During this time of economic uncertainty, everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats, hoping for the best that they are able to sustain their regular source of income, be it as an employee or as a business owner.

We also pray and hope that our monies which are put into what we deemed as safe investments would remain intact. It is indeed a stressful time for all. So here are some practical tips to help you de-stress, relax and stay calm in your everyday life.

1. Think positive and happy thoughts
Worrying about the worst things that could happen doesn’t help. By thinking and worrying about them, it doesn’t mean they won’t happen. Sometimes, negativity breeds negativity (this is the law of attraction, if you believe it). So why not think positive and happy thoughts and hope that you will attract positive things in life?

2. Brainstorm and think of solutions
Whilst we remain positive on the outlook of things, it doesn’t harm for us to think of alternatives of what we can do just in case we are faced with the worst of scenarios. You can think about tapping on your other talents and skills which could earn you some additional income on the side as a means to earn more. If you are able to start on it and see some results, you may even feel more confident that it can grow into something bigger if you continue to work on it. Who knows, it can be something so successful that you may want to consider doing it full time instead of keeping your day job!

3. Spend more time with your family
It’s always good to spend time with family members. Cultivate more happy moments and enjoy that quality time you have. A family often builds a happy foundation for an individual. After all, if you trace back your very reason of wanting to make more money, more often than not, you will find that it is because you want to provide better for the family, so that they are well cared for and happy. Remember that money does not buy happiness.

4. Read more books
Spend more time to read. Read things that you find pleasure in, be it a hobby, interest, novels, self improvement tips, etc. Reading increases your knowledge and makes your brain active through what you are digesting. So spend your time doing something useful instead of being idle and let your mind wander to the many worries that could take a toll on you.

5. Use scent to help you relax
If you have trouble sleeping or can’t help having worries in your mind, try to use relaxing scents to help you calm down. Lavender essential or fragrance oils are very popularly used to help people stay calm and also to sleep better. You can either burn some aromatheraphy oils or scented candles or even place potpourri around the house.

6. Go out on more outdoor activities
If you enjoy outdoor activities such as camping or even a simple picnic but have not had the time to do them more often, this is a good time to set aside some time to indulge more in these activities that bring you pleasure. Being out and about helps to refresh and revitalise you mentally and emotionally. You will also tend to leave behind your worries when you spend time doing something that you enjoy. Besides, getting fresh air and having more greens around you when are you outdoors is rather healthy!

7. Indulge in comfort food
Some people have a list of food stuff that they find therapeutic in times when they feel stressed. The more common types of food include ice cream, chocolate, cakes, a hot cup of tea or coffee, a warm bowl of chicken soup, etc. We each have our own preference, so indulge yourself in some comfort food once in a while just to soothe your soul.

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7 tips to de-stress during the economic downturn

In the event that you are unfortunate enough to be trapped in a faulty and falling lift, here are some tips that can help you to survive the fall. These survival tips are very simple yet has good logic to help minimise injuries during an accident like this.

How to survive a falling lift:

1. Quickly press all the different levels of buttons in the lift.
2. Hold on tight to the handle (if there is any).
3. Lean your back and head against the wall forming a straight line.
4. Bend your knees

Reasons for following the above 4 steps to survive a falling lift:

Point 1 – When the emergency electricity supply is being activated it will stop the lift from falling further.
Point 2 – It is to support your position and prevent you from falling or getting hurt when you lose your balance.
Point 3 – Leaning against the wall gives you support for your back/spine as a protection.
Point 4 – The ligament is a flexible, connective tissue. Bending the knees can help to reduce the impact of fractured bones, which will minimise severe pressure during a fall.

Share the above safety tips and steps with your family and friends. Of course we wish not for terrible accidents to happen, and a little knowledge like this can go a long way.

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How to survive a falling lift

In the wake of the global recession we’re facing and the stress of job uncertainties around us, this is a good time for those who are with a job to stay focused and motivated to performing their tasks well. This not only helps to secure your job in the company, it also helps to give you a sense of purpose and job satisfaction instead of fousing on the gloom of the economic crisis.

This tip comes in the form of a story about how different people view the same task at hand and how they handle them differently through different perceptions. Have a read, and I hope you see the insight of this story and find it useful as a guiding star to motivate you to achieve and reap more success in what you do.

This story is a little long, but it will be worth your time should you see the light at the end of the tunnel from this story.

Employee “A” in a company walked up to his manager and asked what my job is for the day?  The manager took “A” to the bank of a river and asked him to cross the river and reach the other side of the bank.

“A” completed this task successfully and reported back to the manager about the completion of the task assigned. The manager smiled and said “GOOD JOB”.

Next day Employee “B” reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task as above to this person also.

The Employee “B’ before starting the task saw Employee “C” struggling in the river to reach the other side of the bank. He realized “C” has the same task.

Now “B” not only crossed the river but also helped “C” to cross the river.  “B” reported back to the manager and the manager smiled and said “VERY GOOD JOB”.

The following day Employee “Q” reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again.

Employee “Q” before starting the work did some home work and realized “A”, “B” & “C” all has done this task before. He met them and understood how they performed. He realized that there is a need for a guide and training for doing this task.

He sat first and wrote down the procedure for crossing the river, he documented the common mistakes people made, and tricks to do the task efficiently and effortlessly. Using the methodology he had written down he crossed the river and reported back to the manager along with documented procedure and training material.

The manger said “Q” you have done an “EXCELLENT JOB”.

The following day Employee “O’ reported to the manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again.

“O” studied the procedure written down by “Q” and sat and thought about the whole task. He realized company is spending lot of money in getting this task completed. He decided not to cross the river, but sat and designed and implemented a bridge across the river and went back to his manager and said, “You no longer need to assign this task to any one”.

The manager smiled and said “Outstanding job ‘O’. I am very proud of you.”

What is the difference between A, B, Q & O?

Many a times in life we get tasks to be done at home, at office, at play.  Most of us end up doing what is expected out of us. Do we feel happy? Most probably yes. We would be often disappointed when the recognition is not meeting our expectation .  But evaluate are you a A or someone more than that?

If you notice B, Q and O all have demonstrated “team performance” over an above individual performance; also they have demonstrated a very invaluable characteristic known as “INITIATIVE”.   Now to the outstanding person, “O” made the task irrelevant; he created a Permanent Asset to the team.

Initiative pays of every where whether at work or at personal life. If you put initiative you will succeed. This is because this year’s achievement is next year’s task. You cannot use the same success story every year.

Out-of-Box thinkers are always premium and that is what every one constantly looks out for. Initiative, Out-of-Box thinking and commitment are the stepping stone to success.

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How to do more and think out of the box

In this time of economic slowdown amidst the global financial crisis, financial guru Warren Buffet shares some views and wisdom which he uses to stay financially healthy. Let’s learn a thing or two from this world reknowned investor and grow healthier and wiser financially from here on too.

Warren Buffet

We begin this New Year with dampened enthusiasm and dented optimism.  Our happiness is diluted and our peace is threatened by the financial illness that has infected our families, organizations and nations.   Everyone is desperate to find a remedy that will cure their financial illness and help them recover their financial health.  Every new year, I adopt a couple of old maxims as my beacons to guide my future.   This self-prescribed therapy has ensured that with each passing year, I grow wiser and not older.   This year, I invite you to tap into the financial wisdom of our elders along with me, and become financially wiser.

Hard work: All hard work brings profit; but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Laziness: Sleeping lobster is carried away by the water current.
Earnings: Never depend on a single source of income.
Spending: If you buy things you don’t need, you’ll soon sell things you need.
Savings: Don’t save what is left after spending; spend what is left after saving.
Accounting: It’s no use carrying an umbrella, if your shoes are leaking.
Auditing: Beware of little expenses; a small leak can sink a large ship.
Risk-taking: Never test the depth of the river with both feet.
Investment: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

I’m certain that those who have already been practicing these principles remain financially healthy.
I’m equally confident that those who resolve to start practicing these principles will quickly regain their financial health.  Let us become wiser and lead a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful life.
Warren Buffet

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Words of wisdom from financial guru Warren Buffet

If you own a website, whether it’s a corporate one or a personal blog or an online store, you would know that search engine optimization (SEO) is the key to achieving good organic traffic to your site. Whilst SEO is on everyone’s lips, not everyone knows how best to implement it. If you are keen in learning more, then the upcoming Search Marketing Conference happening on 8 November 2008 would probably interest you.

It’s the first of such a conference to be held in the country and will be conducted by international speakers as well as a Google expert. What you can expect to gain from this conference are as follows:

• Learn from international experts with sound and proven expertise in this area
• Gain an in-depth understanding of SEO, Pay Per Click and how to track conversions
• Live dialogues and Q&A sessions with international industry experts
• How you can get started and see some real results, as well as what you can expect from search marketing
• Avoid costly mistakes by going on trial and error SEO

This full day conference will be held at Berjaya Times Square Hotel & Convention Center from 9am to 5pm. Coffee breaks and lunch will be provided. There’s also a free gift of Google Ad vouchers worth RM100. Seats for this conference cost RM880, but an early bird sign up before October 31 will save you RM200.

This conference is brought to you by Significant Ranking and its partners. To learn more or to book a seat, contact conference2008@significantranking.com or call 03-2116 5605.

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Malaysia’s 1st Search Marketing Conference happening next month