Can you really say that you dare to be great each day of your life? It’s a pretty tough statement to live up to isn’t it? For me, the trick is (if one wants to call it a trick) is to focus on being AWARE of your actions decisions.

For example, say you’re in the middle of a conference call or meeting at work, don’t just be quiet and follow what others decide but DARE to speak up and put in your own opinion about the matter.

At home, don’t get into the habit of just eating what your partner puts in front of you but take part in deciding what should be on the table tonight.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that daring to be great is not about focusing on what heroic acts you can do today but rather focusing on NOT being timid or passive about your own day-to-day existence.

Now you may think you’re not passive but take a really close look at say the past 3 days. Can you honestly say you ’seized the moment’ and made a situation or event your own?

Do you see now what I mean by leading a passive life? Don’t let things just happen to you; rather MAKE things happen to you. Following are a few tips to help you change how you live your life and dare to be great every day.

Put yourself out more into the world.

Get pen and paper and draw several circles which represent your life’s different social groups. For instance, one circle for work, one for family, one for friends, one for school (if not for you, draw one that represents the people you meet at your kids’ school), and so on.

In these circles, do people know who you REALLY are? If not, it’s time to put yourself out there! Keep in mind that this is not about ‘being popular’ and you need not be ‘No. 1′ in all the circles. However, do strive to be a ‘moving force’ in at least one circle.

Make decisions.

As I mentioned above, most people don’t even realize that they are living based on decisions made by others. So starting today, be conscious of what you are doing. Is it something you set out to do or something someone asked/told you to do?

Don’t just exist, LIVE.

If you work for others, you can very well say that you simply follow the goals of the company but that’s just one aspect of your life so take control of the rest! Seriously my friend, make the other hours of your day really count.

I’m sure you’ve heard of Jack Canfield, the co-creator of the super successful book Chicken Soup for the Soul.

When Chicken Soup for the Soul first started to become popular I heard a lot of people say that the title was ’silly’. I, on the other hand, thought it was marketing genius. Don’t we all at some level relate to ‘chicken soup’ as something homey? Something that always made us feel good? No wonder then that the book has been a run a way success and that it has spawned many ’sequels’.

Jack Canfield is someone I always like to hear speak. The other day, I came across this video and thought that what he shared was a very simple yet powerful tip for planning your day effectively. See if it works for you too!

Here’s the final part of posts here and here on 101 Ways to Make Yourself Happy.

1. Yes, get yourself a piping hot bowl of chicken soup.
2. Time for change, paint your bedroom. Too much work? Paint just ONE wall a happy color and spruce it up.
3. SIMPLIFY your life.
4. Bake a batch of cookies and make gifts out of them.
5. Settle down for a House, MD (or any TV series you like) 24-hour marathon.
6. Start a journal.
7. Start doing yoga.
8. Create a “Things I Must Do Before I Go List”, cross-out things you’ve already done and start making plans for the things you still have to do.
9. Beat someone at chess/Wii/Monopoly, etc.
10. Hop on your bike and go where your pedals take you.
11. Start avoiding negative people.
12. Begin saving again!
13. Stop agonizing over things/situations/people.
14. Hug someone.
15. Throw caution to the wind and be silly.
16. Remember a lost love with fondness.
17. Create (or foster) a relationship with someone today.
18. Let someone else ‘take charge’ so you can just chill.
19. Finish something longggg overlooked on your TO DO list.
20. Play dance music the minute you get out of bed.
21. CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!

There you have it; 101 ways that you can try to make your life burst with happiness. Sometimes, we treat life questions such as ‘what makes you happy?’ too deep. Hopefully these 101 tips will show you how easy it can be to focus on making yourself happy each and every day.

Are you the type who is always late be it for an appointment or finishing a task? Even if you are not ‘late’ by definition, do you always feel like there should be 29 hours a day instead of 24?

When I was younger, out of exasperation, I blurted the question ‘why are there not more hours in a day!’ to my kid brother (then 8)  His reply: because you’ll die right away? I laughed so hard at his quick response and then realized that yeah, it must be 24 hours for a reason!

After that I decided NOT to focus on the time on the clock but rather began to question if I was doing what I really should be doing. Of course, many years later (and I do believe much wiser!) I realize that “better time management” was what I was aiming for back then.

So without further ado, my tips for you so you can manage your time better.

LIST down what you want to accomplish.

Ever wonder why you seem to be doing A LOT and yet seem to be accomplishing nothing? This is probably because you are doing tasks that when ‘grouped’ do not sum up to finishing off ONE bigger task.

Sometimes, I have this in the mornings. When I synchronize my email, 12 different things need to be done. Doing the first task leads me to think of another important task and before I know it, my To Do list is longer but I can’t cross off any project! I have since then made it my routine that I do certain tasks and finish them off BEFORE I even open my Inbox.

I also do this: get pen and paper and go over yesterday’s list and then I make a NEW list for today. This way, I start my day focused on what I need and want to accomplish.

Prioritize. What MUST be done today vs. what can be put off for tomorrow?

Now that you have your To Do list, which ones MUST be done today and which ones can be left off for another time? Remember to not only look at the length of time a particular task takes but to group tasks so that you accomplish a whole project.

Learn to say NO.

During the day, other people may come up to you and ask for favors or try to pass on their tasks to you. Learn to say NO. Of course, don’t be rude but do stress the fact that you have your own lists of responsibilities and that if they want, they can wait till you can fit the favor/task to your schedule.

Cross-out every task that’s been finished and pat yourself on the back.

Sometimes, the list of unfinished tasks can be so overwhelming that we forget to congratulate ourselves for what we have done during the day. This is another reason why it’s good to make lists in the morning. At the end of the day, when I look at all the stuff I finished and crossed out on the list, I feel darn good no matter how many other things are left open.

You can only work so many hours in a day.

Sure there are 24 hours in a day but I try my darn best to keep my working hours to 8 even though I work from home. This is because ‘personal time’ is just as important as all the other stuff.

Think about it; if you take an hour for exercise, and hour for relaxation, and so on, wouldn’t your mind and body be better able to do the tasks that lie ahead?

I used to even feel guilty for spending 10 minutes a day on meditation because of my deadlines. Well now I take 15-30 minutes a day to meditate. I find that I think better and work faster after such a mental break. Try it!

Here’s a continuation of my post the other day on 101 Ways to Make Yourself Happy.

1. Feeling really blue? Call your mom and bawl like you used to do when you were a kid.
2. Prepare a picnic. It doesn’t matter if it’s just for yourself or with a loved one.
3. Call your best friend.
4. Go ahead… prepare yourself a hard drink if you need one!
5. Call for your favorite take-out food!
6. Do volunteer work.
7. Get a massage.
8. Go out and do some gardening. There’s something soothing having the earth between your hands.
9. Go out and RUN. Break into a sweat.
10. Go to a nearby museum (or go online) and read up on history. The triumphs of the past will lift your spirit.
11. Go out and do at least ONE good deed (help someone cross the street, carry a heavy bag, get into a cab, etc.)
12. Buy/read an autobiographical book based on someone you admire.
13. Buy some flowers!
14. Say a solemn prayer.
15. Sit down and count your blessings.
16. ALWAYS celebrate your birthday.
17. Go out and buy 12 Thank You or Hello cards and send them all out.
18. Let go of a grudge. Forgive someone.
19. Say YES to something you’ve been putting off for yourself.
20. Say NO to something someone has been trying to make you do.
21. Send happy thoughts to someone.
22. Go to church.
23. Light scented candles and sit in the quiet darkness for a few minutes.
24. Treat yourself to a 5-star breakfast!
25. Sleep in.
26. Laugh out loud; be happy without inhibitions.
27. Bake a cake… and eat it too.
28. Try something you’ve never done before.
29. Fiddle with your favorite tech gadget.
30. Go to an art museum and look at great paintings.
31. Go swimming.
32. Meditate.
33. Take a… road trip!
34. Be spontaneous. Do the first thing that comes to mind now.
35. Go to the hairsalon/barber.
36. Bond with a sibling.
37. Drive around; have no destination; just enjoy the journey.
38. Kiss your partner d-e-e-p-l-y.
39. Pop some fresh popcorn.
40. Go to an antique shop and just wander around.
41. Go to your local pub.
42. Go to a nearby beach, dig your feet deep in the sand and feel the sand between your toes.
43. Take the weekend COMPLETELY off. No work, no calls, no family, no friends. Just be with yourself.
44. Go to a nearby orchard or farm and pluck produce from the earth/trees.
45. Buy a ‘just because’ gift for your mom/dad/siblings/friends.
46. Text a simple “I love you” message to your loved one.
47. Prepare your all-time-favorite sandwich.
48. Look at butterflies.
49. SMILE!
50. Close your eyes and daydream.

Everywhere you turn today people are trying to find ways to tighten their belts and supplement their incomes. Today, I’ll be going over a few things that will indeed help you earn a little more cash for yourself.

De-clutter your home and have a garage sale.

It always amazes me how much money is ‘lying around’ in people’s homes. One neighbor of mine a long time ago kept mentioning that times are hard and that she didn’t how to make ends meet.

However, she had a huge house, two cars, and a pool at the back.

Actually, what she was really telling me was that she was not financially liquid. I told her one time to sell the 2nd car, sell the house and move into a smaller home. She really didn’t like me saying that.  She has since left our neighborhood and I wonder sometimes what she did.

My point is this, people complain about how little they have when in fact they have a lot. All you need to do is take a quick glance around you and ask yourself this: is this something I NEED or just something I WANT?

Be ruthless with your de-cluttering. (Personally, I don’t like keeping something I haven’t even touched in 3 months but that may be too harsh for you.)

Before you know it, you have a TON of stuff that’s actually worth a lot of money. Host your own garage sale or attend a car booty in your area to convert those things to hard cash!

Upgrade your skill set so you can advance at work.

A lot of companies actually support the advancement of employees by subsidizing courses or classes that their employees can take. Ask if your company has a program like this and if so, well take advantage of it!

You’ll be enhancing your skills, which in in turn will be a good way to not only secure your job but to also increase your salary.

Do freelancing work online.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to earn extra cash today is do freelance work online. There are plenty of online marketplaces that you can go to offer your services. You can do typing jobs, online research, act as someone’s secretary, do writing work, create images, and more, for a global audience.

The best part is that you can do this from the comforts of your own home. And it’s actually good entrepreneurial training too.

For instance, if you’ve ever wanted to be your own boss, try your hand at doing freelance work first. This way, you can see how you communicate with clients on your own, how you sell your skills, and how good you are at meeting deadlines.

Start as slow or as fast as you want but be serious. Most online clients are able to provide feedback on your work so putting only 50% of yourself in freelance gigs will hurt you. However, if you’re good, you’ll never be in need of money again because there’s always something to do for someone online.