Saturday, November 5, 2011

Does the Music You Listen to Give You Away


What music puts you in a good mood? What music makes you feel better? There were times in life when I was just flat out mad at the world, and the music I listened to showed it. I'd always listen to hard rock or alternative that seemed to go along with that life. Songs where I couldn't actually understand most of the words, but it just seemed to fit my mood.

The more I change my mindset to be positive and focus on the value of things in life the more my taste in music changes. Sometimes I just don't listen to music anymore since it seems to distract me when I'm trying to focus. Perhaps, I just haven't found the right music. What songs do you listen to when you need to focus and not be distracted? 

When I was always negative I'd make fun of country music, the people who listened to it, and just everything about it. However, it's not so bad anymore. I can actually understand the words in all the songs that I like, and they have a good range of instruments and sounds. 

I don't buy CDs anymore though. Nowadays, if I listen to music at all I just use one of the free online radio stations. At first I was excited when I found Pandora.com. You could somewhat customize what music played on your stations, but it's not as user-friendly as some other websites out there.

My current favorite free online customized radio station website is Jango.com, which makes it really easy to pick a popular "station" or create your own. You can add any artist, rate the music, share music with friends, click on links to lyrics, and much more! Plus, you don't have advertisements every few songs like with Panodora.comLast.fm is another website similar to the ones mentioned, but Jango.com has my vote. 


Friday, November 4, 2011

Mind Game - Think Positively - #5

Read the first Mind Game post for instructions on how to play. Essentially, try to think of positive things for the example in bold below.








You're sitting in a comfy chair on the beach somewhere exotic reading your favorite book. You accidentally spill your drink on the book you're reading and now all the pages are soaked.

  • Must be time to take a nap while the book dries
  • I needed to get up and stretch anyways
  • Time to go for a walk and enjoy the beach
  • Good thing I brought another book!
  • What else can you think of...


    Image Credits: 1254880 by artM from Stock.Xchng

    Waste Not Want Not


    Linda Kynyon wrote an article on Associated Content about the concepts of not wasting anything. Our society today is filled with so many things that just don't last, so what can we do about it? Linda's mom used to tell her,"Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do or Do Without." These days people like to just throw things away and buy them again.

    How many times have you bought a new computer? How often do you replace your cell phone? Linda makes some good points to think about in her article, "Should You Use What You Have or Buy More?"

    Click here to read her article...

    Image Credits: 851320 by punkt_klx from Stock.Xchng

    Thursday, November 3, 2011

    Mind Game - Think Positively - #4

    Read the first Mind Game post for instructions on how to play. Essentially, try to think of positive things for the example in bold below.








    You're watch stops working and there are no other clocks around
    • Now you have a chance to meet someone new and ask them what time it is
    • You have an excuse to go to the watch store and see all the cool new watches for sale
    • You get to test your survival skills by using the sun to judge time
    • What else can you think of...
    You're walking along a road and get covered in mud from a passing vehicle
    • It must be a sign to wash this shirt since it's been worn for a week
    • Brown is a better color for me anyways
    • Ahh, refreshing! Mud is nice and cool when it's hot outside.
    • What else can you think of...

    Image Credits: 1254880 by artM from Stock.Xchng

    Associated Content - The Sniper Squirrel

    Have you ever just had a day where everything seemed to keep going wrong? No matter how positive you tried to be things just kept crashing around you? This article on Associated Content is actually a short story based around that idea. Sometimes people try to stay positive, but the day just seems to take over.




    It's in those situations that you really have to persevere and keep going. Life isn't perfect and life isn't fair. You have to be able to continue on after life throws more at you than you think you can handle.

    Click here to read the story on Associated Content...

    Image Credits: 1178664 by Smicko from Stock.Xchng

    Wednesday, November 2, 2011

    Top Ten Reviews

    Top Ten Reviews, is a website that reviews software, eletronics, web services, and more. The things that makes their site different is the level of detail and side-by-side comparisons that provide for free. If you're looking for the newest and best Anti-Virus software, then you can easily compare the newest products on the market. They're slogan is, "We do the research so you don't have to," which they do a great job of living up to.

    At the time of this writing the home page had a nice comparison of the newest "ebook reader" devices such as the Kindle 3, Nook Simple Touch Reader, Kindle DX, Nook Color, and more. The reviews are done on a 5-star rating scale and easy-to-read charts and graphs that compare each item in the list.

    You can also read individual reviews on the items being reviewed. You'll see the pros, cons, overall verdict, and details of the key benefits of the product or service. It's a great website that can help you save time and money. Why waste money on a product that will disappoint you when you can easily see and compare the top products and services in a category.

    Click here to visit Top Ten Reviews now...

    Mind Game - Think Positively - #3

    Read the first Mind Game post for instructions on how to play. Essentially, try to think of positive things for the example in bold below.








    A pitbull charges you and bites your leg
    • At least it didn't bite something more sensitive and important
    • Now you know which dog in the neighbor hood isn't friendly
    • Now you know to carry a cane or a walking stick to protect yourself
    • What else can you think of... 
    Your computer printer runs out of ink
    • Now you can save some trees
    • You can use the empty ink cartridges in a piece of art
    • You realize you didn't really need to print that document anyways
    • What else can you think of...

    Image Credits: 1254880 by artM from Stock.Xchng

    Tuesday, November 1, 2011

    How to Quickly and Easily come up with Product Ideas

    If you are looking to create a product or service to sell, and are stumped on what types of things people need, then read on. The Internet is full of people telling others what they want or need help with. Google (or your favorite search engine) allows us to find those wants and needs that people have. If you can create a solution to a problem, then people are more likely to buy that product or service, if it really helps resolve their issue. 



    Some example phrases you could try in Google are:
    If you want to drill down on a more specific niche or idea, then you could try Googling this:
    • "How do I * car"
      • The above would search for the keywords, but anything can go where the asterisk is, so the search phrase above might give you results for...
        • How Do I Sell My Car When I Owe More Than It's Worth?
        • How do I Determine If My Car Is a Classic?
        • How do I sell a car that I'm currently still financing?
      • You could probably fairly easily make an information product to sell online that would answer those questions above. People are already asking the questions, so with a little research you could provide an in-depth answer that they might even be willing to pay for.
    You could even drill down to even more specific questions that people are asking. If you wanted to get into a very small niche, then you could include a type of car in the search term or other specifics. For example Google this:
    • "Ford * how do I fix *" 
      • You will get results where people are asking how to fix some sort of Ford vehicle. 
      • You could even type in a specific type of thing that might commonly need fixing and see how many hits you get that way.
    You can always change keywords around, use different keywords or phrase, and just experiment. You might be surprised at how easy it is to come up with product ideas.

    Image Credits: 1156284 by raja4u from Stock.Xchng

    Mind Game - Think Positively - #2


    Read the first Mind Game post for instructions on how to play. Essentially, try to think of positive things for the example in bold below.







    An airplane loses a wing while in the air

    • Now the pilots get to test how good their skills really are
    • If everybody on the plane survives, then they'll appreciate life a lot more. They might even get in contact with friends and family they haven't spoken to in a long time to rekindle relationships they let slide
    • Everybody will have a great story to tell in social situations
    • Problems people used to think were a big deal probably won't seem to bad anymore comparatively
    • What else can you think of…

    Image Credits: 1254880 by artM from Stock.Xchng

    Finding value in leftover candy


    Kelly Herdrich from Yahoo's Associated Content site posted a great article about increasing the value of something that would normally just be thrown away. Her article entitled, "Creative ideas for leftover Halloween candy," provides a few unique ideas for how you can use the candy you would normally throw away and turn them into something more or something useful even. Kelly does a good job of showing how something of value can have even more value, if you keep an open mind.

    The article mentions using leftover candy for cooking, artwork, and even generosity. Re-give halloween candy? Read the article to get the details!

    Click here to read the article...

    Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network

    Image Credits: 834599 by Cieleke from Stock.Xchng

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