10 Ways to Live Less and Simple and Be Free, Healthy and Happy

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.  ~Hans Hofmann

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.  ~Leonardo DaVinci

Can you live less and simple in life? The quality of life is not having more and be complicated. A free and happy life is about simplicity and less is more.

1.      Less clutter: Is your house full of things and you are restless because there is no breathing room? Clear all the unwanted things at home. Be simple, spacious, and find peace and calmness at home.

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.  ~William Morris

2.      Want less: Be free financially. When you are free from wanting more you are free from debt. Happiness is about contentment and appreciating what you have.

You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need.  ~Vernon Howard

3.      Commit less: Spend time on doing things that you truly value. Do not over-commit and be overwhelmed.

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.  The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.  ~Lin Yutang

4.      Worry less: When you spend precious time worrying about the future, you will have less time to be happy and enjoy life here and now. The present moment is the only time you can feel, touch, smell, listen and enjoy. 

5.      Do less: Do less and be less stressed every day. Just ask yourself: What is the single most important thing that I should do today to bring me the desired results?  

   

6.      Hurry less: Be in a holiday mood so that you will be more relaxed and calm to live your daily life. To be in the present is to enjoy what you do.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~ Lao Tzu

7.      Simple healthy habits: Get away from the TV set, get out and enjoy the outdoors. Be with nature, fresh air, and sunshine, no club membership fee or gym equipment are required. Stay healthy and fit in a natural and effective way. Sleep early and get up early.

8.      Simple eating: When you eat out less especially at fast food outlets, you are actually consuming less fat, less sugar, and less salt. What you get is a healthier and longer life.  A healthy eating habit is about eating less meat and more fruits, vegetables and drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

9.      Talk less: When you talk less, you are listening more and when you listen more, you learn more from others and understand them much better. Others will appreciate you because you listen.

10.  Expect less: You get fewer disappointments with less expectation. Nobody can predict the outcome of events in our life and you can’t control the behavior of others. Do the best you can with what you have and enjoy the process of doing it and let things be. You do what is right for others and don’t expect to get something in return.  When you do good, do you do it for the sake of doing it or you want something in return? 

 Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.  ~Edwin Way Teale

10 Effective Ways to Stay Young While You Are Growing Old

To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent that is to triumph over old age. ~Amos Bronson Alcott

 Don’t worry about your age, you can always stay young. Here are the things that you can do to stay youthful and feel great about yourself:

 1. Live life fully: The most important thing is to occupy your time with meaningful things to do such as taking up a new hobby, participating in a community project, or starting a blog. Avoid emptiness and find new challenges in life.

 2. Physically active: To stay lively, alert, and energetic is to stay active. Exercise regularly and walk often. A sedentary lifestyle is bad for your health and makes you lazy. Go outdoors; get the sunshine and fresh air.

 3. Get connected with younger people: Young people are full of zest and enthusiasm. Get involved with youngsters and be influenced by their liveliness and behave like one. You are instantly young again.

 4. Sleep well: A good night’s sleep is able to rejuvenate your body, regain your energy, release your tension, and repair damages are done to your body during the day. To sleep well is to sustain your youthfulness.

 5. Be happy: The best thing to do is to tell yourself to be cheerful when you wake up in the morning. Start a new day on a bright and sunny note. Greet people you meet, smile at them, and laugh often. When you want to be happy, just be happy.

You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. ~ Michael Pritchard

6. Eat right: Be strong and energetic by eating nutritiously. Have more fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Avoid junk food and give up bad habits like drinking and smoking.

 7. Positive mental attitude: Be confident and feel good about yourself. Be hopeful and optimistic about life. Look to each new day eagerly and anxiously.

 8. Live now: One effective way to live life fully is to live in the moment. Like what you do and enjoy the process of doing it. Happiness is living here and now, not in the past or the future. Do not allow your mind to wander about, be here and now and involved fully in what you are doing.

 9. Keep learning: Learning new things in life such as blogging is to keep your brain sharp, active, and alert. Be flexible and welcome changes in life. There is never a dull moment when there is always something new every day to learn.

 10. Peace of mind: Fill with heart with love and be loved. This is the way to get peace of mind. Peace of mind is also about counting your blessings and be contented. Live the way you want, and like the way you live. Just be yourself.

 You are growing old in age but you can always stay young at heart and in spirits.

12 Essential Things to Do In Life

Life is meaningless only if we allow it to be. Each of us has the power to give life meaning, to make our time and our bodies and our words into instruments of love and hope. ~ Tom Head

To find meaning in life is to think right, do right and expect the right results. Check out the things you need to do in life:

1. Be purposeful: There is a direction in life when you live with a purpose. You know what you want and you go all the way to get it. You will look forward to each new day enthusiastically.

The purpose of life is a life of purpose. ~ Robert Byrne

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

2. Be happy: This is your ultimate aim in life, but you don’t have to seek it directly. It is the by-product of what you think and what you do. Happiness is what you get when what you think and what you do get you positive results.

What everyone wants from life is continuous and genuine happiness. ~ Baruch Spinoza

3. Be positive: Though life is not a bed of roses, the most crucial thing is that you react to things positively. Positive thinking, which is the right mental attitude, creates positive action and brings you positive results.

Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact. ~ Henry James

4. Be organized: To avoid living in chaos and be stressed, you have to plan ahead and organize your life in advance every day. Live an orderly life and get things done smoothly.

Without discipline, there's no life at all. ~ Katharine Hepburn

5. Be productive: When your life is organized, you will be more efficient and effective in what you do. Productivity is the key to your success in life.

There is no meaning to life except the meaning man gives to his life by the unfolding of his powers, by living productively. ~ Erich Fromm

6. Be physically active: To be fit and healthy is to live life energetically. To be energetic, you need to be physically active. Health and physical fitness is the way to live and enjoy your life fully.

7. Be curious: It is about the thirst for knowledge. Discover and get the right information to be knowledgeable and stay ahead. It is also about continuous learning to stay alert to changes and to gain wisdom.

Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. ~ Mortimer Adler

8. Be hopeful: When you know what you are looking for in life, you will be hopeful because you are working daily to get what you want. Hope is a powerful force that keeps you going on in life despite failures and setbacks.

Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired. ~ Erik H. Erikson

9. Be connected: To connect is to interact. To interact is to exchange ideas and be smarter.

10. Be grateful: Appreciate your existence, thankful for what you have got, be contented. Avoid thinking of the things you don’t have, but treasure the things that you are enjoying now.

11. Be flexible: Technology is advancing at a very fast pace. Things are changing rapidly and life is getting complicated. We have to do things differently in order to cope with changes.

If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living. ~ Gail Sheehy

12. Be focused: To focus is to harness your energy and do what matters the most to you. Know what you want out of life and work for it with full concentration.

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

7 Positive Ways to Deal with Failures

Success is ninety-nine percent failure. ~Soichiro Honda

Failures in life are inevitable. We can’t always make the right move. What can you do when you encounter failures? Deal with them positively:

1. Don’t blame others: Accept a failure as your own doing. If you blame others, you will not look at yourself critically and identify your own mistakes. Be courageous to accept it; people will respect you for your truthfulness and sincerity.

2. Analyze: Do a post mortem and find out what actually has gone wrong. Is it possible to avoid it? Find out how you can work smarter to avoid making the same mistakes.

3. Learn valuable lessons: React to every failure as a valuable lesson to be learnt. Meeting failures are better than inaction. There is no progress without trying.

Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes. ~John Dewey

4. Do it another way: You will be a lot wiser and avoid making mistakes that you have made in the past. You will do things differently and the chances are that you will be more likely to be successful.

Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn't work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach. ~Roger Von Oech

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. ~Henry Ford


5. Be Optimistic: Do not allow failures to dampen your spirits and avoid negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, anguish, and disappointment. Failures are not the end of the world. Bounce back and be hopeful that things will eventually work out alright.


Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. ~Winston Churchill

6. Failures are the stepping stones to success: To fail is to learn and improve. To succeed is to keep trying.

You always pass failure on the way to success. ~Mickey Rooney

7. Don’t dwell on failures: Don’t allow failures to hold you back. Start a new day with a new beginning. Go ahead in life confidently.

There is no failure except in no longer trying. ~Elbert Hubbard


It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. ~Bill Gates

7 Advantages to Continue Working When You Retire

According to an article, As First Baby Boomers Retire, Many Facing Personal Finance Disasters, more than 10,000 baby boomers a day have turned 65 since January 2011, a pattern that will continue for the next 19 years. However, 60% of baby boomers don’t have enough for retirement. What can you do to fortify your financial independence and make ends meet? The only viable solution is to continue working. There are several benefits when you delay your retirement:

1. Work longer, less time to retire: When you continue to work, you trade off your retirement years. It means you will need less money to spend when you finally retire.

2. A Source of income: There is a source of income when you work. It means you can continue to live the usual lifestyle without dipping into your retirement fund.

3. More savings: When you work, part of your income will go to save as budgeted. The longer you work, the more you will save and the more interest you will be able to earn and accumulate. This will be a new source of a fund when you do retire.

4. Less retirement fund is required: Since you have shortened your retirement years, you will need fewer funds for your retirement and you also have additional funds to cushion future inflation.

5. Meaningful life: Work gives you meaning in life when you enjoy what you do. You are confident of yourself and look at life with a brighter perspective.

6. Happiness: You feel good about yourself because you are leading useful life-giving useful services and at the same time you are self-supporting.

7. Better health: A change in lifestyle may be bad for your health. There will be emptiness if you do not fill your time with useful things to do. When you work, your mind is working and alert. More likely than not, your working life will be good for your health mentally and physically.

It is a blessing when you have reached your retirement age and you still can hold on to a job that you like and enjoy because the unemployment rate in America is still very high today at 9.2 in June 2011

10 Positive Words to Motivate You (Part 5)

Here are 10 more words to inspire you to live life positively:

1. Joy: To get joy out of life is to live in the moment totally, do what you like, and enjoy what you do. Do not allow the past to come into the picture and do not think of the future. To be in the present is the greatest joy you can get.

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

2. Kindness: When you are good to others, you feel good yourself. Look for the good in others and pay a compliment. Smile at people you meet. These small gestures light up the life of others and delight your life as well.

Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much. ~Blaise Pascal

A laugh, to be joyous, must flow from a joyous heart, for without kindness, there can be no true joy. Thomas Carlyle

3. Knowledge: It is essential to possess the knowledge, but it is more important to apply what you know to what you do. The aim is to be more productive.

Today knowledge has power. It controls access to opportunity and advancement.
~Peter Drucker

4. Learning: To be ahead and to stay ahead, you have to learn continuously. Life is changing and you have to make changes with time or you will be left behind.

The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live. ~Mortimer Adler

Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back. ~Chinese Proverb

5. Life: You create your own life. First, you create the life you want in your mind and then you live the life you have conceived in your mind. The most important thing is to think positively so that you will live life with confidence and full of hope.

The purpose of life is a life of purpose. ~Robert Byrne

Life is the sum of all your choices. ~Albert Camus



6. Listening: To listen is to appreciate, show interest and respect the person speaking to you. The key is to listen carefully and avoid misunderstanding. Observe body language for additional clues.

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. ~Epictetus

The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said. ~Peter F. Drucker

7. Longevity: It is good to live longer, but it is even better to be fit, healthy, and financially independent to enjoy a long life.

If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress, and tension. And if you didn't ask me, I'd still have to say it. ~George Burns

8. Love: Love is positive emotion; it gives you peace of mind and a good feeling inside out with many health benefits.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ~Lao Tzu

Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.
~Mother Teresa

Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life. ~Leo Buscaglia

9. Luck: I must say that you create your own luck by how much you have prepared yourself to be lucky Work fervently on the things that you believe in and luck will follow you.

The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work. ~Harry Golden

10. Motivation: Be inspired and be motivated to work hard and smart. Success can only be attained by exerting great effort over a long period of time. You will not treasure things that you can get easily and without working for them. You will only enjoy the fruit of your labor.

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek. ~Mario Andretti

The words of truth are simple. ~Aeschylus

10 Positive words to Motivate You (Part 1)
10 Positive words to Motivate You (Part 2)
10 Positive words to Motivate You (Part 3)
10 Positive words to Motivate You (Part 4)
10 Positive Words to Motivate You (Part 6 and Final)

7 Effective Ways to be Successful

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.
~Abraham Lincoln

My son has just been admitted to a polytechnic in Singapore. I believe and I have confidence in him that he will graduate with flying colors because he has the 7 ingredients to achieve his main aim:

1. Know clearly what you want: My son is inspired by the world of IT. He is thrilled and excited by the rapid advancement of technologies. It is his passion. He is deeply interested and he aspires to achieve greatness in the field of computer science. Do you know what you want in life? Discover your inspiration and aspiration. Find out what you are good at and go for it.

Success is the progressive realization of predetermined, worthwhile, personal goals.
~Paul J. Meyer

2. Aim high: My son wants to be admitted to a prestigious university in Singapore after getting his diploma in IT. Aim high to achieve attainable goals with determination. A goal that can be gained without much effort is not worthwhile and meaningful. You will only treasure and appreciate success by working hard, excerpting great effort, encountering difficulties, and working for a long time.

3. Work on it every day: He attends classes, takes great pain to do his assignments, and works seriously because he is keeping his goal in view. Have you got the plan and are you working on it every day? It is the daily effort that leads to your weekly, monthly, and yearly goals.

Success is dependent on effort. ~Sophocles

Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time. ~Arnold H. Glasow

4. Making progress: He has obtained high grades in all his assignments and tests. He is getting the desired results. He is doing things right. In fact, he wants to be the top student in the course that he is pursuing. What you can conceive and believe, you can achieve. Do you measure your performance from time to time? Are you making progress? Do you need to make changes in order to be on the right track?

5. A healthy lifestyle: We have reminded him to eat healthily, avoid junk food and sugary drinks. He needs energy by eating nutritious food. He also needs to exercise more often, sleep early and sufficiently and take breaks during the day. A fit and healthy body are essential to study or work energetically with a calm mind and concentration.

6. A positive mindset: My son is cheerful and friendly. He takes responsibility for what he does. He makes mistakes, but he reacts positively. In life, the things that are happening to you are not important but it is imperative that you react with a positive mindset. Solving problems instead of dwelling on them is the right attitude.

7. Getting connected: He has a great social supporting system. He has a mentor, a university graduate, and a teacher, who supports and inspires him greatly. It is important to be connected to the right people to get ideas and to synergize and achieve greater success in life.

If you want to achieve things in life, you've just got to do them, and if you're talented and smart, you'll succeed. ~Juliana Hatfield

Related post: How To Be More Successful

10 Effective Ways to be Ahead and Stay Ahead

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. ~Agatha Christie

Getting ahead is doing the right things every day. What can you do to be ahead and stay ahead? Here are the tips:

1. Be prepared: To get ahead is to plan ahead. To plan ahead is to anticipate and take proactive action. It is important to foresee what lies on the horizon because the future is where you spend all of your time. You may have taken the wrong moves, but it is better than standing still and waste valuable time. Making mistakes is getting valuable lessons to move on in life much wiser.

Think ahead. Don't let day-to-day operations drive out planning ~Donald Rumsfeld.

2. Language skills: In a multi-racial country like Malaysia, it is important to master a few languages so that you can communicate with different races effectively. It is also essential to write well and to be a good presenter. Language is an important tool to get ahead.

3. Be energetic: Do you give others the impression that you are full of energy? Create an image for people that they can rely on you to get things done. Develop energy by getting fit and healthy. Exercise daily and follow a healthy diet are the right things to do. Sleep well and take breaks while at work are the smart way to go.

4. Learn and be sure of facts: Keep learning and doing research to get the facts right. To be authoritative is to be knowledgeable and know what you are talking about.

5. Be productive: One way to differentiate yourself is to do more than what others expect. Build the trust of others and develop your own brand in the field of your expertise.

6. Review: Spend a little time every day to review your performance. Are you doing better than before? Do you get the right things done for the day? What were the challenges encountered? What can you do to improve your productivity?

7. Be an expert: Be competent in what you do. Be a leader and provide solutions to problems. Get others to follow you because you have the answers.

8. Be creative: Creating new ideas to get things done is the way to be ahead of the competition. People are looking for new and refreshing creations. Keep your creative juice flowing and stay ahead.

To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings. ~Rosabeth Moss Kanter

9. Change: To get ahead and stay ahead, you have to make constant changes with the changing time. Do things differently to get the results you want. To be progressive is to keep pace with technological advancement.

10. People skills: Be interested in the people around you. You have to help others to get what they want before you can get them to help you to get what you want. Listen more and talk less to understand the person talking to you. Listen patiently and maintain eye contact. Ask questions and get ideas. Paying attention while listening is to show that you appreciate and respect the person talking to you. To get ahead you need to get others to be on your side.


While you are working ahead, remember to live fully in the present to enjoy what you do.

Related article:
10 Tips to Start Ahead and Stay Ahead to Achieve Your Goals

Are you Living Your Life Effectively like Managing a Business

According To Henri Fayol, one of the most influential contributors to modern concepts of management, to manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to co-ordinate, and to control. The same concepts can be equally applicable to managing your life effectively:

1. Plan

Business: It is about forecasting future conditions and setting objectives, developing means to attain objectives, setting long and short-term plans, establishing policies and standards to follow.

Personal: You will assess your personal strengths and weaknesses, identify your aspiration and interests, and set goals. You design short and long-term goals to achieve your long-term objectives. You will capitalize on your strengths and employ the most effective ways to reach your goals. Your goals should cover your career, family, finance, health, and relationships which are all about your life.

2. Organize

Business: Fayol’s theory is about allocating work among people and determining their responsibilities.

Personal: At a different time you play different roles such as manager, father, husband, and friend. Your aim is to perform effectively according to the role you play.

3. Command

Business: This is the exercising of centralized authority and leadership

Personal: On a personal level, you are to take initiative and be disciplined to work on your plan daily to reach your objectives. You are your own boss to make things happen. Adopt an attitude of doing it now.

4. Co-ordinate

Business: This is to ensure that work is carried out efficiently and cost-effectively towards a common objective.

Personal: You are to ensure that your daily life is smooth going by using such a tool as a to-do list to carry out the tasks for the day. You will be productive by doing those things that matter to you the most and ignore small staff.

5. Control

Business: This is to ensure plans have been carried out and to check deviations against the established goals.

Personal: At regular intervals, you review your performance. Are you progressing according to plan? Do you need to make changes because of the changing situations? Celebrate when you are making headway according to your plan.

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master gardener of his soul, the director of his life. ~James Allen

7 Productive Things to Do Online

The number one benefit of information technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn`t think they could learn before, and so in a sense, it is all about potential. ~ Steve Ballmer

There are many things to do online which you can’t do offline.

1. Blogging: Start a blog and post your unique articles and be heard by more people than you can imagine. It is assumed that your site is search engine optimized. There is no other way to reach such a wide audience.

2. Looking for information and doing research: The fastest and the easiest way to learn new things is to search the Net. Just type in the keywords of the things that you are looking for and you will get pages and pages of related articles.

3. Banking: There is no need to go to the bank to transfer funds or sending money to loved ones far away. On the Net, you can check your account balances, print your statements and there are many more financial transactions that you can do.

4. Networking: Getting to know others and getting connected are the things that you can do easily on the Net. When you get connected with the right people, you are presented with ample opportunities.

5. Instant communication: By using Skype you can talk or make video calls to people far away instantly. Most of the time email is the most effective way to communicate, like sending instructions and homework to students.

6. Breaking news: The fastest way to know about the latest news, such as the earthquake in Japan recently, is to go online. Precious lives can be saved by an early warning system in case of a natural disaster.

7. Getting things done: Nowadays, the processing of an application is done online and the fees are to be paid online by credit card as well. There is no other way to do it. You can make travel arrangements and hotel bookings instantly and securely online. Doing business and marketing on the net is the norm.

What are the things that you do online?

9 Productive Ways to Enjoy Sunday

Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.  ~Joseph Addison

On a Sunday you do things which you do not normally do on weekdays. This is the time to unwind, relax, take it easy and be as free as possible to spend time together with family members joyfully. Here are the things you can do productively on a bright Sunday:

  

 Morning

1.       Wake up early as usual: Don’t wake up at high noon and waste precious time. There are many ways to spend the morning meaningfully. When you wake up, the best thing you can do is to move your body. Be fit, be healthy and be alive.

2.       Have breakfast together at a hawker centre: How often do you have breakfast together? Do it on a Sunday at an eatery and enjoy a leisurely meal amidst lively conversation and laughter.  

3.       Go to church or the mall and shop leisurely: Sunday morning is also the time for Christians to go to church. For others, it is a good time to visit the mall, do some shopping, and browse the books at a book store.   

Afternoon

4.       On the beach: The best way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon is to be on the beach to enjoy the fresh air, the sun, the blue sky,  the sea, and the sand. 

5.       A short nap: A nap in the afternoon is another marvelous way to renew your energy and get back your balance in life. 

6.       Visiting friends and relatives: It is also the best time of the day to contact those people you care in your life to find out how they are getting on.

Evening

7.       Read with children:  Avoid watching TV to dull your mind and zap your energy in the evening. Instead, do reading together with your children quietly. Be enlightened by the new knowledge you have gained.

8.       Reflect and plan ahead for the following week: In the evening refresh your memory and find out what you have achieved and the challenges you have encountered for the week.  At the same time plan ahead for the following week especially getting organized for Monday.  

9.       Appreciation: Before you knock off for the day, think and be thankful for all the good things you have enjoyed in life. Feel good about your life and go to bed with contentment and peace of mind.

How do you spend your Sunday? Is your Sunday productive?

13 Tips to Bring Up a Happy Child

One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.
Maria Montessori

As parents, you can do a lot to bring up a happy child:

1.      Be active outdoor:  There are many advantages to spend time outdoors with your child.  Apart from fresh air and sunshine, your child gets to build up his or her body and reduces stress and negative emotions. It is also a chance for them to have fun and find satisfaction in what they do physically.

2.      Hug often:  To hug is to show affection and it is an effective way to convey your love for your child. For the baby, your tender touch will be able to promote health and alertness.  For the parents, hugging can reduce stress and calm your mind.

3.      A lot of free time: Avoid filling the time of your child with a lot of activities and classes. Let the child have more free time to do what he or she likes and stimulate their imagination. Allow your child to do less and encourage relaxation that leads to creativity.

Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world.
Maria Montessori

4.      Eat healthily: The key to good health is to eat fresh food, consume less fat and sugar and follow a balanced diet. Drink plenty of water and not sugary drinks every day. A healthy body is essential for the healthy and happy growth of your child.

5.      Listen to your child: When your child is talking to you, put down whatever that you are doing and listen to him or her attentively. Be patient and don’t interrupt. It is the way to show your concern for your child. In this way, you encourage your child to communicate with you freely and willingly. Your child just needs to talk to someone.

6.      Teach your child to care for others: Encourage him or her to help others by taking part in community services. This is an effective way to show your child that giving is a wonderful way to be happy too. 

7.      Discourage perfection: You can encourage your child to do his or her best but do not measure their performance according to your standards or expectations. It is applying stress and pressure on your child. Allow your child to learn and grow happily. 

8.      Stimulate the artistic talents in your child: Introduce music, art, dance, and other artistic activities to unearth the inner world of your child. To dance, draw or play music is a way to express his or her emotions and feel satisfied.

9.      Teach your child to solve problems: Help your child to identify a problem and ask how he or she is going to solve it.  Guide your child to take the correct steps to solve a problem. Assist your child to come up with a solution to a problem.  

Too often we give our children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. ~Roger Lewin

10.  Compliment your child constructively: Spot what he or she has done right and compliment accordingly. This is the best way to inspire and motivate your child. He or she will be very happy and excited to do more and better.

11.  Read stories to your child: It is the best way to cultivate a reading habit in your child and to provoke his or her imagination.

12.  Teach your child about a positive mental attitude: Promote confidence in your child. Let your child know that whatever happens to him or her is not important, the most important thing is to react to things positively. This is to encourage optimism, hope, and positive expectations in the mind of your child.

13.  Be happy yourself: Your child follows what you do and not what you say. Be cheerful, upbeat, and smile often. Spread happiness around the house and influence your child to live with joy and happiness.

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. ~James Baldwin

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. ~Theodore Hesburgh

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:

1. Get up early: You want to get up early and you are happy to do so because you are enthusiastic to welcome a new day to do things that you are looking forward to. Such activities are what you are passionate about and interested in. Early risers are a happy lot because they are in control of their time and life.

2. Morning rituals: What do you do first thing in the morning to make you feel good? You can meditate to feel calm, relaxed and get a great feeling inside out. Read motivational quotes to uplift your mood. Look at your written goals and be inspired and excited.

3. Positive thoughts: Positive thoughts create good feelings and cheerfulness. When you go about your day, there is peace of mind and calmness in you.

4. Things to do for the day: There is a positive expectation about a new day. You look forward to getting things done according to your to-do list. These things are part of your long-term goals.

5. Have breakfast: One of the good things about getting up early is to enjoy a nutritious breakfast to start a new day with renewed energy. There is no rush and you get to savor each mouthful.

6. Live in the present: To live in the present is to concentrate on the task at hand and think of nothing else. Your mind is free from the blunders of the past and the worry of the future. To live now is to feel good from moment to moment. To do that you have to be free from the thoughts of yesterday and tomorrow.

You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry.
And be sure to smell the flowers along the way. ~ Walter Hagen

7. Just be happy: Happiness is a positive attitude and a source of good feelings about yourself.

Laugh when you can,
apologize when you should,
and let go of what you can't change.
Life's too short to be anything... but happy.
- Anonymous

8. Exercise: You must exercise every day to feel good and be energetic. Your body will thrive with more intake of oxygen when you are physically active.

9. Dress smartly: When you look good from the outside you will feel good on the inside. This is the easiest way to feel good. Taking care of your appearance is to project an image of self-confidence.

10. Extend kindness: Random acts of kindness can be just a smile, a compliment or encouraging words. When you are kind and polite to others there is also a good feeling inside you.



Just smiling goes a long way toward making you feel better about life.
And when you feel better about life, your life is better. ~ Art Linkletter,

What Are Your Positive Qualities?

positive Qualities

What are your strong personal qualities that people admire? Consider the following characteristics:

1. Intelligent: Do you think you are good at what you do that people think you are bright, talented, and brainy?


Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort. ~John Ruskin


2. Optimistic: Do you look at things from a positive perspective? Are you the kind of person who believes in this motto: if there is a will, there is a way.

Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can't be done. ~Bo Bennett


3. Relaxed: Are you always tensed- up? Do you work with a cool and calm mind? Are you even-tempered when you deal with others?


It's so important to look relaxed. ~Loretta Young

4. Sociable: Do you acknowledge others and take an interest in them? Are you broad-minded and generous when you interact with others?

The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend. ~Henry David Thoreau

5. Sincere: Do you think you have a strong character? Are you honest and frank in what you do? Do you do the right things when nobody is looking?

It's never what you say, but how you make it sound sincere. ~ Marya Mannes

6. Determined: Are you ambitious? Are you resolute to work your plan to achieve success in life?

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. ~William Feather

7. Thrifty: Can you control yourself to avoid getting more wants? Do you spend according to your budget? Is the quality and durability of an item more important than brand?

Thrift is not an affair of the pocket, but an affair of character. ~S.W. Straus

8. Self-assured: Are you living in fear or are you full of confidence? Do you look forward to each new day with vigor and high hope? Do you allow the past to hold you back? Are you worry about the future and hesitate to do what you can do now?

A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success.~Joyce Brothers

9. Creative: Are you innovative? Do you try to do things differently and be more productive? Can you conceive original ideas and get things done in less time but no less thoroughly?

To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted. ~George Kneller

10. Enquiring: Do you have a thirst for more knowledge? Do you adopt a learning attitude?
Do you get to the bottom of things?

You learn something every day if you pay attention. ~Ray LeBlond

What are the other qualities that you think should be listed here?

Choose Goodness Be Good

It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
~J. K. Rowling

Life is challenging because it is full of choices. Even if you don’t make a choice, you have chosen not to choose, it is still a choice. The best thing is to choose goodness and be good.

1. Choose positive thoughts: When you think positive, the outlook is bright and sunny. When you think negatively, the future is doom and gloom. Make your choice.

2. Choose positive words: Positive words motivate, enlighten, excite and stimulate you and others. Kind words encourage and lift the mood of the person you speak to. Positive words beget positive results.

3. Choose a positive attitude: Your attitude determines how you react to things and get things done. A positive attitude vibrates enthusiasm and energy in the way you act and do things.

4. Choose to appreciate others: When you are interested in others, you look for the good in them and pay a compliment. You appreciate their strengths and look for what they are good at. You boost their self-esteem and confidence.

5. Choose to appreciate yourself: Love yourself for what you are. The more you love yourself, the more love you will bring to what you do and how you treat others.

6. Choose to be excellent: Always choose to do the best you can and build a trusted brand. You are what you do, seek improvement, and do better.

7. Choose happiness: Happiness is the sum of your positive choices. When you think good, you do good and you will feel good and be happy.

8. Choose responsibility: To choose responsibility is to take control of your own life because you are responsible for all your choices. It’s OK to make a wrong choice because to err is human. Don’t give up, just make another wise choice.

9. Choose hopefulness: There is a Chinese saying: 希望在明天 (xi wang zai ming tian). It means hope is in the future. We always hope for a better tomorrow. Hope is the one and the only thing that keeps us going on in life. Be hopeful.

10. Choose health: Health is the essence of an active and vibrant life. Without health, life is meaningless or like a zombie. Be healthy, alert, calm, and energetic.

11. Choose gratefulness: Think more about what you have got; you will be thankful for your existence.

12. Choose the present: Pay attention and enjoy what you do and immerse in it. Don’t allow the past to restrain what you can do today and the future to worry you.


Our lives are a sum total of the choices we have made. ~Wayne Dyer