7 Ways to Get Noticed at Pinterest

Like Jeremy Lin, Pinterest is hot suddenly. Alexa Rank Is at 79 at the time of writing this article. It is a social image sharing website. It is the place to express yourself in images. It is also an effective marketing tool to drive traffic to your blog. You can join but you have to be invited.  There are 7 wonderful things you can do at Pinterest:

1.       Show what you like: You can pin images of people, places, books, animals, quotes and even videos.   You pin similar items according to your board name.

2.       Show what you dislike: What I dislike the most is pollution, toxic and radioactive waste.   You can express an idea easily with just a picture.

3.       Tweet and like your pins: You can connect and link your account with Facebook and Twitter. This will expose your activities at Pinterest far and wide.

4.       Repin, like or comment: What can you do with other people’s pins? When you see something nice you can always repin it to your board, like it or say something nice about the image.  

5.       Follow: Like Twitter, you can also follow other pinners for their boards and pins that you find interesting. 

6.       Show your best posts in the various boards: You can create boards relating to your niche like what I have done at  Pinterest:

·         Happiness

·         Fitness

·         Your money

·         Life

·         Family

·         Words

7.       Instant traffic to your site: When one of your pins (An article of yours from your blog) catches other pinners’ attention, they will go to your site.  It is a fantastic way to get more visitors to your site. 

Do one pin at a time and do it daily to boost traffic to your site. Observe the rule of social networking sites. Do not just pin your own staff. Pin things that people like and get connected with other people to show that you are interested in what they have pinned. 

Go to Pinterest and visit my boards and see my pins to get an idea of how you can be benefited from Pinterest.  

10 Effective and Frugal ways to enjoy life and be happy

According to Ipsos Global, which has surveyed the happiness of more than 18,000 people in 24 countries since 2007, Indonesians, Indians, and Mexicans are the happiest people in the world. It tells us that you can enjoy life and be happy without being rich. Here are ten easy and effective ways to enjoy life and be happy and contented.   

1.       Nap: The busier you are the more you will treasure a nap on a Sunday afternoon. It is the most enjoyable thing to do to regain your sanity and rebuild your energy after working hard for a week.  

2.       Reading: Reading is entertaining, motivating, enlightening, and inspiring. You can read anytime anywhere to reap the full benefit. 

3.       Music and songs: Like reading books, listening to classical music and evergreen, songs will uplift your mood, cheer you up and keep your spirits up. 

4.       Be with nature: Get away from your PC and get out of the house. Get some fresh air and sunshine. It is a refreshing difference and good for your health. Go and admire the wonders of nature on the beach, down the valley, or in the woods.

5.       Connect with friends: Pick up the phone or pay a surprise visit to one of your friends. Talk about anything and everything. Crack a few jokes and laugh out loud.  Life is boring without laughter,

6.       A walk in the park: Taking a walk in the park or the green field is a wonderful way to get new ideas when you are stuck in writing your next article. Let the breeze soothe your face and refresh your mind. You will feel good about yourself. 

7.       Have fun with your pets: Dogs and cats are your best friends in life. They are always there to amuse you and loosen you up.  

8.       Meditate: Sitting quietly alone, doing deep breathing, and doing Tai Chi or Yoga are some of the ways to relax and enjoy peace of mind. When you do it often you will go slow in life to observe things around instead of rushing by.

9.       A simple and delicious home-cook meal: There is nothing better in life than to enjoy a simple meal at home with the whole family. Savor the food and talk happily among family members.

10.    Take a break: Taking a deserving break and enjoying a cup of warm coffee is the best thing to treat yourself during a busy day. Going away for a few days is another delightful way to pamper yourself.  You are free from the usual tension of working life.   

Living fully now is the missing link in your life for true happiness and enjoyment.   Paying attention to what you do and enjoy doing it is the greatest pleasure you can get out of life. There is nothing complicated to enjoy life and be happy.

10 Wise Quotes About Money

1.      You can be young without money but you can't be old without it.
Tennessee Williams

When you are young, you are fit and strong and you can be gainfully employed. When you are old, you are weak and frail and you cannot work anymore. You need to live with your retirement fund for your golden years.  If you don’t start saving early for your old age, life will be miserable.

2.      Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle.
Ken Hakuta

All you need in life is a unique idea that others are looking for. It can be in the form of products or services. You give others what they want and you will be able to build your wealth.   

3.      Never spend your money before you have it.
Thomas Jefferson

Living on credit is not a wise thing to do. You pay more than by paying in cash and you may not be able to honor your debt and end up bankrupt.

4.      It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.
George Horace Lorimer

Do not just think of money, there are other important things in life to take care of such as your health which money cannot buy.

5.      Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly. It comes as a by-product of providing a useful service.

Henry Ford

 You don’t look for money directly. How much you can get is proportional to how much you can give to others in the form of services or products.

6.      Money will buy you a bed, but not a good night's sleep, a house but not a home, a companion but not a friend. 

Zig Ziglar

Money can buy you only material things, all other things you have to earn it like your reputation and the trust of others in you.

7.      He who gathers money little by little makes it grow. [Proverbs 13:11].

 Bible

The starting point to build wealth is savings. When it is done regularly over a period of time, compound interest will grow your money.  

8.      The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to make money nor find much fun in life.

Charles M. Schwab

 You must like and enjoy what you do. You are paid for what you can do for others by using your skills and know-how. The more you care about what you do, the better your work will be and the more money you will be able to earn. You can’t get money without putting in the effort to work and give your best.

9.      Money is a good servant but a bad master. 
Aristodemus

When you manage your personal finance effectively, you will grow your wealth. When you cannot discipline yourself and you overspend, you will get into debt. You will be a servant to the lender.

10.  Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like.
 Will Smith

It is prudent to live your own life within your means. Do not compare with others. There will always be others who are richer than you. Be contented, happy, and debt-free.

Top 30 All-Time Happiness Posts (Part 2)

11. 7 Essential Ingredients - Recipe for Happiness

The grand essentials of happiness are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. ~Allan K. Chalmers

Like a recipe for a dish of delicious food, it is the combination of some vital ingredients that contribute to happiness. True happiness is a mixture of the following:


12. Live Effectively Live Happily

Life is a gift and we must make the best of it, every day of our lives.

How do you feel at the end of each day? Do you have a great day? Are you disappointed? How do you live every day so that you are happy and satisfied at the end of the day? There are easy ways to live each day meaningfully and be contented.

13. How Happy Are You?

You can find out your happiness level by responding to the following statements:


14. How to Feel Good Every Day

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
- Anonymous

It is not difficult to have a great day every day. Feeling good starts with a positive mindset. Here are the things that you can do easily to have a wonderful feeling every day:


15.10 Simple and Effective Ways to Be Positive and Happy in Life

Everything in life starts with a thought or an idea and the right thinking will create a positive frame of mind especially when you start a new day. As you are in full control of yourself you can choose (you should) to be happy and adopt a positive mental attitude. By feeling happy and thinking positively you will act, react, do things and express yourself in a delightful way. The best time to think of positive thoughts and be cheerful is when you wake up in the morning. Here are the 10 ways to be positive and happy about


16. 10 Happy Ways to live life

“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” 
― Elbert Hubbard

“Happiness is not a goal...it's a by-product of a life well lived.” 
― Eleanor Roosevelt

Life is what you make out of it. When you think life is worth living, it is. When you think it is not, it is also true. Why not change your mindset and live a happy life?  Here are ten suggestions to uplift your mood and be merry every day: 

17. Be Less Be Simple Be Happy

In life, less is more, simple is plentiful and happiness is about free and easy.

Here are the ways to be less and simple but getting more out of life

18. 60 Effective Ways to Live Happily

The purpose of our lives is to be happy. ~Dalai Lama

There are many ways to live an abundant life and be happy. How do you live life happily? Take the cue from the following list:


19. Reiki for Peace of Mind and Happiness

According to The International Center for Reiki Training, Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. What can we learn from Reiki to promote peace of mind and happiness? Check out the following:


20. Find Happiness Be Happy

What is happiness? It is all about you. Let me elaborate:

Are You Getting What You Want in Life?

We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving. And we all have some power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Are you getting nowhere in life and you find emptiness all round? Do not complain and do not despair. Nobody owes you a living and you have to find your own way to live your life. Here are the steps you can take to lead a meaningful life:

1.      Know what you want in life: Look for your dreams and find your passion. There must be something in life that attracts you and inspire you. Not to worry about the journey ahead of you because according to Napoleon Hill, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”  The most important thing is to ignite the fire in you to take action and make changes. Since five years ago in 2007, I found out I have wanted to be a blogger/writer and I have not given up my dream.  With each passing day, my passion for blogging grows stronger.

Nothing happens unless first we dream. ~ Carl Sandburg

2.      Focus: Write down the one important goal in your life. Look at it every day so that you will stay focused and not get distracted. Your goal will remind you constantly what you need to do to realize your dreams. You will find happiness, satisfaction and fulfillment when you think and work on your goal.

3.      Build confidence: When you pay attention to your work, you will avoid worrying about the future or allowing the past to haunt you. Doing the right things will promote your self-esteem and build self-confidence. The key to success is your positive thoughts that you can do it to get what you want in life. 

Let go of the past and go for the future. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined. ~ Henry David Thoreau

4.      Working on it every day: Success is hard work. You know what to do and you just got to do it every day with concentration. It should not be a problem because your passion, focus and confidence will excite you every morning when you wake up.  I write an article a day and it has become a habit of mine.

5.      Challenge setbacks in life positively: Life can be challenging and exciting. React to negative events with a positive frame of mind. Be creative and think of ways to overcome obstacles. 

6.      Congratulate yourself for each step of your success: It is a slow process for me in blogging, but with each small victory and success I am motivated to carry on with much enthusiasm. You do the same with what you do. Measure your performance and be delighted when you are on the right track and making progress.

7.      Keep learning and be skillful: I started blogging with no knowledge of the Internet because I am a baby boomer. It does not deter me from going after what I want to do. I just learn and learn and I get better with each passing day because I am willing to learn continuously. 

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. ~ John Barrymore

8.      Looking forward in life with hope, determination and perseverance: When there is something to look forward to in life, there is hope. The way to go forward in life is to live with determination and perseverance to achieve your dreams.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ~Harriet Tubman

Are You Ready For a Tax Audit?

The tax department may call you and send you a letter telling you that they are coming to do a tax audit. It is an examination of your tax returns, especially for those who are in business, to make sure that you have reported correctly your income and expenses and paid the correct amount of tax. Like fighting a legal case, whatever you have reported, it must be properly supported by documents.  Here are a few things you must observe and watch out for:

Income:

·         Properly numbered bills in running sequence: Any cancelled bills are intact and not to be destroyed. If your bills are without numbers it can be an indication that you are trying to hide some of your business income and report an amount lower than what you have actually collected. Throwing away cancelled bills is a no-no because it is subject to the same suspicion.

Expenses:

·         Documentary evidence: Like in a court of law, your reported expenses must be supported by invoices or bills. As an example, you advertise for your business and you support your payment with a bill. It would be even better if you could attach a copy of the advertisement.

 

·         Vouchers: You must clearly state the full details of each and everyone when you make payments to individuals.   

Why the tax department call on you? These are  few of them  valid reasons:

  

•    Errors: One of the reasons cited by the IRS is that some people are poor in mathematics and the figures do not add up.  So, they are subject to investigation.

[On filing for tax returns] This is too difficult for a mathematician. It takes a philosopher. ~ Albert Einstein

•      Red flag:  Earning a monthly income of $2000 but paying a mortgage of $1800. Do you mean you don’t have to eat and live? 

•          Income: Having income not reported or income under-declared is asking for trouble. Living a lifestyle beyond your reported income is a sure way to catch the attention of the IRS.

So, are you ready for a tax audit? 

5 Ways to be Linspired by Linsanity

Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.

Jeremy Lin is the most popular person on earth right now. I have watched a few of his games and I am truly amazed, inspired and motivated.  There are a few important lessons to learn from this hottest personality:

1.      Courage: According to David Brooks of The New York Times, his primary virtue is courage - the ability to withstand pain, remain calm under pressure and rise from nowhere to topple the greats.  He was undrafted, a D-Leaguer, a bench warmer and a couch crasher. In life when you believe in yourself for what you can do, you will be successful eventually. The key is perseverance.

2.      Be prepared and be patient:  The first thing you can learn from him is to be patient, says Kelly Scaletta, one thing that people are forgetting throughout this Lin, the situation is that he didn't suddenly burst onto the scene. Lin is in his second season. He has prepared and worked for years perfecting his skills and waiting patiently for his chance to come. In life, you have to be prepared and be ready for your lucky break.

3.      Seize the opportunity and show the world your best: Jeremy Lin got hold of the chance and captured the attention of the world by delivering 7 straights wins for Knicks. When you are given the opportunity, grab it and do your best like Jeremy Lin.

4.      Be humble: As a Christian, Lin is a humble person. He does not let success get over his head. He credits his teammates for his success. People love you more when you care more about them.

5.      Do things with your heart and soul: When he is playing, he is in the game with his heart and soul to win.  In life, you work with your heart to get things done. When you feel good about yourself in what you do, you do it wholeheartedly.   

What have you learnt from Jeremy Lin?

5 Benefits of Gratitude

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~ Marcel Proust

Appreciation and thankfulness are the ways to live with life. Because gratitude is the right way to live, it has many benefits: 

1.      Health: Grateful people boost their immune system, promote their brain function, alertness, energy, and manage their stress better. 

Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, regular physical examinations. ~ Robert Emmons, University of California Davis psychologist,

2.      Happiness: Doing the right things makes you feel good. According to this article, as an example, writing letters of gratitude improves well-being  and happiness

Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude. ~ Joseph Wood Krutch

3.      An effective way to cope with life: Gratitude is the way to get peace of mind. Don’t be angry or jealous.  More than just calmness, thankfulness reduces aggression.  In the face of difficulties think of your strengths and you will be able to overcome them with resolve and determination.

Real life isn’t always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties. ~Sarah Ban Breathnach

4.      Better relationships: Thankfulness is the right way to treat people. People like to be acknowledged and appreciated. Express gratefulness to those who have helped you in one way or another. Say thank you to the counter staff who have served you. A simple gesture of smiling at people you meet is a wonderful way to lift the mood of another person.

The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.
~ William James

5.      Contentment: Focus on what you have and you will be satisfied and contented. When you pay more attention to what you don’t have, you will never be happy.

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more. ~Brother David Steindl-Rast

Gratitude is the source of our strength to live a life of abundance.

More Ways to be Happy at Work

Happy

There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.-- Henry Ford

You are employed because of what you can do for the company. So, work is about contributing and providing value. Happiness is what you get when you can give at work. The more you can give, the more valuable and happier you will be.  Here are the things that you can do at work to boost your happiness

1.      Positive attitude: Happiness is from the inside out. If you don’t go to work happily, will you be able to work happily? Start a new day and every day with a cheerful frame of mind.  Go to work with excitement and enthusiasm in the morning. Your positive thoughts will energize and kick-start every new day at work.  

2.      Enthusiastic about your work: Do you like your work? Do you enjoy what you do at work? Happiness is to like what you do and enjoying it. Be passionate about your work and get into the flow of work. Make your life at work a pleasant one so that you can stay happy. 

3.      Take responsibility: You are happy when you are proud of your work. You work with care and aim for excellence. Your work represents you. People respect you when they respect your work.  Looking after your reputation is an effective way to be happy at work.

The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.-- Pearl S. Buck

4.      Sharpen your skills: Happy people are open-minded. They don’t rest on their laurels. They continue to learn and get to know more. They know that better skills produce better work. A valued and appreciated employee is a happy employee. 

5.      Getting organized: Happiness is planning your work and working your plan. It is a productive and less stressful way to get a thing done in an orderly manner. When you are on top of things, you work confidently and happily.

6.      Building relationships: Knowing what to expect from your boss and working accordingly to look after his or her interests is the best policy to build a lasting working relationship. Keeping your boss posted at each stage of your progress is the way to get noticed. Building relationships are also building the trust of the boss in you. You can work happily knowing that your boss can count on you and without having to spy on you every now and then.   

Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy with what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.-- Johnny Carson

Top 3 Posts in Janaury 2012

1. How Safe is Your Money in the Bank

In Malaysia, there is a system established by the Government to protect depositors against the loss of their insured deposits placed with member institutions in the event the member institution fails. It is administered by Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia (PIDM) and brought into effect in September 2005.

All types of depositors, whether businesses or individuals are protected. The maximum limit of coverage is RM250,000 per depositor per member institution.

Your deposit with member banks are covered automatically and it is free. When you have one million Ringgit you can deposit with four different banks and not four different branches of the same bank at RM250,000 each to get effective cover.  

Your money may be safe in the bank but is it productive? There are two factors to consider:

2. How Many Bank Accounts do You Need to Manage Your Personal Finance?

One of the aims of personal finance is to control your spending according to your budget. It is also part of your financial plan to save sufficiently.  An effective way to achieve your goals in these two areas is to maintain three separate bank accounts.

3. What Is the Difference Between a Journal and a Diary?

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, a journal is a written record of the things you do, see, etc every day. Diary is a book in which you can write the experiences you have each day, your private thoughts, etc.  Both words come from the same Latin word dies ‘day’.

I have been writing a diary ever since I was young. At the end of each year, I will go to Popular Book Store and buy one. It is written on the cover 我的日记 (wo de ri ji – My Dairy). I write about the happenings of the day plus my personal thoughts and feelings on things which affect me.

I do not see any differences between the two:

How I Get Ideas to Write an Article Every Day

It is by sitting down to write every morning that one becomes a writer. ~Gerald Brenan

Yes, I have the habit of writing every morning, but reading and writing go hand in hand. To improve writing is to read widely and write every day. Here are the main sources of my writing ideas:

1.      Reader’s Digest: It offers a wide ranch of articles from health, motivation, money to stories about random acts of kindness. The articles are amusing, inspiring, and captivating. I get a lot of ideas from its article headlines. I am a loyal subscriber.  

2.      Productive! Magazine: It is free and you can download it online. As the name implies, it is about work and productivity. Leo Babauta is a regular contributor to this magazine.  The latest issue (December 2011/January 2012) is about Gretchen Rubin and her Happiness Project. It is useful and informative. Articles are relating to my niche.

3.      China Press: It is a local Chinese newspaper in Malaysia. The trick is to spot news items and develop into thought-provoking articles.

4.      New Straits Times: It is another local English newspaper. The best part is that it features regular articles similar to what I normally write about. Of course, news headlines are wonderful sources of article ideas.

5.      Email subscription to similar niche blogs and writing blogs: I subscribe to Copyblogger, Problogger, DailyWritingTips, and other self-improvement blogs like Steve Pavlina. Zen Habits. Pick the Brain, The Positivity Blog. These bloggers offer excellent sources of writing ideas.

6.      While doing something else: Ideas do occur while I am walking or driving. The most important thing is to capture the ideas and put them into writing.  I am an early riser. The first thing I do is to perform Tai Chi. The slow-motion exercise flashes out ideas too.

7.      Expand my old posts: Another effective way is to go back to my old popular posts and pick one and create a new post with new ideas and linking them to the old post. 

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot...reading is the creative center of a writer's life...you cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you. ~Stephen King

How do you get your writing ideas? Share with us.