SMILE, LAUGH-IT COSTS NOTHING BUT IT’S WORTH EVERYTHING

 This may sound weird and one may be excused for thinking that this is a bit extreme.The truth is that many people lose sight of a joyful life when they fail to smile and feel they must be serious. Are you one of them? Are you feeling stressed or having stress related problems? Smile even if you don't feel like it, it costs nothing but it's worth everything.

Needless to say therefore that your health is your wealth, remember this saying "the first of all wealth is health" (Ralph Waldo Emerson). Surprisingly, people in optimum health were found to be 25 percent likely to say they were happy as compared to those in poor health. Whilst experts do concur that good health contributes to greater happiness, the converse is also true that happiness leads to good health.  Laughter, they say is the best medicine. The Healing Power of Happiness, in humour and Laughter baffle even the scientists. No wonder even the Bible says that "a merry heart is like medicine" (Holly Bible Prov17:22). When we smile a chemical reaction occurs within us that lifts the spirits, kills pain and works to improve our health. Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, a natural substance that acts like a pain killer.  Endorphins have many positive effects on the body and mind and are well known for their abilities to produce analgesic feeling and a sense of well-being. When endorphins are released, they act in lowering the blood pressure. Notably high blood pressure is a major indicator for heart disease. Endorphins boost the immune system, slow down the aging process, and reduce pain, and anxiety. They also have been found to relief symptoms associated with eating disorders as well as helping regulate the production of sex hormones. Scientists have discovered that beta-endorphins can trigger human Natural Killer cells and support the immune system against diseases and kill cancer cells.

If you want to help someone who needs to feel better, a genuine smile will truly help. Smiling is contagious. When we smile others around us are affected too! When you smile at life, Life smiles back at you. People are drawn to smiles and repelled by frowns. Smiles are infectious so Smile a lot and you will begin to draw more people to you… hence more satisfied customers if you're in a service job.

Happiest people smile often; Sounds strange but one person once said "happiness is measured by the number of smiles you make per day, every day" I do agree with them. Happiest people I suppose have a dose of smile for everyone and have something good to say about almost everybody, be one of them and you will be a happy lot. Starting to smile more certainly won't hurt you or your business!

amwalii@hotmail.com

Do What You Love and love what you do!

Ever noticed how much easier it is to write when the topic is something you love. Ever noticed how much easier it is to do something you like?

Fortunately for me I am into a bunch of things. I love to do research and try new things. Life is what you make it. Focusing on what you like doing best is enjoyable, but I like to maintain varied interests as variety keeps the mind going and avoids drudgery. Have the courage to venture into other trades. Someone once said, ‘Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has courage to lose sight of the shore’. Think of Christopher Columbus. Until he ventured away from the shoreline he could not have discovered America. Sometimes you have to let go of what you know in order to find new ways of doing things. Search for more knowledge because knowledge decreases, when it ceases to increase!
Loving what you do is a choice. From time to time, we are dealt a truckload of lemons, but it is what you do with those lemons that matters; it’s a choice. Being happy is also a choice. Choose to complain or find a way to turn that negative into a positive.
I remember sometime back, I came across the “One Month to live book”. I tend to think it might be easier to think of only having one day to live. What would I do today if I knew it was my last? Live every day to the full as though it was your last day because tomorrow in the hands of God. Life is like money “Yesterday is like a cancelled cheque, tomorrow is like a promissory note but today is like ready Cash…. Spent it wisely” Remember life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful, Life is what you make it. A bird does not sing because it is happy but because it has a song!! Sing the ‘tune of your life’ joyfully. Life is just like a sea, moving without end, nothing stays with us, what remain are just the memories of some people who touched us as Waves.
It is still a good idea to put things into “a day to live” perspective or life would be drudgery and boring!

Spending Your Time or Investing Your time?!

Today, being the first week of the year 2011, I picked up a new topic. I know what you are thinking. What has Time got to do with my business or career life? Great question! My answer is everything!

Did you know that God gives each one of us, the same number of hours per day everyday?  Have you ever wondered how in the same given number of hours, some will earn a measly 100 Dollars yet others will earn one Million Dollars a month? It doesn't matter if you are self employed or if you work for an employer, bottom-line is that we all trade our time in exchange for money. For those that work for someone else, working harder, learning more skills and becoming an asset to the company often lead to promotions and a higher salary. That equates to more money for the same amount of time isn't it?  Well, the same doesn't always hold true for the self employed.  After overcoming many start-up hiccups, and the fact that many small business go under within the first 3 years you find that  for those  that are survive, hard work pays off with increased earnings and more money for time spent working. Be they big or small, many businesses means several income streams.
It isn't about how many hours per week we work; it is about how much money we make during that time that brings all difference in our earnings across the globe. Why is this so?  Well the answer can be summarized in this phrase.  'Some people  work hard, while others not only work hard…they Work Smart' which is why when you look at the FORBES list of the richest people in the World you'll find out why that one man's bid is another man's buy!

 One day I was working on a project and got stuck. I could see in my head where I wanted to be, but I could see that the current part of the project was taking rather longer then I wanted.
My choice was either keep plugging ahead or use efforts of others. And that is exactly what I did; I chose the latter!  After a couple of head longs I decided to stop working on the problem and pay some guys to fix it. If I had the time  in the world ,it would have been alright to keep going myself ,But with my limited time I figured it would be wise to pay someone to fix it while I concentrated on other core matters. It paid off dividends.  It's the amazing to see how the power of Leverage works.

 Talking of "Leverage", the famous Scientist Archimedes once said, "Give me a lever long enough and a place on which to put it, and I shall move the world". The use of automation or tools to become more efficient is the best way to make a hard job easier. It will take a lot of man-hours to cut your lawn with scissors, but a lawn mower will make the work easier and produce better results.

The same holds true for making money in business.  Leverage is a general term used for any technique applied to multiply gains. You've heard of leverage Business tools in finance, In other words, doing things that can be re-used to produce income in multiple niches.   The concept of leverage applies also in Network Marketing.  It's a scenario whereby one uses a few resources to achieve great output results. For instance mobilizing people who have what you don't have e.g. Time, Skills, Talents, money etc works like magic. In Network Marketing ,by employing the efforts of your down lines (Your human assets) in your Networks means that a small change in revenue generated by each individual worker will result in a larger change in operating income.

When you have to do it all by yourself, you are spending Time, but when you Recruit others and teach them to do what you do to work under you, you are Investing Your Time. This is in other words to say that you are duplicating yourself through others. This is exactly what network Marketing is all about…  Yes! Duplicating yourself through others.  Research has found out that:-

"Wealth is hidden to those who have to do it all by themselves".

"Wealth exposes itself to those you are keen enough to teach others"

Obviously, you got to keep working or the Bills won't get paid. Whether you Work hard or you Work Smart, is a matter of Choice!

 amwalii@hotmail.com

GET OUT AND EXCERISE!

Remember the old saying "all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy!"  Well, one of the most overlooked things that people can do to make themselves happier, More productive in Work Places and have long stress free life is to exercise regularly!

Vigorous regular exercise is a pretty good anti-depressant, and it just helps you feel better about yourself and your life overall.  This is one of those things that exercisers know, but relatively few therapists and doctors prescribe. This is probably because therapy is supposed to be about doing something mental (or chemical) to make you feel better, and exercise is so physical. It works because the mind and the body are one inter-connected thing and not separate entities. When you exercise regularly, you tone your body and metabolism, regulates stress hormones, and promotes the release of endorphins (Substances that your body naturally releases when you exercise). Even if you don't participate in strenuous athletics, you can also try various activities to increase your body's endorphin levels. Sex is also known to be a potent trigger for endorphin release. In addition to decreased feelings of pain, secretion of endorphins leads to feelings of euphoria, modulation of appetite, release of sex hormones, and enhancement of the immune response.

The current emphasis by health experts is strongly on healthy habits and on the need to develop a healthy lifestyle - and rightly so. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Health as being in "State of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (WHO, 1946).

Research has shown Happiness and relaxation are greatly linked to exercise. Studies of reflexology and massage therapy have shown that both of these techniques can also stimulate endorphin secretion. For those busy workaholics especially those who have little or no time at all for the gym, here, the Blood Circulative massager (commonly abbreviated BCM) comes in handy. BCM is the most effective exercise device that I have ever come across and very easy to set up at Home. It is an excellent exercising device that presses all your reflex points and restores circulation of lymph  and blood as well as creating a general wellbeing, invigorates both the body and the mind. BCM has a remarkable massage effect, which relaxes the muscle and increases flexibility. BCM's effectiveness is based on the findings of years of research centered on:-

1.)Acupressure (Reflexology)

2.) Body's blood Circulation.

3.)Massage Therapy

This apparatus, a product of bio-medical engineering, is especially designed for people facing problem of high blood pressure and hypertensive headaches. BCM promotes blood circulation to remove obstruction in the channels; ample supply of blood to the body parts ensures their evident functioning. Clockwise circum-rotation makes a rapid blood circulation within the body, increasing blood supply for heart and brain, accelerating secretions and discharges, making body healthy and clean. It has been found that "Using this machine for only 15 minutes will be equivalent to 5kms of jogging" How wonderful!

So when you feel stressed, sad and under pressure then some little exercise can do the trick. With high endorphin levels, we feel less pain and fewer negative effects of stress, generate a general wellbeing and invigorate both the body and the mind. It is a natural way for the body to feel good. Be sure to exercise at regular times during the week, and you should find that you are happier as a result. When the brain relaxes it is more creative and better at problem solving!

WHY MATERIALISTIC IS TOXIC!

So, money does not buy happiness or does it? In every society, at any given point in time, there’s that general misconception that richer people are happier. There’s this notion that “what limited wealth fails to do, greater wealth will do” hence the constant striving for more. What this notion does not tell us however is about the actual relationship between money and happiness.
Money in itself does not satisfy and make one happier; it’s what you do with it that makes the difference. Money has no intrinsic value but is just an entity that stores value, and is an exchange agent. The whole point of using money is that it frees us from having to deal with some physical value scale that has nothing to do with the exchange you are really interested in. Understanding the value that it holds for you is what makes money meaningful. Take for instance, if you were given all the money in the world and taken somewhere in the middle is the Sahara desert of what purpose will the money serve?
Because people often structure their lives around money, it often defines the choices we make, and can ultimately shape the inner Person that we become. Research shows that people who put money high in their priority list are at more risk of depression, are more likely to suffer from anxiety, stress and low self-esteem according to researchers Tim Kasser and Richard Ryan. Fall in love with Life, Children, older People, Theater, Music, Books, Cities Hills, the Sea, in fact everything in the World except Money. Materialistic is toxic as research has already found out. The antidote! Keep away from obsession of money and material wealth and you’ll live a happier life. This is not in any way to say that we lose our zeal and become less aggressive in our business and career pursuits, or develop a phobia for riches….far from it. The point is, when money becomes the overriding goal in life, the more we seek satisfaction in it and material goods the less we are likely to find satisfaction there! Such a sick mental outlook may contribute to poor health, In turn poor health adds to the anxiety of the miser since it limits him from amassing greater wealth hence adds to more misery.
One wise man observed mankind and said that “we spend the better part of our lives chasing for money and material Wealth at the expense of our Health and spend the rest of our lives chasing for Health at the expense of our Wealth” How ironic! Practicing continual kindness Is a way to happiness as oppossed to being stingy and mean. Truly, research shows that happy, successful people are usually very kind, caring, honest, charitable and compassionate. Habitually Happy people are amazingly altruistic. They rarely pass up a chance to be kind when it costs them little or risks them little. They are also very proficient at protecting themselves, pursuing and achieving their goals. They are not “people-pleasers,” they do good because it makes them feel good.
Those who spent their money on others reported much greater happiness than those who spend on themselves. Many people associate giving with religion but this universal law of giving and receiving works even if you are not religious. Remember the old adage “it is better to give than to receive” something which we also find in the scriptures.
Perhaps we can take a lesson from one of the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon. In understanding what satisfaction money can bring, he wrote;- when good things increase, those eating them certainly become many . 'He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. When good things increase, they increase who eat them; so what profit have the owners except to see them with their eyes?' (Eccl 5:10)
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. My personal take is that success in material wealth is not always the best measure of happiness but rather happiness is the premier measurement of success. Someone once said “Success is measured by the number of smiles per day everyday” ….I agree with them. There are many people out there who a re bursting in affluence but deep in their hearts is misery emptiness and a sense of desperation. Health and wealth are two very important keys in our live but striking right mix of both is what is challenging. No wonder King David prayed and said “Lord, Give me neither poverty nor riches, but just enough, not too little, lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God, nor too much that I may become proud and dishonor You.” (Proverbs 30:8)...Sounds good but how much is enough? You answer that one!