10 Ways to Do It Now

Do It Now!

Success will never be a big step in the future, success is a small step taken just now.  ~ Jonatan Mårtensson

Do you dilly dally or just do it to get things done? Here are 10 ways to stop procrastinating and take action now:   

1. Be prepared: Be clear of what you want to do and get ready the tools you need to do the job. Don’t give yourself excuses when the time has come to act and you are not able to find what you need to do the work.

2. Just do it: There will never be a better time and the best time to do anything is now. The door of opportunity won't open unless you act now.

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.

~ Beverly Sills

3. Think of the consequences: When you let your work pile up and when you decide to work on it at the last minute, you rush about and work under stress to get things done. The results are that you produce poor quality work and make mistakes. You may need to spend more time correcting your errors.

4. Bite-size pieces: Plan ahead and organize an assignment so that you can do a small part of it every day. Before you know, the assignment is completed as days go by.   

We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.  ~ Calvin Coolidge

5. Your goals: Think of your goals and think of what you want to achieve in life. The satisfaction of reaching your goals is a great incentive to get you moving immediately.

6. Motivation: Motivation is the driving force to take immediate action. There is a reward or a sense of achievement in getting something done right away.  

7. Overwhelmed:  Trying to do too much in too short a time discourages you to take prompt action. Have a short to-do list and concentrate on a major task. You feel good about yourself when an important job is accomplished.

8. Distractions and interruptions: To be able to concentrate on the task at hand is the best way to get things done smoothly. It means avoiding disturbances that can interrupt the flow of your work. When you work, don’t think of anything else or try to do anything else like checking emails or go online.

9. Avoid stress: When you are stressed, you are in no mood to act and do work. One effective way is to stay fit and healthy to withstand the pressure of work. The other thing you can do is to meditate or do a deep breathing exercise to stay cool, calm, and collected.

10. Discipline: Can you manage your time according to your plan or to-do list? When you discipline yourself you manage time effectively. There is no delay or hesitation to get things done.  Be resolute and act.

 

Happy people plan actions, they don't plan results. ~ Dennis Wholey

Be Motivated Be Ahead

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. ~ Jim Ryun

Motivation is the driving force behind all your successes. It is the thing that keeps the fire inside you burning. What are the things that motivate you?  I can think of the following:

1.     Reward: Employees are, by and large, motivates by higher pay. It is for this reason companies like Microsoft and Google are paying more to keep and retain talented people in their companies. Money gives you security. It buys the things that you need and get you happiness up to a certain extent. So, you work smart and hard to get promoted and get more take-home pay.

2.     Achievements: Apart from money. The ability to accept challenges and get things done is a big motivating factor and a very satisfying one.  You are motivated by what you are capable of doing to boost your confidence and go on to achieve more.

3.     Appreciation: Do people recognize and appreciate your performance?  It is the acceptance by others that motivates you to strive harder. The most important thing is to be trusted. It means you are valued for your contributions.

4.     Self-acceptance: Self-acceptance like self-esteem, is feeling good about yourself with all your strengths and shortcomings. When you accept yourself and happy with yourself as what you are, you are motivated to make changes for yourself for the better. 

To accept ourselves as we are means to value our imperfections as much as our perfections. ~ Sandra Bierig

You can succeed if nobody else believes it, but you will never succeed if you don't believe in yourself. ~ William J. H. Boetcker

5.      Hope: Hope is to expect good things to happen. It is about optimism about the future. The greatest motivation to carry on living for you and me is just hope.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. ~ Helen Keller

Once you choose hope, anything's possible ~  Christopher Reeve

6.     Attitude: Attitude is a great motivating factor. When you think you can do it you are right. When you think you can’t do it, you are also right. When you think positively, the future is bright and full of opportunities.  You also react to events in a positive light.

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. ~ Raymond Chandler

7.     Passion: When you are excited and enthusiastic about what you do, you are naturally motivated. Find something you are interested in and be passionate about it and be motivated.  

We talk on principle but act on motivation. ~   Walter Savage Landor

Money Matters to Avoid for Baby Boomers

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

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
~ Abraham Lincoln

The most important thing for baby boomers is to preserve their wealth and the key is to last what you have as long as possible.  It is very likely that you will live much longer because of better healthcare. Here are the things to avoid and protect your hard-earned money:

1. Gullible: Don’t get cheated by unreliable sources of investment schemes. Do not believe fully in what you have heard. Take a cautious approach.

2. Greed: Do not be tempted by high and fast returns. In most cases, they are too good to be true.  The safety of your capital is of the utmost importance.

3. Follow others: Do not follow the crowd and do what they do. Do your homework to determine whether the investment channel is suitable for you. 

4. Be a guarantor: Avoid being a guarantor. When someone is required to get a guarantor to obtain a loan, it means the person is not qualified for the loan that he has applied for. Most likely you will end up servicing the loan yourself.

5. High profit: Investment with high profit means high risk. It is better to go for a solid investment that is low risk with a steady return. 

6. Sell your own house and live with your child: Your son may be kind enough to ask you to live with their family, but it is a risky decision to sell your own house and live with them. How sure are you that they will be able to take care of you until your last days? Nothing is certain in this world and the best assurance is a house of your own to live in.

7. Unhealthy lifestyle: Medical expenses are escalating like nobody’s business. The only prudent thing to do is to take care of your health and live a healthy lifestyle to avoid incurring huge medical expenses and reduce your savings.    

He who has good health is young. ~ H.G. Bohn

“It’s a very funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.” ~ William Somerset Maugham

Time is like money, the less we have of it to spare the further we make it go. ~ Josh Billings

Healthy Habits Be Smart at Work

A change in bad habits leads to a change in life. ~ Jenny Craig

Do you have healthy habits at work? Healthy habits promote a good feeling in you and better productivity at work. Here are the things you can do easily to develop healthy habits at work.

1. Water: Are you drinking enough water at work? It is very easy to find out if you do. Just check your urine; if it is not colorless, you are not drinking enough water. Drink throughout the day to be hydrated and prevent tiredness, fatigue and maintain concentration as your brain consists mainly of water (90%).

2. Take breaks: Do you take breaks, such as an afternoon tea break? Taking regular breaks allows you to recover from exhaustion and stress. The most important thing is to clear the clutter in your mind. You must have this kind of experience, you can’t solve a problem, you take a break and when you resume working your problem is instantly identified and solved.

3. Take lunch away from the office: Do not glue to your PC and eat at the same time. When you are not concentrating on eating, your brain will not be able to tell that you have eaten enough and you could be overeating. The best thing to do is to get away from the office and eat outside to enjoy a meal. Let your brain take a deserving break from work.

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art. ~ La Rochefoucaul

4. Breathe slowly and deeply: Breathe right down into your stomach to promote calmness in you. This is what I do. I breathe in at a count of 5 and then I hold my breath for a count of 20 and then I breathe out at a count of 10. It is also good for your lymphatic system.

5. Comfortable at work: Is the lighting bright enough? Poor lighting will affect your mood and concentration at work. Is the chair comfortable and provides good support for your body? Place a pot of plants on your desk to uplift your mood and encourage the flow of positive energy.

6. Go slow: In order to go slow and work with peace of mind, you need to get organized and get ready for a to-do list. You know what to expect in advance as you have already prioritized the tasks according to their importance. Things get done in an orderly manner and you do one thing at a time without the stress and rushing about.

7. Exercise: To move your body regularly, such as jogging, is to be fit and energetic. A healthy body contributes to mindfulness and calmness at work. It means you are more productive.

8. Sleep well: Sleeping late and getting up late is not the same as going to bed early and getting up early. You are violating the natural rhythm of your body and you will not feel fresh and energetic.


Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy, and wise. ~ Benjamin Franklin

9. Be happy: Happiness which promotes well-being is an attitude and an attitude becomes a good and healthy habit. Do what you like at work and enjoy what you do are ingredients for good health at work.

10. Leave work at work: The key is a balanced life. When you bring home more work to do you are under pressure and your home life is affected and so is your well-being.

11. Healthy Thinking: Positive thinking is healthy thinking. It encourages good vibration in you because you are upbeat, confident, and hopeful about life. Negative thoughts attract negative energies such as anxiety and worries which are bad for your health.

The only proper way to eliminate bad habits is to replace them with good ones. ~ Jerome Hines

Smart Shopping Reduces Expenses

Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.  ~ Bo Derek

Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship ~ Benjamin Franklin

Grocery shopping is fun in the cool comfort of the mall. You can make shopping more pleasurable by adopting the following strategies to get what you want and worth every cent of your money.    

1. Shopping list: The most effective way to go shopping is to get a list ready. The key is to stick to the list and not buying anything else. The other advantage is to get what you need in one go and avoid going back to the mall again and again for items you have forgotten to purchase. 

2. House brand: Go for house brand instead of the popular brand for common items such as toilet rolls and tissues. House brand items are cheaper and they are just as good if not better.

3. Discount accord to specific credit card holders: Shop at those malls which offer credit cardholders with discount.  You don’t get a discount when you shop with cash. The most important thing is to be disciplined and not to shop for something you don’t need just because you can charge it to your card.

4. Promotional items: Watch out for items you need with special offers. Check out items you can purchase with further purchase at a discount.

5. Coupons: Take advantage of coupons to cut costs for items listed in your shopping list.  Don’t use a coupon to buy something you don’t need just because it is a bargain.

6. Prepare a list in advance: In the course of a week jot down items to be purchased so that you will remember to get them when you go shopping.

7. Do it once a week: It is not a good thing to go shopping often. For me, I do it once a week. The whole idea is to avoid buying things we don’t need and also to avoid wasting petrol and time going shopping.        

8. Avoid junk food: The right way is to shop for food with nutritional values and things that offer durability. Avoid processed or preserved food. Don’t buy sugary beverages or fried items.    

      A bargain ain't a bargain unless it's something you need.  ~Sidney Carroll

 He who will not economize will have to agonize. ~ Confucius

Getting healthy Getting lively

The greatest wealth is health.  ~Virgil

He, who has health, has hope; and he who has hope has everything. ~ Arabian Proverb

Getting healthy is easy, all you need to do is to develop a healthy lifestyle and stick to it. Here are the things that you can do quickly,  to be fit, healthy, and alive.

1. Eat right: Get up early and enjoy a nutritious breakfast.  Include oats into your morning menu. Every day eat less but more frequently to boost metabolism. Consume more fruits (apple, watermelon, bananas), vegetables (broccoli, spinach, parsley), beans, nuts, raisins, and have dark chocolate for happiness.

I find that if I just taste everything and eat small portions I maintain my weight. I watch my fat intake, but I eat hearty. ~ Julia Child

2. Drink right: Drink water regularly throughout the day to stay hydrated. Drink a glass of water when you wake up and drink another glass when you go to bed. Drinking coffee in the morning is good for you to stay alert and take care of your weight. Your healthy beverage consumption should include red wine, honey, and green tea.

3.      Exercise right: Exercise in the evening such as jogging is a marvelous way to end a day well. You reduce stress, sweat it out to release toxins, and feel good all over again. A complete physical regimen should cover the stamina, strength, and flexibility of the body. Jog to promote your stamina, do weight lifting to increase your strength, and do stretching to boost your suppleness.

Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning. ~ Thomas Jefferson

4. Rest right: Taking breaks while at work is the best way to reduce stress, clear the clutter in your mind and regain your energy. When you resume working you will feel fresh and alert. Take an afternoon nap whenever possible. It is a wonderful way to recharge your battery.
5. Sleep right: Go to bed at the right time is different from having enough sleep but sleep late and wake up late. It is best to go to sleep by 11 at night and get up early to be fresh and alert   A good night’s sleep at the right time repairs damages done to your body after a hard day at work and reduces your stress.

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. ~ Benjamin Franklin

6. Think right:  Think positive, be happy, and feel good inside out. Be in the right mood, feel confident and hopeful; Positive thoughts promote good health and good health enhances a positive mood. Learn new things to exercise the brain. Meditate or do Tai Chi to stay cool, calm, and collected.

Health is a large word.  It embraces not the body only, but the mind and spirit as well;... and not today's pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of a man.  ~James H. West

7. Do right: Live every day meaningfully. Set long-term goals and prepare daily a to-do list.  Be hopeful of the future and expect good things to happen. The most important thing is to enjoy what you do. Boredom will invite a feeling of hopelessness. Feeling bad about yourself will impact your health negatively.

8. Avoid right: Give up smoking, avoid drugs, medicine (prevention is better than cure and if you are feeling unwell seek herbal remedy), alcohol, or eating too much. Stay away from fried food, processed and preserved food. Take less sugar, less salt, and avoid sugary beverages. Stay away from pollution of all kinds.

  

A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.  ~ Spanish Proverb

Getting Positive Attitude At Work

Success or failure in business is caused more by the mental attitude even than by mental capacities. ~ Sir Walter Scott

Your attitude determines your happiness and success at work. A positive attitude is the right way to work and it offers you many benefits and advantages:

1. Willing to change: When there is a change, there is progress. Be receptive to changes in the workplace. Look for the benefits of the changes that are taking place around you. When you accept changes you are also making progress.

2. Accept criticism with an open mind: Just think about it, if there is no criticism, it means people are not bothered with you. When they care for you, they enlighten and you have to look at yourself critically and amend your way of doing things. 

3. Welcome problems: You can only show how good you are by solving problems. The negative response is to start complaining about them. A problem is a golden opportunity for you to showcase your creativity and resourcefulness. The more problems you can solve the more confident you will be.   

A positive attitude may not solve every problem but it makes solving any problem a more pleasant experience. ~ Grant Fairley

4. Create values for the company: Always seek improvement for the company, reduce cost, or improve margin. You can also suggest ways to run the operation more efficiently and effectively. Don’t be complacent.    

5. Getting trusted:  The most crucial aspect of your career is getting trusted. If others cannot count on you, you will not be given important assignments and your job is as good as gone.  Avoid getting into an attitude of couldn’t-care-less; be trusted to advance your career.

6. Learning new skills:  Be willing to learn new skills and make yourself more valuable in the workplace.  Technology advancements require you to keep up with new methods of doing things. The only way to be ahead and stay ahead is to adopt an attitude of continuous learning.

7. Be interested in others: If you don’t get interested in others, how would you get others to be interested in you? When you show a genuine interest in others you can get things done smoothly through them. You may be the boss, but they will do things wholeheartedly and willingly. 

8. Keep your boss posted: Do not just do your work and ignore the boss. Keep him posted about what you do and send him advance notice of impending issues so that he can be prepared. When you keep your boss notified about what you do, you allow your boss to notice you. When you are noticed you open up many  opportunities,  

9. Communicate effectively: It is essential to communicate precisely, fully, and clearly at the workplace. Ambiguity creates misunderstanding, confusion, and getting the wrong things done. Be very clear about the message that you wish to convey.

10. Approachable: Put on a smiling face when you are at work. Project a friendly image and be sincere when you deal with others. Avoid thinking of your personal problems while at work.

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as, by the way, your mind looks at what happens. ~ Kahlil Gibran