life

7 hacks to set goals that can save you money and increase your savings

by admin on April 18, 2009

To make money savings you need something more than to spend less money. How much to save? Where to place them? How can you be sure that it will remain there «spared»? The first step is to set realistic goals, to keep control of costs and to «pay yourself» first of all.

1. Define your objective

For short-term objectives setting goals can be simple. If you just want to buy a game, all you have to do is find out how much it costs. If you wish to buy a house, calculate the amount of the advance you should provide. For longer-term goals such as retirement, you should do more planning (estimate how much money you will need to live comfortably after retirement and estimate how your investments will help you achieve your goals).

- «Kill» your debt first. Calculating how much you spend each month on your debts shows that eradication is the fastest way to «free» money. Once the money is «released» of the debt can be easily reused for savings.

2. Set a timetable

For example, «I want to be able to buy a house in three years from now». Set a date for the attainment of short-term objectives and ensure that the goal is attainable within that time. If it is not possible then you will simply be discouraged.

3. Determine the amount of savings

Calculate how much savings would be per week, per month, or per salary for achieving each of your goals. For everything you want to buy calculate how much you have to save to get through the schedule you set. For most purposes it is better to save the same amount each period. For example, if you want to give a 20,000 dollars deposit on a house in 36 months you should saved 550 dollars each month. But if your salary amounts to 1,000 dollars monthly, then your goal does not seem realistic. What you should do is to change the schedule to come up with a more feasible scenario.

4. Keep records of your expenses

The amount of money you can save is the difference between two activities: the amount of your income and the amount of your spending. Since you have more control on the amount you spend, it is wise to look critically at your expenses. Write for two weeks or a month where you spend your money. Be as detailed as possible in your «inventory», including small purchases. Then try to categorize the type of expenses. For example: rent, car insurance, car expenses, phone bills, petrol, food, entertainment, etc.

5. Cut your expenses

Look out your spending the last two months. It is very likely to be surprised when you look at costs: 100 dollars to ice cream, 150 dollars in parking tickets, etc. Probably you will find some expenses that you can cut. Depending on the amount you need to save, you may need to take some difficult decisions. Set your priorities and make the cuts that would have less impact on your well being. Calculate how much you win every year from these cuts, so you will have more incentives to perform them. For example you can move to a less expensive apartment, you can refinance your mortgage, you can save money by using natural gas, to reduce the movements with your car, limiting the use of mobile phones, home cooking e.t.c

6. Stop using the credit card!

Pay your purchases with cash, not checks or credit cards. It is easier to make more expenses when making your purchases with plastic money because they you do not know at any moment how much money you have in your pocket. With cash, instead, you can monitor the «supply» you exhausted.

7. Pay yourself first

Savings should be your priority, so do not tell yourself that savings will be what is left at the end of the month. You must deposit in your savings account once you get your salary. For example you can set an automatic money transfer from your payroll account to your savings account.

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What is a life coach?

by admin on April 3, 2009

In the era of globalization, economic and social crisis, a new «sport» is claiming a position in life and with it what is called Life Coach. There is a saying that “The Players won’t play if Coaches don’t Coach”. This also applies to your personal life as well. A life coach can be your personal coach that can train you how to live your life to the maximum potential. In our daily life we are judged constantly for our performance in our professional and family environment. We are constantly seeking personal success and satisfaction but sometimes things are not so simple as they seem.

People have unlimited powers to do what they wish to do, to do what they want to do and to succeed in what they wish to succeed.

What is a life coach?

Sometimes however it is not enough to do a few hours of yoga per week read a book about self-improvement or visit the psychologist. Sometimes you need all together and more. You need a Life Coach for example, who undertakes to assist you when everything in your life change and you need to be ready to change your life and claim a new way to live.

To seek help when you are confused or when you feel that something is wrong, is not a confession of failure, but a positive attitude towards life, which can lead to substantive change, resulting in better performance.
what-is-a-life-coach
Nowadays, stress is dominating our life and the conditions in order for someone to be happy, safe and creative are increasing, a Life Coach can help you manage stress, gain self-control, improve self-confidence and acquire life balance and completeness.

A life coach can help you become creative and can assist you maximize your personal development and professional skills. It can help you clarify your goals and be able to succeed at all levels, professionally and personally.

A life coach works with a series of methods and a variety of techniques that can be applied to your current situation and help you practice your feelings, thoughts and behaviour in order to improve your self esteem, self control and skills for a happier and more complete lifestyle. A life coach can teach you how to be successful in life. What is important is that it can help you evolve as you want and how find happiness in your life.

The life coach is becoming quickly one of the most important tools used by successful people who live an exciting life.

Life coaching is useful to people of all professions and social background who are willing and want to go forward with the issues that affect them, to improve their relationships with themselves and others, to manage strong emotions, to handle daily or critical situations, to make use the maximum of their capacity and to adapt to a change in their life.

What can a life coach do for you?

Through weekly sessions, a life coach can help its clients identify what is most important to them and align their thoughts, words and acts accordingly.

A life coach can work with you to determine what you want on a personal and professional level, and to a support you make a life that you want and love.

The commitment to move forward in your life through coaching offers a means for more balance, joy, intimacy, energy, economic prosperity, concentration and action in every area of your life.

A life coach can help you:

Set the life goals that you really want
Do more and achieve more in your life
Focus better in order to have better results quickly
Supply you the tools, support and structure on how to be successful in your life

How is a life coach different from therapy or advice?

Life coaching is not therapy, which goes into depth on various topics that are usually to do with the past, nor is it advice, which usually results in giving the client answers.

Life coaching is more action oriented and focuses primarily on the present and future. A life coach will give you the opportunity to define your own “answers” through the work to be done in the life coaching programs.

Who works with a life coach?

Entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals and people who are in the process of changing their life are some of those who usually work with a life coach. Regardless of the effort of their profession or position in life, all potential customers of a life coach have one common feature: they are all successful, resourceful and intelligent people who want to get even more from their lives. The life coaching is like having a personal trainer for your life!

The advantages of working with a life coach

Life coaching has been shown to function effectively if two factors are present:

1. The customer is willing to learn, to mature and act
2. There is a gap between where the customer is now and what he/she wants to achieve in life

A life coach can help you act better and more effectively

The primary goal of a life coach is to help you find what you want for yourself. Once you have set your goals, which should be clearly aligned with your personal values and professional vision, you would be more likely to act naturally and consistently to achieve them.

A life coach can help you live a balanced life

Professional success is maximized when you enjoy a sense of personal fulfilment and life balance. You can learn how to balance your selfishness in a way to be responsible, and how to find enough time so your life outside of work is exactly that you want to be.

A life coach can help you take better decisions

Sharing your ideas with a life coach will help you focus and concentrate better. The life coach will give you advice and guide you through various techniques on how to make better decisions, which will be for your own benefit. Also by talking to someone who really listens to you, is by itself sufficient to clarify many things.

A life coach can assist you to get more from your life

When you have a partner that you can trust this can help you go much higher because you can endure it. Are you ready to go to the next level and live your life to the maximum? A life coach is a partner that allows you to drive your life where you want to go.

A life coach can also advice you how to make and have more money

Most people deserve much more money than they make. Are you satisfied with your financial situation, if not, you can look with your life coach at your beliefs about money and find out what keeps you away from economic prosperity.

A life coach can help you find more energy

You can recognize with your life coach the things that drain your energy and create a long-term strategy to eliminate them. In addition, you will focus on things that fill you with power and you will explore how to maximize their influence. When you are happy, productive and free from the things that create you problems, life is much more beautiful!

How to get the most from your life coach

Focused on what you really want

Life coaching can help you clear your objectives based on your real skills. First, you need to seriously think about how you want to change your life. Then, acknowledge the gaps between how things are now and how would you like them to be. Many people are struggling with this, so if you are not sure about what you really want, life coaching is an excellent tool that can give you greater clarity.

Be flexible

Working with a sensitive and understanding life coach is a healthy way to grow. Most people hire a life coach to work on specific goals and most of the time the focus is on this mission. In practice however, many people discover new aspects about them, and understand that they can regulate their targets to be more aligned with what they are. This discovery process is natural and need not focus on it, just realize that it is very likely to happen.

What a life coach will demand from you?

A life coach will demand a lot from you. You will be asked to experiment with new approaches and to try new ideas. You will have to say the whole truth, and be ready to set higher goals for your life.

You will have to be prepared before each session and you may have to perform some ‘home work’ exercises that will have to do with your commitments and objectives.

The answer to the question: What is a life coach? Is then simple. Life coach is a trainer for life. It is a person that can help you change your life and explore your potential both in your personal and professional environment. Rapid personal and professional development is the registered trademark of life coaching.

image source: bionicteaching
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Change your life today and be happy

by admin on March 17, 2009

Happiness is one of the most valuable pleasures life has to offer. Why wait…change your life today and be happy. To find happiness in your life you need to change your thinking and convince your self that you ‘are allowed’ to be happy. Happiness is not something that you can buy but is a personal matter and each of us to find happiness must search through our self.

How many times have you wonder and how many times you have heard other people wonder – Something is missing from my life and I am not happy?

Usually, we do not know what this «something» that is missing from our lives is and wish we had known. Other times we believe that what we lack and make us unhappy is a good relationship, a good job, friends and thousands of other things that can be either tangible goods or other psychological factors such as communication, love, understanding, confidence, etc.

Usually, the thought of this situation creates the impression that our life is empty, boring and has no purpose. Unfortunately we are trying unsuccessfully to fill this deficiency by buying things, eating a lot of food and other abuses that with mathematical precision leads to more difficult trails than what we are already. The unhappy life leads us to take risks that do not provide a solution to our problems, for example the making of an extramarital relationship (in such a case you may need to take some relationship advice) or to take costs beyond our capabilities, such as buying a very expensive car or house. We believe that experimenting with our life and taking unreasonably dangerous risks and decisions will eventually discover the secret of happiness and escape from the traps of our life.
change-your-life-and-be-happy
This is not the correct approach to find happiness. The tragedy is that even if we take risks or fill our lives with useless items we will eventually realize that the unhappiness in our souls will continue to exist. We enter into this pattern of behaviour that makes us look for more and more, asking more and more and feel more and more alone, more confused and more dissatisfied. To change your life today and be happy you need to think outside the box and see your life from a different angle.

Why do we miss something from our lives? And what is this something that we do not have? To feel so dissatisfied that means we have lost contact with all those things already in our lives that give us some happiness, we have lost contact with our values and the people who enhance our lives with their presence and their words. All these factors enhance our lives and give it balance and completeness. Since these factors do not exist for one reason or another, it seems that our life is empty and we are trying to fill it with substitutes of happiness that may make us feel the same emotions of joy and completeness.

All those things that give meaning to your life and transform it from a daily routine of survival to a paradise full of adventure, happiness, are hidden deep within you and are buried by the difficulties and the negative thoughts you have in your brain. Instead of desperately looking to find new sources of happiness, you should first change your brain to change you life. Change your life today by looking into happiness. What you really need is to relax, be calm and to think how you became happy in the past and what were those things that filled you with enthusiasm. Analyse how can you raise your morale and give you the strength to do everything you want to find the happiness in your life.

To find happiness in your life you need to take action and change your life. You need to find out what is missing or what is going wrong and take action to correct it. If your are missing someone, then make the first step to get this person in your life. It is not difficult, you just need to overcome your insecurities and selfishness and admit that the presence of someone can make you happy in your life.

If you are missing your favourite hobby that makes you relax and feel creative, then you should try and find some time from your daily schedule to do what you like to do and be happy.

If you think you lost your life in the vortex of reality and into the rawness of life and its problems, then it is time to change your life and seek happiness. Perhaps it’s time to change your life today and set goals for your self, for your work and your family. Its time to rediscover the child and teenager in your life that is facing life as a great challenge and not as a boring obligation that you have to do.

Satisfaction and completion in our lives do not arise from external factors but from our self, our thoughts and how we create the reality around us.

If you miss the love, then bring love to your life but after your have learned to give it generously. If you are missing the optimism, then visualize now the most beautiful dreams for your future and then set your goals to achieve them. If you lack interest, deal with interesting activities that you love and are of interest. If you miss communication with other people, exit your shell and lay your hand to the people – you will be really surprised by how many people will respond to your call.

When you feel exhausted when you feel alone, dissatisfied, empty, frustrated, do not give up. Do not leave your fate in mercy. It is the time to gather all your forces, and change your life today to find happiness! You are not missing anything to fill your life with beauty. You only need to realize it and do it….

First you need to define what things are important in your life. Is it your work; Is it your relationship or your marriage? The material goods? Creativity or fun?

Think of the times when you felt really happy. Where and with whom you were and what where you doing that gave you the feeling of happiness. May be its the time to repeat it today.

Decide and from now on devote more time to things that are important to you and in simple everyday things that make you happy! A good meal, a friendly conversation, a warm hug or a smile is enough….

Start with simple everyday trivial things that might bring happiness. Contact an old friend, buy a soap that smells wonderful, and enjoy a drink with your partner in the light of candles, read some pages from your favourite book.

Concentrate on the positive aspects of yourself and of others and try to see life from the beautiful part without hidden motives and suspicious. Smile at your life and will smile back! Smile to the people around you, tell them a warm conversation, and for sure the smile and warmth will hit your door.

Write on a paper your positive points and all those things that give you happiness.

Evaluate the positive pieces in your life. Find out what is wrong and what makes your happy. Ask people who love what makes them happy and try for a moment to make them a little happy.

The happiness in life is ultimately very simple. It is found around us every moment, in every little thing that we consider trivial and we let go. Happiness is being with a person that makes you happy, happiness is eating lunch with good company, watching a movie on TV with ice cream, listening to music, making an intelligent conversation… All these are very simple as long as you understand and give them the appropriate significance, then you will be able to change your life and fill it with more and more smiles of happiness….

Remember that happiness is … the unknown! Many people wonder but do not know for sure what really makes them happy and complete. The concept of happiness is a personal matter and each of us to find happiness must search through our self. The best think you can do for your life is to Change your life today and be happy!

image source: ericmcgregor

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Why some people are successful in life?

March 7, 2009

Have you ever wonder: Why some people are successful in life? What makes a person successful? Why do some people stand back on their feet quickly – even after really difficult situations, while others are falling with the slightest difficulties? Ultimately, what are those characteristics that successful people have and are able to cope in the demanding modern life, with the many obligations and problems? How can some people manage to change their life even in the most difficult economic situations where all values and qualities are judged? This article outlines 7 ways on how to be successful in life.

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How to find happiness in your everyday life – 27 hacks

February 16, 2009

Happiness is something pursed by many people but few are those who manage to find happiness in their lives. How to find happiness is a process that can be both long and short term. You can find happiness from the little things of everyday life but you can also plan your life and change your thinking to find happiness in the long term. Happiness is like butterflies, some writers say. “Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you”. Psychologists on the other hand do not believe that, but believe that happiness depends on us and can be built with our efforts. This article outlines 20 hacks on how to find happiness in your daily life but also 7 ways that you can prepare your self for a happy life.

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If you can change your brain you can change your life

February 12, 2009

To achieve a change in your life you first have to change your brain, to change your thoughts and way of thinking. Few are those who have not thought at some point in their lives: «What should I do to change my life». For some this means relief from the «bad» habits such as smoking, alcohol or sweets; for others it is a job that has become intolerable, a weak relationship, something vague that does not meet their needs and sometimes their entire life seems to need a change. Anyone who has tried to change a habit knows that it is not easy. Any change in the way we live is an adventure that requires a lot of strength, patience and persistence. They key for changing your life is in your brain. Those who can manage to change their brain they will manage to change their life.

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11 hacks on how to set goals that can change your life

February 4, 2009

In life all people seek and pursue success in what they want. To succeed, however, is necessary to be ready to change your life. In order to do that you need to clarify what you want, and set clearly defined goals and objectives. People who succeed are those who spend some time to think and record what they really want to achieve in their life. By doing so they are able to continually refer to their goals and have always in their mind, the objectives and priorities set.

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7 ways you can learn from other people and change your career and life

February 3, 2009

For your personal and professional development and to achieve what you want in life and your career, it is certainly necessary to work hard. However, you can follow certain methods and tactics that can help you change your life and improve your career. These life hacks can drive you faster towards achieving your objectives. One of the most valuable but yet unused sources of information is other people in your personal and work environment. If you can manage to learn from other people and take advantage of what they have to offer, this will certainly help you achieve more both in your life and career.

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9 hacks on how to be successful in life

January 29, 2009

Many times people are looking for recipes for success and happiness outside of themselves and complain about their fate and the conditions they live in. This behaviour makes them dissatisfied and unhappy. How to be successful in life is a process with a lot of obstacles and problems, but in most cases the way you treat your life is that which determines the degree of success, happiness and satisfaction.

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How to hack the stress in your life

January 28, 2009

Who is your worst enemy? Perhaps the psychological and mental stress – that probably inadvertently-create to your self? Stress is a normal reaction of ourselves in difficult or irregular situations where we feel that our capabilities are not sufficient to deal with an obstacle or an encountered difficulty.

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How to change your life and overcome your fears

January 26, 2009

Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and change. Among the three, most people face the first two with more success than the third. However, we have good news. There is a way to deal with a change in your life that will even be for your benefit. The concept of making changes to life is not the same for all, seems easy to some and frightening for others. The familiarity with the familiar and the already known is always safer and it safeguards from the fear of change, the threat of new and the terror against the unknown.

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10 healthy habits that can change your life

January 23, 2009

Do you want to change your life making great promises and setting goals is not actually “your type” and you forget them easily. Start with small daily habits that can really make a difference. Follow the 10 healthy habits below and very soon you will notice a change in your life.

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13 time management hacks that can change your life

January 22, 2009

If you want to make a real change in your life you should first start by learning how to efficiently manage your time. Anyone who knows how to manage time also knows how to manage life. Good time management means proper prioritization, and therefore proper management of your live. The quality of your life depends on the intelligent management of your time and not by the amount of energy you consume on what you do.

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16 simple hacks to help you change your life by improving your memory

January 21, 2009

Improving your memory can change your life. Do you remember when was the last time you forgot a birthday – and made someone upset? Have you missed an important business appointment simply because you forgot about it – and this had a negative impact on your career? Or are you the type of person who constantly forgets things and has the ability to memorize complex chemical formulas? Memory is important for our daily activities, our past and present, our career and our relationships. If you want to change your life you have to improve your memory. The good news is that there are easy to follow daily hacks that can help you improve your memory performance.

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