Are You Motivated Every Day?

Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals, and charge after them in an unstoppable manner. ~Les Brown

Here are some soul searching questions to ask yourself:

1.       Do you jump-start a new day?

If you drag yourself out of bed every day, it means you have nothing to look forward to.  It also means you are not interested in what you are going to do. When you wake up and get up immediately, you are excited and motivated to start a new day to get things done.     

2.       Do you set challenging goals?

Challenging goals are attainable but not easy to reach. It requires your confidence, determination, and a never-say-die attitude. When you are motivated you to aim high. 

3.       Are you happy and feeling good?

How do you feel every day? Are you worried? Are you in control? When you have planned ahead and organized in advance, you feel calm and collected.  When you are on top of things, you feel good about yourself.

4.       Do you think positively?

Thinking positive is the way to build confidence and react to events. You are motivated to get ahead and get what you want to do right away and nothing can stop you. 

5.       Do you find joy in what you do?

Are you happy at work? Do you work creatively to simplify your work? When you are interested in what you do you are motivated to work smarter.

6.       Do you bounce back or are you resilient?

When you face setbacks and problems do you encourage yourself to try harder and do it in a different way?  If you give up when you fail you are not motivated.

7.       Are you focused?

 Are you passionate about your dreams and goals? Be inspired by what you want to achieve and you will be motivated to go for it fervently.

Be motivated to be successful. 

Do You Bring Work Home?

According to a news item about a survey by Regus, 47% of Malaysian bring home their work at least three times a week. It is higher than the world average of 43%. It is an unhealthy trend. They must observe work/life balance and here are the ways to avoid bringing work home:

1.      Start early: When you have more work to do on a particular day, it is good to start your working day ahead of all others. You can work with full concentration on an important job with no one to interrupt you.  In the morning your mind is fresh and your energy is at its peak. By the time others have arrived you have already completed a major assignment. There is no need to work overtime or take work home.

2.      Plan ahead: Get organized; be orderly at work.  Plan ahead the night before with a to-do list, work accordingly with full attention. Taking a break upon completion of each task is a wise move to be more productive at work.  

3.      Avoid distractions and interruptions: To work productively, you need to work without disturbances.  Can you work with peace of mind and mindfully without thinking of something else? Are you able to work without distractions especially from the Net? Will you be able to signal to others that you do not wish to be interrupted while busy at work?

4.      An attitude of urgency at work: Do not think that if you can’t finish your work, you still can take home to do it. Discipline yourself to complete your work during working hours because work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

5.      Work and home life do not mix: Working at home is not productive. At home family members need your attention. You are also disturbed by other distractions. You may not produce your best work because you are at home and not at work. The environment is different.

Leave work at work and be at home with family only.

Getting Effective Website Ideas from Kuantan Municipal Council

Kuantan is the town where I live. It is on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia with many breathtaking beaches and lush greenery. Recently, Kuantan is in the international spotlight. The local council was awarded a silver (third placing) medal at the International Awards for Liveable Communities in Songpa, Seoul, South Korea, for the category of municipalities with a population of between 150000 and 400000. The awards are endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme. It has also earned a certificate of recognition for the clean water category of the ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable Cities Award in Bali. The municipal council is now seeking city status for Kuantan.

To sustain and attract more people to live in Kuantan, the local council has done and is still doing in the following areas:

·         Provide modern infrastructure and facilities

·         Improving  public engagement

·         Address problems raised by the people. 

·         Strive for excellence while rendering first-class service.

Bloggers can learn a lot from the local council because there are similarities between managing a town and maintaining a blog. As a blogger you have to:

·         Create a good first impression within a few seconds when a visitor comes to your site.

·         Make it easy for readers to navigate your site

·         Provide useful contents to sustain and attract more readership

·         Listen and answer problems of readers

·        Consistently provide useful information every day and not just once in a while. 

Managing a town and maintaining a website are challenging tasks. It requires your interest, passion and a caring attitude for others in order to be successful. It will not happen overnight. It has to be nurtured over a long period of time with great effort.

Related post:

When You Are In Kuantan

Related website about Kuantan:

http://duncaninkuantan.blogspot.com/

  

Wisely Selecting a Savings Account

In mid-November, Charles wrote a fantastic post addressing how to decide between paying down debt or saving. His bottom line: your debt interest rate will always be higher than your savings account APY, so pay down your debt.

But, what if your debt is under control? Below I highlight some key metrics to analyze when selecting a savings account, in addition to showcasing some of the best savings accounts on the market!

Average Percent Yield (APY) is the amount you earn yearly from the deposit. This percentage is critical because it is a compounding rate of return or the earnings on your earnings. According to FindThBest’s database, the average APY is .16%. Look for an APY as close to 1% in order to maximize your return on investment.

Money Market or Regular Savings? Since you’ve already completed step one of this two-step process, (paying down your debt) I recommend opening a money market account over a regular savings account. Money market accounts allow your money to grow at a far faster rate than a regular savings account because you are allowing the bank to invest the money.

How does a money market account work? These accounts offer higher than normal APYs because they involve risk. However, the risk is exactly what’s going to get you paid. The bank can invest the money you place in the account in government and corporate securities. Ideally, these investments make money and you reap the returns because you forked up the investment.

Go Internet. In order to effectively save I highly recommend setting up direct deposit. You can’t miss money you never see. The reason people traditionally prefer branch banks is because they offer services, such as ATMs and branch locations. Internet banks don’t incur these costs they can pass the savings along to you, the consumer. Plus, direct deposit eliminates most bank visits.

The Best Savings Accounts

At the end of the day, informed decisions are better decisions. Make sure to analyze the additional services a bank provides, as well as monthly fees associated with the specific account. Here are three savings accounts to consider when shopping around:

Byline: Post provided by Kyle Espinola of FindTheBest, an unbiased, data-driven platform designed to help you find the best credit card, credit union, and much more!

Malaysia’s Credit Rating and Ringgit Foreign Exchange Rates

According to Standard & Poor, the long-term local-currency rating for Malaysia was cut to A from A+, with a stable outlook, while the foreign-currency rating was affirmed at A-. The downgrade has impacted negatively the exchange rate against other major currencies. 

A weak Ringgit stimulates expert but discourages import. It will cost you more when your children are studying abroad or when you purchase items online at Amazon.    

FOREIGN CURRENCY	*18/07/2011	28/09/2011	26/11/2011
US DOLLAR	3.00	3.18	3.22
STERING POUND	4.82	4.96	4.98
SINGAPORE DOLLAR	2.47	2.48	2.47
100 JAPANESE YEN	3.80	4.15	4.18
100 THAI BAHT	10.04	11.03	11.05

*http://www.exchange-rates.org/HistoricalRates/E/MYR/7-18-2011

You can view Standard & Poor's Credit Rating for each country here. 

The following is the Standard & Poor’s ABCs of rating scales:

Related post:

The value of Malaysian Ringgit

7 Effective Ways to Focus and Be Productive

Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus. ~ Alexander Graham Bell

To be productive is to do the right thing with focus. Here are some effective ways to concentrate and get more done in less time:

1.       External conditions:  Avoid external influences to interfere with your focus. Let others know that you need some time to be alone to complete your work.  The other thing that you can do is to reduce distractions from the Net or telephone calls. You don’t want your focus and productivity to be cut short.

2.       Your mental state: Do you have enough sleep? Are you feeling fresh and energetic? Are you feeling good with nothing nagging your mind? You will work with focus and alertness with a calm mind.

     

3.       Are you here: You may be at work, but your mind is somewhere else. Do you like what you do? It is easier to pay attention when you enjoy what you do. Develop an interest in your work and be focused and productive.

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

4.       Have you planned ahead: Be prepared in advance for what you need to do the following day. A to-do list is a great tool to get you organized and be focused on the important issues of the day. To be productive is to focus on doing the right things.

5.      Are you doing it now: Can you do it right away? The longer you delay the more time you will need to accomplish a job. It is only productive when you can do it now with focus.  

6.       One thing at a time:  Multitasking is stressful and more likely to make mistakes. Be productive and focus on one task at a time because you do it only once.       

7.       Taking breaks: Taking a break from time to time is a great way to refresh your mind. Get away from your desk and have a cup of coffee.  You will regain your concentration and work productively after a deserving break.

Work smart to be focused and productive. 

7 Effective Ways to Promote Yourself on the Net

You don’t have to blow your own trumpet to promote yourself, but you can provide services and fill the needs of others to build a name for yourself effectively. Here are the things that you can do to get others to notice you in the blogosphere:

1.      Your strengths: What are you good at? What are your passion and interests? What can you do better than others easily?  These questions help focus on your strengths so that you can develop a pet subject that you can talk about competently on the Net.    

2.      Start a blog: The easiest thing you can do to make yourself known on the Net is to start a blog. When you have identified a subject that you enjoy talking about, you can develop a niche blog to write articles about it. Your articles are to educate, give information, provide solutions and solve problems on topics that you are good at.      

3.   Be active in social networks: Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are the best places to let more people know what you do. Create a profile on each site to attract more people to visit your blog. One effective way to participate in the conversation is to post motivational quotes and share them with others.      

4.      Join the community: Be active and be a part of the community. As a personal finance and lifestyle blogger, I have joined the Yakezie Challenge, Money Crashers Top PF Blogs and Totally Money Top Personal Finance Blogs.  Get to know others who share a common interest and learn from other successful bloggers. 

5.     Help others: A great way to build authority is to answer comments by readers and solve their pressing problems. Writing eBooks and participating in forums are productive ways to be recognized on the Net.

6.      Write guest posts: Another effective way to spread your influence is to send your best posts to other sites to get noticed by others who have not visited your sites.

7.    Be consistent and persistent: To promote yourself successfully you have to do the right things every day and not once in a while. Writing and posting regularly is the way to build trust and create a brand for yourself.

Promote yourself but do not demote another.  ~ Israel Salanter