Christianity
Friday 31 October 2014
Christianity
Christianity is one of the prominent religions in India. At present there are about 25 million Christians in India. It is interesting to note that the Christian population in India is more than the entire population of Australia and New Zealand or total population of a number of countries in Europe. Kerala, Goa and Mizoram states have high concentration of Christian population in India. Kerala has the largest number of Christians among the states. Christians including Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants form the third largest group in India.
Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid
Jama
Masjid of Delhi is the largest mosque in India. The Jama Masjid stands
across the road in front of the Red Fort. Built between 1644 and 1658,
Jama Masjid is one of the last architectural works of the Mughal emperor
Shah Jahan. The spacious courtyard of the Jama Masjid holds thousands of
faithful. Jama Masjid is located on a mound in the heart of the old city
and projects beautifully into the Old-Delhi skyline. Jama Masjid Mosque
was built in red sandstone and marble by more than 5000 artisans.
Originally called the Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa, or "mosque commanding
view of the world", the Jama Masjid stands at the center of the
erstwhile capital city of the Mughals, Shahjahanbad.
The Jama Masjid was completed under the supervision of Saadullah Khan,
the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan. A sum of Rs 10 lakhs was spent on the
construction of the Jama Masjid. The Jama Masjid is built on a red
sandstone porch, about 30 feet (10 m) from the level of the ground and
is about 1400 square yards (1200 m²) in extent. The Jama Masjid has
three gateways, four towers and two minarets. The gateways in the north
and south are led by a fleet of steps. The main entrance is on the
eastern side facing the red fort. It was probably used by the emperors.
The tower of the Jama Masjid is made up of five distinctive storeys.
Each one of the storeys has a projecting balcony. The adjoining edifices
are beautifully done with calligraphy.
The first three storeys of the Jama Masjid tower are made of red
sandstone and the fourth one is made of marble, while the fifth is made
of sandstone. The Jama Masjid is covered with intricate carvings and has
verses inscribed from the holy Koran. The grand Red fort (Lal Qila)
stands on the eastern side of the Jama Masjid. The main prayer hall of
the Jama Masjid is made up of high cusped arches and marble domes. The
cabinet in the north gate of the Jama Masjid contains a collection of
Muhammad's relics - the Koran written on deerskin, a red beard-hair of
the prophet, his sandals and his footprints, implanted in a marble
block.
The Jama Masjid was completed under the supervision of Saadullah Khan, the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan. A sum of Rs 10 lakhs was spent on the construction of the Jama Masjid. The Jama Masjid is built on a red sandstone porch, about 30 feet (10 m) from the level of the ground and is about 1400 square yards (1200 m²) in extent. The Jama Masjid has three gateways, four towers and two minarets. The gateways in the north and south are led by a fleet of steps. The main entrance is on the eastern side facing the red fort. It was probably used by the emperors. The tower of the Jama Masjid is made up of five distinctive storeys. Each one of the storeys has a projecting balcony. The adjoining edifices are beautifully done with calligraphy.
The first three storeys of the Jama Masjid tower are made of red sandstone and the fourth one is made of marble, while the fifth is made of sandstone. The Jama Masjid is covered with intricate carvings and has verses inscribed from the holy Koran. The grand Red fort (Lal Qila) stands on the eastern side of the Jama Masjid. The main prayer hall of the Jama Masjid is made up of high cusped arches and marble domes. The cabinet in the north gate of the Jama Masjid contains a collection of Muhammad's relics - the Koran written on deerskin, a red beard-hair of the prophet, his sandals and his footprints, implanted in a marble block.
Chase Bank Hacked,Stolen for 83 Million Accounts
Chase Bank Hacked, Info Stolen for 83 Million Accounts
Last
night, JPMorgan Chase & Co revealed the scope of a data breach that
affects 83 million households and small business accounts. There's good
news and there's bad news.
The bad news is hackers have stolen
the contact information for 76 million households-that's nearly 65% of
all US households!-and 7 million small businesses: names, addresses,
phone numbers, and email addresses. This makes this latest data breach
one of the biggest in history. The information may also include former
account holders, Reuters says, not just current ones. The good news, however, is that Chase has no evidence that passwords, account numbers, user IDs, birthdates, or Social Security numbers had been stolen. And it hasn't seen any "unusual customer fraud" since the cyber-attack happened in mid-August.
In a customer notice on its site, Chase says:
Your money at JPMorgan Chase is safe:Chase customers-current and former-should be on the lookout for any fraudulent activity on their accounts and report it as soon as possible.
- Unlike recent attacks on retailers, we have seen no unusual fraud activity related to this incident.
- Importantly, you are not liable for any unauthorized transaction on your account that you promptly alert us to.
We are very sorry that this happened and for any uncertainty this may cause you. We don't believe that you need to change your password or account information. Click here for answers to questions you might have. As always, we recommend you use care with your accounts and information, as we describe in our Security Center.
We're here to help
Attacks like these are frustrating. There are always lessons to be learned, and we will learn from this one and use that knowledge to make our defenses even stronger.
Also be extra vigilant about possible phishing schemes, since the hackers will likely try to use the personal information they stole to get you to reveal your other account info. And although Chase doesn't think you have to change your password, it's probably a good idea to do so-just make sure you choose a really secure one.
Changing World of IT
Changing World of IT
The Internet of Everything is bringing together
people, process, data, and things to make networked connections more
valuable than ever before. However, the challenges of complexity, speed,
and resiliency are likely to intensify.
Challenges and Opportunities
The proliferation of devices and applications has increased the complexity of the IT infrastructure. Critical resources are needed to maintain and troubleshoot legacy systems. It's harder to stay flexible and support innovation.Meanwhile, the Internet of Everything creates tremendous opportunity. The possibilities unleashed by connecting new things, unlocking new sources of data, combining those with people collaborating, and creating new processes are immense.
Read more about the challenges and opportunities created by the Internet of Everything.
The Changing Role of IT
Technology transitions, such as cloud, mobility, big data and the Internet of Things, not only create technical challenges for IT to address, but also challenge the role of IT in the enterprise. IT departments must show they can deliver value to the business because corporate divisions can easily sidestep IT by using cloud services.
See how companies are changing IT to demonstrate their strategic value and help their organizations benefit from the Internet of Everything.Fast IT: The New Model for IT
A new model for IT, Fast IT, transforms your IT infrastructure, making it more flexible, automated, simple, and secure. It unifies compute, storage, networking, virtualization, and management solutions in a single fabric to:
- Reduce complexity and operational costs
- Create capabilities and services that add real value to the business, while protecting investments
- Respond to threats intelligently and dynamically
Reboot Your iPhone Before Being Detained by Police to Disable Touch ID
Reboot Your iPhone Before Being Detained by Police to Disable Touch ID
The Virginia Circuit Court
ruled this week that you don't have to give up your passcode to police
if you're detained. That's great news, but apparently fingerprints are a
different story, so if you have Touch ID enabled, you could still be
forced to unlock your phone.
Basically, fingerprints don't fall under the 5th Amendment
like a passcode does, so a police officer who can't force you to unlock
your iOS device with your passcode could make you do it with your
fingerprint. The solution? If you're detained, reset your iOS device
(hold the Home and Power button for a few seconds) before you have to
hand it over. Touch ID doesn't work on the first boot. Mahesh
Hacking Computers and Networks
Six Great DIY Projects for Hacking Computers and Networks
If you're testing your hacking skills or trying to learn more about
security, your toolkit shouldn't end with your computer. If you're
willing to pick up a screwdriver, a soldering iron, or a few other
tools, there are several great DIY hacking projects that'll test your
mettle and teach you a few things about networking at the same time.
Let's take a look at some of them.
This post is part of our Evil Week
series at Lifehacker, where we look at the dark side of getting things
done. Knowing evil means knowing how to beat it, so you can use your
sinister powers for good. Want more? Check out our evil week tag page.As with all hacking and network sniffing and monitoring projects, keep in mind that these are the kinds of things you should use ethically, on your own network or networks you have permission to probe. Your company's IT department wouldn't like it much if you started sniffing around their network, and neither would everyone else at the coffee shop trying to get work done. With that out of the way, let's take a look.
Build a DIY Wi-Fi Hacking, Password Cracking, Cell Tower Spoofing Drone
Who wouldn't want their very own high-flying, Wi-Fi cracking, password stealing unmanned aerial vehicle? I certainly do, and it's easier to build than you may think. Back in 2010, a former Air Force cyber security contractor and a former Air Force engineering systems consultant trotted out the WASP, or Wireless Aerial Surveillance Platform, and proved that the government isn't the only entity that can build a drone capable of sucking down information from every network or wireless radio it's in range of. Both Forbes took a look at the drone a few years back, as did Popular Science, not to mention a ton of other outlets. The video above is the first in a two-parter with the folks at Hak5, where they chat with Mike Tassey and Richard Perkins, the creators of the WASP, and take it for a test run. From the Forbes article linked above:
The WASP, built from a retired Army target drone converted from a gasoline engine to electric batteries, is equipped with an HD camera, a cigarette-pack sized on-board Linux computer packed with network-hacking tools including the BackTrack testing toolset and a custom-built 340 million word dictionary for brute-force guessing of passwords, and eleven antennae.The WASP may be a retired Army target drone, but these days you can make your own with a step-by-step guide or DIY kit from DIY Drones. From there, it's just a matter of packing on the right radios to mount on it, and how to connect to them once the drone is in the air. Luckily, the team behind the WASP have a blog at Rabbit-Hole.org, and while it hasn't been updated in a while, they do go into detail on their build process, the equipment they used, and how to to perfect your own hacker-drone if you choose to build one.
... On top of cracking wifi networks, the upgraded WASP now also performs a new trick: impersonating the GSM cell phone towers used by AT&T and T-Mobile to trick phones into connecting to the plane's antenna rather than their carrier, allowing the drone to record conversations and text messages on a32 gigabytes of storage. A 4G T-mobile card routes the communications through voice-over-Internet or traditional phone connections to avoid dropping the call. "Ideally, the target won't even know he's being spied on," says Tassey.
Transform a Safety Flare Gun Into a Wireless Camera Launcher
If you've ever been sailing or camping, you probably have a flare gun somewhere in your gear. In worst case scenarios, it's designed to signal for help when you're lost or somewhere you can't get away from, or just to let others know your position if you know people are looking for you. Well, if you're not in the wilderness (and you don't feel like building a drone), why not turn it into a wireless camera launcher that can fire a camera 250 feet into the air and record everything as it parachutes down to the ground?
This is, of course, another project that originated from the Def Con security conference in Las Vegas. The original project was designed by an Israeli defense contractor to use a 40mm grenade launcher, but Vlad Gostom and Joshua Marpet, a pair of enterprising hardware hackers, decided to build their own using a 40mm flare gun that civilians could easily buy. The duo documented their experiences, although the first attempt didn't turn out terribly well. They've been working on it ever since (off and on), but ideally the next iteration will be a bigger success. If you're interested in DIY-ing it, they rundown all the parts you'll need (and you'll need a lot of parts and enough specific firearm-related equipment you may draw attention from your local authorities). Still, it may be worth it to build a flare gun that can map your neighborhood or be used for other cool outdoorsy projects.
Turn a Raspberry Pi Into a Pentesting Drop Box (and Disguise It In a Power Strip)
It's no secret that we love the Raspberry Pi, and it's a great platform for all sorts of things, including some awesome network hacking. In a previous Evil Week, we showed you how to turn a humble power strip into a Pi-powered packet sniffer that would look at home underneath someone's desk. That works well for stealthy purposes, like if you want to try it out and see if anyone notices that there's a network monitoring device under their desks, but if stealth isn't totally important, the Rogue Pi is a network monitor that, unlike the Pi-powered power strip, doesn't require you return periodically to pick up the data you've collected. Like we mentioned in our post, the Rogue Pi packs the radios required for you to connect to it wirelessly whenever you need to.
Even better, the Rogue Pi conducts a test when you turn it on to make sure it's connected to the network you want to probe, then creates an SSH tunnel that you can use to get to it when you need to, along with a hidden SSID and a Wi-Fi radio that lets you connect to it directly whenever you're in range. It has a laundry list of pentesting and Wi-Fi cracking tools onboard too, so once it's embedded in your target network, it can do whatever you need it to. It even has an tiny external LCD so you can power it on and configure it without whipping out a laptop. Nefarious? Absolutely-but it's also a blast to make and perfect for surreptitious surveillance of your own networks or use as a hidden access point. All the code and gear you'll need for it are listed over at the project site. If you're really enterprising, you could combine this hack with the power strip hack, and take your show on the road to Def Con.
Build an Arduino TV Annoyer
Most of these projects are aimed at network hacking and information gathering, like any good hacking project, but this one, the DIY Arduino-based TV annoyer, is strictly for fun and laughs. Put simply, this little device will turn on TVs when you want them off, and turn TVs off when you want them on. Think of it as a simple April Fool's gag, or something a little more innocuous and less aggravating than the always-classic annoy-a-tron from ThinkGeek.
Our guide (originally from Instructables) walks you through the entire build process, as well as the parts you'll need to make the whole thing happen.
Turn an Airsoft Rifle Into a 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi Sniffer with a Raspberry Pi
From the "hacking projects I probably wouldn't want to be seen carrying on the street but are still cool" department comes the Hack Rifle, an Airsoft rifle with a Raspberry Pi at its heart that's capable of picking Wi-Fi signals out of the air at long distances. It sports a high-gain directional antenna attached to the barrel, a fold-out screen to monitor the information it's capturing, and a button connected to the trigger to fire up the Wi-Fi antenna, scan for targets, select a target, and crack the target device or network.
The Hack Rifle is running Raspberry Pwn (like the Rogue Pi above), a pentesting Linux distro designed for the Pi. It's designed to be collapsable into five pieces, and has an orange tip so people don't think it's a real rifle-although even its creator acknowledges it's not that simple:
This isn't a real gun, it's an airsoft rifle. And yes, pointing anything that looks like a gun at a person or building is a terrible idea, and yes this thing will freak people out and probably get you arrested. That's why it's never been outside my apartment, has never been aimed out my windows, and has an orange tip.Follow his example if you opt to make something like this. In fact, there's little about the build that requires the rifle, although there's some allure to the idea of point, pull the trigger, and hack. Even so, there's a reason this thing hasn't seen the light of day outside of its creator's apartment, and if you want to do something similar, it should stay in yours where it's safe as well. If you opt for a diferent form factor though, you may be able to take the thing around with you-everything you need to know is over at the project site. The commentariat at Hack a Day have some thoughts on the build too (like disguising it as a hedge trimmer instead of a rifle!), and call back to an even older version that could pull Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi out of the air-and looked significantly less menacing, what with the Pringles cans on the barrel.
Turn a Nexus 7 Into a Portable Network Probing Tablet
If you're looking to build a pentesting or scanning tool that's a little less conspicuous than a huge rifle or a PC attached to some Pringles cans, the Pwn Pad may be perfect for you. The Pwn Pad is a portable pentesting tablet based on the Nexus 7 and designed by the folks at Pwnie Express, a security firm and online store packed with products for the discerning hacker. The Pwn Pad will set you back close to $1100 if you want the tablet and the rest of the gear right off the shelf (complete with support for the gear and training in how to use it all), but if you have the Nexus 7 yourself and just want the code and the radios, you can buy the accessories for less and build your own Pwn Pad at home.
Hack a Day explains you'll ned a few other components of course, including a USB OTG cable with USB Ethernet, Bluetooth, and WiFi adapters, and of course the array of open source pentesting tools included on the Pwn Pad. Rolling your own isn't too difficult if you have the right gear, or just don't want to drop the cash directly for the whole package.
Dont Trust a Website's Seal
Don't Trust a Website's Seal of Approval
Chances are you've come across "seals of approval" on web sites at some
point in your web browsing life. Whether it's a Better Business Bureau
seal, a Norton Secured Seal, or the TRUSTe Certified seal, they seem
like a good thing to watch out for. How-To Geek points out how wrong
that is.
Pretty much any seal you see on a site is just a JPG and doesn't require any work to put it there:These badges - technically called "trust seals" - are just images. Anyone could copy and paste these images and put them on any software download page. Really, we can't stress this enough. Although a seal of approval might look fancy and official, it's no different from a statement written out in text. If you saw a scammy-looking software download page that said, "This software was certified virus-free by Symantec!", would you blindly trust it? Of course not! Of course they'd say that - anyone can write that.If you want to actually verify the claim in a seal, you'll have to head over to the seal's web site and research the company in question. Otherwise, those claims mean absolutely nothing. If you've been using a computer for a long time you've probably already figured this out, but it's a good tip to add to you tech support kit. Head over to How-To Geek for some more tips on reading through those seals of approval.
Focus on Food to Be Better at Networking
Networking is an often tedious part of
career-building. There's one thing everyone has in common, though: a
need to eat. To get better at networking, focus on the food.
Social context is always important (for example, a one-on-one dinner invitation can potentially be misconstrued in certain situations), but because everyone needs to eat, you always know something you both have in common. It's an event everyone can gather around, which makes it perfect for making new connections.
Simple Ways To Improve Productivity At Work
Simple Ways To Improve Productivity At Work
Being productive at work is something that many of us often struggle with. This struggle often results in a drop in productivity at work, both in quality as well as quantity. This often causes people to spend unnecessarily long hours at work and may even result in low performance evaluations from peers and seniors. If you find yourself or any of your family member or friend in a similar situation, then know that it is time to look at the way you (or your family or friend, whosoever is in question here) work. Here we share a list of hacks that can actually help you in a situation like this.
Set weekly and daily targets
It is very important that you set your target for the week and for each day. Here, we are referring to the target you want to set in terms the actions you will take during the day and during the week to get the results (targets) which are probably set by your company.
Often, we have a tendency of not focusing on setting the target, what we need to achieve by end of the day and end of the week. Not having a definitive target can often give a sense of being directionless, which will result in low or zero motivation to do work.
In contrast, if this habit is applied we know a list of tasks and action to take during the given period. This makes us more effective in doing the work as well as keeps us motivated.
Set key morning tasks, before leaving work
It is a good habit to set the first few tasks for the next day by the end of the day before leaving for home. This helps you prepare yourself mentally for the work you are required the next day. This sets the tone for the day very well. As well as, it gives you a lot of room to let the work being processed in your mind.
Suppose for example, the first thing you have to do the next morning is to give some new ideas about a project. In this case, if you set this objective, your mind know you require ideas in the morning. The mind will thus, already start preparing itself to look for ideas.
Take breaks
It is very important to incorporate little break in your work routine. These can tea/coffee breaks or just a 5 minutes away from thinking or doing work. Taking small breaks as and when required will give your mind the time and space to refresh itself which makes it more effective to do the work, when you get back at it.
The theory behind this is that we have a given attention span, once that time passes it is difficult for us to focus and hence a short break is required. Some researches suggest that on an average, the human mind has a sustained attention span of 50 minutes to one hour. After this time passes, the mind is not able to focus on the same. Taking short breaks refreshes the mind and makes it ready to focus again.
Here taking breaks does not mean that you take a tea break after every hour of focused work time. That's not practically possible and is also not good for you. You can take some of these breaks as a tea or coffee break, some of these as spending five minutes chit chatting with a colleague, just walk to the water filter and have a few sips of water, etc. What you do in that break is your choice and it is best to include multiple things.
Deep breaths
Another life hack that can enable you increase your productivity quickly at work is taking deep breaths. Deep breaths ensure that you get enough oxygen for your body and mind. When there is plenty of oxygen the mind as well as the body is more relaxed and calm. When the mind and body are well relaxed you will be able to do your job better with the precision that is required.
So, next time you feel distracted and not able to focus on the task at hand, take five deep breaths and as you exhale your breath out tell yourself to be relaxed. You will see the immediate shift in yourself and your productivity will certainly improve.
Make it fun
Now, this one is simple and easy: Anything that we do not find interesting and find it boring and dull, we are not motivated to do that work. So either we keep postponing that or we do a bad job with it. If this has been happening to you too lately, it is time you evaluate yourself and your situation. See are being all too serious with no fun, if that is the case being productive at work will be a challenge. Look again at your situation and ask yourself how can you add some dash of fun to it. What can you do to make it more exciting, because if it is fun and exciting you will be more motivated to focus on it sub consciously as well as consciously.
Apply these simple hacks to your life and see the magical shift in your productivity at work. Beware that people will soon start coming and asking tips from you to stay productive.
Keep a "Top 3" To-Do List to Keep Your Momentum Up
Keep a "Top 3" To-Do List to Keep Your Momentum Up
Your to-do list probably fills up pretty quickly.
When the things on your list get overwhelming, motivation starts to
drop. Combat this by picking the three most important items and giving
them their own, top priority list.
Managing your to-do list is a
practical problem. Keeping your motivation up, however, is a
psychological problem. Breaking down your to-do list into the three most
important things you need to do that day not only helps keep your list
from becoming overwhelming, but it also naturally causes you to get the
most important things done. As personal finance blog The College
Investor explains:If you're looking to build momentum, stick to no more than three activities to focus on. This will help you keep your goals attainable, and not let you get burned out. A long list is daunting and impractical...The original post focuses on how this applies to budgeting, but it can work anywhere. Whether you're trying to get a handle on your workday, planning a new project, or preparing for a trip, focusing on the three most important things will give you enough momentum to get started. Then you can come back for the rest.
For example, if you're going to pay down debt, keep it simple:
Start small. Once you've mastered that routine, you can re-make a new list with different items to help you get to your goals.
- Create a Budget Template
- Identify $50 You Can Commit To Your Debt
- Make Your Debt Payment
Three Negative Voices That Block Success
Three Negative Voices That Block Success
Success is something that everyone wants, but many struggle to
achieve that. More often than not, it is a part within us that actually
stops us from being successful. Unfortunately, very few are aware of
this, and thus, they blame external circumstances. Often there are three
such characteristics/personality traits (or voices, as we like to call)
that might be holding you back.
Type: Mr. Fearful
Favorite Dialogue: "This is how it can go wrong"
Favorite Dialogue: "This is how it can go wrong"
This
is the most dangerous part of you, and if you have this trait, success
will keep running away from you. This personality within us is a sucker
for what all can go wrong. It feeds on fear and causes us to focus all
our energy on why things will not work and how everything in the world
is working to ensure that we fail. As we start listening to this part of
us, we fail to focus on doing things that can lead us to success. We
become fearful and avoid doing things lest we may fail at them.
Clearly,
listening to Mr. Fearful takes our focus away from the task at hand.
Thus, we end up doing it badly or even worse, we are not able to do it
at all.
Type: Mr. Complainer
Favorite Dialogue: "Oh, I am in this situation. What Can I do, poor me!"
Favorite Dialogue: "Oh, I am in this situation. What Can I do, poor me!"
This
is one voice we all have had at some point or the other. Often, we find
people describing at length how bad their situation is. How everything
around harms them, how people are bad to them, how the current job is
not paying well, how the spouse doesn't listen to them, how they don't
have enough money, blah blah. This entire rant is the voice of Mr.
Complainer within people who believe in just pointing out how bad the
situation is and how nothing is working. This personality stops us from
looking at improving our situation. The more we listen to the Mr.
Complainer within us, the more we feel trapped in our current situation
and don't do anything to change it. Certainly, success will stay at bay
if we heed to the Mr. Complainer in us.
The
best example of this is seen at workplace, where there are people who
are always complaining about the workload, the long hours, the bad pay,
bad profile, etc. But they never pause and review the situation and look
at possible solutions like sharing the workload, talking to the boss,
changing the job, working independently, etc.
Type: Mr. Fault Finder
Favorite Dialogue: "Oh, you did this wrong. The book is kept on the wrong shelf. She brought the wrong milk."
Favorite Dialogue: "Oh, you did this wrong. The book is kept on the wrong shelf. She brought the wrong milk."
Mother-in-laws
are accused of displaying this personality quite often, but there is a
Mr. Fault Finder in all of us. This trait focuses all the energy on
pointing out mistakes or what has been done the wrong way. Mr. Fault
Finder is like the cousin of Mr. Fearful who focuses on the wrongs in
the present, while Mr. Fearful focuses on the wrongs of the future.
If
we listen to this Mr. Fault Finder within us, we will be spending all
our time on listing what all mistakes people around us have made and
there will be no time and energy left to do the things we need to do.
The solution
Listening
to one or more of these three voices will just create negativity around
us, stopping and blocking our success and achievements. Now the
question is what do we do if we have one or more of these voices getting
louder in us? The best thing one can do is to not heed to Mr. Fearful,
Mr. Fault Finder and Mr. Complainer. Even better, make them meet Mr.
Doer within you, who focuses on doing things without wondering too much
about what can go wrong, what mistakes have been made or how bad is the
current situation. Only when we focus our attention, energy, time and
efforts on doing things that there will be a possibility of succeeding
or not at them. So, focus and listen to Mr. Doer in you and let the
results follow. Soon success will come chasing you.
10 First Date Blunders To Steer Clear Of
10 First Date Blunders To Steer Clear Of
Meeting someone for the first time can be a pretty stressful premise,
especially if it's a date. First dates are quite like a job interview,
where it's all about making a good first impression. Nerves can get the
better of you, and you could end up making a few irrespirable blunders
that might compromise the possibility of a second date. But if you know
what first date faux-pas to avoid, you might be able to hit a home run.
Here are 10 of the most common first date blunders that you should steer
clear of.
1. Constantly talking yourself up
Your date might not necessarily be interested in how world rotates
solely around you. While it is great to share your achievements and
interests, avoid constantly talking yourself up. You may come across as a
pompous windbag who is completely full of themselves. On your first
date, keep the conversation flowing and give your date some room to
share something about themselves too.
2. TMI
There is a difference between being honest and transparent on your
date, and giving away too much information. There is a time and place
for everything, and first dates aren't really the time or the place to
discuss your sordid past, if you have one. It might make the
conversation uncomfortable, and you might end up scaring your date off.
Keep the conversation casual, light and fun.
3. Interrupting and not listening
It is extremely offensive to interrupt someone who is talking to you
about something. It shows that you aren't particularly interested in
what they have to say. Ask intelligent questions and listen intently to
what your date has to say.
4. Dressing sloppily
It is a huge turn off if you meet someone for the first time, and they
look unkempt and unruly. This doesn't mean that you have to pull out
your tuxedo or ball gown for your first date, but grooming yourself well
is extremely important. See that your clothes are ironed, your breath
smells good, your fingernails are well manicured, and that you don't
have body odor. A good dresser comes across as someone who is secure and
confident.
5. Being too cool for school
You're not a peacock so stop strutting about the place and acting like
your date is lucky to be sitting with you. That doesn't mean that you
should act incredibly needy either. Be warm, genuine and interested.
That will make you more interesting than pretending to be cool.
6. Being overly flirtatious
Some light harmless flirtation never hurt anyone, but it is important
that you keep it light, lest you make your date feel uncomfortable. The
first date isn't the time or place to be talking about anything overly
sexual.
7. Going to a place where you can't have a conversation
The venue you choose for your first date is as important as the rest of
the things mentioned on this list. If you go to a club, you probably
aren't going to be able to have a conversation with your date, and will
just end up standing around awkwardly staring at each other and swaying
to the music. Similarly, if you are planning dinner and a movie, see
that the dinner happens before the movie. That way you can at least have
a conversation before you sit silently together for two hours.
8. Being fake
Your first date is the time to establish whether you and your date are
compatible with each other. If you are fake and aren't being yourself,
how will you possibly find that out? Don't put on act and be someone you
are not. You won't be able to keep up that charade for too long.
9. Getting friends to tag along
There may be safety in numbers, but definitely not where first dates
are concerned. Meeting or hanging out with friends should be reserved
for the second or third date. The first date is to get to know only each
other; and not have any other distractions in the way.
10. Talking about meeting the parents and what you will name your kids
Conversation topics such as these are enough to send anyone running for
the hills! If you are on a first date with someone, chances are that
you have just met this person. You are on a date to establish whether or
not you might want to pursue them romantically. Jumping the gun on
meeting their parents and which pre-school you want to send your kids to
are loaded topics that should never be broached upon. Taking for
granted that this is Mr or Miss Right, and all details leading up to
your retirement must be planned is going too far and will definitely
scare them away for good. Your conversation should be casual and not
related to commitment of any sort.
Norbert Finds and Verifies People's Email Addresses
Norbert Finds and Verifies People's Email Addresses
With Norbert, you can find someone's email address
by simply typing in their first name, last name, and the domain name
where you think they work.
Norbert offers a simple interface, and you don't need to install a plugin to use it. The second you search for someone and turn up an address, Norbert checks the mail host to confirm that the address exists. Norbert is also compatible with Gmail addresses, but I'd suggest pairing it with Rapportive to confirm an identity before reaching out.
Despite its strengths, Norbert also has its own drawbacks. Although Norbert tests and pings mail hosts, it doesn't yet check for catchall addresses. Some domains will return false positives. Also, Norbert limits users' queries because the creators fear some SMTP servers may block the service if Norbert pings them too frequently. These quotas are reset every day.
If you're not performing dozens of searches daily, Norbert helps you quickly discover email addresses. Check it out at the link below.
This Is How You Can Get People To Listen To You
This Is How You Can Get People To Listen To You
There must have been times when you told someone that you wanted to tell
them something and expected an excitement but all you got was a
lukewarm response.
Hurts, doesn't it?
Well, fret no
more because the trick that you are going to read in the next few lines
would surely make people more interested in anything and everything that
you want to tell them.
When you decide to pull this trick over
someone, start the conversation by saying, "Okay, I really shouldn't be
telling you this, but do you know...?"
Once you say that, anyone who is in the range of listening would automatically get interested in the conversation.
Manipulative but easy, right?
Even if what you are going to tell is not a secret, you have got what
you wanted, a stronger reaction to your desire to tell something. But be
sure, this trick can't be pulled on a same person again and again.
People are not that dumb, right?
5 Rules From Childhood That Boost Creativity
5 Rules From Childhood That Boost Creativity
We will all agree that creativity matters a lot in our life, even more as we become an adult. If we look back at days when we were young, we realize that our approach to life and our perspective to look at things were totally different than what we have as an adult. Our approach to the world was unfiltered and that's what made us extremely creative. Clearly, there is a lot to learn from our younger days especially when it comes to creativity. This articles explores 5 rules from our childhood that will boost creativity as an adult.
Playtime
When
we were young, playtime was a crucial part of our daily routine. It was
the time when we just had fun without a reason and did what made us
happy. When we play our mind is completely of the tasks and chores that
we have to do and that's what exactly is needed to inspire out-of-box
ideas from the creative side of your mind.
So,
no matter how busy your schedule is, make some play time for yourself
on a weekly basis if not daily. Let your mind have some fun and see how
that lets your creative juices flow later.
Do things for fun
Another
very important thing that we did as a child is doing things for the fun
of doing them, and not obsessing about the results. Remember when you
were playing hide and seek with your friends, finding all hiders was not
your key focus, but playing the game was. Another example is when you
were given projects at school as a child. Remember how doing that
project excited you and how you will look for ways to do it, without
focusing too much about being the best or making the best project. That
approach gave you a lot of freedom and space to experiment and that's
what inspired creativity. Follow the same rule as you take on projects
in life as an adult. Focus on the project, focus on how you would like
to do it in a way that you will enjoy and the result will automatically
follow.
Ask Questions
Remember
how as a child how you were always fascinated with the little wonders
of the world and life. Curiosity was the fuel of life and asking
questions was never shied away from. As we grew older, that innocent
curiosity was taken over by fear of being mocked upon not knowing things
and we stopped asking questions. Most of our questions as an adults are
expression of doubts than a curious exploration.
When
you look at the world with wonder and curiosity, and ask questions to
find out more, new thoughts and ideas will flow giving a boost to your
creative nerves.
Let your mind wander
Fantasizing
and mind wandering use to be a favorite pastime for us in childhood.
Our dreams and imagination was creative and knew no limits. Nothing was
off limit or impractical and that's what led us to find creative ways of
doing things. As an adult, we have stopped indulging in fantasies and
everything is all about what is practical and possible. That approach is
a quite creativity killer. If you want to tap into your creative side
as an adult, go wear your fantasy caps again and let your mind wander.
Be open
As
a child, what we knew was never a limitation for us to what else the
world has to offer. But as an adult, we are always looking for proofs to
believe in anyone or anything. If the proof is not there we say those
things don't exist. As a child we were much more open and if we could
not see a proof to something, it meant that it is possible and we would
go on exploring those possibilities. As an adult, we lose that openness
and limit ourselves by what we know.
Imagine
if our scientists and discoverers would have done the same thing, we
could have never had inventions like electricity, telephone, television,
and so on. Don't limit yourself with your knowledge, be open, and see
how creativity will flow to you and take you places.Follow These 5 Tips If You Want To Be Positive
Follow These 5 Tips If You Want To Be Positive
However, to live life the way it is meant to be lived, you need to be positive. Given below are seven tips using which you can be and stay positive.
1. Meditation is proven to have positive effects in your life. Start meditation now if you don't already do it and start feeling the changes it brings to life. It will not only bring positivity, but would also make you more peaceful with your life.
2. Use the power of visualization. Picture every good thing that you want to have, every good situation that you want to be in. Human brain is very effective in visualizations. After some efforts, you would learn to think of good things and experience them as per your wishes. You would, more often than not, find yourself smiling at mere thoughts and would find a way to be positive again.
3. Indulge in one hobby that makes you happy. If you can take on this hobby as your career, well and good but if not, this should not stop you from following your passion. When you do what you love, you are happy and when you are happy, you are positive, which is the right way to live.
4. Say thanks for anything and everything. One good start of doing so can be the perfect expression of gratitude for every good thing that you have in life. When you start to acknowledge and appreciate everything, you would find yourself in the shadow of a new positivity, which would bring you smiles and happiness.
5. Be surrounded with positive thoughts. While it is not in your control to choose the people you are surrounded with, you can still take a step to ensure that you have inspiring quotes around you. At your workstation, on your social media accounts, as your cell phone wallpapers, there are a lot of places from where good thoughts can enter your life.
The New Best Day to Book a Flight Is Sunday
The New Best Day to Book a Flight Is Sunday
Sunday is the new Tuesday when it comes to getting the best deal on plane tickets, a new study reveals.
Airlines
Reporting Corporation (ARC), which is responsible for half of all
tickets sold, crunched the data on domestic and international ticket
sales between January 2013 through July 2014. It found that average
ticket prices were lowest on Sunday, challenging previous advice to
start shopping for tickets on Tuesdayor get out your credit card on
Wednesday at 1am.Here's their chart (domestic prices on the left, international on the right):
The Wall Street Journal theorizes that prices are lowest on the weekend because airline executives come into work on Monday thinking about hiking up the fares rather than discounting them. Als
The lower Sunday and Saturday prices also result from the ability social media has given airlines to throw discounts in front of consumers at any time. That turns vacation shoppers surfing the Web on weekends into ticketed passengers without discounting tickets business travelers might buy while at work. And the findings reflect the lack of corporate sales over the weekend, since business travelers typically fly on more expensive tickets than vacation buyers.
Despite these findings, however, you might still want to check on Tuesdays, because if the airline is going to offer a discount to sell more seats, Tuesday is the most likely day that'll happen:
Airline pricing executives say the historic pattern has been for airlines to add up sales over the weekend and decide on Monday whether to stimulate purchases with discounts they tout in ads in Tuesday's newspapers.
If you book on Sunday and the price drops on Tuesday (or vice versa), you might be able to get a refund. Either way, these are the two days to keep an eye on if you're planning on flying. ARC's data also confirmed that the booking about 7-8 weeks before your flight is the best for the lowest fares.
This Diagram Shows How Restaurant Menus Play Tricks on Your Mind
This Diagram Shows How Restaurant Menus Play Tricks on Your Mind
You may be pledging to eat healthier, but chances are that restaurant down the street has different plans.
Restaurants know exactly how to trick your mind into eating the items
that make them the most money, rather than the item you may actually
want.
Hover over the image and click "Expand" to see the full resolution version.
Researchers at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab analyzed 217 menus at over 300 diners and published their findings in the International Journal of Hospitality Management. As you'd expect, bold or colored text, separate boxes, and the spatial layout of the menu can make a big difference. They also found that items with more descriptive items-like "Succulent Italian Seafood Filet" instead of "Seafood Filet"-sold significantly more, even when it was the exact same recipe.
None of this is particularly new-in fact, we've talked about it once before. But the diagram (however crudely drawn) organizes everything nicely, so if you're more of a visual learner, it's worth looking at. Also useful is their advice for overcoming these tricks: ask the waiter or waitress what the most-complimented "healthy" item is.
They explain:
Avoid Menu Traps
Hit the link for more information on the study.
Slim by design: Menu strategies for promoting high-margin, healthy foods | International Journal of Hospitality Management via Cornell University
Need Longer Hair? Do These Yoga Poses
Need Longer Hair? Do These Yoga Poses
Gone are the days when everyone had long and healthy hair. With the
increasing level of
competition giving us all so much of stress, it is
difficult if not impossible for us to have healthy hair.
Well as usual, we can find a solution in Yoga. Given below are some yoga poses that you can do to get healthier and happier hair.
Strategies for Cultivating a Mindset of Financial Independence
Strategies for Cultivating a Mindset of Financial Independence
As I've stated many times, Sarah and I have a
central goal of financial independence at the earliest possible age.
Financial independence, to us, means that the requirement of money in
exchange for our work becomes entirely optional, leaving us to choose
options for our work based entirely on our own skills and personal joy.
Considering our twenties were disastrous from a financial standpoint,
we're aiming to be able to achieve this goal in our mid-forties or so - a
decade down the road, if all goes well.
This post originally appeared at The Simple Dollar.The biggest challenge of adopting such an enormous goal is that the only way to actually achieve it is to change your mindset. That enormous goal needs to underline how you look at the world and the decisions you make.
That can be a difficult transition. When you commit to saving a major portion of your household income each year, you're choosing to live in a way that's likely significantly different than how you were raised and also significantly different than how the vast majority of Americans live.
You have to think a little differently - and the only way to do that is to cultivate a different mindset.
Over the last several years, I've spent an awful lot of my time cultivating that mindset - unintentionally at first, and then, eventually, with full intention. I've read mountains of books on self-improvement, personal finance, and psychology. In the end, I've found a handful of practices that really work well in terms of cultivating that kind of mindset.
What Do You Want Most from Your Life?
Every single day, I spend at least a few minutes thinking about what I want from my life. By that, I don't just mean the rest of the day or tomorrow or the weekend. I think about things like what my children will tell my grandchildren about me or what might be said in my eulogy or the sum total of people I've positively impacted during my time on this earth.
Those are big, weighty things and they can be hard to really think about. So much of our future is shrouded in a mist of uncertainty. We often don't know exactly what our life will be like tomorrow, let alone in five years or in twenty.
What we can think about are principles. When someone describes you in a single sentence at the end of your life, how will they describe you? When you leave this world, will you have left a positive impact on a lot of lives? How will you achieve those things?
When you spend your time thinking about the short term - today, tomorrow, this weekend - it becomes a lot easier to justify expenses. This weekend might be a lot cooler or better if I bought this item or went on this trip.
When you spend your time thinking about the long term - your big objectives over the rest of your life - those expenses start seeming a lot less meaningful. Does a new dress for the party this weekend really matter very much? What really matters is the relationships you build there - and if those relationships don't matter, why go?
How Do Your Daily Choices Work Toward That Life?
Still, I'm human. When I'm already in the mindset of thinking about the big patterns in my life, I can't help but want to relate them to those short-term things - today, tomorrow, this weekend. Sometimes, they can seem unrelated.
What I try to do is think through things that happened in the last few days and the things I intend to do in the near future with those big ideals in mind. I'm going to the store tomorrow. How will my choices there affect those bigger life goals?
I often walk through interactions I've had and have and purchasing decisions I have made and will make while trying to keep those big things in mind. I'll walk through a social interaction I had. Did I actually cultivate a relationship there? If not, why not? I'll walk through that upcoming trip to the store. What kinds of foods should I buy for my long-term goals? (Healthy ones, ideally at a low cost.) Should I spend my money on incidental things? (No.)
A lot of people do these kinds of mental walkthroughs - I know I've always done it, even when I was little. The difference is that I try to shadow those walkthroughs with my lifelong goals. I don't think about momentary or short-term pleasures when I'm doing this. I try to think about nothing but the long term and how the situation I'm thinking through helps me with my life goals.
Naturally, I don't always do everything in terms of the long term, but by thinking through these situations, I make a lot more choices and handle a lot more interactions with the eye toward the long term than I once did.
Learn How to Separate Needs and Wants
The vast, vast majority of things in our lives are wants. Because we're accustomed to an affluent life, we've come to believe that an awful lot of things in our lives are needs because we've become so used to having a want fulfilled.
When you step back and look at how many wants are fulfilled in our day-to-day lives, it's impossible not to feel incredibly blessed.
I really like how Jacob Lund Fisker explains this concept in his book Early Retirement Extreme, which I discussed recently. Here's what he has to say:
Consider, for example, shelter. Here the list of choices may look like this:I have family members and friends who have lived at level three and four on this list and they're perfectly functional, wonderful people. I live somewhere around level seventeen. The difference between the two is just the fulfillment of a lot of wants.
1. Sleeping under open air.
2. Sleeping under a tarp, bascha, or hootchie.
3. Living in a tent.
4. Couch surfing.
5. Living in a shack or a cabin.
6. Living in a ship cabin or a truck cab.
7. Living in a car or a boat.
8. Living in an RV.
9. Sharing a room with other people.
10. Having your own room.
11. Sharing an apartment with other people.
12. Having your own apartment.
13. Sharing a home with other people.
14. ...
On this scale there is no demarcation of when a need becomes a want. Each step is slightly different and slightly more expensive than the previous step, with no indication of what the bare minimum is, other than having a place to sleep.
Now, I'm not advocating that people live in tents like hermits. That's not the point. The point is that if you stop and reflect on your life from this perspective, you begin to see the huge number of wants we have fulfilled on a daily basis and how truly rich and wonderful our lives really are.
I have so much. I have a wonderful big house to live in that is shared only with people I dearly love. Why would I want more? I have a dresser full of well-fitting clothes that look reasonably good on me. Why would I want more? I have more board games that I'll likely ever be able to play to the point that they're "boring" or "routine." The same is probably true for books. I eat amazing meals multiple times a day.
My life is amazing. Why do I need to keep throwing money at more and more and more wants?
Spend some time each day reflecting on all of the things that you have in your life that fulfill wants. Make some lists like that list of housing options. Consider the line where you personally differentiate between "need" and "want" and then reflect on where you find yourself. You have so much.
Whenever I think through this, I begin to realize how much money I spend on pure wants that don't really add anything significant to my life. If I spend money, it either needs to take care of a basic need, take care of someone else I care about, or extend some core value of my life. If I'm not doing one of those three things, the expense feels pretty empty.
Separate Your Desires from the Desires of Others
The most powerful trick that advertisers and marketers use is that they mess with the line between want and need. They pull in peer pressure, the need for self-actualization, the need for love and to be loved, and many other things and use those to convince us that some thing is a need - or much closer to it than you might have thought. They actively try to alter your desires to match what they want, in other words. This doesn't just happen in advertisements; it occurs in "news" stories, product placements within other programs, and countless other ways.
In a less pernicious way, the people around you do the same thing. When you see someone else feeling pride or happiness, it's a normal human reaction to want to feel those things as well. When you see what has triggered those feelings, it's a normal human reaction to desire whatever it is that triggered those feelings. We want to "keep up" with them. We want to feel good like they do. We may even want to "beat" them in some fashion.
The end result of both of these things is an alteration of our own desires. We suddenly desire something we didn't desire before. A very minor desire is suddenly amplified into a much bigger one. A nonexistent desire can suddenly bubble into something you must have or must experience.
There are a lot of ways to deal with this and I'm going to mention a few more below, but one very useful strategy is to simply think about your current strong "wants" and ask yourself why you want them. Think about the one or two things you want most right now and ask why you want those items. Then go further - what about that item do you not want? The price tag? Some attribute of the item?
The more you do this, the more you get in tune with what you personally want, separate from others. Often, that list of wants is much smaller, meaning you're less likely to spend money and time on things that aren't deeply meaningful to you, and much clearer, meaning the things you do spend money on will have deeper meaning to you.
Research All of Your Purchases
Whenever you make a major purchase - and I define "major" as anything over $20 or so - it's well worth spending time in advance of the purchase researching that purchase.
No matter what the purchase is, I'll try to learn more about the specific product I'm buying as well as any significant competitors. I'll look for multiple comparative reviews that puts the various options side by side and runs them through their paces. Once I'm sure of the one or two or three options I'd be willing to buy, I spend time shopping around for the best price I can find both online and offline.
This can be a rabbit hole of time, of course. I usually break it up over several short sessions. I'll find some comparative reviews and read them during one session. I'll find some more during another one. In between, I'll think about what exactly I want from the item. I'll then spend a session or two shopping around for that item, often adding it to price-tracking tools like CamelCamelCamel.
Why? If I'm going to spend my money on something, I want to get something worthwhile for that money. I want something I'll actually use. I want something that will actually last. I want something that is going to provide an excellent experience for the price.
I even advocating researching small, regular purchases. It's well worth spending some time reading magazines like Consumer Reports and knowing what their "best buy" recommendations are for your common purchases, from paper towels to garbage bags and everything else.
Taking this effort ensures that when you spend money on non-spontaneous stuff, you're getting good stuff at a good price. This should be a completely natural thing, too.
Take Your Time and Be Patient
It is really, really easy to get impatient in life, today more than ever. With so much information available at a click of the mouse, it's easy to get frustrated when the answers we want aren't present immediately. It's easy to get frustrated when the changes we want don't happen incredibly quickly.Financial independence uses a mindset that is almost entirely the opposite of that. Financial independence is all about the long term. It's about patience. It's about taking your time. It's about being willing to move slowly toward something big that really matters instead of moving quickly toward something small that doesn't matter as much.
There are countless specific practices you can use to improve your patience. Active listening is one. Note-taking is another (and I'll hit on that one again in a minute). Forcing yourself to slow down is yet another one. Different practices seem to work well for different people.
In the end, your focus should be on doing things well more than doing things quickly. Naturally, that's not always an option, especially in professional situations, but you should strive to do that again and again at every opportunity in your life.
For example, in conversation, instead of just rushing from your point to your next point, actively listen to the other person and respond to what they're saying instead of just pushing your ideas out there. It takes longer, but it makes for a better conversation and a much deeper connection.
When you're repairing a toilet, take the time to make sure everything is well connected and cleaned up well. It takes longer, but the repair will last far longer and the bathroom will look better, too.
When you're doing the dishes, take the time to load the dishwasher properly. It takes longer, but the dishes will wind up cleaner and you'll also spend less time later reloading the dishwasher.
Practicing patience in the little things in life like this ends up gradually cultivating patience in other areas of life. As with the other steps in this article, it's not an immediate transformation, but every step in a more patient direction makes achieving financial independence just a little bit easier.
Educate Yourself Daily
Spend at least a little time each day learning something new about the world on a deeper level than a tweet or a news article. This practice is beneficial in several ways.
One, it teaches you something new about the world. That in itself is a good thing. No matter what you learn, you improve your understanding of the world around you.
Two, it gives you material to draw upon when you're trying to understand other topics. Our world is interconnected in so many ways. The more you understand about a variety of things in our world, the easier it is to understand other things as they're presented to you. You can make sense of things much easier.
Three, it forces you to think. To understand a new idea requires you to use your mind in a powerful way. Your mind is like a muscle in that the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Learning something new is much like a powerful workout at the gym, except that it is your mind that is growing. It becomes much easier to learn other things if you're familiar with the practice of learning.
Four, it can open up new avenues for earning money. Whenever you learn a new skill or become more proficient in a certain area, you become more likely to be able to capitalize on that skill or knowledge. At the very least, it can help you keep the expense of specialists at bay.
Finally, it can open up new avenues of personal interest. Areas that previously seemed dull can gradually be illuminated and become exciting to you as you learn. I've found myself taking on a serious interest in many things that I would have scoffed at earlier on in my life.
Personally, I spend some time each day (usually) reading an article or a section of a book that is either a factual presentation of something I don't know much about (and would like to know) or presents a perspective on an issue that's different than what I think or what I'm normally exposed to. I try to take notes on that article or book section as I read because I've found that I recall things much better if I write them down with my own hand.
I usually try to spend some time at least a few times a week on learning a new skill. I'll figure out how to repair something or how to install a level shelf or how to play a musical instrument.
This process enriches my life in many dimensions. I'm much more willing to do things for myself. I'm much more willing to explore the world around me. I'm much more willing to try things outside of my comfort zone. All of those things point in the direction of financial independence.
Maximize Appreciation of the Free Things in Life
For me, this seemed to naturally evolve from some of the other practices on this list, particularly when I took on the practice of learning new things and new skills every day and when I started seriously examining the line between needs and wants and realizing how much bounty my life contained.
It doesn't cost me a thing to experience the warmth of sun on my neck or the touch of coolness that comes from the breeze.
It doesn't cost me a thing to go exploring in the woods and finding interesting things, like an ancient graveyard or an old house or a pond.
It doesn't cost me a thing to do a bunch of bodyweight exercises and feel the endorphins rushing through my system.
It doesn't cost me a thing to meditate or to pray and lose myself in the power of the moment.
It doesn't cost me a thing to pull out an old board game from my shelf and play it or to pull out an old book from my shelf and read it. It doesn't cost me a thing to check out a book from the library, either.
It doesn't cost me a thing to start a collection of rocks I've found or of birds I've seen or of geocaches I've located or of mushrooms I've spotted.
It doesn't cost me a thing to kiss my wife or hold my youngest son or make my daughter laugh that wonderful laugh that she has.
The more I engage in all of those things, the more I realize how much beauty and depth and joy they contain and how much they bring to my life.
It leaves me wondering why I spend money on so many of the things that I do. And that leaves me spending a lot less money. And that leads, unsurprisingly, to achieving a lot of financial goals.
Build Reinforcing Relationships
When you think about the other elements of this article, ask yourself this: is this how the other people in your life think and behave?
Do the people around you actively listen to you when you talk to them? Do they spend their time trying to learn new things? Are they careful about their purchases? Do they like to engage in things that don't cost money, whether they're with you or in other situations?
People like that already have most of the elements of a mindset of financial independence. It's present from their behavior.
If you wish to cultivate a similar mindset, those are the people you should be spending time with and building a strong relationship with.
Why? The people you spend time with rub off on you. Many of their habits and interests and quirks integrate themselves into your own life. If a friend of yours spends a lot of time on a hobby, chances are that you'll at the very least be more aware of that hobby. If a friend of yours practices certain daily rituals, the chances are greater that they'll seem normal and inviting to you as well.
Evaluate the people in your life and see whether or not they are living lives that point toward financial independence and personal growth. When you find people that are, make an extra effort to build a stronger relationship with those people.
Doing so will give you friends who listen, friends who won't encourage you to spend money on needless things all the time, and friends who will often have valuable insights into all kinds of things in life. Their behavior will rub off, too.
Final Thoughts
Financial independence is most successful when it's not something you hold at a distance in your life. Instead, it becomes integrated into everything you do, becoming a part of your day-to-day choices even when those choices seem to have little to do with money.It's not an on-and-off switch, either. It's a gradual process. No one should drop all of their friends, change all of their hobbies, and completely alter their time use all at once - that's not healthy.
Instead, draw on these steps little by little throughout your life. Bookmark this page (or save this email) and look at it regularly. When it comes into your mind, try some of these practices. Be patient with a purchase. Learn something new today... and then again tomorrow. Call up a friend who exhibits some good financial independence traits and invite them over for dinner. Go for a walk in the woods and appreciate the beauty around you.
All of these steps build on themselves and reinforce each other, gradually changing how you see the world.
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