photo by DavidDennis

So many of us, myself included, get caught up in life. We move from one thing to another, doing all the things we think we “should” do or have to do. And we never stop to think that there might be another, more pleasurable way, to skin that cat in front of us.

What made me think of this is a belly dancing class I signed up for. It’s completely fun and silly and you know what? It tightens your abs! Who knew you didn’t have to do boring sit-ups in order to get your tummy in shape. That little revelation got me thinking of all the other areas of our life where we just keep doing things the same old way even if it is drudgery because we think life has to be hard. But here’s the news flash: Life Doesn’t Have to Be Miserable! You can increase your enjoyment by making some simple changes.

So here is a listing of some areas that might feel like obligatory hardships followed by some alternatives to consider to make your life more enjoyable.

I hope that these ideas prompt you to take a little more enjoyment from life starting today! I’m going to try too! I think I’ll be belly dancing, playing more guitar, and playing with my son some more! How about you?

Please Share!

How do you choose to make life more enjoyable? All comments big and small are very welcomed!

If you found this post valuable, perhaps you’ll be kind enough to vote for this with a Stumble or Delicious bookmark. Votes are always appreciated!

You can Support Life Learning Today by visiting one of my sponsors, making a donation, or making a purchase at Amazon through one of my links. Thank you!

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Post from: Life Learning Today

Life Doesn’t Have to Be Miserable!

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Once and for all, learn how to simply focus your mind for improved productivity. You can do it! And all you need is the power of your mind!

Click on the link below to read my article over at Dumb Little Man:

6 Simple Steps to Achieve Laser-Like Focus

Please Share!

How do you achieve and stay focused? Can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

You can Support Life Learning Today by visiting one of my sponsors, making a donation, or making a purchase at Amazon through one of my links. Thank you!

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6 Simple Steps to Achieve Laser-Like Focus

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Do you keep going back to the same well for creative inspiration? Could you use a new muse to spark your creativity anew?

If so, then please check out this guest article at Dumb Little Man today:

50 Creativity Muses to Court for Fresh Ideas

Please Share!

What’s your favorite muse for creative inspiration? All comments big and small are very welcomed!

Post from: Life Learning Today

50 Creativity Muses to Court for Fresh Ideas

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3: Best Digital Point & Shoot Camera with Super Zoom

I am writing a review of this camera, which I bought this summer, because it is a truly amazing small high powered digital camera. How will this improve you life? If you’re in the market for a new camera, it will save you on research time so please read on. If you’re not looking for a camera at this time, bookmark this for when you are because you’ll want to read this when you are searching for a great new camera. I wish I had read a review like this at when I started my search!

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3S (The S is for Silver)

Is This The Right Camera for You?

If you are looking for a small super zoom camera with 10x optical zoom, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 is in a class by itself. Not only is it the smallest in the 10X Optical class of digital cameras, but it has the added bonus of having a wide angle lens (28mm – 112mm Leica-branded lens with image stabilization). For those of you who are like I was, the 28mm lens is better than a 35mm lens which is more narrow. The wide angle lens is a pretty awesome feature. You’ll be able to get much more into your pictures creating both spectacular panoramas and exquisite close up portrait shots.

Any of the other 10X optical zoom cameras will be big and bulky and they don’t feature the wide angle lens that the Lumix DMC-TZ3 has. This camera features 7.2 megapixels and if you purchase through Amazon, it is priced at around $300 with free Super Saver Shipping. (Anywhere else you’ll pay about $350)

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3K (The K is for BlacK)

Other Things I Love

• Fits in pocket or small purse easily.
• 3.0″ View Screen.
• Turn Dial for choosing between settings.
• Quick shots, extremely low lag time between shots.
• Video: can shoot in 16:9 widescreen format or normal.
• Battery: Long lasting rechargeable.
• On/Off button is an easy switch.

The Only Downsides

• No zoom during video although you can zoom in before starting to shoot the video.
• No viewfinder, but this is a small camera so you make up for this in small size.

Some More Specs

• W 4.1″ X D 1.5″ X H 2.3″
• ISO: 100,200,400,800,1250,3200, Auto
• Digital Zoom: 4X (so a total of up to 40X with the Optical factored in)
• Optical Zoom 10X (12X at 5MP, 15X at 3MP)
• Special Effects: Cool, Warm, Sepia, Vivid, Neutral, Black & White
• Colors: Silver, Black, Navy Blue
• Digital Video: Quick Time: 640×480, 320×240, 848×480

Where to Buy

I researched this fully and the lowest price is with Amazon. I bought it through them for $306 with free shipping. That’s a savings of $46 over the average retail price anywhere else. It has a 4.5 star (out of 5 stars) rating on Amazon with 136 reviews.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3S 7.2MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3K 7.2MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3A 7.2MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Blue)

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3A (The A is for NAVY BLUE)

Please Share!

What is your favorite digital camera and why? All comments big and small are very welcomed!

If you found this post valuable, perhaps you’ll be kind enough to vote for this with a Stumble or Delicious bookmark. Votes are always appreciated!

If you want to Support Life Learning Today, you can visit one of my sponsors, make a donation, or make a purchase at Amazon through one of my links. Thank you!

Post from: Life Learning Today

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3: Best Digital Point & Shoot Camera with Super Zoom

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If you don’t have a blog, you can skip this post. But if you do have a blog, and you’d like the chance to win some extremely valuable services that can help take your blog to the next level, then you’ll want to check this out.

I recently came across a prize giveaway by one of my favorite bloggers, David Airey. David Airey is a graphic designer specializing in logo design. He is holding a prize giveaway to celebrate the one year anniversary of his blog. There are more than $4,000 worth in free prizes! Find out how to enter by reading the details on David’s logo designer blog.

To whet your appetite, here are some of the prizes that are up for grabs:

• Logo design from David Airey.
• Custom WordPress theme design from Nate Whitehill of Nate Whitehill dot Com. It’s vital to set yourself apart from the crowd, and Nate will help a great deal with your very own custom WordPress theme.
• Personal marketing / advertising plan from Maki of Dosh Dosh. Maki is an expert where blog advertising is concerned, and he is kindly donating his time to help you make the most of your new custom blog.
• One year’s hosting and blog setup from John Boardley of I Love Typography. John has kindly donated his time and will do everything you need to get your new custom blog hosted on one of Media Temple’s dedicated servers.
• Signed copy of Blogging Tips by Lorelle VanFossen of Lorelle on WordPress. The book contains excellent blogging tips for beginners to pros.
• Logo design from Tara Roskell of Graphic Design Blog. You only need to visit Graphic Design Blog to realise that Tara really knows a lot about great design.
• Website critique from Randa Clay of Randa Clay Design. If you want some expert advice on how to improve your website design, you won’t be disappointed by this offering.
• One hour SEO consultation with Lyndon Antcliff of Cornwall SEO. Lyndon will conduct a Skype consultation with the winner of this prize, and he comes highly recommended for search engine optimisation and linkbaiting.
• $60 of books from Amazon courtesy of Darren Rowse of ProBlogger. Is there a book you’ve been meaning to buy on Amazon? How about getting it free? A great donation from a professional blogger.
• Logo / blog header design from Jonathan-C. Phillips of Smart Wealthy Rich. Jonathan has donated his expert skills to help your blog stand out from the crowd.
• One hour blog optimization consultation with Daniel Scocco of Daily Blog Tips. This consultation will cover design, SEO, monetization and blogging strategy, from the author of one of blogging’s most useful resources.
• Revolution Premium WordPress theme package (personal package) from Brian Gardner, WordPress designer and consultant. Brian’s WordPress skills are second to none.
• Blog review and email interview published on Make It Great! with Phil Gerbyshak. The man to ‘make it great’ will critique your blog and feature you on his very own PR5 blog.
• $25 via PayPal courtesy of Gayla McCord of Mom Gadget. Free money! Who doesn’t want free money?
• 2GB USB storage key x 3 courtesy of Jamie Clague at Terinea Weblog. Three USB sticks will make up three separate prizes, with free worldwide postage. Jamie, Edinburgh Computer Services, has also kindly donated his valuable time to helping with the prize draw administration.
• Full blog review with deep links and images published on Blog-Op with Chris Lodge. Chris knows how to piece together an excellent blog review, giving you an added insight into the impression your website is giving.
• Blog review from Aaron Russell of miLienzo. Aaron has been coding WordPress themes for a while now and certainly knows his stuff where blog design is concerned.
• Expert WordPress blog help from Lakshmi Mareddy of Chilligavva. Have you ever had any ideas for your blog that you haven’t been able to incorporate? Lakshmi has kindly agreed to offer her WordPress skills, helping you out with either code or graphics.
• Blog review from Hock Ng of Marketing Tools Review. Hock will focus his review on your blog content, design, SEO and usability.
• Blog makeover from Charles Jordan of The Queer Chef. Charles is proficient with design for the Blogger platform, and can also design WordPress. He’ll tantalise your taste buds with one of his blog makeovers.
• Blog writing consultation with Ben Yoskovitz of Instigator Blog. Ben has offered his expertise to review 3–5 of your articles, providing tips and giving suggestions on writing, plus a quick guide to social media and how you can benefit from it.
• Two 45 minute coaching consultations with Mark McGuinness of Wishful Thinking. Mark specialises in coaching creative professionals, and is a real expert in his field. The first session will involve goal setting, with the second session reporting on progress and making adjustments.
• 4 hour business growth consultation with Rebecca Caroe, via telephone / Skype, or face-to-face in London / Cambridge. Rebecca is a business growth consultant for creative agencies, so if you’re looking to expand your company then this is the prize for you. If you want Rebecca to visit your offices simply pay her travel expenses.
• Tele-Coaching with Tammy Lenski. A one-hour, private telephone consult with professional mediator and conflict coach Tammy Lenski. Figure out how to deal with a challenging client, strengthen your contract negotiations, or confront difficult conversations with more confidence and success. Free call within the U.S., via Skype outside the U.S.
• One hour product launch consultation with Design Translator (DT) of Design Sojourn. Whether you’re launching a line of t-shirts, custom furniture, electronics, or any other product, DT will lend you his product launch expertise.
• Blog improvement or monetization advice with Easton Ellsworth of Business Blogwire. You choose, do you want to generally improve your blog or do you want help making money from it? Easton has kindly offered his help.
• 728px by 90px banner ad for 30 days above the fold on The Blog Experiment, courtesy of Sara. This is quite a new forum for bloggers, but already there are approximately 5,000 posts! You must supply your own artwork.
• 125px by 125px image ad for 30 days on Smart Wealthy Rich. An excellent donation from top blogger, Jonathan.
• Ad icon located site-wide in the top left of Blog-Op, courtesy of Chris Lodge. Another kind gift from a fellow blogger in Scotland.
• 30 day text link ad shown site-wide on Contest Blogger. This is a great way to advertise your very own blog contest. Blogging is about giving something back, so get your contest featured.
• 125px by 125px image ad for 30 days on Freelance Folder. Another superb offering from Jonathan a.k.a Smart Wealthy Rich.

If you’re interested, find out how to enter the drawing by reading the details on David’s logo designer blog.

Post from: Life Learning Today

If You Have a Blog, You’ll Want to Read This

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Part 1 of this series introduced you to the parts of your brain, how your brain computes, and also how your brain improves. Finally, 3 types of brain workouts you can use to improve your brain were presented. Today Part 2 brings you 3 more brain workouts for you to enjoy as you stretch your brain “muscles.”

Brain Workout #1 – Memory

Create your to-do list for today or tomorrow on a piece of paper or index card. Only write down 6 items on it. Only write down items that you will actually do (tasks, appointments, leisure events.) In other words don’t write down more than is actually possible. Next to each task write down the approximate time you expect to do each item. Read it over and memorize it. Put the paper in your pocket. Go about your day and complete your task list. Each time you complete something write down on a new piece of paper the time and task as you remember writing down on the original list. At the end of the day, compare the two lists to see how you did. You may even want to turn this into a daily habit for working your memory by increasing the complexity by one item each day!

Brain Workout #2 – Drawing + Goals

Think of a goal. It can be a big goal such as starting your own business or it can be a small goal like going to the grocery store this afternoon. Draw the major steps you will take to reach that goal. Use as few words as possible in the picture. If it is for an important goal such as starting a business or losing weight, you can hang the picture somewhere that you will see it every day! Here is a picture of my goal for the weekend: traveling to a friend’s wedding and our safe return.

Brain Workout #3 – Day Dreaming

Set aside at least 30 minutes. Find a comfortable, safe, and quiet place to sit. Close your eyes and imagine a goal that you want to achieve. Picture all the steps that you need to take to reach that goal. Imagine accomplishing all of those steps in a steady and successful progression over time. Imagine reaching your goal. How will that feel? What will it look like? Sound, feel, and taste? Use the full 30 minutes. Now when you “awake” from this day dream instead of merely remembering it like a dream, be the person who has reached that goal today. Do this every once in a while to build confidence, grow enthusiasm, and create energy for implementing your action plan steps day by day.

Please Share!

What are your favorite brain exercises? Tell us how these exercises went for you! All comments big and small are very welcomed!

If you found this post valuable, perhaps you’ll be kind enough to vote for this with a Stumble or Delicious bookmark. Votes are always appreciated!

If you want to Support Life Learning Today, you can visit one of my sponsors, make a donation, or make a purchase at Amazon through one of my links. Thank you!

Post from: Life Learning Today

Building a Smarter, Stronger Brain – Part 2

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We All Need Creativity Time

We all need creativity time. Everyone needs time to think about their personal life vision and time to create the daily and weekly plans that will bring that vision into being. People in business need to: think of creative solutions to client problems, strategize creative ways to build business, and dream up the next generation of products and services. Parents need to create routines for the home and their children. And creative people need time for writing, painting, coding, designing and so on.

The Problem

Life is so full, that creativity time gets squeezed out. And our propensity for procrastination doesn’t help. We contribute to squeezing out our creativity time by fettering it away on lower priority tasks first. Why? Because in many ways they are easier to do. Creativity takes a lot of energy and mental gymnastics. So what’s the solution? It’s right there in front of you. And it’s been there all along. Here’s where to find the time and places to make it happen.

Where to Grab Creativity Time

1. Mindless Tasks.

All the things that you need to do on a daily and weekly basis that don’t require thinking are potential opportunities for creativity time. Here are some examples:

• Exercise time
• Laundry – folding, hanging up, etc.
• Driving
• Commuting
• Putting kids to sleep – (if you lay down with your kids while they go to sleep)
• Waiting in Line

Now it’s not ideal creativity time because you won’t always be able to record your thoughts and ideas right away. That’s ok. This will force you to keep it simple. Use that fact to focus on just one idea during any of these opportunities. All creativity requires a certain amount of brainstorming before you can start writing down your ideas or making sketches or laying out plans. In fact, sometimes the act of writing down ideas can halt a certain amount of creativity. So use these small times to brainstorm a bit. After the brainstorming is done, as soon as you are able, write down your ideas or use Jott to send a voice message to yourself which will be converted into text and emailed to you.

2. Air Travel

This is a great place to hunker down to pure creativity time.

1. If there is a TV , leave it off!
2. Leave your computer turned off, too.
3. Put on a set of headphones to give other passengers notice that you’re busy. (Noise canceling head phones are one of the best things you can buy for yourself if you travel frequently at all. Even if you don’t they are great whenever you need to drown out noise.)
4. Start by closing your eyes and brainstorming first.
5. Get out a pad of paper and a pen or pencil.
6. Create!
7. If you need to, make a pact with yourself to “treat” yourself to leisure items (music, reading, TV) once you’ve completed a preset amount of creative work.

3. Closed Spaces
This one is a little different than the first two in that you need to create the time for this one. It also may strike you as a little strange, but therein lies it’s power. The idea is to confine yourself to a small space where you won’t be interrupted by any distractions. Some ideas are:

• Sitting in your Car - Anywhere you can park your car is fine. In your garage, on the street, or in a parking lot. Does your spouse ever ask you to go shopping, but you don’t enjoy it? Well how about coming along for the ride and once at the store, you remain in the car for some distraction free creativity time! This is one of my favorites. My mom loves to shop. I don’t, or at least I can’t afford it. She goes shopping and I wait in the car and do some writing. Being in a different place helps me to think more creatively.
• A large closet with a light or (smallest room in your house) - obviously, make sure you can’t get locked in and that there is enough air to breathe. Small spaces are good because there is not enough room to have distractions.
• The bathroom - sitting on the “throne” with the lid closed, sitting in the tub with or without water in it.
• A dresssing room – I haven’t tried this one, but I bet it could work. If you have a friend who needs to go clothes shopping, but you don’t need anything, you could wait for him/her in the dressing room and do some creative work until they come in. If you feel strange going into one of the the dressing rooms you could just wait on the bench or the floor by the dressing room attendant. This one isn’t for everyone, but it could work for some.
• Nook in library or bookstore – ah, peace and quiet. I don’t know about you, but I get very inspired creatively when I’m in either of these places. Find a small quiet corner away from distractions and let the creativity flow.
• Tent. Do your kids have a tent? If not, consider setting one up. All you need is a blanket and some kind of furniture to place it over. Go inside. Where are you? Pretend you are somewhere other than your living room or back yard. Let this fictitious location inspire you to find new ways of thinking about your project.
• What are your ideas?

Please Share!

What are your most unusual and useful hacks for finding creativity time? All comments big and small are very welcomed!

If you found this post valuable, perhaps you’ll be kind enough to vote for this with a Stumble or Delicious bookmark. Votes are always appreciated!

If you want to Support Life Learning Today, you can visit one of my sponsors, make a donation, or make a purchase at Amazon through one of my links. Thank you!

Post from: Life Learning Today

Get the Creative Time You Need: 3 Simple Tips

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Here’s how they describe themselves: “Truemors is a web site that enables you to “tell the worldâ€?—within the bounds of good taste and the law anyway. You can post your rumors, news, and sightings, and anyone with web access can read and rate them within minutes.” They are not looking for “crap” (although they do have a heading for it). The crap they don’t want is defined as “profanity, pornography, bullying, libel, slander, and advertising….(and) gossip.”

The content they are looking for is “true rumors that is relevant, helps you make sense of the world, and also possibly entertains you. Gossip, by contrast, is less urgent, less useful, and almost always deals with people’s private lives.” Gossip is not what they are looking for.

Truemors for Friends (TFF)

This is being tested on Facebook currently if you want to check it out. They are looking for beta testers. It sounds pretty cool. You can share information with just your friends, and only the ones you select. The information on TFF won’t post to Truemors.com which is for “sharing with the world.” TFF is for “sharing with your friends.”

Here’s how to get started with TFF:

1. Sign-in to your Facebook account.
2. Go to Truemors for Friends and click on Add Application.

Usefulness Value

You can browse or search for new information in the following categories: Auto, Business, Crap, Entertainment, Food, Gaming , Health, News, Odd, Politics, Science, Sex, Sports, and Tech. The information on this site currently seems to be living up to it’s name. Information here seems to be reliable. The idea is that if it is true, it will get voted on more. And if stories are real “crap,” not the category “Crap,” then anyone can email them to notify them of that it should be reviewed.

You can post your own information that you discover by phone, email, text message, or online form. You don’t have to register to post a truemor. But if you want to register you can and then you’ll be able to add pictures and videos too.

Entertainment Value

There is a high level of entertainment value with this site. You can discover many interesting stories and bits of information to mentally chew on. Here are some examples:

The Final Verdict

Head on over there today! This is a cool place to share information that is true. Since Truemors is so new, as a contributor you have a chance to make a name for yourself with the truemors you post. As a commenter you can share your opinion and leave a link to your website. As a reader, you can pick up some cool new information without the hype and negativity you might see on some other information sharing sites.

Please Share!

What do you think of Truemor? How do you use it? What would you like to see changed on Truemor? All comments big and small are very welcomed!

If you found this post valuable, please SHARE THIS below with a Stumble or Delicious bookmark. Votes are always appreciated!

If you want to Support Life Learning Today, you can visit one of my sponsors, make a donation, or make a purchase at Amazon through one of my links. Thank you!

Post from: Life Learning Today

Have You Been to Truemors Yet?

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Hit the Shuffle Button

I have a new post over at Lifehack.org today.

Do you find yourself living the same routines over and over? Need some variety? Well head on over to this article for some different ideas on how to expand your mind, opportunities, and horizons starting today.

Lifehack.org: Hit the Shuffle Button

Please Share!

Hope to see you there with some comments! And if you like it please take a moment to give a thumbs up on Stumble Upon or your other favorite social networking site. Thanks!

If you want to Support Life Learning Today, you can visit one of my sponsors, make a donation, or make a purchase at Amazon through one of my links. Thank you!

Important Programming Note: “How to Be a Great Salesperson” will post on Thursday! Stay Tuned by subscribing!

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Hit the Shuffle Button

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Here are some great quotes that give me motivation, direction, and inspiration.

1. “Do, or do not. There is no try.” This quote by Yoda, from Star Wars, always plays in my mind when I say “I’ll try.” It reminds me to ask myself if I am committed to doing something or not. If I’m not, then I shouldn’t say I’ll try. If it is something I want to do, then I should commit all the way and say “I will do that” not “I’ll try.”

2. “And the Greatest of These is Love” – St. Paul. When crises in life arise, what is truly important in life quickly boils down to the love of family and friends. The hardest part of life is trying to remember this during the good times, when we spend all our energy adding complexity to our lives. Sometimes God or the Universe sends us a challenge in life to remind us of this.

3. “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” -Benjamin Franklin. This quote reminds me to make the most of my time. I’m constantly trying to sweep away the excess distractions that creep into my life daily, and stay focused on the main things I want to do with my life. It’s not easy, but by staying focused on this, I live a more purposeful life than if I didn’t.

4. “Know Thyself.” - Socrates. I find that when I analyze my challenges through reflection, writing, or discussing with friends, I come to an understanding that allows me to work on my weaknesses and blind spots. The personal growth that stems from this helps me keep from making the same mistakes as often. And hopefully it allows me to have a more positive impact on those around me.

5. “Imagination Rules the World” – Einstein. I love creativity. I love art of all kinds. Creation is difficult work, and at the same time it is one of the most rewarding kinds of work. I like this quote because it reminds me that life is not only about the practical. Life is also about the daydream. Our imagination fuels our dreams and our dreams fuel what our life becomes. I need to remember this more.

6. “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt. Every time I do something that I am afraid to do, I have grown in my confidence. Most often my fear is unfounded. When I’m planning my projects and goals, I will ask myself “What could I do to make this more successful, beyond what I originally thought? Why haven’t I thought of this before? Is there something I’m afraid to do? Why?’ What are you afraid to do right now? What’s holding you back from trying?

7. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.â€? – Maya Angelou. This one says it all. I need to pay attention that when I’m with my son, family, or friends that I really give them my full attention and not allow my distracted mind to be thinking of work.

8. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” -Thomas Edison. In my experience, hard work leads to happiness. Of course it must be balanced by play, quiet time, and celebration too. When you’re not engaged in work you love, there’s a tendency to feel lethargic, bored, unfulfilled, etc. If you feel this way, for a long term solution consider finding work you really love. For a short term solution to lethargy, consider doing some physical work. Nothing feels better than after doing some hard physical work.

9. “Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.”-Horace. Life does move fast. The point is not to dwell on the speed of life, but rather to live in this moment right now. It’s all we really have. Enjoy today!

10. What is your favorite inspirational quote?

Please Share!

If you found this post valuable, please SHARE THIS below with a Stumble or Delicious bookmark. Votes are always appreciated!

If you want to Support Life Learning Today, you can visit one of my sponsors, make a donation, or make a purchase at Amazon through one of my links. Thank you!

Technorati Tags: Creativity, Goals, GTD, Life Is Good, Love, Positive Thinking, Quotes, Success, Quotations

Post from: Life Learning Today

Life Is Good: Motivational Quotes

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Becoming a writer is a dream that many of us share. I’ve always loved writing and only recently realized that I became a writer by the simple act of writing. No one bestows this title on you. To acquire the title of “writer” all you need to do is write! And the good news is no one can take it away from you. This article will give you all the resources you’ll need to become a writer, outlining the various ways you can express yourself, with helpful resources for digging in. This guide is intended for writers at every stage: dreamer, newbie, explorer, and old-hat.

1) Journaling
Let’s start with the easiest form of writing, journaling. At it’s most basic, grab any notebook and start with these words “Dear Diary…” If you want to get fancy you can buy yourself a nice leather bound Moleskine notebook and maybe a nice pen which you use for the ritual of writing. The only thing that matters is that you follow your inspiration. What should you write about? Your dreams, your problems, other people’s problems, solutions, anything. It’s a great tool for understanding yourself so that you can grow and improve your life. And it’s really fun to go back in time and read what you wrote last year…or even 5,10 years ago!

2) Blogging
When you’re ready to share your writing with the world the easiest way to do this is with blogging. Blog is short for “Weblog.” It is a place where you can post material to the internet which is stamped with the date and with whatever labels or categories you’d like. You can have a blog that is a diary or it can be used to entertain people, teach, create controversy, or promote your beliefs be they political, spiritual, philosophical or otherwise. If you want to make money from your blog you can add advertising to your blog, such as with Adsense (see link in right sidebar.) Here are some resources for getting started with blogging:

3) Magazine Writing
Want to see your name and writing published? Magazine writing may be for you. There are two ways to approach this. 1) Write your articles first and then pitch them to magazine editors. 2) Write your pitch query letter to magazine editors and only write the article when you are contracted to do so. Each method has pros and cons. This is a great work from home business. However, to make a real living from it you must be organized, disciplined, and persistent. There is a lot that goes into this process so I will refer you to a couple good references:

4) Online Article Writing for Cash
If you don’t want to set up a blog or do magazine writing, but you still want to get paid, online article writing is an quick way to get paid for your writing. The pay is low, but the articles that are needed are generally short, so if you can write fast you can make some side income. Payment depends on the the demand for the content. Payment can run anywhere from $3-20 per article. Many bloggers do this to supplement their income and to build name recognition. It’s also good writing practice. Here are the two largest and most often recommended, although, there are others:

• Ezine Articles
• AC Media

5) Writing a Book
Who hasn’t dreamed of writing a book? Well, you can do it! Check out my Ultimate Guide to Writing a Book in Less than 60 Days right here on this blog. This guide has many free writing resources as well as book recommendations and writing program recommendations.

If you want to join a community of writers check out NaNoWriMo in the fall when they sponsor a free online community project where everyone attempts to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November!

Want to publish a book that you’ve already written? The Well-Fed Publisher is the ultimate resource on publishing your non-fiction or fiction book!

6) Short Story Writing
This is a great warm up for writing a novel. It’s less of a commitment and it can always turn into a longer story later on. Contests are a great way to get you humming along on a story right away. Here are some contest resources that I can recommend:

If you are looking for some creative writing prompts here are 3 books I like a lot:

• The 3 A.M. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises That Transform Your Fiction
• The Write-Brain Workbook: 366 Exercises to Liberate Your Writing
• Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspirations for Writing

7) Flash Fiction: Ultra Short Micro Stories
This is a newly popular genre of writing where the whole story is generally between 250-1000 words. It is also known as sudden fiction, microfiction, micro-story, postcard fiction, and short short story. This is really fun to play around with and it is an excellent way for novel and short story writers to develop the discipline to eliminate extraneous words from your writing.
Magazines:

Contests:

Stories to read online:

8 ) Freelance Corporate Writing
If you are a good writer and know something about sales, then you can make a very good living writing business content for corporations, small businesses, and non-profits. This is a huge topic that I will write about more in the future. For now, let me refer you to the ultimate resource book this topic: The Well Fed Writer:Back for Seconds by Peter Bowerman. If you want to start this lucrative home-based business, this is really the only book you will need! It is the book I used as a guide when I launched my freelance writing business. (Tip: You only need the updated “Back for Seconds” version of this book which has a summary of the first book in it.)

If you do go this route, Freelance Success is an excellent professional online group where you can ask questions from people in the business. It does cost $89 for a year subscription, but it is well worth it, especially if you are just starting out. You can “listen in” on the forum discussions by email subscribing to them. It’s a tax deductible business expense. I personally found it to be worthwhile. As a writer you can post your profile for free and companies that have work for freelance writers can see your profile there.

9) Technical Writing
This is the business of writing manuals and technical instruction information for companies, usually technology and manufacturing companies. It can help if you have an engineering degree or experience, but it’s not a requirement. Just like Corporate Writing, technical writing can be lucrative. Here are a couple of highly recommended books to check out:

• Technical Writing 101: A Real-World Guide to Planning and Writing Technical Documentation
• The Well Fed Writer:Back for Seconds by Peter Bowerman also covers technical writing.

10) Grant Writing
A grant is money that is given to non-profit organizations such as universities for a project such as studying or researching a particular topic. In order to be awarded the funds, a request for proposal is written by the applicant stating why the organization deserves to win or receive the grant. Grant writers write these proposals for the non-profit organizations. Sometimes these writers are employed in-house and other times they are contracted as freelance grant writers. Grant writers are in high demand, so this is a good work-at-home writing business if you are interested in this kind of writing. Here are a couple of highly rated books on grant writing:

• The Only Grant-Writing Book You’ll Ever Need: Top Grant Writers and Grant Givers Share Their Secrets
• Grant Writing For Dummies

Other Writing Resources: 
Websites

• Writers.com offers online classes, tips, newsletter, and other services.
• Writing.com offers groups, forums, reviews, polls, blogs and much more.
• WritersRow freelance writing jobs and more.

Books

• Writer’s Market 2008 – This is a big book that is very handy to writers who are doing magazine writing and/or writing a book. From the Amazon review: ” The 2008 Writer’s Market features all the great information writers have to come to expect for more than 80 years and then some. This edition takes Writer’s Market to a new level of excellence with high profile author interviews and five new market sections. Of course, it’s still packed with all the information writers rely on year after year including the keys to successful query letters, advice on how much to charge, articles from successful writers, as well as listings for book publishers, magazines, lierary agents and more! Features more than 3,500 completely updated listings. Includes five new sections (Newspapers, Syndicates, Screenwriting, Playwriting, Greeting Cards). Features exclusive articles and interviews with successful writers.”

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Technorati Tags: blogging, Book, Creativity, ezine, flash fiction, Journaling, Magazine, Novel, Resource, Resource, short story, technical writing, writing

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So You Want to Be a Writer

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Rules Schmules

Rules have their place in this world. But if they are stopping you from succeeding then you should look for a way around them. I’m not talking about breaking the law, but breaking the rules that say you need to do A,B, and C before you can achieve X. These rules may be good for the masses who are happy with slow progress, and who are looking. But if you want to rise to the top more quickly, see where you can bend or break the rules.

Rules That Are Waiting For You to Break Them

1) Needing a Masters Degree to teach. If you have work experience, this can be better than a masters degree. Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t feel like you have to spend a ton of money and time on another degree (unless you want to.) If you want to start teaching, then start looking for job openings and sell your skills! A masters degree may be required, but rules can always be broken for the right person. Maybe that’s you! If you are short on experience, look for teaching opportunities where teachers are in short supply. Essentially put yourself into an arena where you have an advantage.

2) You need experience to get the job. Bull! I used to hire a lot of people at a financial services firm. There was always an experience requirement. But experience doesn’t always have to be formal or job-specific. The bottom line is, the person’s attitude was by far the most important element in whether I hired someone. I turned down plenty of people with experience who had poor attitude or who had no enthusiasm. Focus on your experience. Be creative in relating it to the job requirements of the job for which you are applying. And be enthusiastic. Go for it!

3) You need to be young, beautiful, and talented to be a movie, rock star. Nope. What you need is drive and persistence. Having one or more of the other things can certainly help, but there are people who have made it on drive alone. You can learn the rest. If you really want it, go for it. You’ll probably want to keep your day job for a while. And you don’t have to be a star to make a living as an entertainer. If it’s your dream, go after it. Don’t let “the rules” keep you from trying. You may not make it big, but you’ll be living out your dream!

4) It takes money to make money. Not necessarily. Having money can help, but it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll make money. You can start many businesses with a small amount of money. But whether you have big money or small money, you’ll need to implement smart business strategy. If you have a good business plan, you can always use other people’s money. Of course you’ll need to sell your idea well. But it can be done. What business have you been wanting to start? What small steps can you take today to start?

5) You need a degree in English, Journalism, or Writing to be a good writer. I think we all know this is not true, right? Right? OK, maybe not everyone knows this, but now you do. If you’ve dreamed all your life of becoming a writer, it’s never too late to start. Just start talking on paper. The more you write the better you’ll get. Seek out critiques from people who can and will give you honest and knowledgeable feedback.

6) You need a lot of time to write a book. Yes and no. Lot of time, yes. All at once, no. By being disciplined each day, you could have a book written within 6 months to a year. If you are very motivated, you could have a book written in 60 days or less.

7) You need an MBA to be successful in business. This is just not true. There are so many examples of this. You do need to be a life long learner though. You should keep up with the cutting edge of your field. And you must take action on what you learn. Set a course to read a cross section of books in varying fields of business, learn as much as you can from colleagues and competitors and you’ll have the equivalent of an MBA. If you want to get a formal MBA, that’s fine. But just don’t feel like you have to.

8 ) Everyone who loses weight gains it back. Not everyone. A lot do, but that doesn’t have to be you. Don’t let that stop you from trying to lose weight. That’s bad excuse. You can do it! Keep it off for your health and for your loved ones! And do it today. Father time keeps ticking away. The time to do it is now for future health. A great book on losing weight is The Fat Flush Plan by Louise Gittleman. She is a dietitian and her weight loss method stems from a biological perspective.

9) I can’t eat healthy because I don’t like vegetables. That’s rule you need to get rid of! The real problem is you just haven’t had vegetables that are cooked right. Here is a great book on cooking vegetables with creativity so that they taste yummy! Vegetable Harvest: Vegetables at the Center of the Plate by Patricia Wells.

10) You need to make a lot of money to save for retirement. This is not true. You need to save more money than you spend to save for retirement. It’s simple math. Total your income, figure out how much you need to save for retirement, and then cut your expenses as much as possible to leave enough left over for your monthly savings goal. Best bet is to automate it. Have the savings direct deposited into a separate savings account that you don’t touch. What’s left over is what you are allowed to spend.

11) Investing is for rich people with secret knowledge. No. Investing is for everyone who wants to earn a better return on their money than a savings account. Check out my free Guide to Investing and begin to have success of your own. Just start small, build each month, and you’ll be on your way!

12) Only good looking people can find someone to love them. This is not true. Bash this rule from your head. Haven’t you seen Shrek ? People love you for what’s on the inside. You don’t want the people who only love the packaging because they won’t be with you for the long run. Love yourself and others will love you. Be the person you would want to hang out with. Plus everyone is good looking in their own way when they smile and when they are good to others.

13) People can’t change and therefore my marriage can never improve. Baaahnt. Not. This may be true for many people who have given up. But if you really want things to improve, they can! The basic steps: envision a better future, identify what YOU need to do, develop and express gratitude for positive aspects of your spouse, and keep repeating over time. Start small. Look for, recognize, and record in a journal the small successes. If you do this they will build. Good luck!

Some Famous Rulebreakers

Bill Gates dropped out of college to start a little company called Microsoft.
John Grisham wrote his first book over the course of many months on his commuter train to and from work.
Blogging Pro Wendy Piersall had a major turnaround in her marriage to an alcoholic. Today her marriage is fantastic.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling had no experience and was an unemployed single mom, when she started writing her first blockbuster book in a coffee shop.
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee lost and kept off over 100 pounds with simple diet and exercise.
Richard Simmons not only lost weight a long time ago and kept it off, but he also helps millions to do the same.

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What Rules Will You Break to Reach Your Dreams?

Who are your favorite inspirational Rulebreakers?

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Technorati Tags: Ask and Ye Shall Receive, Goals, Goals, Goals, Goals, How To, Personal Development, Personal Development, problem solving, Relationships, Rules, Success, Success, Success, Success, Winning

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Break These Rules for Success!

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No matter what you create, art, novels, code, business ideas, we all experience creativity blocks. This post lists a few ways to overcome this distressing dilemma, especially when a deadline is looming!

Bash Through Creativity Blocks

1) Stop Worrying. The more you worry the more you will block your creative flow. Instead adopt a belief that you will come up with something genius, because you know what? You will!

2) Recall Past Successes. Think of some of your best creations. How did they come about? What about those experiences is repeatable? Take some quiet, non-internet time to reflect on this. Sometimes a walk around the block is all it takes.

3) Define the Problem/Assignment. What is it that you need to create? Make sure that you have a good understanding of the problem you are trying to solve.  Then focus on that.

4) Chunk It. Try breaking it down into parts. Tackle the easiest parts first to get some momentum. Then proceed to harder parts.

5) Turn Off Your Censor. Try a brainstorming session for ideas. Make your goal to come up with 50 ideas that will go into the trash. Watch how having this new mindset changes how your creativity flows. Let the ridiculous ideas flow. You can make them more conservative later if you need to.  For an example, see designer David Airey’s display of brainstorming a new logo.

6) Mash Up. If none of your ideas so far has you feeling jazzed, consider smashing one with another idea. How can you combine two different things to come up with something that is unique and exciting?

7) Think From a New Perspective. Can you possibly redefine the problem or assignment? What happens when you narrow or broaden the focus? How might a child approach it? What if you changed the tools you use?

Get Ideas from Nature. If you can either take a walk in nature (best), find some nature pictures (plants, animals), or use your imagination with eyes closed. What do you see happening in nature that could point you in a new direction?

9) Web Search. Do this not to copy ideas, but rather to find inspiration and a springboard from which to leap to a new level of thinking about your creation.

10) Look Through Your Idea File. Most of us have this pile or file somewhere of ideas we want to act on. If you don’t have one, start one! But if you do have one take a look through it. This is the time you’ve been waiting for to browse your collection.

11) Swallow Your Pride. Ask for help. No man is an island. And your creation is still yours even if you get some help. You can ask anyone, qualified or not. Sometimes a layperson, not in your field, is exactly who you should ask. They may give you a nugget that turns on the “Aha!” light for you. Don’t be afraid to collaborate. When it comes to creativity, 1+1=3 or more!

12) Get Away. If a deadline is not looming, try to get away. Take a drive, take a walk, Play Hooky, go see a movie, whatever. Just get your mind off your assignment for a while.

13) Get Some Rest. If you are completely hitting a wall and feeling really tired, take a nap if you have time. If you don’t have time, consider a Meditation Nap which can rejuvenate you in 5-20 minutes.

14) DeClutter Your Mind. You may be blocked because you have something on your mind. Ask yourself whether it is something that can wait or whether it is 100% necessary to do now. If it doesn’t need to be done now, then write it down, set a reminder to deal with it later, and then focus on your task with a less anxious mind.

15) Just Do It. In the end, you may be simply suffering from procrastination. If that’s the case, then you just need to get started. Turn off ALL distractions. Use the procrastination trick of working for 20-30 minutes and then allowing yourself a 5 minute procrastination break. Use a timer to stay on track.

Good luck!

Please Share!

Please share how you overcome creativity blocks! All comments big and small are very welcomed!

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Technorati Tags: Creativity, Getting Things Done, Goals, GTD, Motivation, Personal Development, Success, Art, writing

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Creativity Blocks? Bash Through in 15 Steps

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Last week, my routine was disrupted a bit. I went with my mom to a doctor’s appointment, I helped with a spring cleaning, and my son’s school ended. All of these things forced me to do my writing work differently, in different places, and at different times. And by being in these new places, working at different times, and doing things that were outside of my normal routine, I discovered something wonderful! Randomness in your life brings about powerful bursts of creativity. It set my brain moving in a different way. It kind of wakes up your non-automatic brain, the creative problem-solving part.

Letting Your Creativity Bloom

Random events don’t automatically open up this creativity. I think the reason it did this time was that I decided to not get angry, uptight, resentful of these random interruptions that disturbed my routine. I consciously decided to go with the flow. And by having that easy going approach, then the creativity opened up! I discovered some new productivity solutions and I had a burst of ideas for my writing that will keep me busy for a while.

Balancing Routine and Randomness

So how can you have Routines and ensure that you get your needed dose of Randomness? Two ways. I think the most important is to be open and welcoming of those natural disruptions to your routine that occur. This doesn’t mean you should allow all disruptions, but when there is one that is unavoidable, go into it with this focus: “How can I learn from this? Have fun with this?” Or “how might I use this to further what I’m working on?” Or simply, “I am open to good things that may come of this detour.”

The second way to get your dose of Randomness is to schedule it. How? Simple. Just do something new at least once a week, whether that is walking a new way to work or eating at a different lunch shop or going somewhere new. Just pick something and do it. Then be aware how your mind is opened up. If you need to, schedule a weekly reminder that says “Do something new today!”

Please Share!

What was the most random thing that happened to you lately? How did it change you? Little or big, please share! We’d love to hear your story!

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How to Be Creative AND Productive!

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