Wednesday, 13 February 2013

Square or Strip on tubes

Saw this in FB, not sure if it is true.
Please leave a comment if you know the truth, thank you.


Sunday, 10 February 2013

6 Simple Steps to Wealth


Many believe there is a great secret to becoming wealthy. Few realize that the simple basics are all you need to build wealth. The “secret” to wealth is not much of a secret. A variety of simple concepts and actions can be applied to achieve prosperity. Follow the following six steps and you will be on your way to building your wealth.

1. Spend less than you earn
The number one rule of personal finance is this: You cannot spend more than what you earn. You must live within your means, and take care that you never outspend your income.

2. Reduce Debt
Pay down your debt, and you free up resources that can be used to improve your net worth. If you are leveraging on your loan, repay your loans diligently. Reduce the amount of interest you pay, and instead use that money to your advantage.

3. Grow Income
If you want more, you need to earn more. Look for ways to grow your income. Maximize the lifetime earnings of your career as well as seek non-career options to profit like part-time jobs. Staying overtime in an office that does not pay you extra will not help you, unless it will lead to a promotion.

4. Save for the Future
Your emergency fund can protect you against financial setbacks or unforeseen emergencies. Be prepared and stay calm.

5. Invest in Yourself
Wealth also depends on your human capital. Invest in yourself by getting an education, and/or developing a skill. It does not necessarily need to be a degree. All you need is a marketable skill, or a knowledge base that can help you improve your finances.

6. Play Good Defense
Be sure to avoid the worst finance mistakes that people make. They can derail your gains and even ruin all of the hard work you put in to grow your net worth.
When reading the above actions, it is easy to dismiss them. If it were so easy, everyone would be wealthy. The steps that lead to wealth are simple concepts. Applying these concepts is much harder.


3 Building Blocks of Wealth: Discipline, Patience, and Persistence
In addition to the steps above, you also need to develop three qualities to ensure maximize the chances that you will achieve wealth.

1. Discipline
Discipline requires a measure of self-control in expenditure. Rather than buying everything you want, prioritize and purchase only what is important to you. This will help get rid of debt and build your savings.
Earning money requires discipline. Growing your income means that you have to get up early and do extra work. Occasionally, you might have to complete tasks you find unpleasant. Knowledge and skills too are acquired only after you exercise the discipline to study and to practice them.

2. Patience
In today’s world, we are bombarded with promises of instant gratification. We want that expensive car now. You can have your vacation with a credit card. A 60-inch television can be yours if you qualify for in-store financing. The inability to wait and save up the money for what we want leads to debt and financial insecurity.
Results require time. A good emergency fund takes months, or even years, to build. Dollar-cost averaging in your investment portfolio requires decades of patience.

3. Persistence
Persistence is the ability to keep with your wealth-building efforts. It is easy to give up when you do not see quick results, or when you see your neighbors enjoying their over-leveraged lifestyles.
However, in the long run, those neighbors are likely to have very little wealth, since most of the goods they enjoy have been bought with debt. It is hard to see that when everyone around you is having fun while you follow a more practical course. But stay the course.
Take action now. There will be many temptations along the way. It is up to you to decide which path to take. Follow the simple concepts of building wealth with discipline, patience, persistence, and you will achieve financial freedom.

The concepts behind wealth are that simple, but it takes hard work to put them into practice.

By guest contributor Brian Halim, a professional accountant who blogs at A Path to Forever Financial Freedom. Posted via www.MoneyMatters.sg, your guide on how to make more money, save smarter, invest intelligently, and enjoy your money like a pro. Click here to get our free report on what you must know about financial freedom.
Source : Yahoo

Not A Big Deal, Take It Easy

A group of camels? Yes, there are a lot of it.


This is a picture taken from directly above these camels in the desert at sunset. It is considered to be one of the best pictures of the year.
When you look closely, you can see that the camels are the little white lines in the picture. 
The black Camels you see are just the shadows!

Many times we thought our problems are so big like the shadows, but they are actually small.

Live happily, worry less.

Source : Friend sharing from FaceBook.

Make Yourself Happy


It’s about what you can do to make yourself happy.
Let me start by asking you a few questions:

Are you unhappy about your job?
Are you dissatisfied with the public transportation system?
Are you frustrated by the high cost of living?

You probably answered “yes” to at least one of those questions.
It seems like we have plenty of reasons to be unhappy. According to this recent report, we’re the unhappiest people in the world.
(We’re even more unhappy than people living in Iraq and Afghanistan. I find that unbelievable!)
Many people think they’ll be happy when they have the 5 C’s: cash, car, credit card, condominium, and country club.
The new 5 Cs that we should all be chasing after.
But, on their own, these 5 Cs won’t bring you long-term happiness.
I’d like to introduce you to the 5 Cs that will:

1. Compare less
The more we compare ourselves with others, the unhappier we become. There will always be someone who is:

Smarter than you
Richer than you
Luckier than you
Better-looking than you
More popular than you
More charismatic than you
More accomplished than you

You don’t benefit from comparing yourself with these people. The only person you should compare yourself with is you.
Are you wiser than you were a year ago? Kinder? More generous? More courageous?
If your answer is “no”, then it’s time to reflect and to commit to making real changes in your life.

2. Cherish what you have
Every expert on happiness will tell you that grateful people are happy people.
Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, in her book The How of Happiness, describes from a scientific perspective why counting your blessings makes you happier.
Following Dr. Lyubomirsky’s advice, we should write down at least one thing we’re grateful for every day. That’s sure to make us happier.
By expressing gratitude, we’re not denying that some things in life aren’t ideal. We’re simply acknowledging that, in many ways, we’re blessed.
We can all become happier by making a conscious effort to cherish what we have: family, friends, religious freedom, food to eat, a safe country to live in.

3. Choose your attitude
I’ve heard a saying that goes, “Your attitude determines your altitude.”
Cheesy but true? I think so.
You can’t always choose your circumstances, but you can always choose your attitude.
Your boss gave you a difficult assignment? You can either see it as a problem or as a challenging opportunity.
Your project didn’t get off to a good start? You can either see it as a stumbling block or as a stepping-stone to future success.
Attitude is a choice, just like happiness is a choice.

4. Complain less
Complain—it’s something we all do. But whenever we complain, without also proposing an alternative, we’re being irresponsible.
Some people believe that it’s the citizens’ job to complain and the government’s job to provide solutions.
But this isn’t the right attitude. As a responsible citizen, if we oppose government policy, then we should also take the initiative to suggest a viable solution.
When we’re whining, nobody’s winning. So let’s complain less.

5. Change your circumstances and yourself
When things don’t go your way, it’s easy to feel frustrated, helpless or confused.
Any time you feel this way, ask yourself:
“What is one thing I can do right now to improve the situation?”
This is an empowering question, because it makes you realize that there’s always something productive you can do.
Always.
You just need to focus on the one action you can take immediately.
If you’re unhappy about your relationship with your boss, schedule a conversation with him or her.
If you’re unhappy about your salary, improve your skills, enroll in a course, find a mentor, or negotiate a pay increase. You could even start a business on the side.
There’s an endless list of things you could do to make your life better. If you’re not willing to do anything on that list, then you shouldn’t complain.
Instead of complaining, take action.
In closing…
Happiness isn’t just an emotion. It’s a choice—a daily one.
Finding real happiness takes dedication and determination, so it’s not for the fainthearted.
It’s time to embrace the new 5 Cs.
It’s time to build a happier life and a happier Singapore.
It’s time to get to work.

Source : Yahoo Article

Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality.

I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end.
That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. When you are on your deathbed, what  others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

By Bronnie Ware (who worked for years nursing the dying)
source : http://www.empowernetwork.com/Caroline/blog/nurse-reveals-the-top-5-regrets-people-make-on-their-deathbed/