How to Be Happier

Ever notice how two people can have very similar circumstances, but one is happy and the other is miserable? In this article, I want to share a few ideas and concepts that will help you be happier in everyday life.

1) First of all, you need to understand that true happiness in life comes down to a decision.

Everyone has obstacles that come at them, but it's how you approach those obstacles that's important.

2) This isn't going to happen overnight, but life does tend to get better if you focus on the good in your life.

You can try this for yourself, but especially talking more about positive things in your life often seems to cause a lot of day-to-day problems and worries to work themselves out.

3) Surround yourself with encouraging and supportive people whenever possible.

People who have a good support system through a church or other community group tend to have less stress than people who are trying to navigate life alone.

4) Take the time to help someone less fortunate than you.

This has a two-fold way of making you happier. One is it's helping someone in need, and two it's causing you to be grateful for what you do have in life.

5) Find something in your life where you can learn and grow on a constant basis.

This keeps life exciting and fun. It also keeps you from getting into a rut or feeling like your growth in life has gone stagnant.

More Tips:

• Humor is an important aspect to happiness as well. It's important to learn in some situations how to laugh at yourself and enjoy life.
• Don't mistake happiness with a destination. People sometimes get trapped into the "I'll be happy if..." cycle, inserting everything at the end of that sentence from a material item to a specific life event. This will cause you a lot of frustration if you don't catch what you're doing.

How to Learn About Money in Your Teens

Something that really surprised me after 4 years of high school and another 4 years of college is the lack of financial education available to teens and young adults in a classroom setting. In this article, I want to provide you with some ideas and sources that helped me and that I hope will help you as well.

1) First of all, you need to realize that your success with money (or any other form of success for that matter) depends a lot on how you think.

Rich people get rich because of their thought process and can regain their money fairly quickly if for some reason they lost it. Lottery winners who don't know how money works can end up in worse debt a few years later than before they won. Learning what to do with money is important to learn as young as possible.

2) Since in your teens you're a little more limited than a legal adult, a great place to focus first is on educating yourself about money through books and possibly a mentor or mentors, so you'll be ready once you start having more opportunity entering your life.

I've included a link below about life skills books that was originally intended for college students but would be helpful for teens as well. Authors Dave Ramsey, Robert Kiyosaki, and Dan Miller would be three great ones to start out with.

3) Don't think however that just because you're a teenager doesn't mean you can't do some incredible things financially even compared to adults.

I'm also including another link below that will hopefully provide you some inspiration and tips from real-life teen millionaires.

4) Just in general, avoid debt with a vengeance.

Credit is so highly marketed to younger generations that it really hurts people once they get into college and into their 20s. It's a lot easier to start out debt-free than it is to dig yourself out of debt when you get older. The last thing you want is to put yourself in a paycheck-to-paycheck cycle when you don't have to do it.

More Tips:

• It's definitely okay in your teens to start thinking of some long-term goals and dreams in life. If you have some focus, you're chances of achieving those goals and dreams become a lot higher.
• I've met several millionaires and one billionaire who are doing a lot of good things with their money and are really nice people. They just don't broadcast it because that's not the point of giving. In a few years, I hope to be in a similar position to be able to help other people. It's hard to do that until you get your own life together first.
• Don't just assume rich people are evil and took advantage of people to get their wealth. That is one of the worst cultural stereotypes out there, and sometimes it's even taught in the classroom. This holds people back from pursuing dreams that could make them rich in fear that the money itself will either change them or how people view them. You have to learn how to overcome that fear if you want to accomplish something great financially.

Resources:

Life Skills Book Recommendations
Teen Millionaires

How to Handle Criticism

When it comes to criticism in your life, usually either through a family or job situation, there is more than one way to handle it. In this article, I will discuss some ideas on how to handle criticism in a healthy way.

1) First, before anything else you need to determine the motivation of the person giving you criticism.

This is extremely important because it's the difference between someone trying to correct you because he or she cares about you and someone who just wants to tear you down for some reason. If your emotions are tense, it may be hard to be objective about this at first. Give it some thought however.

2) Realize that no one is perfect and that mistakes happen.

If there's something about the criticism that can help you improve, try to approach it with as positive of an attitude as possible because it may make you better even in a small way. The important thing is not to take it so personally that it discourages you from moving forward.

3) Realize that not everyone is going to share your point-of-view on things.

If you make pleasing everyone your main goal, you're honestly going to have a hard time accomplishing anything significant in life. You can look at any famous or successful person when they were in the process of achieving something, and almost all had their share of critics. Don't expect to be able to handle it overnight, but over time it does get less emotional when it happens to you.

More Tips:

• If you're in a leadership position, it's better to build people up and encourage them on a daily basis than constantly criticize. This way when you do have a suggestion, you've built up respect from showcasing what that same person has done right.
• A book that really helped me when it came to the relationship between success and encountering critical people is called The Dreamgiver by Bruce Wilkerson. It's a great book if you've never read it.

How to Start a Personal Journal

People start personal journals for many reasons, and they're very worthwhile in helping you focus your thoughts and goals in life. In this article, I'll share some ideas and tips in starting a personal journal.

1) Select Your Journal and Supplies

I still have spiral-bound notebooks that are over 15-years-old from when I was a kid that are in good condition. They work fine as long as you pick one without perforated pages and use a dark-colored pen as opposed to a pencil or light ink. As my writing has changed however, I've switched over to hardback journals.

2) Got writer's cramp?

If you need some inspiration, try searching "personal journal prompts." You'll find wide variety of resources that are free.

3) If this is your first journal, consider taking a few pages to do some autobiographical information.

Later on you may want to pass on family history to your children and grandchildren or use it to write stories or even books.

4) If you're looking for an on-line option, Writing.com is a good site that has the ability to set items you write to either public or private.

I like their site because you can access it from multiple locations (as long as there's an Internet connection) as opposed to accidentally leaving a journal at home. I basically do a combination of both.

5) What's very important in all of this is establishing a habit of writing as soon as possible.

When you get used to writing on a daily basis, it does become easier. It also helps you in venturing into writing for profit if that's a goal you'd like to have.

More Tips:

• When I first started out, I didn't worry as much about spelling and grammar as much as getting my thoughts on paper. If it's personal and only something only you're going to read, you're going to get better at these naturally over time. Just don't let them keep you from enjoying the process.
• Have fun with this. I used to think writing was a chore (mainly because of some teachers I had), but fortunately I also had teachers that showed how rewarding writing can be for your life.

How to Make the Most of Time in Your Car

The average person in America drives anywhere between 10,000 to 25,000 mile a year. That's a lot of time, and in this article I want to give you some ideas on how you can get more out of it.

1) Learn something new.

Almost any topic out there now has audio books, podcasts, or both easily available. You can learn a new language, how to start a business, how to manage your finances, and hundreds of other subjects. It's reasonable to think that after several years of this that you'll learn and grow as a person where you wouldn't have otherwise.

2) Spend some quiet time.

It is amazing how creative your thinking becomes when you just spend one day a week with the radio off. Some of my best ideas for books and articles have happened when I just gave myself some time to think. It'll also help with problem-solving if it's not in a worrying kind of context.

3) Laugh more.

If you have a stressful life, investing in some audio books or mp3s that will make you laugh will lighten your mood and reduce stress. This is also helpful if you have a stressful commute to work and back.

How to Explore Passive Income Ideas

If you're familiar with the concept of passive income, you know it's the best method of generating a long-term return on your time and effort. A "stream" of passive income can range in scale from a single project or investment to an entire business. In this article, I'll help give you some ideas on where you can start.

1) First of all, a good financial education is the key in all of this.

I spent over a year just reading on this topic before I leaped into action on ideas that I had no idea were going to work or not. If you've been in an employment situation for most of your life, this concept takes awhile to get your mind around. It's not "get-rich-quick" but at the same time it's worth it because you'll get both more time and money if you're successful.

2) Start small and focus on stability.

I've found it's better to start a small project (keeps you from going into debt) and grow it to the point it's stable. This way your time is free to start a second, third, fourth, and so on while the previous projects continue to bring in an income. You do this enough times and your income is "stacked" to the point you can transition into what most people call retirement.

3) As far as what you can specifically do, there are unlimited opportunities out there.

If you're an expert in your field or have a specialized hobby, you can write advice articles and books. On-line businesses are good options as well, again if you start them small and keep them debt-free. Traditional small businesses are more expensive to start, but if you do the research there's still many fields where you can make a good income (the passive element is from repeat customers or eventually hiring employees who handle the work). Through the real estate market goes up and down, I've known people who have done well after putting a lot of research into it. Just in general, brainstorm what you would enjoy doing and make sure you have a plan ahead of time.

4) Don't get discouraged if results seem small or don't seem to be happening very rapidly at first.

I think that's where most people get frustrated and give up too quickly. Passive income is made over time not overnight.

Additional tips:

• Great books on this topic include Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki and 48 Days To The Work You Love by Dan Miller.

How to Write and Sell an Ebook

When I first started writing for profit, the idea of creating ebooks was very appealing to me. I just didn't really know how to do it. In this article, I'll show you one option you can take. It's not the only way to do things, but it's a way I know that's legitimate and helpful.

1) Obviously, you're going to need to have an idea or some existing material in mind to do this project.

For me, I had some short stories on a site called Writing.com. Basically on that site, people could read my work for free. After I had written 14 short stories, I decided I wanted to combine them into a book and if possible, an ebook that could be instantly downloaded.

2) At this point, there are a lot of options out there available to you.

After I did some research, I personally decided to look into a site called Lulu.com. Basically they're publishing on demand, meaning you don't have to put up money to be in their system and sell copies of your books and ebooks. Lulu and sites like it make money when something sells, and the percentage isn't bad considering many of the people who've bought my books I've never personally met (one even lived in Singapore!). My general recommendation however is be very careful when it comes to your money and finding a distribution source. There are scams out there, as well as good opportunities.

3) Lulu and similar sites like it have templates where you can upload a Microsoft Word copy of your work and have it formatted to an Adobe Reader download.

I recommend this because it works with a lot of different electronic readers as well as most computers since the program itself is free.

4) If you do self-publish, keep in mind that your marketing is primarily in your own hands.

This can actually be a good thing if you enjoy it. I personally keep my marketing very simple. I have a blog and just write in a lot of different areas to where there's at least some name recognition and hopefully the realization I put a lot into what I'm doing. You just have to be patient, and good things will happen for you if you're persistent.

More Tips:

• Even if you don't consider yourself a writer, there's a high demand for knowledge in a lot of different areas. Give it some thought because you may have something to offer that other people would like to know more about.
• Unless it's a copy of an actual print book, I'm learning to keep ebooks shorter due to people read them during shorter time spans.
• Don't assume that if you just write the book that people are going to flock to buy it. Writing the book is about 50% of the work and marketing is about the other 50% when it comes to making an income doing this.

How to Clean Out Your Closet

While it's not the most fun thing to do in the world, cleaning out your closet can help your everyday life a little easier and possibly make you some extra money. In this article, I'll show you some easy steps and tips to make this project get done quickly and more easily.

1) First, I find it's easier to start with clothing first and then sort through other items such as shoes and other miscellaneous items that usually get stuck in closets.

Basically the two boxes or garbage bags are going to serve two purposes: a sell/donate pile and a throw away pile. If you have a big closet or are sorting through more than one, you'll probably need more.

2) A general rule with clothing is if you haven't worn it in a year and it has no sentimental value to you, either sell or donate it.

Having one of those "I didn't wear it this past year but maybe I'll wear it next year" moments? Take a twist tie and wrap it around an area of the clothing where you'll notice it if you do wear it but won't damage the clothing. When this time comes around again, you'll basically be able to face yourself on what you're never going to wear. Just be sure to remember to take the ties off, or you'll get some funny looks from people.

3) Next, you should be able to sort through your other items and accessories in a similar fashion of either selling/donating what you never use and throwing away anything that's too worn.

4) Now I'm not the type of person that's obsessed with organization, but give some thought to how you put everything back into your closet in a practical way.

Do you have trouble finding certain things? Maybe you can find a creative way to solve this or at least make it easier when you get ready in the morning.

5) Based on the weight and brand of the clothing and other items, try eBay first before selling them in a consignment shop or in a yard sale.

I've known people who've made pretty good money this way. Donating is a good option as well, especially if you're not so much wanting extra money as you are wanting extra space.

Best wishes to you!

How to Have More Time to Enjoy Life

Modern life can be very hard sometimes in that it often feels like to have plenty of money you have no free time and to have free time you end up with less money. There is a way to break out of this cycle however, and I want to share with you some ideas that have helped me.

1) First of all, from a thought-process standpoint you're likely going to have to gradually change some things you've been doing.

Many of us are raised to think that money is our most valuable resource, and there's a tendency to base your career and life off of that concept. That's not to say that money isn't important (people spend 70,000+ hours of their life earning it), but the two are related in that to get your time back you're going to have to learn how to earn and manage money differently.

2) A good place to start in "finding time" is to look at your lifestyle.

I've seen statistics that say the average adult in America watches 30-40 hours of television a week. You could take a portion of that time a develop a side business that could either get you out of debt (so you don't have to work extra to make debt payments) or help you transition into a career that gives you more money and flexibility with your time. If you're already a work-o-holic and don't seem to be making progress financially, you may need to take a look at what you're doing to see if a minor change could increase your overall income.

3) Realize that in the beginning you may have to sacrifice some time to get it back later.

I currently don't have to work a full-time job anymore because I spent 2 years of my life basically working 80-hour weeks, 40 for a company as an employee and 40 for myself. It wasn't easy, but it was worth doing.

4) Find some motivations in your life that will pull you toward finding ways of having more time.

For me, it was wanting to spend more time with my husband, my parents, and my brother. I also wanted to free myself up to do things that would make a difference that I couldn't do before because of not having the time to do it.

More Tips:

• No pun intended, but this takes time and is a process. I first started focusing on this idea in my late teens, and I've seen progress in my early 20s. It also requires you to be a little different from most people, but I think the rewards are worth it.
• Books that are helpful regarding this topic are Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and 48 Days to The Work You Love by Dan Miller. I've found business books in general are helpful in that they teach you how to build an income that is residual (repeat income for a single effort). It's pretty sad, but most colleges don't teach this even though it's extremely important in life.
• Don't live your life in such a way that you'll procrastinate and later regret not making time for what matters in life. If you don't focus on this issue, it will slip by you.

How to Make Money From Writing Online

If you love to write, you may have thought about it as a way to make money and have fun at the same time. In this article, I will discuss a few ideas you may want to explore that could earn you some extra cash!

1) If you enjoy doing shorter works such as articles, there are now several sites on-line where you can earn money based on how many hits your article receives and the type of topic you write about.

Ehow.com is a great site to start with when it comes to How-to articles, and I've had a wonderful experience with them. Two other sites I know are legitimate are Helium.com and Associated Content. All three pay you through PayPal.

2) If you want to set your own price on an article for other sites to buy (exclusive or non-exclusive rights), Constant Content is a good site to consider.

Just realize you'll have to be patient and will likely need to produce a bulk amount of material to make regular sales.

3) If you've ever wanted to self-publish a book or e-book, the best site I've found for this is Lulu.com.

The great thing about them is they're publishing-on-demand. I've never had to pay anything upfront since I've worked with them, and you only have to make $5 in sales before they send you a royalty, again through PayPal.

4) I'm fairly new in this field, but overall what I've found works is keeping your own rights to your work and giving multiple sites non-exclusive rights to sell or display your work.

This way you can do the work once and try it out on different outlets. It's amazing how on one site an article will make you a small amount of money while on another it will make you a lot! It all depends on the topic of the article.

5) Hubpages is a little more complicated to set-up, but it's worth checking out.

They don't pay you directly but allow you to set up affiliates including Google Adwords (pays you based on hits to the pages), Amazon's affiliate program, and eBay's affiliate program. I really like them so far.

More Tips:

• Making a decent income by writing on-line takes time, but it is possible to do. Considering the price of gas and other costs involved with most jobs, this is a very viable work-at-home option if you're willing to be patient and do the work. Just realize it may take you a year or two to get it off the ground.
• Check with your tax accountant to find out what you need to keep track of if you want to transition into self-employment (I could tell you, but since I'm not a professional in that area I think it's better to consult them).
• Another fun thing I've found is that when people find out you write for websites, they'll ask you for write content for their business or organizational website. This can get you extra money as well.

How to Prepare for Public Speaking

I have seen multiple surveys that rank the fear of public speaking higher than the fear of death. I used to be a very shy person and was petrified of speaking in public. As I got older, I had to do it however in college and later my career. In this article, I'll share some things that I've found helpful.

1) First of all, being prepared with your material can help reduce some of the tension.

Give yourself plenty of time to research your topic so you don't feel rushed to do everything at the last minute.

2) The other side of this fear is being in front of people.

This was such a strange thing to me in that the same people I was fine speaking with at my seat suddenly changed when was in front of them! The physical symptoms of this fear--dry mouth, increased heart rate, etc. --unfortunately are hard to immediate stop and have to go extinct over time (with practice). What I found helped at the beginning was what I did before I had to speak. I didn't let worry build. Instead, I would do something fun or relaxing earlier that day such as watch a funny movie. I would still be nervous, but it was easier to control.

3) Add some entertainment value to what you're doing.

In school and often work situations, people are used to dry, boring material. The bored response of your audience will make you nervous, thinking it's you and not the material. A few jokes that relate to the topic don't hurt, and doing this often caused me to get a better grade. I found this out by accident on a project where I had to fill time, but it works! If you're afraid to try humor, an interesting or unique angle on the material will work as well. Just give it some thought.

More Tips:

• Sometimes a prop related to your material is helpful to keep in your hands as you make your way away from a podium.
• It's a little scary at first, but moving around will help you once you get used to it.
• Have some water on hand in case your mouth gets dry trying to talk. Keep it at room temperature, as cold ice water will actually make it harder to talk.
• I know it's hard, but don't hide behind your report paper or turn your back to your audience. This makes people think your disinterested.

How to Take Better Notes and Do Well on Tests

Something I figured out early on in high school and later college is that note-taking plays a major role in how well you do in a class. In this article, I'll show you a few idea that helped me and that will hopefully help you as well.

1) First, it's very important to find out how a teacher or instructor bases his or her tests.

You can find this out from other students or sometimes by asking the teacher yourself. This will save you a lot of time on studying things that won't help your grade. I enjoy learning, but at the same time I remember how time-pressured I was with multiple classes that I learned you have to be practical about these things.

2) When you get home or need to study, change your notes to fit your own personal learning style.

I'm a very visual person, so while I was in school I often drew pictures whenever possible. I could recall images better than just words on a page. You can get really creative with this, using symbols to remind you of certain words and concepts.

3) If you're more of an auditory person, buy a recorder (or an attachment for your IPod) and record the lecture.

I had a friend who did this and listened to the .mp3 files in her car during her commute to and from school. The repetition of it helped her remember the information naturally.

4) If you have a lot of hand-written notes, consider retyping them to reduce the number of pages you have to deal with.

This helped me a lot, and I considered them better than the "cheat sheets" you can buy because they're personalized to the particular class.

More Tips:

• In college, a syllabus given at the beginning of the semester may give you clues on where to focus your note-taking: on lectures, the textbook, or a combination of both.

How to Pick a College Major

When I was in college, part of me wished there was some way to major in "undecided." For many students, it's hard to make a decision in your late teens and early 20s on what direction you want to go in life. In this article, I will hopefully take some of the stress off of this and give you some ideas that will make the decision easier.

1) First, you're going to have to do some searching in yourself on what you really want out of life.

Different careers have different lifestyles, and your major does have some impact on certain jobs you'll be qualified for after graduation. For example, some careers are high income but also require more hours of your time than other careers that may have more flexibility. Giving your career goals some thought will help you finding out what you need from a formal education standpoint.

2) If you're at a point where you don't really know what you want to do (I've been there), focus on a major that will help you across many different career fields.

When you think about skills employers really want and that can also help you in self-employment (people skills, ability to communicate well, leadership ability), there are multiple majors out there that you can gain these skills and will hold your interest. I personally majored in psychology and communications, and the flexibility of both of those majors has helped me a lot. Other majors may have similar benefits.

3) This shouldn't be your main factor, but something important to consider is how long you want to be in college.

There are some majors that are structured to take 5 years now for a traditional 4-year-degree (due to the availability of required classes). If you're on a scholarship or other type of funding for 4 years, you may need to keep this in mind to keep from going into extra debt.

More Tips:

• There's nothing wrong with taking an introduction class in a major to see if you'll like it or not. I originally had no intentions of majoring in psychology, but the intro class was so much fun I decided to pursue it.
• Get as many of your "core" classes done within your first two years. It buys you more time to make a decision and gives you more flexibility as opposed to jumping into a major starting out and then changing your mind mid-way.
• Don't pick a major for the wrong reasons. Whatever you do, don't pick a major that makes you miserable. It establishes a way of thinking where you'll settle for a career that makes you miserable, and that doesn't work long-term. How much money you want to make is important, but believe me in that you can make money doing something you love because you'll put more into it than the average person.