Handmade gifts for the holidays

5 Reasons Why Books Make the Best Christmas Gifts!

It’s that time of year again.

Christmas.

Chanukah.

The Holidays.

That means one thing: The mad scramble for gifts.

                                                                  Whether you’re shopping for loved ones, office mates, friends, or acquaintances, finding that perfect something for someone can be a nerve-wracking task. It doesn’t have to be, though.

Here are five reasons why books make the best gifts for everyone on your list.

5. Books are inexpensive.

Sure, some books can be as much as $50, but for as little as $10, you can get the perfect gift for someone.

4. You can personalize the book you give.

What makes a book really special is that you can write an inscription in it. It makes the book that you get for someone all the more personal.

3. A book will last a lifetime.

A toy will eventually be discarded and a sweater will wear thin. A book, though, will forever grace the person’s bookshelf. Every time they refer to the book that you gave them, they’ll remember you.

2. You can literally do all your shopping in one place.

Whether you stay home and shop online or you venture outside your house to a bookstore, you can get your shopping done in one place — and probably in one trip.

1. There’s nothing to worry about when buying a book.

When you buy a book for someone, that’s it. Wrap it, set it under the tree, and then watch the smile on the person’s face as they see the book you bought for them. You don’t have to worry about getting the wrong size, forgetting batteries, or hoping you got their favorite color.

Even with those five great reasons, there is one more reason why books make the best gifts.

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Expert Advice: Strangers and Safety During the Holidays

by Lindsay Hutton

The holiday season is a joyful time of year, but it's also a time of year when you need to be extra-cautious when out and about with your child. Between frenzied trips to the mall for holiday shopping, crowded airports, and holiday parties, it can be hard to keep track of your little one in the crowds. Pattie Fitzgerald, founder and creator of Safely Ever After, Inc., has provided a list of holiday tips on her website, www.safelyeverafter.com, to help keep your children safe while you are preparing for the holidays. These holiday tips will help parents ensure that their children stay protected and have a healthy holiday season:

1. Talk to your kids before a family outing. Make a rule that you must always be able to see them and they must always be able to see you.. It may sound simple, but keep reminding them periodically, especially if you think they're getting restless.

2. Use the "two giant steps" rule -- your kids can never be more than two giant steps away from you. It's a fun and easy way for young children to remember not to wander away.

3. Teach your kids that if they ever become separated from you, they should look for a "safe stranger" for help. Some examples include a mom with kids or a cash register person. With older children, agree on a "meeting place" ahead of time, in case you become separated.

4. Tell you child never to leave the mall or store to go looking for you, no matter what anyone tells them. Remind your child that you would never leave until you are reunited.

5. Dress your child in brightly colored clothes to make him easy to spot.. Be sure to remember what they are wearing.

6. In busy places like airports or shopping malls, consider using a cute harness for toddlers who are prone to running off. There are lots of fun ones out there that look like a lion's tail or an elephant's trunk. Your child's safety is most important, so don't worry about what others think.

7. Establish the "check first" rule with older children. They must always check first with you before going anywhere in a public place, including another store, play area, or even the restroom.

8. Don't treat public facilities as a "convenient babysitter." Do not leave your children alone at video arcades, movie theaters, play areas, or other public places. Predators are known to look for unsupervised kids.

9. Always bring young children into the restroom with you. Look for well-lit restrooms in high traffic areas, whenever possible.

10. Statistically, the men's room isn't the safest place for a child to use alone. If you feel comfortable letting your older child (at least 9 years old) use the men's room alone, stand outside the door and call in as your child enters, "I'm right out here if you need me." It's a clear signal to anyone who may be hanging around in there that there's a parent close by. Your child is less of a target if a potential predator thinks there's a chance he could be caught. If you think your child's taking too long, open the door and call in, "Is everything okay?" If you don't get an answer or are unsure, enter the restroom immediately to be sure your child is safe. (Informing your child that you'll be doing this will encourage him to answer you quickly and not linger.)

11. Discuss age-appropriate safety issues with your child in a calm, non-fearful manner. Replace the word "strangers" with "tricky people." Let your child know that it isn't what people look like that makes them unsafe; it's what they ask a child to do that makes someone "thumbs down." Kids have been known to leave with a stranger because "he seemed nice" or "she didn't look like a stranger."

12. Make sure that your child knows your cell phone number.

Read more on FamilyEducation: http://life.familyeducation.com/safety/stranger-safety/59187.html#ixzz2F6G9RQSg

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“Our Black Year” The story of one family’s mission to buy black

A little more than three years ago, John and Maggie Anderson, a well-educated, upper-middle-class, professional couple living in suburban Chicago, decided to spend more of their income with black-owned businesses as a means of providing much-needed economic stimulus to struggling black communities. The Andersons, parents of two young daughters, embarked on a journey—called The Empowerment Experiment—during which they vowed to spend only with black-owned businesses for all of 2009. The story of that year is told by Maggie Anderson, with Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago Tribune reporter Ted Gregory, in a provocative and inspiring new book, Our Black Year: One Family’s Quest to Buy Black in America’s Racially Divided Economy (PublicAffairs; $25.99).

The Andersons, driven in equal parts by Obama fever, middle-class guilt, and the knowledge that strong black-owned businesses are a key source of desperately needed jobs for African Americans, approached their experiment with the heated fervor of crusaders and cold objectivity of socio-economic researchers. The Empowerment Experiment was conducted as a research project via a foundation set up by the Andersons, which partnered with Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management’s Levy Entrepreneurship Center for the study. A website dedicated to the cause, EEforTomorow.com, serves as a hub of information about black-owned businesses and self-help economics.

The Empowerment Experiment also drew hefty national media attention from outlets ranging from CNN to Black Enterprise. (In addition to being featured in our magazine and appearing on the Black Enterprise Business Report television show, Maggie documented some of her experiences as a guest blogger for BlackEnterprise.com.) However, in her book, Maggie reveals the previously untold truth about her family’s experiences with a no-holds-barred disregard for political correctness. For example, she details her crushing disappointment with a prominent group of Chicago’s black business owners who she says reneged on an initial promise to help finance The Empowerment Experiment. She is also brutally honest about the substandard and mediocre black-owned firms she and her family encountered.

Our Black Year is a must-read for entrepreneurs, especially those black business owners who are frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of support from African American consumers. Following the Andersons’ story provides valuable insights into location, pricing, and customer service issues that can serve as significant barriers between black businesses and the consumers who want to patronize them. Entrepreneurs who choose to not react defensively, but to focus on reducing or eliminating those barriers have the potential to be handsomely rewarded in terms of bottom-line sales and customer loyalty. The Andersons are proud of and passionate about—and even emotionally bonded to—those business owners who went out of their way to cater to their needs and exemplified entrepreneurial excellence. Besides that, the book is simply a fantastic read.

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Profit With Purpose

Profit With Purpose:

via Adweek
Brands Need a New Way of Thinking It's time for a more sophisticated, integrated approach to multicultural marketing ByRobert Klara

It’s a statistical fact that, given the double-digit population growth of Latinos and Asians in the U.S., non-Hispanic whites will almost certainly become a minority population by 2050. And if that’s news to marketers at this late date, it shouldn’t be, says Teneshia Warner. As a consultant who has created diversity-oriented marketing campaigns for the likes of Hennessy, Procter & Gamble, KFC and Disney, Warner has much insight on marketing to the multicultural masses. In her new book, Profit With Purpose(Paramount Publishing), Warner argues that it’s time for a more sophisticated approach to the demographics of color. Stranded in a Florida hotel room as Superstorm Sandy lashed the East Coast last week, Warner spoke with Adweek.

Adweek: Let’s face it: For many brands, “multicultural” marketing tends to be an afterthought.
Yes, you’re right. Marketers before really have taken a simple approach—like translation or putting an African-American person in the commercial. But the diversity conversation is evolving, and it has to evolve so that marketers aren’t thinking about it from an obvious point of view.

What are you suggesting?
Marketing has to evolve into a cultural competency. Brands have to ask themselves, how do these consumers understand their cultural experience? How do they live? What do they value? The big thing is not looking at multicultural marketing as an add-on to the general strategy. It should be thought of within your general marketing.

Can you point to any big brands that have really done that?
When Disney was thinking about how to drive meaningful engagement with multicultural audiences, they developed the Disney Dream Academy. It selects 100 multicultural students from across the U.S.—students who’d probably fall through the cracks otherwise—and provided them with a three-day leadership program to help them align their goals and objectives with real-life experiences. For example, a student who wanted to be a designer got to work with Disney’s costume designers. That program was a perfect example of a brand that brings its purpose to life in a way that connects meaningfully with a multicultural audience.

Much of the do-good marketing I’ve seen takes the form of a tax-deductible donation or a photo op. Progressivism is never going to replace the bottom line, right?
What’ll have brands engaged more and more is when they realize the new consumer expectation is that companies profit in purposeful ways.

Have you worked with a brand that’s profited, as you say, purposefully?
The “My Black Is Beautiful” campaign within P&G got started by African-American women inside P&G who felt like there was a lack of positive images of themselves in mainstream media. The campaign resonated as authentic because it could be mapped back to the employees. Consumers said, “This brand really understands me.” That drives brand loyalty.

How much of what you’re saying is driven by generational change and the kind of broader awareness that social media has given young people?
A large part of it. We’re seeing the tanning of America. Younger consumers, many of whom are multicultural, have more tools to share their ideas, what they stand for and care about—and what they think of your brand. Marketers have to figure out ways to support what those consumers stand for and engage them in their communities. Every brand should challenge itself to have a one-on-one relation with each multicultural consumer. Today, that’s possible.

//

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Profit With Purpose

Profit With Purpose:

via Adweek
Brands Need a New Way of Thinking It's time for a more sophisticated, integrated approach to multicultural marketing ByRobert Klara

It’s a statistical fact that, given the double-digit population growth of Latinos and Asians in the U.S., non-Hispanic whites will almost certainly become a minority population by 2050. And if that’s news to marketers at this late date, it shouldn’t be, says Teneshia Warner. As a consultant who has created diversity-oriented marketing campaigns for the likes of Hennessy, Procter & Gamble, KFC and Disney, Warner has much insight on marketing to the multicultural masses. In her new book, Profit With Purpose(Paramount Publishing), Warner argues that it’s time for a more sophisticated approach to the demographics of color. Stranded in a Florida hotel room as Superstorm Sandy lashed the East Coast last week, Warner spoke with Adweek.

Adweek: Let’s face it: For many brands, “multicultural” marketing tends to be an afterthought.
Yes, you’re right. Marketers before really have taken a simple approach—like translation or putting an African-American person in the commercial. But the diversity conversation is evolving, and it has to evolve so that marketers aren’t thinking about it from an obvious point of view.

What are you suggesting?
Marketing has to evolve into a cultural competency. Brands have to ask themselves, how do these consumers understand their cultural experience? How do they live? What do they value? The big thing is not looking at multicultural marketing as an add-on to the general strategy. It should be thought of within your general marketing.

Can you point to any big brands that have really done that?
When Disney was thinking about how to drive meaningful engagement with multicultural audiences, they developed the Disney Dream Academy. It selects 100 multicultural students from across the U.S.—students who’d probably fall through the cracks otherwise—and provided them with a three-day leadership program to help them align their goals and objectives with real-life experiences. For example, a student who wanted to be a designer got to work with Disney’s costume designers. That program was a perfect example of a brand that brings its purpose to life in a way that connects meaningfully with a multicultural audience.

Much of the do-good marketing I’ve seen takes the form of a tax-deductible donation or a photo op. Progressivism is never going to replace the bottom line, right?
What’ll have brands engaged more and more is when they realize the new consumer expectation is that companies profit in purposeful ways.

Have you worked with a brand that’s profited, as you say, purposefully?
The “My Black Is Beautiful” campaign within P&G got started by African-American women inside P&G who felt like there was a lack of positive images of themselves in mainstream media. The campaign resonated as authentic because it could be mapped back to the employees. Consumers said, “This brand really understands me.” That drives brand loyalty.

How much of what you’re saying is driven by generational change and the kind of broader awareness that social media has given young people?
A large part of it. We’re seeing the tanning of America. Younger consumers, many of whom are multicultural, have more tools to share their ideas, what they stand for and care about—and what they think of your brand. Marketers have to figure out ways to support what those consumers stand for and engage them in their communities. Every brand should challenge itself to have a one-on-one relation with each multicultural consumer. Today, that’s possible.

//

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Personal Achievement Rewards

 

Poster Via: motivation-tools.com



 

 

 

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Seven Rules of Motivation

#1 Set a major goal, but follow a path. The path has mini goals that go in many directions. When you learn to succeed at mini goals, you will be motivated to challenge grand goals.
	#2 Finish what you start. A half finished project is of no use to anyone. Quitting is a habit. Develop the habit of finishing self-motivated projects.
#3 Socialize with others of similar interest. Mutual support is motivating. We will develop the attitudes of our five best friends. If they are losers, we will be a loser. If they are winners, we will be a winner. To be a cowboy we must associate with cowboys.
	#4 Learn how to learn. Dependency on others for knowledge supports the habit of procrastination. Man has the ability to learn without instructors. In fact, when we learn the art of self-education we will find, if not create, opportunity to find success beyond our wildest dreams.
#5 Harmonize natural talent with interest that motivates. Natural talent creates motivation, motivation creates persistence and persistence gets the job done.
	#6 Increase knowledge of subjects that inspires. The more we know about a subject, the more we want to learn about it. A self-propelled upward spiral develops.
#7 Take risk. Failure and bouncing back are elements of motivation. Failure is a learning tool. No one has ever succeeded at anything worthwhile without a string of failures.           Article Via : http://www.motivation-tools.com/youth/1_learning_with_projects.htm

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Three Elements of Motivation

 

Motivation starts with the desire to be free, to be free from dependency on others, freedom to live the lifestyle we dream of, freedom to explore our ideas. Total freedom is not possible or desirable, but the struggle to achieve that ideal is the basis for motivation.

Motivation is built on three basic elements:

1. Motivation starts with a need, vision, dream or desire to achieve the seemingly impossible. Creativity is associated with ideas, projects and goals, which can be considered a path to freedom.
2. Develop a love-to-learn, become involved with risky ventures and continually seek new opportunities. Success is based on learning what works and does not work.
3. Developing the ability to overcome barriers and to bounce back from discouragement or failure. Achievers learn to tolerate the agony of failure. In any worthwhile endeavor, barriers and failure will be there. Bouncing back requires creative thinking as it is a learning process. In addition, bouncing back requires starting again at square one.

A loss of any one part and motivation is on the rocks. For example:

1. If you like to be creative and love to learn but cannot face up to failure, you will not go back and try again. Persistent is associated with bouncing back.
2. If you have a unique idea but don’t like taking risks, ideas is all you will ever have.
3. There must be something in your life that turns you on. You can start by analyzing the lifestyle of your dreams. Remember, money is not a goal, it is a reward for achieving a goal.

Let's see how the parts work with Charlie’s family, a true story.

I was building a 50-foot wooden sailboat. During construction there were many visitors and one family stood out. Charlie would bring his three teenage sons on board, who seemed to be excited about everything they saw. They would focus on a construction method or potential problem and exchange ideas on its strong and weak points, or discus other ways to achieve the same results. Charlie would ask leading questions and his sons would have answers, each one trying to give a better answer than the other. When one teen presented a possible dumb idea, the others did not put him down, they countered with other possibilities.

It was not only on my boat they excised creative thinking, this was their life style, always asking why, and what are the other possibilities. They had a work shop where family members could work on projects. They needed "U" bolts for one of their projects. After threading a steel rod at both ends, they needed to bend them. They made a furnace from a five-gallon bucket and used the blower end of a vacuum cleaner for draft. They buried the rods in the red-hot charcoal. When pulling them out they had stubs. The fire was so hot it melted the steel. They did not realize how hot the furnace was. The only way to learn and get experiences is to try.

Farther and sons were a team that focused on creativity. A wild idea was something to embrace and develop. The teens were excited about life and highly motivated.

Charlie kept active the three legs of motivation:

1. Creativity was encouraged with the understanding there was no dumb idea. At this time, they had no goals that I know of.
2. To maintain the love-to-learn, they had a workshop, providing opportunity to experiment with ideas and develop projects.
3. Most ideas did not work, but with each try they learned something, especially what did not work. They were learning from failure and learning to bounce back from it.

By keeping all three motivation elements active, Charlie’s sons were highly motivated. Creative thinking was promoted and supported. In the adult world, their creative skills will find a profitable market. More important, they will not have to overcome negative barriers carried over from their teen years.

Compare Charlie to parents who are always putting down any idea their children might present. A gulf develops between them and soon the teen keeps all thoughts to them self. Many parents consider children’s wild ideas something to grow out of. This is the killing of creativity, the first leg of motivation. Putting down ideas is teaching children to accept the status quo. Forcing children to accept the status quo is the building of barriers. In the adult word, most never overcome these barriers.

Let's consider Ken’s parents who do not support or discourage, wild ideas, but tolerate them.
Ken is a typical thirteen-year-old boy, who is being exposed to truck loads of information via Internet, TV, and printed matter. He does not do well in school and his reading is not up to par, but he does work on self-motivated projects that interest him. He scans a variety of projects, usually related to a broad theme such as computers, mechanics or electronics. As time passes it becomes obvious that his interest is narrowing to flying, he reads more on this subject that any other. He is becoming focused and wants to engage in flying projects, so as to be connected. Teenagers, without support, don’t have many resources. Ken uses what he has, that is, cutting out pictures of airplanes and/or assembles plastic airplane models. For resourceful teens, this limited opportunity offers ways to be creative. Simple projects turn into elaborate projects, as resources become available, flying radio control models for example. Somewhere along the way, a burning desire is developing and this desire is associated with natural talent.

Ken is at a crossroads. School is telling him he is a failure while his flying interest is teaching him the art of how-to-learn in a natural learning environment. He is under pressure by parents and teachers to give classroom studies priority. How will he react?

Under pressure, every teen reacts differently. If Ken’s ambition is crushed, he may or may not bounce back again. Without support, teens give up easily and sometimes turn to rebellion where they take on self-destructive goals. Formal education and flying ambitions are dead. Motivation is dead.
If Ken's parents recognized his natural interest and supported it, he could achieve the impossible.
As adults, most of us had our teenage dreams putdown and we accepted the status quo. Trying to bring old dreams back to life again is extremely difficult. The barriers are huge, but they can be overcome.

Additional Related Information

At-risk youth are in the process of rejecting the status quo. The problem is, they reject everything and become losers. All of us were born with a natural desire to learn and be an achiever. During our teen years, we were pressured to accept the status quo and we reacted differently to that pressure. At-risk youth can be a reminder of what we went through.

Article Via: http://www.motivation-tools.com/youth/1_learning_with_projects.htm

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Tools of People Who Love to Learn

 

People who love to learn do not depend on classrooms for knowledge; they develop a learning style that is in harmony with their learning personality. They develop learning tools that works for them. Learning by doing leads to above average opportunity and wages.

A - Desire to learn is maintained over a lifetime. This person's education is not based on years spent in classrooms; it is based on a persistent desire to maintain a continuous natural learning environment. The result is above average wages. These are the CEO's, and other achievers who have a vision and know how to get things done. These people are independent thinkers and doers. They are NOT dependent on others for knowledge or opportunity, they do not wait for opportunity to come their way, they go after it.
B - Desire to learn is maintained until a professional skill is mastered that meets basic needs, then it dies. This person is the typical professional that makes average wages.	These two groups are dependent on others for opportunity. They can rise no higher than the image they have of themselves, which is based on other's opinions. Associates tell them their limits, which they believe and accept. They do not make efficient use of natural learning tools because they were taught to depend on others for knowledge. As a result, they focus on protecting their comfort zone and the status quo.
C - Desire to learn dies before a professional skill is mastered. This person makes below average wages.
The difference between group "A" and "B, C" is a vision that motivates. People who have a vision control their destiny and lifestyle. For people without a vision, their destiny and lifestyle is controlled by others. Today, our education system is preoccupied with standardized tests. The goal is to bring failing students from group "C" up to "B," which is minimum academic standards. These tests are producing a mind-set in all students to accept the status quo. As a result, students that would be in group "A" are dragged down to "B." They drop any visionary ideas they may have had and focus on testing. The goal should be to give students the tools to move from "B, C" to "A." This requires a different type of education. Today's education goal is to get students to pass standardized test. The results influence teachers' bonuses and school funding. When the curriculum is controlled by funding, teaching students to have a vision is no longer feasible, because it can't be measured.

The below learning tools are highly effective in social environments that are in harmony with learning personality. They produce CEO's or criminals depending on their social environment.

Social Environments

The work force is a social environment where everyone is striving to reach a common goal. How many learning tools are used depends on the leadership style. Under worker responsibility, all tools will be used. Under command-and-control, only a few will be used. Increased control reduces the number of learning tools implemented, which increases the need for more control. More information "Motivation in the Workplace."

College has two goals, education and positive social environment. Adapting learning tools in this environment, increases productivity.

Criminal social environments also share knowledge. In this case, they become self-destructive. These people are learning how to spend their life in prison. It takes more learning power to be a successful criminal (one that stays out of jail) than it does to be a successful business owner. Social environments influence knowledge and ambitions.

High risk adventure, on and off the job, was my social environment. On the job I was a hard hat diver, off the job I was ocean cruising in tall ships. More information "Adventures in Paradise."

The Learning Tools

Becoming involved with projects is the first requirement for self-motivation, creating a desire to learn and implementing learning tools. Learning tools have no meaning without a project. Projects can be from any source including self-motivated or team motivated. Projects have a plan of action and a goal; they are based on man's natural desire to be an achiever.

Four Tools That Share Knowledge

Team Education - Team member training team member is the most powerful education system in the world. The team has a common goal and all give input to reach that goal. Motivated team members set the example that others want to follow. Team members learn to be responsible for each other. The attitude "this is our task" replaces the destructive attitude "that is your problem, not mine." Peer pressure is a highly motivating force.

Learning by Teaching - Students teaching students expands knowledge of all while creating a desire to learn. The teacher and the student both develop a better understanding of the concept.

Conflict and Debate - Conflict and debate are real world education systems. Everyone learns limits and possibilities, becomes familiar with the tasks. People left out of debate do not have opportunity to learn different points of view. In empowered work groups, team members must contribute to be accepted in the group. Group acceptance is a very powerful motivating force.

Bragging, Socializing, Peer Pressure - People who have responsibility like to brag how they prevented or solved problems. Team members' experiences and their lessons are easily remembered. A relaxed environment with the ability to ask questions, tailors training to current needs. Bragging builds positive peer pressure, high self-esteem, and pride.

Four Tools That Acquire Knowledge

Research and Analyzing - Knowing how to find information and analyze it for quality, is a developed skill. There is a lot of garbage out there mixed with a few gems of quality information. Knowing how to identify the gems and adapt them to your project is the secret to being viewed as a genius.

Self-education - With today's fast-changing technology, self-education skills can be more valuable to an employer than formal education. New concepts must always be learned and there is no time to go back to the classroom for knowledge. Self-educated people learn to take responsibility for their own education. Time or money is not a hindrance.

Trial and Error, Learning by Doing - People learn when they try and fail. If people do not have opportunity to try, they will never fail. If they never fail they will never learn. It takes many experiments to find the correct answer. People trying and failing is different from taking orders and failing.

Instinctive Knowledge - Innovation, inventions, or winning strategies are produced by mixing experience with instinctive knowledge. Opportunity is often found in our gut feelings. Instinctive knowledge only works for people who are motivated, either to find a better way if positively motivated or to find ways to do less if negatively motivate.

Article Via http://www.motivation-tools.com/youth/learning_tools.htm

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5 Tips to Make It Through the Holidays Debt-Free

by Business Insider

The holidays can be a big drain on the wallet, so read these tips by Business Insider to make sure you're not going into credit card debt.
Now that the dust has settled from the Black Friday frenzy, it's not hard to see why consumer credit took a major leap in the fall.

A record 247 million people shopped in stores and online over the four-day weekend, with the average shopper spending $423 - up from $398 last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

That news is a little frightening.

Ending the holidays steeped in debt is hardly worth the satisfaction of getting everyone in your family the hottest new holiday gadget.

"A lot of families watch their budget very closely throughout the year and spend far beyond their expectations during the holidays," says Paul Golden of the National Endowment for Financial Education. "This short period of major spending can lead to long-term problems such as credit card debt, which can cause a burden for years to come. Don't be afraid to say 'no' to gifts you cannot afford. The greatest gift you can give yourself is financial stability."

Here are five tips NEFE offers to keep debt at bay during the holidays:

Stop at one gift. While shopping, you may come across items that seem like a great fit for someone on your list that you've already bought for. Resist the urge. Once you buy for someone, check him or her off your list. If the new gift is even better, be sure to return the previous gift you purchased for him or her.

Don't let guilt rule your spending. Don't be afraid to kick people off your gift list, and don't feel guilty if you have to skip a holiday party or two to stay on track. Wrapping gifts and sending holiday cards can add up too, so avoid expensive wrapping and consider sending a letter rather than store bought cards.

Shop wisely. Consider online shopping to get the best deals, but be sure to figure in shipping costs. Also look for good deals on auction websites. Check sale ads regularly and be selective in your shopping. Don't wait until the last minute to do your shopping. Set a plan for your time and your spending.

Limit credit card usage. Dig around for extra cash where you can find it (check unused gift cards, cash in rewards points, or even consider doubling up on gifts with a family member or friend). Consider a layaway plan, but be sure you've read all of the fine print and don't agree to a plan riddled with hidden fees. If you are using credit, limit yourself to using one low-interest card and preset a limit that you will not exceed - and be sure you have enough to pay it off. Keep the rest of your credit cards at home when you go shopping.

Be realistic. Don't get too carried away with your spending this holiday season just because the economy is showing signs of life. It's important to stay mindful of your goals and the long-term outlook, and your plan for managing your finances.

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Success Means Learning to Let Go

by Geoffrey James

Success results not from adding things to your life but from letting go of them.

When most people think about success, they think about adding things to their life: more money, more prestige, a nicer car, a bigger house. The problem with that way of thinking is that it ignores the fact that your ability to succeed is directly proportional to your ability to let go of things. Let me explain.

Because you are a human being, you have the potential to do and to be many different things. However, though it's true you can do anything, you can't do everything. Every life decision that you make is not just saying yes to the future you want to create but also no to the many other futures that you might have otherwise created.

If you're going to be truly successful at pursuing that future, you can't waste time and energy mooning about what might have been if you had made a different decision. You'll only achieve your goal if you truly let go of those other desires and possible directions.

The ability to let go is especially essential for managers. It's a truism that the most effective managers delegate as much as possible. By contrast, people who micromanage are always a burden on themselves and the people around them.

Success as a manager therefore means letting go of responsibility and authority. Mitchell Kertzman, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, once told me:

 

When I started [my first] company, it was a one-man business. There was a time when I did every job in this company. I wrote the programs, I sent out the bills, I did the accounting, I answered the phone, I made the coffee. As the company has grown, I do fewer and fewer of those jobs. And that's just as well, because I was certainly less competent at them than most of the people who are doing them now. I'm the reverse of the Peter Principle in the sense that I've finally risen to my level of competence, which is that I don't do anything very well and now what I do extremely well is nothing.

Similarly, Lew Platt, arguably HP's most successful CEO, once characterized the job of the CEO as "managing the white spaces on the organizational chart."

Business pundits are forever touting the importance of being flexible and nimble. What that really means, though, is that you, and your organization, must be willing and able to let go of behaviors that were successful in the past and are no longer working.

The same is true throughout life, which is actually a process of shedding the burdens and misconceptions of youth. As St. Paul so memorably put it:

 

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

This is not a philosophy of loss or grief but of the greater success you can achieve that can come only if you truly learn to let go. At the risk of going from the profound to the trivial, I would like to illustrate this point with an experience of my own.

A few months back, I was in a state of incredible frustration. Every part of my business seemed to be stalled, with the solution out of my control. While I was in this state, I called a friend of mine, the movie producer/sales executive David Rotman. (I wrote about him in a prior post.)

He listened to me complain for a few minutes and then said: "Geoff, take a piece of paper and a Sharpie and write the following words in big letters: 'I love letting go.' Now hang that paper by your computer screen."
"That's your advice?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied.

I did as he asked, and I'm looking at that piece of paper even as I write this post. Do you want to know what that piece of paper did for me? Plenty. Because it was in my face every time I sat down to work, it reminded me that it's crazy to obsess about things over which I have no control.
It was hard, but I finally managed to let go of the things that were driving me crazy. And guess what? I began to see that some of the goals I was so worried about meant a lot less to me today than in the past. As a result, I started putting more energy into my writing and into my creative thinking.
What happened? Well, I can't give you the details just yet, but some incredibly positive things happened, none of which would have taken place if I hadn't followed David's advice, if I hadn't let go of my conception of how things were supposed to be.

I'm not holding myself up as some kind of role model, because, to be honest, I struggle with this stuff every day. However, I do know one thing for certain. Whatever success I might achieve in the future will be the direct result not just of letting go but of learning to love the entire process.

Article Via Inc.com

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