Archives for December 2009

My Blog Disclosure: The FTC Made Me Do It

Man with magnifying glass Word has it that the Federal Trade Commission thinks that bloggers are making loads of money from blogging and they want us to ‘fess up as to the source of that income.

They also worry that bloggers may be influenced by money or freebies to endorse products or services without disclosing that money exchanged hands.

Boy! Have they been misinformed, at least in my case.

When I began the Color Your Life Happy blog a year ago, I didn’t even realize that you could earn money from blogging. I just wanted to share my ideas, tips, and advice about living a joyful, meaningful and fulfilling life.

To accomplish my goal I have shared not only my opinions and experiences, but also findings from research and news, as well as related videos of my own and from various sources.

The FTC’s primary concern is “freebies.” Since no one has given me any free products, trips, or services in exchange for writing about them, I’m in the clear on this one. No one has paid me to say something nice about them. Although I do on occasion express my opinion about this or that product, all I get in exchange is relief and satisfaction. You can’t bank that.

So how do I make money from this blog? Sadly, I don’t. At least not much. I have placed affiliate ads from Amazon and a few services and products that I think will benefit my readers, with the hope of earning commissions. But I will not be influenced by an affiliate or advertiser to write anything I don’t believe. I will never deceive my readers. The views and opinions you read here are mine.

Of course I encourage visitors to visit my website where they may buy my book, Color Your Life Happy, but I don’t think the FTC cares about that.

My approach to blogging is to be authentic, transparent, informative and inspiring. In my efforts to offer accurate information I often delay my writing to research facts. My desire to offer content of value to my readers sometimes slows me from being more prolific.

I appreciate my readers and subscribers, and hope that what I share on this blog will be informative, helpful, encouraging and inspiring.

Filed Under: Happiness

Head Off Holiday Stress Before It Trips You

By Flora Leave a Comment

RidingcarouselUnionSquare11-09 The one thing we all have in common is exposure to stress.

If managing the day to day operations of your life is not enough, add overseeing your employees or following the wishes of your boss, dealing with suppliers or pleasing customers, patients or guests and handling holiday stress.

If your stress remains unchecked you have a formula for destruction to your nerves, blood pressure and general health. Ignoring stress or pretending you’re not vulnerable makes you the perfect unprotected target for a stress-related breakdown. To avoid becoming disabled by stress become proactive.

There are four things you must do.

1. Start your day in a relaxed state by getting plenty sleep. This differs for each of us, but many experts seem to think that about six to eight hours is average.

If you suspect that you have a sleeping disorder, investigate it with your doctor or a sleep professional. Take the Sleep Test at http://www.sleepnet.com/

2. Break up your day to allow for relaxation, even if it’s just listening to your favorite soothing music midday or meditating. Working nonstop is overrated.

Take a relaxation break to facilitate the transition between work and home at the end of the day.

3. Exercise. I once thought exercise was important just for weight loss and physical health. Since I spent hours indoors writing a book last year, I realize that physical exercise is essential for my mental well-being as well.

Don’t wait until you think you have time to go to a gym or buy a treadmill. Walk around your block at least 3 times a day. If you can’t manage that, surely you can get up and walk around the house during TV commercials. What’s important is to move. Use it or lose it holds true with your body and mind.

4. Put things in perspective. We are good at making ourselves stressed by dwelling on every problem, and creating some along the way.

During the holidays many of us pile on too many additional tasks and go to great lengths to pull off over-the-top parties and dinners. We often overspend and overeat, only to dwell in upset and regret later.

How about deciding to enjoy the holidays with simple activities you enjoy. I love carousels, for example, so on Thanksgiving weekend while visiting my oldest daughter we went for a carousel ride in San Francisco.
Give more gifts of time and joy instead of material things.
Beware of feeling pressured to be with relatives if it’ll mean you end up more stressed
Decide which activities you care most about and let the others go.
Find a way to laugh. Watch a comedy that you find hilarious.
Put on your favorite holiday CDs and dance around the house as you go about your day.

Be proactive in preventing holiday stress from overtaking you and will enjoy a calm you may not have even realized you had and truly enjoy the season from beginning to end.

Filed Under: avoiding holiday stress, Happiness

Enjoy Your Climb or What’s a Journey For

By Flora 2 Comments

no roses-resized

“It makes no difference how many peaks you reach if there was no pleasure in the climb.”
—Oprah

We’ve heard this expressed many ways. Some say stop and smell and roses or the best part of the journey is what you see along the way. But why are these things true?

1. By observing the things along the way we appreciate the destination so much more. Have you ever heard someone recount the fun they had camping, for example? The best part is their account of getting lost, finding their way, choosing the best resting spot or encountering critters who decided to enjoy the campsite as well. If you don’t enjoy the things that lead up to your destination, you’re likely to be singing “Is that all there is?” because you missed the juicy part.

2. By feeling the exhiliration of a journey, our joy at the end is intensified. When I was returning from visiting my oldest daughter I had planned to read a book on my flight. It was a great book, but because I chose a window seat I decided to enjoy the view instead. When we left San Jose the sky was overcast, but as soon as the plane reached its altitude we were floating on meringue clouds. I was in awe thinking about what an amazing creation our planet is with its many features depending on the perspective from which you view it. Wow!

Later as I waited for my luggage at the turnstile, I felt so peaceful and thankful to have absorbed nature’s beauty.

3. By observing and making note of our activities along the way, we build skills for future events and journeys. Take going to school, for example. The classes that challenge you to stretch your mind and learn new techniques are the ones that best prepare you for not only future classes, but other life tasks and challenges as well.

Each time I must stretch my abilities to learn how to master even a small task with my websites and blogs, for example, I’m better prepared for the next challenge. While I sometimes get frustrated and even break into tears over garbled code that stands between me and a new blog theme, I have learnedthat I won’t die from it. Once when moving to a new host, I lost a blog with years of rich content. (That felt like a death for a few minutes.) I lived to meet another challenge and accepted it as a part of the process.

What about you? Have you tried one of these ways to cnjoy your climb and your trip to your goal? Tell us about how you overcame a fear or met a challenge.