“Taking Care of Your Skin in Winter Weather” plus 8 more

Taking Care of Your Skin in Winter Weather
Daily Quote: If You Spend Too Much Time Working On Your Weaknesses…
If You Can Succeed in Managing Your Morning, Then Nothing Can Stop You From Succeeding in Life
30sec Tip: Set a Deadline For Task Completion.
How to Backup and Download Your Instagram Photos
What a Difference a Wash Makes: How to Keep Your Car Looking Good
Breaking Free from Mediocrity
How You Can Stop Limiting Beliefs and Take Back Your Life
11 Best Deal Sites and Shopping Resources You’re Missing Out On

Taking Care of Your Skin in Winter Weather

Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:30 AM PST

If you live in a place where the mercury has dropped enough for snow to start falling, chances are you're also starting to deal with "winter skin" right about now: cheeks are getting rough and dry, lips are chapping… and depending on the severity of the weather outside, skin can even flake, crack, or erupt into hives or eczema. This just isn't a season that's kind to skin at all. Fortunately, there are ways to combat the damage caused by freezing winds, snow, and hail, and a few of these handy techniques are listed below.

Change Your Moisturizer

The lightweight moisturizer you use in summertime isn't going to cut it during the winter. To fend off cold damage to your skin in winter, opt for creams that have a heavier oil content, as the oils will create a protective layer on the skin's surface. Creams rich in avocado or sweet almond oil are ideal for your face, but try to avoid using cocoa or shea butter on facial skin, as it can clog pores. If you're prone to breakouts, talk to an aesthetician or dermatologist who can recommend a cream that's right for your skin type.

Don't forget that the skin on your entire body needs special care at this time of year: though you'll see and feel the damage cold weather can cause to hands and feet (roughness, cracking around knuckles and cuticles, etc.) you might not notice dry patches on your legs or arms until they start to itch or flake. This is where the cocoa and shea butters come in: a good body lotion will replenish the moisture in your limbs as well as your cheeks, leaving you soft and supple all over.

Speaking of cream…

Sunscreen

If you spend a lot of time outside, don't forget to wear sunscreen! Your skin can be subjected to just as much UV damage in wintertime as in summer, so don't hesitate to put on a layer of SPF 15 before putting on your makeup.

Exfoliate

Gentle exfoliation once a week will help to remove dry, dead skin from your cheeks and forehead, but don't go overboard with it! Your skin takes a lot of damage from the weather outside, and scouring it too much will actually increase wear and tear, and will do more harm than good.

For the rest of your body, a homemade exfoliant such as a salt or sugar scrub can do wonders to slough off dead skin cells and leave you soft and smooth all over.

Wear Lip Balm

The skin on your lips is the thinnest and most sensitive on your entire body, so be sure to take proper care of them by protecting them from cold damage—that means you too, guys. It's not a lot of fun to kiss someone whose lips are flaking apart like a dry old phone book. Aim for unflavoured lip balms with a carnauba or beeswax base (stick to the former if you're vegan), and apply it regularly. It's best to avoid using petroleum jelly as a lip balm, though; you really don't want an oil industry by-product on your face, do you? Besides, petroleum jelly isn't absorbed by the skin: it just sits on top of it, and can clog up pores rather thoroughly. Skin can’t absorb any moisture if it’s congested with oil slurry gel.

Shorten Your Bath Time

Have you ever gotten out of a hot bath after soaking for a while and realised that you were desperately thirsty? It's likely because immersing yourself in hot water for long periods of time can actually deplete your body of moisture. Soaking in a hot bath can be absolutely blissful in this weather, but either try to keep your wallowing time to a minimum, or don't make the water too hot. Scalding showers can also suck a fair bit of moisture out of you, so try to keep them short as well.

Stay Hydrated

Even though drinking water doesn't moisturize your skin directly, it keeps your cells in top working order, which reflects in every area of your life—skin cells included. Flushing toxins out of your body with plenty of fluids will often keep you from breaking out as well.

Taking just a couple of these precautions should make a significant difference in the health of your skin in winter. Eating properly and getting regular sleep will improve your overall well-being—which will be reflected in the state of your skin—and wearing proper outerwear such as gloves and scarves when traipsing about in the snow will help protect your skin from nose to toes.

Featured photo credit: winter girl behind snow tree via Shutterstock

Daily Quote: If You Spend Too Much Time Working On Your Weaknesses…

Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:30 AM PST

If you spend too much time working on your weaknesses, all you end up with is a lot of strong weaknesses. - Dan Sullivan

If You Can Succeed in Managing Your Morning, Then Nothing Can Stop You From Succeeding in Life

Posted: 19 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST

Are you a person who keeps finding ways to kill time or wishes for less than 24 hours in a day? Then I guess this article is not for you! If, however, you’re a person who wishes you had more than 24 hours a day or wished that you were a mutant who could survive without sleeping, then this article is the right fit for you.

Life for a busy being starts at night, as opposed to the common belief that a day begins at sunrise.

To organize and manage time effectively throughout the day, you must be able to manage the first few hours in the morning efficiently. Here’s the catch: for a well-managed morning you, have to plan during your last couple of hours awake at night.
Plan your breakfast and take care to ensure that you have all the ingredients ready to cook.
Discuss the following day with your spouse/partner and share your duties: i.e. who is cooking breakfast, who is packing lunches, who is getting children ready for school or dropping the baby at the creche, etc. so that everyone starts their morning without any arguments or time-wasting.
Set aside all the clothes and accessories required by every member of the family for the next day, so that everyone can just grab them and get going without freaking out about misplaced items.
Schedule every activity, from teeth-brushing and bathing to getting your car out of the garage. A solid to-do list and effective prioritization is a surefire stairway to success.
If either of you have to do any work-related tasks in the morning, make it a point to keep your partner informed about it so that the other one can plan accordingly.
Set your alarm to make sure you don’t miss a minute of your day, just in case your body clock fails to wake you!
The last and the most important thing to do at night is to tuck your children in bed on time, and give your spouse a goodnight kiss to make sure you all wake up on time, fresh and rejuvenated.

Good morning! Hopefully you slept better after that nighttime planning!

Now your day is bright and ready for the real action to happen.

The first thing to do in the morning is to turn off the alarm and not fall asleep again! Yes, it rings to wake you up and you have to do exactly that: waking up on time is the most important task of the day.
Start with your routine, and aim to finish off your morning hygiene session in half an hour—including bathing. Make it a point not to read in loo unless you are using your smart phone or tablet to answer your email, and avoid that too if you have scheduled it for later in that to-do list you made the previous night.
Monitor your time and stick to your planned task of either cooking the first meal of the day or getting your children ready. Scheduling is nothing but allotting every task a chunk of time, so try not to lag behind schedule as every lag would add up to a collective loss of time. Multitasking is good, but only if you can handle it effectively, and without stress.
It's your time baby, freshen up! Before getting dressed, wash your face and rinse off all traces of the morning’s stress. Good perfume will definitely revitalize your senses, so be sure to pick the right one. Dress up and feel good about yourself: love yourself and realize your worth.
Relax and take about 10-15 minutes to finish your breakfast with a clear, unoccupied mind. This will go far in keeping you in a cheerful mood throughout the day. Never skip breakfast or eat it standing on your toes or running around—when you can earn your bread, why not enjoy every bite of it?

Once you start your morning by managing time holistically, then there is nothing that can keep you from being happy and high-spirited throughout the day. You will be able to keep up with your plans, and remain productive all day long.

Are you feeling as though this is like preparing for a battlefield? You can stop wondering—morning hours are no less than getting ready for the war called “the office” and facing a boss who is all set to fire bullets of annoying facial expressions straight at heart for arriving at the office late.

Every human being deserves to feel good and calm, and both can be attained by never again fighting with yourself in the morning. By sticking to a schedule, you’ll finish your morning chores and reach the office on time, where you’ll get the chance to impress your boss each and every day.

Featured photo credit: girl opens the curtains via Shutterstock

30sec Tip: Set a Deadline For Task Completion.

Posted: 18 Dec 2012 07:00 PM PST

set a deadline

Set a deadline for task completion. Use that as a focal point to help you stay on track.

Featured photo credit: Man standing on top of a cliff with arm raised via Shutterstock

How to Backup and Download Your Instagram Photos

Posted: 18 Dec 2012 06:30 PM PST

If you use Instagram, you may want to backup or download your instagram photos. There’s a bit of a furore currently ongoing with instagram. Yesterday, they updated their terms of use and it appears as if they will be able to have the rights to sell any photos uploaded to instagram without your permission and without the need to share any of the revenue earned from it. This has caused a bit of stink, and they have since apologized stating that they used confusing language and that they will update their updated terms of use.

What’s of practical use, irrelevant of whether you are angered, ambivalent or just don’t care about what’s happening with instagram’s policy update, is the ability to download and backup your instagram photos. You never know when you just want to be able to grab those photos for other uses, whether you want to retouch them, or edit them on your computer for other purposes. so here’s a quick how to guide to show you how to download your instagram photos.

Instaport.me

It’s a 2 step process. Connect your account, then select “download .zip file”. Future options will include transferring it to Facebook, Flickr or Rss

There are some advanced options where you can select which photos to download based on the last number of photos, photos taken between certain dates, or photos tagged with a specific hashtag.

InstagramDownloader

For those who have windows machines and don’t want to use a website to help you, there is InstagramDownloader. SImply, download the rar file. Unzip it, and run the instagramdownloader exe file. Then follow the onscreen prompts to download all your files.

Copygram

Copygram has a backup photos feature.

Sign in ore create an account that links to your instagram account. Press the Back up photos option. Type in the email where you wish your photos to be sent.

Instarchive

To use Instarchive – Connect with instagram, then click “Download as a Zip FIle”.. As simple as that

Hoi Wan is a mobilist who blogs about smartphone trends and analytics. Hoi has lived and worked in the UK, Japan, Hong Kong and USA and holds a BA in Sport and Recreation and an MBA. You can see his profile on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.

What a Difference a Wash Makes: How to Keep Your Car Looking Good

Posted: 18 Dec 2012 04:00 PM PST

Washing your car regularly is one of the best ways of keeping it looking as good as new. Times may be tough for many, but a tighter budget shouldn’t mean that your car has to suffer: washing your car by hand is easy and free, and will keep it looking and feeling new, whether it's a brand-new model or that used BMW you love so much. You can even get your kids involved and use car-washing as an opportunity to bond with them. So, how do you go about washing a car?

What You'll Need

It's best to get everything you'll need to wash the car before you start in order to avoid having to abandon the job halfway through. So what do you need? Car-wash soap is specially designed for washing cars and is preferable to ordinary soap, which could damage your car's paintwork. You'll also need a sponge, a hose, a dry cloth and two buckets.

Before You Begin

If it's sunny out, park your car in the shade as the sun could cause it to dry too quickly, leaving streaks on the windows and the car's body. Make sure that all windows and doors are closed properly to prevent water from leaking inside.

Washing the Car

To begin with, hose your car down to get it wet and prepare it for cleaning. Once you've done this, pour some of the car-wash soap into a bucket, and fill it up with water. Submerge your sponge in the soapy water and start washing your car from the top down, focusing on one section at a time. When you've washed a section to your satisfaction, hose it down before moving onto the next section.

Try to keep the entire car wet while you're washing it by spraying water on it with the hose every now and then. The bottom parts of the car, such as the wheels and the lower bodywork, are usually the dirtiest and should be left until last. As you wash the rest of the car, starting from the top, soapy water will run off the car and loosening dirt on the lower sections, so when you get to the really dirty parts, some of the work will have already been done for you!

Finally, use a dry cloth or towel to dry your car. This stage is crucial, as you don't want to nullify your own work by leaving streaks on your car, so be sure to do it properly and use a few dry cloths if necessary.

It's inevitable that dirt will build up on a car over time, but by washing your car regularly, you can keep it looking young and attractive, no matter how old it is. If you're really lazy, you could just bribe the kids to do it for you every now and then!

Featured photo credit: Car Wash with Flowing Water over Car Body via Shutterstock

This article was written by Tim Fitzwilliam who has years of experience in BMW used car sales and loves to spend Sunday afternoons washing his car with his two kids.

Breaking Free from Mediocrity

Posted: 18 Dec 2012 02:00 PM PST

So tell me, how mediocre are you today? Sorry, let me rephrase that, who are you hanging with today?

If the people you hang with all very successful, daring to be different, and doing things you want to accomplish, I bet it inspires you to be the best you can be. If everybody around you is looking up to you as their hero in every aspect of life, however, you’d better wake up and smell the coffee. Maybe it’s time for some changes?

Social Creatures

People are social creatures—even if you are a loner or prefer to work alone, I bet you have some form of social network around you, in real life and online. If you examine your network you will most likely find that the people you interact with most have similar drive, similar levels of success, and similar ambitions. What does that mean? Simply put, you are becoming an average of each other. Does that scare you or inspire you?

You may know somebody who has made some bad choices in life and ended up in bad places. With effort, they may have come out of those bad places and started making positive changes: during this period, they might have great support from counselors or similar, but what happens afterward? Well, some may go on to become successful to some degree, but there are always some who fall back into their old habits. The difference? My money is on the changes they have made in their social network: if they make no changes to their network at the same time as they were going through their other positive changes, all their efforts may very well be for nothing. Why? Because their old network is supporting their old way of life and will make them gravitate towards their old habits.

The same goes for very successful people—who do they have in their network? The answer is: very successful people!

Putting it Together

So what does that mean to you? Well by making some adjustments in who you surround yourself with, you can accelerate the changes you are implementing. People can help each other by teaming up with others of complementary strengths, for example, so together they can catapult each other into greatness. Sounds good, right?

So then, where do you get these complementary boosts? Well, there are a number of ways to choose from and it depends on what you want to accomplish. Want to become fit? Ask a fit friend to work out with you and spend more time with that person, or join a running class or a gym with team training to get inspired, and find friends that pull you forward instead of weighing you down. Want to start a business? Join an entrepreneurs’ club, visit online forums, network online and off-line, and get advisors or mentors.

Remember, understanding this and recognising this means nothing unless you make changes where you see the need for them. Action!

So here is what you do:

Take a long, hard look at who you interact with most: list them and quantify their level of success in relevance to where you want to be.
Quantify the time you spend with these people.
Identify the energy thieves—that’s anyone you feel is giving you more negative energy than positive. Look for clues like people who complain a lot, never give you encouragement or try to put you down.
Now take action to break free from these energy thieves, and with that, kiss some of your mediocrity goodbye.
Identify people in your circle whom you admire or who have a lot of success in an area you are interested in.
Take initiative to spend more time with these people, and be inspired to be the best you can be!

Does it sound scary? It can be, but remember: sometimes you have to put yourself first, so make yourself a priority!

Conclusion

In closing, I want to stress that a you don’t ditch friends because they are going through a rough stretch in life and need your energy to stay afloat—we all have to roll with life’s punches and that’s when friendships are tested, so cherish those friendships that stand strong during difficult times. This post refers to the fake friends and acquaintances who give a false feeling of friendship—flush them out and invest your precious time with those who can lift you to new heights.

Have you considered how your network affects you?

Featured photo credit: Full length of muscular guy via Shutterstock

How You Can Stop Limiting Beliefs and Take Back Your Life

Posted: 18 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST

In this life, you are the only person who holds the keys to your life. This means that you have the power to either make or break it. You’ve heard countless times that you only have one life and that life is short thus, you need to live it to the fullest. Most of the time, the situations you have to face are a result of false beliefs that you desperately try to cling to. These beliefs may be self-imposed or you might have gotten them from peers, friends, relatives, or people you look up to.

Regardless of where these beliefs come from, it is important to find the right solutions to help you stop limiting beliefs and regain your life. Below you will find some suggestions that can help you get back on track.

Question the limiting beliefs

There are very many times when we accept limiting beliefs or thoughts automatically. Why you ask? Probably because somewhere along your life, you have learned to do this. If you want to regain your life however, it’s about time to start questioning and challenging those limitations. This can be as simple as asking you “How do I know I can’t?” Keep probing even when your subconscious mind has already given you the automatic NO. This conversation should be kept alive until you realize that the limitation holding you back was just an illusion.

Take time off

One of the reasons why you could be choosing to follow beliefs that limit you in one way or another is because your judgment may be clouded. Take a little time off so that you can approach the situation with a clear mind for better results. This allows you to evaluate the areas in life where you might feel stuck, trapped or stressed. It is important to note that you only feel this way because you want to. You can choose to release these negative or frustrating emotions and start looking at the glass as half-full rather than half empty.

Get out of your comfort zone

You might be affected by limiting thoughts simply because you feel safe or are “used” to being in a certain situation. Try and take a few steps and wade into unfamiliar territories. This will take you outside the borders of your limited behavior and thinking capabilities. At this point, you get to ask yourself a very important question “How can this be done?” Take small yet powerful steps towards finding innovative or successful solutions. Someone once said “A journey of a thousand mile starts with one step.” This means that you have to look for a starting point. Taking this step, helps individuals to redefine what they think they can achieve. It is always important to remember that you can achieve more or do more than you think you can. Switch the gears of your life and adopt a “can do” attitude and you will be surprised as to how far you can go in life.

Learn from your past

Drowning yourself in the sorrows of yesterday will do nothing for your future. This will only leave you locked into a cocoon of self-pity, which is a very dangerous spot. It is important to learn to pick yourself up, dust off, and move on with your head held high. It took Thomas Edison about 10, 000 tries to make the light bulb. When he was interviewed by a reporter who asked him whether he felt like a failure, he simply answered, “Young man, why would I feel like a failure? And why would I ever give up? I now know definitively over 9,000 ways that an electric light bulb will not work. Success is almost in my grasp.” If he was discouraged by his first attempt and wallowed in failure, he would probably not have made history. Take life lessons from this master who invented the light bulb and regain your life in an instant.

Don’t label yourself

To be successful in life, you have to watch your language. Don’t paste labels on your life that could end up pulling you down. Someone once said, "What you say, you become.” If you label and think of yourself as a failure, you will most probably end up as one. The fact that you are a human being means that you are more flexible than you could ever imagine; just look at all the great things around you. They were once an idea from someone who worked hard to make sure his or her dream was achieved. You are not controlling or submissive, close-minded or inquisitive, sensitive or strong, you are a combination of all of the above. Just like a carpenter who used a wide array of tools for his work, you should also maximize your full personality spectrum to accomplish more, have better relationships and generally be happy.

Look for direction

Just because you think you can’t see the way, does not mean that the way is not there. There are very many times when you allow limiting beliefs to take a central role in your life and end up quitting on things that were close to fruition. Move in a direction that you feel is ideal. If for any reason it is not, turn back and take the next turn. Never ever, think that it is a little too late to change your life. That's just wrong. First, you need to understand that people live longer nowadays, and most of the age stereotypes are slowly becoming outdated. Secondly, it is better to have lived everyday of your life as a growing individual rather than a shrinking one. It is also important to note that chances of getting instant success are almost zero to nil. You have to dream and be well prepared to be a successful person.

Getting motivated to get started can be hard for some. Here is a great article called Hack Your Mind to Get Motivated.

Learn how to deal effectively with outer limitations. You would probably astonish yourself if you broke the bounds of limiting beliefs and searched for more options, made more phone calls, knocked more doors and explored extra resources.

Featured photo credit: Desert highway road to horizon via Shutterstock

Daniel is the founder of one of the internet's best personal development sites personaldevelopment123.net . He is a young and well educated individual with a real passion for what he does. His areas of specialty are personal development, life improvement, self-help, motivation, relationships, personal finance, and helping others. You can visit his site here or subscribe to his feed.

11 Best Deal Sites and Shopping Resources You’re Missing Out On

Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:00 AM PST

And so it continues, the next big shopping period will be soon upon is. You know there are many good deals online. However, you just don’t have the time to sort them out to good and the bad sites. Today, we have created a list of the 11 best deal sites and shopping resources to help you to order to choose the best deals for you and save you time hunting around for these sites.

#1 Slickdeals

Slickdeals is a free and user-driven shopping site with looks to provide consumers a platform to share market information.

#2 Gotta deals

Similar to Slickdeals, you may find some deals here that are not on slickdeals.

#3 Fab

Fab is all about selling well designed products.

#4 FatWallet

FatWallet is another one of the deal finding sites.

#5 Offer.com

Offer.com provide coupon codes for products alongside deal discovery.

#6 Couponcabin

CouponCabin works directly with some merchant partners and focus on coupon codes.

#7 Decide.com

Decide is a price prediction tool which tries to identify the best time to buy something. For members, they have a price guarantee so if their algorithms are incorrect they will pay you the difference if they are wrong.

#8 Plastic Jungle

At Plastic Jungle, consumers can sell their unused gift cards. Plastic Jungle will resell them at a discount for other people. This is a marketplace for giftcards.

#9 Greenmangaming

Greenmangaming focus on covering deals for video games.

#10 Free Shipping Deals

The mission of FreeShipping is to provide consumers with free shipping offers to the stores they want to shop at.

#11 Dealnews

Dealnews is another deal site that tries to find low prices for you.

We hope this list can help you to get the best deals for your holiday shopping. What Online deal sites or shopping resources do you use?

Featured photo credit: Beautiful woman sitting at home via Shutterstock

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