Design and Live a Fulfilled Life

by: admin - February 10th, 2009   Filed under: Life Lessons, Work Thoughts Add Comment

freeebook-whakateJust as it is possible to design a product, it is also possible to design our lives for optimal outcomes. As Benjamin Franklin said “time is the stuff that life is made of”, therefore, life design can be seen as the process of organizing your aspirations,  responsibilities, and commitments, balancing your conflicting priorities and using your time sensibly so your destiny isn’t left to chance. Whakate.com is a website which addresses life management issues with insightful articles that cover the topics of work-life balance such as making sense of personal productivity and productivity systems review: GTD and DIT. This website was established by worldwide seasoned entrepreneurs, collectively contributing more than five decades of experience from both their professional and personal lives. Whakate provides helpful advice for individuals and business professionals in managing a life that is free from information and task overload in today’s increasingly competitive and news intensive world.

Notably, the site has a member section where subscribers can share and discuss with the authors and amongst each other the most effective practices and tools for personal organisation, time and life management. Whakate also offers a free Life Design e-book that will demonstrate how to become more productive and organized. The ebook covers such topics as: personality, assertiveness, values and goals, habits, gadgets and tools and time management. Overall, the website lives up to the meaning of its name  – Whakate,  having originated from the Maori people of New Zealand, which means “to squeeze out” or “get the essence out of”, in this case life.

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Keep An Eye Out – ID Theft Is Serious Business

by: admin - November 12th, 2008   Filed under: Life Lessons, Money Thoughts 2 Comments

Did you know that crime rates rise during difficult economic periods? Unfortunately, we are learning this may be true for identity related offences, as well. As the effects of an ID theft can be drastic and reek havoc on your credit rating as well as other aspects of your financial situation, it’s important to stay vigilant. Here are some ways to keep protected:

1. Keep Safe Online.

“Spoof” or “Phishing” emails are common and can be very convincing. Ensure that you don’t inadvertently provide your financial details to those pretending to be from a bank or other financial institution, by accessing your banks website directly and never through an email link. Also, if you receive an email asking (or demanding) for you to update your information, call the financial institution to ensure the request is legitimate.

2. Practice Vigilance When Using An ATM.

Use your body and hands to cover the keypad as you input your pin number. Also, be sure to handle your ATM card in a manner that prevents others from trying to read its numbers. It’s more common than you might think to have this information subtly stolen while visiting an ATM machine.

3. Take advantage of free credit reports.

We’ve all seen the commercials plugging free credit reports, and while I’m not endorsing any particular company, you should regularly monitor your credit. This is important in order to ensure that your identity has not been compromised, as well as it will give you the chance to be aware of, and correct, any errors present on your credit profile.

4. Don’t leave financial statements lying around!

All documents containing financial information should be kept under lock and key. If your house is broken into thieves may enjoy not only the items they are able to handle, but your financial wealth, as well.

Also, consider turning off the paper portion of your bills, and take advantage of online services offered. Almost all companies now allow this, and this step will ensure that your documents are not stolen from your home or mailbox.

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Turn Hobbies into Cash

by: admin - October 8th, 2008   Filed under: Life Lessons, Money Thoughts Add Comment

It is a common belief that the ideal job is one that is also a hobby. Of course many hobbies offer non-monetizable attributes, such as developing good self esteem and relationships with other enthusiasts, but in this post I will focus on some ways you can turn certain hobbies into money makers.

Photography: The price of digital cameras has been dropping steadily, while their features have improved. It is possible to sell royalty-free stock photographs to such websites as istockphoto.com and corbis.com. Notably, it is important to take pictures having a unique aspect to them and that pictures of people normally pay more than pictures of inanimate objects.

Gardening: Beyond growing your own fresh fruits and vegetables for self consumption, and flowers for home decoration, you can also sell these in the local farmer’s market or to the local grocers and restaurants at a lower price than they would pay a traditional supplier. Canning vegetables can also extend their shelf life and add another revenue source to you.

Carpentry: An age old hobby, that is useful for many fixes around the house and as a side vocation. If you wish, you could also build and sell furniture online or in the local stores.

Computer Tech Support: Although personal computers have existed for 2+ decades, there are many people that are still computer novices, and could use the occasional help in trouble shooting tech issues. A person who is more savvy with computers can offer support services as well as design websites or build the computers themselves and then sell them.

Knitting and Sawing: If you like to knit or saw, you have a good opportunity to make money selling new or mended clothes online or offer your services to local clothing stores.

Arts and Crafts: Whether its creating glasswork, music, painting, pottery candle making, etc’ , there is a market out there(or at the very least, you can see if there is by listing your items on websites such as eBay.com and Etsy.com).

Car Repair: If you you know your way around anything automotive, you could offer several services such as: oil change, custom retrofitting, turning an existing vehicle’s engine to more environmentally friendly, etc’.

Although hobbies require some monetary investment, a return on investment is clearly achievable. As the saying goes: “find what you like to do best and then get someone to pay you for doing it.”

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Caught with Your Pants down? 7 Ways to Regain Your Dignity

by: admin - December 5th, 2007   Filed under: Life Lessons, Work Thoughts 6 Comments

iStock_000000727134XSmall.jpg Have you ever been sitting on the toilet in a public bathroom, when a stranger suddenly comes bursting through the door? You stare at each other for a moment. It dawns on you that you forgot to lock the door. It dawns on them that they forgot to check. Then they back out of the stall, stuttering their apologies, while you desperately try to pretend that you weren’t caught with your pants around your ankles. It’s mortifying, but it happens all the time, in all sorts of ways, especially in business. Maybe you’re in the boardroom, pitching a room full of executives on a new strategy that will save the company, and your three-year-old wanders through the door, saying she has to “Tee-tee.” Or maybe a zit pops on your forehead in the middle of a sales call. Or maybe you get drunk at the company’s Christmas party and start singing, “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” at the top of your lungs. All are honest, 100% genuine mistakes, and there’s nothing wrong with them. But they’re still embarrassing as hell. You feel like you’ve lost a little clout, and everything you do around the “witnesses” is suddenly very awkward. Somehow, you have to regain your composure, or you can end up doing something that really is damaging. Well, just for you, here are 7 tips for regaining your dignity.

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