Reader’s Top 30 Favorite Evergreen Posts in 2011 (Part 3)

21. 10 Wonderful Ways to be Appreciative

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. 
If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. ~Oprah Winfrey

Most of the time you think more of those things that you do not have and take for granted for those things that you have. You are not happy or satisfied because what you have is not treasured or appreciated. Be appreciative and be happy.
 
22. Healthy ways to live

Healthy living involves your physical, spiritual and mental well-being. There are many ways to live healthily and happily.

23. What Are Your Positive Qualities?


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

24. 10 Positive Words to Motivate You (Part 3)

Here are 10 positive words to provoke your thinking profoundly:

25. 10 Positive Words to Motivate You (Part 5)

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

26. Effective Ways to Concentrate at Work

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

There are many things you can do to concentrate on your work. Here is the list:

27. How to be More Productive

These successful people have something in common: Michael Sliwinski, editor of Productive! Magazine, Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, Pat Brans of Master the Moment, Christopher Edgar, author of Inner Productivity: a Mindful Path to Efficiency and Enjoyment, and Leo Babauta, author of Power of less. They are productive and here are the secrets of their productivity:

28. Effective Ways to a Happy Family

“When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.” -Joyce Brothers

Success is not just measured by the position you occupy in a company or the wealth you have accumulated over the years. If you have a broken family, you are not successful. 

Success is a balanced life and family comes first. How do you promote a happy and united family?  Here are some useful tips:

29. 10 Effective Ways to Save Money

The time to save is now. When a dog gets a bone, he doesn't go out and make a down payment on a bigger bone. He buries the one he's got. ~Will Rogers

What are smart and effective ways to save money? I can think of the following:


30. 10 Positive Words to Motivate You (Part 2)

Here are 10 stimulating words to excite you.

5 blogging Lessons to Learn from the World No 1 Badminton Player

 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia started the New Year with a bang by beating nemesis Lin Dan of China in the Korea Open final and Chen Long of China in the semi-final and Kenichi Tago of Japan in the final during the Malaysia Open recently. It was sweet revenge for him to beat the top two Chinese players. I can think of five blogging lessons to learn from the No.1 player in the world.

1.       Be active: Chong Wei cannot rest on his laurels. He has to keep playing and taking part in tournaments to maintain his No 1 ranking in badminton. Similarly, as a blogger, you need to produce articles on a regular basis to sustain your various rankings in the blogosphere like PageRank, Traffic Rank, and Technorati Authority Rank.

 

2.       Be persistent: Chong Wei does not win in all matches. When he is beaten, he is not dejected. He is determined to succeed and not be discouraged by defeats. What he does is that he will focus his energy on the next game and be a better player than before.  As a blogger, do not give up easily when things are not happening as expected. For the first three years of my blogging, nothing is happening. It is only in the fourth year that I begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

3.       Aim for the best: Chong Wei always aims for the No.1 spot. When you aim high, you will not fall far behind. The results show that if he is either in the No1 spot or at the No.2 slot. As a blogger, you should always do your best to produce quality articles. Associate with the best bloggers in your niche and be influenced by them so that you will be among the best              

4.       Do what you are good at He is good at badminton, so he puts his heart and soul into it to produce brilliant results. As a blogger, you should be writing about things you are interested in and good at in order to produce outstanding articles. It is easier to hone your expertise than to correct your weaknesses. You get better when you continue to do what you love and know best. 

5.       Seek improvement: He develops mental toughness to overcome defeat and failures. He is creative to vary his strategy and tactics to turn around a game in his favor. Technology is evolving at a very fast pace, as a blogger, it is essential for you to keep learning and be updated. Learn from other successful bloggers what it takes to make a blog popular and successful. Be creative and be different to move ahead.

Lee Chong Wei is always an inspiration for me. Be active, be persistent, go for the best, and keep learning.

What can we learn from the downgrade of France’s Credit Rating?

Productivity and the growth of productivity must be the first economic consideration at all times, not the last. That is the source of technological innovation, jobs, and wealth. ~William E. Simon

Recently, France’s credit rating was downgraded from AAA to AA+ by Standard & Poor. The downgrade has something to do with the productivity of the country.

According to a news item, the French are the laziest people in Europe because they work on an average of 1679 hours a year and work the least number of working hours among European countries. It is less than German by 225 hours, British by 177 hours, and Italian by 134 hours. These figures are given by Eurostat. Over a period of 10 years, full-time workers in France have reduced their working hours by 13.9% while German people have reduced by only 6.1%

In another article by Dagong Global Credit Rating Co. Ltd, it is stated that recent years have witnessed a continuous reduction in France’s economic competitiveness; due to many domestic structural problems, the economy is inactive as shown by a decline in both export market share and high-tech export share, a gradual increase of current account deficit, slow economic growth and high unemployment rate.  

Take –home message

To be productive is to work efficiently and effectively. It is also about working hard and smart on a regular basis and not just once in a while. Working diligently is the way to stay ahead and be competitive.  

Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort. ~Paul J.Mayer

Related article:

What Can We Learn From Credit Rating and Foreign Exchange Rate

How I Get Things Done in 3 Simple Steps

In a day we have too many things to do in too short a time. We have to prioritize and do what matters the most to us.  Here are the three simple ways that I get things done in a day:

1.       Do it now: The easiest way to get things done is to do it now. It is especially so when there is an interruption in what you are doing. There is a telephone call asking for something, I will do it right away if it takes only a few minutes. Do it now and get over with it and carry on with what you are doing. When I cannot do it immediately, I will

2.       Write it down and do it later: If I don’t have the habit to write things down I may not remember to do it.  When I know it will take a while to get something done, I will do it as soon as I have completed the task at hand. I don’t wish my train of thought to be interrupted and my work disrupted. Things still get done on the same day because it is in writing right in front of me.  What happens when the task is not supposed to be done until a future date, I will

3.       Schedule it: There are many ways to do it. You can record the message in your management diary, electronic diary, your smartphone, or iPad on the day when you are supposed to do it. For personal things, I jot down in my diary the day that I have to take action. If it is relating to my work in the office, I will transfer it to my tickler file. It does not matter if it is to be done next month or next year, it will be executed in due course because I look at the file every day first things in the morning.

How do you get things done effectively? Please share your ideas here.

What Can We Learn From Credit Rating and Foreign Exchange Rate

There is a correlation between a country’s credit rating and its foreign exchange rates. For instance the credit rating of Malaysia, according to Standard & Poor, is A-.  The foreign exchange rates fare poorer against other countries with better credit ratings:

1 Australia Dollar = RM3.306 (AAA)

1 Canadian Dollar = RM3.165 (AAA)

1New Zealand Dollar =RM2.517 (AA)

1 Singapore dollar = RM2.477 (AAA)

1 Sterling Pound =RM5.022 (AAA)

1 Swiss Franc =RM3.384 (AAA)

1 US Dollar = RM3.199 (AA+)

 Selling rates of currency notes as of January 6, 2012, as quoted by Maybank   

Credit rating by Standard & Poor  in the bracket as at 29/11/2011

What do these countries with strong credit ratings have in common? The answer is E.S.P. It is likened to be their extrasensory perception:

·         Education

·         Skills

·         Productivity

Education

Most top-notch universities are found in these countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, and United States. Education is the number one priority in these counties. Education is to gain essential knowledge and knowledge is power. The more educated the people, the more knowledgeable and resourceful they are. Education supports the next generation to support the growth of a country.

Here are the  Time Higher Education World University Rankings :

Overall Ranking 2011

1.       California Institute of Technology (United States)

2.       Harvard University (United States)

3.       Stanford University (United States)

4.       University of Oxford (United Kingdom)

Asia Ranking 2011

3.     National University of Singapore (Singapore)

Australasia Ranking 2011

1.       University of Melbourne (Australia)

2.       The Australian National University (Australia)

3.       University of Sydney (Australia)

4.       University of Queensland Australia (Australia)

5.       Monash University (Australia)

6.       University of Auckland (New Zealand)

According to Phil Baty, Editor of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, universities are the key to driving the knowledge economy. They can be the key to future national economic prosperity and global competitiveness, through the education they give their students…

Skills

These counties are always scouting for talents. They look for skillful people with expertise in various fields and it does not matter where they are from. When they can perform and contribute to the development of a country they are most welcome.

Productivity

Productivity is the creation of a simple solution that is efficient and effective.  As an example, getting in, going out, and looking for a parking lot at the AMK Hub Car Park in Singapore is a breeze because it has an automated ERP-like parking system. When you are at the parking bay, just look up and look ahead for green lights (vacant lots) among red lights (occupied). You can easily spot one green light without going round and round and wasting time. This is the result of getting an IT education and the skillful application of technology to achieve productivity. 

 

Take-home message

·         Value continuous learning: To stay ahead in this competitive world it is essential to learn and update your knowledge. There is always something new to learn.

·         Up-date your skills: Your skills may be outdated, it is necessary to make changes with the time to acquire the latest technology and embrace it.

·         Performance counts: To perform well, you must possess the latest information, know the latest technology and apply what you know to perform productively.

7 Ways to be Responsible at Work

Responsibility finds a way. Irresponsibility makes excuses! ~ Gene Bedley

What is your attitude at work? Do you take ownership of what you do? You may not own the company, but you own your career. The right way to work is to hold yourself responsible for what you do at work. Here are the 7 ways to work with responsibility:   

1.       Take pride in what you do: Do you enjoy working? Do you look forward to a new day with enthusiasm and eagerness? It is important that you are proud of what you do so that you are committed to doing your best.

2.       Provide value: Do you see the importance of your work? Are you appreciated in what you do? When you can contribute by doing a good job, you provide value.

3.       Achievements: Are you happy with your output at work? At the end of each day have you got a feeling that you have achieved something? A sense of achievement is a positive confirmation of your ability and skills at work.

4.       Obligation: When you are paid to do a job, you are obliged to deliver as expected. You are part of a team to achieve the goals of the company. You are also paid to solve problems. When you are obligated, you have to perform.

5.       Care and concern: When you care about your career, you also care about your work. When you care, you will act in the best interest of the company. You will meet deadlines and deliver as promised to ensure a smooth operation in the company. 

6.       Find meaning in your work: How do you look at your work? Do you work with your heart? Do you look for better ways to get things done? Do you find your work fulfilling and satisfying? You will find meaning in what you do when you take ownership of your work. 

7.       Protect your reputation:  Looking after your reputation is looking after your career. Your reputation is closely linked to the trust of others in you and trust can only be earned.  When you perform as expected over time, you gain trust. One important question: What do you want others to say about you in your absence?

To be responsible is to be successful.

It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible but also for what we do not do.

Jean Baptiste Poquelin Moliere

Top 3 Posts in December 2011

1.7 More Effective Ways to Save Money

What are the children asking from Santa Claus this year? Here are the answers:

A job for their mom or dad. Money for the heating bill. Food or a place to live. Maybe gloves or boots.

Time is so bad that children don’t ask for things for themselves. It boils down to the fact that we really need to save for a rainy day. Here are more ways to save effectively:

2. 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! 

3. What an Emergency Fund Can do for Your Car Loans and Credit Card Debts

  

Your current earning may be good enough for you to qualify for a car loan or get your credit cards. However, it is not good enough when you are unemployed. You need an emergency fund.