Unsettling Facts About What You're Putting On Your Face

In Europe, there are 1,373 chemicals banned from cosmetics. In the United States, there are 8. Formaldehyde, known to cause cancer in humans, can be found in nail polish, hair gel, shampoos, and lotions. Triclosan, which disrupts the body's natural hormone system, can be found in soaps, deodorants, and toothpaste. Parabens, found in breast cancer tumors, can be found in many lotions and ointments. In the USA, there are no laws that require cosmetic companies to demonstrate the safety of their products. Sources for this information include FDA.gov, BreastCancerFund.org, and USDA.gov.

Click here to see the video.

Yes, the video is quite disturbing. We have to be proactive and read the ingredients in soaps, deodorants, and toothpaste. Better to be alive than sorry.

What do you think about this? Comments are always appreciated.

To your wealth!

Original Post:https://screen.yahoo.com/buzzfeed/11-terrifying-facts-youre-putting-180106961.html

Putting Fear To Work For Your Money

“Greed is good.” That phrase was made famous by actor Michael Douglas playing financial lizard Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone’s movie Wall Street.
That movie came out in 1987 when hostile takeovers and leveraged buyouts were becoming all the rage. It articulated an ethos that was starting to define American finance. While the movie is critical of the “greed is good” philosophy, many on Wall Street embraced it as a mantra.

Greed’s nemesis is fear. Fear and greed are often said to be the emotional extremes that investors swing between. Greed has usually had the upper hand over the past couple decades, from over-hyping the dot-com boom to fueling speculative bubbles in gold and oil to pushing risky mortgages to unsophisticated borrowers. It can be rightly said that greed had a great deal to do with the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009.

 

What about fear?

The question is, if greed has done such a lousy job as the muse of finance, could fear do a better job?

Here are four ways a dose of fear might be good for household finances:

1. Retirement savings. In the late 1990s, when Americans saw huge stock market returns send their 401(k) balances skyrocketing, greed was a big motivator for retirement saving. Just put a little money in and the stock market would carry you to great wealth — or so went the thinking. Since then, the stock market has proven less reliable, savings account interest rates have dropped to practically zero, and confidence in having the money to retire has faded. Here’s where fear should take over: While making 401(k) contributions no longer seems like a ticket to wealth, not making them is a likely ticket to impoverishment.
2. Debt. Federal Reserve figures show non-mortgage debt soaring to record levels. The greed element of this is obvious — living beyond your means brings instant gratification. Fear might be more instructive though, because people who do not get debt under control will see their lifestyles come crashing down.
3. Investing. Both fear and greed are harmful to investors. They lead people to do the wrong things at the wrong phase of the stock market cycle. There is one form of fear that can be constructive though: fear of the unknown. If you do not know what you are investing in, how it makes money and why it is capable of producing a good return, then you should steer clear.
4. Home buying. Greed in home buying is when people see only the house and not the mortgage. Face it, houses have gone way beyond representing simple shelter. They are status symbols, and some people are willing to overreach just for the appearance of being successful — even though it may not last. What you should fear when you sign on for a mortgage is not knowing how you will make each and every payment. This means that if you are not sure you can afford it, or if you are not sure how the mortgage works, then you should let fear be your guide and steer clear.
   

The problem is, investors do not tend to feel fear until it becomes an overwhelming, paralyzing emotion during crises. Instead of waiting for extreme fear, perhaps it would be better to temper greed with a healthy dose of fear on a day-in and day-out basis.

How has fear attributed to your money? What experience can you share?

To Your Wealth!


Original Post: http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2014/05/19/putting-fear-to-work-for-your-money/ 

STEPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS

STEPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOAs

Not only does organizing your professional goals help to make your working hours count, it also prevents your creative business from growing like a hearty weed into every nook and cranny of your life. You must give your business boundaries and tend to it the same way you’d nurture a lush garden. This takes a little planning, but I promise it will be well worth your efforts.

Here are four simple steps for organizing your professional goals:

Step #1: Name the results you want.

Spring is an excellent time for a creative planning session. You’ll want to begin by identifying what you hope to achieve.

I typically set 6-month goals for my business, and I start by asking the following questions:

• What is it that I want from this business in the next six months?

• What needs to happen over the next six months for me to feel successful?

• What actions do I need to take to bring my goals to fruition?

• How many sales/readers/followers do I hope to gain?

• What’s the exact dollar amount of profit that I need to earn in the next six months to prove this business is worth my time and effort?

Step #2: List the actions that will get you there.

Focus your working hours on only the things that will lead you to the results you want. For example, if I spend an hour making treasuries on Etsy to try to get to the popular page which helps me get views and shop hearts … well, those aren’t sales. I’ve learned over time and a steady lack of results that treasuries bring me views and shop hearts – nothing else.

Therefore, your action steps need to be a whole lot more of what you know works for your business. If you’re just starting out, do what you know works for other successful businessesin your industry.

Here’s a list of actions I’m currently working on as an example:

Accomplish the following by July 30, 2014:

• Publish my next book, The Ultimate Blog Kit

• Reach 4,000 sales in my Etsy shop

• Celebrate the 4th anniversary of my business with a sale

• Celebrate the 4th anniversary of my business with a behind-the-scenes article about its success

• Bring home at least $10,000 in profits

Step #3: Identify what slows your momentum. 

Do you guys remember me from that meeting? My name’s Lisa, and I’m a clickaholic. In other words, I’m an obsessive internet-clicker. Nothing on the internet satisfies my need to know what’s happening, so I click and surf through all of my favorite sites waiting for something new to happen.

In the motivational book, This Year I Will …, author M.J. Ryan titled one chapter: “What Need is Being Served by What You’re Doing Now?” Another version of that question is, “If this moment were a dollar, am I investing it? Or burning it?”

When I find myself saying that I’m so “busy,” I have to evaluate my schedule to find where the energy zaps and time drains are. Nine times out of ten, I’m so busy because I’ve been on the computer all day clicking much of it away. It eats up hours of my valuable time.

If you’re not a clicker, I challenge you to figure out where your time may be wasted. Whether it’s TV, virtual games (Candy Crush, anyone?) or YouTube, our time wasters typically involve screens. Turn off all the screens in your home to find true productivity!

Step #4: Create time blocks to complete unfinished business.

To turn time from a pressure cooker into a pleasure, you must begin to pay attention to where you apply your attention. I can’t obsessively click my six favorite websites waiting for something to happen and make something happen at the same time. I have to choose one or the other.

Each week, there are tasks on your to-do list that you simply do not want to do. That’s life. When those tasks crop up, do you feel the energy zap they cause?

Clicking around the internet, leaving piles of unfinished projects, and calling a friend in the middle of a making session are all forms of procrastination. Acknowledge them! It’s equally empowering and time-enhancing.

In order to get more stuff done, create an uninterrupted block of time in your day when you’ll work on NOTHING else. Think short but powerful sessions, and set a timer for 25 minutes (always use a timer with an alarm; it helps you keep your head down and stay focused on the task at hand).

Challenge yourself to get as much of your energy-zapping activities done in that block of twenty-five minutes, and I promise, you’ll be amazed at the results you produce!

When you spend your minutes wisely, your effort is always rewarded. How are you investing your moments?

Original Posts By http://ohmyhandmade.com/2014/small-business-tips/steps-for-organizing-your-professional-goals/