10 Little Things that Make a Big Difference

Sumber:http://chinkk98.blogspot.com/2009/11/10-little-things-that-make-big.html By Molly Burke

It's the little things that count, it's true. We, all of us, have myriad opportunities every day to imbue the little things in our lives with enough power to make a big difference. It's easy, and it's fun. In the process, you'll gain goodwill, confidence and karma points. Ready?Here they are, 10 little, kinda slightly random but ultimately powerful things that make a big difference.

1. Say "Thank you."Such a small thing, but the effect it has on everything around you is profound. Gratitude is a force so powerful that it transforms the giver, the receiver, and the world at large simultaneously. Heartfelt gratitude, humbly expressed, heals as it praises. Write it on your checks as you pay your bills. Write it under your name on the checks you endorse. Look your food server, checker, toll taker, garbage man, crossing guard right in the eye and say "Thank you for doing this" and watch what happens. This is such a simple way to pay it forward, and it has such long lasting positive repercussions that you would be well served to make it a principle part of your spiritual practices. I'll be writing a whole series of blogs and articles about gratitude very soon, because this one concept can change your life for the better forever, starting right now.

2. Yield the right of way.Let someone into your lane in front of you on the freeway, or the streets. Suggest that the person with a few items go before you with your full shopping cart. Step aside and let the harried mommy with the stroller and tagalongs through the door that you hold open with smile. Wait patiently while the elderly man tells his stories to the waitress, even if it means your breakfast will take a few minutes longer. Believe me when I tell you that doing all these things will give you a greater sense of community, deeper compassion, and it will serve to significantly calm YOU down when you're feeling stressed and hurried. Kindness expands, and it fills the space with goodwill and cooperation.

3. Give sincere praise.Everyone I know appreciates being appreciated, though how they prefer it to be expressed varies. But overall, and with very few exceptions, an honest compliment is always welcome. It can create instant rapport, and bridge many an awkward gap. Do NOT, however, use it in lieu of a gratuity when encountering service staff. Layer the compliment atop a generous tip and watch what happens.

4. Be a generous tipper.This may seem like an extravagance, and I am not condoning subsidizing bad service, but remember that our economic system is not set up to adequately compensate waiters, bartenders, valets and such. In addition, service personnel are assessed taxes on your tip whether or not you actually tip them, so do them a favor and give a bit more. They're working hard at a job you probably wouldn't do, or have done before when you were younger, so give 'em at least 20%. Unless they suck, at which time you should talk to their manager anyway.

5. Listen.You were given two ears and one mouth, use them in that proportion. Listening makes you appear more charming, too, so there's a bonus.

6. Floss.Flossing alone can add 6+ years to your "real age". Don't forget to brush first. As a matter of fact, flossing is the one thing you can do that can affect not only your oral health, but the health of your heart, as well. Plaque is plaque, after all, and is not good anywhere. Floss!

7. Send a card.Snail mail correspondence is a lost art. To make a big impression and touch someone's heart, send a short handwritten note inside a lovely card. The time and expense you incur will pay huge dividends in goodwill.

8. Pick up trash.Yours, others, random trash. Pick it up, and put it in a trash can or recycling bin. It's the right thing to do, and it expresses pride of place, simple responsibility, and a commitment to improving the overall health of the planet as you act ever so locally. Teach your children to pick it up, theirs as well as the trash of others. Beautify the world.

9. Use your manners.Good manners are social lubricant. They oil the machine of humanity. Using good manners conveys respect, both for self and for others. Civility in conversation allows everyone the opportunity to express themselves fully and be heard. Meaningful discourse naturally ensues. Good manners are the foundation of polite society, and politeness can be both charming and disarming. Use good manners and social graces to woo your love, court a client, ease your way with authority. You'll go far with good manners.

10. Share.Whether it's your cookies or your time, share. Every single person reading this has something, some talent, some time, some money, some compassion, and some fun that they could share with others. This is an abundant Universe, with plenty for everyone, if we'd only share. So, share.

So there you have it. 10 little things that make a big difference. One by one, not so huge. Together, they make a glorious way to go through life. But more than that, these 10 little tips are concrete, attainable and immediate ways to shift your energy, your point of view, and the way the world works. Practice them regularly, and be prepared for a dramatic increase in abundance, personal confidence, ease and grace. It's all good.

I N S T R U C T I O N S F O R L I F E

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R's:
-Respect for self,
-Respect for others and
-Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Want the world's best wages? Move to Switzerland

By Miral Fahmy
SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) – It pays to work in Switzerland: employees in Zurich and Geneva have the highest net wages in the world, a study by banking group UBS shows, while those in India's Mumbai take home the lowest.

The Swiss cities were also ranked among the top five most expensive in the world in the bank's 2009 "Price and Earnings" international study."With its extremely high gross wages and comparatively low tax rates, Switzerland is a very employee-friendly country," the Swiss bank said in a statement. “No other cities allows workers to take home more income at the end of the month than Zurich and Geneva."

The study, published every three years, compares the income and purchasing power of employees in 73 cities across the globe, highlighting wide discrepancies in wages between different regions, and even within the same country.
The biggest gaps were found in Asia, the study said, with Tokyo ranking as one of the world's five costliest cities while the capitals of developing countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines and India were all at the bottom of the price range. Oslo was this year's most expensive city, based on a standardized basket of 122 goods and services, followed by Zurich, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and New York. When rents are factored in, however, New York rises to the top spot, the study said.
This year, the bank said currency fluctuations caused by the global economic crisis affected the rankings of several cities, most notably London, which was the second most expensive city in 2006, but which fell nearly20 places following the pound's drop earlier this year.

The analysis involved more than 30,000 data points, collected by several independent observers in each city, in March and April, the bank said. All amounts were converted into a single currency before being compared.
The world's cheapest places to live were Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur, Manila in the Philippines, and India's Delhi and Mumbai. But the average employee in many of these cities, as well as Jakarta and Nairobi,gets paid some of the world's lowest salaries which have between 11percent and 15 percent of the purchasing power of a salary in Zurich.

"An average wage-earner in Zurich and New York can buy an iPod nano from an Apple store after nine hours of work. At the other end of the spectrum, workers in Mumbai need to work 20 nine-hour days, roughly the equivalent of one month's salary," the study said.

Working hours also varied in the cities surveyed, with the study finding that on average, people in Asian and Middle Eastern cities work much more than the global average of 1,902 hours per year. Overall, the most hours are worked in Cairo, followed by Seoul, while the least hours worked were in Lyon and Paris.