New Year’s Resolutions
Help others, get fit, be kind, lose weight, enjoy life, drink less, spread love, find a new job, take a trip, join a gym, be happy, quit smoking, save money, find love, read more.
Goodwill accepts used household items and clothing which they then resell to fund job-training programs. Check the Yellow Pages for a location near you. Or donate money via http://www.goodwill.org.
Curator: John Kremer
Places to look for inspiration…
In the music you hear and the songs you sing
Through the lens of a camera
In a great neighborhood bookstore
In a garden where you can dig for it
Through the eyes of a friend
In the laughter of little kids
On the shelves of your local library
In the conversations around you
Via movies, TV shows, and YouTube videos
In the sound of a burbling spring
On the beach, on the street, or on the subway
In the faces of lovers and strangers
In People, Vanity Fair, Wired, Woman’s Day
On Facebook, on Twitter, on Google+
In your notebooks, junk drawers, or diaries
On a random street or highway
In the wag of a dog’s tail
Via a podcast, a webinar, or a Google Hangout
In one of your old blog posts
Through the hearts and minds of your friends
In a book, a poem, an essay, a manifesto
On the dark side of the moon
In the stillness of the night
Via the deepest inkling of your soul
Pennies for Peace brings hope and educational opportunities to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Your children can collect pennies for this effort. For more information, check out http://www.penniesforpeace.org.
Curator: John Kremer
During the December 17, 2013, episode of N.C.I.S., Abby Sciuto of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Carol Wilson of the Naval Medical Research Center called out this list of things that are infectious during the holidays . . .
optimism
joy
kindness
courtesy
charity
generosity
gratitude
selflessness
compassion
forgiveness
faith
Faith is infectious. Life isn’t always perfect, you know, but sometimes things work out for the best if you just have faith. — Abby Sciuto
Make-A-Wish Foundation helps to fulfill the wishes of seriously ill children. Join this Season of Wishes by going to http://www.wish.org/SeasonofWishes. Make-a-Wish sponsors change lives – for wish kids, for their families, and for their communities.
Curator: John Kremer
This Tip-O-Graphic reveals 18 things that high achievers do that low achievers don’t. These points are adapted from several blog posts by Amy Morin featured on Forbes.com several years ago (but which took the negative path rather than the positive path exhibited here). I much prefer the positive path I chose.
1. They move on. They don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves.
2. They keep control. They don’t give away their power.
3. They embrace change. They welcome challenges.
4. They stay happy. They don’t complain. They don’t waste energy on things they can’t control.
5. They are kind, fair, and unafraid to speak up. They don’t worry about pleasing other people.
6. They are willing to take calculated risks. They weigh the risks and benefits before taking action.
7. They invest their energy in the present. They don’t dwell on the past.
8. They accept full responsibility for their past behavior. They don’t make the same mistake over and over.
9. They celebrate other people’s success. They don’t resent that success. They also celebrate their own success.
10. They are willing to fail. They don’t give up after failing. They see every failure as a chance to improve.
11. They enjoy their time alone. They don’t fear being alone.
12. They are prepared to work and succeed on their own merits. They don’t feel the world owes them anything.
13. They have staying power. They don’t expect immediate results.
14. They evaluate their core beliefs — and modify as needed.
15. They expend their mental energy wisely. They don’t spend time on unproductive thoughts.
16. They think productively. They replace negative thoughts with productive thoughts.
17. They tolerate discomfort. They accept their feelings without being controlled by them.
18. They reflect on their progress every day. They take time to consider what they’ve achieved and where they are going.
See also . . .
100 Ways to Say Great to Support Others – http://infographicaday.com/100-ways-to-say-great-to-support-others
9 Simple Steps to Happiness – http://infographicaday.com/9-simple-steps-to-happiness-infographic
10 Signs That You Are Truly Happy — http://infographicaday.com/happiness-infographic-10-signs-that-you-are-truly-happy
10 Things You Must Give Up to Move Forward – http://infographicaday.com/10-things-you-must-give-up-to-move-forward
15 Things to Give Up If You Want to Be Happy — http://infographicaday.com/15-things-to-give-up-if-you-want-to-be-happy
20 Ways to Get What You Want – http://infographicaday.com/20-ways-to-get-what-you-want
22 Things Happy People Do Differently – http://infographicaday.com/22-things-happy-people-do-differently
click here for Celebrity Weight Loss Tips
Concern Worldwide – 100% of donations to Your Dollar Our Future go to Haiti to repair and build schools, train teachers, and provide desks, books, chairs, and learning resources. Since 1994, Concern Worldwide has been working in Haiti to transform lives through education, healthcare, small business development, and emergency response. Web: http://www.yourdollarourfuture.org.
Curator: John Kremer
Here are six quotes on life, manliness, and dreams excerpted from Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men: An Utterly Invigorating Guide to Being Your Most Masculine Self by Stephen Manfield . . .
Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul. — Thomas Merton in New Seeds of Contemplation
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. — Martin Luther King Jr. in Strength to Love
The happy life is regarded as a life in conformity with virtue. It is a life which involves effort and is not spent in amusement. — Aristotle in The Nicomachean Ethics
All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible. — T.E. Lawrence in Seven Pillars of Wisdom
In this life-long fight, to be waged by every one of us singlehanded against a host of foes, the last requisite for a good fight, the last proof and test of our courage and manfulness, must be loyalty to truth—the most rare and difficult of all human qualities. For such loyalty, as it grows in perfection, asks ever more and more of us, and sets before us a standard of manliness always rising higher and higher. — Thomas Hughes in The Manliness of Christ
Life is too short to be little. Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor. — Benjamin Disraeli in Coningsby, or The New Generation
Save the Children works to eliminate the problems that face children in the United States and the world – problems such as poverty, hunger, disease, and illiteracy. A donation of $70 provides education for one girl in Afghanistan for one year, paying for her school fees, uniforms, books, and school supplies. You can donate by going to http://www.savethechildren.org.
Curator: John Kremer
Want to know if you are really happy? Check out these 10 signs that happy people share.
1. Daily Exercise — Happy people engage in health-promoting behaviors like exercise.
2. Happy Friends — Happy friends make for happy people. Good friends are golden.
3. Smart Thrills — Happy people enjoy the things that are safe and good for them.
4. Enough Sleep — Happy people get enough sleep.
5. Self-Trust — Happy people trust themselves. They don’t live in doubt about their own judgment.
6. Live in the Now — Happy people live now. They enjoy what they are doing now. They don’t look to the past or to the future.
7. Gratitude — Happy people are thankful for what they have.
8. Bounce Back — Happy people bounce back from disappointments and euphoria.
9. Get Unplugged — Happy people turn off the television, the computer, the smartphone, the iPad, the Xbox.
10. Smile — Happy people smile more. They smile from the inside out.
See also . . .
9 Simple Steps to Happiness – http://infographicaday.com/9-simple-steps-to-happiness-infographic
10 Things You Must Give Up to Move Forward – http://infographicaday.com/10-things-you-must-give-up-to-move-forward
15 Things to Give Up If You Want to Be Happy — http://infographicaday.com/15-things-to-give-up-if-you-want-to-be-happy
22 Things Happy People Do Differently – http://infographicaday.com/22-things-happy-people-do-differently
Action Against Hunger helps to feed malnourished children around the world. They also help communities to grow their own food. They deliver aid to more than 7 million people in over 40 countries every year. Donate via http://www.actionagainsthunger.org.
Curator: John Kremer
Courtesy of Pardot, here are nine tips on how to squeeze more words (or more meaning) into your 140-character tweets.
1. Use Thsrs (http://www.ironicsans.com/thsrs) to find shorter synonyms for long words you want to use. — Click to Retweet #1
2. Don’t use the word “and.” Just substitute symbols like & or + to save 2 characters. — Click to Retweet #2
3. Get rid of unnecessary pronouns and articles, like the words “that” and “the.” — Click to Retweet #3
4. Find the best link shortener out there. Bit.ly is a good choice. — Click to Retweet #4
5. Substitute numbers for words. — Click to Retweet #5
6. Use contractions whenever possible. — Click to Retweet #6
7. Drop vowels from words as long as the word still makes sense. — Click to Retweet #7
8. Use common abbreviations. While they’re not always pretty, substituting “w/” for “with” can save you 2 characters. “Retweet” can easily become “RT,” and “by the way” is often shortened to just “btw.” — Click to Retweet #8
9. Use expanded images. A picture is worth 10,000 words. Tweets with expanded images receive 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites, and 150% more retweets than those without. — Click to Retweet #9
See also: How to Get More Retweets
Trees for Troops provides Christmas trees, decorations, and assistance for the holiday season for families who have loved ones serving in the military overseas. Donate here: http://www.treesfortroops.org.
Curator: John Kremer
TrackMaven just released a report that analyzed 1,423 Twitter accounts featuring more than a million tweets. The report reveals many of the elements that make up a successful tweet, one that is retweeted more often.
Here are the major results they discovered during their survey:
More tweets are sent out on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday than other days of the week. Tweets during the weekend are half those during the week.
Tweets on Sunday get an average of 0.168 retweets, more retweets than any other day of the week.
More tweets are sent out during the middle of the day than any other time of the day, peaking at noon Eastern time.
Retweets peak in the late evening hours with the highest percentage of retweets occurring between 10 and 11 p.m. Eastern time (0.194 retweets on average per 1,000 followers).
More hashtags result in more retweets. 5 hashtags and 11+ hashtags get the most retweets.
If you use @ mentions in your tweets, you’ll get the maximum number of retweets with 4 or 6 mentions (with a dramatic dropoff with more mentions).
You’ll get more retweets if you place a link near the end of your tweet.
Tweets with images get 3 times as many retweets as tweets without an image.
If you want retweets, ask for the retweet (not an RT).
The more exclamation marks, the more retweets, with 9 exclamation marks getting the most retweets.
ALL CAPs tweets get 4 times as many retweets as no caps tweets. Many social media experts recommend that you don’t shout (use ALL CAPS), but this result obviously suggests that ALL CAPS actually produce better results (at least in regards to the number of retweets).
And for another look at this survey, see http://bookmarketingbestsellers.com/11-proven-ways-to-get-more-retweets.
See also: 9 Ways to Cram More Words Per Tweets
Gifts That Give is a shopping site that donates $1 out of every $5 you spend to a charitable cause of your choice. Shop at http://www.giftsthatgive.com.
Curator: John Kremer