Posted on February 13th, 2010 — in Money + Finance, Web Of Self Improvement
I have constantly been upside down on my monthly budget with regular monthly bill and unpredicted expenses. My paycheck was already spent as soon as I got it. I get lots of bills every month and put them off to the last minute, then dealt with them all in a hurry. As a result I ended up taking up money from the next pay just to make it through. It’s not that I didn’t make enough money, it’s that I didn’t know how to manage my budget. Worse yet, any emergency put me even further in debt.
This situation is not uncommon for most of us. We try to be careful with our money, but long before the month is over, the money is gone. Paying bills is a juggling act that we don’t have the time or energy to handle. There’s always one bill that was left out or delayed, one more expense we weren’t consenting for. With school supplies and fees for the kids, groceries, new tyres for the car, and the rising cost of petrol, just making it from paycheck to paycheck is difficult enough; saving money is out of the question. Meanwhile, debt is softly jamming up. I asked myself how I can get mybudget under control?
Luckily for me, I found a service which will help me manage my money more sagely and take away the tension of paying off monthly bills, letting me concentrate on the things that really matter to my family. I can eventually relax not worrying about money, knowing that my monthly budget are in good hands.
The financial planning process:
Usually during your first consultation, your budget specialist will look at all of your existing debts and monthly payments and devise a program that works for you. They will set aside money for savings, emergencies, and long-term investment, ensuring your family’s financial security. If you are planning a major purchase, this will be factored into your budget so that when you are ready to buy, the money will be there for you.
Your paychecks are usually deposited with your financial planner, and a seperate living expenses account is setup for you. Your bills are directly delivered to your budgeting specialist for payment. Some budget services will even negotiate with your creditors to reduce your monthly payments and reduce your outstanding debt. A low monthly fee is assessed for all these services.
For me, the best monthly service mybudget specialist provides is peace of mind. I don’t have to worry about paying any bills; I know my bills will be paid on time, and that I’ll have money in reserve for life’s little emergencies. My budget is finally under control, thanks to my financial planning service.
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Posted on September 24th, 2009 — in Money + Finance, Web Of Self Improvement
Handling my household budget can often be very challenging, not handling it properly can put me in to further debt before I realize it. The benefits from looking after mybudget correctly not only saves me money but also helps relieve tension from debt.
There are numerous things that I have in my life that regulate me financially, but nothing affects my finances more than my family budget. There are not a lot of people these days who have learned how to budget and this can lead to many financial issues, including debt. One reason why so many people do not create a budget is because many of us think it is too complex. Actually, producing a budget is not difficult at all; it can be as easy as penning down our expenditure and keeping up with it each month. By doing this, we do not spend more than we have.
It is critical for me to keep in mind that my budget is only my plan for my monthly expenditure. Just like any programme, mybudget does necessitate me to supervise it to keep it operating correctly. The first step in creating my budget is organizing the information that I need in it. I keep track of expenses like car payments, utilities, car insurance policy, groceries, etc. If I do not coordinate mybudget, I can easy find myself in debt. It is very important for me to know exactly what I need on expenditures every month.
I see two advantages with keeping abreast with my finances through my budget. First of all, I am able to save money on unnecessary expenditure. Secondly, I can keep myself from going into unnecessary debt. When I spend my money wisely, I buy only things that are required and I free up money that I can use on something that I want or can save it. With the spare cash I am able to save, I have the option of putting it aside and investing.
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Posted on August 9th, 2009 — in Beauty For You, Best Health, Web Of Self Improvement
The day I begun noticing my receding hairline and bald spot growing bigger, I embarked on my hair loss treatment journey. I would spend hours and hours looking for ways to comb my hair a particular manner to cover my hair loss. I started to wear more and more hats on the weekends as I went out with my wife, friends or family. Of course at work I could not wear hats so it was a difficult experience each morning for me just to walk in the office. You change the way you think when you are going through hair loss. It is so true that you never know what you have until you lose it. That can be true about your hair loss.
Having suffered from hair loss, I started to treasure every strand of hair that I had left. It was as if with each individual hair I lost, so was a small portion of my confidence gone as well. I was not alone, a mate of mine had been having from the same problem as me. Yet lately he appeared so much more relaxed and I observed that it was as if his hair was growing back. I never wanted to bring it up but after a while I decided to ask. It was then that he told me about Advanced Hair Studios. With just a few treatments my friend Josh had not only regrown his hair, but his self-confidence as well. I was determined to give Advanced Hair a try as after all I had a lot to lose, meaning my hair and confidence.
I have to admit that I was a little skeptical at first. But effects were evident within a few weeks. Not only on my head, but in my attitude. I began feeling better about myself and started to lose the hats on the weekends. My wife has also found a change in my day to day behavior as well. It is amazing how just a few treatments to the Advanced Hair Studio had begun to change my life as a whole. I have always been wary about people discovering my bald spot. Now, I am not afraid to look people in the eyes again as I have my full set of hair back.
Advance Hair Studio has not only given me back a full set of hair, but a big piece of my confidence as well. So, if anyone is suffering from hair loss I highly recommend them. Don’t let your self-confidence continue to be lost with your hair.
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Posted on July 20th, 2009 — in Doing Business, Education Online, Web Of Self Improvement
KISS: Keep it short and simple
A few key concepts that are better explained will come across more intelligibly than a lot of text planned to impress the audience. Your interviewers do not have the time to analyse the information as you deliver it.
The rule of 3
Nearly all individuals can’t call back more than three things at a time. Many memorable quotes come in three parts: Veni, Vedi, Vici, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Education, Education, Education,
Ready, Steady, Go, etc.
If doable, devise your presentation in 3 bigprincipalcentralfundamental themes (one per slide). On each slide, tryseekendeavorendeavourattempt to focuscentercentre on three3 keycentralprincipalimportantessentialfundamentalbigprimarymain ideas. If you have too many pointsaimsitemsdetails on one page, you may want to breakchunk them down in two2 different more focussedcentredconcentratedcenteredfocused themestopicsideasstemsstreamsconcepts to break upseparatesplit upfragmentbreak downsplit up the messagecontentsubject mattersubstance ininto more digestible chunks
Rule of three3 applied to a presentation on the critical appraisal of your career so far:
THEME 1 - Presentation of Experience
Career progression & Exams taken;
Important skills and expertise acquired;
Involvement in academic activities.
THEME 2 - Demonstration of commitment to speciality and self development
Cours es and conferences attended;
Special interests developed;
Initiative taken in developing services and improving standards.
THEME 3 - Areas where further development is needed
Great emphasis on teaching; want to enhance research portfolio;
Keen to enhance further teaching experience (Med Ed. Degree);
Solid experience of endoscopy; further training required for possible
subspecialisation.
Visual aids
In mostwell-nigh allnearly allvirtually allalmost all interviews, the nature of the visual aids will be imposed. This could include:
No visual aids at all
A4 white paper sheets
Acetates
Electronic (e.g. on USB chip or CD Rom)
Identify the requirements before you start as it may dictate the manner in which you organise your ideas.
EnsureDetermineAscertainCheckVerifySuss Out too that you have sufficientadequatedecentenough back-up. For example:
if they asked for paper presentation slides, bring a copy for eacheveryevery last interviewerinterview panel member (they might say that they will photocopy them for you but the machine might break downfailcrumplesnuff itconkkick the bucket that day!) if they ask for a USB chip, bring two chips (and possibly even a CD version) whatever they ask, always bring a few paper versions in casejust in case everything has gone wrongbaddefectivefaulty, or in casejust in case they deliberatelyintentionallypurposelyby designby choiceon purposedesignedly make your life difficult.
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Posted on June 27th, 2009 — in Web Of Self Improvement
Infrequently do we witness youths and young adults at their early 20’s with spots of hair lacking from their scalps. Most hair loss in men takes place in their 30’s and 40’s, despite the fact it isn’t unusual from men in their late twenties to start losing hair as well. The thought of aging is feared amongst today’s society. Where aging was once upon a time a symbol of awareness and judiciousness, it is now generally looked upon as if the older you get, the more unexciting you become. All that is of course not TRUE in most cases. On the other hand, since this is how the media and modern society paint middle aged men and women, & losing hair is a symbol of getting older, it is no wonder that hair loss may affect someone’s self-esteem.
TV shows repeatedly portray middle aged men with hair loss as the folks most unlikely to succeed with scoring dates, or being happy in general. The character George Costanza of NBC’s hit series, Seinfeld, is one perfect instance of this. Costanza was in his late thirties & endured classic male pattern hair loss. He quite regularly referred to his hair loss as one of his grea reasons for never succeeding at just about anything in life. Men & women alike both enjoy a tendency to feel self conscious, exceptionally when it comes to the opposing sex. In our culture, a dense, luscious, head of hair is envisaged to be pretty, and make one appear more youthful and healthy.
Current technology is most helpful in restoring hair loss. Advanced hair treatments are available to restore one’s hair and make it look entirely normal as if you had not lost any hair to begin with. It isn’t necessary in this day and age to have to settle with hair restoration. A person’s quality of life does not have to be altered with low confidence when there are so plentiful advanced hair restoration treatments to choose from. Whether a prescriptive drug, topical therapy, follicle transplants, or laser therapy, there are abounding options that could fit many budgets.
Hair loss treatments are now extremely popular and tried out by both male and female. People who have lost their hair due to illnesses and have found it is never to grow back can sometimes be advantageous from advanced hair remedy. Even if people are not entirely losing hair, but experiencing from a receding hair line or their hair is thinning, they may benefit from an array of hair loss therapeutics. The times of counting on fake looking wigs and spray on hair are over. With so countless selections of different hair loss therapeutics, you no longer have to live life feeling any less confident than they did in their early 20’s.
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Posted on June 22nd, 2009 — in Dating, Guidance, Web Of Self Improvement
Sometimes I eschew drama, because its hard to date at my age. Here’s the scoup, yesterday I broke my resolution and smoked two packs of cigarettes. During my birthday party of datelessness, for once. Yeah, I did it. What does this mean? Honestly, that’s the moment when I initially thought about meeting new singles in Denver or Dallas.
Easy solution. Figured I’d boost my dating life at professionally hosted Denver singles events. Definitely sounds like a plan. Loneliness bites, heres why. After practically choking down some of grandma’s potato salad at my boy’s t-ball game in Denver last night, great aunt Judy asked me if I’ve found my soulmate. I just can’t believe that came up. I laughed and spit out, “what’s your deal, yo?”
Can you believe that even “The Twerp” (my nephew, age 9) opining about marriage. I joked to all of them: “Dating isn’t for me, but I’ll never find a gorgeous single woman hanging out with you.”
Can you believe this? Each one of them scoffed. Quite promptly, I went to the gym in hopes this loneliness would all go away. Why can’t I stop thinking about this! It was more useful listening to my dad, which is never the case. Billy, who was just deployed on military commission recommended that I join Great Expectations. I said, “That’s what I was going to do.” I have some good friends. I will never regret joining Great Expectations Denver.
When I started, dating events were kinda foreign as I am a simple guy. I was a bit nervous at first, and I was speechless at first. This faux pas could not put an end to us from enjoying ourselves. The evening was a great way to start at Great Expectations. The truth is I’ll never forget all the honest, desirable singles.
There’s something great about going to these glorious Great Expectations Dallas singles events, I rubbed elbows with a collection of dynamite friends who clearly feel the same way I do when it comes to dating. Don’t know why I ever let so many people give me a hard time about me being single at my age. Surprisingly enough, doing things the Great Expectations way is a good time and like a dream come true.
Pat
Just Trying to Help
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Posted on June 12th, 2009 — in Beauty For You, Best Health, Web Of Self Improvement
Till recently, hair loss and wigs weren’t always my passion. Teaching was what kept me pretty busy. That was true until the day when I started to lose my hair due to medical hair loss. I pronounced that I cannot permit the chance of living as the thin-haired fashion victim from New Hampshire.
I knew life would be more challenging, deprived of my hair. I felt like that it was out of my hands to get back fabulous fashion and the hair to match. Oh, I was mistaken. Before I got wise and bought my real human hair wig, I went through a great deal of ridiculous synthetic wigs that got my texture all wrong. My partner Harry told me about a few medical wig stores offering lace front wigs I would love.
Anyhow, I walked to the store and sized up the selection. I happened upon a cornucopia of astonishing, high-class real hair wigs. Their amazing African American wigs worked!
Given the right wig, a woman in my situation can develop confidence while admitting to her hair loss due to cancer. Never have I been so inspired to expose my current earrings. It meant a lot to me to finally display my new look on the job.
It wouldn’t surprise me if I’m being ridiculous carrying on like this, but looks are important to my profession. Is there something else to individuality than an amazing flow of hair? Girl, it wouldn’t matter anyway if that were so. Its true, medical wigs offer an important option for stylish ladies who can relate.
You couldn’t imagine what these blessings have brought me. Very few believe the truth of me and women’s hair loss. However there you have it, I’m thankfully happy to look fabulous for my husband again. Real human hair wigs for women made so much better for my attitude on life.
Judgmental people may find my approach is needy. Oh well. What makes being alive so amazing? For me, the secret is my husband and my wig.
Take Care of Living!
Carrie Putnam
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Posted on June 9th, 2008 — in Web Of Self Improvement
It is interesting to reflect on conversations I enter into and which I overhear.
There appears to be a growing discontent with the way society is headed. Our politicians have been proven to be liars; our Royal family has proven themselves to be human and not above the kind of strife which normal families face every day.
Individuals and families are retreating more and more into themselves. Without doubt there remain some who are willing to help their neighbours but increasingly people are enclosing themselves behind high fences, locked doors and other barriers; be they physical or metaphoric.
We are living in an era of fear and greed. To satisfy yearnings people are becoming more and more acquisitive but whatever they acquire still does not leave them feeling complete - there is always something bigger and better to acquire.
Modern marketing techniques are relentless in their creation of dissatisfaction. People are striving for more; they declare that they do not have enough; they feel they should be achieving success.
We have become like hamsters on a treadmill, running faster and faster just to remain in the same spot. We don’t recognise nor allow ourselves to enjoy what we do have in this constant quest for more.
We no longer live according to our personal values. Indeed most of us have probably not even considered what our personal values are.
We have been moulded and shaped by parents, peer groups, schools, universities and employers to “fit”, to “conform”. We need to dust off our own values set and begin to live them. Yes, it will feel strange at first and it will need courage but I dare to suggest that it is the only way to find true contentment and happiness; it is the only way to find the backbone to stand up for what you believe in rather than bemoan the state of the nation but take no action to change things for the greater good.
Donetta Harrison is building http://www.wellnessforlife.info, an information resource covering all aspects of wellness in all domains of life aimed at encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing in order that they may live life to the full. To receive Vivendi, the free monthly newsletter send an email to wellnessforlife@btinternet.com. To follow the progress of the Wellness for Life project check out the blogspot here http://wellnessforlifeinfo.blogspot.com/.
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Posted on June 8th, 2008 — in Web Of Self Improvement
When I think about my professional life and my personal life, I consider them extremely balanced. Having been a business owner for a few years, I have learned to set boundaries, limit work hours, and practice self-care.
Lately, however, I have been reading so much on this seemingly hot topic of work/life balance for business owners, and I’m surprised to note that not much of it rings true for me. I am by no means suggesting that balance isn’t important and necessary — yet following prescribed steps to get it seems regimented, as opposed to natural and free-flowing.
Some of the suggestions in these articles seem “forced” (my least favorite “tip” is “create a schedule and stick to it no matter what”) and probably can make a person feel more stressed than balanced at times. Balance, for me, is feeling comfortable, feeling good in one’s skin, and truly enjoying both aspects of life (work and home). Balance should come naturally.
My own twist on the whole work-life balance concept is simple — listen to and trust your intuition, and be flexible.
Intuition can have different meanings for different people. Quick definition for intuition: Insight. Synonyms include: discernment, divination, feeling, foreknowledge, funny feeling, gut reaction, hunch, innate knowledge, inspiration, instinct, intuitiveness, penetration, perception, perceptivity, premonition, presentiment, second sight, sixth sense.
Life is ever-changing, never predictable, and can easily thwart your balance “plan of attack”. If you’re so caught up in forcibly trying to create balance with schedules and structure, what happens when good old “life” gets in the way?
I am, however, a firm believer that the following strategies (in connection with intuition) are helpful practices in creating balance, and just make sense for any business owner:
Practice self-care.
Whatever makes YOU feel good, whether it’s exercising, sleeping in, or getting a facial. It’s important to take care of YOU.
Delegate.
If housework is eating up too much of your time and interfering with balance - hire a housekeeper. If you’re spending too many hours each week entering financials - hire a bookkeeper.
Set and stick to boundaries.
If you don’t want business calls after 5:00 p.m. - turn your ringer off.
Most importantly — listen to your intuition and be flexible.
I am a very organized, scheduled person. However (and this is a big “however”), I’m also very flexible. I listen to my intuition and trust when it tells me to make some changes in a day’s schedule because I need to practice self-care to boost my energy level. The opposite holds true as well. On days I’m revitalized and energized, I might tackle projects that were intended for later, or work longer days. And it’s all just plain old “okay”.
To me, balance isn’t scheduling a work-free evening, then feeling energized to work late, followed by feeling guilty and stressed because I didn’t stick to the schedule. Again, I encourage work-free time, yet I trust my intuition, my feeling, to guide me — not just my schedule.
Here is what helps me to naturally create and maintain my work-life balance:
- I trust my intuition
- I listen to what my body tells me
- I am flexible
- I understand it’s “okay”
- I know the work I’m doing is good and makes a difference
- I let go of any guilt
Don’t let the “balance experts” dictate how to create your own balance. Balance is an individual, unique aspect of a business owner’s life. It should be created naturally and should make you feel comfortable and content.
Donna Toothaker is an expert Virtual Assistant and founder of http://www.1stva.com. Donna specializes in providing marketing and administrative support and services to Professional Speakers and Life and Business Coaches. To discover how 1st VA can help your business - visit http://www.1stva.com
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Posted on May 17th, 2008 — in Web Of Self Improvement
Processionary caterpillars travel in long, undulating lines, one creature behind the other. Jean Hanri Fabre, the French entomologist, once lead a group of these caterpillars onto the rim of a large flowerpot so that the leader of the procession found himself nose to tail with the last caterpillar in the procession, forming a circle without end or beginning.
Through sheer force of habit and, of course, instinct, the ring of caterpillars circled the flowerpot for seven days and seven nights, until they died from exhaustion and starvation. An ample supply of food was close at hand and plainly visible, but it was outside the range of the circle, so the caterpillars continued along the beaten path.
People often behave in a similar way. Habit patterns and ways of thinking become deeply established, and it seems easier and more comforting to follow them than to cope with change, even when that change may represent freedom, achievement, and success.
If someone shouts, “Fire!” it is automatic to blindly follow the crowd, and many thousands have needlessly died because of it. How many stop to ask themselves: Is this really the best way out of here?
So many people “miss the boat” because it’s easier and more comforting to follow to follow without questioning the qualifications of the people just ahead than to do some independent thinking and checking.
A hard thing for most people to fully understand is that people in such numbers can be so wrong, like the caterpillars going around and around the edge of the flowerpot, with life and food just a short distance away. If most people are living that way, it must be right, they think. But a little checking will reveal that throughout all recorded history the majority of mankind has an unbroken record of being wrong about most things, especially important things. For a time we thought the earth was flat and later we thought the sun, stars, and planets traveled around the Earth. Both ideas are now considered ridiculous, but at the time they were believed and defended by the vast majority of followers. In the hindsight of history we must have looked like those caterpillars blindly following the follower out of habit rather than stepping out of line to look for the truth.
It’s difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of people ever really get the word about life, about living abundantly and successfully. Success in the important departments of life seldom comes naturally, no more naturally than success at anything a musical instrument, sports, fly-fishing, tennis, golf, business, marriage, parenthood.
But for some reason most people wait passively for success to come to them like the caterpillars going around in circles, waiting for sustenance, following nose to tail living as other people are living in the unspoken, tacit assumption that other people know how to live successfully.
It’s a good idea to step out of the line every once in a while and look around to see if the line is going where we want it to go. If it is not, it might be time for a new leader and a new direction.
Falling Isn’t Failing … Unless You Fail to Get Up
For those who have tried repeatedly to break a habit of some kind, only to repeatedly fail, Mary Pickford said, “Falling is not failing, unless you fail to get up.” Most people who finally win the battle over a habit they have wanted to change have done so only after repeated failures. And it’s the same with most things.
The breaking of a longtime habit does seem like the end of the road at the time the complete cessation of enjoyment. Suddenly dropping the habit so fills our minds with the desire for the old habitual way that, for a while, it seems there will no longer be any peace, any sort of enjoyment. But that’s not true. New habits form in a surprisingly short time, and a whole new world opens up to us.
So, if you’ve been trying to start in a new direction, you might do well to remember the advice of Mary Pickford: breaking an old habit isn’t the end of the road; it’s just a bend in the road. And falling isn’t failing, unless you don’t get up.
Earl Nightingale co-founded Nightingale Conant an audio publishing company and world leader in personal development with over 2 million loyal customers. Other audio books available at Nightingale Conant include authors such as Dr. Wayne Dyer, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, and many, many more.
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