The Secret to Happiness

If you will spend 20 minutes watching this, you'll learn something that can change your life... Forever!

Join the movement today!

Please Consider Giving to CharityWater.org

**PLAY THE GAME**

Message me with the answer, DON'T post below or you'll spoil the fun!

"I am the beginning of sorrow, and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never out of darkness."

WHAT AM I??

The Rules: We're playing for Charity!
Message me with the answer to see if you're right!
Get the answer wrong and you have to change your profile picture to a picture of a well (a water well) & you have to share this post to your timeline.

You can change your image back when:
1) You get five people to donate at least one dollar to this awesome well building charity - giving people the gift of clean water and saving lives http://my.charitywater.org/mlsp-giving

or

2) You donate at least $10.00 yourself here:
http://my.charitywater.org/mlsp-giving

or

3) Seven days has gone by

GOOD LUCK!!!

PS. Please share this link on the well image when you change your profile pic! http://my.charitywater.org/mlsp-giving
It's for a GREAT Cause that is Saving Lives!!!

Happy Holidays!

A Real Breakthrough in Skincare

Do you have three minutes? Take a moment and watch this clip from CBS news about this amazing age defying night treatment for men and woman. If you would like to know more about the product and/or a truly amazing business opportunity check out Jo's website at: http://FeelGoodHawaii.com.

FREE WEBINAR TONIGHT!

We are letting 3 Rockstars Invade YOUR business to Deliver 3 10-Minute Bursts of Absolute GOLD! Real TANGIBLE action steps that you can put in place in YOUR biz immediately for more Leads, Reps, and Sales!

3 individual 6- and multi 6-figure earners are going to share in 10 minutes each some of their best stuff so that you can get more leads, get more attendees to your events, and bottom line GET BETTER RESULTS!

http://TRasmussen.mlsp.com/webinar-registration

30 Minutes Could Change Your Life

Take 30 minutes out of your busy day to check out this video. If you really want to make a significant change in your home based business... give it 90 days.




http://www.FeelGoodHawaii.com

A Dream Can Change the World

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." - Harriet Tubman

Please take 6 minutes or so to watch the following video. If you like it, be sure to share it...




http://www.DreamOutfitters.com

What exactly is the America Dream Anyway?

We have all heard the uber-famous phrase contained in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence that clearly states that all men are created equal and that we have certain God-given rights to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." But, when was the last time you took a step back and put the phrase in its proper context?

The statement was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776, a time when thirteen American colonies were at war with Great Britain. Many misinterpret the timeline and make the mistake of believing that the signing of the declaration was colonists declaring war on England, but it came after the fact. The American Revolution had already been raging for over a year.

I'm no historian, and it is not my intention to try and pontificate on the nuances of the American Revolution in the Dream Outfitter blog, but rather to try to better define the American Dream. What was it that our forefathers were after? What was their dream? the original American Dream?

The Declaration was a justification for the independence of the United States which contained a list of colonial grievances against the King and legislature while asking the support of the populace. King George III reigned over Great Britain and Ireland longer than any previous British monarch (1760-1820) and the colonists charged that "He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people."

The colonists were unhappy with King George and Parliament for the lack of representation in the face of having direct taxes levied on them without their consent. Thomas Jefferson, author of the original draft, later stated, "The declaration was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion."

So basically, the Amercian Colonsists were fed up with taxation without representation and they were not going to put up with it anymore. They declared their independence and suggested to the rest of the world that the American Dream was to be able to our lives freely and to be able to follow our hearts desires (pursuit of Happiness) without the hindrance of an oppressive Government.

This is our second installation in a series on Happiness. I intend to write more on happiness before moving on to the next topic. It's apparent that people are searching for happiness and maybe I can help people understand they have control over their own happiness. I may not convince everyone, especially as we go through tough times, but I want to help people discover their happiness and plot a course to their dreams.

I am including the second and third sentences of the Declaration of Independence to give you a better sense of what our forefathers have laid out as the basis for the American Dream. I believe that the pursuit of happiness is at the core of what makes our country great. Read this and believe that the dream is still alive in the United States...

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and happiness."

Happiness - What You Think Matters

Aloha to you all...

It's been a VERY long time since I've posted to this blog. I was taking a stroll down Memory Lane this past Labor Day weekend and thought to myself that it might be nice to start writing again.

This time around, I'm not going to try to fool myself by getting something out there each and every day, but rather, just write when... A.) I have something important to say and B.) I have the time to put pen to paper (or should I say fingers to keys?)

Writing is a passion that I haven't indulged in for quite some time. Facebook doesn't lend itself that greatly to writing because it isn't the right venue for the kind of things I really feel like writing about. It's good for pithy one-liners and posting photos, but not real good for lengthy passages. I do have some friends that wax eloquent from time to time, but to read "the rest of the story", you have to click "See More"

I want to kick-off with a new series on Happiness. What is it? How can I get it? Once I have it, how can I keep it? I think there's a lot of people wandering about in a very unhappy state and it seems that they've all but given up on the hope of living a happy and fulfilled life.

Do you know the secret to true happiness? I'm not a doctor, or a psychologist, but then I don't believe that you have to be either to have a good handle on living a life that is truly happy. I've always been a firm believer that happiness is really just a choice. But you need to believe that you have the power to choose in order for this to work for you.

Over the Labor Day weekend I went to an open house for Happiness U in Honolulu. Our dear friend Alice Inoue is bringing her dream to life in a very real way. "Happiness U is a first-of-its-kind educational establishment and community hub in Honolulu that offers an inspirational place where you can learn things about life that you were never taught in school.", she states.

Her passion - "Teach people how they can lead happy lives." Her premise - "Happiness can be learned." This is a departure from our prior understanding. We used to think that people were genetically predisposed to being happy or unhappy. Alices goes on to say, "Our purpose is to provide useful insights and support in the form of classes, events and gatherings."

Alice has developed a curriculum which embraces a mind-body-spirit approach to happiness. Alice calls Hapiness U "An inspiring place to learn what you didn't learn in school about how to live a happy life!" I encourage you all to check it out (or at least her website: http://YourHappinessU.com).

Character

The last and certainly not least 'C' of the five is Character. Character to me is the most important attribute because it encompasses everything about you and without it, one can never be truly successful. We all know of people who seem successful on all outward accounts who have seemed to have cheated on this one. But I need to point out that any kind of success that is built without the content of character cannot be sustainable for long. Character is required to provide the glue that holds your success together. Without it, everything will soon fall apart. We've seen it happen over and over again.

One of the best books that I have read recently was written by Jon Huntsman and is called Winners Never Cheat. It is an excellent read on the subject of character and success. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend that you pick it up. It's an easy read that will leave you feeling empowered. It shows that it is possible to swim with the sharks and still come out ahead. I know only a handful of people that demonstrate the same level of moral character that Jon Huntsman lives on a day to day basis. Jon is a truly remarkable individual whose story deserves your attention.

Eleanor Roosevelt tells us, "People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built." I believe this is one of the best ways to describe the building of character.

Coachability

The fourth 'C' (I know) of the 5 C's of Success is Coachability. Can you honestly say that you are coachable? If I'm going to be completely honest, I have to say that I have a lot of room for improvement in this department. However, I am working on it and perhaps by getting through today's post will help me to make advances toward becoming more coachable myself.

Those who know me well are probably thinking to themselves that this should be interesting. I've been called arrogant, a bad listener, a know-it-all and probably many other terrible things with respect to my willingness to take criticism (constructive or otherwise). I often find myself finishing other peoples sentences and am guilty of interrupting. Therefore, I must say, that nobody will is more in need of today's advice than myself. I'm the poster child for the uncoachable. So when you see me next, gently remind me of this by offering me some advice and see how I respond. This will be the best way for me to kick this horrible habit.

Even the best competitors in the world require coaching to attain the status of "world class" athelete. The Olympics is a prime example of the best in the world still striving to improve themselves. If they can just shave an additional tenth of a second from their time or raise the high jump bar by a single inch, they gladly welcome the advice of others to improve their game. According to Sam Parker of Give More Media, Inc., to be coachable means to be:
          •Approachable
          •Attentive
          •Receptive
          •Curious
          •Objective
          •Trusting
          •Shapeable
          •Confident

If anyone reading this post is willing to help me with my coachability issues, I will in turn, be eternally grateful. I know that this is arguably my biggest vice at this point in my life and career. To put it mildly, I have become my worst adversary. Just accounting for all of my own missed opportunites is enough to make me physically ill. So I begin today, to change. I will learn to be more coachable from this moment forward.

Competence

The third 'C' in the 5 C's of Success is Competence. BusinessDictionary.com defines competence as a cluster of related abilities, commitments, knowledge, and skills that enable a person (or an organization) to act effectively in a job or situation. In comparison to 'competency' (plural competencies) which refers to a cluster of abilities relating to excellence in a specific activity, competence indicates sufficiency (state of being 'good enough') of knowledge and skills that enable one to act in a wide variety of situations. Because each level of responsibility has its own requirements, competence can occur in any period of a person's life or at any stage of his or her career.

I believe that one of the most frustrating situations we come across in our daily activities is when we are met with incompetence. It has this innate ability to hinder progess and bring the wheels of industry to a screeching halt. We are, however, much more forgiving when it comes to people in training, probably because we all have empathy when it comes to someone who is learning a new skill. Afterall, we've all been beginners at something multiple times in our lives as we develop new skills, so we can empathize with the person who is bettering him or herself by taking on more responsibilities and learning something new. It is this empathy that retailers seek from their customers by giving new employees a TRAINEE name tag while they are in training. We're also more patient with folks in a car that is clearly marked STUDENT DRIVER. After waiting for well over an hour in a line that had only managed to process a single indivdual in all of that time, with two cashiers, one of the other "patient" customers remarked that the "In Training" signs displayed in both windows were probably permanent fixtures.

The point is that competence is learned and it is possible to better ourselves by adding to our list of core competencies. We need to take into consideration the fact that we are not all cut from the same cloth and that there are certain things that we may never excel at no matter how hard we try. It may be said that in my school years that I was a competent musician having played trumpet and baritone in band from sixth grade through college. However, I have come to grips with the fact that I will never rise above a very basic level of competence in music. My piano and guitar playing skills remain forever elusive to me, while others excel at music very naturally.

These naturally born skills are often called gifts. I believe that people do have natural tendencies to succeed in certain areas. We all have gifts that we can develop. The New Testament provides us with the parable of the talents which is to say that we are all given gifts, but we need to put them to use in order to achieve success. Don't let your talents go to waste. Know your strengths and play to them. This will give you the edge you need to succeed in a competitive world.

The first 7 letters of competence spell compete... Competence can further be defined as having the ability to compete at something. If you are consistently coming up short in competition after competition, you'd probably be better sevred by considering a different talent. One in which you can achieve victory upon victory. Competition is healthy, don't fall for this "We're all winners" mentality that is poisoning society. The law of the jungle is still survival of the fittest, the incompetent merely end up fodder for the more competent.

Clarity Leads to Power

The next 'C' in the 5 C's of Success is Clarity. I would like to be clear about this particular topic, so what do we mean when we say that clarity is one of the five most important characteristics of success? Well, Merriam Webster defines clarity as "the quality or state of being clear." How many times have we forged ahead with only vague impressions of what it is we were looking to achieve, only to be disappointed with the final results? This is the product of not being absolutely clear about what it is we have set out to accomplish at the outset.

The most successful have the uncanny ability to articulate clearly what the point is that they're trying to get across in any given situation. Clarity leads to power. Successful people know this and lead with it. If you cannot get to the point and have your point understood completely beyond the shadow of a doubt, you will most likely end up with a mixed bag of results. Unless you get clear about your topic, it could be lost in translation. It's especially important today when we are speaking with more and more emmigrants on a daily basis. These are people who may be using English as a second or even third language. It's very easy to try and communicate something and not be completely understood. The best way to assure that our audience understands exactly what is being communicated, is to ask them to repeat what you've told them. Effective communicators know the importance of echoing back what they hear in their every day conversations just to help the speaker to know how their words are being interpretted. This proactive approach to conversation leads to clarity.

Being absolutely clear about our objectives can be accomplished by asking questions. How big? What color? How many whatcha-ma-call-its? Is it lighter or darker than this? Being as descriptive as possible all the way down to the tiniest detail makes for the clearest possible picture of what it is we're trying to explain or define. The more questions that are answered up front, the better the outcome. Without a clear understanding, we don't know whether or not the goals have been met. Be clear when you speak, write, design, describe, or try to get across your ideas in any fashion. Make your descriptions work with all 5 senses, what it looks like, feels like, smells like, sounds like and even tastes like. This might not work in all cases, but the better descriptions yield far better results so involve as many senses as apply, then ask and answer all of the important questions. This method will always lead to clarity. Use it and clear the way to better results.

Courage.. Are You Careful or Fearful?

While I appreciate John Jackson's philosophical discourse on Courage and the 5 C's of Success during one of our conference calls last week, I'd like to give credit to the original source. In January of 2004, Pentecostal Minister of Dakota Community Church, Dan Cormie, delivered a sermon on Courage as part of his "The Essential Characteristics of Conquerors" series. Of course there is a slight chance that I have still not cited the proper original source, but it's the best I could come up with in the time I allowed myself for research on the topic. So let's get started with Courage, the first of the 5 C's.

In his sermon, Pastor Cormie describes Fear as a thief. It paralyzes you, keeps you lonely, leads you to make foolish decisions, and eventually robs you of life itself unless you master it. He goes on to say that mastering fear requires courage. He states, "Conquerors posses the courage to defeat their fears!" So then courage is that quality which allows us to face and defeat fear.

What is courage? How does it look?

We tend to equate courage with heroism - firefighters running into a burning building, soldiers preparing for battle, police arresting an armed criminal. We think of extreme sports like bungee jumping, or free climbing; activities that involve a great deal of heroic fortitude. We think of courage as something extraordinary, something unusual; something people are called upon to exhibit only in dangerous, life-threatening situations.

Having said that, we need to recognize that courage is not the same thing as heroism. Courage is not just for extreme situations. In fact, courage is basic to the exercise of every other virtue.

Dictionary definition:
Courage is the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes (sudden changes in life) with self-possession, confidence, and resolution, bravery.

I think Mark Twain described it best. He said: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear -- not absence of fear."

But what can be said about people who say, "I am not fearful, I’m just careful."?

Here are the five points I wanted to drive home in today's post:

1. Careful is cerebral (or thoughtful); fearful is emotional.
2. Careful is fueled by information; fearful is fueled by imagination.
3. Careful calculates risk; fearful avoids risk.
4. Careful wants to achieve success; fearful wants to avoid failure.
5. Careful is concerned about progress; fearful is concerned about protection.

Now honestly are you fearful or careful?

Thanks to JJ for his inpiration and to Pastor Dan Cormie who provided the very thoughtful insight into courage. I truly believe that courage is the cornerstone of self confidence and believing in yourself. Without it, we are merely followers who are often driven by fear. My challenge to you for this week is to man up! Stand up for what you believe in. Do not let fear rule over the decisions you make in your own life.

Weekly Wrap-Up...

What a rough week it's been for me. It seems that all I've been dealing with are life's only two guarantees: Death and Taxes. I started the week out by opening a discussion about taxes and writing off your computer equipment, software and internet access if you own your own business. I'm not a tax professional, so I am not really qualified to speak too much to the topic, so most of my posts this week have been pretty brief. As some of my Facebook friends already know. This year is my 30 year high school reunion and I've been building a website for the Edina East Class of 1981:
          www.EdinaEast81.com if you're interested.
The site has a page entitled "In Memory" to honor all of our classmates who have passed away and I've been trying to deal with a couple of those this week, so I'm really happy that this week is a wrap.

Which brings me to talking about what we might be tackling next week. I'd like to take a topic from one of the leaders in our internet marketing community. John Jackson, or as we more endearingly refer to him as JJ, touched on a subject in one of our morning conference calls when he spoke about the differences of being careful and of being fearful. So, I want to thank JJ for providing me with some powerful material for next week. I plan on comparing and contrasting the difference between being careful and being fearful. So it should be a little more exciting than this past weeks solemn subject. Thanks again for reading.

Tax Deferred Savings

Obviously, it's too late to change anything for your 2010 taxes with respect to your savings. But it's the perfect time to max out your 401K, or SEP IRA or whatever tax deferred savings vehicle you are currently contributing to. If you're not currently contributing, you should be. This is the only way to pay yourself first. This is your only means of saving a portion of your income before the IRS gets their hands on it. Again, I have to reiterate that I am not a tax professional, so please contact a qualified professional on the best way to save pre-tax dollars in 2011. If you're already maxed out, good for you.

IRAs or Individual Retirement Accounts have been around for a long time, so I know you're already familiar with the concept of socking away your hard earned money before the government takes their cut. However, It always amazes me when I hear about how many people don't take advantage of these savings vehicles. What can these people possibly be thinking? You can't afford not to be putting something away for the future and it makes absolutely no sense to do it with after tax dollars, unless you've already saved the maximum amount allowed in a tax deferred account(s).

If you do anything to change your taxable income this year, this is the first thing you should take a look at. The sooner you get started, the more you save. It's really that simple. I don't know what else I can say about this subject other than to tell you to contact your Human Resources or Personnel departments where you work, or your financial advisor or whoever you need to talk to in order to find out where you stand with respect to pre-tax savings. Don't be left behind. Now is the time to get your money working for you in the best possible way. Again, if you're already maxed, great! Now see how to best invest your after tax dollars by seeking out tax friendly investments.

Charitable Giving

We've been discussing taxes and write-offs this week and no such discussion would be complete without talking about charitable contributions. I'm a big believer in giving back and for me, the tax write-off that is allowed for charitable contributions is definitely NOT the reason I give. I give in order to improve the lives of those less fortunate than myself, period. If you want to make sure that your contributions will stand up to an audit, make sure you are making donations to legitimate 501(c) orgnizations and that you have receipts. But more importantly, give because you believe in giving, never give with the expectation of getting something in return.

There are a ton of reputable organizations that you can make donations to throughout the year. Choose your causes with your heart, not your head. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be smart about your giving. Make sure the organization is a worthy cause and that the percentage of funding that gets to the beneficaries is significant. There are a lot of honest charities that are just simply mismanaged and their overhead seriously impairs their effectiveness when it comes to helping the ones in need. A little research in this department goes a long way.

Giving makes me feel good, because I know that the charities we support are affecting people in ways that I could not possibly do on my own. There are projects for every imaginable need. Giving is good and it always benefits me in ways that cannot be described in terms that can be brought to a bottom line. The ability to give to others keeps me motivated to improve myself so that I can give more and more. I think we all would like to be able to give more than we do. Just try to make sure that your charitable donations are being used in ways that make the biggest possible impact for the causes that you hold near and dear.

Get in the Game

I've been going on and on about writing off computer equipment, software and internet access, but really that's only the tip of the iceberg. If you own your own business there are many advantages that you can enjoy especially at tax time. But rather than dwelling on the tax write-offs all week. I'd like to talk about the process of going into business for yourself. It's really not that hard to do. Sure you have the legal hoops that you have to jump through in getting your Federal Tax ID and setting up your business registration through your local and/or state agencies, but those tasks are relatively simple and very inexpensive to put behind you in short order. The toughest part of the process for most isn't the red tape, but actually deciding what it is that they want to do for their business.

This discovery process can be quite fun. It's as easy as making a list of all of your interests and all of the things that you love in life. Because let's face it, your business isn't going to thrive unless you truly love what it is you set out to build your business around. If you have a hobby, there's usually only a fine line between dabbling in a hobby and spending a lot of time and money to turning your hobby into a cash cow. The difference is in how you think about your hobby and how you present that thinking to the rest of the world. Are you an expert at something? You can become a consultant. Yes you can even be a consulting hobbyist. There are always people who are searching for information at all levels in any particular area. Information is valuable.

If you already have a career or a job, that's fine, but don't you think that there's more to life than the daily grind of commuting, punching in & out only to repeat the steps 5 or 6 times a week? And for what? What are you getting out of your job except for a check that goes straight to paying the bills? Or maybe you're one of the lucky few who actually have a job that is in direct correlation with what it is you love to do. If that's the case, then all I can say is welcome to the club!

If you're already in business for yourself, you probably already know the importance of doing what it is you love doing. Without that level of passion, the success rates go right out the window. It's none of my business what you do to start up your own business. My only concern is to get you interested in the concept of running your own business. Get the creative juices flowing and urge you to follow your dreams. Anyone can run a business. It's the size and magnitude of the business that requires varying levels of skill to pull off. Do what you love and build a flourishing business model around that passion and you have the blueprint for success. If you ever require assistance, don't be afraid to ask. Entrepreneurs are among the most sharing and caring people I know. Most of my friends own their own businesses. I don't know if this is a birds of a feather thing, or if it just has to do with the economy of living in paradise. But no matter where you live or what your interests are. There's really nothing more satisfying than running your own show.

The Possibilities Are Endless

Before you can legitimately start writing off computer equipment, software and internet access, you have to be certain that your business will stand up to the scrutiny of a tax audit. I am not a tax expert, so please heed my advice and contact a professional before attempting to write off any of your own business expenses. First and foremost, you'll need to make sure that your business is making money. Having said that, when it comes to making money with your computer, the possibilities are truly endless. I'm going to throw out just a few ideas and hopefully it will get your own creative juices flowing on how you might be able to start earning extra income with your computer from home.

Are you good at writing? The internet has sparked a revolution with respect to people who provide content for the countless websites and blogs out there. Many of which require writers to provide them with content. Becoming a freelance writer is now more in demand than it has ever been. You might want to check out the following link if you have any interest whatsoever in a career in writing:

     http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Freelance-Writer

There isn't really a business model in existence that couldn't benefit from having a website. So if you're good with computers and you know a little HTML, you might consider building wesbites for the small businesses in you area. Websites vary from the tiny mom & pop types of businesses all the way up to the flashiest of the mega-billion dollar corporations. Your skill set will dictate where you might fit in, but no matter what your current skill level, there is a market for your talents. In addition to writing the code behind a great website, there is a demand for graphical artists who can create the business logos and other graphical images that adorn a business's website. So even if you don't have the ability to create a website, you could still take advantage of the internet boom if you have artistic abilities and know how to create great layouts using photoshop or pagemaker or any of a large number of graphical art packages on the market today. And once again, when it comes to websites, content is king, so I'll say it again here, freelance writers are in huge demand.

When it comes to building websites, I personally have created a great deal of them; from the very simple, to fairly complex database driven sites requiring eCommerce solutions and real time connections to other systems. One of the things that I'm finding out is that developing the website is only a small part of doing business in the online arena. Having a website doesn't necessarily mean that a business is going to be a huge success online. You still have to market, so there is also a huge demand for Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing professionals. This is an area in which copy writing and target market analysis have become fairly competitive, but with a little marketing know-how, you can master the skills required to drive internet traffic. This area is extremely lucrative and provides for a great creative outlet if you're so inclined.

These are but a handful of ways that you can have a business that allows you to create additional income. It also provides a wealth of tax write-offs for the tools that you use in doing business for yourself. Once again, I need to reiterate that I am not a tax expert and that you want to contact a tax professional before attempting to write off any type of business expense. I haven't done my own taxes in years, so I'm not 100% certain of what goes on in my accountant's office, but I do know that a lot of the things I buy, are legitimately written off as part of my business and this is something you'll want to consider, if not for this current tax season, get started now in making the hit next year a little less painful when it comes to paying taxes.

Tax Time is Upon Us

The first quarter of the year means that taxes are coming due soon. The end of January is the deadline that your employer had to get you your W-2 statement that outlines how much you've been paid this past year and how much taxes may have been withheld. I can safely assume that if you're reading this post, you have a personal computer of some kind and an internet connection. Whether you pay for that internet access or not is a question of how frugal you are. Many people are able to successfully locate free wi-fi hot spots for their internet access and have successfully discontinued paid internet access. I am thinking they are a minority, but I know they're out there; especially if those free hot spots are close to where they live. But this post isn't about whether or not you're paying for internet access. It's about getting the most out of your PC and your access to the internet.

Is your computer an asset or a liability? Sure, many of you probably consider your computer an asset if you use it for work of one kind or another, but are you paying dearly for the convenience, or are you squeezing the most out of your investment and making it pay for itself? Many of us own PCs and have never earned a single dollar using the hardware or software that we've purchased. Others may have gotten paid to do something and gotten paid for it on occassion. The truth of the matter is that there are literally thousands, if not millions of ways that you can make your computer pay for itself. If you use your computer professionally, or have legally set up a computer oriented business, you may be able to write off the cost or your computer and/or software purchases. Since it's a big ticket item that has a specific lifespan, you'll find that you need to depreciate that machine over it's lifetime (it's true you can do it all at once), but consult your tax preparer or the IRS for more information regarding computer equipment purchases and depreciation.

If you have a personal computer and you only use it casually and cannot claim it as a business expence, you are literally tossing money out the window. It is so easy to set up a legitimate business that requires a computer and therefore qualifies as a tax deduction. You could set up a tax preparation service, a resume writing service, accounting and bookkeeping services or about a thousand other types of businesses including internet companies that can legally do business all around the world. If your business is online, you can write off your expensive high-speed internet access bill. But besides being able to save the amount of money you're spending on your computer hardware, software and internet access, it is also very likely that you will increase your income, so you can pay even more taxes, and isn't that our goal in life, to pay more taxes? This week, I'm going to take a closer look at putting your PC to work for you. Treat your computer like an employee instead of a tool. PCs are here to help us, so let's take advantage of that.

Picking a Winner

It fascinates me how football fans go about selecting their Super Bowl favorites. Most of the casual football fans (the ones who watch games occassionally throughout the season) base their decision strictly on emotion. This is probably because they don't especially know too much about the two teams who made it to the championship match. Then there are the ladies who like to pick their winners based on how the players look in their uniforms or which team has the cutest quarterback. Then I also know a few die hard football fans (you know who you are) who have watched NFL Football religiously each Sunday and some of them watched every single game (usually fantasy football players with a vested interest in at least a small portion of every single matchup). These are the guys who will base their pick on sheer statistics and the injury reports and overall health and strength of each team's specific units: Offense, Defense, Special Teaams, etc. Then there are those of us who are still licking their wounds from the regular season and could really care less who wins because they only care about the team they've been loyal to all season long. We just want to see a good game with a lot of back and forth and quality plays. Please, don't let this be a one-sided blowout for either team. One thing missing this year is the decsion making of the football perves (and you too know who you are). These are the horn dogs who choose the winning team by their cheerleaders. This year's game will be lacking cheerleaders due to the fact that neither team has a cheerleading squad. No matter how you go about picking a winner, most fans this year have already made up their minds; have you?

Today's post will be Super Brief, because I've got to get myself prepared for the Super Bowl festivities. I've got my shopping list and I'm ready to head out the door and toss it up with the other last minute Super Bowl Party shoppers. Luckily for me, I won't be doing too much of the work myself this year. Just bring a dish, nothing fancy. I like that. I want to wish everyone out there, football fan or otherwise, a safe, exciting and fun day tomorrow whether you plan on watching the game or not. My surfer friends all say that Super Bowl Sunday is the best day to surf because the breaks are nearly deserted. I seem to recall surfing on both Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday when I was in college on the Big Island. Truly big waves and nobody around for yards and yards. So hit the ski lifts or the waves and enjoy the serenity. The rest of us will be losing our voices shouting at the big screens across the country. I wish all football fans the best of luck no matter which team they've picked as their winner this year.