without leaving an amount every month to save for the future, you will not be happy when you stop working because there will be no more regular income. To be happy is to build financial independence. Start and build a nest egg while you are earning. Set aside an amount monthly before spending it.

2. Live within your income: You can’t be happy if you spend more than you get and get into debt with a $50K income. You will incur interest and you may not be able to settle your debt because compounding interest accumulates over time and snowball into an amount way out of your control. You become a bankrupt. You will regret, be sad and miserable.

3. Avoid temptation and more wants in life: Advertisements are everywhere and they are cleverly done to arouse and appeal to your emotions. Can you discipline yourself not to spend on what you want beyond your means?

4. Don’t follow others: Don’t follow the lifestyle of your neighbors. Outwardly they may look impressive; they could be in deep financial troubles. Live the way you are and the way you like and be happy.

5. A simple life: Adopt an attitude of gratitude is the surest way to be happy; you will still be happy if ever you earn below $50K in a year. Enjoy what you have and be happy with it. Material things cannot sustain happiness because there is no way to get all the latest products you want in the world.

It’s fabulous to earn $50k or more in a year. The most important thing is to like, enjoy what you do and be truly happy.

Money Matters

Why You should be building a Part-Time Business Now

2012-05-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

If you are thinking of a business of your own, it is time to think seriously about it. The economic situation is getting worse. You can work hard and smart but there is no guarantee that you will be able to keep you job.

1. Jobs are no longer secured: What do you hear every day about businesses? Downsizing, retrenchment, restructuring. Those who suffer are people like you and me. You may be a valued employee but that is no certainty that you will be able to work in the company as long as you wish. Take a smart and wise move, think of an idea and translate it into goods or services that you can offer to others and do it part-time.

2. Skills to complement your current job: I like to write and writing is a skill because I am a part-time blogger and article writer. As I write every day I get my day job done more effectively like writing better reports, doing better presentations and communicating more clearly and precisely. The more you know the more skillful you will be to get things done effectively and efficiently.

3. Additional income: Are you thinking of getting additional income to combat rising cost of living? Your part-time job is the answer. You need additional income to meet expenses, to clear you debt and to save more.

4. Do what you like and enjoying it: The most important thing is to do things you like so that you can sustain your effort. Treat the part-time job, such as taking photographs, like a hobby to release your daily stress and tension.

5. Self-confident: The ability to work your own way will boost your self-esteem. A part-time job is a safety net in case you are axed. You worry less and you focus more on your tasks at hand.

6. Feeling good: You will wake and get up with a delightful feeling. You will be enthusiastic and hopeful because there is a direction in life for you.

7. More knowledgeable: You will gain valuable experience in your part-time business. The more you learn and know and the more capable and resourceful you will be in your daily encounter with obstacles and problems.

Take action and change your life for the better. Start a part-time business now and build a more promising future.

10 Things to Know About Personal Finance

2012-05-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

The aim of personal financial management is about financial independence. To be able to enjoy financial freedom you will need to know the 10 topics and act wisely:

1. Savings: Savings is a good habit to build a solid financial foundation from young. However, you can start at anytime time to save as long as you have regular income; the most important thing is to avoid procrastination. Do you know how long it takes you to double your money? Use the magic number of 72 divides by the rate of return. If the interest rate is 6% your original $1000 will double in (72/6) 12 years. You do not save for the sake of savings. It is the starting point to build your wealth and be financially independent.

2. Expenses: Spend time to record your daily expenses because you want to find out where your money goes. You will be able to do a meaningful budget when you know your actual spending every month.

3. Living within your means: You know how much you are getting each month and you also know your spending pattern by recording your expenditures, it is time to do a budget so that you will spend less than what you have earned and also set aside an amount each month for savings. The purpose of a budget is to avoid overspending and getting into debt. If you want to spend more you have to earn more.

4. Good debt and bad debt: Distinguish between good debt and bad debt. A housing loan is a good debt because property appreciates in value over time. A car loan is not a good debt but it is a big ticket item that you can’t buy with cash. The trick is to put down a bigger down payment so that you will settle the loan in a shorter period and incurring less interest. Credit card debt is definitely bad debt because you pay more for an item that you can buy in cash. An educational loan is a loan and it is a bad idea to be in debt before you can earn a living. Besides, you are not certain that you will get a job upon graduation.

5. Wise use of credit cards: Credit cards are wonderful tools to establish your credit worthiness. The right way to use is to settle outstanding amount fully every month. You need a credit card to do online purchases and you pay less with a cash-back credit card. You can also redeem goods with points earned for all your card purchases. Most of all do not get into credit card debt.

6. Emergency fund: One of the reasons to save is for a rainy day. You never know when you need an amount quickly and easily. An emergency fund is also needed just in case you are out of job for a couple of months and you still can live normally without financial constraint. Keep some money in a savings account good for about 6 months.

7. Investment: If you do not save, you will not be able to accumulate fund and build your wealth. You build your wealth for your children’s education and also for your retirement. The key is to diversify and invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate. The word to remember is long-term. Never believe in get- rich-quick schemes or other scams.

8. Insurance: You need insurance protection to cover personal disability, critical illnesses, property damages and personal liability in case of lawsuits. Insurance coverage will lessen the impact of your financial losses.

9. Financial learning: Adopt a learning attitude about finance. When you learn more, you know more and you can make wise financial decisions.

10. Retirement: The tragedy of life is when you stop working there is no more money coming in for your retirement. To get peace of mind and a care-free living, plan early for your retirement. Live you golden years independently.

If you are in debt now, the most important thing to do is to get out of debt as soon as possible to avoid incurring more and more interest. It can reach a point where the debt is beyond your control and you could be a bankrupt.

Use this article as a check list to determine how healthy your personal financial well-being is.

7 Things to Consider Before You Start a Business of Your Own

2012-05-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Operating your own business is a great way to earn a living. You are the boss and you can do it your way. There are a few things to look into in order to do it successfully:

1. Business sense and plan: You have to come up with an idea and convert it into products or services. You need a business plan to market your products or services. It has to be better than others to survive in this competitive world. Is your business viable? Will there be a demand for your goods or services? Do things you are good at and enjoy doing. If you are good at cooking, do you want to start a restaurant business?

2. Sufficient fund: Do an operating budget and forecast your revenue and estimate your expenses in relation to expected income. You need sufficient fund to carry out your business smoothly. How much capital do you need initially to equip your restaurant with furniture, kitchen equipment and utensils?

3. Positive ways to do your business: On a day to day basis, do what is important. Take action immediately as planned. Think positive and be confident. Be passionate about your business. Focus and avoid distractions. Perseverance and persistence are important factors for a successful venture. Be alert to business trend and stay ahead by continuous learning. Work, make mistakes and be wiser. Be resourceful and creative to solve problems. Get help if necessary.

4. Focus on the business not the money: Pay attention to your business, your products or services and how you can serve the customers better and the money will take care of itself. Give what your customers want and you will get what you want eventually.

5. Hard working: Working smart is not enough, you have to operate your business on a regular basis and gain the trust of your customers over time.

6. Be flexible: Review your business performance from month to month. Be sensitive to business conditions and adjust accordingly.

7. Location: Look for a place with heavy flow of traffic. As in a food business, a corner shop lot is always good as a catering outlet.

Get your business started, start small, learn and expand.

Related article:

7 Positive Ways to do Your Part-Time Business

Quote

2012-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.

Franklin Roosevelt

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Writing Engaging Articles

2012-05-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary, to engage is to succeed in attracting and keeping somebody’s attention and interest. I can think of the following ways to engage readers to be interested in your articles.

· Relevant subjects: Write on topics that your audience wants , solve their problems, show them to do the right things, get them to work smarter , be more positive and productive, develop healthy habits, promote better relationships and make more money.

· Be an expert: Write on topics that you are passionate about and on subjects that you know very well. The key is to provide valuable information. Provide more value by linking out to related article.

· Powerful headlines: Write captivating titles and arrest their attention emotionally such as:

Getting Noticed by Google Naturally

7 Psychological Needs of Children

7 Soul-Searching Questions to Ask Yourself

How to Be Happy At Work

· Start strongly: Asking questions, penning a quote from a famous person, telling a story, showing statistics or referring to an item in the news are some of the ways to draw attention to your article.

· Unique ideas: Write by offering your points of view uniquely and writing an old subject in a new perspective. Be educational and entertaining in your approach.

· Easy to read: Use simple words, short sentences and short paragraphs, adopt numbering, bullet points and highlight subheadings, Just write the essential and avoid verbiage.

· Enhancement: Insert breathtaking images and add vivid videos to capture the interest of readers to read and stay longer on your site.

· Compel your readers to take action: You will accomplish your mission successfully when you are able to motivate your readers to do what you have suggested. The last line of your article is to persuade the readers to do so convincingly.

Engage the readers and gain traction in your writing.

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One Dozen Simple Ways to be Happy Every Day

2012-05-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Simplicity is the main ingredient of happiness. You will be able to find happiness in the simple things you do daily:

1. A simple philosophy of life: Life, like the four seasons, goes in a cycle. It has its ups and downs. Enjoy the up side and live the down side of life gracefully and be happy.

2. Read motivational quotes: The best thing to do in the morning, instead of reading the depressing news, is to read some motivational quotes to uplift your mood and cheer you up for the whole day and stay happy.

3. Find satisfaction in getting things done: Happiness is about living an organized life and getting things done according to what you have planned for the day. You will be happy because you plan your day and you complete your tasks.

4. Enjoy eating: Do you enjoy eating? There is happiness in every single meal. First you thank God that there is food on the table and when you eat you do and think of nothing else but focus on eating slowly, savor each mouthful and chew the food well.

5. Enjoy your breaks: Do you take breaks while working? You can get happiness while you take a break to have a cup of coffee and some snacks to go along with it. It is a wonderful way to refresh your mind and recharge your energy. Don’t you feel good and happy after a break?

6. Be simple: A simple life is wanting less and enjoying what you have. There is peace of mind and happiness because you are not disturbed by not having the things you want in life.

7. Look for goodness in life: Look at the bright side of things. Seek the positive aspect of people and absorb only the good and avoid the bad and ugly. Happiness is getting positive attitude and attract positive ideas.

8. Reading: The greatest pleasure in life is the ability to read, learn and enjoy doing it every day. Read a few pages before you go to bed. Read while you are waiting. Read while you are on a plane or in the loo.

9. Listening to music: Be happy and inspired while you listen to music, especially classical music. Music is the food of the mind. Listen often to get over the moon and be in cloud nine.

10. Take an afternoon nap: You may not be able to do it every day, but having an afternoon nap on a lazy Sunday is the simplest thing to pamper yourself. Feel good and be happy after a siesta.

11. Small acts of kindness: Gestures like smiling at people or waving at them are simple things to do to make others and yourself happy. Saying thank you more often is a great way to spread happiness around.

12. Call up a friend to chat and laugh out loud: You can call at home or anywhere at all to get connected and strike a conversation. You are able to reduce your stress when you speak your mind. Sharing a joke is a delightful thing to do and laugh out loud and be happy.

Do not complicate life, be simple and be happy.

15 Energetic Quotes to Start a New Day

2012-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here are 15 powerful quotes to kick start your day enthusiastically:

1. The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.

~Tony Robbins

2. Energy and persistence conquer all things.

~Benjamin Franklin

3. The energy of the mind is the essence of life.

~Aristotle

4. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.

~Henry Ford

5. Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.

~Corita Kent

6. Energy is the power that drives every human being. It is not lost by exertion but maintained by it, for it is a faculty of the psyche.

~Germaine Greer

7. Goals help you channel your energy into action.

~Les Brown

8. Goals provide the energy source that powers our lives. One of the best ways we can get the most from the energy we have is to focus it. That is what goals can do for us; concentrate our energy.

~Denis Waitley

9. The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.

~ Norman Vincent Peale

10. Age is only a number, a cipher for the records. A man can't retire his experience. He must use it. Experience achieves more with less energy and time.

~ Bernard Baruch

11. Our energy is in proportion to the resistance it meets.

~William Hazlitt

12. Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
~ Oprah Winfrey

13. Some failures increase our energy and resourcefulness.

~ Mike Garofalo

14. Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.

~Sarah Bernhardt

15. Love the moment and the energy of the moment will spread beyond all boundaries.

~Sister Corita Kent

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7 Positive Ways to do Your Part-Time Business

2012-05-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Are you doing business part-time and working full-time? Do you enjoy doing it? I am a part-time blogger and article writer. I like what I do and I have been doing it since 2007. I knew nothing about the Internet when I started. The only thing I enjoy doing is writing. Here are 7 positive steps to take and manage your part-time business effectively:

1. Do what you like: To sustain your part-time business, you must choose to do things you like and enjoy. Discover your strengths. What do you do better than others, write, draw, sing, create, negotiate or capture images?

2. Do what is important: When you work part-time, time is limited. You have to decide one important thing that you must do. As for me, the most important thing is to write an article a day.

3. Do it your way: Whatever you do, there are many others who are doing the same thing. You have to be creative, unique and be different. Writing is the same; you cannot take a short cut and be a copycat. You have to use your own words and write in your own style to stand out.

4. Positive metal attitude: Be confident in what you do. Avoid negative people to pour cold water on you. Believe in yourself that you will be successful. Be prepared to face obstacles along the way and be determined to overcome them. Ask for help when you need to. Keep reading and learning every day, search on the Net to get the information you want.

5. Focus: Develop a productive habit to do your work with focus and without distractions. Find a convenient time and a place to get things done.

6. Passionate: Work with your heart and soul. You can only do quality work if you are deeply interested in what you do. A part-time job is challenging. To preserve is to be passionate about your business day in and day out.

7. Start early every day: I start my day early at around 6. Before I go to work I have time to check my email, my stats and work on a new article. I sleep early too at around 10. Before I go to bed I try to come up with an idea for the following day. When you work part-time you have to find time. Becoming an early riser is the best thing you can do. There is time to work on your project, have your breakfast and go to work on time without rushing about.

How do you manage your part-time business and keep up with a full-time job?

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What can you do with SlideShare?

2012-05-08T00:00:00.001-07:00

SlideShare is the world’s largest community for sharing presentations. According to Alexa it is one of the top 200 websites in the world. It is amongst the world’s top 10 tools for education and learning. The Whitehouse is one of the active users of SlideShare. How can SlideShare help you?

· Harness your presentation skills: Do more PowerPoint slides and be an expert in visual presentation to convince others to take action vividly and confidently.

· Share your expertise to the world: It is a place to showcase what you are good at to the world and build your authority and influence on the web.

· Turn your articles into powerful slides: It is a great idea to turn some of your blog posts into slides and reach a much wider audience.

· Traffic to your blog: SlideShare has 60 million monthly visitors, imagine capturing some of the visitors to your blog after looking at your slides.

· Embedding SlideShare content: You can click on the embed button and copy the presentation to your blog or website to share it with your readers. It means your presentations will gain wider reach.

· Great for SEO: As SlideShare is one of the top sites in the world, you can take advantage of the popularity to gain higher search ranking and get much wider readership of your presentations.

Not many people are taking advantage of SlideShare. You should tap on this powerful marketing tool. This is my first slide presentation, 10 Effective Ways to get Votes Online , at SlideShare.

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20 More Wise Quotes to Live Your life

2012-05-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here are 20 marvelous way to live your life:

1. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
~William James

2 . Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
~Buddha

3. The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.
~Oprah Winfrey

4. No man is a failure who is enjoying life.
~William Feather

5. How you live one day is eventually how you live your life.
~Phillip Yancey

6. If you’re bored with life — or you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things — you don’t have enough goals.
~Lou Holtz

7. In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.
~Mother Teresa

8. Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
~Antonio Smith

9. The real winners in life are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they can make it work or make it better.
~Barbara Pletcher

10. The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can’t do.
~Dennis Waitley

11. The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed in these two: common-sense and perseverance.
~Owen Feltham

12. Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
~George Bernard Shaw

13. Each day is a new life. Seize it. Live it.
~David Guy Powers

14. The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.
~Oprah Winfrey

15. The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.
~David Viscott

16. If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.
~ Joseph Addison

17. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.
~ Arnold Schwarzenegger

18. The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
~ Nelson Mandela

19. Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
~ Vivian Greene

20. You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
~ C. S. Lewis

Are you living your life wisely?

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Quote

2012-05-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Life can be found only in the present moment.
The past is gone, the future is not yet here,
and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment,
we cannot be in touch with life.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

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