Discover Your Bliss

Secret stress reliever

To say I was a bit stressed and challenged with a recent situation might have been an understatement. 

I thought I'd share my quick-fix solution with you in hopes that it might support someone in cutting some much-needed stress from your life.

Ready?  Here's the secret...thank you notes. 

  

I sat down and wrote thank you notes to about 10 people related to my stress (the people weren't stressful to me at all - it was the situation).  And you know what?  It worked. 

The minute I wrote the last note, I felt calmer, more centered and overall just peachy.

Just wanted to share this stress-busting tip in case it might help a fellow stresser to dive into calm. 

Please note that the thank you notes do not have to be mailed or given to that person in order for it to work.  You can write a note to yourself or even a note to an inanimate object - like your car. 

Get creative and have fun with it!

What situation is currently creating the most stress in your life?  What thank you note might calm your stress into low gear? 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

How to hide your financial information

I don't mean from the government - what I'm talking about is hiding your financial information that your bank might want to share with third parties. 

Your bank can share your spending and saving habits with marketers and other banks and businesses (and I'm sure they're getting some kind of financial kick back for this as well). 

Having your information shared make you more vulnerable to solicitation and fraud. 

Even though your bank may have told you think in some fine print insert with your statement, you might not have known what to do. 

If you have accounts with any of the following, then here's how to say no:

• Bank of America:  888.341.5000; https://www6.bankofamerica.com/privacy/Preferences.do
• Chase:  888.868.8618; chaseonline.chase.com/public/privacy/privacyfilter.aspx
• Citibank:  call the number on the back of your ATM card or statement; citibank.com/privacy/us_priv.htm
• Wachovia: 866.203.5722; wachovia.com/personal/forms/privacy_optout
• Wells Fargo:  888.528.8460

I realize that some of these institutions have changed hands, so I'd suggest calling the new "name" or going with the old number to see where that leads you. 

Keeping your information and finances to yourself - priceless!

How do you feel if you find out that you've been "exposed?"  What does "being exposed" mean to you?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Rule of thumb for riding on a bus

The following comes from Rules of Thumb:  A Life Manual -- Brilliant Guestimates, Shortcuts, and a Few Shots in the Dark by Tom Parker:

To avoid lunatics on city buses, sit in the middle.  The friendly lunatics sit as close to the driver as they can, and the unfriendly ones sit as far away as they can.

 

Where do you sit on the bus of life?  How do you determine what spot is best for you?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Wisecracks from the wise

"When I was a little boy, they called me a liar.  But now that I am grown up, they call me a writer."  Isaac Bashevis Singer, Nobel Prize in Literature, 1978
From The Impossible Takes Longer by David Pratt

Babies roller skating - rapper's delight

Just in case you haven't seen this one - it will put a smile on your face.

What makes this funny for you?  How does imagination color your day? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts and insights. 

Save the planet in style: Ecostiletto

Think that saving the planet has to be reserved for unfashionable people?  Think again.

At EcoStiletto, you can go "green" fashionably and follow the site's motto:  An EcoStilettoista is someone who reduces her Ugg-boot shaped carbon footprint to one the size of a itty-bitty Manolo. Stiletto-size me!

There's a fashion section, health and beauty section and design section - all geared to go green with style. 

The site is interactive as well as user-friendly.  You can check out the latest EcoCelebrity as well as a laundry list of eco-friendly links. 

How do you create your own style?  How do you combine fashion and saving the planet?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Need insurance? Look no further

If you're needing insurance, here's a few tools that might make things a bit easier.

Ins Web helps to compare insurance quotes.

Insure does roughly the same thing. 

It might be a good idea to run quotes on both sites to see what you get...and there's always the real-live human way of calling someone and speaking to an agent (if you live in California, I know several kick-butt agents that are helpful and can save you money).

What kind of insurance do you need in your life?  What part of you is most important...important enough to insure?

I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts.

Free how-to videos

Want to learn how to fix something and don't know where to turn?  What about learning to do something you've always wanted to do? 

Never fear, free how-to videos are here.

Check out Monkey See to find expert-lead videos on a variety of subjects.

The Home Depot also provides how-to videos for both home and garden projects. 

I've also found never-ending how-to videos on YouTube as well. 

Let you imagination be your guide - there's a never-ending resource for what you'd like to do out there - all you have to do is look.

What's something you'd like to learn how to do?  What's stopping you from learning something new?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Rule of thumb for hospital recovery

The following comes from Rules of Thumb:  A Life Manual -- Brilliant Guestimates, Shortcuts, and a Few Shots in the Dark by Tom Parker:

For every day you spend in the hospital, plan on one week to recuperate.

How much time and space do you need to "recover" on a daily basis?  What would it look like if you gave yourself the gift of recovery?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Wisecracks from the wise

"The main advantage of being famous is that when you bore people at dinner parties, they think it is their fault."  Henry Kissinger, Nobel Peace Prize, 1973