5 Ways to Sharpen Your Senses

Five Senses

Technology brings us instant gratification, but to sharpen your senses, namely sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, you have to go slow. It is the only way to fully appreciate your senses:

1. Sight: To understand and digest what you have read, you have to read slowly. To observe something is to take your time and look carefully. To appreciate a thing of beauty is to look intently. Be slow to really see what you are looking at.

2. Hearing: To listen carefully is to be here and now. You are not listening when you are physically here and your mind is wondering about. To really listen is not to interrupt but to seek understanding, to be with the person who is talking to you. To appreciate a piece of great music is to pay attention to your mind and soul. Be relaxed and not in a hurry to do something else.

3. Taste: To really enjoy what you eat, you have to sit down, eat slowly, chew each mouthful, and concentrate on your eating. Do not eat and watch TV, read a newspaper or glued to your monitor. It is counterproductive and bad for your health. Your tongue is able to tell what you eat is sweet, salty, bitter, sour, or spicy. Just taste it slowly.

4. Touch: What do you do when you meet an old friend whom you have not met for a long time? You give a warm embrace and touch each other. How do you console another person in grief? You hold the other person tightly. Do you have a cat at home? What does it enjoy? When you stroke the cat slowly, it will purr away. It is enjoying your gentle touch. When you do it quickly, the feeling is not there and the cat does not like it. A sense of touch, to give meaning and to fully enjoy it, is to do it slowly and tenderly.

5. Smell: Life is not to live in a hurry. Go back to nature and smell the fragrant flowers. Breathe in the fresh air and feel the warm touch of the sunshine. How do you get tempted to eat or drink something? You are seduced by the rich aroma when you sniff it, like a warm cup of coffee. What do you do when you order a bottle of wine at a restaurant? You swirl and smell the wine in a glass. Great wine is more than just the taste, the scent matters. To enjoy it you have to drink slowly a sip at a time.


While you go slow to feast your five senses, do you have a sixth sense such as telepathy or premonition?

7 Reasons to Save

If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting ~ Benjamin Franklin

 Did you start saving while you were very young? Do you still set aside an amount each month from your budget as savings? You should be saving like the rich and famous. There are 7 solid reasons why you should save:

 1. Good habit: The amount is not important, the habit is. When you can save, it means you are spending less than what you have earned. More likely than not, you do not incur unnecessary debt. You get what you need, but you think twice before getting something you want.

 2. Emergency fund: Life is unpredictable, especially when money is concerned. A nasty accident or an unexpected retrenchment can cause havoc in your financial affair. It is prudent to have a cash reserve to cover around three to six months’ living expenses. So, the first priority is to save for an emergency fund.

 3. Save for a big-ticket item: it is a good strategy to save enough to buy a big-ticket item in cash rather than using your credit card or getting a personal loan. You exercise self-control and avoid getting into debt and incur interest charges.

 4. Save for a down payment for a car: It is also a better way to save for a larger down payment for a new car. Your car loan will be smaller and you also pay for a smaller amount every month and your loan period is also shorter. The most important thing is that you will incur fewer interest charges.

 5. Save for a down payment on a house: A house is a big investment. It is necessary to get a housing loan to buy your dream home. It is also wise to save and pay more for an initial amount and borrow less.

 6. Accumulate an amount for investment: How do you invest? First, you have to save a substantial amount and then you invest according to your risk tolerance. It is not enough just to save because the amount that you have saved plus the interest you have earned is not even enough to cover inflation. Making a prudent investment is the way to conserve your purchasing power and build your wealth.

 7. The starting point of a care-free financial future: Your financial future starts with savings and ends with a financially independent retirement. Fortune starts with savings and it is the foundation of wealth building. This is also the secret of the rich and famous.

 A penny saved is a penny earned. ~ Benjamin Franklin

12 Great Ways to be Healthy Spiritually and Mentally

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

Health is more than just physical health; total well-being encompasses spiritual and mental health as well. Are you healthy spiritually and mentally? Check out the following:

1. Positive thoughts: Positive thinking gives you the greatest health benefits. Your outlook in life is optimistic. You are confident and courageous. You bounce back when you are defeated because life is full of hope.

2. Deep breathing: Deep breathing releases tension and relaxes the mind. Do deep breathing often to calm your mind and be composed. Deep breathing brings focus to your mind and you will be able to think clearly.

3. Live in the moment: When you drive, do you concentrate on the road? When you work, is your mind on the task at hand? To enjoy life is to be mindful of what you do and enjoy the process of doing it. Your mind is here and now. This is the greatest joy in life when you can block off the past and the future and live fully in the now.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. ~ Buddha.

4. Be happy: Happiness is what you get when your thinking and attitude are right. It is because you will do right and can expect to get the right results.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. Happiness is
the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.
~Denis Waitley

5. Be loving: To get peace of mind is to avoid anger, hatred, resentment, and other negative emotions. Respect and look for the good in others and fill your heart with love.

Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. The other is for goodness.
Billy Graham

6. Self–esteem: You love the way you are with all your strengths and weaknesses. You are not concerned about what others think of you. You do what you want to do wholeheartedly and without reservation.

7. Be connected: To be connected, especially with live ones, is to get support mentally and spiritually. You share your happiness and sorrow with people close to you. You feel good when you can speak your mind.

8. Be active physically: Physical fitness is more than just for physical health. You will feel good about yourself when you are fit and full of vitality.

9. Do things that you are deeply interested in: Do you have a hobby? Is there something that you enjoy doing that gives you enthusiasm, enjoyment, and satisfaction? The most important thing is that it gives you meaning in life.

10. Look for solutions: To be healthy mentally and spiritually is to react to problems positively. You don’t dwell on a problem but actively look for solutions so that it can be out of your mind.

11. Flexibility: A healthy mentality is a flexible mindset. You are open to new ideas. You are willing to accept changes knowing very well that to change is to progress

12. A balanced life: A balanced life is about taking care of your physical, mental, and spiritual health. It is also about work, play and family. Striking a balance in every aspect of your life is your ultimate aim in life and a healthy way to live.

He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything. ~Arabic Prover

10 Effective Ways to Establish Your Creditworthiness

Now that America is out of the AAA list, there are only 15 countries in the world with AAA ratings from S and P. Singapore is the only Asian nation with such a prestigious rating. China is only rated AA-. How do you establish a personal rating as good as triple-A? Here are the 10 ways to get it:


 1. A regular source of income: There must be a regular source of income. It means you are holding a job or you are running your own business with a steady income. There must be documentary evidence of your earnings such as your pay-slip or your tax returns.

2. A permanent address: This is the place where you live and you are not moving around frequently. It shows that you are stable and well-established.

 3. Create a credit history: When you do not have a credit history, it is perceived by bankers that you are not trust-worthiness to obtain a loan. Get a small loan and settle the loan in a timely fashion. There you are. You have just created a perfect credit history.

 4. A Current account: Operating a current account is another way to establish your creditworthiness. Keep your record clean by not issuing bounced checks. It is an indication that you are capable of managing your financial affairs.

 5. A Credit card: Having a credit card is an excellent way to build a firm foundation for your credit rating. As long as you always pay on time and pay the full amount, it confirms the trust in you by financial institutions.

 6. Pay bills promptly: Do not delay payments; it affects your credit rating negatively. It is an indication that you are not in full control of your life and finance.

 7. Avoid skipping payments: It is the worst thing you can do to destroy your credit rating. It is a sign that you are in financial problems and you are putting creditors on alert.

 8. Low credit card balances: A high credit card balance means you are spending more and paying less. It is a concern for the creditor.

 9. Keep debt within 30% of your monthly income: Are you building up more and more debt? When you have more debt, it means you have less to spend on your essential items. There is a danger that you may not be able to service your debt.

 10. Budget for it: Your budget should cover all monthly installments payments so that you will pay fully and promptly to protect your creditworthiness.


 Is your credit rating as good as AAA?

Are you Getting Trust and Authority on the Net?

Do you have to tell others that you can be trusted and you are the authority of a niche subject? It isn’t necessary and it is not for you to tell. Trust and authority are to be earned. Others will know if you can be trusted or you are the expert of a subject that you are writing about. How do you get trust and authority in the blogosphere? How do you know that you are gaining trust and authority?

Building trust and authority

• Age of your site: One positive way to build trust and authority is to keep blogging and the longer you blog the better it will get. It is necessary to keep writing articles even though initially nothing is happening to your site. The key to success is perseverance. As long as you know you are on the right track and you are doing the right thing, don’t stop.

• Write positively: Write and promote goodness. Write educational articles to provide solutions to problems, offer useful tips, timely information and about how-to subjects.

• Write persistently, regularly and daily: Blogging is a competitive business. To stay ahead, you have to write and post daily without fail. Your readers are expecting and you cannot disappoint them. Just remember that there are more than 166 million blogs in the blogosphere.

• Write sincerely for the readers: When you write and you think of your readers, you are getting the right focus. You will look at an article and ask yourself if this is what my readers want.


• Write things that you enjoy writing about: You can only write your best when you are knowledgeable about the subject. Most likely it is a topic that you are interested in and passionate about.

• Write about your own experience: Your successes and failures are important lessons for the readers. Share your real-life stories to enlighten the readers.




Signs that you are getting trust and authority


• Positive reviews of your site: What do others say about your site? Favorable comments are signs that you are doing things right and you are gaining trust and authority.

• Other trusted and authoritative sites are linking to your site or relevant articles; Incoming links from relevant sites are positive signs that your site is trustworthy.

• Guest posts accepted by others: Getting your articles posted at other relevant and high ranking sites is a confirmation that your articles provide value and are useful to readers.

• Copycats: It is a positive” negative” sign that what you have written is worth copying word for word. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

• Getting PageRank or higher PageRank: It is an undisputable signal that your site has authority.

• Getting higher Technorati Authority Rank: It is another official confirmation of an authority site.

• Your site is getting more followers: They like what you do and they are following you to see what you are going to do next.

• Getting more subscribers: Readers do it at their own free will to make sure that they are able to read your article as soon as it is posted.

• Getting more traffic to your site as indicated by your Alexa Traffic Rank: Getting higher Traffic Rank means there are more and more readers coming to your site and you are getting more and more popular.

• Rank higher in blog directory sites: It is another indication that you are gaining popularity as you move to the top of the list.

• Getting popular at social networking sites: Are you getting more Twitter followers and more “likes” at Facebook? In response to what you have written, people are interested in connected and interact with you at social networking sites.

When you are able to give others what they want, you will be able to get what you want without asking for it.

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:

1. Positive mindset: Positive thoughts lead to positive emotions and a positive attitude. It is translated into positive action. Be cheerful, be confident and be hopeful. You will act enthusiastically. The opposite is also true. When your thoughts are gloomy, you are down and you feel depressed. You think there is not much hope in life and you are reluctant to take action. Just think of happiness, feel happy, be happy and live life happily.

2. Enjoy what you do every moment: Happiness is in the moment. It is here and now and not in the distant future. The way to enjoy every moment of your life is to pay attention to what you do. Enjoy it or find an interest in it. Pay attention to the road when you drive, eat slowly to enjoy the food, and do nothing else. Work with your heart and soul and get into the flow of it. When you are having fun, forget about your work, but loosen up, be relaxed, and just indulge in it.

The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.
~James M. Barrie

3. Do good and feel great: Do good to others to feel good. You may not be able to do everything in life but you can do something in a small way to lift the mood of the other person. A dash of kindness goes a long way. It is effortless to smile, to give way, to pay a compliment, and to say thank you.

4. An attitude of gratitude: To focus on what you have and count your blessings is to focus on happiness. Expressing gratitude such as writing thank you letters is another great way to promote good health and happiness.


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

5. Purpose in life: It is about a powerful idea, something that you want to do and it propels you to work for it. It is important to you and you are passionate about it. If you do not know what you want to do and get you meaning in life, ask yourself this soul-searching question: What do you want others to say or think of you when they attend your funeral? What do you want people to remember you by? It is what you get for when you give to the world. Happiness is about getting meaning in life and working for it.

6. Regular exercise: The essence of life is about movement. To exercise is to be energetic, alive, and alert and there is an urge in you to take action and get things done. According to Mark Dombeck, exercise promotes happiness and can have an antidepressant effect.

7. Love: Happiness is about relationships and to be closely connected with family, friends, and relatives. To be connected is to love and cherish the togetherness. Love gets you peace of mind and contentment at home. You love when you care and look for the good in others. On the other hand, when you fill your heart with anger, resentment, and jealousy; you are deeply disturbed and unhappy.

What are the other ingredients that you want to add to the recipe for happiness?

I believe the recipe for happiness to be just enough money to pay the monthly bills you acquire, a little surplus to give you confidence, a little too much work each day, enthusiasm for your work, a substantial share of good health, a couple of real friends, and a wife and children to share life's beauty with you. ~J. Kenfield Morley

7 Positive Ways to Start a New Day

Whatever you want in life, start today. Not tomorrow - today. Let it be a small beginning - a tiny beginning. Your happiness depends on starting today - every day ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie   

When your thinking is positive, so are your attitude and action. The best way to start a brand new day is to start with a positive mental attitude when you wake up. 

1.      Be thankful to be alive: It is great to be alive and kicking. Be appreciative of your existence because you are free to spend a new day the way you want it to be and nobody can stop you. There is no chance for a dead person to start a new day again.  

2.      Start early: A fantastic way to start a new day is to get up early. You are ahead of others when you start a new day early. You enjoy the silence in the morning.  You witness the transformation from total darkness to the first rays of the sun. Waking up early gets you a feeling of success and well-being. 

3.      Morning rituals: What do you do in the morning? There is one sure way to make a new day even better.  Do meditation to be energetic, fresh, calm, alert, and relaxed.  Tai Chi is one marvelous way of meditation in motion. It combines deep breathing and graceful movements of your body and it will give you an on-top-of-the-world feeling on a new day.     

4.      Think good: Your thoughts will set the tone of the day. Think of all the things you can do in a new day and be able to connect with those loving people around you. Be upbeat, be confident and be hopeful.   

5.      Feel good: Thinking positive will lead to feeling good inside out. You will look forward to a new day with excitement and enthusiasm and ready to take on a new day with vigor and zest.

6.      A new you: A new day is a great way to start afresh.  A new day calls for better ways to get things done. Forget about the blunders and mistakes of yesterday. Tell yourself that you are going to do things right on a new day.  

7.      Enjoy your breakfast: Start a new day with energy. Have a nutritious breakfast and get the power to start a new day strongly.

Just remember every new day is a miracle. Live every new day meaningfully like the last day of your life.