Slow Down FAST Hits Top 5 of Personal Effectiveness Blogs
WHAKATE – Life Design Matters blog has picked Slow Down FAST as its #3 Personal Effectiveness blog. Thank you!
Laughing in the Face of an Economic Recession?
Our nation is going through some troubling economic times right now… but you do not need to follow suit. The economy today is a horror story of financial bailouts and golden parachutes. Is the government going to bail you out if you make some not so good decisions? This is why you need to control your own financial destiny!
Don’t panic.
Easier said than done, right? Well, the truth is that the stock markets go through cycles every ten years or so. Which is why if you are close to retirement, you should be involved in low risk stocks and why if you are far from retirement, higher risks are acceptable. You should be waiting it out… not jumping ship! If you join the sell, sell, SELL bandwagon, you will be sorry when those that buy your “undervalued” stocks at a song and make a killing. An economic downturn is the best opportunity to purchase stocks (and even “designer” stocks like Google or McDonalds) at a much discounted rate.
(Note: Before you do anything, talk to your financial advisor who can help you figure out the best financial planning strategy that makes the most sense for YOU.)
6 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Busting Out of the Rat Race
by David Bohl, Lifestyle Designer
The nine to five grind… you’ve been a participant since your late teens, early twenties. Is it time to take a hike? Here are six questions to ask yourself BEFORE you ditch those bennies.
Take an extended vacation… how does it feel?
Do you have some extra vacation stored up for a rainy day? Most of us do! This is the perfect time to see how you can really handle not going through the daily grind. Spend some leisurely time with your family and your hobbies. Find a hobby if you don’t already have one…reading, writing, biking, hiking, cooking. See how you handle your extended break, and make the determination of whether you want to leave the structure of your job to pursue other things.
6 Signs It’s Time to Move On
Thinking about breaking up with your girlfriend, your job, or even your lifestyle? These 6 indicators can give you insight on whether to stick it out or throw in the towel.
You’re unhappy.
Seems to be a no-brainer, right? And yet, sometimes we’re so used to being unhappy in a job or a relationship that we never even realize there is any other way to feel.
Do you dread Monday morning by the time Sunday rolls around? Do you find that you have nothing positive to say or even think at your meetings during the week? In your personal life, do you choose to go out with friends because you don’t want to be alone with your wife or girlfriend? These are all signs that you need to either figure out how to improve your situation, or work on getting out of whatever you’re stuck in, and creating something new.
Want to Know How to Design Your Life?
From my article How to Design Your Life at The Change Blog:
There are no guarantees that life will turn out the way you want… but you have a better chance of it turning out how you want if you know how to design your own life.
I like the image of an architect designing a building by first laying out the blueprints. Or a writer outlining a book starting with the table of contents. The ability to create from scratch is a powerful feeling. The house emerges from a sheet of drawings. The book takes shape from the imagination of the writer.
Can you really design your own life in much the same way the architect designs a house and the writer designs a book?
Read the rest of How to Design Your Life.
5 Books to Read on the Quest for a Better Life
from Personal Coach David Bohl
When I was thinking about writing on this subject, I thought about how subjective this actually is. Anyone who is on the quest for a better life most likely has their bookshelves overflowing with “self-help” or “personal growth” books. And if you’re just beginning the journey on your quest for a better life, then you may be looking for someone to help you find the best books out of the thousands that shout down at you from the bookshelves in the personal growth section of your local bookstore.
You may also have gotten recommendations from friends and associates claiming, “You’ve got to read this book. It’s changed my life!” So either you said, “I’m so happy for you,” and ignored their request, or you ran to the bookstore or Amazon.com, bought the book, only to leave it languishing on your already full bookshelf. Or you read it and said, “What’s the big deal? I don’t get it.”
Therefore, choosing a reading list for you is a difficult task. The books we read are a very personal choice. We listen to recommendations, yet, what affects others may not affect us in the same way. Additionally, your quest might be to improve your physical well-being, your wealth, your relationships, your business, or your mental or emotional health. Whatever your focus is on, will ultimately determine the books that will have the greatest impact on you.
That said, the ones I have chosen are classics, so millions of people have endorsed them. Still that doesn’t mean they will change your life, but they may have some impact on you, at least to get you thinking and reading, and maybe lead you to other books that will support your quest for a better life.
So here is my list. With these 5 books, you can’t go wrong. They may become some of your top favorites as well.
Technology is Your Friend: Now How to Manage it All?
Technology can seem like your best friend or your worst enemy. The truth is that technology is always your friend–you just have to know how to manage it. By taking control of the technological tools available to you, you can streamline your life, effectively manage your time, and essentially get your life back. This article provides some of the technology tools you can use and the ways you can manage the technology in your life better.
All-in-one systems
There are several all-in-one technology systems to help to streamline and organize your life. For example, many cell phones now have multiple features such as calendars, contact systems, email, notes and more. Imagine all this functionality, packed into a little device that fits in your purse or pocket. The drawback of an all-in-one system is that if something happens to the device then all of your information goes with it, right? Not exactly. Sync this device with your computer and create an automatic backup file that will protect your precious data.
Taking it one step further, you can also sync this with your email system (Outlook, Yahoo!, Gmail, etc.). Most email systems have a calendar, notes section, and contact system, which creates an additional backup of all your information. This prevents you from having to double-enter information like email addresses and appointments, and provides anytime, anywhere access from any computer or mobile device.
Let’s use Mary as an all-in-one device user example…..
6 Priceless Practices That Will Help You Be a Better Parent
Parenting in the 21st century is a complex task. You must find a balance between work, kids, and your own happiness. While it can be difficult to please everyone, there are a few priceless parenting practices that will help you achieve order in your life and maintain a sense of personal fulfillment.
Remember Your Roots
As a parent, it’s sometimes easy to forget what it was like to be a kid. In a world filled with violence, drugs, and teenage pregnancies, it can be tempting to shelter your child and protect them from danger. However, it is important to look at this same world through the rosy glasses of a young person, if not to change your point of view then to at least understand that of your child. Communication is always improved when both parties can see the reasoning behind one another’s arguments, so empathizing with your child’s feelings while staying true to your adult wisdom can greatly strengthen your relationship.
Is Your Relationship Ready for Kids?
Children. It’s a big decision, some say the biggest you’ll ever make.
People have kids for many reasons. For some, kids are life’s biggest blessing. For others, they’re a moral or religious imperative. For yet others, they’re a way to leave a legacy – a sort of genetic immortality.
One thing is certain, however – once you have kids, neither you nor your significant other will ever be the same. Having kids can make or break a relationship. A lot depends on how strong your relationship is, what your views are on parenthood and raising children, and – most importantly – how compatible these views are with your partner’s.
Before you make such a monumental decision, there are certain questions you need to know the answers to. (more…)
Tips for Dealing with Workplace Politics
Oh, the joys of office skullduggery. Who said what, to whom. Who’s getting that special project and who’s getting shut out – and why. Who’s maneuvering for that potential promotion and who’s going to get their fingers burned if they don’t watch out.
It can be tempting and easy to get caught up in the trench warfare of workplace politics. And it’s not a difficult activity to justify – after all, you’ve got to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on, right? But swimming with the corporate barracudas has some serious downsides to consider, as well.
For starters, much of what passes for information is simply one-sided gossip and uninformed rumormongering. Plus, like any other game or soap opera, it takes a large investment of time to keep up with it – so much so that you could even find yourself neglecting the very work you’re paid to do. And with that investment of time comes equally large emotional and personal investments, and the accompanying stress they create.
Finally, while being part of the cubical confab may make you feel connected and important, what it’s actually likely to be doing is making you an inefficient and distracted worker who’s more concerned with winning the local game, regardless of the greater cost, than taking the broader view and doing what’s best for your career and for the company. And if you don’t think the higher ups will notice this or that it will affect your career, you’re dangerously mistaken.
Yes, you do need to remain both informed and connected. But you need to be smart and professional about it, as well. So how can you effectively deal with office politics and use the grapevine for your own benefit, without getting caught in the web of deceit, petty feuds and professional distractions? Here are three things you should consider when dealing with these issues: (more…)
