Employee Appreciation Month

March is the month of employee appreciation. If the boss can get a Bosses Day, then it's only fair and appropriate that you, the employee, get a day in your honour and that is exactly what employee appreciation day does!

Origin of "Employee Appreciation Day"

According to David Nuualiitia "Employee Appreciation Day first arrived on calendars in 1995. One of Recognition Professionals International’s founding Board members, Bob Nelson, together with his publishing company, Workman Publishing, created Employee Appreciation Day as a way of focusing the attention of all employers, in all industries on employee recognition."

Simple tips and ideas

·         Ask your employee to write down six ways they would like to be rewarded. Anything goes. The only rule is that half the ideas need to be low cost or no cost

·         Schedule lunch dates with employees. Give them an opportunity to select the luncheon site, and use the time to simply get to know them better

·         Consider a gift certificate entitling an employee to lunch with you or another mentor of his/her choosing for the purpose of being coached on one or more topics

·         Give the gift of wellness. Have a limousine pick up an employee for a full day at a spa.

·         Send a handwritten note of thanks for the completion of a job well done.

·         If an employee stays late/goes above and beyond to complete a project, send the employee and his/her partner to a nice dinner

·         Purchase a company “toy” your employees would most enjoy; a cappuccino machine, dart board, volleyball court, exercise room

·         Begin an Employee of the Month contest. “Winners” will receive a special parking spot, free lunch, special gift, recognition in the company newsletter, etc.

·         Travelling Trophy - pick an off-the-wall item that represents excellence in your group.  A team member who demonstrates exceptional excellence is awarded the trophy and gets to display it for a week, when the next recipient is selected. Consider an item that each recipient can add their autograph to before it travels on.

How to build a savings habit

Aim for a cash reserve of at least three months’ worth of expenses (ideally, I would say six, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves). Once you’ve accumulated this amount, take it up to six months. At this point, I would say you have a healthy cash reserve
.
Saving is a habit and once you start to see your savings pot swell, you will be encouraged to do better. Use a spreadsheet or download a smartphone app to keep track of your finances.

I’m going to give you 15 easy tips that I’ve used over the years to help kick-start your habit. I know you’ve probably heard some of this before, so hey – if you have six months’ worth of expenses stashed away somewhere safe, stop reading now.

1. Clear your credit card debt. Having an on-going credit card debt is probably the worst thing you can do for your financial well-being.
2. Make a shopping list and stick to it. Don’t indulge in impulse buys. Think about your purchases. What I normally do is give myself just enough time to pick up my groceries and make it back in time for that movie or
a night out with my friends or family. This makes sure
I don’t have the time to buy stuff I don’t really need.
3. Participate in garage sales and flea markets. Like they say, ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. We do this at home at least once a year and it is amazing to see what people will buy from you.
4. Consider online deals and discount websites. Set some ground rules. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need just because there’s a deal going. Look for offers on stuff that you need or want to do.
5. Plan your purchases. If you buy at the last minute you are bound to pay top dollar for things. Plan ahead, look around for the best deals, become a bargain hunter.
6. Trade in. Trade-in offers available can reduce the cost of a new appliance or gadget.
7. Plan your entertainment better. If you dine out a lot then get yourself a book of coupons (like the Entertainer). These books will pay for themselves in no time. A lot of credit cards have deals with restaurants. Call and check if your credit card gets you any deals at the restaurant you are headed to, or call before booking and decide where to go based on discounts available.
8. Do you really need a landline? With all the deals available on mobile phones today, now is the time to get rid of that landline and the rental charges on it.
9. Consider shopping for specific things at the local market rather than at a supermarket. Meat, fish, vegetables and fruit are cheaper at places like the fish market in Deira and Karama and the fruit and vegetable market en route to Hatta. Stock up on weekly trips.
10. Don’t automatically renew your car insurance. Look around. Rates may have changed. You may get a better deal if you looked for it.
11. Learn to say ‘no’. I don’t think it’s necessary to buy my kids everything they want. I think it’s good for them to hear the word ‘no’ once in a while. I washed my dad’s cars for pocket money. I learnt some great values there.
12. Stop donating money to your gym if you’re not going to be a regular. If you live in an apartment block, there is bound to be a gym or a health club within it. Use those facilities instead. Use the internet and read men’s magazines to learn new routines.
13. It’s not a bad idea to pack a lunch at least three days a week. It’s also healthier.
14. Have another look at your loans and mortgages. Renegotiate if you are paying a higher rate of interest. At worst, you will be refused. There is no harm in trying.
15. Have a monthly budget. This way you will know where your money is going in the first place.

Take baby steps. Monitor your progress, be persistent. Remember, a dirham saved is a dirham earned.

Courtesy: By Rickson D'Souza for alpha magazine

How Valentine’s Day Is Celebrated Around The World

Let me warn you, this is going to be an interesting article. Here are a few traditions and celebration on how Valentine ’s Day is celebrated differently.

·         Brazil celebrates its day of romance on June 12th and they call it “Dias dos Namorados,” or the Day of the Enamoured. But it’s the same deal—couples exchange flowers, chocolates, and presents. It’s celebrated on the 12th of June because June 13th is Saint Anthony’s Day when single women perform “simpatias” or rituals in an effort to rope in a good boyfriend.

·         In South Korea on February 14th or White Day, men give candy or gifts to women. Then on April 14th or Black Day, the women who didn’t get anything on White Day go to Chinese restaurants to eat black noodles and mourn the disaster that is their love life. Actually, the 14th of every month is celebrated in some love-related way in Korea. Some holidays are much more popular than others and include such gems as Kiss Day, Green Day, Wine Day, Movie Day, and Hug Day.

·         Meanwhile, Slovenia celebrates February 14th with the proverb “St. Valentine brings the keys of roots.” This is thought to be the day that plants and flowers start growing—so it’s the day that farmers and vineyard workers plant seeds. Slovenians also believe that birds get engaged or married on Valentine’s Day. Children traditionally make little boats holding candles from wood or paper and send them downstream, which is meant to symbolize the fact that they no longer need work lights since the days are longer. Meanwhile, March 12th is Saint Gregory’s Day, which was traditionally the day of love and the first day of spring until Valentine started taking over the territory.

·         In Norfolk, Britain, someone referred to as Jack Valentine brings presents and candy to the doorsteps of children and fancier gifts for adults. He knocks on the door and disappears, which freaks out some kids. As one BBC writer put it, “I hope [Jack Valentine's] got a good lawyer. I love Jack dearly, but when Santa finds out what he’s up to there’s going to be trouble! Let’s face it—turning up out of thin air once a year, leaving presents and disappearing without a trace—it’s the same act. It’s a law suit just waiting to happen.” For the day, people traditionally run around town with a bad full of goodies, celebrating with their friends in the streets. Sounds fun.

Based on the survey, most Ethiopian and Chinese people don’t know what Valentine’s Day is until they come to the U.S. and see it being celebrated here.

The top 10 most useful websites according to me

Remember Everything | Evernote

Evernote lets you take notes, sync files across your devices, save web pages, capture inspiration, and share your ideas with friends and colleagues.

Save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see. It works with nearly every computer, phone and mobile device out there.

http://evernote.com/evernote/

Dropbox - Simplify your life

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Never email yourself a file again!

Scheduled sending and email reminders | Boomerang for Gmail

Send an email later With Boomerang, you can write an email now and schedule it to be sent automatically at the perfect time. Just write the message as you normally would, then click the Send Later button. Use our handy calendar picker or our text box that understands language like "next Monday" to tell Boomerang when to send your message.

polishmywriting.com

This website helps you check your spelling or grammatical errors for free

How Stuff Works

As kids we had these books that told us how a car motor works or why bats can fly in the night. How Stuff Works is a modern version for grown ups. It is amazing to see what they have been able to cover.

At the moment of writing the front page answers topics like “Do parallel universes really exist?”, “How Mosquitoes Work”, “How Quantum Suicide Works” (!!!), “How Winemaking Works” and so on

YouTube to mp3

Everyone has wanted to download a a great YouTube clip to listen to later at some point. YouTube to mp3 makes this easy. Just enter the URL for the video, and their site will automatically convert it into an mp3 file which you can then download directly!

(http://www.youtubetomp3.co.nz/)

Zamzar
It’s frustrating trying to view a file, only to get an error message due to not having the appropriate program. At Zamzar, you can upload a file up to 100 mb in size, and convert it into any number of common file types, without installing anything.

(http://zamzar.com)

Librophile.com - Book Bonanza

Free e-books are now abundantly available, but audio book lovers typically pay top dollar for readings of their favourite works. It offers a massive library of free audio books, ranging from classics to sci-fi to fairly recent fiction. While the site itself is hideous, the selection of books is immense. Search by author, genre, or title, and download the book as a zipped set of MP3 files or subscribe to its chapters on an iTunes RSS feed.

 join.me 

Here you can share you screen with anyone over the web

homestyler.com 

Design from scratch or re-model your home in 3d.

Inspire creative thinking

Creative thinking at work

Creativity drives innovation, and innovation drives competitive advantage and profitability.

People who are high on openness to experience tend to perform better on unfamiliar tasks; they are more likely to demonstrate creative behavior.  People who are low in openness to experience prefer familiarity, simplicity and closure. 

Creative thinking is natural…With a few tips + tricks follow these 4 steps change how you work...today.

Step 1: Be Curious

Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.' Samuel Johnson

o   Ask (lots of) Questions

o   Trying to Find the “Right” Answer

Step 2: Make Connections

'Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.' William Plomer

o   Talk to People in Different Fields

o   Try Something (Anything) New Step Sideways &

o   See Another Angle

Step 3: Challenge Yourself

'A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.' Albert Einstein

o   Take Risks

o   Accept Failures

Step 4: Cultivate Your Ideas

'Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow.' Unknown

o   Daydream

o   Give Ideas Time to Grow

o   Consider all the Possibilities

Happy creative thinking! 

LETTER FRM GOD !

To : YOU

Date : TODAY

From : GOD

Subject : YOURSELF

Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you.

 I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.

I love you. And, remember..... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle,

do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box.

I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it.

 Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you.

You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!

 Now, you have a nice day.

God

  

God has seen you struggling, God says it's over. A blessing is coming your way

Top 7 simple ways to maximise your life energy

1.       Avoid toxic people

Toxic people are a number one energy – drainer. If people in your life complain, judge, criticise or just generally bring you down..... then stay away from them! If you cant avoid them, then limit your exposure. Surround yourself with positive, upbeat people instead and feel the energy surge. – Remember the glass is always half full rather than half empty!

2.       Become fully engaged

It means being 100% present, eager and fully engaged in every task we accomplish. Practice being emotionally connected, mentally focused, physically energised and spiritually aligned in all aspects of your life. Full engagement is the key to high performance.

3.       Create a complaint free zone

The more we blame others or external circumstances, the more negative and comprised our energy is likely to be. The more we take responsibility for our own energy, the more empowered and productive become.

4.       Write a bliss list

Write a list of simple things that will make you feel wonderful and nurtured. Once you have your list, make one of your items your priority every day. It is possible to enjoy life even in the most hectic days...this allows energy to be replenished moment by moment!

5.       Develop practical, positive habits

Many seemingly trivial things will affect your energy levels like skipping breakfast the tiff with your partner, overdue bills etc. Take control of your life in a practical way. Respect your health, surround yourself with supportive relationships.....a few small habits can go a long way in restoring the energy. They say Health is wealth!!!

6.       Tackle the tough stuff first.

Every evening, identify the most important challenge, or the thing you dread doing most the following day and make it your priority for the next morning. Just getting it done will lift you up and you will feel such a sense of accomplishment that you can tackle your other, more fun tasks with renewed vigour.

7.       Eat well

Eat breakfast, lunch and lighter evening meal containing a balance of wholegrains, pulses, protein and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. The best energy boosters are whole, unprocessed foods, organic if possible. It takes a while but once you make this change it makes such a difference!