Starting the New Year With a Financial Game Plan

Starting the New Year off right is important. Ninety percent of us will have the same year as last year financially and it is because of two primary things. The first reason is because we do not have a solid game plan; the second reason is because we are neither consistent nor persistent with our game plan. So how do we address these issues so we can move into the ten percent who will make a different in their new year? It starts with your game plan.

Everything should be analytical; meaning we should base our projections on how things went the previous year. Income wise, we should not say we're going to make $100,000 dollars this year if last year we brought in $10,000. That kind of jump is not realistic although there are possibilities it can happen. We must stay realistic. So based on last years net income, a realistic game plan would be to increase your income 20 to 50%. According to the $10,000 example, a 50% increase this year would be $15,000. This would certainly be more viable than the $100,000 dollar goal.

Along with the realistic goal; we need to have a game plan to meet that goal. An extra 5 grand is not going to fall into our laps, so we need to do something that is consistent with earning an extra 5 grand. We could start a home business, invest in stocks or other markets, or pick up another job.

Once we make the selection of what we want to do, we must commit to a planned schedule to get to our goal. If we picked up another job, it would be easy because we wouldn't have a job for long if we chose not to show up. So if you start a business or invest, we have to be consistent in our efforts daily.

Remember, we have the entire new year to earn an additional $5,000 dollars, so just because things do not go well in the first few months; it is not reason give up and go back to our normal living. If we do that, we'll be waiting to make a New Year financial game plan all over again in 2011. Be consistent, don't give up, stick to a firm plan and what we may notice is that if you put our heads down for the first six months and really attack our goals, we'll get it by June and have lots of extra income to parade with the rest of the year.

Set a realistic goal, write out a solid game plan, and be consistent and persistent with it and you will have an excellent year. This is how you start the New Year with a financial game plan.

Article Source: Ezine Articles- Due Daniels

How to Make 2013 the Best Year Ever

If you are reading this article than most likely you are looking to make some changes or improvements to your life during 2013. So let's fast forward to the end of 2013 for a second. I want you to think to yourself and finish the following sentence, "2013 has been the best year of my life because..." I am guessing that whatever you completed that sentence with is going to be your main goal of focus for the upcoming year. If you are having a difficult time answering why 2013 will be your best year ever, don't fret. Simply grab a piece of paper and a pencil and in 30 seconds or less write down your 3 top goals. According to entrepreneur and success expert Brian Tracy, it doesn't matter if you have 3 hours or 30 seconds to do this exercise. Your mind will guide you to your top three priorities or goals.

Now chances are that you wrote down a health or fitness goal, a financial goal, and a relationship goal. Or you wrote down some combination of the three. Maybe two goals were health related and one was financial. OK, so this is the easy part. While most people don't have a problem making goals, they do have a problem keeping them. In fact it's estimated that only 12% of New Year's resolutions are kept. That means a whopping 88% are broken. I would love to help shift the balance of those numbers and get more people to realize that they can achieve their goals.

The next step after deciding what your goals are going to be is to identify the top 3-5 actions that are going to be needed to accomplish your goals. For example, one of my goals in 2012 was to get my body fat down below 10%. I was able to reach this goal by last summer by making it a priority to complete a few specific actions that I repeated daily. First, I made an effort to work out daily for 45 minutes or more. Some days it was weights. Some days it was cardio. Other days it was yoga. But I made an effort to exercise daily. Second, I made 2 of my meals shakes so that it was easier to get the nutrients my body needed without all of the calories of a large meal. My third step was the hardest for me and that was to quit eating after 6 pm. I found that I am a late night eater and all of the effort I put in during the day was being lost by eating extra food because I was tired or bored.

The third step is to be consistent. In his bestselling book, The Compound Effect, Daren Hardy explains how momentum toward your goals is gained by repeating a few key actions daily. If you are serious about making 2013 the best year ever, your actions cannot be a "sometimes thing." There needs to be a focus that is guiding your actions. And when you repeat the actions over and over again you will begin to see positive changes.

Unfortunately, too many people give up on themselves way too soon. They have convinced themselves that there must be a quick fix solution or a magic pill out there that will get them to where they want to be. The truth is that this is not the case. As I once heard Nick Sarnicola say, "Your beliefs determine your actions. And your actions determine your results." So believe you can make 2013 the best year ever. Next take the daily actions to make 2013 the best year ever. And in 12 months look back at the year that was and enjoy the success you have achieved!

Article Source: Ezine Articles

Make A Little Buzz Moment With New Year 2013

With the New Year commencing, all of us would have ideas on what to gift our loved ones. We would not have completed the formality of gifting and would have found that the New Year 2013 has already started. Here are some useful tips which can be used while shopping. Deciding New Year gifts for our loved ones will differ from one person to another. For example while shopping for ladies looking for accessories like wallets, make up kits, phones, photo frames and mirrors can be considered.

Looking for gifts like bangles, combs, pen stands, holders also make a good option for a New Year eve. These can be found in craft bazaars for reasonable prices. Do have a check on the age of the person the gift is intended for before having the bills paid.

On the other hand, things like neck ties, shirts, pants and other clothing stuff are some of the gifts that can be given to men for New Year party. There are few men who are crazy about gadgets. So picking a latest gadget for them would easily make them happy. An iPod, headphone, CDs are some in the list that can be opted for. A recent survey shows that it is easier to decide upon the gift for women than those for men as women have a larger collection to be selected from.

If you are thinking of gifting a newly married couple, then there are New Year cruises which are promoting their package trips. Gifting tickets for such trips is also one of the other options available. It is a right choice for those who would like to enjoy their New Year in a different atmosphere.

Gifting couples who have been married for a while, with tickets for package tours also is a good way of impressing them as they definitely require a break. Taking New Year breaks will help them in regaining their forgotten memories and in enhancing the relationship. The package trips are generally organized for a week and gifting these tickets would need you to plan and inform your dear ones well in advance so that they can also arrange and plan for this trip.

If you cannot decide upon a gift then you can also think of making some gifts at home. Though this requires you to have some interest in craft making to make gifts on your own, it is very cost effective and your dear ones would love to see your hard work on the handmade item. A few items that can be handmade are personal calendar with family pictures, a diary with an embroidered name, glass vase with the person's name.

Gifting your loved ones does not require any reason or season, it makes them happy and gives them the feeling that they are being respected and remembered. This feeling will help in building and maintaining the relationship, love and affection so go ahead and give them something which will make them happy.

Reference:  Charman Goyal 

5 Easy Ways to Enjoy Your Life - Live Longer!

1. Enjoy Your Significant Other

One of the top things that correlates with people who live to be centenarians is that they were in a successful, long-term relationship that brought them happiness.

It may be easy to live with somebody that you aren’t entirely happy with when you’re both working 40 hours per week but once you retire, you really need to be able to enjoy each other. The chronic stress of a toxic relationship can literally take years off of your life, so if you want to live longer, choose carefully when picking your life mate.

2. Surround Yourself with Friends and Family

Research suggests that people who are close to their families and lead active, healthy social lives may not only live longer, but may also recover more quickly from illnesses when they do get sick. Also, having a network of people with whom you regularly enjoy spending time may strengthen your immune system as well as reduce your chances of suffering from depression and chronic anxiety.

3. Switch to a Mediterranean Diet

Italians are known for their longevity and their propensity to age well and for years, this has been attributed to the Mediterranean diet that they follow. Olive oil, a staple food, is rich in Omega 3’s which are linked to increased telomere health and reduced risk of Alzheimer’s, type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and many other conditions related to unhealthy aging.

Mediterranean diets are also rich in fruits and fresh vegetables which provide a host of age-fighting and disease preventingantioxidants, nutrients, and phytonutrients.

Red wine is another staple and the resveratrol found in the skin of red grapes has long topped the list of anti-aging products. As a matter of fact, it’s been suggested that resveratrol ingestion is singlehandedly responsible for the French Paradox. If you’d rather supplement than drink red wine, click here to find some great deals on resveratrol.

4. Maintain a Good Attitude

There’s something to be said for seeing the glass as half full. People who have a positive outlook even when things aren’t that great are much more prone to live longer and suffer from fewer illnesses.

Happy people cope with stress better than their pessimistic counterparts, and how we deal with stress plays a huge role in our health and longevity. They are also, for obvious reasons, less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, and many other types of diseases and illnesses.

5. Learn Something New

Whether you’re a puzzle connoisseur or prefer to master new physical activities such as boating or photography, learning new skills keeps your brain healthy and agile. According to recent research, people who are constantly on the hunt for new things to file in their mental card catalogs may be stimulating growth of new brain cells and keeping neural connections strong. This can help you avoid debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Final Word

There are no substitutes for following a healthy lifestyle, but living well encompasses way more than just eating good foods and working out regularly. If you truly want to live longer, think about your entire body, not just your physique.

Good mental hygiene and brain health is every bit as important as physical health and clean living so get out there, make some friends, have a glass of wine, and learn something. And don’t forget to have fun while you’re doing it!

Source: Ageying Arsenal

Natural Anti-Ageing Foods

What you choose to eat has more impact on your health and appearance than you may realize. In order to promote glowing skin and a youthful appearance, include some of these natural ant-iageing foods into your diet on a regular basis.

• Nuts
  All types of nuts are wonderful snacks and are jam-packed with the nutrients that your body needs to stay young. Nuts possess a variety of amino acids, which are used as building blocks for your body. Nuts also have an abundance of the healthy fats that keep your skin supple, vibrant, and strong.
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• Acai Berry
  The Acai berry is full of antioxidathatnts  help your cells rejuvenate, clean themselves, and form new, healthy tissue. It’s also a source of low-GI carbohydrates, which keep your blood sugar more stable.
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• Whole Grains
  Possessing none of the yuckiness that white flour possesses, whole grains keep your digestive system healthy and happy. Eat everything whole grain that you possibly can, which will help you in more ways than one. Whole grains keep your heart on a healthy rhythm and they help purify your blood. They also keep your digestive system healthy so that it can function properly.
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• Olive and Coconut Oils
  Fats are essential to maintaining firm, elastic, vibrant skin.Oilive Oil and coconut oil are the healthiest form of oils and they possess the greatest variety of healthy fats. These healthy fats are a great replacement for hydrogenated oils, butter, and margarine.
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• Tomatoes
  Tomatoes possess huge amounts of antioxidants and are packed with vitamins and minerals. Eating tomatoes will help you keep your heart, lungs, teeth, and hair happy. As an added bonus, they are low-calorie!
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• Cantaloupe
  Cantaloupe is one of two fruits to contain large amounts of potassium as well as numerous other healthy goodies like antioxidants, minerals, and even a little bit of protein.
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• Pineapple
  Pineapple has numerous positive health benefits. The juice is anti-inflammatory and the pulp is extremely fibrous which helps keep your digestive system healthy. The number of vitamins and minerals are out of this world and it’s a wonderful source of low-GI carbs.
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• Veggies
  You just can’t say enough good things about vegetables. No single one can be pointed out as “best,” because all of them are chock-full of powerful anti-ageing agents. Minerals, anti-oxidants, and vitamins abound, and the more colorful, the better.
  
  source ageing arsenal