Less Stress More Calm

20 Year Olds at work - Attitude That Looks Like Laziness And Impatience

How you are perceived at work is always very important. The younger generation is being perceived as a bunch of spoiled brats. Read about it the overconfident 20-year-olds. 

It’s so true. Sometimes there is so much show but little substance.

 

Best Productivity Tools For Work

After attempting countless technological tools at work here are the two that work best.

1. 8 1/2 by 11 pad
2. Pen

At the end of each workday list what has to be done the next day.

Place stars besides the most important tasks.

Once the task is done put a check mark beside it.

Redo the list at the end of the day, taking off the checked items. 

A list like this is simple, portable, visible (leave it on your desk) and for ten minutes each day, thought provoking.

It might look like this:

* Review shortage report and complete.

Follow up on E-mail on from Jan about discrepancy

Approve new product design

Meet with boss on career plan

* Confirm meeting with client tomorrow

      Send Company x follow up reminder

* Place orders and E-mail today

     5-7 tonight for Joe’s birthday 

Simple and straightforward always wins.

You Don’t Have To Be Wealthy To Shop Like A Multi - Millionaire Or Eat Like Madonna.

One day I would love to own a beautiful home on the ocean. Every so often I log onto my favourite luxury real estate website and search for homes on the ocean. Because I only want the very best, I start my search for homes at 10 million dollars and up. If you want to have a breathtaking home on the ocean one day, start shopping here

One day I might like to have a yacht to escape from the ugliness of urban landscapes, ignorant people, bad news and tofu. I had a taste of the yachting life a few times in Bermuda, raced in a 31 foot sailboat in the Caribbean, and was tossed about the ocean in a 20 foot catamaran on the way to St Bart’s.  You can look at beautiful yachts here.

I came across an excellent soup that one of Madonna’s caterers makes. I love it. Her caterers name is Lulu Powers. With a name like that she has got to be real. If you like to have your taste buds experience the magnificent blend of Cayenne pepper and maple syrup in a soup, get the recipe here

Who Else Wants To Make A Million Or At Least Get A Raise

There are a million experts spewing out a ton of crap on how to make money. First of all you won’t make it through your blog. Guy Kawasaki make a bit over $3000 last year, and he is a king pin. Now you can buy that cardboard box home you always dreamed of! Besides, it looks like this whole blogging spectacle will be moving more and more towards sites like Facebook where it’s much easier to connect with people, and the bloggin A-list bullshit is already dying.

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Want to make a fortune? Guy Kawasaki interviewed a few Internet millionaires including the PlentyofFish.com   guy who is pulling in 5 to 6 million dollars a year on advertising alone. Bastard! Here is a guy who kept getting laid off in Vancouver so decided to launch a free dating service. The guy who created Hot or Not is also making a tidy fortune. He says he started the site as a joke. Lesson learned?  Never underestimate your stupid ideas. Got it? So get that robot pancake flipper out of the basement and sell it to the world!!

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Selling stuff on Ebay can be very lucrative. Here is a hint. You know those old LP’s that Grandpa has in the attic? Well, the Japanese are coo-coo puffs about old LPs, and will pay thousands of dollars for some of them. I had this discussion with an avid record collector the other day. Those crazy Japanese - if it isn’t anime cartoon sex, its old LP’s. Go figure.

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Ask for a raise. Raises don’t come marching in your door with intentions of snuggling into your pocket. In the real world you’ve gotta get worked up, create a resume of accomplishments and demand a raise. Even yelling helps because some bosses are as deaf as a dead tree trunk when it comes to their employees. Most are already sucking up to their own boss so badly that they’ve created a severe lack of oxygen and the air smells like dung. So take the bull by it’s something and go ask for that raise!

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Recap. Don’t dismiss any of your drugs or beer inspired million dollar ideas. Check out what the Japanese like to buy other than tea cups, bondage rope and raw tuna. Go ask for that raise. It can’t hurt.

Fin

Always, Always, Always Believe In Yourself

If you give a person the opportunity to shine, they will shine. Some of these American Idol contestants are just regular folk, with regular jobs and have now been given a huge stage to pour out their talent. Chris Daughtry worked at a service desk, but onstage his singing talent spills out on us like a waterfall. Unchecked emotion and pure passion constantly flows out of the guy. Isn’t it amazing that these Idols are just like you and me? The difference is that they have been given an opportunity to showcase their talent.

We all have hidden talents. We all have life long dreams. Sometimes we catch ourselves dancing and singing in the mirror. Some of us love to paint or crack stupid jokes. Some of us ask ourselves, "What if?" We all have our passions. We all have our doubts. We all allow fear to invade our dreams. So take a cue from the Idols and realize that if they can do it, so can you. Never, ever give up on your dreams. Never believe that you aren’t good enough. Whether it's singing, dancing, acting, painting, or being the world's greatest business person, don't ever give up.

Take your talents and unleash them on the world. Unbridle your passion and let it set you free. Have you got some life goals? Right now might be a good time to start setting those life goals and realizing them. Life rewards action. You might even discover talents you never knew you had! It's time now. Time to start believing in yourself. Unleash those passions, inject yourself with a large dose of love and show the world what you can do.

You too can be the next American Idol.   

Goal Setting And Sensational Success - The Cutting Edge Series

The cutting edge series is a series of articles aimed at waking individuals up. Life is too short to let it pass by and phenomenal success is just around the corner if you apply these principals. This article deals with two essential characteristics of phenomenally successful people.   

Get the hell out of your comfort zone.

What if? What if? How many times have you asked that, only to allow fright, insecurity, your parents, friends or trivial distractions to keep you away from the life you truly deserve? To reach your dreams you have to get out of the comfort zone. Ignore the experts, go crazy and pursue your dreams. Write out your business plan, get that bank loan, start looking for clients. Do whatever it takes. Deep down you know you can do it. Don’t let the smallest negative thought stop you. Pursue your dreams. They electrify you and provide meaning and purpose. Life really is too short. You need amazing dreams to do amazing things. Bill Gates had an amazing dream. There is no better time then now.      

Be accountable to yourself. Keep your promises.

Wealthy executives use life coaches and pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars a month because they want someone to kick them hard in the butt. Coaches also demand that the executives become more and more accountable to themselves.  Even Tiger Woods uses a coach full time. Being accountable to yourself means being honest and doing what you said you would do. That's the only way to reach the next level. You don’t necessarily need a coach though. Maybe you just need to write down your dreams and honestly track them. Getting to the next level of your dream life means practising what you preach, focusing, and getting out of your safety or comfort zone. If you can't keep promises to yourself than give up right now. People fail because they are not accountable to themselves. Broken promises are for losers. Keep your promises, especially to yourself. Your dream life counts on it.

The Top Three Goals You Need To Set

1. Improve Your Physical Health

How in the world are you going to reach any goals with bad health? Remember when you had that cold, fever or aching back?  Were you in any kind of mood to work on your life goals? I don’t think so. But when you start eating healthy and working out, all kinds of energy comes flooding in and whether it's painting a room or starting a business, good physical health makes goals much easier to attain. So get off your butt and start taking care of your body. Good things will follow. Goals will be reached. 

2. Improve Your Mental Health

Living in a culture that bombards us with information, advertisements and infinite choice, as well as inflicting us with downsizing and other incredible job stressors, is taking a huge negative toll on our societies health. We are living in an age of chronic stress. All these stressors create enormous mind chatter and reducing this mind chatter is key. It's important to realize that this mind chatter takes us away from the present moment. We end up worrying instead of enjoying the world around us. Try this. Take a grape and pop it in your mouth.  Roll it around and feel the texture - taste that sweet juice. This is called practising mindfulness. Living in the present moment. Conscious reflection. Meditation. The more you are able to reduce that useless mind chatter, the more you live in the present moment and experience calmness and peace. A little conscious reflection or meditation is astonishingly powerful. Try it.

3. Improve Your Financial Health

Money makes our world go around. We like money. There is nothing wrong with money. Money is our friend. The only time that money inflicts pain upon us is when we owe it. And why do we owe it? Because we live beyond our means. Because it is easy to get credit. Because our entire capitalistic society is on a treadmill of endless consumerism. Having good finances means freedom, control and increased opportunity. Bad finances provide handcuffs, stress, worry and no opportunity. So the choice is clear. Forget about status symbols and keeping up with the neighbours. It's simple when it comes down to good financial health. Live within you means. That’s it. Let me repeat myself. Live within your means.

Millionaire Wealth Building Is Not Rocket Science

 

 

I’ve always been intrigued by wealth in our North American society. I would like to share some of my core findings and get you on the way to becoming wealthy and fulfilled. First, a few questions.

Are your core values in line with most millionaires?
Are you setting wealth goals and tracking them honestly in order to substantially increase your net worth?
Who are you?  Is wealth part of your life equation?

What does it mean to be a fulfilled millionaire?

Pick up any newspaper and you’ll see there is plenty of news about millionaires. They seem to be proliferating like bunny rabbits. Each year the North American millionaire ranks grow. Let’s be crystal clear, being a millionaire means having a net worth of a million dollars. In accountant geek talk, this means having more assets then liabilities. Just because you live in a big house and drive a flashy car (with that pretty scarf around your neck) doesn’t necessarily mean you are a millionaire. Underneath all that chutzpah may be huge loans and the ever-mounting credit card debt. And don’t get me going about credit card debt – there’s another subject that has seen plenty of news coverage lately.

One of my favourite books is the well-researched “The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas J. Stanley, PhD. He writes that most millionaires are normal folk, who don’t look, dress or eat or act like our North American perception of millionaires.

Here are a few research statistics quoted from “The Millionaire Next Door."

• “We live well below our means. We wear inexpensive suits and drive American-made cars. Only a minority of us drive the current-model-year automobile. Only a minority ever lease our motor vehicles.”

• “Most of our wives are planners and meticulous budgeters. In fact, only 18 percent of us disagreed with the statement, ‘Charity begins at home.’ Most of us will tell you that our wives are a lot more conservative with money than we are.”

• “We have more than six and one-half times the level of wealth of our nonmillionaire neighbours, but, in our neighbourhood, these nonmillionaires outnumber us better than three to one. Could it be that they have chosen to trade wealth for acquiring high-status material possessions?”

See the point? It isn’t about putting your high consumption lifestyle on display. It isn’t about trying to be Tiger Woods, Brad Pitt, Donald Trump or any other high flying celebrity. It’s about being thrifty, having more appreciable assets then debt, keeping a budget, investing, elbow grease and most importantly clearly understanding who you are, your core values, and instituting clear goals and habits.

What are a few core values most millionaires might have?

• Freedom: Freedom might mean worrying less about credit card debt -- or any debt, for that matter.
• Control: Control may mean understanding your financial situation and creating a budget.
• Wealth: Having a core value of wealth will continuously strengthen your millionaire thinking.
• Thrift: Thriftiness is staying away from buying that feeds your insecurities or dissatisfaction. Thrift means buying a used car instead of leasing that brand new fantasy car.
• Appreciation: A foundation for millionaire thinking. Appreciation isn’t about always buying what you love. It’s about loving what you have, including family and friends.

What are a few millionaire-thinking goals that you can begin to implement right now to get you on your way?

•   Create a household budget.

•   Track debts and pay them down by consolidating loans.

• Track expenses using software, such as an Excel spreadsheet or throw all  your receipts in a shoe box and add them up each month.

• Every time you are tempted buy something, honestly ask yourself whether  you really need it or want it. You’ll be surprised how many times you only want it.

•   Quit buying the latest gadget. Maybe you don’t really need a video Ipod.

If you’re already taking good care of your money, then it’s time to step it up to the next level.

•   Contact a financial planner and look at investments.
•   Start planning your own business.
•   Investigate how you can save on taxes.
•   Teach your children about accumulating wealth early, so they don’t beg for money later.

As you can see we all have different values, goals, habits, choices or needs.

One more statistic: CNN Money reported this year that there are 700,000 more millionaire households this year than in 2004. The growth is largely due to measured planning and active reinvestment.

It’s not rocket science, people.  Is there anything stopping you now?  Let’s get going.

Wealth, Money And Getting Filthy Rich 101

Lets talk about getting rich. Filthy rich. Rolling in dough. Gold plated Ferraris. Ok, maybe a gold plated Ferrari is overkill. Or just wrong. So how, how, how and how you ask? You’ve come to the right place.

1. Make it crystal clear as to why you want to get rich.

There are a million reasons for wanting to become a zillionaire. Understand why you want to get rich. If you don’t know why, forget it. Go home. Stay in Normalville. Keep picking away at your dead-end life. Understanding your motives behind serious moneymaking makes way for passion, purpose and meaning. Perhaps your purpose is to flummox your idiot boss by amassing enough cash to purchase a huge estate, and then invite him over for Kraft dinner. Maybe you saw a sad child on TV and you want to help that sad child through the gift of mini Ipods and DVD collections of the hit TV series Friends. Perhaps you want to have total financial freedom and study the astonishing and mystifying life of aardvarks. Behind every Donald Trump wannabe is a continuous driving passion, motive or purpose. Find yours. You must have a purpose to keep you going. Must! Find out what it is. Now.

2. You know why you want to be wealthy, but you can’t get off the freaking couch.

Okay, you have decided to become nauseatingly rich and clearly understand your motives. But you’ve noticed that you can’t let go of that gigantic bag of Doritos and the TV remote is glued to your hand. Maybe you have to take care of a few other issues before the Brinks truck rolls to your door? Becoming filthy rich also requires that you are honest with yourself and ready to make a few changes. Take health, for example. Good health provides good energy. Good energy means that you can now spend time inventing that cereal that looks like tiny Ipods, after cleaning sewers all day. There may be a host of issues to resolve in order to remove roadblocks to private jets and beautiful beaches. It’s not only your health. Perhaps you still live with Mom and Dad and all your credit cards are maxed out over your incredible collection of collectable Yoda and Gollum action figures. Sorry, getting megarich might not happen overnight. Make sure your priorities are in order. Get in shape. Stop giving your platinum American Express to your Barbie girlfriend. When you find yourself on a plane to Las Vegas with your two year old’s piggy bank, forget it. You are not ready. Are you ready now? Great! Let’s go!

3. I’m going to be incredibly rich and do it all by myself.

No, you are not. Sure, I’ve read about some guy who came from some dusty, impoverished country, worked his butt off and became the carpet king of the world. Or Anthony Robbins, who was so poor that he had to take a bath in his kitchen sink before he became a megarich and began to buy helicopters and other rich-folk transportation devises. At least I think he took baths in the kitchen sink. Maybe he washed his clothes in it. Anyhoo, most people probably had some help to realize their dreams of caviar and champagne. How about a financial advisor? The world is saturated with them and I’m sure you can find one to get you on the right track. You know, how to save money, make a budget and all those other important money subjects that school never bothered to teach you. Don’t be afraid of financial planners either. They don’t all work in Gucci-designed, cloud-covered penthouse offices, smoke Cuban cigars and treat you like annoying spinach stuck in their teeth. Some can be nice! Inexpensive! So whether it’s the help of a friend, financial planner, parent or Oprah herself, it’s most likely that in order to get that two hundred foot yacht, you need some help. Who can help you?

4. I want to get stupendously rich, buy a small country, but I don’t have any good ideas.

Okay, you have purpose, no skeletons barging out of the closet and some help. But no ideas. The good news is that there are an infinite amount of ideas hanging off the idea tree just ready to be plucked. The bad news is that some of them take a long time to come to fruition. Conventional wisdom dictates that we must start young, save x amount of money for x years and blah, blah, blah. Well, some of us don’t have all those years. We want our helicopter and we want to eat our cake while flying in our helicopter -- now! Just think of all the fabulous and quick ways people have become filthy rich. Take those Google guys, for example. What’s with that? You punch in words in a little box and it brings you to other words that match your words. Rocket science? I think not. Ever heard of Lavalife? Lavalife is an online dating service that began in Canada and was sold for $152 million dollars!! Cash! $152 million!! Cash! True story! And the truly amazing thing is that it started in Canada! I thought Canada was just a bunch of peace-loving, mild-mannered types that worshipped hockey, curling and penguins. Yes, even Canada has amazingly rich people. So, if a Canadian can do it, so can you! Put your thinking cap on and start unleashing those hidden ideas. Maybe one day even you can sell your Canadian dating service company to a USA company for $152 million cash. Think of all the helicopters you can buy!

Let us summarize.

1. Understand the reasons behind your quest for wealth. Is always having the latest Ipod part of your wealth definition or is financial freedom? Make sure your core values are yours and don’t come from the advertising world.

2. You are clear and comfortable with your reasons behind for your wealth quest, but you are a walking heart attack. Having great health makes everything easier. Make it a priority and key goal.

3. You think you can get rich by yourself. Make sure you have the right connections to help you on your way. How about a financial planner?

4. You don’t have any ideas or are afraid to try one. There is an infinite amount of ways to create wealth. The first step is to TAKE ACTION. Life rewards action. Don’t take your music to your grave.