Jumpstart Your Dream Life

Adversity Reveals Your True Character

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There is a well-known fable from Aesop concerning an ant and a grasshopper. You may have heard of it:

One fine summer day, a grasshopper was hopping about, happily chirping along without a care in the world. An ant passed by, bearing a large ear of corn to its nest.

As the grasshopper continued singing and dancing, it watched the ant scurry back and forth, carrying large burdens on its back. The grasshopper couldn’t understand why the ant would toil on such a beautiful day.

The grasshopper teasingly asked the ant, “Why not come and sing with me, instead of working so hard?”

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QuickBooks Self-Employed: Track Business Expenses, Create Invoices, and Maximize Mileage Deductions

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Are you a freelancer, a contractor, or self-employed?

If the answer to any of these is “yes”, then you know what a hassle it is to organize all your expenses for tax time.

You have supplies purchased for work, along with weekend family dinners, all on one credit card statement. Then there’re the regular drives for client projects. And what about that invoice you sent out a month ago that’s been sitting unpaid?

Is there a more efficient way to track expenses? How can you maximize your tax deductions? How do you calculate your car mileage?

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Don’t Start From Scratch. Build On Others’ Successes

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When you think of the word “innovation”, certain connotations pop up. Revolutionary. Progression. Success. A person perceived as innovative flies ahead of the pack, solving problems and creating solutions based on their ability to think outside the box.

But what about the word “imitation”? Does the word carry similar connotations as well? Does it have that positive ring?

Not so much.

In fact, when we think of a person who imitates, negative associations form in our minds. We use phrases such as “copycat”, “wannabe”, or a poor man’s version. Given a choice, who would pick imitation crab over real crab?

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Focuster: Get Work Done Using To-Do Lists, Automated Scheduling, and Reminders

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At any given moment, you have over a thousand choices at your fingertips.

You’re sitting at your desk. You can fire up your computer and browse websites endlessly. You can go outside and grab coffee along the way. Or, you can finally buckle down and finish the work that’s been sitting on your desk for a week.

We assume that having more choices is better. Yes, more choices mean you can decide the best option for yourself. It means greater control over your circumstances. But there comes a point when we suffer from too many choices. When it comes to productivity, too many choices becomes debilitating to getting our work done.

That’s why accomplishing more is about paring down choices. It means minimizing distractions so you can deep dive into your most important goals. When you focus on one task at a time, you make greater progress.

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4 Simple Changes You Can Make to Boost Workspace Productivity

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Forget the aesthetics. Forget the newest design trends buzzing around. Forget the fancy workplaces in countdown lists.

If you run your own business or work remotely, chances are your workspace isn’t going to look like those you see in glossy magazine pages. Besides, do you really want a full playground in your room?

Well, maybe you do. Regardless, the point is that you don’t have to turn your office upside down to improve your workspace. With a few tweaks, you can create an environment that helps you become happier, healthier, and perform optimally.

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4 Tips on Sending Effective Cold Emails

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Most cold emails that get sent out are pesky, irrelevant, or both. The busier the person, the more of these emails they receive. So when a cold email lands in a busy person’s inbox, that person usually ignores the message and moves on.

But there are exceptions. Once in a while, an email comes by that is interesting, relevant, and most importantly, compels the receiver to respond. Writing such an email is the key to opening doors for opportunities.

Over the past few years, I’ve drafted hundreds of emails from scratch. I’ve also received many emails containing a variety of messages, requests, and comments. While there’s been a large amount of trial and error on my part, I’ve started to notice trends on the types of emails that get bypassed and which ones receive a response.

Here are four tips to keep in mind the next time you send out an email:

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Expand On What Works: How to Generate Multiple Income Streams From a Single Idea

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“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.” – Beatrix Potter

Since the publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the Peter Rabbit series has sold over 150 million copies in dozens of languages. Countless children have grown up reading the charming adventures of Peter and his friends.

What many aren’t familiar with is the story behind the series.

Beatrix Potter was born in 1866 in London. She and her younger brother grew up under the influence of their artistic parents, who enjoyed nature and spent their summers in the countryside. The two siblings were surrounded by many pets, such as rabbits, mice, frogs, and lizards.

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When Is It Time to Quit?

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Quitting has a negative association. We describe it as giving up, being non-committal, or lacking perseverance. When someone quits, it’s easy to assume that the person simply didn’t give it their all.

To be sure, quitting prematurely happens too often. Whenever you try something, you’re going to have difficulties. You’re going to face obstacles. You’re going to battle doubts swimming in your head. Quitting may not be the best choice.

But other times, it doesn’t make sense to keep going. What if you attempt something, but never see any progress? What if you continue down a route, but just don’t feel passionate about where you’re headed?

How do you know when it’s time to buckle down, and when to let go?

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To Get More Out of Life, Choose to Do Less

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In 1998, Google was put up to a large task: to create a search engine that would be used by people all over the world.

They weren’t the first company to launch a search engine. Far from it. In the previous years, numerous other companies had launched various search engines that were already being used.

It wasn’t long before Google’s search engine became a leader in the industry, though. Users remarked on how easy it was to use Google for internet search. The homepage was so simple, so clean, and it delivered exactly what people wanted.

On the surface, the design looks incredibly basic. There are only a few things on the page, and its design almost seems like a no-brainer. But underneath that simple design was a lot of planning, systems, and just saying “no.”

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