It’s hard to see celebrities on TV and think of the lives they have that we likely won’t – ever. But does it matter? Sure, there are some great rags to riches stories, but you can have as much fun and happiness being broke as not. Being broke is more a state of mind than an actual issue and if you start to look at it that way, you can overcome any anxiety or stress you have about being broke and have fun and be happy anyway....

Distractions aren’t going to decrease any time soon with advances in technology. Therefore, there is no better time than now to learn the best strategies to help you defeat distractions head on. Remember, many distractions may be out of your control, but you can learn to take charge of whether or not they take control of you. In this article, you’ll learn not only why distractions are so destructive, but also why they exist in the first place, and a powerful technique that can help you get rid of them and regain your focus....

The beginning of your speech is the most important: If you don’t engage your audience in the first 10 seconds of your speech then you have signalled that the next few minutes are for them to do their email, to think about the weekend, to daydream. First, the 3 golden rules of how not to start… I’ve been teaching public speaking and leadership for over 12 years at one of the world’s top MBA schools, IESE Business School....

The inevitable truth about your full-time inner critic is it knows your biggest weaknesses and darkest secrets. As a result, it only takes one nasty phrase from your inner commentator to bring out the worst in you. It doesn’t matter how successful, kind, giving or loving you are. The part that judges you tends to ignore the good. It gains strength when you buy into its awful statements and it thrives when you act in self-defeating ways after it attacks your hope or character....

Here’s an excerpt from the Lesson – But, word to the wise: undertaking home repairs yourself can sometimes be costly, unsafe and unproductive. Which is why learning the “nuts and bolts” of choosing a service provider has become increasingly important to today’s savvy homeowner seeking to maintain a home that’s attractive, structurally sound, and functional. Do you need new lighting in your living room? A deck built for the summer?...

There are some ways to defuse someone’s anger and bring them back into a more rational frame of mind. So here are a few simple things anyone can do to calm a situation down. Don’t get worked up Remain calm. When people are angry don’t respond with anger. This will make them feel their anger is justified and simply fuels further anger. This will escalate the situation. Your goal is to calm them down....

Being able to compartmentalize is one way to get to a place where you feel more in control of your life. It allows you to divide up the tasks, responsibilities and thoughts you have into different areas, so they don’t overlap and fight for your attention all the time. You can then sort all of your inflight tasks and projects, and put them all into various virtual boxes allowing you to work on only one thing at a time....

One of the things that’s becoming more and more apparent is you have the ability to create what you want by using the power of your mind. Use these 10 methods to start cultivating your ideal day today. Write down what your ideal day looks like. There’s a useful exercise I’ve used over the years to help me create a crystal clear vision of my goals and dreams. Here’s how to do it: write down a detailed account of what your ideal day looks like....

At some point, nearly everyone’s gotta blow off some steam. And sometimes, the easiest way to let loose is to head out on the town and get a lil’ wild. Healthy (and, more importantly, safe!) drinking is all about balance and making smart decisions. The difference between waking up fresh as a daisy and spending your whole Sunday in bed is a bit of planning and foresight. Normal hangover symptoms — nausea, sensitivity to light, headache, achy muscles, diarrhea, and decreased motor skills — are all caused by changes in body chemistry due to changing hormone levels and how the chemicals in alcohol affect the body [1]....

I’m not trying to be mean to anyone or turn a blind eye to the fact that we are far from being all equal, and that some people are just dealt a better hand of genetic cards, grow up in better conditions, and so on. However, the fact that there are always different choices to be made, no matter how hard and gruelling the best choices might be for some, is incredibly important, and you’ll soon see why....

I think we can all agree that no matter your ambitions, achieving success can be difficult; and over time, the daily grind can take a toll on your physical, mental, and emotional energy. Achievers and high performers from all walks of life face ups and downs along the path to success—they face failure, burnout, discouragement, fatigue, self-limiting beliefs, stress, and so much more. How do some people continually strive towards their personal goals year after year while others give up on them?...

Understand Their Background Instead of fighting about money, first try to understand how your significant other grew up. Were they raised in a home where they were taught to pinch pennies? Or, were they raised in a home where they were able to buy whatever they wanted? Often, people have difficulty leaving their personal upbringing behind when it comes to creating their own way of managing money. We often mimic the money management systems that our parents use, which might not work when we bring another person into our lives....

When you are planning a trip abroad, it’s exciting to book hotel rooms, plan your flight, and look at which tourist destinations you’ll get to see. However, before you start all of your planning, it’s important to consider how you will acquire the foreign currency that’s used at your destination. Prior to the onset of technology, many people simply used traveller’s checks, but today there are numerous ways that you can get foreign currency to spend during your travels around the world....

I’ve found that there are good and bad ways to wake up. The normal way (miserably drag yourself out of bed as the alarm blares, eat a rushed breakfast, drive to work praying that you won’t be late) is the bad way; it sucks. It starts your day off with tinges of misery and stress. Fortunately, I have found that if I am intentional I can optimize how I wake up to feel full of mental and physical energy that erupts through the day and leaves me feeling calm, happy, and productive....

He spoke just about one single thing—safety. Everyone in the room thought he was crazy, and some people jumped the soon-to-be-dead ship. 15 years later, he not only salvaged the giant, but made it one of the strongest steel and metal companies in the world, and made a global name of himself in the process. The company is Alcoa, and the guy was Paul O’Neill. But the story matters to us for one thing only, and that is the relentless focus he had on safety and security in his company....

Ask For The Free Stuff Attend The Press Conferences or Product Demos Make An Appointment Crash The Parties Walk The Show Floor On The Last Day Get A Media Pass As far as I can predict, going to companies party and media pass have higher chances to get freebies. I wouldn’t think company will give out 2GB RAM that easily, unless they know you’re going to promote for them. :) How To Get Free Stuff At Trade Shows – [John Chow]

Let’s jump in and find out how to make running something you actually enjoy. How to Enjoy Running One way to enjoy running more is to focus on improving your cardio and strength by doing activities other than running. I recall hating running and then I hiked in the mountains for a month. Speed-walking up hills made me better at running. One day, I decided to test my newfound cardio fitness and I was able to run 10-miles without stopping....

If you have to give a keynote speech, an after-dinner talk, or an address to a group of customers or colleagues then preparation leads to success. Here are some key tips: 1. Investigate the audience. Find out as much as you can about your audience, their interests and their likely mood. What is it that they will want from your session – information, entertainment, tips, ideas, guidance? What will they have heard or done just before you come on?...

It can sound like relationships will inevitably deteriorate, but in the corner for relationships is communication. And it is one of the most critical elements in understanding the each other and harmonizing your expectations. Signs you need to improve communication No matter how long you have been together, even small misunderstandings become mountains when your communication is deficient. Ineffective communication will cause partners to fire insults, retreat from the situation and even emotionally detach from each other....

Despite what you might think, improving your ability to recall information is certainly possible. You just need to know the right ways to do it. Let’s dive straight into the first of seven easy ways to improve memory efficiently and reduce the risk of memory loss. 1. Meditate We live in a world of non-stop, 24/7 information. It’s like a waterfall that’s endlessly pouring news, data, facts, and figures into our conscious minds....