The 2 Words That Will Change Your Life Forever...

Source: Bernard Marr

Every now and then, and usually not very often, are some words spoken that deeply resonate with you. They make you stop and reflect. The words and their meaning will stay with you for a long time. They might even inspire or motivate you to do something different or to change direction. These words can come from quotes of famous people or can be words spoken by a friend, your parents, your child or any stranger.

For me, this person was my school teacher who we nicknamed LuLu. It was not a very happy time in my life, I just lost my dad in a car accident and my school performance was suffering. I was sad, probably angry at the world around me and as a consequence a little rebellious. One of the few teachers who got me at that point in my life was LuLu. I remember a chat with her on a day when I felt particularly down and rebellious. She said to me "I have two words that will change your life forever". This made me curious and I listened very attentively to what she had to say. She said "The two words are very powerful, they are: Carpe Diem". I said "What do they mean?" Then she explained "They are in Latin and are translated as Seize the Day".

She explained to me that the two words originate from a poem by Horace (65 BC-8 BC) and that they were used in a Babylonian Epic in which Siduri spoke them to urge Gilgamesh to forge his mourning and embrace life. Carpe Diem are two simple words with so much meaning to me. They mean embrace life, grab the opportunities and make the most of the present moment. These two words helped me immensely at that point in my life and I have never forgotten them. Even today I find myself remembering them and they always have a positive effect on me.

Instead of pondering the past or worrying about the future, you should live in the here and now. We can waste so much time reflecting on the past, the things that happened, why they happened to us, what we did wrong. We can also waste so much time dreaming about a brighter future, about the things we would like to do or become one day. For me, Carpe Diem reminds me that yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not yet here, and today is your only chance to make a difference. If you make the most of today then you will live your life to the fullest.

We should see each day as a present and an opportunity. Every minute is valuable because you can use it to enjoy life, to get something started or to get something completed. The present moment is the only time in history that you can use to do good and to change the world for the better – no matter how big or small.

Each new day is a privilege. When my dad left that morning before the accident he though he would see me again, he thought he would have many decades left to say the things he needed to say and do the things he still wanted to do. The thing is, we just don’t know what tomorrow brings. Therefore we have to seize each day to do the things we want to do and say the things we believe are important.

The time we take up being unhappy, the time we use up worrying about the future or pondering the past is wasted. It is a wasted opportunity and a wasted privilege. Time wasted with unhappy and negative thoughts is time you will never ever get back.

For me, Carpe Diem tells us to free ourselves from the worries, the anger and the negativity that is holding us back sometimes. It reminds us that it doesn’t matter where you came from, what you went through in the past; the only thing that matters is where you are going and that your future destination starts with the steps you take today. Today is your only chance to make a difference and live. Always remember that is in this moment, and only this moment, when you can be happy, you can say and do something, you can love, you can feel, you can enjoy and you can learn. Therefore Carpe Diem!

After my memorable conversation with my teacher that day I decided to take the long way home. In walked along the beach and tried to take in the World with all my senses so that I could smell the fresh sea air, see all the colors of the sea and the sky, taste the salt on my tongue, hear the cries of the sea gulls, and feel the wind in my face. From that moment onwards I felt awake and inspired to grab all the opportunities that would come my way every day.

Carpe Diem were the two words that changed my life forever. I wouldn't expect that they have the same effect on you but I do hope they have been a little bit inspiring? Please let me know what you think. I would also love to learn about the words that changed your life - good or bad. Please share your thoughts…

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Do you agree? send in your comments and share ( also G+ it if you like it)  with your friends and family members.

To help someone in need  see Good Deeds ., 

To raise money for your needs see : Crowdfunding websites.

Read : Walking helps you improve your  life

Do you know that you can organize a team and walk in large groups in order to raise money for a community, charity or someone in need? see how it works .,  .

Do you wanna raise money, then read about Fundraising Ideas Click here : Myazpiration

Note: If you are an entrepreneur (create your own business) , creative (projects )or need money for an important cause (hospital bills, school fees, birthdays parties, funeral, marriage etc) you must understand how to raise funds via social network see  Crowdfunding sites 

The Differences Between Successful People and Unsuccessful People

Source: Dave Kerpen 

CEO, Likeable Local, NY Times Best-Selling Author & Keynote Speaker

A few weeks ago I received a postcard in the mail from the CEO of Petra Coach, the creator of Align Software and a fellow member of Entrepreneurs Organization. I've never met him, but Andy Bailey and his postcard that I hung up on my wahave already had a profound effect on me, reinforcing values I believe in and reminding me on a daily basis of the attitudes and habits that I know I need to embrace in order to become successful.

Below are the 16 differences between successful people and unsuccessful people that Andy Bailey and the postcard claim, followed by a picture of the postcard itself: (also see our article on project funding) 

1. Embrace change vs. Fear change

Embracing change is one of the hardest things a person can do. With the world moving so fast and constantly changing, and technology accelerating faster than ever, we need to embrace what’s coming and adapt, rather than fear it, deny it or hide from it.

2. Want others to succeed vs. Secretly hope others fail

When you’re in an organization with a group of people, in order to be successful, you all have to be successful. We need to want to see our co-workers succeed and grow. If you wish for their demise, why even work with them at all?

3. Exude joy vs. Exude anger

In business and in life, it’s always better to be happy and exude that joy to others. It becomes contagious and encourages other to exude their joy as well. When people are happier they tend to be more focused and successful. If a person exudes anger, it puts everyone around them in a horrible, unmotivated mood and little success comes from it.

4. Accept responsibly for your failures vs. Blame others for your failures

Where there are ups, there are most always downs. Being a leader and successful businessperson means always having to accept responsibility for your failures. Blaming others solves nothing; it just puts other people down and absolutely no good comes from it.

5. Talk about ideas vs. Talk about people

What did we all learn in high school? Gossip gets you nowhere. Much of the time it’s false and most of the time it's negative. Instead of gossiping about people, successful people talk about ideas. Sharing ideas with others will only make them better.

6. Share data & info vs. Hoard data & info

As we all learned in kindergarten, sharing is caring. In social media, in business and in life, sharing is important to be successful. When you share you info and data with others, you can get others involved in what you are doing to achieve success. Hoarding data and info is selfish and short-sighted.

7. Give people all the credit for their victories vs. Take all the credit from others

Teamwork is a key to success. When working with others, don’t take credit from their ideas. Letting others have their own victories and moments to shine motivates them and in the long term, the better they perform, the better you'll look anyway.

8. Set goals and life plans vs. Do not set goals

You can't possibly be successful without knowing where you're going in life. A life vision board, 10 year plan, 3 year forecast, annual strategic plan, and daily goal lists are are useful tools of the mega-successful people in your life. Get your vision and goals down on paper!

9. Keep a journal vs. Say you keep a journal but don’t

Keeping a journal is a great way to jot down quick ideas or thoughts that come to mind that are not worth forgetting. Writing them down can lead to something even greater. You can even use mobile apps or your Notes function in your phone. But don’t fool yourself by saying you keep a journal and not following through.

10. Read every day vs. Watch TV every day

Reading every day educates you on new subjects. Whether you are reading a blog, your favorite magazine or a good book, you can learn and become more knowledgeable as you read. Watching television, on the other hand, may be good entertainment or an escape, but you'll rarely get anything out of TV to help you become more successful.

11. Operate from a transformational perspective vs. Operate from a transactional perspective

Transformational leaders go above and beyond to reach success on another level. They focus on team building, motivation and collaboration across organizations. They're always looking ahead to see how they can transform themselves and others, instead of looking to just make a sale or generate more revenue or get something out of the way.

12. Continuously learn vs. Fly by the seat of your pants

Continuously learning and improving is the only way to grow. You can be a step above your competition and become more flexible because you know more. If you just fly by the seat of your pants, you could be passing up opportunities that prevent you from learning (and growing!)

13. Compliment other vs. Criticize Others

Complimenting someone is always a great way to show someone you care. A compliment gives a natural boost of energy to someone, and is an act of kindness that makes you feel better as well. Criticizing produces negativity and leads to nothing good.

14. Forgive others vs. Hold a grudge

Everybody makes mistakes; it’s human. The only way to get past the mistake is to forgive and move on. Dwelling on anger only makes things worse - for you.

15. Keep a “To-Be” list vs. Don’t know what you want to be

A “To-Be” list is a great way to strategize for the future. I want to be an elected official one day. I want to be a TED speaker. I want to be the CEO of a public company. I want to be a great father and husband. Unsuccessful people have no idea what they want to be. If you don’t know what you want to be, how can you achieve success? What do you want to be?

16. Have Gratitude vs Don't appreciate others and the world around you.

Moments of gratitude, each and every one, transform my life each day- and unquestionably have made me more successful and more happy. The people who you are grateful for are often the ones who have a huge part in your success. Be sure to thank everyone you come in contact with and walk with a spirit of gratitude and appreciation and even wonder, about the world around you. Gratitude is the ultimate key to being successful in business and in life.

see how to fund your projects and Ideas

Now it's your turn. Which of these 16 items resonate most with you? What makes you successful in today’s business world or in life? Please let me know your thoughts in the Comments section below!

Do you agree? send in your comments and share ( also G+ it if you like it)  with your friends and family members.

To help someone in need  see Good Deeds ., 

To raise money for your needs see : Crowdfunding websites.

Read : Walking helps you improve your  life

Do you know that you can organize a team and walk in large groups in order to raise money for a community, charity or someone in need? see how it works .,  .

Do you wanna raise money, then read about Fundraising Ideas Click here : Myazpiration

Note: If you are an entrepreneur (create your own business) , creative (projects )or need money for an important cause (hospital bills, school fees, birthdays parties, funeral, marriage etc) you must understand how to raise funds via social network see  Crowdfunding sites 

How Facebook Exploits Your Private Information

Source: Bernard Marr

How facebook exploit your private information

You have willingly told Facebook who your friends are, what your hobbies are, how old you are, where you live and whether you are in a relationship or not. What's more, Facebook knows what you like and dislike, what your interests are, what your favourite movies and songs are - simply from the updates you share and the 'like' buttons you press. The big question is: are you happy for Facebook to exploit what they know about you?

The entire Facebook business model is based on the effective use of your data. Here is the deal: they give you a free social media platform to use and in turn sell advertising and insights based on what they learn about you. Today, Facebook has massive capabilities to collect, store and analyse data - what we call 'big data analytics'. This allows Facebook to sell very targeted advertising - e.g. 'someone living in the Mid-town district of Manhattan, who is single and who is interested in baseball and likes pizza'. This kind of knowledge is a marketeer's dream!

But Facebook goes beyond simply analysing and 'mining' the user profile data you have shared and the up-dates you have written. USA Today revealed how Facebook tracks you across the Web. Basically, when you create an account, Facebook inserts a 'tracking cookie' into your Web browser that allows Facebook to track each website you are visiting. This means when you are logged into Facebook and then browse the web (completely separately from your Facebook activities) Facebook knows what sites you are visiting.

There's more: Cnet reports that whenever you click a Facebook 'like' button on any website, your preference is not only shared with your friends and on your profile, but data about your interests is sent back to Facebook's servers - ready to be provided or sold to their advertising partners. What's more, personal data is exchanged when you use apps like FarmVille or Words with Friends via Facebook. It has even been reported that signing up for these apps will give those companies who created the apps access to your personal data - even details you specifically told Facebook to keep private.

One more: Facebook has also invested in image processing and 'face recognition' capabilities, that basically allow Facebook to track you - because it knows what you and your friends look like from the photos you have shared. It can now search the Internet and all other Facebook profiles to find pictures of you and your friends. Face recognition allows Facebook to make 'tag suggestions' for people on photos you have uploaded but it is mind boggling what else they could do with technology like that. Just imagine how Facebook could use computer algorythms to track your body shape. They could analyse your latest beach shots you have shared and compare them with older ones to detect that you have put on some weight. It could then sell this information to a slimming club in your area who can place an ad on your facebook page. Scary?

Here are my questions: Are you comfortable with Facebook using your data? Maybe you see it as a step forward where Facebook can find your long-lost friends and you like the fact that Facebook can recommend relevant products and services. Or does this all feel a little too much like 'Big Brother is watching you'? Do you see it as an intrusion of your privacy and does it scare you that Facebook knows everything about you and could exploit and sell what it knows? Does this make Facebook too powerful? What do you think? Share your views...

Here are ways to better protect your privacy:

1. You can tighten your settings security settings on your Facebook account. Here is a great list of the top ten must-know security settings for Facebook.
2. You can download software to block all tracking activities of your web searches or make any tracking attempts visible. Two tools to look at are Ghostery andDoNotTrackMe
3. You can use the 'InPrivate' mode of Internet Explorer, the 'incognito' browsing when you use Google's Chrome or 'private browsing' option in Safari. This will disable the browsers to store information about your web searches.
4. You have to read the terms and conditions of any apps you download and use. You can check the privacy scores of any current Facebook apps using tools like PrivacyFix

Do you agree? send in your comments and share ( also G+ it if you like it)  with your friends and family members.

To help someone in need  see Good Deeds ., 

To raise money for your needs see : Crowdfunding websites.

Read : Walking helps you improve your  life

Do you know that you can organize a team and walk in large groups in order to raise money for a community, charity or someone in need? see how it works .,  .

Do you wanna raise money, then read about Fundraising Ideas Click here : Myazpiration

Note: If you are an entrepreneur (create your own business) , creative (projects )or need money for an important cause (hospital bills, school fees, birthdays parties, funeral, marriage etc) you must understand how to raise funds via social network see  Crowdfunding sites 

Why Successful People Love Bad News

Source: Bernard Marr,

Everyone loves good news because they make us feel good. News like getting a promotion, winning a new contract, receiving positive feedback, whatever it might be, gives us a buzz. Good news release the happy hormones in our body which lift our mood and provide a natural antidote to stress.

The reverse it true for bad news. We naturally don’t like bad news. Nobody wants to hear that things are not going well, that something hasn’t worked, or we have failed. When we get bad news we often try to push them away or ignore them, because they do the opposite of good news – they naturally trigger worries, stress us and make us less happy.

In this post I want to discuss why we should learn to love bad news. I am concentrating here on bad news in the work and business environment. My argument is that if we learn to embrace, and to some extent ‘love’ bad news, we will become more successful.

At work, bad news are often hidden, brushed under the carpet, or ignored. The reasons for this are that no one wants to admit they made a mistake and we often believe that the bearers of bad news put themselves in the firing line. In the interest of our own career progression and to keep the general mood up, we don’t talk about bad news.

It’s like when we were children. We couldn’t wait to come home and tell our parents any good news. I see it in my children today, they are literally bursting with excitement when they have something good to tell me. However, bad news don’t come out that easily. With my own children I can often tell from the way they behave that something went wrong and it takes me a little while to tease out what the bad news are. As a parent I try to create an environment where my children are not fearful to tell me bad news and where they see it as an important first step to dealing with the issues.

The same is true in business. Leaders are often sheltered from bad news. People around them protect them, because like our kids, they love to only tell the good news, and because this makes everyone feel better. In many instances it is personality or the company culture that make it difficult for anyone to bring bad news.

What we have to do is to change our responses to bad news. Instead of the more natural “oh no, I can't believe it. I don’t want to know” reaction, we have to force ourselves to respond more positively along the lines of: “thank you so much for telling me. I really appreciate that.” This does take some conscious effort and requires extra efforts the higher up you are in the organization because of all the people that might 'filters' the truth.

Many of the most successful CEOs and senior leaders I have worked with over the years are able to react positively to bad news. They create an environment where it is okay to bring bad news. Not only that, the most successful ones proactively encourage people to talk about the things that are not going so well.

They understand that there is a greater danger in not sharing bad news because it hides the things that often need the most immediate attention. The most successful people understand that the result of hiding or sugar coating bad news are that important issues are missed, decisions are delayed, or the wrong actions are taken.

Obviously there is a natural limit to how much bad news people can bring and we need to apply common sense, we don’t want to create a fake environment where bad news are loved too much.

There are three things that really good (and successful) leaders do when it comes to bad news:

1. They work on the way they personally react to bad news and make a conscious effort to react positively.
2. They create an environment where bad news are welcome. Where people are expected to rise issues as soon as they appear, rather than hiding them. They often create an environment where the consequences for not telling bad news far outweigh the potential consequences of telling bad news.
3. They make sure to celebrate turnaround stories: where people have come up and told the bad news, and were the right actions were taken straight away to contain or eliminate the problem. Sharing these stories will help to create the right environment and will send out the signals that it is not only important to share bad news, but that the reactions and consequences are positive.

Do you agree? send in your comments and share ( also G+ it if you like it)  with your friends and family members.

To help someone in need  see Good Deeds ., 

To raise money for your needs see : Crowdfunding websites.

Read : Walking helps you improve your  life

Do you know that you can organize a team and walk in large groups in order to raise money for a community, charity or someone in need? see how it works .,  .

Do you wanna raise money, then read about Fundraising Ideas Click here : Myazpiration

Note: If you are an entrepreneur (create your own business) , creative (projects )or need money for an important cause (hospital bills, school fees, birthdays parties, funeral, marriage etc) you must understand how to raise funds via social network see  Crowdfunding sites 

How to Trick Yourself Into Building Wealth

By BYRON L. STUDDARD

Dedication and self-discipline are key to building wealth.kali9/Getty Images  

Many make New Year's resolutions to save more money each month, but actually following through on this requires a lot more attention than a mere notion amid the heady optimism of New Year's Eve festivities.

As in many challenging endeavors, the devil lies in the details. It's one thing to decide to save and invest more, but it's quite another to muster the month-to-month discipline and take concrete steps to make good on this. At this point in 2014, you may have a creeping awareness of your lack of progress in realizing your saving/investing resolution.

To keep this resolution from winding up in the dustbin of unfulfilled promises to yourself, consider these points:

• Dedicate yourself. Putting money aside for savings and investment takes discipline — the discipline to not spend it. Some who haven't been saving can change their ways by pure force of will, while others need a coach or advisor.

• Pay yourself first. If the money is out of sight, it's out of mind, so you're not as inclined to spend it. Setting up a monthly automatic checking account draft is one of the best ways to save money because it's passive: You don't have to do anything. Instead of making 12 monthly decisions to save money every year, make one decision and set up an automatic bank draft each month. Too many people regard all of the cash in their checking accounts as cash on the launching pad for spending. But by using bank drafts, you can build up a surprising sum over time, especially if you increase your monthly contribution periodically. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Little strokes fell great oaks."

You can authorize a draft to a savings account or directly to investments, such as mutual funds and brokerage accounts; many of these arrangements allow drafts as low as $50 per month. If you would prefer to buy individual stocks, you might choose to direct your bank drafts to services like Sharebuilder.com, which enables investors to contribute small amounts toward whole or even fractional shares. This enables people who can't afford many shares of stock — or even one—to incrementally work toward stock ownership. Whether your incremental payments go into a fund or individual stocks, make sure that commissions and expenses aren't eating too much of your return. Be sure to read the prospectus and annual reports before you invest.

This arrangement has the advantage of enabling dollar-cost averaging — the practice of regularly investing a set dollar amount in a given stock or fund, rather than regularly buying a set number of shares. This means that investors buy more shares when the price is low and fewer when the price is high. Dollar-cost averaging reduces the risk of buying a large number of shares at the wrong time. Over a couple of years, dollar-cost averaging can smooth out returns because if the price is fluctuating, you are automatically buying more when it's down and less when it's up.

• Another "out of sight, out of mind" practice is making monthly contributions to a 401(k) account. This money doesn't even make it into your take-home pay because it's deducted off the top of your gross pay, so you don't pay taxes on this money until you take the money out during retirement. Despite this and the benefit of matching money that some employers put in these accounts as a proportion of your contributions, many Americans don't contribute the allowable maximum amount to their 401(k) plans, and they forgo substantial amounts of employer matching money. 

If you're not sure about investing in the stock market, and your income is below $129,000 ($191,000 household), the new MyRA might be right for you. You can contribute up to $5,500 after-tax per year and the money invested grows tax free; but, if you withdraw the interest before age 59 1/2, you may be subject to tax and penalties on the gain. Unlike other investment plans, this new MyRA limits your options to a single fund that invest in governments bonds, which currently earns an annual interest rate of around 2.5 percent.

If you find yourself unable to save money and keep it saved, then you might want to hire a wealth coach or financial advisor to help you find money inside your current budget to save and more importantly, to hold you accountable to reach your goals. The key to not spending your savings and investment money is to set and steadfastly stick to a budget. Just as a personal trainer can help you realize fitness resolutions, a financial coach can help you reach your financial goals.

For extra motivation, you might want to read "The Millionaire Next Door." This is a classic book about attitudes toward money, financial discipline and the personal qualities that make the difference between acquiring wealth and having little to show for years of work--regardless of your income. The concept of discipline is reflected by the title, which indicates that these self-made millionaires don't seem different from people of lesser means because they live in modest homes and drive inexpensive cars. Who knows, with a little discipline, maybe you'll end up the next "Millionaire Next Door."

This column is the opinion of the author and in no way reflects the opinion of  StrategicAdvantage

Do you agree? send in your comments and share ( also G+ it if you like it)  with your friends and family members.

To help someone in need  see Good Deeds ., 

To raise money for your needs see : Crowdfunding websites.

Read : Walking helps you improve your  life

Do you know that you can organize a team and walk in large groups in order to raise money for a community, charity or someone in need? see how it works .,  .

Do you wanna raise money, then read about Fundraising Ideas Click here : Myazpiration

Note: If you are an entrepreneur (create your own business) , creative (projects )or need money for an important cause (hospital bills, school fees, birthdays parties, funeral, marriage etc) you must understand how to raise funds via social network see  Crowdfunding sites