7 Things to Avoid and be Happy

Happiness is what we aim for in life.  Thinking positively and doing the right things will attract happiness. Doing the opposite will repel happiness. Here are the things in life that you should avoid so that you can stay happy.

1.      Avoid being materialistic: Yes, you are happy when you have got a new gadget. The happiness will not last long because a newer gadget is available in the marketing and you are thinking of getting it.  The thought of it will make you miserable. The only way out is to stop thinking about it and to appreciate what you have and be happy.  

2.      Avoid postponing your happiness: You will only be happy when you can achieve something great in the future. In the meantime, you forget to enjoy and celebrate the small successes daily. Life is to live from moment to moment here and now. Enjoy what you do now and capture the happiness within. You will not regret it later when you are old and fragile. 

3.      Avoid greediness: Learn to be contented in life. You will never be satisfied when you want more and more. You may not get it or you may get cheated.  Don’t allow your happiness to be attached to things.  Be free and happy.

4.      Avoid jealousy: Don’t compare your life with others.  It is the sure way to invite discontentment and jealousy. Live your way of life and be happy as what you are.

5.      Avoid being pessimistic: You are doing the same thing day in and day out because the outlook is bleak and you feel gloom and doom about the future. It will discourage you from taking action and making changes. If you don’t try, you will miss the chance to experience it and be thrilled or be successful.  

6.      Avoid being disorganized: Do you feel suffocated, restless and uneasy because of all the staff at home?  Clutter at home will bring you unhappiness because it contributes to an unsettled state of mind and takes away the feeling of a relaxed home. Get organized and get peace of mind at home.

7.      Avoid living aimlessly: Having an aim in life allows you to look forward to the future with hope and expectations. You will get up each morning and get excited to get things done. You will fill your life with enthusiasm and energy because there is a direction to follow. 

Avoid getting into a state of unhappiness.

Related post:

7 Things to Avoid Being Unhappy

30 Wise Quotes about Living in the Here and Now

Look to this day for it is life,

The very life of life.

In its brief course lie all the realities

And truths of existence;

The joy of growth,

The splendour of action,

The glory of power.

For yesterday is but a memory,

And tomorrow is only a vision.

But today well lived makes every

Yesterday a memory of happiness.

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day.

~Ancient Sanskrit poem by Kelidasa

1.      The life that the dawn brings us is the only life we have. Life is in the here and now, not in the there and afterwards

~Vimala Thakar

2.      Nothing is worth more than this day.

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

3.      Yesterday is a cancelled cheque; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have –so spend it wisely,

~Kay Lyons

4.      I have learned to live each day as it comes, and not to borrow trouble by dreading tomorrow.

~ Dorothy Dix

5.      Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.

~Benjamin Franklin

6.      With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future.  I live now. 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

7.      Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee.

 ~Montaigne

8.      The other day a man asked me what I thought was the best time of life.  "Why," I answered without a thought, "now." 

~David Grayson

9.      It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis.

Margaret Bonnano

10.  Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That's why we call it the present. 

~Babatunde Olatunji

11.  Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do. 

~Jean de la Bruyere

12.  Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.

~James Thurber

13.  The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.

~Abraham Maslow

14.  One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living.  We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. 

~Dale Carnegie

15.  Happiness, not in another place but this place...not for another hour, but this hour.

~ Walt Whitman

16.  Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.

~ Eckhart Tolle,

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

~Buddha

18.  We are always getting ready to live but never living.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

19.  Today is life - the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today.

~Dale Carnegie

20.  Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed.

~Coria Kent

21.  Live neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day's work absorb your entire energies, and satisfy your widest ambition.

~ir William Osler

22.  The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

~ Buddha

23.  Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

24.  The future depends on what you do today.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

25.  The future starts today, not tomorrow.

~ Pope John Paul II

26.  Know the true value of time! Snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no procrastination. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
~ Philip Chesterfield

27.  Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right now. Don't miss it.
~ Leo Buscaglia

28.  Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.
~ Oprah Winfrey

29.  Present-moment living, getting in touch with your "now," is at the heart of effective living. When you think about it, there really is no other moment you can live. Now is all there is, and the future is just another present moment to live when it arrives. One thing is certain, you cannot live it until it does appear.

~Wayne Dyer

30.  If you are not happy here and now, you never will be.

~Taisen Deshimaru quotes

Publish your First eBook at Smashwords and Be Noticed Globally

When you have published your first eBook at Amazon, it is wise to circulate your eBook and reach a global audience. So your next move is to upload your eBook and publish on Smashwords.

·         The benefits: Your eBook is distributed to online retailers such as Apple (distribution to iBookstores in 32 countries), Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, WH Smith in the UK and FNAC (both powered by Kobo), the Diesel eBook Store,  eBooks Eros (operated by Diesel), Baker & Taylor (Blio and the Axis360 library service) and Page Foundry (operates retail sites Inktera.com and Versent.com; operates Android ebook store apps for Cricket Wireless and Asus). Your book is also given an International Standard Book Number for free. This is my ISBN: 9781476494623 for my eBook, 7 Effective Ways to Live a Happy and Successful Life. You can Google it and check out my first eBook.

·         The process: Before you do anything, read Smashwords Style Guide. This free guide offers simple step-by-step instructions to create, format and publish an ebook. As usual, you use Word to create your eBook. However, there is a difference in saving the file before you upload to Samshwords. For Amazon Kindle  you save the file as “Web page, filtered” and for Smashwords, you save as “Word 97-2003 document”

·         Important: Read The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success. It is free. According to Mark Coker, the author, these secrets will help you become a more professional, more successful writer and publisher.

Get your eBook published at Amazon and Smashwords for worldwide coverage.  

7 Painless Ways To Get Vigorous At Work

This is a guest post by Harrison Li:

Realizing time is too short?

Think that you will never have enough time for your personal pursuits, hobbies, and freedom?

Productivity is something we all want to maximize; how can you get more work done, of better quality, with the same amount of time you get every day?

The following are seven measly little tips that help you do more work and do better work:

1. Stay offline, thoroughly

The number one-time killer is the internet.

Technology is two-sided, it helps make our lives easier, on the other hand, it distracts us from focusing.

This point is specifically aimed at those who work on the computer, get offline. No, that doesn't mean closing your browser, that means unplugging the actual cable from your machine.

Or turn off the wireless card (for laptops).

2. Declutter your workspace

Clean up your working environment will improve your ability to focus.

Here's what you should do: everything you see in your room, ask yourself this question "how is this going to maximize my productivity?", and if it doesn't, you know what to do.

Get rid of them.

Minimize objects of wants, and keep the items you need.

3. Start with the toughest

And work your way towards the bottom of the hill.

By eliminating the hardest barriers first, you'll conserve sufficient energy for other smaller tasks, because we always have the most energy in the beginning.

Save the relaxing for the end, because in the end, you'll literally get to relax.

4. Sleep early, wake up early

What you are capable to do is determined by the energy you have, and that can only be recovered from a good night's sleep.

Sleep is everything.

It determines your health, your ability to focus, your overall performance...etc.

The problem is, most people sacrifice this recovery to trade for a practical time, what would you choose? Try naps.

5. Set the most important tasks

One word: prioritize.

Find three tasks you believe are the most important of everything and set them at the top of your schedule, nothing else.

Once you have finished these three tasks, then head off to smaller bits of work.

6. Time yourself and break

Let's get realistic, we all need breaks.

Yeah sure, you may be able to push yourself, but in the long run, this is negative. Why?

• It hinders work efficiency.
• Lowers work quality.
• Blurs concentration and focus.

Just to name a few. It's better off to get a 15-30 minutes break after a period of hard work.

7. Do it fully

Understand what to do at the right moment.

If it's a break, relax fully, if it's work time, work fully.

If you want to produce the maximum results and achieve the best, you must ignore all that is unnecessary around you, and focus 100% only on the task you're doing.

And that means no mobile phones, no music, no anything that does not help you in your work.

Imagine yourself on a plane, all you can do is sit there and work with no internet access. Thus, forcing yourself to work.

Summing these handy tips up...

• Disconnect yourself from the internet
• Simplify your workspace and get rid of useless things
• Start with your toughest tasks
• Maintain good sleeping patterns (8 hours is great)
• Prioritize your 3 most important tasks to do first
• Time yourself of work time then take a break
• Do what you are doing fully with 100% focus

I'm sharing 7 tips with you; care to share 1 with me? Let me know your best productivity trick in the discussion below.

I’m Harrison Li; I talk about life improvement, getting results, managing wealth and relationships. See something new at Mind Fuels – a place of simpleness.

Related post:
10 Instant Productive Working Habits
7 Negative Things to Avoid at Work

How to be Mindful at Work

To be mindfully engaged is the most natural, creative state we can be in.     

Ellen Langler  

Mindfulness at work involves physical, mental, and psychological well-being. Here are 7 ways to work mindfully:  

1.      Restful: Mindfulness at work starts with your restful sleep. Are you having enough sleep every night? A good night’s sleep is the natural way to renew your energy and start a new day fresh and alert.  

2.      Energetic: Are you taking care of your health? Do you exercise daily? It is the way to be fit and work calmly and mindfully. Daily challenges demand your energy and concentration at work.  

3.      Prepared: Are you ready to start a new day every day? Do you have a daily to-day list? It is a productive way to work mindfully one task at a time without worrying about anything else. It is also to avoid multitasking and rushing about getting things done and be stressful.

4.      Be early: It is a good idea to start work early if you have more things to do in a day. By working ahead of others you create an atmosphere for quality work because you can work with peace of mind without getting distracted or disturbed by others.

5.      Create a mindfulness environment: Is your place of work conducive to mindfulness? Can you work in peace? Is it bright enough for you to do work without getting sleepy? Is there a pot of plants on your desk to cheer you up? Plants promote positive energy flow.

6.      Work with your heart: Are you passionate about your work?  Your work is your reputation. Be interested in what you do so you will do your best and gain the trust of others.  Taking pride in your work is to work with focus and attention.

7.       Creative attitude: Mindfulness at work is thinking about improvement, making changes for the better, and getting more productive.  Be happy at work so that your mind is more relaxed to conceive new ideas. To get ahead is to avoid getting stagnant.

Be physically and mentally fit and psychologically positive to work mindfully.  

Related posts:
10 Office Efficiency Tips
Getting from Intention to Attention and Work Productively with Energy Every Day

Effective Ways to Manage 3 Areas of Personal Finance

In life, when you do not earn a reasonable amount, you may not have enough to spend and live a decent living.

When you have earned sufficiently but you spend freely or gamble away your earning, there will be nothing left or worse still you will be in debt.

When you can earn and spend within your means, you may not be able to invest and grow your wealth because you are greedy. You want quick gain and get conned.
     

The objective of personal finance is financial freedom. To be  financially independent it depends on how much you can earn, the way you spend your money and how you grow your wealth.  

1.       Maximize your earnings: You start off as an employee and the amount you can earn depends on your skills, education, and experience. You learn the secrets of the trade and get more productive and every year you get your pay raise. There is a limit to what you can earn even if you change to another job. An ideal position is that your earnings are able to cover your expenses plus an amount for savings.   If you want to earn more, you can get a part-time job, but the amount is still limited. Starting a business of your own, especially an online business is the best option.  The most important thing about a business is a unique idea. There is no limit to what you can earn as long as you are willing to take risks associated with running a business as an entrepreneur.

2.       Prudent spending: The key to wise spending is to avoid getting into debt and spending more than you earn. You will incur interest and pay more for an item that you can pay in cash. Be practical, when a small car can provide the transportation you need, don’t spend more on a bigger car.  A car depreciates in value over time, especially during the first few years. Buy what you need according to your budget and get what you want only if it is within your means.  Learn to appreciate what you can afford and what you have. Avoid bad habits like gambling because it will empty your money and ruin your life.   

3.       Grow your Wealth: When you budget for your monthly spending, you are also wise to include an amount for savings. The amount is crucial to be set aside for a rainy day. The monthly savings are also to be accumulated over time so that you can invest and make your money grow. Investment is for the long term and diversification is the key. Invest in many vehicles such as shares, unit trusts, gold, property, and bonds. Your wealth will be good for your children’s education and for your retirement. Avoid scams and get rich quick schemes.

Take a three-pronged attack to manage your finance: earn more, control your spending, and invest wisely.

Related post:

Are You Financially Successful? 

How to Get an eBook Cover for $5

I have just published my first eBook. As I am not good in software, I have to outsource a book cover.  I have found a place where I can get a cover done quickly and cheaply at fiverr.com: 

        1. `Got to fiverr.com,  on the top right of the  page you will see this:

2.       Type “design book cover” and you will get a list of people who are willing to design a book cover for you at $5.

3.       Choose one with many positive reviews.

4.       When you have chosen the one you like, click “order now” and you will be directed to a new page for you to make payment at PayPal.

5.      When payment is made you can then provide the title of your book and the name of the author. You can request for an image or supply your own. Ask for a 2D cover so that you will see the front of the cover in full like the one shown here.   

6.       It can be done in 24 hours and upon your request, the cover can be modified to suit your needs.

7.     This site can do more than just designing book covers. Browse and ask for it.   How about this one?   

What do you think of the cover of my first eBook?

Launch Your First Personal Project Successfully

A personal project consists of a series of tasks. Writing an eBook is a good example. It can’t be done in a few hours or a day. It takes many days or months. Planning, organizing and executing are the ways to complete a personal project orderly, smoothly and timely.

Here are the steps to take:

1.       The big picture: What do you wish to accomplish? You need to know the steps to be taken like writing an eBook.  If you are not sure, you can always surf the Net and look for relevant information and gain the knowledge to do it right the first time.

2.       The small steps: The next thing is to break it down into actionable tasks in its proper sequence. You also need to give a deadline for each task so that you can work with a sense of urgency. I am giving here, as an example, how I publish my first eBook.  For your information, I am not actually writing the eBook because the material is extracted from my blog posts and I am working on the project part-time.

·         July 1 Read Building Your Book for Kindle

·         July 2  front matter: title page and subtitle, copyright page, preface, acknowledgement, table of contents

·         July 3  chapter 1

·         July 4  chapter 2

·         July 5  chapter 3

·         July 6  chapter 4

·         July 7   chapter 5

·         July 8   chapter 6

·         July 9   chapter 7

·         July 10   chapter 8

·         July 11   back matter: about the author

·         July 12-14  revision

·         July 15-18  editing  and proofreading

·         July 19-20 get a book cover from fiverr.com in 24-hour at $5/= only.

·         July 21 upload to Amazon, the book is available online in Amazon Kindle Bookstore, do  promotion:  press release, a blog post, notify social networking sites and  subscribers, do a presentation at SlideShare

3.    The positive mindset: Do not get distracted, be focused and be disciplined to work your plan and get the daily tasks done accordingly. You will be motivated by the progress you have made in each passing day.

4.       Daily review: Look at your daily tasks. Are you able to follow the schedule? Do you need to revise your steps and make changes because of new developments? Be flexible and get the project launched successfully.

5.       Launched: My first eBook is successfully published on July 21, 2012. If you have an eReader such as a Kindle Fire you can download 7 Effective Ways to Live a Happy and Successfully Life. It is only $2.99.      

Plan and work your first personal project now.

7 Effective Money Tips for Young Workers

    According to the latest survey of Financial Behaviors and Financial Habits of Young Workers by The Consumer Research and Resource Centre, 47% of the young adults were seriously in debt because their monthly debt payments were 30% or more of their gross income. 37% lived beyond their means and 15% were without savings. Most of them were lacking in financial knowledge. On a score of 1 to 6 (1 – strong financial knowledge and 6 having no financial knowledge), 43% scored 4 and above. That is why they felt that they had poor financial knowledge.

You can take the following steps to put your personal finance in order:

1.      Review your financial situation: Take stock of your financial situation. Find out your take-home income, outstanding debt from various sources (mortgage, car, personal, and student loan), and your present spending pattern. You need to think of and do several things at the same time: clear your debts as soon as possible, earn more, spend within your means, and cut unnecessary expenses.

2.      Getting out of debt: Your first priority is to get rid of outstanding debt especially those with high-interest rates such as credit card debts. It is to avoid incurring and paying more interest.  You are also trying to keep your debt manageable so that you can avoid getting into bankruptcy.

3.      Budget: At this point after you have budgeted for your basic needs in a thrifty way, you have to allocate a substantial amount of your income to reduce and eventually clear your debt.  Avoid impulse spending and forget about all your wants. Be disciplined to follow your budget and learn to appreciate what you have. The objective of your budget is to get rid of credit card debts and to avoid getting into arrears for all the other installment payments.  

4.      Emergency fund: It is mentioned in the survey that if they stopped working, the consumer had enough savings on an average for only 4 months. As soon as you are out of debt, you have to set aside an amount every month for a rainy day. It is also to develop a habit of savings. The creation of wealth starts from savings and nothing else.

5.      Credit cards: Can you handle credit cards? If you can’t, cancel all your cards and avoid making purchases on credit and get into debt and incur interest. Credit cards are for convenience only and you must make payment in full when it is due.  

6.      Earn more: Sustaining your positive working attitude, acquiring additional skills and working smart are positive ways to add value and justify more pay. Do your homework, approach your boss at the right time and ask for it. You can also take up a part-time job relating to your expertise. As a young and energetic person, you will spend more time making extra money and avoid spending money with too much leisure time.

7.      Financial education: Learn to be money savvy. Get books, go online, attend personal finance courses or get free counseling from Credit Counseling and Debt Management Agency.  You will learn about needs and wants, income and expenses, budget and savings, interest and debt, insurance and mortgage, investment and retirement, wills and estate management, and more.

Get into good personal financial shape and enjoy financial freedom. 

Related posts:

10 Effective Ways to Save Money

Credit Cards and Young People

7 More Effective Ways to Save Money

Can You Choose Wisely Between Savings and Debt Settlement?

12 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Expenses

7 Effective Ways to Manage Your Debt and Boost Your Credit Worthiness

10 Essential Things About Money

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How to Ask for a Raise or Bonus