Today's article talks about the relationship between sugary sweetened beverages and high blood pressure. They say that knowledge is power. I think it only becomes power when knowledge is used. What we know isn't enough - it's what we do with what we know. You can either stop drinking those type of beverages, or at least cut back on it.
Sugary drinks may raise blood pressure, according to a study - latimes.com
Monday, February 28, 2011
Roller Babies Funny Video
This is HILARIOUSLY FUNNY! Maybe you have seen this video - but it's worth watching it again. See for yourself! :)
Health News on Coke Zero, Diet Coke and Pepsi
It's not the end of the world but man - I love my COKE ZERO! But whether you like Diet Coke or Pepsi or my beloved Coke Zero :( our luck has ran out! That is IF you care enough about your health. In any case, here's an article from Discovery News. Great stuff. Kudos to them for the info.
Here it is:
Diet sodas aren't off the hook just yet.
Withstanding shaky claims that artificial sweeteners cause cancer and the possibility of being linked to metabolic syndrome, diet soda is still in the hot seat.
Presented at the American Stroke Association's international conference this week, new research led by scientists at Columbia University and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine suggests that diet soda might increase a person's risk of developing vascular health problems -- those related to blood vessels -- and stroke.
The aggressor: sodium.
Americans Falsely Believe Their Diet Is Healthy
Using data collected from a nine-year analysis of approximately 2,500 people over the age of 40, scientists found a relationship between diet soda consumption and vascular problems. A second study using the same data linked salt intake to ischemic strokes, which result from vessels blocking blood from reaching the brain.
According to the research, subjects who consumed one or more diet sodas on a daily basis had a 61 percent greater risk of experiencing vascular events than their soda-less counterparts. The second study showed that individuals who consumed more than 4,000 milligrams of sodium a day had twice the risk of experiencing a stroke when compared to individuals with an intake of less than the recommended limit of 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.
The average amount of sodium consumed daily across test subjects was more than double the recommended limit.
The researchers considered each subject's diet, exercise activity, existing health problems, smoking and other demographic factors, and still found relationships between sodium intake and increased health risks.
New Study Finds Poo Bacteria In Your Soda
To provide some context, a 12-ounce can of Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Diet Pepsi each contains between 35 and 40 milligrams of sodium, according to nutrition labels.
These numbers don't seem like much, but when people consume several diet sodas a day or eat other high-salt foods, sodium can easily add up.
Although the findings may make you question your daily diet soda regimen, it's important to note that the leaders of these studies acknowledge the need for more research before drawing any conclusions on the effects of diet soda on human health.
But for the time being, cutting back on sodas is probably not a bad idea anyway.
Analysis by Marianne English
I don't know about you but that it's for me - NO SODAS PERIOD! :)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
It's GOD's day - Sending you His LOVE today......
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Heavenly Father says... "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:16-17)
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created things, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:38-39
No one deserves His love for everyone has sinned but only through His grace we are made worthy and deserving...
Heavenly Father says... "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:16-17)
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created things, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:38-39
No one deserves His love for everyone has sinned but only through His grace we are made worthy and deserving...
Friday, February 25, 2011
8 Ways To Relax On Vacation: Travel Tips For Relaxing
Here's a great article from UpTake by Britt Reints back in March of 2009 which allows vacationers spend a more relaxed, stress free and enjoyable vacation. If you really want to have a "real vacation" then read on.
8 Ways To Relax On Vacation: Travel Tips For Relaxing
My mother likes to remind me that a vacation is supposed to be about relaxing. I tend to make lists and itineraries and plan as many things to do as possible for my vacations.
But, my mom is right. Sometimes the best vacations aren’t about all the things you can get done, but about all the things you don’t have to do.
8 Tips For A Relaxing Vacation
1. Stay at an all inclusive resort – I’ve often made the mistake of avoiding all-inclusive resorts because of cost and lack of variety. I tell myself I need to go to a city and see everything, not just the inside of a luxurious resort.
But when you need to truly relax and let go, an all inclusive resort can be the perfect escape. Not only are you taking a break from work, but you don’t have to worry about the other details that can consume a vacation like “where are we eating?” and “how do we get there?” and “what are we going to do this afternoon?” Most resorts will offer several dining options on site, transportation is as easy as an elevator ride, and you’ll usually find a full activity calendar centered around multiple pools and rec rooms.
2. Go to the water - Whether it’s a beach, a river or a quiet lake not far from home, the waterfront provides a soothing backdrop for a relaxing vacation.
The best thing about the beach or a lake is that you don’t have to do anything to enjoy it. Sure, you can swim or surf or fish – depending on the waterfront you’ve found yourself on. But you can also just sit. And watch. And listen. I’ve yet to meet a stressed out adult that couldn’t appreciate just sitting on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves.
3. Unpack your suitcase – It doesn’t matter if it’s a long weekend or an extended 10 day vacation, living out of a suitcase sucks.
Digging through luggage every morning can make you feel cluttered and disorganized. Cluttered and disorganized are not feelings that are conducive to total relaxation. It’s a constant reminder that you’re not home in your own space – and not in a good way. Taking the time to put your clothes in the drawers and in closets and unpack your bathroom things creates a home away from home feeling in even the shabbiest hotel room.
4. Make lists, not itineraries – you can still go sightseeing and play tourist without stressing yourself out. The trick is to loosen the reigns on your schedule a little bit.
Before you leave for your vacation, make a list of the attractions and things to do in the area you want to see. Take note of prices, hours of operation and days they might be closed. Make a loose outline instead of rigorous time sheet. “On Tuesday we’ll head over to the museum. When we get done there, we’ll go shopping.” There’s a big difference between “when we get done” and “by 3 we should be at the mall.” You can still hit the high points without the added stress of keeping an eye on your watch for your entire vacation. Be in the moment, so to speak.
5. Bring cash – If you’re traveling on a budget, it’s hard to fully enjoy the things you’re spending money on if you’re keeping a running total of what you’ve spent in the back of your mind.
Decide on a budget that makes sense for you before you leave. Regardless of how much or how little you can afford, take out all the cash you’ve budgeted for spending money – souveneirs, dinners out, tips, etc. Now, you obviously don’t need to be walking around with massive wads of cash. Put the bulk of it in the hotel safe and take out what you need for the day (or night, whatever). This might seem silly, but it’s a lot more freeing to know you can spend whatever you’ve got on you without worrying about a surprise on your credit card (or bank statement) when you get home. It’s hard to relax if you’re stressing about money.
6. Pamper yourself - Self indulgence is relaxing. It’s especially relaxing if your primary role in your real life is to take care of other people (see: moms, dads, husbands, wives, managers, and practically any responsible adult).
Indulgence means something different for everyone. It might be a 90 minute message at an actual spa, or buying something because it fits and not just because it’s on sale. Maybe it’s ordering whatever you want at a great restaurant or going to a popular Broadway show. Or maybe it’s convincing your wife to go para sailing with you even though it’s $60 a person for a 15 minute ride. Whatever your selfish indulgence is, allow yourself at least one just for you thing on your vacation. Use your head and you don’t have to break the bank to feel like you’ve been spoiled.
7. Get enough sleep – Do you ever notice how exhausted people are when they get home from vacation? Maybe it’s because they stayed up late and woke up early in a frantic attempt to get it all in.
I’m guilty of this. I tell myself I can get caught up on my sleep when my vacation is over. Because it is so much easier to get a good night’s sleep when you’re back to working full time, unpacking and catching up on laundry. No. I’m not suggesting you sleep your vacation away, but if a solid 8 hours or an afternoon nap means scratching a few items of your list of things to do, it might be a sacrifice to consider. As cliche as it sounds, being well rested is crucial to really relaxing.
8. Unplug - I consider an iPhone a necessary travel accessory. I stock up on iPhone apps for traveling. But even I can appreciate the value in not being constantly connected while I’m on vacation.
Do you know people used to leave home without cell phones? There was a time when people would go days without answering emails! How did they ever survive? The fact is, the world will not fall apart if you’re unreachable for a few days. If you’ve left the kids at home with a sitter, it might be important to keep your phone on for emergencies – but it’s also OK to say “please call for emergencies and not just to chat or check in.” Let people know ahead of time that you’re going on vacation and set up a plan with key people to reach you in case of emergencies. And if the friend you haven’t talked to in months pops up on caller ID, don’t be afraid to take advantage of voice mail.
Remember that you’re paying for this vacation. And it’s OK to take a break from all the responsibilities and obligations once in a while. It will all still be there waiting for you when your vacation is over – whether you’ve spent that time truly relaxing or not. Make the most of it!
Head over to Tours4Fun for cheap tour packages. Vacation packages can take a lot of the stressful decision making out of travel.
8 Ways To Relax On Vacation: Travel Tips For Relaxing
My mother likes to remind me that a vacation is supposed to be about relaxing. I tend to make lists and itineraries and plan as many things to do as possible for my vacations.
But, my mom is right. Sometimes the best vacations aren’t about all the things you can get done, but about all the things you don’t have to do.
8 Tips For A Relaxing Vacation
1. Stay at an all inclusive resort – I’ve often made the mistake of avoiding all-inclusive resorts because of cost and lack of variety. I tell myself I need to go to a city and see everything, not just the inside of a luxurious resort.
But when you need to truly relax and let go, an all inclusive resort can be the perfect escape. Not only are you taking a break from work, but you don’t have to worry about the other details that can consume a vacation like “where are we eating?” and “how do we get there?” and “what are we going to do this afternoon?” Most resorts will offer several dining options on site, transportation is as easy as an elevator ride, and you’ll usually find a full activity calendar centered around multiple pools and rec rooms.
2. Go to the water - Whether it’s a beach, a river or a quiet lake not far from home, the waterfront provides a soothing backdrop for a relaxing vacation.
The best thing about the beach or a lake is that you don’t have to do anything to enjoy it. Sure, you can swim or surf or fish – depending on the waterfront you’ve found yourself on. But you can also just sit. And watch. And listen. I’ve yet to meet a stressed out adult that couldn’t appreciate just sitting on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves.
3. Unpack your suitcase – It doesn’t matter if it’s a long weekend or an extended 10 day vacation, living out of a suitcase sucks.
Digging through luggage every morning can make you feel cluttered and disorganized. Cluttered and disorganized are not feelings that are conducive to total relaxation. It’s a constant reminder that you’re not home in your own space – and not in a good way. Taking the time to put your clothes in the drawers and in closets and unpack your bathroom things creates a home away from home feeling in even the shabbiest hotel room.
4. Make lists, not itineraries – you can still go sightseeing and play tourist without stressing yourself out. The trick is to loosen the reigns on your schedule a little bit.
Before you leave for your vacation, make a list of the attractions and things to do in the area you want to see. Take note of prices, hours of operation and days they might be closed. Make a loose outline instead of rigorous time sheet. “On Tuesday we’ll head over to the museum. When we get done there, we’ll go shopping.” There’s a big difference between “when we get done” and “by 3 we should be at the mall.” You can still hit the high points without the added stress of keeping an eye on your watch for your entire vacation. Be in the moment, so to speak.
5. Bring cash – If you’re traveling on a budget, it’s hard to fully enjoy the things you’re spending money on if you’re keeping a running total of what you’ve spent in the back of your mind.
Decide on a budget that makes sense for you before you leave. Regardless of how much or how little you can afford, take out all the cash you’ve budgeted for spending money – souveneirs, dinners out, tips, etc. Now, you obviously don’t need to be walking around with massive wads of cash. Put the bulk of it in the hotel safe and take out what you need for the day (or night, whatever). This might seem silly, but it’s a lot more freeing to know you can spend whatever you’ve got on you without worrying about a surprise on your credit card (or bank statement) when you get home. It’s hard to relax if you’re stressing about money.
6. Pamper yourself - Self indulgence is relaxing. It’s especially relaxing if your primary role in your real life is to take care of other people (see: moms, dads, husbands, wives, managers, and practically any responsible adult).
Indulgence means something different for everyone. It might be a 90 minute message at an actual spa, or buying something because it fits and not just because it’s on sale. Maybe it’s ordering whatever you want at a great restaurant or going to a popular Broadway show. Or maybe it’s convincing your wife to go para sailing with you even though it’s $60 a person for a 15 minute ride. Whatever your selfish indulgence is, allow yourself at least one just for you thing on your vacation. Use your head and you don’t have to break the bank to feel like you’ve been spoiled.
7. Get enough sleep – Do you ever notice how exhausted people are when they get home from vacation? Maybe it’s because they stayed up late and woke up early in a frantic attempt to get it all in.
I’m guilty of this. I tell myself I can get caught up on my sleep when my vacation is over. Because it is so much easier to get a good night’s sleep when you’re back to working full time, unpacking and catching up on laundry. No. I’m not suggesting you sleep your vacation away, but if a solid 8 hours or an afternoon nap means scratching a few items of your list of things to do, it might be a sacrifice to consider. As cliche as it sounds, being well rested is crucial to really relaxing.
8. Unplug - I consider an iPhone a necessary travel accessory. I stock up on iPhone apps for traveling. But even I can appreciate the value in not being constantly connected while I’m on vacation.
Do you know people used to leave home without cell phones? There was a time when people would go days without answering emails! How did they ever survive? The fact is, the world will not fall apart if you’re unreachable for a few days. If you’ve left the kids at home with a sitter, it might be important to keep your phone on for emergencies – but it’s also OK to say “please call for emergencies and not just to chat or check in.” Let people know ahead of time that you’re going on vacation and set up a plan with key people to reach you in case of emergencies. And if the friend you haven’t talked to in months pops up on caller ID, don’t be afraid to take advantage of voice mail.
Remember that you’re paying for this vacation. And it’s OK to take a break from all the responsibilities and obligations once in a while. It will all still be there waiting for you when your vacation is over – whether you’ve spent that time truly relaxing or not. Make the most of it!
Head over to Tours4Fun for cheap tour packages. Vacation packages can take a lot of the stressful decision making out of travel.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Success & Happiness Guranteed! Part 1
"If you mix humor and passion to life, add love in your home, blend together peace and forgiveness - success and happiness is inevitable."
You can read all the books and listen to hundreds of tapes all your life about success and happiness but I believe by the end of the day, if any of the above are missing - then success and happiness is not complete.
Here's why.
Imagine, even if you have the most successful business in the world but lack "love" in your home then what kind of life is that? Or maybe it's hard for you to let go of the past or forgive someone? Its a "richly but sad life."
I remember my older sister 10 years ago she was torn between 2 men pursuing her. One was really well off but quite a jerk! The other, was a really cool guy - but not well off with no motivation at all in terms of his career. She asked for my advice. Before I did I wanted to give her a hard time. LOL! So I started with a joke. I said, you have 2 choices. Your problem is real simple and easy. The only question you have to ask yourself is this, do you want to live your life "richly sad" or happily broke?" My answer I will reserve for another day :)
OK - back to business! So having everything doesn't necessarily mean "having everything" or it equals to total success and total happiness.
How about if you do have love in your home, have passion in your career or business but lack "humor" in life, I bet you won't be truly happy either. Can you imagine what type of life one will have? One who takes everything too seriously?
If you have humor, love, peace and forgiveness but lacks passion I highly doubt you will be successful in your career or happy either. A life without meaning and purpose is as good as a life 6 feet under. The gifts and talents we were blessed with go to waste. We don't get to live our true potential.
So how do we mix and blend them altogether? For now, it's important to realize that success and happiness consist of two parts. Internal and external. And that man consists of 3 parts. Body, mind and soul. All these 5 things are intertwined to work together in harmony.
You can read all the books and listen to hundreds of tapes all your life about success and happiness but I believe by the end of the day, if any of the above are missing - then success and happiness is not complete.
Here's why.
Imagine, even if you have the most successful business in the world but lack "love" in your home then what kind of life is that? Or maybe it's hard for you to let go of the past or forgive someone? Its a "richly but sad life."
I remember my older sister 10 years ago she was torn between 2 men pursuing her. One was really well off but quite a jerk! The other, was a really cool guy - but not well off with no motivation at all in terms of his career. She asked for my advice. Before I did I wanted to give her a hard time. LOL! So I started with a joke. I said, you have 2 choices. Your problem is real simple and easy. The only question you have to ask yourself is this, do you want to live your life "richly sad" or happily broke?" My answer I will reserve for another day :)
OK - back to business! So having everything doesn't necessarily mean "having everything" or it equals to total success and total happiness.
How about if you do have love in your home, have passion in your career or business but lack "humor" in life, I bet you won't be truly happy either. Can you imagine what type of life one will have? One who takes everything too seriously?
If you have humor, love, peace and forgiveness but lacks passion I highly doubt you will be successful in your career or happy either. A life without meaning and purpose is as good as a life 6 feet under. The gifts and talents we were blessed with go to waste. We don't get to live our true potential.
So how do we mix and blend them altogether? For now, it's important to realize that success and happiness consist of two parts. Internal and external. And that man consists of 3 parts. Body, mind and soul. All these 5 things are intertwined to work together in harmony.
Burnout vs: Stress
Topics discussed:
- Signs, Symptoms, Causes and Coping Strategies
- Difference between Burnout and Stress
Preventing Burnout: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Coping Strategies
- Signs, Symptoms, Causes and Coping Strategies
- Difference between Burnout and Stress
Preventing Burnout: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Coping Strategies
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Puppy Tricks with his Master
You like dog tricks? A 2 month old puppy with his master. He does high five and all :)
You got to watch this. It's really, really cool!
You got to watch this. It's really, really cool!
My Story in a Nutshell
I don't have a PhD. But I do have a BIG heart :)
If you asked me a few years ago if I will be doing this I'd say you are crazy! All I know is that life always evolves. My life totally changed in 2008. I had a successful and rewarding career in Sales in the Wholesale side of the mortgage industry for 10 years. In March of 2008, I got laid off along with the entire Sales force at JP Morgan Chase. Though I have a great resume and references to back me up I can't seem to land a job. Even to work for Burger joints - no luck! They say I am over qualified. Geez, how hard is it to cook and flip a burger? LOL!
I did start my own company for commercial and film financing but that didn't turn out well either. Tried for 3 years....
Seriously though, I have not given up! I am as positive as I was when things were fine and dandy compared to today. My faith in God has not diminished but has grown tremendously during this whole ordeal. We all know that things happen for a reason.
It just so happens that someone needed to take care of our mother. Thankfully, the rest of my family are employed. So I took that responsibility to take care of mom. She is 82. She doesn't drive. I don't either. I am legally blind.
But you got to do what you got to do! She has diabetes and asthma. She had a stroke. I take her to her doctors, grocery shopping, help her with her medications and other things. Thank God she is progressing beautifully!
In the meantime, while sending resumes this is what I do. I started blogging on January 19 of this year.
My focus is to share my personal insights about success, happiness, spiritual awareness, motivation, tips on a variety of subjects and some humor and funny stuff. I also share other articles I find informative. I LOVE IT!!!!
When I do get my career back on track. I will still be blogging!
This is a way for me to be a positive influence to society and make a difference in my own way. So share with me your thoughts. Thanks for following.
If you haven't... please join me on this journey and be a "follower."
By the way, all I know is - "the best is yet to come."
Not just for me... but for you as well...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Practical Ways In Improving Your Money Situation in 15 Minutes
10 Ways To Improve Your Financial Situation In Just 15 Minutes
I read it and it does really makes perfect sense. It's simple and easy to do.
This is a guest post from Trent of The Simple Dollar. Every Tuesday is Finance & Family Day at Zen Habits.
Here's the article.
As a parent of two children in diapers, I’m always looking for quick things I can do that will improve my financial situation. I like things I can do once, then just sit back and watch as they provide financial benefit for me over the long haul.
Here are ten things you can do to improve your financial situation. Each one can easily be done in fifteen minutes and then forgotten about, but over time, these moves will slowly put significant money in your pocket. Think of it as an investment of time that continually pays dividends to your wallet.
1. Request a reduction in your credit card interest rate. Take your credit card. Flip it over. Call the phone number on the back. Ask to speak to a supervisor (when you finally get to a real person). Say that you’re considering switching credit cards with a 0% balance transfer and ask if they can reduce your rate to keep you as a customer. It won’t always work, but it’ll work often enough to make it well worth your while.
2. Review your health insurance and other benefit choices at work. Take a look at what kind of health insurance you chose at work. Do you use it regularly? Would a less expensive option cover you just as well in an emergency? Do the same for your other benefits as well. This is a good time to bump up your 401(k) contribution a bit, too.
3. Sign up for a customer rewards program. If you shop regularly at a particular store (for me, the weakness is Borders), sign up for their customer rewards program, especially if it’s free. I constantly get 20% and 30% off coupons from Borders, and somewhat regularly I get $5 in credit there as well. The program costs nothing, I get the coupons in my email, and it took me just a few minutes to sign up. Concerned about spam? Just use a Gmail address for this purpose – it’s free and the spam filtering is impressive.
4. Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat lets you define a program for temperature change in your house throughout the day, which basically means your air conditioner and/or furnace won’t run during the day when you’re away from home or during the night when you’re asleep. This will save drastically on your energy bills. Even better, they’re easy to install if you’re a bit familiar with home electricity – but don’t hesitate to get an electrician to install it for you if you don’t know what you’re doing.
5. Optimize your auto insurance. Consider raising your deductible on your comprehensive insurance – or consider entirely eliminating it if you’re thinking about buying a new car. Call your agent to get quotes on these changes. It might also be worthwhile to shop around a little.
6. Visit your local library. You’ll find out exactly what’s available there – and the quantity and quality of the free stuff is usually surprising, from books to CDs and DVDs. You might just find yourself using their DVDs for your DVD rental needs for free instead of buying them or using Netflix. For me, I get the majority of my books from the library, saving quite a lot on book costs.
7. Air up your car tires. Look in your car’s manual and see what the recommended maximum tire pressure should be on your car – that’s what the pressure for your tires should be. Get an air gauge, then the next time you’re at a gas station, head over to the free air pump. Check the pressure in each tire, then air up to the maximum. For every 8 PSI you add to any tire, you improve your gas mileage by 1%, and the average tire is 10-12 PSI below the recommended maximum. Thus, airing up your tires can save 6% on your gas mileage. If gas costs $3 a gallon and your car currently gets 20 miles per gallon, over your next 10,000 miles (a typical year), this tip will save you $85.
8. Eliminate any monthly bills for items you don’t use. Still paying for Netflix but haven’t received a new movie in months? Paying for unlimited text messages but only use four or five each month? What about premium movie channels on your cable bill that you maybe watch once every few weeks? These are pure money wasters, and they’re well worth getting rid of. All you have to do is look at your last month’s worth of checking account statements to identify your regular bills, then eliminate the ones that you’re not using. Then, look at a few specific bills, like your cell phone bill, and eliminate any optional services you’re not using. The first time I did this, I came up with an extra $30 a month quite quickly.
9. Replace your light bulbs with CFLs. Even if they’re not burnt out, replace them. Let’s say you use a bulb four hours in an average day. Over one year, at $0.10 per kilowatt hour, replacing a 75 watt bulb with a 26 watt equivalent CFL will save you $7.15 over a year. The bulb has paid for itself in four months. Even better, consider replacing every bulb in your home – replacing just fourteen of the old incandescents will put $100 a year directly in your pocket.
10. Sign up for an online savings account and set up an automatic savings plan. There are a lot of reputable online-only savings accounts out there offering interest rates above 4%. Sign up for one, then set up an automatic savings plan within the account to pull out a small amount from your checking account each week. How much? Why not just save the amount you’ve saved from these other tips? Let’s say all together, you figure that you’re saving $60 a month from these tips. Set up a plan to save $15 a week into the account. You won’t notice any difference at all in your day-to-day spending, and at the end of the year, you’ll have about $750 in the account without lifting a finger!
I read it and it does really makes perfect sense. It's simple and easy to do.
This is a guest post from Trent of The Simple Dollar. Every Tuesday is Finance & Family Day at Zen Habits.
Here's the article.
As a parent of two children in diapers, I’m always looking for quick things I can do that will improve my financial situation. I like things I can do once, then just sit back and watch as they provide financial benefit for me over the long haul.
Here are ten things you can do to improve your financial situation. Each one can easily be done in fifteen minutes and then forgotten about, but over time, these moves will slowly put significant money in your pocket. Think of it as an investment of time that continually pays dividends to your wallet.
1. Request a reduction in your credit card interest rate. Take your credit card. Flip it over. Call the phone number on the back. Ask to speak to a supervisor (when you finally get to a real person). Say that you’re considering switching credit cards with a 0% balance transfer and ask if they can reduce your rate to keep you as a customer. It won’t always work, but it’ll work often enough to make it well worth your while.
2. Review your health insurance and other benefit choices at work. Take a look at what kind of health insurance you chose at work. Do you use it regularly? Would a less expensive option cover you just as well in an emergency? Do the same for your other benefits as well. This is a good time to bump up your 401(k) contribution a bit, too.
3. Sign up for a customer rewards program. If you shop regularly at a particular store (for me, the weakness is Borders), sign up for their customer rewards program, especially if it’s free. I constantly get 20% and 30% off coupons from Borders, and somewhat regularly I get $5 in credit there as well. The program costs nothing, I get the coupons in my email, and it took me just a few minutes to sign up. Concerned about spam? Just use a Gmail address for this purpose – it’s free and the spam filtering is impressive.
4. Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat lets you define a program for temperature change in your house throughout the day, which basically means your air conditioner and/or furnace won’t run during the day when you’re away from home or during the night when you’re asleep. This will save drastically on your energy bills. Even better, they’re easy to install if you’re a bit familiar with home electricity – but don’t hesitate to get an electrician to install it for you if you don’t know what you’re doing.
5. Optimize your auto insurance. Consider raising your deductible on your comprehensive insurance – or consider entirely eliminating it if you’re thinking about buying a new car. Call your agent to get quotes on these changes. It might also be worthwhile to shop around a little.
6. Visit your local library. You’ll find out exactly what’s available there – and the quantity and quality of the free stuff is usually surprising, from books to CDs and DVDs. You might just find yourself using their DVDs for your DVD rental needs for free instead of buying them or using Netflix. For me, I get the majority of my books from the library, saving quite a lot on book costs.
7. Air up your car tires. Look in your car’s manual and see what the recommended maximum tire pressure should be on your car – that’s what the pressure for your tires should be. Get an air gauge, then the next time you’re at a gas station, head over to the free air pump. Check the pressure in each tire, then air up to the maximum. For every 8 PSI you add to any tire, you improve your gas mileage by 1%, and the average tire is 10-12 PSI below the recommended maximum. Thus, airing up your tires can save 6% on your gas mileage. If gas costs $3 a gallon and your car currently gets 20 miles per gallon, over your next 10,000 miles (a typical year), this tip will save you $85.
8. Eliminate any monthly bills for items you don’t use. Still paying for Netflix but haven’t received a new movie in months? Paying for unlimited text messages but only use four or five each month? What about premium movie channels on your cable bill that you maybe watch once every few weeks? These are pure money wasters, and they’re well worth getting rid of. All you have to do is look at your last month’s worth of checking account statements to identify your regular bills, then eliminate the ones that you’re not using. Then, look at a few specific bills, like your cell phone bill, and eliminate any optional services you’re not using. The first time I did this, I came up with an extra $30 a month quite quickly.
9. Replace your light bulbs with CFLs. Even if they’re not burnt out, replace them. Let’s say you use a bulb four hours in an average day. Over one year, at $0.10 per kilowatt hour, replacing a 75 watt bulb with a 26 watt equivalent CFL will save you $7.15 over a year. The bulb has paid for itself in four months. Even better, consider replacing every bulb in your home – replacing just fourteen of the old incandescents will put $100 a year directly in your pocket.
10. Sign up for an online savings account and set up an automatic savings plan. There are a lot of reputable online-only savings accounts out there offering interest rates above 4%. Sign up for one, then set up an automatic savings plan within the account to pull out a small amount from your checking account each week. How much? Why not just save the amount you’ve saved from these other tips? Let’s say all together, you figure that you’re saving $60 a month from these tips. Set up a plan to save $15 a week into the account. You won’t notice any difference at all in your day-to-day spending, and at the end of the year, you’ll have about $750 in the account without lifting a finger!
Heart Disease That You Might Not Know
Feeling wheezy, burning chest, a gasp? Any of these can be a sign of a serious heart problem. These people didn't know what hit them.
Toshawa Andrews has to keep her medicines close buy at all times while skating.
A burning in Andrews' chest, a frightening diagnosis
Six years ago, Toshawa Andrews of Los Angeles was at an ice skating rink executing some tricky maneuvers when she felt a burning in her chest. She thought it was anxiety.
"I said, 'Toshawa, this isn't the Olympic trials, calm down!' " she says. But the pain in her chest didn't go away, and it never occurred to her there was anything wrong with her heart. Why would it? She was 30 years old, a working mother who ate organic foods and spent all her free time on the ice.
She finally drove to the hospital. Tests were indeterminate. An angiogram showed her blood vessels were "squeaky clean," so doctors ruled out atherosclerosis, a narrowing of arteries resulting from cholesterol and other substances clogging arterial walls. Instead, doctors thought she had myocarditis, an infection, and prescribed rest. "Two weeks later, I was back on the ice," she says.
Four years later, she felt the same burning in her chest while skating, and that led to a series of tests and a diagnosis: coronary microvascular disease, a blockage that affects the smallest arteries of the heart.
She has had nine more heart attacks since then, including one last Thanksgiving.
The big picture
Improvements in prevention and treatment
cut death rates by 27.8% between 1997
and 2007. Still, thousands die each year.
Now, "part of my heart is damaged," she says. "I've had heart attacks where there was no damage, and others where it was scarred. Basically it's a slow death. All the little heart attacks are chipping away at my heart."
She takes a cocktail of medications and is highly attuned to her symptoms. She is 36, has three kids and skates five days a week. When she's tired, she knows not to push it. "I try to remain optimistic," she says. "Every day I wake up to see my kids, I'm grateful."
Feeling 'wheezy,' Opferman is having a heart attack
David Opferman, 46, of Dacula, Ga., knew he had risks for heart disease: being overweight, having diabetes — and his father had died of a heart attack.
Opferman's heart attack happened two years ago, during a routine medical exam. "I mentioned to the nurse that I didn't feel like myself. I was wheezy." She sent him to a doctor in the building and he was given an electrocardiogram. "She said, 'You're having a heart attack,' " he says. Other than the wheezing, he had no symptoms.
Doctors put five stents in his arteries to open them, but so much damage had occurred to his heart that he was at risk for ventricular fibrillation, a serious heart rhythm abnormality. He left the hospital fitted with a wearable defibrillator, a vest with battery pack attached that would activate if needed to restart his heart. Two days later, he donned his vest and sat down to watch TV — and "my vest fired," he says. He was having sudden cardiac arrest — his heart stopped beating. It is fatal in 95% of cases, and Opferman says if it had happened moments earlier, while he was not wearing the vest, "I would not be talking to you today." He later had a permanent cardiodefibrillator surgically implanted.
The experience has changed his life. "I did this to myself," he says. "I'm the one that didn't follow the diet, I'm the one who didn't control my diabetes." He and his wife "don't have any kids. We're both workaholics." But "my life is a lot different today."
He exercises five days a week and has lost 50 pounds, and his diabetes is well-controlled. He knows he came close to dying, but "obviously, it wasn't my time to go."
With a gasp, Sparrow has congestive heart failure
At age 35, George Sparrow Jr. of Lyons, N.Y., was in poor health. He had diabetes, hypertension and a blood clot. He smoked. He weighed 300 to 350 pounds.
One morning he started gasping for air. His girlfriend drove him to the hospital, then to a cardiologist, who told Sparrow he had congestive heart failure. He felt no pain, but he couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without having to stop to catch his breath.
He tried to go back to his job as a machinist but soon had to go on disability. Idle for the first time, Sparrow struggled. "I fell into a state of depression, because I ... was used to working 40 to 60 hours a week." He gained weight, getting up to 422. He worried that he might not be around for his kids, a daughter, 14, and son, 8, who has autism. The diets he tried "just did not work for me."
His doctors at the University of Rochester Medical Center suggested gastric bypass, a surgical procedure that reduces the size of the stomach. Sparrow read everything he could about it and watched TV shows that focus on weight problems, including Big Medicine, about people who have had bariatric surgery. In 2006, he decided to go for it.
Sparrow is now 46, weighs about 195 and works out at least two hours a day. He no longer has diabetes, but he still takes blood pressure medication. His heart function has improved steadily. "I feel like I was never a heavy person before," he says. He still likes those TV shows, and now the whole family joins him: "I make smoothies and we sit back and we watch The Biggest Loser together."
Toshawa Andrews has to keep her medicines close buy at all times while skating.
A burning in Andrews' chest, a frightening diagnosis
Six years ago, Toshawa Andrews of Los Angeles was at an ice skating rink executing some tricky maneuvers when she felt a burning in her chest. She thought it was anxiety.
"I said, 'Toshawa, this isn't the Olympic trials, calm down!' " she says. But the pain in her chest didn't go away, and it never occurred to her there was anything wrong with her heart. Why would it? She was 30 years old, a working mother who ate organic foods and spent all her free time on the ice.
She finally drove to the hospital. Tests were indeterminate. An angiogram showed her blood vessels were "squeaky clean," so doctors ruled out atherosclerosis, a narrowing of arteries resulting from cholesterol and other substances clogging arterial walls. Instead, doctors thought she had myocarditis, an infection, and prescribed rest. "Two weeks later, I was back on the ice," she says.
Four years later, she felt the same burning in her chest while skating, and that led to a series of tests and a diagnosis: coronary microvascular disease, a blockage that affects the smallest arteries of the heart.
She has had nine more heart attacks since then, including one last Thanksgiving.
The big picture
Improvements in prevention and treatment
cut death rates by 27.8% between 1997
and 2007. Still, thousands die each year.
Now, "part of my heart is damaged," she says. "I've had heart attacks where there was no damage, and others where it was scarred. Basically it's a slow death. All the little heart attacks are chipping away at my heart."
She takes a cocktail of medications and is highly attuned to her symptoms. She is 36, has three kids and skates five days a week. When she's tired, she knows not to push it. "I try to remain optimistic," she says. "Every day I wake up to see my kids, I'm grateful."
Feeling 'wheezy,' Opferman is having a heart attack
David Opferman, 46, of Dacula, Ga., knew he had risks for heart disease: being overweight, having diabetes — and his father had died of a heart attack.
Opferman's heart attack happened two years ago, during a routine medical exam. "I mentioned to the nurse that I didn't feel like myself. I was wheezy." She sent him to a doctor in the building and he was given an electrocardiogram. "She said, 'You're having a heart attack,' " he says. Other than the wheezing, he had no symptoms.
Doctors put five stents in his arteries to open them, but so much damage had occurred to his heart that he was at risk for ventricular fibrillation, a serious heart rhythm abnormality. He left the hospital fitted with a wearable defibrillator, a vest with battery pack attached that would activate if needed to restart his heart. Two days later, he donned his vest and sat down to watch TV — and "my vest fired," he says. He was having sudden cardiac arrest — his heart stopped beating. It is fatal in 95% of cases, and Opferman says if it had happened moments earlier, while he was not wearing the vest, "I would not be talking to you today." He later had a permanent cardiodefibrillator surgically implanted.
The experience has changed his life. "I did this to myself," he says. "I'm the one that didn't follow the diet, I'm the one who didn't control my diabetes." He and his wife "don't have any kids. We're both workaholics." But "my life is a lot different today."
He exercises five days a week and has lost 50 pounds, and his diabetes is well-controlled. He knows he came close to dying, but "obviously, it wasn't my time to go."
With a gasp, Sparrow has congestive heart failure
At age 35, George Sparrow Jr. of Lyons, N.Y., was in poor health. He had diabetes, hypertension and a blood clot. He smoked. He weighed 300 to 350 pounds.
One morning he started gasping for air. His girlfriend drove him to the hospital, then to a cardiologist, who told Sparrow he had congestive heart failure. He felt no pain, but he couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without having to stop to catch his breath.
He tried to go back to his job as a machinist but soon had to go on disability. Idle for the first time, Sparrow struggled. "I fell into a state of depression, because I ... was used to working 40 to 60 hours a week." He gained weight, getting up to 422. He worried that he might not be around for his kids, a daughter, 14, and son, 8, who has autism. The diets he tried "just did not work for me."
His doctors at the University of Rochester Medical Center suggested gastric bypass, a surgical procedure that reduces the size of the stomach. Sparrow read everything he could about it and watched TV shows that focus on weight problems, including Big Medicine, about people who have had bariatric surgery. In 2006, he decided to go for it.
Sparrow is now 46, weighs about 195 and works out at least two hours a day. He no longer has diabetes, but he still takes blood pressure medication. His heart function has improved steadily. "I feel like I was never a heavy person before," he says. He still likes those TV shows, and now the whole family joins him: "I make smoothies and we sit back and we watch The Biggest Loser together."
Three Principles of Personal Finance: All You Need to Know for Financial Success
Here's a great article from Mint.com
A must read for everyone. Young or old. Rich or broke. From beginners to the well versed in financial matters. An easy to understand approach that anyone can comprehend.
Here's the article:
More than 10,000 books have been written about personal finance. You could spend a lifetime reading them. Some of them are great1; others are 99% motivation, 1% actual, actionable information2. The truth is personal finance is simple. Every one of these books can be reduced into three basic principles:
1. Spend less than you earn
2. Make the money you have work for you
3. Be prepared for the unexpected
While the principles might sound like common sense, the real trick is to truly understand them, and more importantly, to apply them.
Our Stance: Mint.com was founded to make personal finance simple, understandable, and ultimately life-enhancing. Money, after all, is a means to an end. It’s a tool for doing more, and having more time. It’s not just about increasing your net worth or saving for retirement. As we say at Mint, money is for living.
Spend Less Than You Earn
Put another way, “spend less than you earn” means: live within your means, don’t overspend, don’t get yourself into debt and start saving. Easy to say, not so easy to do — especially given the appeal of a new car, a sweet home theater, a couple nights each week out with friends, and a posh tropical vacation every once in a while.
You have a job for a reason — you want the good things life has to offer. You could forgo dining out for cooking at home, always buy generic, get your clothes on sale at the end of the season, and save a few dollars whenever possible. But really there are four big decisions that affect your expenses (and therefore your ability to save for other things) more than anything else. These are the areas where you need to go in understanding the costs involved, so that you come out remaining financially strong.
1. Buying a House
A house is likely the most expensive purchase you’ll ever make. And it’s not just the mortgage, its property taxes, home owner’s insurance, maintenance, and the time it takes to mow the lawn. Too many people think that buying a home is automatically a good investment, since you’re “not throwing money away on rent.”
While owning a home of your own may be the American dream, it doesn’t always make economic sense. If you live in California, the Northeast, or Southwest where housing prices have doubled or tripled in the last 10 years, it’s almost always better to rent and invest the difference (more on this in principal #2).
Even if you live outside those regions, if you move within the next five years (and if you’re in your 20s that’s almost a certainty), the closing costs and 6% realtor fees will eat away your gains. By contrast, if you plan to stay in the same area indefinitely, a house may be one of the best investments you make.
To determine what’s right for you, I like the NY Times Rent vs. Buy Calculator. It’s the best one on the web, and easy to use: just enter your rent and the price to buy a comparable place3.
2. Kids (and when to have them)
Children can be an amazing source of joy in your life. If you’re planning to have some, it’s important to realize the expense involved, so you can make the best decision on when to do so. Kids mean more money spent on a bigger house, a bigger car, food, clothes, healthcare, and education. The cost of raising a child calculator at BabyCenter does a good job of breaking things down by region and household income level. In today’s dollars, most estimates approach $200,000 per child (excluding college). That’s about $11,000 per year per child.
This cost can be lessened dramatically by waiting a few years. If you wait to have kids for 4 years, and instead invest that $11,000 per year at a 10% return, you would have $67,000 by time your child is born. As you begin to take $11,000 per year out for child-related expenses, part of your original investment continues to grow. In the 18 years spent raising your child, you will expend only $100,000 out of pocket. It’s like having a child at half the cost.
3. Where you live
You probably choose where to live based on job opportunities, proximity to family and friends, or a great climate. But where you live has a big impact on how much you can save.
For example, if you make $75,000 a year in Austin, you would need to make $135,000 in San Francisco to maintain your lifestyle. That’s an 80% increase in cost of living. Unfortunately, moving from Austin to San Francisco, salaries typically increase by only 30%.
To compare major cities, I like BankRate’s cost of moving calculator. It shows the difference in housing costs, doctor’s appointments, and even the cost of a haircut.
4. Car (new or used)
Automobile manufacturers and dealers spent more than $15 billion in 2007 to convince you to buy a new car4. Seriously, that’s billion with a “b”. Let’s say you cave and decide to get a 2009 Chevy Malibu because it will “only” cost $21,000. Three years later, the car has depreciated by $8,000 and you’ve paid more than $3,000 in finance charges – a total expense of $11,000. If you bought a used 2005 Malibu instead, depreciation and finance charges add to only $3,500. That’s a $7,500 difference. You can see the calculation yourself at Edmunds.
Maybe you want something better than a Malibu. Buy a 2005 BMW 545i for $28,000 instead of the 2009 550i for $60,000. It will cost $32,000 less to buy used, and you’ll save $25,000 in depreciation and finance charges over the next 3 years. Always buy used, even if only last year’s model (I myself own a ’94 and a ’96). Impressing the neighbors (or the ladies) with an ever so slightly better model probably isn’t worth it. Getting Ahead in Your Savings
Easy Ways to Maximize Your Savings
Beyond the “big four” financial decisions, there a few things everyone can do to maximize savings. And they can all be done without radically altering your lifestyle.
Get a credit card that pays you:
Always use a credit card – instead of a debit card, checks or cash – if you pay off your balance in full each month. A credit card gives you a 30-day interest free loan, more rewards, and in conjunction with a tool like Mint, better visibility into exactly where your money goes.
Turn the tables on your credit card company and make them pay you with a rewards card. Whether you opt for points, miles, or cash back is up to you, but don’t settle for anything less than 1% back (or 1 point or mile per dollar).
Usually, you can do much better. Discover® More Card with $50 Cash Back Bonus offers 5% cash back in categories like travel, home improvement stores, gas, restaurants, and groceries, and up to 1% on all other purchases. Capital One® No Hassle Miles℠ Rewards earns you 1.25 miles for every dollar spent on purchases.
The catch is that most cards offering 3-5% cash back have a cap on rewards. Keeping track of all the restrictions, and calculating whether it’s better to get cash back on restaurants or utilities is difficult. Fortunately, Mint does all that work for you. Based on your unique spending categories, Mint finds the card that maximizes your rewards.
If you carry a balance on your credit card, maximizing your rewards is secondary. Paying down your debt comes first. A $5,000 credit card bill paid off at a $100 minimum monthly payment takes 9 years to pay off. In that time, you will have spent $5,100 in interest charges alone! You can do the calculation yourself at Yahoo Finance.
If you switch to a 0% introductory rate card (and keep switching when the introductory rate expires), that $100 a month payment means you’ll be debt free in less than half the time. The Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard® charges no interest on balance transfers for up to 18 months and has no annual fee.
Upgrade your bank account:
This year, US banks are expected to charge consumers over $55 billion in fees5. To add insult to injury, the average savings account pays you only 0.50% interest (and most checking accounts earn no interest at all).
Banks work by accumulating deposits, then loaning that money out as a mortgage or to a business. Those loans are paid back at an interest rate that is typically around 5.00% ~ 8.00%. If the average bank pays you only 0.50%, they’re taking that difference as profit — profits that could go to you. Get a savings account from Ally Bank or Capital One that pays much more.
Better rates, better savings. Why settle for 0% from your checking or 0.50% from your savings? When compared to an account at 0.50%, a savings of $20,000 in a 5.00% account can earn you an extra $1,000 per year!
Upgrade your bank. Here are high-yield accounts for your checking and savings.
Checking: E*Trade Max-Rate Checking Account
Savings: Ally Bank
Get a lower price on your bills:
No one likes to overpay, but most of us do. Are you sure you’ve got the best price for your internet, TV, or mobile phone service? Probably not. New plans, equipment, and promotional rates come out every day.
Frequently, the biggest savings come from bundling multiple services together. By switching to Comcast or AT&T you can get phone, TV and internet all for about $100 a month (including taxes and fees). That can save an average household $300-$800 each year.
A dollar saved is many dollars earned:
Lower prices on everyday bills, a credit card that pays you, and a bank account that earns maximum interest add up. On Mint, we’ve found that the average household can save nearly $1,800 each year. If you start when you’re 30, investing that savings at a 10% return means $569,000 by age 65. And that leads us to our next topic: the power of compound interest.
Takeaways:
* Consciously weigh the financial impact of buying vs. renting, when to have kids, & where you live.
* Buy your cars used.
* Get a credit card like Discover® More Card with $50 Cash Back Bonus or Capital One® No Hassle Miles℠ Rewards that pays you back with cash or miles.
* Pay off your credit cards, highest interest first.
* Put your savings in a high-yield account like Ally Online Savings Account.
* Use Mint to manage your finances and find a lower price on your monthly bills
—————————–
Notes & References:
1. My favorite personal finance books are:
* The Richest Man in Babylon, a great starting place on the power of compound interest;
* The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need, a comprehensive guide to investment vehicles, retirement accounts, insurance, and ways to save on everyday costs.
* Stocks for the Long Run, a well-demonstrated call for long-term, equity (stocks) heavy portfolio.
2. Rich Dad, Poor Dad is particularly guilty here. In my opinion, while popular, it is largely fluff with only one specific, actionable suggestion: buy real estate as an investment and rent it out.
3. Under the “General” settings for the Rent vs. Buy Calculator, you should try these settings: increase your investment return from 5% to 10%, and income tax rate from 20% to 35%.
4. Source: TNS Media Intelligence.
5. Robert Hammer of investment banking firm R.K. Hammer, cited in MSN Money.
Make the Money You Have Work for You
Make The Money You Have Work For You
If you saved $10,000 a year for the next 40 years and earned no interest, you would have $400,000. If you invested $10,000 a year and earned a 10% return each year, you would have $5,267,155. Why the difference? Because your interest earns interest, and its interest earns interest, and so on. The result is exponential growth. Remember calculus? This time it actually works for you.
To obtain real wealth, you need to redeploy your money. And that means investment. It’s how capitalism works. You can put your money into stocks where you own a part of a corporation; bonds where you loan your money out and earn interest in return; real estate; or start your own business. Managing real estate can be a full time job, and owning your own business certainly is. Since both of these may require radical changes in life style, we’ll ignore them to focus on investments open to everyone: stocks and bonds.
Stocks vs. Bonds:
Over the last 200 years, stocks have consistently and reliably outperformed bonds. Not counting inflation, stocks have averaged 10% a year; and 14% for the past 20 years. Accounting for inflation, stocks have provided a “real” return of 7% annually, doubling their value every 7 years. By contrast, bonds have produced an average real return of 4.5%, doubling only every 16 years1.
For money you need in the next four years, stocks may not be the right choice. In the short term, the market may swing widely up or down. You can lose money. In the long term, however, a portfolio weighted heavily in stocks has consistently outperformed one weighted towards bonds or other fixed-income investments (such as CDs or money market funds).
Individual stocks are risky. Any one company might go out of business, suffer an accounting scandal, or miss their quarterly earnings. To distribute your risk (or in investment terms “diversify your portfolio”), buy a mutual fund. But be aware of the big differences between those that are “actively managed” vs. “indexed”.
Some mutual funds are actively managed by professionals. This active trading comes with a cost: management fees, administrative fees, and transaction costs can eat up to 2% of your investment each year. Active trading also means more taxes in the form of short term capital gains. Are they worth the cost? Often, they’re not: 80% of mutual funds under-perform the S&P 500 index.
You should also be aware that choosing the right mutual fund is nearly as hard as choosing the right stock. By contrast, index funds are “passive” – these funds invest in specific set of stocks designed to simply mirror the market instead of trying to out-guess it. The result: fees at index funds like the Vanguard S&P 500 are less than 0.20% annually.
Pay Yourself First:
You pay the government. You pay your rent (or mortgage). You pay your bills. How about paying your (future) self for change? They key is to do it automatically, every paycheck, before you get a chance to spend or even see the money. If your company has a 401k plan, start contributing. This money comes out of gross-pay and is not taxed. Even better, companies often “match” employee contributions. You put in $1, they put in $1; it’s like doubling your money immediately. Even if you company matches only $0.50 to the dollar, that’s still an instant 50% return.
If your company does not have a 401k (or you’ve maxed it out), you can setup “automatic” investments with E*Trade, Fidelity, Vanguard, and most major brokerages. Each month, they’ll take $1,000 from your checking account, and put it towards the investment (hopefully an index fund!) of your choosing.
The Magic of Compound Interest:
The end result of automatic monthly investments: wealth that grows year after year.
Monthly Investment Age Total Invested to age 65 7% 10% 13%
$100 20 $54,000 $379,259 $1,048,250 $3,096,741
25 $48,000 $262,481 $632,408 $1,617,907
30 $42,000 $180,105 $379,664 $843,184
35 $36,000 $121,997 $226,049 $437,327
40 $30,000 $81,007 $132,683 $224,709
$200 20 $108,000 $758,519 $2,096,500 $6,193,482
25 $96,000 $524,963 $1,264,816 $3,235,813
30 $84,000 $360,211 $759,328 $1,686,368
35 $72,000 $243,994 $452,098 $874,654
40 $60,000 $162,014 $265,367 $449,418
$500 20 $270,000 $1,896,297 $5,241,251 $15,483,705
25 $240,000 $1,312,407 $3,162,040 $8,089,533
30 $210,000 $900,527 $1,898,319 $4,215,920
35 $180,000 $609,985 $1,130,244 $2,186,635
40 $150,000 $405,036 $663,417 $1,123,546
$1,000 20 $540,000 $3,792,595 $10,482,502 $30,967,409
25 $480,000 $2,624,813 $6,324,080 $16,179,066
30 $420,000 $1,801,055 $3,796,638 $8,431,839
35 $360,000 $1,219,971 $2,260,488 $4,373,270
40 $300,000 $810,072 $1,326,833 $2,247,092
You can run the numbers yourself by clicking here.Think you’ll be a millionaire? Be wary of taxes. Instead of a 10% return, taxes knock it back to 7%. If you’re 30, that means your $500 a month investment drops from $1,898,319 to $900,527. But there is a way to avoid taxes; it’s called an IRA (Individual Retirement Account).
Like a 401k, an IRA allows your money to grow tax-free until you take it out for retirement. Unfortunately, if you need to money before retirement, you’ll be hit with penalties and be forced to pay the extra taxes. A better alternative, especially if you’re young, may be a Roth IRA. Contributions to a Roth IRA are made from after-tax income. As a result, you can withdraw your original contributions at any time, penalty and tax-free. By “avoiding taxes” and investing small amounts every month, anyone can achieve financial security.
Takeaways:
* Weigh your long term portfolio heavily towards stocks.
* For money needed in less than four years, keep it in a high-yield savings account, money market fund, or CD.
* Invest $100-$1,000 a month automatically into index funds or the closest alternative offered by your company’s 401k plan.
——————
Notes:
1. See “Stocks for the Long Run” by Jeremy Siegel, Chapter 1.
Prepare for the Unexpected
The best laid financial plan can be quickly ruined by a streak of misfortune: job loss, fire, theft, or health problems. You need to protect yourself, but it’s not nearly as hard as you think.
Emergency Fund:
Without savings, living paycheck-to-paycheck leaves you vulnerable. You need a buffer, a way to get back on your feet if disaster strikes. Save enough for at least three months’ expenses. For most people, that should be $10,000-20,000. This is savings separate and distinct from your vacation fund and your investments. It’s your “open in case of emergencies only” fund.
Build your emergency fund.
Earn rates much higher than that of the national average. Just pay careful attention to the minimum balance require to avoid fees; amount required to open account; and amount required to maintain yield.
Accelerate your emergency fund. Here are two accounts that offer competitive rates.
Ally Online Savings Account
CapitalOne Online Savings Account
Insurance:
Yes, if you’re an adult, you need insurance. And no, not just car insurance. What you need depends on where you are in life. Medical bills are cited in about half of all bankruptcies1. And it’s no wonder. Break your leg rock-climbing and you could be stuck with a $5,000+ bill. If your company doesn’t provide it, you need health insurance.
If you’re in your twenties or early thirties, choose an inexpensive plan with a high deductible. You want something to protect you from disaster, but without breaking the bank. In most states, you can find a plan with a $2-3,000 deductible for $50-100 per month. You may not have the prescription drug benefits, or the low co-pay of those $300 per month plans, but if you only go to the doctor once or twice a year, you’ll come out way ahead.
If you rent, you need renter’s insurance. Sadly, only about 33% of renters actually buy this coverage2. Renter’s insurance protects you against fire, theft, and most natural disasters. Step back and think about how much it would cost to replace your computer, TV, couch, bed, and everything else you own. With renter’s insurance, you can get $20k in coverage for only $10-15 a month. It’s dirt cheap and worth it.
Renter’s insurance also protects you outside your apartment. If your car window is smashed and someone grabs your laptop, your car insurance will only cover the window, not the laptop. A good $20,000 renter’s insurance policy would give you up to $2,000 to replace your loss. Keep in mind that roommates’ possessions are not covered; your roommate needs a policy of his or her own.
Takeaways:
* Save $10-20k in an emergency fund. Keep that fund in a high-yield savings account like Ally Bank or Capital One.
* If you need health insurance, consider a $50-$100 a month high-deductible plan. Being without health insurance leaves you too vulnerable to bankruptcy or worse.
* If you rent, get rent’s insurance. It’s only $120-$160 per year.
——————
Financial Success in Three Steps:
We’ve now reduced personal finance to three simple principles, and no more than a dozen action items. But where do you start right now?
1. Use Mint…and see where your money goes
The first step to financial success is to know where you stand. You need a complete picture of how much you have, how much you owe, and where it’s all going. With Mint, you get all of that – for free, and with less than five minutes of setup.
2. Pay off your credit cards (highest rate first)
We’ve already shown you that a $5,000 credit card bill paid off at $100 a month will take nine years and $5,100 in additional interest charges. If you’re paying 20% interest on credit card debt, action item number one is to pay it off before you do anything else. There’s no point investing your money at a 10-15% gain, when it could be used to avoid a 20% loss.
3. Setup automatic investments
The key to wealth is compound interest. Invest just $200 every month when you’re 25 and at a 10% return, you’ll have $1.2m by 65. You’ll also have savings in case of emergency, money for your children’s college, and the ability to borrow from your investments for a down-payment on a house.
Not sure you can find $200 a month? Mint shows the average user over $1,800 in annual savings – that’s $150 a month right there. You’ll be well on your way.
A must read for everyone. Young or old. Rich or broke. From beginners to the well versed in financial matters. An easy to understand approach that anyone can comprehend.
Here's the article:
More than 10,000 books have been written about personal finance. You could spend a lifetime reading them. Some of them are great1; others are 99% motivation, 1% actual, actionable information2. The truth is personal finance is simple. Every one of these books can be reduced into three basic principles:
1. Spend less than you earn
2. Make the money you have work for you
3. Be prepared for the unexpected
While the principles might sound like common sense, the real trick is to truly understand them, and more importantly, to apply them.
Our Stance: Mint.com was founded to make personal finance simple, understandable, and ultimately life-enhancing. Money, after all, is a means to an end. It’s a tool for doing more, and having more time. It’s not just about increasing your net worth or saving for retirement. As we say at Mint, money is for living.
Spend Less Than You Earn
Put another way, “spend less than you earn” means: live within your means, don’t overspend, don’t get yourself into debt and start saving. Easy to say, not so easy to do — especially given the appeal of a new car, a sweet home theater, a couple nights each week out with friends, and a posh tropical vacation every once in a while.
You have a job for a reason — you want the good things life has to offer. You could forgo dining out for cooking at home, always buy generic, get your clothes on sale at the end of the season, and save a few dollars whenever possible. But really there are four big decisions that affect your expenses (and therefore your ability to save for other things) more than anything else. These are the areas where you need to go in understanding the costs involved, so that you come out remaining financially strong.
1. Buying a House
A house is likely the most expensive purchase you’ll ever make. And it’s not just the mortgage, its property taxes, home owner’s insurance, maintenance, and the time it takes to mow the lawn. Too many people think that buying a home is automatically a good investment, since you’re “not throwing money away on rent.”
While owning a home of your own may be the American dream, it doesn’t always make economic sense. If you live in California, the Northeast, or Southwest where housing prices have doubled or tripled in the last 10 years, it’s almost always better to rent and invest the difference (more on this in principal #2).
Even if you live outside those regions, if you move within the next five years (and if you’re in your 20s that’s almost a certainty), the closing costs and 6% realtor fees will eat away your gains. By contrast, if you plan to stay in the same area indefinitely, a house may be one of the best investments you make.
To determine what’s right for you, I like the NY Times Rent vs. Buy Calculator. It’s the best one on the web, and easy to use: just enter your rent and the price to buy a comparable place3.
2. Kids (and when to have them)
Children can be an amazing source of joy in your life. If you’re planning to have some, it’s important to realize the expense involved, so you can make the best decision on when to do so. Kids mean more money spent on a bigger house, a bigger car, food, clothes, healthcare, and education. The cost of raising a child calculator at BabyCenter does a good job of breaking things down by region and household income level. In today’s dollars, most estimates approach $200,000 per child (excluding college). That’s about $11,000 per year per child.
This cost can be lessened dramatically by waiting a few years. If you wait to have kids for 4 years, and instead invest that $11,000 per year at a 10% return, you would have $67,000 by time your child is born. As you begin to take $11,000 per year out for child-related expenses, part of your original investment continues to grow. In the 18 years spent raising your child, you will expend only $100,000 out of pocket. It’s like having a child at half the cost.
3. Where you live
You probably choose where to live based on job opportunities, proximity to family and friends, or a great climate. But where you live has a big impact on how much you can save.
For example, if you make $75,000 a year in Austin, you would need to make $135,000 in San Francisco to maintain your lifestyle. That’s an 80% increase in cost of living. Unfortunately, moving from Austin to San Francisco, salaries typically increase by only 30%.
To compare major cities, I like BankRate’s cost of moving calculator. It shows the difference in housing costs, doctor’s appointments, and even the cost of a haircut.
4. Car (new or used)
Automobile manufacturers and dealers spent more than $15 billion in 2007 to convince you to buy a new car4. Seriously, that’s billion with a “b”. Let’s say you cave and decide to get a 2009 Chevy Malibu because it will “only” cost $21,000. Three years later, the car has depreciated by $8,000 and you’ve paid more than $3,000 in finance charges – a total expense of $11,000. If you bought a used 2005 Malibu instead, depreciation and finance charges add to only $3,500. That’s a $7,500 difference. You can see the calculation yourself at Edmunds.
Maybe you want something better than a Malibu. Buy a 2005 BMW 545i for $28,000 instead of the 2009 550i for $60,000. It will cost $32,000 less to buy used, and you’ll save $25,000 in depreciation and finance charges over the next 3 years. Always buy used, even if only last year’s model (I myself own a ’94 and a ’96). Impressing the neighbors (or the ladies) with an ever so slightly better model probably isn’t worth it. Getting Ahead in Your Savings
Easy Ways to Maximize Your Savings
Beyond the “big four” financial decisions, there a few things everyone can do to maximize savings. And they can all be done without radically altering your lifestyle.
Get a credit card that pays you:
Always use a credit card – instead of a debit card, checks or cash – if you pay off your balance in full each month. A credit card gives you a 30-day interest free loan, more rewards, and in conjunction with a tool like Mint, better visibility into exactly where your money goes.
Turn the tables on your credit card company and make them pay you with a rewards card. Whether you opt for points, miles, or cash back is up to you, but don’t settle for anything less than 1% back (or 1 point or mile per dollar).
Usually, you can do much better. Discover® More Card with $50 Cash Back Bonus offers 5% cash back in categories like travel, home improvement stores, gas, restaurants, and groceries, and up to 1% on all other purchases. Capital One® No Hassle Miles℠ Rewards earns you 1.25 miles for every dollar spent on purchases.
The catch is that most cards offering 3-5% cash back have a cap on rewards. Keeping track of all the restrictions, and calculating whether it’s better to get cash back on restaurants or utilities is difficult. Fortunately, Mint does all that work for you. Based on your unique spending categories, Mint finds the card that maximizes your rewards.
If you carry a balance on your credit card, maximizing your rewards is secondary. Paying down your debt comes first. A $5,000 credit card bill paid off at a $100 minimum monthly payment takes 9 years to pay off. In that time, you will have spent $5,100 in interest charges alone! You can do the calculation yourself at Yahoo Finance.
If you switch to a 0% introductory rate card (and keep switching when the introductory rate expires), that $100 a month payment means you’ll be debt free in less than half the time. The Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard® charges no interest on balance transfers for up to 18 months and has no annual fee.
Upgrade your bank account:
This year, US banks are expected to charge consumers over $55 billion in fees5. To add insult to injury, the average savings account pays you only 0.50% interest (and most checking accounts earn no interest at all).
Banks work by accumulating deposits, then loaning that money out as a mortgage or to a business. Those loans are paid back at an interest rate that is typically around 5.00% ~ 8.00%. If the average bank pays you only 0.50%, they’re taking that difference as profit — profits that could go to you. Get a savings account from Ally Bank or Capital One that pays much more.
Better rates, better savings. Why settle for 0% from your checking or 0.50% from your savings? When compared to an account at 0.50%, a savings of $20,000 in a 5.00% account can earn you an extra $1,000 per year!
Upgrade your bank. Here are high-yield accounts for your checking and savings.
Checking: E*Trade Max-Rate Checking Account
Savings: Ally Bank
Get a lower price on your bills:
No one likes to overpay, but most of us do. Are you sure you’ve got the best price for your internet, TV, or mobile phone service? Probably not. New plans, equipment, and promotional rates come out every day.
Frequently, the biggest savings come from bundling multiple services together. By switching to Comcast or AT&T you can get phone, TV and internet all for about $100 a month (including taxes and fees). That can save an average household $300-$800 each year.
A dollar saved is many dollars earned:
Lower prices on everyday bills, a credit card that pays you, and a bank account that earns maximum interest add up. On Mint, we’ve found that the average household can save nearly $1,800 each year. If you start when you’re 30, investing that savings at a 10% return means $569,000 by age 65. And that leads us to our next topic: the power of compound interest.
Takeaways:
* Consciously weigh the financial impact of buying vs. renting, when to have kids, & where you live.
* Buy your cars used.
* Get a credit card like Discover® More Card with $50 Cash Back Bonus or Capital One® No Hassle Miles℠ Rewards that pays you back with cash or miles.
* Pay off your credit cards, highest interest first.
* Put your savings in a high-yield account like Ally Online Savings Account.
* Use Mint to manage your finances and find a lower price on your monthly bills
—————————–
Notes & References:
1. My favorite personal finance books are:
* The Richest Man in Babylon, a great starting place on the power of compound interest;
* The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need, a comprehensive guide to investment vehicles, retirement accounts, insurance, and ways to save on everyday costs.
* Stocks for the Long Run, a well-demonstrated call for long-term, equity (stocks) heavy portfolio.
2. Rich Dad, Poor Dad is particularly guilty here. In my opinion, while popular, it is largely fluff with only one specific, actionable suggestion: buy real estate as an investment and rent it out.
3. Under the “General” settings for the Rent vs. Buy Calculator, you should try these settings: increase your investment return from 5% to 10%, and income tax rate from 20% to 35%.
4. Source: TNS Media Intelligence.
5. Robert Hammer of investment banking firm R.K. Hammer, cited in MSN Money.
Make the Money You Have Work for You
Make The Money You Have Work For You
If you saved $10,000 a year for the next 40 years and earned no interest, you would have $400,000. If you invested $10,000 a year and earned a 10% return each year, you would have $5,267,155. Why the difference? Because your interest earns interest, and its interest earns interest, and so on. The result is exponential growth. Remember calculus? This time it actually works for you.
To obtain real wealth, you need to redeploy your money. And that means investment. It’s how capitalism works. You can put your money into stocks where you own a part of a corporation; bonds where you loan your money out and earn interest in return; real estate; or start your own business. Managing real estate can be a full time job, and owning your own business certainly is. Since both of these may require radical changes in life style, we’ll ignore them to focus on investments open to everyone: stocks and bonds.
Stocks vs. Bonds:
Over the last 200 years, stocks have consistently and reliably outperformed bonds. Not counting inflation, stocks have averaged 10% a year; and 14% for the past 20 years. Accounting for inflation, stocks have provided a “real” return of 7% annually, doubling their value every 7 years. By contrast, bonds have produced an average real return of 4.5%, doubling only every 16 years1.
For money you need in the next four years, stocks may not be the right choice. In the short term, the market may swing widely up or down. You can lose money. In the long term, however, a portfolio weighted heavily in stocks has consistently outperformed one weighted towards bonds or other fixed-income investments (such as CDs or money market funds).
Individual stocks are risky. Any one company might go out of business, suffer an accounting scandal, or miss their quarterly earnings. To distribute your risk (or in investment terms “diversify your portfolio”), buy a mutual fund. But be aware of the big differences between those that are “actively managed” vs. “indexed”.
Some mutual funds are actively managed by professionals. This active trading comes with a cost: management fees, administrative fees, and transaction costs can eat up to 2% of your investment each year. Active trading also means more taxes in the form of short term capital gains. Are they worth the cost? Often, they’re not: 80% of mutual funds under-perform the S&P 500 index.
You should also be aware that choosing the right mutual fund is nearly as hard as choosing the right stock. By contrast, index funds are “passive” – these funds invest in specific set of stocks designed to simply mirror the market instead of trying to out-guess it. The result: fees at index funds like the Vanguard S&P 500 are less than 0.20% annually.
Pay Yourself First:
You pay the government. You pay your rent (or mortgage). You pay your bills. How about paying your (future) self for change? They key is to do it automatically, every paycheck, before you get a chance to spend or even see the money. If your company has a 401k plan, start contributing. This money comes out of gross-pay and is not taxed. Even better, companies often “match” employee contributions. You put in $1, they put in $1; it’s like doubling your money immediately. Even if you company matches only $0.50 to the dollar, that’s still an instant 50% return.
If your company does not have a 401k (or you’ve maxed it out), you can setup “automatic” investments with E*Trade, Fidelity, Vanguard, and most major brokerages. Each month, they’ll take $1,000 from your checking account, and put it towards the investment (hopefully an index fund!) of your choosing.
The Magic of Compound Interest:
The end result of automatic monthly investments: wealth that grows year after year.
Monthly Investment Age Total Invested to age 65 7% 10% 13%
$100 20 $54,000 $379,259 $1,048,250 $3,096,741
25 $48,000 $262,481 $632,408 $1,617,907
30 $42,000 $180,105 $379,664 $843,184
35 $36,000 $121,997 $226,049 $437,327
40 $30,000 $81,007 $132,683 $224,709
$200 20 $108,000 $758,519 $2,096,500 $6,193,482
25 $96,000 $524,963 $1,264,816 $3,235,813
30 $84,000 $360,211 $759,328 $1,686,368
35 $72,000 $243,994 $452,098 $874,654
40 $60,000 $162,014 $265,367 $449,418
$500 20 $270,000 $1,896,297 $5,241,251 $15,483,705
25 $240,000 $1,312,407 $3,162,040 $8,089,533
30 $210,000 $900,527 $1,898,319 $4,215,920
35 $180,000 $609,985 $1,130,244 $2,186,635
40 $150,000 $405,036 $663,417 $1,123,546
$1,000 20 $540,000 $3,792,595 $10,482,502 $30,967,409
25 $480,000 $2,624,813 $6,324,080 $16,179,066
30 $420,000 $1,801,055 $3,796,638 $8,431,839
35 $360,000 $1,219,971 $2,260,488 $4,373,270
40 $300,000 $810,072 $1,326,833 $2,247,092
You can run the numbers yourself by clicking here.Think you’ll be a millionaire? Be wary of taxes. Instead of a 10% return, taxes knock it back to 7%. If you’re 30, that means your $500 a month investment drops from $1,898,319 to $900,527. But there is a way to avoid taxes; it’s called an IRA (Individual Retirement Account).
Like a 401k, an IRA allows your money to grow tax-free until you take it out for retirement. Unfortunately, if you need to money before retirement, you’ll be hit with penalties and be forced to pay the extra taxes. A better alternative, especially if you’re young, may be a Roth IRA. Contributions to a Roth IRA are made from after-tax income. As a result, you can withdraw your original contributions at any time, penalty and tax-free. By “avoiding taxes” and investing small amounts every month, anyone can achieve financial security.
Takeaways:
* Weigh your long term portfolio heavily towards stocks.
* For money needed in less than four years, keep it in a high-yield savings account, money market fund, or CD.
* Invest $100-$1,000 a month automatically into index funds or the closest alternative offered by your company’s 401k plan.
——————
Notes:
1. See “Stocks for the Long Run” by Jeremy Siegel, Chapter 1.
Prepare for the Unexpected
The best laid financial plan can be quickly ruined by a streak of misfortune: job loss, fire, theft, or health problems. You need to protect yourself, but it’s not nearly as hard as you think.
Emergency Fund:
Without savings, living paycheck-to-paycheck leaves you vulnerable. You need a buffer, a way to get back on your feet if disaster strikes. Save enough for at least three months’ expenses. For most people, that should be $10,000-20,000. This is savings separate and distinct from your vacation fund and your investments. It’s your “open in case of emergencies only” fund.
Build your emergency fund.
Earn rates much higher than that of the national average. Just pay careful attention to the minimum balance require to avoid fees; amount required to open account; and amount required to maintain yield.
Accelerate your emergency fund. Here are two accounts that offer competitive rates.
Ally Online Savings Account
CapitalOne Online Savings Account
Insurance:
Yes, if you’re an adult, you need insurance. And no, not just car insurance. What you need depends on where you are in life. Medical bills are cited in about half of all bankruptcies1. And it’s no wonder. Break your leg rock-climbing and you could be stuck with a $5,000+ bill. If your company doesn’t provide it, you need health insurance.
If you’re in your twenties or early thirties, choose an inexpensive plan with a high deductible. You want something to protect you from disaster, but without breaking the bank. In most states, you can find a plan with a $2-3,000 deductible for $50-100 per month. You may not have the prescription drug benefits, or the low co-pay of those $300 per month plans, but if you only go to the doctor once or twice a year, you’ll come out way ahead.
If you rent, you need renter’s insurance. Sadly, only about 33% of renters actually buy this coverage2. Renter’s insurance protects you against fire, theft, and most natural disasters. Step back and think about how much it would cost to replace your computer, TV, couch, bed, and everything else you own. With renter’s insurance, you can get $20k in coverage for only $10-15 a month. It’s dirt cheap and worth it.
Renter’s insurance also protects you outside your apartment. If your car window is smashed and someone grabs your laptop, your car insurance will only cover the window, not the laptop. A good $20,000 renter’s insurance policy would give you up to $2,000 to replace your loss. Keep in mind that roommates’ possessions are not covered; your roommate needs a policy of his or her own.
Takeaways:
* Save $10-20k in an emergency fund. Keep that fund in a high-yield savings account like Ally Bank or Capital One.
* If you need health insurance, consider a $50-$100 a month high-deductible plan. Being without health insurance leaves you too vulnerable to bankruptcy or worse.
* If you rent, get rent’s insurance. It’s only $120-$160 per year.
——————
Financial Success in Three Steps:
We’ve now reduced personal finance to three simple principles, and no more than a dozen action items. But where do you start right now?
1. Use Mint…and see where your money goes
The first step to financial success is to know where you stand. You need a complete picture of how much you have, how much you owe, and where it’s all going. With Mint, you get all of that – for free, and with less than five minutes of setup.
2. Pay off your credit cards (highest rate first)
We’ve already shown you that a $5,000 credit card bill paid off at $100 a month will take nine years and $5,100 in additional interest charges. If you’re paying 20% interest on credit card debt, action item number one is to pay it off before you do anything else. There’s no point investing your money at a 10-15% gain, when it could be used to avoid a 20% loss.
3. Setup automatic investments
The key to wealth is compound interest. Invest just $200 every month when you’re 25 and at a 10% return, you’ll have $1.2m by 65. You’ll also have savings in case of emergency, money for your children’s college, and the ability to borrow from your investments for a down-payment on a house.
Not sure you can find $200 a month? Mint shows the average user over $1,800 in annual savings – that’s $150 a month right there. You’ll be well on your way.
10 Dogs That Make Great Pet
Have you been thinking of what dog to get? Let's take a quiz for a moment...
What do you think are the top 10 dogs that make great pets?
Here they are:
1. St. Bernard (my favorite)
2. Labrador (not for me)
3. New-Found-Land (that's what I thought, huh?)
4. German Pointer (nah)
5. Collies (boy, I thought I heard them all) But I like them!
6. Dalmation
7. Siberian Husky 9No sure if I find them cute or scary)
8. German Sheperd
9. Basset Hound (no way I'll get this one)
10. Great Dane (50-50)
For the full article and adorable pictures:
http://therealowner.com/dogs/10-dogs-that-make-great-pets/
What do you think are the top 10 dogs that make great pets?
Here they are:
1. St. Bernard (my favorite)
2. Labrador (not for me)
3. New-Found-Land (that's what I thought, huh?)
4. German Pointer (nah)
5. Collies (boy, I thought I heard them all) But I like them!
6. Dalmation
7. Siberian Husky 9No sure if I find them cute or scary)
8. German Sheperd
9. Basset Hound (no way I'll get this one)
10. Great Dane (50-50)
For the full article and adorable pictures:
http://therealowner.com/dogs/10-dogs-that-make-great-pets/
Ten Islands To See Before You Die.
LOL! I am not kidding you!
Vieques, Easter Island, Bali, Ischia, Chiloe, Bora Bora, Key West, Penang, Galapagos Island, & Palm Island Dubai in that order.
Find out why...
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/02/22/bt.must.see.islands/index.html?hpt=C2
Vieques, Easter Island, Bali, Ischia, Chiloe, Bora Bora, Key West, Penang, Galapagos Island, & Palm Island Dubai in that order.
Find out why...
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/02/22/bt.must.see.islands/index.html?hpt=C2
Monday, February 21, 2011
Prayer
There are so many ideas of what people think prayer is. You will find many of the interpretations from theologians and scholars over centuries defining what prayer truly is. Probably, most of them are right. However, I don't think God intended prayer to be complicated that we need scholars and theologian to tell us what prayer is supposed to be. We all know that God sent His only Son to save us. It is His unconditional love for all of humanity to either receive it or reject His love. It's a gift" and an "invitation for everyone." It's that simple. That is why I know in my heart that God intended prayer to be easily grasped by you and me. There's no science about it.
Since God is our Father and we are His beloved children - I believe that God first and foremost wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us. Like a "father to a son" and a "son to a father." If one feels so distant when they pray to our God our Father it is not because God is somewhere out there in the high heavens waiting for us to screw up and punish us. Nor God is not like calling from a cell phone that you need to know the right area code to reach Him. Not even close :) Neither our God is not like a ATM machine that the more good things you do you can actually deposit in the ATM get your prayers answered and talk to God LIVE and personal. Our God isn't like that. Why? Because God is our Father. And He loves us personally and individually. He is everywhere! God is with you. God is with me. By understanding what God is like and who He is made me realize how simple He made it possible for each one of us to pray. It has to be. It doesn't matter at this point if we haven't gone to Church in awhile. Or have sinned many times. It also doesn't matter if we don't know what and how to pray. Why? Because He is our Father. His Love is everlasting and His mercies are new every morning. So He understands even if we don't ourselves.
To me prayer in a nutshell is a personal conversation between a father and a son or daughter. WE can come to Him about anything. Our plans and aspirations, our successes and broken dreams. Our frustrations, our heartaches and our hopes. From the smallest details of our lives we can share those moments with Him. He longs for us to spend time with Him more than we can imagine. Just the way I am - just the you are, you and I can come to Our Father without being judged but loved and received joyously.
If you don't know how or where to start just you say whatever is in your heart. That is a great place to start. You can't go wrong with that. We all have the same access to God. We have the same area code. It's your "heart." Open the door of your heart and He will come into your life and fellowship with you. Don't feel undeserving or unworthy. No one is. But only through His grace we all are.
Since God is our Father and we are His beloved children - I believe that God first and foremost wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us. Like a "father to a son" and a "son to a father." If one feels so distant when they pray to our God our Father it is not because God is somewhere out there in the high heavens waiting for us to screw up and punish us. Nor God is not like calling from a cell phone that you need to know the right area code to reach Him. Not even close :) Neither our God is not like a ATM machine that the more good things you do you can actually deposit in the ATM get your prayers answered and talk to God LIVE and personal. Our God isn't like that. Why? Because God is our Father. And He loves us personally and individually. He is everywhere! God is with you. God is with me. By understanding what God is like and who He is made me realize how simple He made it possible for each one of us to pray. It has to be. It doesn't matter at this point if we haven't gone to Church in awhile. Or have sinned many times. It also doesn't matter if we don't know what and how to pray. Why? Because He is our Father. His Love is everlasting and His mercies are new every morning. So He understands even if we don't ourselves.
To me prayer in a nutshell is a personal conversation between a father and a son or daughter. WE can come to Him about anything. Our plans and aspirations, our successes and broken dreams. Our frustrations, our heartaches and our hopes. From the smallest details of our lives we can share those moments with Him. He longs for us to spend time with Him more than we can imagine. Just the way I am - just the you are, you and I can come to Our Father without being judged but loved and received joyously.
If you don't know how or where to start just you say whatever is in your heart. That is a great place to start. You can't go wrong with that. We all have the same access to God. We have the same area code. It's your "heart." Open the door of your heart and He will come into your life and fellowship with you. Don't feel undeserving or unworthy. No one is. But only through His grace we all are.
Mom to Judge: Rot in HELL!!!!!
Mom lashes out on a crooked judge!
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2011/02/20/nr.lemon.mom.judge.cnn
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2011/02/20/nr.lemon.mom.judge.cnn
Tips on Preventing Cancer
This wonderful article talks about how to prevent cancer. A must read article for everyone. Please share to everyone you know....
- Anti Cancer Diet
- What you need to know about Cancer and Diet
- 6 Prevention Tips
Anti-Cancer Diet: Cancer Prevention Nutrition Tips & Cancer Fighting Foods
- Anti Cancer Diet
- What you need to know about Cancer and Diet
- 6 Prevention Tips
Anti-Cancer Diet: Cancer Prevention Nutrition Tips & Cancer Fighting Foods
Sunday, February 20, 2011
An Anniversary Prayer
Here is an Anniversary Prayer I wrote this morning for couples that I want to share with you all. So on the day of your Anniversary you can go back and say this prayer with your special someone.
For Husband/Wife
Dear Lord, thank you for blessing me with the "love of my life as we celebrate our anniversary today. Remind us of the "vows" we took. May it rekindle "the fire of our love" for each other as we cherish the precious moments of our first kiss... our first dance... when we first fell in love... and other wonderful memories... We pray that you will bless us with more of them.
As we look into each others eyes on our Anniversary - we recommit our "vows" to one another "to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."
We know there will be times we will say or do things that will hurt each other - and in those moments give us the grace to forgive and forget easily knowing that we have faults of our own.
When we have arguments and misunderstandings, remind us not to make matters worse by rehashing the past of what was said or done that caused us both pain but in humility and grace to work things out quickly lovingly before we say our good nights.
We praise you and thank you with all our hearts for this wonderful gift of "Love." Make our love "pure." Teach us the way to love each other and not to take advantage of the other person's patience and goodness but to love them even more. AMEN!
For Husband/Wife
Dear Lord, thank you for blessing me with the "love of my life as we celebrate our anniversary today. Remind us of the "vows" we took. May it rekindle "the fire of our love" for each other as we cherish the precious moments of our first kiss... our first dance... when we first fell in love... and other wonderful memories... We pray that you will bless us with more of them.
As we look into each others eyes on our Anniversary - we recommit our "vows" to one another "to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."
We know there will be times we will say or do things that will hurt each other - and in those moments give us the grace to forgive and forget easily knowing that we have faults of our own.
When we have arguments and misunderstandings, remind us not to make matters worse by rehashing the past of what was said or done that caused us both pain but in humility and grace to work things out quickly lovingly before we say our good nights.
We praise you and thank you with all our hearts for this wonderful gift of "Love." Make our love "pure." Teach us the way to love each other and not to take advantage of the other person's patience and goodness but to love them even more. AMEN!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Best Spas in California
If you like to go to the Spa and you are visiting CA here's a list of the best spas around provided by About.com
But if you ask me, my favorite is the Montage Resorts & Spa in Laguna Beach, CA. The overall experience was just phenomenal. I recommend you spend the weekend at the Montage! At the Spa ask for Rachel. She used to work at the Amadeus Spa. Tell her Victor referred you - She is awesome! Well, enough of my opinions! Here you go.
Best Spas in CA:
Golden Door , Escondido. The ultimate in intimate luxury, Golden Door in Escondido is a woman-only spa that serves no more than 40 guests. Wooden walkways link a series of serene garden courtyards inspired by the ancient inns of Japan. Men are welcome during men-only weeks. Type: destination spa
Cal-A-Vie, Vista. This elegant weight-loss spa is set on 200 rolling acres north of San Diego. Its 24 guest cottages are decorated in elegant European style. Type: destination spa
Spa Montage at Montage Resort, Laguna Beach. This oceanfront spa is the only five-star winner. It's known for its "Surrender" experience, where the therapist prescribes the ideal treatment or series of treatments to heal and address individual needs. “Surrender” can be booked for as little as two hours or as long as a full day. Type: resort spa
The Peninsula Spa, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills. The Peninsula Spa has a rooftop garden oasis. A 60-foot lap pool is surrounded by ten private cabanas with views of the city. Type: resort spa
The Beverly Hills Hotel Spa by La Prairie, Beverly Hills. The famed "Pink Lady" is home to The Polo Lounge and has a luxe but pricey spa. Type: resort spa
Ojai Valley Inn & Spa Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is a luxury resort spa that has it all: a gorgeous Moroccan-inspired spa, challenging golf, and beautiful new rooms in a Shangri-La setting. Great shopping is just a ramble away in the charming, historic village of Ojai. Type: resort spa
Spa Gaucin, St. Regis Monarch Beach, Dana Point. Type: resort spa
The Spa at Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur. Type: resort spa
Spa at Four Seasons Resort Aviara, North San Diego, Carlsbad Type: resort spa
The Spa at Bernardus, Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley. Type: resort spa
But if you ask me, my favorite is the Montage Resorts & Spa in Laguna Beach, CA. The overall experience was just phenomenal. I recommend you spend the weekend at the Montage! At the Spa ask for Rachel. She used to work at the Amadeus Spa. Tell her Victor referred you - She is awesome! Well, enough of my opinions! Here you go.
Best Spas in CA:
Golden Door , Escondido. The ultimate in intimate luxury, Golden Door in Escondido is a woman-only spa that serves no more than 40 guests. Wooden walkways link a series of serene garden courtyards inspired by the ancient inns of Japan. Men are welcome during men-only weeks. Type: destination spa
Cal-A-Vie, Vista. This elegant weight-loss spa is set on 200 rolling acres north of San Diego. Its 24 guest cottages are decorated in elegant European style. Type: destination spa
Spa Montage at Montage Resort, Laguna Beach. This oceanfront spa is the only five-star winner. It's known for its "Surrender" experience, where the therapist prescribes the ideal treatment or series of treatments to heal and address individual needs. “Surrender” can be booked for as little as two hours or as long as a full day. Type: resort spa
The Peninsula Spa, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills. The Peninsula Spa has a rooftop garden oasis. A 60-foot lap pool is surrounded by ten private cabanas with views of the city. Type: resort spa
The Beverly Hills Hotel Spa by La Prairie, Beverly Hills. The famed "Pink Lady" is home to The Polo Lounge and has a luxe but pricey spa. Type: resort spa
Ojai Valley Inn & Spa Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is a luxury resort spa that has it all: a gorgeous Moroccan-inspired spa, challenging golf, and beautiful new rooms in a Shangri-La setting. Great shopping is just a ramble away in the charming, historic village of Ojai. Type: resort spa
Spa Gaucin, St. Regis Monarch Beach, Dana Point. Type: resort spa
The Spa at Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur. Type: resort spa
Spa at Four Seasons Resort Aviara, North San Diego, Carlsbad Type: resort spa
The Spa at Bernardus, Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley. Type: resort spa
Managing Stress
Everyone experience stress every day of our lives. I don't know of anyone who doesn't feel stressed at times. Some are more than others. How we handle them affects the quality of our life. Here's a great article from Help Guide.
It speaks of the following:
- Identifying the Sources of Stress in your life
- Look at how you currently cope with Stress
- The 4 A's
- Stress management strategies
Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress
It speaks of the following:
- Identifying the Sources of Stress in your life
- Look at how you currently cope with Stress
- The 4 A's
- Stress management strategies
Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress
A Prayer for the Sick
Here's a powerful prayer "Holy Trinity - Miracle Prayer for the Sick" I came across in the internet. ray this prayer and believe it. Please share with others...
I love you dear Heavenly Father, precious Jesus and beautiful Holy Spirit.
I pray now: "Dear Heavenly Father, as I cup my hands, please fill this cup with JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD. Thank you, dear God, and now I take JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD and by the Holy Spirit of love, power and sound mind I pour it over my head and let it saturate my body from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. [As I pour JESUS’ BLOOD, which God Almighty put into my hands, over the top of my head I move my hands down over my body, and I see the BLOOD saturate my entire body.]
I now proclaim in Jesus' name that JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD, which has cleansing power, healing power and restoration power now cleanses, heals and restores my brain, my conscious mind, my subconscious mind, my head and my hair, my eyes and my ears, my nose, my mouth, my tongue and my lips, my teeth and my gums, my throat, my esophagus, and my stomach, my gall bladder and my liver, my pancreas, and every organ in my body, my immune system, my upper and lower intestines, my colon and my private parts, my hips, my thighs, my legs, my calves, my knees, my ankles, my feet, and my toes, my back side, my kidneys, my spine, my spinal cord, my central nervous system, my autonomic nervous system, my back, my neck, my shoulders, my arms, my hands, and my fingers, my chest, my lungs, and my heart.
Now Dear Father, I pray, fill this cup again with JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD. With the Holy Spirit I now pour JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD into my heart, this beautiful heart you gave to me oh Lord, which I now give to you and dedicate myself to you, to be obedient to you and my heart totally worships you, loves you and adores you my dearest God.
And now that my heart is filled with JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD, this beautiful BLOOD is being pumped through every artery, through every vein, through every capillary, into every bone, every cell, every atom and every molecule of my brain, my body, my spirit, my soul and my blood. Thank you dear God for completely cleansing, healing, and restoring my body, my mind, my heart, my spirit, my soul and my blood, and all my desires in JESUS’ holy name. AMEN.
I love you dear Heavenly Father, precious Jesus and beautiful Holy Spirit.
I pray now: "Dear Heavenly Father, as I cup my hands, please fill this cup with JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD. Thank you, dear God, and now I take JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD and by the Holy Spirit of love, power and sound mind I pour it over my head and let it saturate my body from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. [As I pour JESUS’ BLOOD, which God Almighty put into my hands, over the top of my head I move my hands down over my body, and I see the BLOOD saturate my entire body.]
I now proclaim in Jesus' name that JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD, which has cleansing power, healing power and restoration power now cleanses, heals and restores my brain, my conscious mind, my subconscious mind, my head and my hair, my eyes and my ears, my nose, my mouth, my tongue and my lips, my teeth and my gums, my throat, my esophagus, and my stomach, my gall bladder and my liver, my pancreas, and every organ in my body, my immune system, my upper and lower intestines, my colon and my private parts, my hips, my thighs, my legs, my calves, my knees, my ankles, my feet, and my toes, my back side, my kidneys, my spine, my spinal cord, my central nervous system, my autonomic nervous system, my back, my neck, my shoulders, my arms, my hands, and my fingers, my chest, my lungs, and my heart.
Now Dear Father, I pray, fill this cup again with JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD. With the Holy Spirit I now pour JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD into my heart, this beautiful heart you gave to me oh Lord, which I now give to you and dedicate myself to you, to be obedient to you and my heart totally worships you, loves you and adores you my dearest God.
And now that my heart is filled with JESUS’ PRECIOUS POWERFUL BLOOD, this beautiful BLOOD is being pumped through every artery, through every vein, through every capillary, into every bone, every cell, every atom and every molecule of my brain, my body, my spirit, my soul and my blood. Thank you dear God for completely cleansing, healing, and restoring my body, my mind, my heart, my spirit, my soul and my blood, and all my desires in JESUS’ holy name. AMEN.
Nutrition for Women
Eating Right to Look and Feel Your Best
Talks about:
- Good nutrition for women of all ages
- Eat to control cravings and boost energy
- Good carbs
- Don’t cut out the fat! Yes, you read that right!
- Focus on foods for strong bones
- For pregnant or breastfeeding women
- And more...
Nutrition for Women: Eating Right to Look and Feel Your Best
Talks about:
- Good nutrition for women of all ages
- Eat to control cravings and boost energy
- Good carbs
- Don’t cut out the fat! Yes, you read that right!
- Focus on foods for strong bones
- For pregnant or breastfeeding women
- And more...
Nutrition for Women: Eating Right to Look and Feel Your Best
Encouraging Good Behavior in your Kids
Here are wonderful tips you can incorporate to yours on how to encourage good behavior in your kids from the Raising Children Network. They have so much to offer from the newly born to teens and also their health issues. Enjoy!
1. Children do as you do. Your child watches you to get clues on how to behave in the world. You’re her role model, so use your own behaviour to guide her. What you do is often much more important than what you say. If you want your child to say ‘please’, say it yourself. If you don’t want your child to raise her voice, speak quietly and gently yourself.
2. Show your child how you feel. Tell him honestly how his behaviour affects you. This will help him see his her own feelings in yours, like a mirror. This is called empathy. By the age of three, children can show real empathy. So you might say, ‘I’m getting upset because there is so much noise I can’t talk on the phone’. When you start the sentence with ‘I’, it gives your child the chance to see things from your perspective.
3. Catch her being ‘good’. This simply means that when your child is behaving in a way you like, you can give her some positive feedback. For example, ‘Wow, you are playing so nicely. I really like the way you are keeping all the blocks on the table’. This works better than waiting for the blocks to come crashing to the floor before you take notice and bark, ‘Hey, stop that’. This positive feedback is sometimes called ‘descriptive praise’. Try to say six positive comments (praise and encouragement) for every negative comment (criticisms and reprimands). The 6-1 ratio keeps things in balance. Remember that if children have a choice only between no attention or negative attention, they will seek out negative attention.
4. Get down to your child’s level. Kneeling or squatting down next to children is a very powerful tool for communicating positively with them. Getting close allows you to tune in to what they might be feeling or thinking. It also helps them focus on what you are saying or asking for. If you are close to your child and have his attention, there is no need to make him look at you.
5. ‘I hear you.’ Active listening is another tool for helping young children cope with their emotions. They tend to get frustrated a lot, especially if they can’t express themselves well enough verbally. When you repeat back to them what you think they might be feeling, it helps to relieve some of their tension. It also makes them feel respected and comforted. It can diffuse many potential temper tantrums.
6. Keep promises. Stick to agreements. When you follow through on your promises, good or bad, your child learns to trust and respect you. So when you promise to go for a walk after she picks up her toys, make sure you have your walking shoes handy. When you say you will leave the library if she doesn’t stop running around, be prepared to leave straight away. No need to make a fuss about it – the more matter of fact, the better. This helps your child feel more secure, because it creates a consistent and predictable environment.
7. Reduce temptation. Your glasses look like so much fun to play with – it’s hard for children to remember not to touch. Reduce the chance for innocent but costly exploration by keeping that stuff out of sight.
8. Choose your battles. Before you get involved in anything your child is doing – especially to say ‘no’ or ‘stop’ – ask yourself if it really matters. By keeping instructions, requests and negative feedback to a minimum, you create less opportunity for conflict and bad feelings. Rules are important, but use them only when it’s really important.
9. Whining: be strong. Kids don’t want to be annoying. By giving in when they’re whinging for something, we train them to do it more – even if we don’t mean to. ‘No’ means ‘no’, not maybe, so don’t say it unless you mean it. If you say ‘no’ and then give in, children will be whine even more the next time, hoping to get lucky again.
10. Keep it simple and positive. If you can give clear instructions in simple terms, your child will know what is expected of him. (‘Please hold my hand when we cross the road.’) Stating things in a positive way gets their heads thinking in the right direction. For example, ‘Please shut the gate’ is better than ‘Don't leave the gate open’.
11. Responsibility and consequences. As children get older, you can give them more responsibility for their own behaviour. You can also give them the chance to experience the natural consequences of that behaviour. You don’t have to be the bad guy all the time. For example, if your child forgot to put her lunch box in her bag, she will go hungry at lunch time. It is her hunger and her consequence. It won’t hurt her to go hungry just that one time. Sometimes, with the best intentions, we do so much for our children that we don’t allow them to learn for themselves. At other times you need to provide consequences for unacceptable or dangerous behaviour. For these times, it is best to ensure that you have explained the consequences and that your children have agreed to them in advance.
12. Say it once and move on. It is surprising how much your child is listening even though he might not have the social maturity to tell you. Nagging and criticising is boring for you and doesn’t work. Your child will just end up tuning you out and wonder why you get more upset. If you want to give him one last chance to cooperate, remind him of the consequences for not cooperating. Then start counting to three.
13. Make your child feel important. Children love it when they can contribute to the family. Start introducing some simple chores or things that she can do to play her own important part in helping the household. This will make her feel important and she’ll take pride in helping out. If you can give your child lots of practice doing a chore, she will get better at it and will keep trying harder. Safe chores help children feel responsible, build their self-esteem and help you out too.
14. Prepare for challenging situations. There are times when looking after your child and doing things you need to do will be tricky. If you think about these challenging situations in advance, you can plan around your child’s needs. Give him a five-minute warning before you need him to change activities. Talk to him about why you need his cooperation. Then he is prepared for what you expect.
15. Maintain a sense of humour. Another way of diffusing tension and possible conflict is to use humour and fun. You can pretend to become the menacing tickle monster or make animal noises. But humour at your child’s expense won't help. Young children are easily hurt by parental ‘teasing’. Humour that has you both laughing is great.
If you like what they say you can go directly to their website at :http://raisingchildren.net.au/
.
1. Children do as you do. Your child watches you to get clues on how to behave in the world. You’re her role model, so use your own behaviour to guide her. What you do is often much more important than what you say. If you want your child to say ‘please’, say it yourself. If you don’t want your child to raise her voice, speak quietly and gently yourself.
2. Show your child how you feel. Tell him honestly how his behaviour affects you. This will help him see his her own feelings in yours, like a mirror. This is called empathy. By the age of three, children can show real empathy. So you might say, ‘I’m getting upset because there is so much noise I can’t talk on the phone’. When you start the sentence with ‘I’, it gives your child the chance to see things from your perspective.
3. Catch her being ‘good’. This simply means that when your child is behaving in a way you like, you can give her some positive feedback. For example, ‘Wow, you are playing so nicely. I really like the way you are keeping all the blocks on the table’. This works better than waiting for the blocks to come crashing to the floor before you take notice and bark, ‘Hey, stop that’. This positive feedback is sometimes called ‘descriptive praise’. Try to say six positive comments (praise and encouragement) for every negative comment (criticisms and reprimands). The 6-1 ratio keeps things in balance. Remember that if children have a choice only between no attention or negative attention, they will seek out negative attention.
4. Get down to your child’s level. Kneeling or squatting down next to children is a very powerful tool for communicating positively with them. Getting close allows you to tune in to what they might be feeling or thinking. It also helps them focus on what you are saying or asking for. If you are close to your child and have his attention, there is no need to make him look at you.
5. ‘I hear you.’ Active listening is another tool for helping young children cope with their emotions. They tend to get frustrated a lot, especially if they can’t express themselves well enough verbally. When you repeat back to them what you think they might be feeling, it helps to relieve some of their tension. It also makes them feel respected and comforted. It can diffuse many potential temper tantrums.
6. Keep promises. Stick to agreements. When you follow through on your promises, good or bad, your child learns to trust and respect you. So when you promise to go for a walk after she picks up her toys, make sure you have your walking shoes handy. When you say you will leave the library if she doesn’t stop running around, be prepared to leave straight away. No need to make a fuss about it – the more matter of fact, the better. This helps your child feel more secure, because it creates a consistent and predictable environment.
7. Reduce temptation. Your glasses look like so much fun to play with – it’s hard for children to remember not to touch. Reduce the chance for innocent but costly exploration by keeping that stuff out of sight.
8. Choose your battles. Before you get involved in anything your child is doing – especially to say ‘no’ or ‘stop’ – ask yourself if it really matters. By keeping instructions, requests and negative feedback to a minimum, you create less opportunity for conflict and bad feelings. Rules are important, but use them only when it’s really important.
9. Whining: be strong. Kids don’t want to be annoying. By giving in when they’re whinging for something, we train them to do it more – even if we don’t mean to. ‘No’ means ‘no’, not maybe, so don’t say it unless you mean it. If you say ‘no’ and then give in, children will be whine even more the next time, hoping to get lucky again.
10. Keep it simple and positive. If you can give clear instructions in simple terms, your child will know what is expected of him. (‘Please hold my hand when we cross the road.’) Stating things in a positive way gets their heads thinking in the right direction. For example, ‘Please shut the gate’ is better than ‘Don't leave the gate open’.
11. Responsibility and consequences. As children get older, you can give them more responsibility for their own behaviour. You can also give them the chance to experience the natural consequences of that behaviour. You don’t have to be the bad guy all the time. For example, if your child forgot to put her lunch box in her bag, she will go hungry at lunch time. It is her hunger and her consequence. It won’t hurt her to go hungry just that one time. Sometimes, with the best intentions, we do so much for our children that we don’t allow them to learn for themselves. At other times you need to provide consequences for unacceptable or dangerous behaviour. For these times, it is best to ensure that you have explained the consequences and that your children have agreed to them in advance.
12. Say it once and move on. It is surprising how much your child is listening even though he might not have the social maturity to tell you. Nagging and criticising is boring for you and doesn’t work. Your child will just end up tuning you out and wonder why you get more upset. If you want to give him one last chance to cooperate, remind him of the consequences for not cooperating. Then start counting to three.
13. Make your child feel important. Children love it when they can contribute to the family. Start introducing some simple chores or things that she can do to play her own important part in helping the household. This will make her feel important and she’ll take pride in helping out. If you can give your child lots of practice doing a chore, she will get better at it and will keep trying harder. Safe chores help children feel responsible, build their self-esteem and help you out too.
14. Prepare for challenging situations. There are times when looking after your child and doing things you need to do will be tricky. If you think about these challenging situations in advance, you can plan around your child’s needs. Give him a five-minute warning before you need him to change activities. Talk to him about why you need his cooperation. Then he is prepared for what you expect.
15. Maintain a sense of humour. Another way of diffusing tension and possible conflict is to use humour and fun. You can pretend to become the menacing tickle monster or make animal noises. But humour at your child’s expense won't help. Young children are easily hurt by parental ‘teasing’. Humour that has you both laughing is great.
If you like what they say you can go directly to their website at :http://raisingchildren.net.au/
.
Friday, February 18, 2011
How to Relax on a Weekend
Everyone deserves to relax on a weekend. Here are suggestions from Ehow.com
How to Relax on a Weekend | eHow.com
If you still can't seem to do it. Here are 100 simple ways that you can do after work. Helpful information from the Daily Mind.
The ultimate list of ways to relax, unwind and loosen up before, during and after work. Enjoy!
100 Ways to Relax, Unwind and Loosen Up
1. Drink some green tea
2. Take a nap
3. Go outside
4. Get fresh air
5. Get sunlight
6. Meditate on the breath
7. Breathe deeply
8. Watch some TV
9. Listen to classical music
10. Go to the gym
11. Eat more fruit
12. Go for a walk in the city
13. Get a fruit milkshake
14. Talk to a friend on the phone
15. Strengthen your Facebook addiction
16. Walk around the office
17. Do some deep muscle stretches
18. Look at inspiring photos
19. Read your favorite blogs
20. Call your mother
21. Read national geographic or magazines about far away places
22. Go somewhere high with a vast view
23. Reduce the amount of coffee you drink
24. Drink more water
25. Get a shot of wheat grass juice
26. Go for a walk around the markets or somewhere with lots of natural produce
27. Go somewhere where sunlight warms your face
28. Exercise before work to get the blood flowing
29. Get some healthy comfort food (hearty soups or something that makes you feel great)
30. Go for a swim or a spa
31. Get a massage at your local massage school (its cheaper)
32. Call some old friends and meet for lunch
33. Listen to relaxation mp3′s
33. Delete all the emails in your inbox
34. Clean your desk
35. Tidy your room and make your bed so it’s clean when you go to sleep
36. Open up windows and let fresh air in
37. Make a list of all the things you need to do today
38. Write a letter to your parents or someone in your family you haven’t seen in a while
39. Take a day off work
40. Go shopping for someone in your family
41. Visit an awe-inspiring monastery, church, temple or piece of architecture
42. Head down to the beach and walk in the shallow water
43. Go to a lake and skim rocks on the surface
44. Read a book you enjoyed as a child
45. Cook a lavish and complicated dinner
46. Make a lemon, ginger honey tea
47. Go to your local botanic gardens where there are lots of colorful flowers
48. Tense all your muscles for ten seconds and then suddenly let go
49. Get a stress ball or hand grippers
50. Get off the computer and relax your eyes
51. Go for a run around the city at lunch time
53. Get a big Chinese noodle soup for lunch (warm water is good for stress)
54. Go and see a comedy show
55. Go to bed early
56. Have a sleep in
57. Take some allotted time to do nothing at all
58. Plant some trees to make your life more carbon neutral
59. Go and see a sporting match
60. Hire some comedy movies and relax on the couch with a blanket
61. Take deep breaths for five minutes
62. Join an evening yoga class
63. Go to the city library and just sit down
65. Have a big long conversation with your partner about nothing in particular
66. Turn off the television/computer and do something low tech
67. Eat a big bowl of fruit with natural honey on top
68. Pack a picnic, get in the car and drive to a new outdoors spot
69. Play some after work team sport like indoor soccer or cricket
70. Go to a meditation class (they are usually very relaxing)
71. Drink a cup of plain hot water (old Chinese method of healing)
72. Do a painting or drawing of your home
73. Call up 10 mates and organize some sport in the park and a BBQ
74. Go out to a favorite restaurant for dinner
75. Hire an Xbox 360 and have a lazy weekend
76. Study a topic you have a deep interest in but which doesn’t relate to work
75. Buy a beanbag and fall asleep watching TV
76. Take a hot shower and leave the fan off so the room steams up
78. Buy a cheap self-massaging wand and massage your tense spots
79. Get the daily chores out of the way now instead of worrying about them
80. Get a 20 minute power nap like Leonardo da Vinci
81. Light some healing and relaxation incense
82. Ride your bike to work instead of driving in the hustle
83. Get the kids off to a friend’s house for a sleep-over
84. Use some bath salts and take a long bath in a candle lit bathroom
85. Talk about your problems with someone
86. Plan a holiday you would love to take in the future
87. Cut out the sugar in your diet (it causes stress)
88. Take a relaxation supplement like Brahmi
89. Watch your thoughts without engaging them
90. Get to work early and finish the day’s work as fast as possible and then forget it
91. Unsubscribe from blogs that you really don’t need in your Feed Reader
92. Stop wasting so much time on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter
93. Spend some more time with your dog or animal (they’ll love you for it)
94. Throw out stuff around your house your really don’t need or use
95. Create a list of relaxation tips to help other people
96. Start a detox diet
97. Turn on some music and dance around your house
98. Have a warm glass of milk
99. Pick up a hobby you have neglected
100. Just relax!
How to Relax on a Weekend | eHow.com
If you still can't seem to do it. Here are 100 simple ways that you can do after work. Helpful information from the Daily Mind.
The ultimate list of ways to relax, unwind and loosen up before, during and after work. Enjoy!
100 Ways to Relax, Unwind and Loosen Up
1. Drink some green tea
2. Take a nap
3. Go outside
4. Get fresh air
5. Get sunlight
6. Meditate on the breath
7. Breathe deeply
8. Watch some TV
9. Listen to classical music
10. Go to the gym
11. Eat more fruit
12. Go for a walk in the city
13. Get a fruit milkshake
14. Talk to a friend on the phone
15. Strengthen your Facebook addiction
16. Walk around the office
17. Do some deep muscle stretches
18. Look at inspiring photos
19. Read your favorite blogs
20. Call your mother
21. Read national geographic or magazines about far away places
22. Go somewhere high with a vast view
23. Reduce the amount of coffee you drink
24. Drink more water
25. Get a shot of wheat grass juice
26. Go for a walk around the markets or somewhere with lots of natural produce
27. Go somewhere where sunlight warms your face
28. Exercise before work to get the blood flowing
29. Get some healthy comfort food (hearty soups or something that makes you feel great)
30. Go for a swim or a spa
31. Get a massage at your local massage school (its cheaper)
32. Call some old friends and meet for lunch
33. Listen to relaxation mp3′s
33. Delete all the emails in your inbox
34. Clean your desk
35. Tidy your room and make your bed so it’s clean when you go to sleep
36. Open up windows and let fresh air in
37. Make a list of all the things you need to do today
38. Write a letter to your parents or someone in your family you haven’t seen in a while
39. Take a day off work
40. Go shopping for someone in your family
41. Visit an awe-inspiring monastery, church, temple or piece of architecture
42. Head down to the beach and walk in the shallow water
43. Go to a lake and skim rocks on the surface
44. Read a book you enjoyed as a child
45. Cook a lavish and complicated dinner
46. Make a lemon, ginger honey tea
47. Go to your local botanic gardens where there are lots of colorful flowers
48. Tense all your muscles for ten seconds and then suddenly let go
49. Get a stress ball or hand grippers
50. Get off the computer and relax your eyes
51. Go for a run around the city at lunch time
53. Get a big Chinese noodle soup for lunch (warm water is good for stress)
54. Go and see a comedy show
55. Go to bed early
56. Have a sleep in
57. Take some allotted time to do nothing at all
58. Plant some trees to make your life more carbon neutral
59. Go and see a sporting match
60. Hire some comedy movies and relax on the couch with a blanket
61. Take deep breaths for five minutes
62. Join an evening yoga class
63. Go to the city library and just sit down
65. Have a big long conversation with your partner about nothing in particular
66. Turn off the television/computer and do something low tech
67. Eat a big bowl of fruit with natural honey on top
68. Pack a picnic, get in the car and drive to a new outdoors spot
69. Play some after work team sport like indoor soccer or cricket
70. Go to a meditation class (they are usually very relaxing)
71. Drink a cup of plain hot water (old Chinese method of healing)
72. Do a painting or drawing of your home
73. Call up 10 mates and organize some sport in the park and a BBQ
74. Go out to a favorite restaurant for dinner
75. Hire an Xbox 360 and have a lazy weekend
76. Study a topic you have a deep interest in but which doesn’t relate to work
75. Buy a beanbag and fall asleep watching TV
76. Take a hot shower and leave the fan off so the room steams up
78. Buy a cheap self-massaging wand and massage your tense spots
79. Get the daily chores out of the way now instead of worrying about them
80. Get a 20 minute power nap like Leonardo da Vinci
81. Light some healing and relaxation incense
82. Ride your bike to work instead of driving in the hustle
83. Get the kids off to a friend’s house for a sleep-over
84. Use some bath salts and take a long bath in a candle lit bathroom
85. Talk about your problems with someone
86. Plan a holiday you would love to take in the future
87. Cut out the sugar in your diet (it causes stress)
88. Take a relaxation supplement like Brahmi
89. Watch your thoughts without engaging them
90. Get to work early and finish the day’s work as fast as possible and then forget it
91. Unsubscribe from blogs that you really don’t need in your Feed Reader
92. Stop wasting so much time on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter
93. Spend some more time with your dog or animal (they’ll love you for it)
94. Throw out stuff around your house your really don’t need or use
95. Create a list of relaxation tips to help other people
96. Start a detox diet
97. Turn on some music and dance around your house
98. Have a warm glass of milk
99. Pick up a hobby you have neglected
100. Just relax!
Monday, February 14, 2011
12 Signs You're Falling In Love
Let's talk about LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I saw this on the internet a few days ago. Author unknown.
*12 Signs Your Falling In Love*
12. You'll read his/her txts over and over again...
11. You'll walk really really slow while you're with him/her...
10. You'll pretend 2 be shy whenever you're with him/her...
9. While thinking bout him/her...your heart will beat faster and faster...
8. By listening to his/her voice...you'll smile for no reason.
7. While looking at him/her..you cant see the other people around you...you can only see that person...
6. You'll start listening to SLOW songs.
5. He/She becomes all you think about
4. You'll get high just by their smell...
3. You'll realize that you're always smiling to yourself when you think about them..
2. You'll do anything for him/her...
1. While reading this, there was one person on your mind the whole time.....
*12 Signs Your Falling In Love*
12. You'll read his/her txts over and over again...
11. You'll walk really really slow while you're with him/her...
10. You'll pretend 2 be shy whenever you're with him/her...
9. While thinking bout him/her...your heart will beat faster and faster...
8. By listening to his/her voice...you'll smile for no reason.
7. While looking at him/her..you cant see the other people around you...you can only see that person...
6. You'll start listening to SLOW songs.
5. He/She becomes all you think about
4. You'll get high just by their smell...
3. You'll realize that you're always smiling to yourself when you think about them..
2. You'll do anything for him/her...
1. While reading this, there was one person on your mind the whole time.....
Saturday, February 12, 2011
How To Loose Weight The Healthy Way
A great article I found from the netdoctor regarding the best way of loosing weight. To me, the best way is the right way. They talk about the relationship between diet and exercise, energy and weight loss, sticking to your program, physical activities, calorie intake, creating your own plan and health benefits.
May you find the information below helpful and beneficial.
Energy needs and weight loss
Your body uses food for energy. It stores any excess energy as fat. This means if you eat more food than your body needs for daily activities and cell maintenance, you'll gain weight.
To lose weight, you need to get your body to use up these stores of fat. The most effective way to do this is to:
* reduce the amount of calories you eat
* increase your levels of activity.
This is why experts talk about weight loss in terms of diet and exercise.
Reduce your calorie intake
What is overweight?
Doctors use BMI to assess weight.
A BMI of 18.5 to 25 is healthy.
If you have a BMI of more than 25, you're overweight.
Over 30 is obese.
Over 40 is morbidly obese.
To calculate your BMI, you'll need to know your weight in kilos and your height in metres, then follow the example below.
1. Multiply your height by itself, eg 1.7x1.7= 2.89.
2. Divide your weight (eg 80kg) by this figure.
3. 80 ÷ 2.89= 27.7.
27.7 is the BMI.
If you're overweight, you can't continue with your current eating habits if you really want to lose weight.
It's not possible to reduce body fat while eating lots of food, cakes and sweets. This doesn't mean you can never have any treats, but you need to learn how to limit these foods to small quantities – say, for special occasions.
In terms of weight-loss, you can get your body to use up existing stores of fat by eating less and making healthier choices.
This doesn't mean crash diet (anything less than 1500 calories), which usually ends up with you either getting weaker or giving up in desperation. Quick-fix diets can lead to a yo-yoing effect of drastic weight loss followed by weight gain, resulting in a vicious cycle.
There are no shortcuts to losing weight in a healthy and reasonable way.
Eating 300 to 500 calories less per day should lead to a loss of between one and two pounds per week. This is a realistic target. It may seem slow, but it would add up to a weight loss of more than three stone in a year.
Fat contains the most amount of calories out of all the food types (protein, carbohydrates), so a good way to achieve this is to cut down on fatty foods and eat more wholegrain bread, fruit and vegetables.
Below are ways to reduce calorie intake without having to alter your diet significantly.
* Replace fizzy drinks and fruit cordials with water.
* Swap whole milk for semi-skimmed, or semi-skimmed for skimmed.
* Eat less lunch than usual. For example, make your own sandwich and limit the use of margarine or butter and full-fat mayonnaise (store-bought sandwiches often contain both).
* Stop taking sugar in tea and coffee.
* Have smaller portions of the food you enjoy.
* Avoid having a second helping at dinner.
* Cut out unhealthy treats – such as confectionary, sugary biscuits and crisps between meals.
* Cut down on alcohol intake.
All these things will influence your health in a positive way.
Finally, don't be tempted to skip breakfast – or any meal to lose weight. While skipping a meal will reduce your calorie intake for that hour, it will leave you much hungrier later on.
Not only are you likely to overeat to compensate, but you'll often make bad choices to fill the gap: a cereal bar is not as healthy as a bowl of cereal or as filling, leading you to 'need' something extra for lunch.
Irregular eating habits also disrupt your body's metabolism, which makes it harder to lose weight in the first place.
Unfortunately, there's no direct link to the site. So the full article please copy and paste:
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/loseweight.htm
May you find the information below helpful and beneficial.
Energy needs and weight loss
Your body uses food for energy. It stores any excess energy as fat. This means if you eat more food than your body needs for daily activities and cell maintenance, you'll gain weight.
To lose weight, you need to get your body to use up these stores of fat. The most effective way to do this is to:
* reduce the amount of calories you eat
* increase your levels of activity.
This is why experts talk about weight loss in terms of diet and exercise.
Reduce your calorie intake
What is overweight?
Doctors use BMI to assess weight.
A BMI of 18.5 to 25 is healthy.
If you have a BMI of more than 25, you're overweight.
Over 30 is obese.
Over 40 is morbidly obese.
To calculate your BMI, you'll need to know your weight in kilos and your height in metres, then follow the example below.
1. Multiply your height by itself, eg 1.7x1.7= 2.89.
2. Divide your weight (eg 80kg) by this figure.
3. 80 ÷ 2.89= 27.7.
27.7 is the BMI.
If you're overweight, you can't continue with your current eating habits if you really want to lose weight.
It's not possible to reduce body fat while eating lots of food, cakes and sweets. This doesn't mean you can never have any treats, but you need to learn how to limit these foods to small quantities – say, for special occasions.
In terms of weight-loss, you can get your body to use up existing stores of fat by eating less and making healthier choices.
This doesn't mean crash diet (anything less than 1500 calories), which usually ends up with you either getting weaker or giving up in desperation. Quick-fix diets can lead to a yo-yoing effect of drastic weight loss followed by weight gain, resulting in a vicious cycle.
There are no shortcuts to losing weight in a healthy and reasonable way.
Eating 300 to 500 calories less per day should lead to a loss of between one and two pounds per week. This is a realistic target. It may seem slow, but it would add up to a weight loss of more than three stone in a year.
Fat contains the most amount of calories out of all the food types (protein, carbohydrates), so a good way to achieve this is to cut down on fatty foods and eat more wholegrain bread, fruit and vegetables.
Below are ways to reduce calorie intake without having to alter your diet significantly.
* Replace fizzy drinks and fruit cordials with water.
* Swap whole milk for semi-skimmed, or semi-skimmed for skimmed.
* Eat less lunch than usual. For example, make your own sandwich and limit the use of margarine or butter and full-fat mayonnaise (store-bought sandwiches often contain both).
* Stop taking sugar in tea and coffee.
* Have smaller portions of the food you enjoy.
* Avoid having a second helping at dinner.
* Cut out unhealthy treats – such as confectionary, sugary biscuits and crisps between meals.
* Cut down on alcohol intake.
All these things will influence your health in a positive way.
Finally, don't be tempted to skip breakfast – or any meal to lose weight. While skipping a meal will reduce your calorie intake for that hour, it will leave you much hungrier later on.
Not only are you likely to overeat to compensate, but you'll often make bad choices to fill the gap: a cereal bar is not as healthy as a bowl of cereal or as filling, leading you to 'need' something extra for lunch.
Irregular eating habits also disrupt your body's metabolism, which makes it harder to lose weight in the first place.
Unfortunately, there's no direct link to the site. So the full article please copy and paste:
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/loseweight.htm
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Humor of the Day
Here are some Humor on actual label instructions on consumer products. LOL! Enjoy!
On a Sears hairdryer -- Do not use while sleeping.
(Shoot, and that's the only time I have to work on my hair.)
On a bag of Fritos -- You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
(the shoplifter special)?
On a bar of Dial soap -- "Directions: Use like regular soap,"
(and that would be how???....)
On some Swanson frozen dinners -- "Serving suggestion: Defrost."
(but, it's "just" a suggestion).
On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) -- "Do not turn upside down."
(well...duh, a bit late, huh)!
On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding -- "Product will be hot after heating."
(...and you thought????...)
On Nytol Sleep Aid -- "Warning: May cause drowsiness."
(and...I'm taking this because???....)
On most brands of Christmas lights -- "For indoor or outdoor use only."
(as opposed to...what)?
On a Japanese food processor -- "Not to be used for the other use."
(now, somebody out there, help me on this. I'm a bit curious)
On Sainsbury's peanuts -- "Warning: contains nuts."
(talk about a news flash)
On an American Airlines packet of nuts -- "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."
(Step 3: maybe, ooh...fly Delta?)
On a child's Superman costume -- "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."
(I don't blame the company. I blame the parents for this one.)
On a Swedish chainsaw -- "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals."
(Oh my ..was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)
Have a great day!
On a Sears hairdryer -- Do not use while sleeping.
(Shoot, and that's the only time I have to work on my hair.)
On a bag of Fritos -- You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
(the shoplifter special)?
On a bar of Dial soap -- "Directions: Use like regular soap,"
(and that would be how???....)
On some Swanson frozen dinners -- "Serving suggestion: Defrost."
(but, it's "just" a suggestion).
On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) -- "Do not turn upside down."
(well...duh, a bit late, huh)!
On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding -- "Product will be hot after heating."
(...and you thought????...)
On Nytol Sleep Aid -- "Warning: May cause drowsiness."
(and...I'm taking this because???....)
On most brands of Christmas lights -- "For indoor or outdoor use only."
(as opposed to...what)?
On a Japanese food processor -- "Not to be used for the other use."
(now, somebody out there, help me on this. I'm a bit curious)
On Sainsbury's peanuts -- "Warning: contains nuts."
(talk about a news flash)
On an American Airlines packet of nuts -- "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."
(Step 3: maybe, ooh...fly Delta?)
On a child's Superman costume -- "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."
(I don't blame the company. I blame the parents for this one.)
On a Swedish chainsaw -- "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals."
(Oh my ..was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)
Have a great day!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Your Focus Your Reality
Have you noticed that when you think about good things in your life you feel really good? And the more you think about them you feel ten times even better? But if you think about the garbage things in your life you feel upset, angry or sad. And the more you think about them you feel ten times more upset, angry or sad. Have you noticed that? The latter is disempowering! It diminishes our thinking of how good our life is and how life can be. We miss out on the beautiful things God has in store for us today. What are you thinking most of the time?
They say that what we focus on most of the time becomes our reality. It expands in our life. Our universe is governed by different Laws. The "Law of Attraction" for example says that whatever we focus on we attract more of it. We attract things we want and we also attract things we don't want depending on what you predominantly think about. As Lao Tze says, Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Let’s learn to filter what we constantly think about. The good stuff – let it in, the bad stuff –let it out. If it doesn’t have anything to do with our progress, what makes us better, achieve our goals - just let it go. You say, “that’s not easy.” Well, I am not saying it is. But it’s all a matter of choice. If we are truly honest with ourselves and not let our pride get in the way we will realize it’s only hard because of our ego and our own insecurities. Can you imagine if you make a big deal on most things in your life that doesn’t help you anyway? How sad is that?
I understand that there are times like the 9/11, not finding a job for a long time, lost your home or something like that. Of course you will feel upset, angry and sad. It's natural! But the problem I have seen in my observations metaphorically speaking, is we tend to focus too much, too long on the problems and not enough on the solutions. We get stuck in a "quicksand." The good stuff in our lives we tend to block out. If you think about it - you are healthy, you can see, you can walk, you can talk you can smile and so many other things we can be grateful for but take for granted. The quicker we shake ourselves and pick ourselves up - the better we are off! Realize that adversities are part of life. It’s not the end of the world. But a new chapter has begun... The cards you have been dealt may not be fair but at least you have a chance to rewrite your own history your way. Make it count!
So from here on out you can decide what to focus on. Either way you decide - will either empower you or disempower you. Choose wisely.
They say that what we focus on most of the time becomes our reality. It expands in our life. Our universe is governed by different Laws. The "Law of Attraction" for example says that whatever we focus on we attract more of it. We attract things we want and we also attract things we don't want depending on what you predominantly think about. As Lao Tze says, Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Let’s learn to filter what we constantly think about. The good stuff – let it in, the bad stuff –let it out. If it doesn’t have anything to do with our progress, what makes us better, achieve our goals - just let it go. You say, “that’s not easy.” Well, I am not saying it is. But it’s all a matter of choice. If we are truly honest with ourselves and not let our pride get in the way we will realize it’s only hard because of our ego and our own insecurities. Can you imagine if you make a big deal on most things in your life that doesn’t help you anyway? How sad is that?
I understand that there are times like the 9/11, not finding a job for a long time, lost your home or something like that. Of course you will feel upset, angry and sad. It's natural! But the problem I have seen in my observations metaphorically speaking, is we tend to focus too much, too long on the problems and not enough on the solutions. We get stuck in a "quicksand." The good stuff in our lives we tend to block out. If you think about it - you are healthy, you can see, you can walk, you can talk you can smile and so many other things we can be grateful for but take for granted. The quicker we shake ourselves and pick ourselves up - the better we are off! Realize that adversities are part of life. It’s not the end of the world. But a new chapter has begun... The cards you have been dealt may not be fair but at least you have a chance to rewrite your own history your way. Make it count!
So from here on out you can decide what to focus on. Either way you decide - will either empower you or disempower you. Choose wisely.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Best Super Bowl Commerical 2011
In my opinion, this was the best Super Bowl commercial.
Just a great story and video commercial.
The Volkswagen commercial features a little boy — played by Max — wearing a Darth Vader costume. He tries to use "The Force" on a doll, then a sandwich, then on his father's Passat in the drive way. But they never knew it will be a Super Bowl commercial until halfway through the filming.
Max Page was born with a heart defect and has a pacemaker and has been through several surgeries since."I thought it would be too much for a little guy, too busy of a life, but he thoroughly enjoys it, he really does," said his mom. "He is an unbelievable boy, really intelligent and he's been through a lot."
Because of what he's been through, he's very comfortable with adults and I think it has made him comfortable with acting," said his mom Jennifer Page. "He's been exposed to situations with doctors and nurses telling him what to do, and acting is like that, with directors telling him what to do, but it's clearly a lot more fun."
Max has been in some episodes of the series "Young and the Restless."
What a wonderful and inspiring story and a cool Commercial! Thumbs up to Max Page and Volkswagen!
Watch it again and enjoy.
Just a great story and video commercial.
The Volkswagen commercial features a little boy — played by Max — wearing a Darth Vader costume. He tries to use "The Force" on a doll, then a sandwich, then on his father's Passat in the drive way. But they never knew it will be a Super Bowl commercial until halfway through the filming.
Max Page was born with a heart defect and has a pacemaker and has been through several surgeries since."I thought it would be too much for a little guy, too busy of a life, but he thoroughly enjoys it, he really does," said his mom. "He is an unbelievable boy, really intelligent and he's been through a lot."
Because of what he's been through, he's very comfortable with adults and I think it has made him comfortable with acting," said his mom Jennifer Page. "He's been exposed to situations with doctors and nurses telling him what to do, and acting is like that, with directors telling him what to do, but it's clearly a lot more fun."
Max has been in some episodes of the series "Young and the Restless."
What a wonderful and inspiring story and a cool Commercial! Thumbs up to Max Page and Volkswagen!
Watch it again and enjoy.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
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