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It used to be, back in the olden days we saw stress coming. Stress is pretty much like Indians on the horizon. Until lately, it has become unfamiliar because stress is not wrap in the usual package anymore. We don’t even know how to think about these new problems, let alone come up with the answers. Ambiguities, perfection and trying to do and have it all are taking a toll on us. These days just showing up for life can be complex and difficult. The best ways to untangle the ‘stress knot’ is to attack it one strand at a time. Here are practical ways to cope with stress. -Pray to God. -Unclutter your life -Anticipate needs and plan ahead. -Believe in yourself. -Visualize winning. -Set priorities. - Review goals and set new ones. -Get in touch with your feelings. -Know and meet your needs. -Say “No” more often. -Break down large tasks. -Delegate tasks to others. -Ask for help. -Ask for a hug. -Do things in moderation. -Consider problems as challenges. -Look at challenges as opportunities ...

We have potentially numerous times to feel bad and let down in our daily life. There are also hundreds of opportunities to feel good in a given day. When all things are going our way we feel elated , inspired, always smiling but fifteen minutes after a stressful meeting your previously joyous resolve is out the window. That is why it is wise to compartmentalize our life in minutes or seconds not days or weeks. Because our emotions can change from one moment to the next. Our emotions can prompt us to overeat, have a glass of beer to calm you down, take a drag of your favorite cigarette or any bad habits. We use our reactions to certain situations as excuses. When we received a disturbing phone call from our parents or in laws, when we drove for an hour and our appointment does not show up, we get an unexpected bill, we lose a job or our spouse’s job, our kid brings home a failing report card. These negative situations make us raid the fridge and eat that wickedly rich chocolate mousse o...

I assume anyone who reads this knows what public domain is. Yes, it’s a literary, musical, photography, motion pictures , government forms, radio broadcasts works that are not protected under U.S. copyright laws therefore own by the public. It’s usually works that are published before 1923. Those publications published between 1923 and 1973 that have copyrights but were no longer renewed are also considered public domain. Public domain is like a cash cow, many people are making money out of it. Those people who are resourceful enough and creative enough will really reap the fruits of their labor. I’d say resourceful because you have to find a public domain work and tie it up with a hot niche and creative if you can repackage it in a way the people think it’s original and will certainly buy it. It’s been kind of an insider secret when it comes to making money using public domain content. But not until now that many people are very much aware of it. Though, not too many people know about...

In this technological age of computers, high speed internet connection, cellular phones and cable television, the reading of good books is still one of the precious opportunity to expose young people. Books are of the people, by the people, for the people. Reading is not a luxury but definitely a necessity. The person who acquires the habit of intelligent reading gets more out of life, for books kindle the imagination and enrich the whole being with grace and power. Reading is the practical, shortest and most inviting way to gather knowledge that stimulates the imagination, broadens the mind, widens the horizon, gives poise, vision, depth of understanding, deeper sympathies, broader comprehension and develop a truly cultured personality. You know as well as I do, that the best-read men of past and present enjoyed an outstanding distinction over their peers. Think Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, this illustrious men of their century were all voracious readers. Read...

They say that there is no better way to judge a man’s character than to get inside and take a look at his home. It reveals his tastes, strengths and weaknesses, needs and wants, his idiosyncrasies. If a man had a lot of books that told you something about him. The titles of the books he owned told you more. And no books told you even more. We cannot keep all our personal friends in our house, they go their way and we go on ours. If we must get together and bond once or twice a month that would be great. But sometimes we don’t keep in touch with them due to work and other responsibilities for longer stretches of time. But not so with our book friends, we can keep large quantities of them in our home. A library would be a welcome addition to any household. We spend enormous amounts of money to buy concert, sports or any other form of entertainment tickets but we have to realize that these are only passing. For a price of a single ticket can buy you decent books that will give you strengt...

To put it simply, perseverance is never, never , never, never, never giving up pursuing your goal. We all have our favorite stories about people whose perseverance blazed the trail for success. One of my favorite is the story of the famous rapper now actor LL Cool J. When Todd (his real name) was about 15 years old, hip hop music was already in his system. He wrote more rhymes and music than he ever worked on his homework. By that time he went to every record stores and wrote down the labels of every rap record they had. He then sent out his demo tapes to each label- CBS, Sugar Hill, Island, Tommy Boy Electra, Profile, Enjoy etc. Two weeks later he received so many rejection letters from the record companies. He received enough letters to start a really good fire . He felt like crying but stifled his emotions. Something deep inside him, made him not give up and keep sending those tapes. He knew he was good so he persevered. One day, his mother bought him a 600 dollar drum machine to so...

Ever wonder how the likes of Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Jerry Bruckheimer spend their time? Aside from the fact that they have secretaries and personal assistants and all but can you picture how they spend their time from the moment they rub their eyes when the morning sun shines through their window until nighttime when they click off that side table lamp? Well good news for us everyday people, we have some sort of principle or system we can follow to effectively utilize our time. And maybe try to accomplish a little of what those aforementioned famous and accomplished people have achieved. It’s called the Pareto Principle. It’s a century old concept of effective time management but I think it has merits, I think it has some grain of truth in it. Basically it’s an 80-20% ratio. The small percentage or the 20% ("the vital few") produces 80% of the results, profits, share etc. The 80% (" The trivial many") does not make such an impact. Pareto Principle was origina...