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Photo Courtesy of Matt Harris.
Valentine’s Day is Friday in the US. Instead of the candy or flowers why not do something extraordinary?
I’m not going to give you any hints but think about what you can do for your significant other. What can you do that is out of the box? What can you do that will make that day then one your talking about when you are a 110? “Remember that one Valentine’s Day” your other half will turn to you and say.
Go out on a limb this week and be memorable.
Photo Courtesy of Dr. Stephen Dann
Real paper? Yep, it still exists. Send some of it out!
In the world today we have so much electronic communication. Texts, e-mails, social media, and, yes, blogs. Due to all of this written communication is getting less and less. Even celebration cards are going digital.
The digital world has certainly changed our lives. Because of this you can change someone’s day by going back to 10 years ago – write a letter or card by hand and mail it. I try to do this a few times per month to various people thanking them for something or just saying hi.
Writing the card only takes a few moments. It can create a huge impact in a person’s day because they probably haven’t gotten anything like that in quite some time. It is such a rarity for most people that you become the stand out and are remembered as the person who did this.
Another reason for this is after applying and interviewing for a job. Send a card thanking them for the opportunity to apply for the position. Simple and easy – the goal is for them to see your name. Then, after you have an interview, send a thank you card to the interviewer for giving you some of their time. Again, simple and easy to keep your name in the mix.
The written word is still incredibly strong. Choose one person today that you can send a card or letter to and see how it changes their day!
Photo Courtesy of Dave Dugdale.
Last week I asked the question”If someone walked up to you and handed you $10 with the stipulation you had to make someone’s life better with it what could you do?”
The inspiration came from Chris Guillebeau who wrote “The $100 Startup” which talks about starting a business for a hundred dollars or less. I was interested in what people could do with ten dollars to change someone’s life. Ten bucks seems like a small amount of money to make a big change but I wanted to make people think deeper.
Why think deeper? Because many people will do for others what they will not do for themselves. You might go buy a burger from a drive thru for someone who is hungry but would consider that splurging if you did it yourself. I wanted to make people think about how they could make a difference in someone’s life with $10 so you could maybe see how you could change your own life or circumstances with the same amount of money.
Fortunes have been made on little startup money. Lives have been changed with a kind word and a helping hand with no money at all. Take ten dollars and in the next week go and make a difference with it in your life. Start a business, make a donation, or start that retirement account you have been meaning to get to. Make a commitment to go out and do something with a ten dollar bill during the next seven days!
Photo Courtesy of Eli Christman
That is a pretty straightforward question. If someone walked up to you and handed you $10 with the stipulation you had to make someone’s life better with it what could you do? What would you do?
About the book: “The 21 Day Financial Fast” by Michelle Singletary is “a field-tested financial challenge. For twenty-one days, participants will put away their credit cards and buy only the barest essentials.”
The whole idea is that you do not purchase anything other than necessities for 21 days. Nothing. This allows you to save money and see where you are wasting money. The idea being at the end of the fast you will have learned how to make lasting changes to your financial situation for the better.
My favorite part was the idea of having both an “Emergency Fund” and a “Life Happens Fund.” The emergency fund is used for 3-6 months or more of household expenses in the case of a loss of income. The life happens fund is for when the car breaks down or the stove goes out and needs replaced and the author recommends $700-$1000 in that account. It allows you to be thoroughly prepared for both situations.
I did not agree with the way the author presented the material in some cases. There are sections where the text comes off judgmental (such as the chapter on entitlement) or other places where the author seems to be trying to make the reader feel bad in order to make a change. I would like to believe that the author’s intent was not to come off this way but it certainly changed my mood and opinion of the book in those sections.
Finally, if you have read “The Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey or other similar books you will get very little, if anything, new in this book other than the 21 day concept. I think this concept is worth taking a look at the book and can be a helpful tool to those who have trouble controlling their spending habits or need help shedding some light on their habits.
All in all it is a great concept with potential that came up short.
For further information or to see other reviews visit the book’s page on Amazon.
*Note: I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.*
Photo Courtesy of Carnie Lewis
One of the important lessons I learned from Tony Robbins was to see things as they are but not worse than they are. We tend to take inconveniences and problems and blow them out of proportion to make them larger than life. Some do this to get attention and have significance while others do it to give themselves certainty that they can be a topic of conversation.
Whenever you are affected by any kind of difficult situation ask yourself:
* How bad is it really?
* What is the worst possible outcome that can occur with this situation?
* If that outcome happens, what am I going to do about it?
When you speak to others about your situation keep these things in mind. Tell them how it really is – not what you imagine it is going to be or the story you have told yourself about it. It will lower your stress/anxiety and give you a plan of action should the worst possible outcome actually happen.
Photo Courtesy of Content Action (site removed)
I hope you have already set your goals for 2014. For those that haven’t I want to encourage you to take some time to do that today.
Sit down with a pad of paper and write down everything you want in 2014. Make a huge list if you can. After you are done with your list choose three to five of those to work on immediately. Once you have picked those out write out how you are going to accomplish each one, why you want to, and how you are going to do it. Then, get started.
A journal can be your huge friend to track your progress and look back to see what worked and what didn’t. You can do this on paper or electronically as long as you are keeping a record. If you do not know what you have done then how do you know what you need to do?
Setting goals can be a huge step in lasting change for a person. I hope you at least give it a shot once this year and see what it can do for your life. I will check back in with you on the goals in July when we are at the midpoint of the year.
Photo Courtesy of Eva-Lotta Lamm
WAKE UP! It’s the first Monday of 2014! Today is the start of a new week in a new month in a new year. If you don’t get up and get started today then when will you?
If you have not started working on your 2014 goals today is the perfect day to get at it. Do at least one thing that gets you closer to achieving one of your goals today. Get up an hour early tomorrow and do it again. Then do it again. Then do it again. Keep it up and you will be knocking the goals down in no time!
Some people say they hate Mondays. I think it is better the embrace them as a new start! Today is your day. Own it.
Question to Ponder:
What is something you did today to get one step closer to achieving a goal? Leave a comment below with your answer.
Photo Courtesy of James Russo
The new beginning starts today. Hopefully you have already set your goals for 2014 and are ready to bring them to life. I hope you make 2014 your best year yet!
Photo courtesy of David Weekly
It is said most people read less than one non-fiction book per year. Last year I read 24 after a challenge from Jon Acuff and his Finish Year challenge. After that I set a goal for 40 in 2013 and managed to do over 50! I want to challenge everyone out there to read just one book a month for 2014 and make it an education year for you!
Here is a list of books that I completed over the course of 2013. Nothing is here for endorsement. You can check out the 2012 books here.
Books
**Books includes traditional books, ebooks, and audio books.**
The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) by Chris Hardwick
No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy
To Sell Is Human by Dan Pink
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future… by Michael J. Fox
Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis
Do The Work by Steven Pressfield
Read This Before Our Next Meeting by Al Pittampalli
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
The 7 Golden Rules of Milton Hershey by Greg Rothman
Steve Jobs: A Memoir by Walter Isaacson
Drive by Dan Pink
Days Like These by Kristian Anderson
Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear by Max Lucado
How to Deliver a TED Talk by Jeremy Donovan
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Love No Matter What by Brenda Garrison
The Science of Fear by Daniel Gardner
The Price of Leadership by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
How to Say It: Creating Complete Customer Satisfaction by Jack Griffin
Is College Worth It? by William J. Bennett and David Wilezol
Attachment by Amir Levine
Start. by Jon Acuff
Keep Your Eye on the Marshmallow by Joachim de Posada
Start Something by Earl Woods
Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson
Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews
The Small Business Lifecycle by Charlie Gilkey
The Barefoot Executive by Carrie Wilkerson
Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
Wishes Fulfilled by Dr. Wayne Dyer
Boundaries For Leaders by Dr. Henry Cloud
Aligning With Your Core Values by Tim Brownson
Start A Freedom Business by Colin Wright
Whale Done! by Ken Blanchard
Mastering Evernote by Brandon Collins
Platform by Michael Hyatt
Life Coaching Activities and Powerful Questions by Phyllis Reardon
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
I Dare You by William H. Danforth
The Tapping Solution by Nick Ortner
E Squared by Pam Grout
How Do You Kill 11 Million People? Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think by Andy Andrews
Notes from a Friend by Tony Robbins
20,000 Days and Counting by Robert Smith
Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins
Don’t Hesitate – Meditate by Tim Brownson
Play Your Bigger Game by Rick Tamlyn
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Play Your Bigger Game by Rick Tamlyn is an interesting way to look at life as a game. The publisher says it “was created to counteract that self-limiting, fear-based approach to life.” If you are living your life in this manner then I think this book is for you.
What the book describes is a game board containing nine squares. Within these squares are different ways to categorize the situation you are in (or season of life if you will). This gives a person a go to method for interrupting their limiting beliefs/patterns. Instead of saying “my life is falling apart” you can take a quick look at the game board and decide to say “I need to assess this and check with my friends.” Doing this helps give clarity and helps you see things as they really are.
While some things feel repetitive in the text I think a person can learn a lot from reading it. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to keep better track of where they are in life. This lets you see where you are and decide your next move into the future.
For further information or to see other reviews visit the book’s page on Amazon.
*Note: I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.*
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from us to you! See you next year!With Christmas being next week I wanted to share with you one of the best random acts of kindness I have had the pleasure of viewing this year. I think this is a wonderful video and I would love it if each person who saw this could go out and do one act of kindness for someone else in the next week. Do anything but keep spreading the spirit of the season.
I hope you have a great week and enjoy the video:
Photo Courtesy of Christian Lambert.
2013 is just about to wrap up in a few weeks. I think it was a most excellent year full of some life accomplishments that I am thrilled to have brought to fruition with help of many others. Now, my question to you is, did you make progress?
Making progress isn’t about completing a goal. Taking a few steps toward a goal, a want, a dream or desire is making progress. Two steps forward and one back is still a step ahead of the game. Don’t be afraid of the one back. The one back isn’t a failure; just a course correction.
Change is going to happen all the time whether you want it to or not. Progress, on the other hand, is something you have to work towards. I hope you made progress this year and are ready to do amazing things next year.
What kind of progress did you make in 2013?
Photo courtesy of Laurie.
Make someone smile today. Go out into the world and make at least one person smile everyday.
If work with customers on a regular basis I want to plus the challenge. Make one person smile in your outside work interactions. Make one person smile that is a coworker. And, lastly, try to make every customer you come in contact with smile.
Let us all light up the world today with smiles!
World Drive is my place to write about breakthroughs, strategies, and motivation while learning how to drive my own world.
I'll share inspirational and motivational things I find along the way. I will include just day to day thoughts and random posts as well the keep it interesting.
Thank you for taking a little time to read here. I hope in some way it helps you drive your world.
