Printing on Demand

Amazon.com is now launching a print-on-demand program with their subsidiary BookSurge. This will help small time publishers sell titles which are less common at a reasonable price. It's good news to authors who are self-published as well, simply as a way to get their work out into the marketplace without a huge up-front expense to print and store inventory. It's about time this came about!

Integrity - Great Quote

"The foundation of a noble character is integrity." -- David O. McKay (Conference Report, April 1964, p. 6.)

How to Earn More Money

If you are struggling financially you may have some beliefs which are limiting your financial success. If you want to learn how to earn more money, here is a great article by Carol Tuttle called "Three Reasons Why You are Struggling Financially".

Managing Time

I've been out of town for a couple of days and returned home to over 300 emails, a huge pile of mail, phone messages and work which needs to be dealt with. I'm sure you've had similar experiences. So, how can we learn about managing time, and what is really important and what we can give up so our time can be spent with what our values and goals really are?

If I spend 5 hours dealing with emails -- then that 5 hours is not available to build relationships, be outside in nature, learning and improving my life -- unless I have a laptop or Tablet PC which I can take outside, while I'm in the mountains with my friends and reading news online. (big grin). I believe we spend so much time multi-tasking and being efficient, we forget to really ENJOY life. When was the last time you truly enjoyed just being? If you can't remember, then this is a reminder -- take some time today, and ENJOY!

Quote: Focus Outward

"A life can never be happy that is focused inward. So if you are miserable now, forget your troubles. March right out your door, and find someone who needs you." -- Robert L. Backman (Ensign, November 1985, p. 13.)

Advice from Benjamin Franklin

I read a great article today in LDS Living Magazine - advice from Benjamin Franklin about time and money.

Four Ways to Convert Time into Money

Ben Franklin believed that time is money, so it may come as a surprise that he also thought it's important to set aside time for leisure activities. He wrote, "Employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure." Erin Barret and Jack Mingo, authors of Ben Franklin's Guide to Wealth (Conari Press) encourage busy people to practice what Franklin preached long ago.

Here are four ways you can save time for leisure enjoyment:

• How much time do you devote to watching television, playing computer games, and surfing the Internet, all of which drain your time and energy? Take back your time and value it for the precious thing that it is, employing it for things that really matter.


• Use your commuting time wisely. If you are within bicycle or walking distance of your work, get out of your car and exercise your way to work. Use carpooling or public transportation instead of sitting in mind-numbing traffic with your hands gripping the steering wheel, using the time to read for pleasure, meditate to balance yourself, or organize your assignments so that your work day is more wisely spent.


• Try not to concentrate on how busy you are, but rather concentrate on your results. After all, a frenzy of activity won’t get you very far if you are shoveling sand with a pitchfork.
  


• Use a “to do” list each day to help you prioritize the most important activities for that day. Next to each entry, assign a number from 1 to 5 with the highest priority being 1. Then re-draft your list so that the most important things are first, and the least important last. Then do them in order, from most important to least. Anything left at the end of the day gets put on tomorrow’s list.

Balance is important. By being as efficient and productive in your free time as you are in your work time, you can get done what you need and want to do and still have time for starting new projects, learning new skills, and setting new goals to keep life interesting.

"If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality, since lost time is never found again." --Benjamin Franklin.

Do The Best You Can

"Please don't nag yourself with thoughts of failure. Do not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. Simply do what you can do, in the best way you know, and the Lord will accept your effort." -- Gordon B. Hinckley (Ensign, November 1989, p. 96.)