10 Delightful Things in Life

1. Getting a raise: Yes, you get more out of your pay check, but the significant things are that your boss recognizes and appreciates your performance. It means your ability to perform gets the thumbs up. This year I am particularly happy because I have got a raise without me asking for it. It further affirms that I am doing as expected.

2. Blogging: Blogging is really exciting. I am thrilled when readers like my articles. When my TrafficRank goes up I get excited.  I am also pleased when readers share my articles  by emailing, bookmarking and printing them

3. Kindness: Paying compliment to people you meet is a wonderful thing to do. You make someone happy and you are happy too.

4. Healthy: The most wonderful things to happen to you when you are in good health are that you  are feeling good, energetic, able to concentrate, in positive mood and you enjoy what you are doing

5. Nap: The only chance for me to take a nap is on a Sunday afternoon. It could be 30 minutes or an hour, I get rejuvenated, recharged and my energy get restored. A nap puts me on top of the world. I treasure the precious moment because I can only do it once a week.  

6. Learning new things: It is a great pleasure for me to discover new things in life. After learning a new trick I am able to get things done more efficiently

7. Help my children in their homework: It is a good habit to get involved in your children’s life especially their education. The best part is that you get closer to your children instantly. They will open up to you easily.

8. Reading: Reading stimulates the mind. It is an essential daily habit to enrich your life with new ideas and new things. Continuous learning keeps you up-to-date and sharpens your mind.

9. Solving problems: The ability to think creatively and solve problems boost my confidence and I am more assured and determined to tackle future problems.

10. Getting things done: You get a feeling of relief at the end of a day when you have completed your tasks as planned. You also get a sense of accomplishment. 

What do you find interesting and enjoyable in life? Can you share with the readers?

Instant Happiness in 10 Things You Do Every Day

You can be happy every day. Your happiness is within your reach. Change your thinking and your attitude and you will be happy. Let’s take a look at the 10 things:


1. Think: You can think of happiness or misery. Don’t make it a lousy day by thinking of your past regrets or blunders. Yes, you may encounter problems in your daily life, but, again, you can choose to find solutions rather than dwell on the problems. Think of your contribution and achievements and look forward to living hopefully. The most important thing is to think positively; think of gratitude, thankfulness, and appreciation.

2. Feel: Feeling good about yourself is the best thing you can do to yourself. You can start a new day on a happy note by looking at yourself in the mirror with a broad smile. Thinking of happy thoughts and feeling cheerfully and delightfully are the way to go.

3. Mind: Avoid or reduce stress in your daily life. Do Tai Chi or yoga to promote peacefulness and calmness in your mind. Let your mind free from clutter and confusion.

4. Exercise: Health and fitness promote happiness. Daily aerobic exercise increases oxygen supply to your brain. You will develop the peace of mind and alertness.

5. Sleep: A good night’s sleep helps to restore your energy and make you feel fresh and zestful. Your mind is sharp and you are upbeat and in high spirits about yourself.

6. Breath: Do daily breathing exercises slowly and deeply instead of fast and shallow breathing. You will find tranquility in you and you will get a sense of detachment. It means you are not easily disturbed by external negative influences. You are cool, calm, and collected in all situations.

7. Eat: Enjoy yourself while eating. Use all your senses to indulge and savor the food. Don’t watch TV or do anything else. Look at the food, feel it in your fingers (remember, it’s finger-licking good), smile it, taste it and chew it slowly in your mouth. It is yummy.

8. Work: The saddest thing in life is about not enjoying your work because you spend a big chunk of your time at work. Find happiness in your work or look for something else you enjoy doing every day.

9. Home: Are you eager to go home or you prefer to stay outside after work? Home is your refuge, you should find peace and happiness at home. Take the F.A.M.AL.Y way to create a harmonious and happy home life.

10. Be optimistic: Look at things on the bright side because every cloud has a silver lining. Most of the time your worries are unfounded. Every time you encounter a problem you deal with it promptly and it becomes smaller.


If you do not find happiness in what you do every day, where else can you get it? If you are thinking of some happenings in the distant future to be happy, you may not get it at all. The best thing to do is to live the moment, enjoy the moment, and cherish your happiness.

22 Things Money Can and Can’t Buy (Second of a two-part series in list)

1. Money can buy you an expensive house,

Money can’t buy you home sweet home.

2. Money can buy you a comfortable bed,

Money can’t buy you a good night’s sleep.

3. Money can buy you a fast car,

Money can’t buy you safety on the road.

4. Money can get education for your children,

Money can’t buy knowledge for your children.

5. Money can buy material things for your children,

Money can’t buy appreciation from your children.

6. Money can buy you a grand wedding,

Money can’t buy you a lasting marriage.

7. Money can buy you all the books in the world,

      Money can’t buy you intelligence.

8. Money can buy you health food,

      Money can’t buy you a healthy lifestyle.

9. Money can get you credit cards,

Money can’t buy you credibility.

10. Money can get you financial security,

Money can’t buy you peace of mind.

11. Money can get you services,

Money can’t buy you friendship.

12. Money can get people to work for you,

Money can’t buy passion and engagement from the worker.

13. Money can buy you a branded watch,

Money can’t buy you more time.

14. Money can buy you advertisement,

Money can’t buy you a trusted brand.

15. Money can buy you the VIP treatment,

Money can’t buy you respect.

16. Money can buy you a compass,

Money can’t buy you the direction to go in life.

17. Money can buy you delicious food,

Money can’t buy you appetite.

18. Money can buy material wealth,

Money can’t buy contentment.

19. Money can buy you a peaceful county mansion,

Money can’t buy you a cool, calm, and collected mind.  

20. Money can buy you excitement and thrill,

Money can’t buy you lasting happiness.

21. Money can buy a surveillance system in the office,

Money can’t buy the honesty of the staff.

22. Money can buy you an air-conditioner

Money can’t buy you a good feeling about yourself

Readers are encouraged to add more items to this list.

30 Productive Things You Can Do at Home in the Evening When You Stop Watching TV (First of a two-part list series)

Do you know you have not only wasted precious time watching TV but you have missed doing so many important things in life? Here is the list:



1. Take out the trash.

2. Read a motivational book.

3. Do the washing up.

4. Get the to-do list done for the following day.

5. Write a thank you letter.

6. Talk to your spouse about what has happened in the office.

7. Listen to your spouse talking about his or her feelings.

8. Listen to your children talking about what has happened at school.

9. Help your children in their homework.

10. Start to learn a new language.

11. Start doing a home study course to further your education.

12. Start a blog and write articles on a subject that you are passionate about.

13. Take up a useful hobby like stamp collecting.

14. Use your home gym to keep fit.

15. Learn new subjects by surfing the Net to gain more knowledge.

16. Arrange and file your personal documents in an orderly manner so that

you can retrieve them easily.

17. Put your goals in writing.

18. Learn to use new software so that you will be more productive at work.

19. Discuss with family members and plan your next holiday.

20. Do home tuition to earn extra money.

21. Sleep early and be an early riser.

22. Meditate or be alone to find peace of mind.

23. Listen to music to unwind and relax.

24. Wash your car.

25. Jog around the neighborhood

26. Walk the dog.

27. Review your daily spending and see how you can reduce expenses.

28. While you are at your desk enjoy a cup of coffee or green tea.

29. Get ready the things you need for the following day instead of looking high and low for them in the morning

30. Play Scrabble with your children.


What are the other productive things that you can do in the evening?

10 Vital Tips to Manage Your Personal Finance

This article is specially written for young graduates who have just secured their first posting. In life, we have more needs and wants than our limited income. It is essential to budget and avoid overspending. Overspending means getting into debt and more problems.

1. Keep a record: For a start, find out your current financial situation. Are you in debt? Congratulate yourself if you are debt-free. If not, your top priority is to get rid of your debt as soon as possible.  Discovering your own net worth, finding out your earning potential, and checking your spending pattern is your first step towards personal financial management.

2. Plan ahead: The next step is to design a budget. If you are in debt, incorporate debt settlement into your monthly budget. The main aim is to clear your debt as soon as possible. The longer you delay, the more interest is added and the more you  have to pay  The second thing is that your monthly expenses should not exceed your income (with debt repayment included)or else you will be adding new debt every month and there will no end in sight to settle fully your debt

3. Follow the plan: Now that you have your monthly budget, you have to stick to it faithfully in order to achieve your goal of debt settlement.

4. Save: As soon as you are debt-free you have to use the same amount of money or even more ( you will get pay increments and bonuses anyway)to save for several specific purposes:

• Down payment for your first car
• Down payment for your first house
• Emergency fund
• Investment

5. Plan for retirement and children’s education early: The earlier you set aside an amount the less you will need to budget because  compound interest will work wonder for you in the long term

6. Avoid wants: Don’t do impulsive spending over and above your budget. If you want something save for it and buy in cash. Exercise your self-control and willpower.

7. Avoid credit: Use a debit card or prepaid cards instead of a credit card to get the hang of using plastic cards. Just remember credit cards are for convenience and not for the purchase of things on credit. Credit means debt and debt means bankruptcy.

8. Major purchases: A car and your own home are major purchases in life. In most cases, you need financing to get them. However, when you have already put aside an amount for these purposes,  it will be easier on your monthly budget  The bigger down payment you can make means the less you will need to borrow and the less interest you will need to service and the less you will need to pay for your monthly installments. It also means a shorter period to settle the loan. 

9. Manage your debt: By now you must have incorporated your monthly payments for your car and house into your monthly budget. If it is not within your budget you will have to give up one or the other. Go for it only when you have saved for a bigger down payment for the item you cannot afford. Pay your monthly installments promptly to build a good credit record. When you need a loan in the future your creditworthiness will work in your favor.

10. More income streams and fewer expenses: The aim of personal finance is financial freedom. The prudent way is to identify more income streams and especially passive income because you don’t have to work for it. At the same time, you will have to spend wisely within your means.

Managing personal finance is a balancing act. When you spend more you will have less to save and when you allocate more in one area you will have less in other areas.

Whatever you do spend less than what you have earned.

Early Riser – 10 Marvelous Things You Can Do

1. A healthy habit: This is a healthy lifestyle; you get up early it means that you also sleep early. Your body’s rhythm is in alignment with nature between day and night and work and rest. Do you remember this old saying by Benjamin Franklin: early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise?

2. Marvel nature:  There is no better time to appreciate nature than during dawn. Watching the sun rises, observing the blooming flowers in your garden, and listening to the chirping of the birds are some of the wonderful things that you can do to discover the awesomeness of nature.

3. Exercise your mind and body: Move and stretch your body by doing the deep breathing exercise, Tai Chi, or yoga in the morning. You get yourself into the right frame of mind to start a brand new day. These physical activities will promote a calm, cool, and collected mind and a flexible body in you.

4. Plan ahead: With nobody to disturb you, it is also a good time to prioritize your tasks for the day. Efficient planning means getting things done smoothly without rushing about or getting into an emergency situation.

5. Enjoy your breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal in a day. It gives you the nutrition and energy to start a new day with zest. Only early risers can savor breakfast leisurely.

6. Read and study: Your mind is fresh in the morning, it is also the best time to read or study. You will be able to understand and absorb what you are learning easily.

7. Morning rituals: What do you normally do in the morning? I usually write an article in the morning. This morning ritual is beneficial and productive because this daily habit stimulates creative ideas for article writing. By the way, this article is also written in the morning with a flash of an idea from nowhere.

8. Go to work early: Beat the traffic jam by reaching the workplace before others. You don’t waste valuable time by getting yourself caught in the traffic jam and you get the most important things done quietly before the arrival of other staff. When your colleagues have finally reached the office, you can take a deserving break by having a cup of coffee.

9. Devote time to be thankful: It is another refreshing way to start a new day. You take stock of what you have in life and thank God for your abundance. Most important of all, be appreciative of those people closest to you who go through life with you in thick and thin. You will start a new day with happiness and contentment

10. Other delightful things to do: When it is still early and quiet in the morning, it is also a good time to do some other things before you go to work. You can drop the thank you letter you have just written earlier in the morning into the letterbox, smile at people you meet or catch up with a friend along the way to thank him for his help.

You are familiar with this saying: the early bird catches the best worm. Morning is the best of time in the whole day. Start a new day early and do the right things are the ways to achieve success in life.

7 Reasons to Do It Your Way to Establish Yourself

Have you heard of an evergreen song sung by Frank Sinatra? It is called My Way.

Here is the beginning of the lyrics:


And now, the end is here


And so I face the final curtain


My friend, I’ll say it clear


I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain


I’ve lived a life that’s full


I traveled each and ev’ry highway


And more, much more than this, I did it my way.



Regrets, I’ve had a few


But then again, too few to mention


I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption


I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway


And more, much more than this, I did it my way


Yes, in life you should do it your way to create your own image and here are the 7 reasons:


1. You are special: As a unique individual, you are one of a kind, created by God. It is therefore you should do things differently in your own way.

2. Inspiration and aspiration: Your goals and objectives are determined by how you have been brought up and your personal experience. You follow your own dreams and not others.

3. Your talents: You are from different background. You are brought up differently. Your upbringing and your education are not the same as others. You are molded differently. You have your own ideas that are different from others. Show your passions and your true self.

4. Personal value: You have your own belief. You know what is important to you and you pursue it with your heart and soul.

5. Don’t copy: Don’t follow the crowd, don’t be second best. Do it your way. Like writing articles, be unique and original, and contribute your personal ideas.

6. Refreshing: Project an extraordinary image; make it an attractive trademark of yourself. Show your best to the world of what you can do. Develop your brand for long-term success.

7. Build your self-esteem: Appreciate yourself for the ability to develop and establish your own brand. By doing it your way, you have created a positive self- image


Use your imagination and creativity to conceive a totally different idea and unleash your talents to the world. Develop and establish your brand your way.