Living a Life in Full Quarterly Fall 2015

Living A LIFE IN FULL

QUARTERLY Fall, 2015

Volume 1, No. 1

Contents

Please be in touch: DrChrisStout@gmail.com ALifeinFull.org

What’s going on?

See page 2

Wanna be Genius, or at least a smarter Alec, OK.

See page 3

Travel

See page 4

Fitness

See page 8

Productivity

See page 12

Startups

See page 21

Leadership

See page 24

Money Management

See page 27

Toys

See page 28

Relationships

See page 31

Intellectual Fun

See page 33

Note from the Editor Do you know the feeling when you've read a great book or seen a great movie or the need to forward a great video? That's how I feel about many of the things I have experienced, read, learned. I've been a graduate or medical school professor for 30 years and I L-O-V-E to teach and engage others in sharing cool finds and helping to make them better, smarter, and more successful. A Life in Full now brings these passions together to a wider audience. I am sharing my life’s work to augment yours. Please be in touch and let me know how I can be of help.

This Quarterly magazine is a heavily curated collection of the best-of-the-best ideas, thinking and content available—all in one handy, actionable digest. Always free, all the time.

Should you like the content in this magazine, you can get more frequent contact and participate in our Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ALifeInFull and you can also learn more at http://ALifeInFull.org Back issues are available at: https://www.pinterest.com/drchrisstout/a-life-in-fullquarterly-magazine/ If you found this issue to be helpful you may be interested in accessing exclusive, members-only curated content that doesn’t appear in this Quarterly or the website links.

A one year All-Access Pass Subscription is $75 or a One-Time/Life-Time Subscription is $150. Just send an email with your request to DrChrisStout@gmail.com and you’ll receive the PayPal instructions and your “Library Card” for immediate access. You have a 30 day, money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with your Subscription for any reason, no questions asked. We’ve got your back!

Please let me know what more you’d like to learn about and I guarantee the top requests will be thoroughly researched and published herein.

You have the power to become what you want to become and to do. The following content is just what you need. I’m happy to share and help!

Buckle up and welcome to our first edition!

Here goes…

Thanks!

Chris

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“I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein There is a good chance you’ll be able to put at least one of these learning tools to good use and come out as a better person than you were last year. These are some of the best websites that will make you smarter every day.

Try some out, why not…?

1. BBC — Future — Making you smarter, every day.

2. 99U (YouTube) — Actionable insights on productivity, organization, and leadership to help creative people push ideas forward.

3. Youtube EDU — The education videos that don’t have cute cats in boxes — but they do unlock knowledge.

4. WikiWand — A slick new interface for Wikipedia.

5. The long read (The Guardian) — In-depth reporting, essays and profiles.

6. TED — Great videos to open your mind on almost every topic.

7. iTunes U — Learning on the go, from some of the world’s top universities.

8. InsightfulQuestions (subreddit) — Intellectual discussions that are not necessarily genre-specific.

9. Cerego — Cerego helps you build personalized study plans based on your strengths and weaknesses to retain knowledge.

10. University of the People — Tuition-free online university that offers higher education in multiple course streams.

11. OpenSesame — Marketplace for online training, now with 22,000+ courses.

12. CreativeLive — Take free creative classes from the world’s top experts.

13. Coursera — Partnering with some of the top U.S. universities, Coursera offers massive open online courses for free.

14. University of reddit — the product of free intellectualism and is a haven for the sharing of knowledge.

15. Quora — You ask, the net discusses — with top experts and fascinating back and forth on everything.

16. Digital Photography School — Read through this goldmine of articles to improve your photography skills.

17. Umano -Explore the largest collection of audio articles powered by real people. Dropbox has acquired Umano.

Brain Pickings is a great replacement for 17.

Brain Pickings — Insightful long form posts on life, art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more.

18. Peer 2 Peer University or P2PU, is an open educational project that helps you learn at your own pace.

19. MIT Open CourseWare is a catalog of free online courses and learning resources offered by MIT. 20. Gibbon — This is the ultimate playlist for learning.

21. Investopedia — Learn everything you need to know about the world of investing, markets, and personal finance.

22. Udacity offers interactive online classes and courses in higher education.

23. Mozilla Developer Network offers detailed documentation and learning resources for web developers.

24. Future learn — enjoy free online courses from top universities and specialist organisations.

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25. Google Scholar — provides a search of scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources, including theses, books, abstracts and articles.26. Brain Pump — A place to learn something new everyday.

27. Mental Floss — Test your knowledge with amazing and interesting facts, trivia, quizzes, and brain teaser games.

28. Learnist — Learn from expertly curated web, print and video content.

29. DataCamp — Online R tutorials and data science courses.

30. edX — Take online courses from the world’s best universities.

31. Highbrow — Get bite-sized daily courses to your inbox.

32. Coursmos — Take a micro-course anytime you want, on any device.

33. Platzi — Live streaming classes on design, marketing and code.

What are your favorite learning tools that are not on this list?

The author of this list is the founder at Alltopstartups (where he shares resources for startups and entrepreneurs) and the curator at Postanly (a free weekly newsletter that delivers the most insightful long-form posts from top publishers).

SOURCE: https://medium.com/keep-learning-keep-growing/33-websites-that-will-make-you-a-genius-

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Travel “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”

– Gustave Flaubert OK, I do travel a bit, and I just got a message (because I was have been identified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as a U.S. citizen enrolled in the Global Entry program – which BTW, you really, really should do, too. And AMEX Platinum will pay for your fees to do so, thanks AMEX, we did for my whole family and SUPER helpful and speedy. Full disclosure: no sponsorship/payment for telling you that.). Anyhoo, CBP would like to inform “us” that the United Kingdom now operates an expedited entry program called Registered Traveller. Registered Traveller is a new service launched by the UK Border Force to give faster and more convenient entry to the UK for nationals from the United States. You are eligible to apply for membership in the UK Registered Traveller service. Membership in Registered Traveller costs £70. Complete details of Registered Traveller eligibility and availability can be found online at http://www.gov.uk/registered-traveller .

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Membership in Registered Traveller include the following benefits: · Access to ePassport gates at airports across the country · Use of the UK / European Union queue at airports across the country · A dedicated Registered Traveller lane at Gatwick Airport · Not needing to complete a landing card on arrival to the UK · No credibility interview with a Border Force officer.

Registered Traveller is already proving popular with members, who have provided praises such as, “This is an excellent service, it is efficient, extremely well run and very effective. I would highly recommend this service,” and “Well done Britain. Fast, secure, easy. Great service and timesaver, and remarkably easy to set up. Thanks to all the people who made this possible.”

You can apply for Registered Traveller online now at http://www.gov.uk/registered-traveller .

I know many readers of A Life In Full Quarterly have been around the world a bunch of times, and many more want too. But I have never (yet) been on a global trip all the way around the world. So, here you go!

Let us know if you put this info into action, and we’ll post it here.

Bucket lists often involve partaking in exotic adventures or celebrating at famous landmarks. Just saying you traveled completely around the world can also be a lifetime accomplishment—and it's getting easier and cheaper than ever to do it.

Circumnavigation, the great badge of traveler sophistication, is experiencing a revival among 20-something modern-day Phileas Foggs. More global business travelers are also going truly global. They often find they can get home quicker by continuing in the same direction instead of returning the way they came, or adding a vacation stop and turning a trip into a round-the-world exploration. Some say it lessens jet lag. Others always go west-to-east so flights are speedier with tailwinds.

"It's getting more and more common with my friends. At first it was cool. Now it's becoming less and less of a unique thing," said Tyler Narveson, a 28-year-old consultant from Nashville, Tenn., who travels frequently.

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With long-range Boeing and Airbus jets now in regular service and airlines flying longer and longer nonstop routes, jetting around the globe can be done with just a couple of airline connections.

The three major international airline alliances—Star, Oneworld and SkyTeam—offer round-the-world tickets with big savings on long trips that touch multiple continents and involve multiple airlines, especially on popular business-class and first-class journeys.

Star Alliance added more options to its round-the-world ticket choices in May; Oneworld says it's selling hundreds of thousands of round-the-world tickets a year—with almost as many for travel in first- and business-class as in economy.

The cheapest round-the-world fare on the Star Alliance is $3,623, which covers up to 26,000 miles and requires three to five stops. The most expensive ticket—first class with as many as 15 stops and 39,000 miles—costs $22,278. (The earth's circumference at the equator is 24,901 miles.)

The tickets usually require travel all in the same direction, that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans be crossed and that the traveler use up the ticket within a set period. Bargain hunters can often do even better booking trip legs separately with frequent-flier miles or tickets on discount airlines.

Among hard-core fliers, achieving the highest tiers in airline and hotel loyalty programs is routine. But within online communities like FlyerTalk.com, where travel junkies swap tips, tales and gripes, what separates the great travelers from the frequent are the special accomplishments, like the 'Round The World Club and the Century Club—those who have visited 100 countries.

"Around the world is the second-best achievement a frequent flier can achieve, after 1million miles," said Dan Alexander, who flew 27,000 miles over eight days, all using frequent-flier points. Mr. Alexander, 24, who lives in Seattle and travels frequently for a consulting company, saw the sun set twice on a June flight that left Los Angeles at 5 p.m., flew over Canada for the first sunset and arrived in Dubai at 9 p.m. the next day after a sunset over Eastern Europe. He spent only five nights of the trip in hotels. One of the highlights was the inflight shower he took in the first-class cabin of an Emirates superjumbo jet.

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"It's almost a fraternity aspect—to be able to say, 'Yes, I've traveled around the world,' "he said. There is a fraternity called the Circumnavigators Club, a New York-based social club founded in 1902 with chapters around the world. The largest chapter is in Naples, Fla., reflecting the club's aging demographic.

The Circumnavigators Club, once an elite lot with members like Harry Houdini, William Jennings Bryan and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, has a foundation that awards scholarships to college students to travel around the world and report back. To become a member, you must have crossed all the lines of longitude in one direction. "Circumnavigating in 1902 was very, very different. Today, you just need the money and the will to do it," said David Mink, chair of the group's communications committee. He has made five trips around the world and plans another next year with his daughter and granddaughter.

The club has 700 members who pay $150 a year in dues, with membership growing, he said. Paul Boddorf travels to Thailand a couple of times a year. He circumnavigates out of practicality: Flying west to east means he can always follow weather patterns and have a tailwind. Flying into a headwind can add an hour or more to many long flights. Mr. Boddorf, who lives in Pearl River, N.Y., and is retired from the corporate world, spends one out of every three weekends on a mileage run, flying from New York to the West Coast to accumulate miles and status on United. Then he cashes in the miles for business-class and first-class tickets to Thailand. He typically flies United or Lufthansa to Europe to connect with partner Thai Airways to Bangkok, then comes home to New York through Japan or South Korea.

Spending about $3,000 on domestic trips got him top-level status on United and more than enough miles for a first-class ticket to Thailand worth $15,000 or more. But United's frequent-flier program is changing.

Miles will be awarded based on fare paid rather than distance traveled, which will end his mileage gambit. "I looked at it as a hobby," he said.

In May, Star Alliance, which was founded by United, Lufthansa and others, added four new round-theworld fare levels, raising the total offerings to 14. The additional levels better match traveler trips, since some customers were paying for miles and stops they weren't using, spokesman Markus Ruediger said.

Travelers can tailor tickets by distance, stops and class of service.

More than half of Star's Round the World fares are sold in business class—from $8,509 to $13,304—and 8% are sold in first class. Coach accounts for more than one-third of 14 tickets sold, Mr. Ruediger said.

Oneworld offers multiple "Explorer" round-the-world fares based on the number of continents you visit rather than miles flown. It also offers several package fares that don't require circumnavigation but let you visit multiple continents or multiple destinations on the same continent. Prices for the Explorer fares vary depending on continents, class of service and time of year. Trips can be for a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of one year.

Mr. Narveson, the Nashville consultant, used American Airlines frequent-flier miles for a Oneworld Explorer award: For 130,000 miles, he could fly business class around the world with multiple stops.

American discontinued the award in April.

He's circumnavigated multiple times, often adding destinations to take advantage of cheaper fares, and sometimes combining vacations with work trips and using frequent-flier miles to cover the vacation legs.

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"The first couple of times it was cool to do it. Now I realize it's more convenient," he said. If he's in Asia on business, he can ease his way back through time zones if he goes through Europe, usually for the same price as flying through Japan.

To find cheap flights, he looks at airport websites to see all the airlines that serve that destination. His personal goal: visit 100 countries. He's been to 54 so far.

SOURCE: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-guide-to-round-the-world-tickets-1407366612

Fitness Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. – John F. Kennedy

From THE OPTIMIZED LIFE

By MATTHEW PALFREY http://www.sandbagfitness.blogspot.com/ Matt Palfrey is a strength and conditioning specialist, consultant to the healthcare and fitness industry. read more about: Matthew Palfrey

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Unconventional training using unique implements (kettlebells, sandbags, clubs etc.) and methods (gymnastics, calisthenics, strongman, etc.) are often seen as the staple of the super-fit, strong and young.

While these methods and practices are becoming more commonplace, what value do they have for seniors who want to improve their health and fitness? And furthermore, would they need to be modified to ensure applicability and safety in this diverse population?

This article will discuss the rationale for an unconventional approach to training seniors and suggest example exercises and programs.

It will also share some of my experiences of working with seniors in both a commmercial and rehabilitative capacity.

It should be noted that “training for” any broad population is necessarily very complex and that making specific recommendations is both challenging and complicated.

Conventional Fitness Options Before tackling the “what” and “how,” we need to examine the “why.” The conventional health and fitness environment and approach typically consist of: ● Machine-based, often seated, resistance exercise. ● A focus on aerobic exercise, over and above strength and functional movement. ● An abundance of mobility aids that reduce the physical requirements of the individual.

I would argue that this conventional approach to health and fitness can be largely ineffective in supporting the needs of seniors. My experience has been that improving an individual’s ability to move comfortably has a far greater impact on their daily life and health than anything else. That, in turn, directly improves quality of life.

Of course, any training program can be impacted by other factors such as disease and obesity, but these can be treated both independently and as part of the overall goal of the program.

Having worked extensively in the commercial fitness environment and rehab fields, I can say that the majority of coaches and trainers default to a “better safe than sorry” policy when working with seniors. This typically leads to a disparity between the goal setting process and the practical implementation of any program.

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An Unconventional Approach It is easy to categorize a certain type of training or equipment as being “unconventional” or as leading to a certain type of result. Our industry is guilty of this over and over again.

The important thing to consider when approaching a large, diverse population is that we are examining the probable result of applying the principle rather than a 1+1=2 approach. Therefore, I think it’s important to further qualify the desired results from this unconventional approach.

When we elect to try kettlebell training instead of the step class, barbell strength program, or a resistance machine circuit, what are we really trying to achieve? We want to gain the results that are typically associated with those activities.

If you don’t first set out those goals then it becomes increasingly difficult to both implement and adapt your training options to achieve optimal success.

I believe training for seniors should be focused on function above aesthetics; so much of my work has been centered on basic human movement patterns. This approach makes it relatively easy to construct a sound program and monitor progression and regression in each area.

Basic Human Movement Programming As a baseline, a focus on an exercise in each movement pattern is a sensible approach. This may also need to be adapted for certain individuals. You could also substitute any of the exercises below for a comparable exercise with a specific training implement. The following is an example of a basic human movement program with exercises and comparable daily activities: 1. Squat: The bodyweight squat is a simple movement pattern that can be progressed or regressed through altering the level of support, range of motion, or resistance. The squat is comparable to sitting down and standing up.

2. Lunge: The lunge is a vital movement pattern that has good transfer into walking, stair climbing, and picking up things from the floor. Again, it can be progressed or regressed through the level of support, range of motion or resistance.

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3. Hinge: A classic deadlift movement is not only an excellent exercise to strengthen the posterior chain but is one of the most functional of daily movements – picking up an object from the floor. The deadlift can also easily be performed in any environment e.g. with a holdall, shopping bag, or suitcase. The range of motion and resistance can easily be adjusted and variations like the suitcase deadlift offer additional flexibility and progression.

4. Push: An exercise like the push-up is the simplest upper body push movement but can offer difficulties for those with reduced mobility. As a baseline exercise, I actually prefer a standing resistance band press as it also helps to develop balance. For those who are unable to stand, the exercise can be regressed to a seated version.

5. Pull: A standing resistance band pull offers a great antagonist to the resistance band push. As with the push version, the resistance band pull can also be performed from a seated position if necessary.

6. Rotate: A standing resistance band rotation is effective in developing both rotational strength and balance. Like the resistance band push and pull, it can be performed from a seated position if necessary.

7. Walk: The ability to walk is such a fundamental part of daily life that it should be a priority in any training program, and specifically one aimed at seniors. This can mean that the training program actually contains walking or that it is constructed to help enable a healthy gait (most likely it will be a combination of both).

It’s Time for You to Start Unconventional Training For those that have traditionally thought of unconventional training as an unsuitable option, it is time to change that attitude. The value of unconventional training comes not in the range of implements and methods that can be used, but in the way that the training can be made applicable to diverse populations. Applying sound coaching principles with an unconventional approach can produce amazing results. Check out my 4 Reasons Why Everyone Should Consider Unconventional Training.

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Productivity 50 Free Apps To Make You An Incredibly Productive Person Communicate with ease, tame your schedule, and get things done with these great tools.

By Doug Aamoth You’re running a million miles an hour, trying to hold down a tight schedule full of tight deadlines on a tight ship. From messages to meetings to managing meddlesome minutiae, these 50 apps can help you work wonders with your otherwise limited time.

Email And Communications UNIFY YOUR INBOXES If you’re like most people, you’ve signed up for at least a handful of email services. CloudMagic (Android, iOS) does an impeccable job of tying popular email offerings together into one powerful, feature-filled app. It’ll handle your corporate mail with ease, along with Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and a host of others, and you can save messages to big-name note taking, list making, and CRM services.

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR TEAM Instead of relying on a mish-mash of email, instant messaging, text messaging, and phone calls, Slack (Android, iOS, web) does a good job of streamlining things down into a real-time communications tool that can hook into a heaping helping of popular third-party services. You and your team discuss topics in different virtual channels full of updates, images, files, tweets, and links that are open for all to see, which can help keep everyone on the same page. The free offering lets you set up an unlimited number of users, archives 10,000 past messages, and can integrate with up to 10 services (here's the full services list).

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PROCRASTINATE SMARTER, NOT HARDER Boomerang (web) lets you temporarily clear messages out of your inbox to return at a time and date you specify. It’s a dead-simple way to turn messages into individual reminders. You can also use it to prewrite messages and schedule them to be sent later as well. Want that client to think you’re working hard on their big, important project? Schedule an email to send out at 3:30 a.m., even though you’re writing it at 2 p.m.

They’ll think you’re burning the midnight oil, even though you’re really burning a grilled cheese before a Netflix binge. The free version lets you play God with 10 messages each month.

NEVER STOP TO ANSWER, "WHERE ARE YOU?" AGAIN Glympse (Android, iOS, Windows Phone) is a simple but powerful way to share your location with people for up to four hours at a time—perfect for keeping your team informed about your whereabouts without having to constantly update them manually. Your invitees get a text message or email with a link they can use to track you, and they don't need to have the Glympse app installed themselves, which is a big selling point.

SNAG A TEMPORARY PHONE NUMBER Use Burner (Android, iOS) to set up a disposable phone number while you're interviewing candidates or collecting bids on projects—especially those posted on publicly accessible sites. You get a free number to start with, which forwards to your main number but can have its own separate voicemail greeting. You can return calls using your virtual number so you don't reveal your personal number, and once your project has wrapped up, you can torch your burner number to avoid being inundated with phone calls.

TALK LIKE YOU'RE TEXTING Cord (Android, iOS) blends the straightforwardness of text messaging with the expressiveness of phone calls. The app lets you bandy 12-second voice messages back and forth between your colleagues, either individually or in a group. The home screen shows little round bubbles with each of your fellow Cord users' faces, along with how many messages you have from each. Tap each person to listen to their messages and then hold down to reply.

MAKE AND TAKE CALLS AS THOUGH YOU'RE AT YOUR DESK If you work for a large-ish company, chances are you've got a fancy Avaya phone on your desk. If you do, you might be able to use the Avaya one-X Mobile (Android, BlackBerry, iOS) app to route calls to and from your smartphone while your clients are none the wiser. You can look up colleagues via your business's phone directory and deal with your voicemail while on the go as well.

CREATE QUICK GROUPS Should you find yourself working on project after project, each time with different people, check out GroupMe (Android, iOS, web, Windows Phone). Assuming everyone knows how text-message works (right? right??), you’ll be able to quickly cobble together a private chat room where you can meet with coworkers, contractors, vendors, and clients. Once you’ve wrapped up one project, eighty-six the room and start over with your next group.

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HARNESS YOUR INNER NEXTEL Relieve the glory days of push-to-talk service. Voxer (Android, iOS) turns your phone into a walkie-talkie, letting you and your work buddies instantly bandy intel to and fro. If you’re at an event, for instance, you can add text, photos, and location information for some additional color, and if nobody's home on the other end, you can leave old-school voice messages for them to listen to later.

SEND SELF-DESTRUCTING NOTES Privnote (web) helps you send messages electronically without leaving a paper trail. Simply write a note in the site’s Post-It-like interface and you’ll be provided with a unique URL. Send the URL to your recipient via email, text message, or any other method, and once they click the link, they’ll have access to the note, but the link and its message will get killed off for anyone who tries to access it in the future.

Scheduling And Meetings GET YOUR DAY TOGETHER BEFORE EVEN GETTING OUT OF BED Load up Sunrise Calendar (Android, iOS, Mac App Store, web). It makes keeping a calendar . . . fun? Maybe not fun, but it definitely makes it not awful. Sunrise plays nicely with Google, iCloud, and Exchange calendars, connecting to your various accounts—Facebook, Twitter, Evernote, LinkedIn, and a host of others—to automatically pull in pertinent info for you. You'll get birthday reminders, travel updates, weather forecasts, and maps to route you to your next appointment. Adding entries is a snap, too: just type in plain English ("Bike ride tomorrow at noon in Boston") and the app will parse your meaning.

SCHEDULE MEETINGS WHEN PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY MEET Meekan (Android, iOS) not only hooks into the most popular calendar services, it’ll pinpoint everyone’s open time slots in order to schedule meetings when it’s most convenient. Setting meetings up entails little more than entering invitee email addresses, it takes time zones into account, and there’s a natural-language component that lets you enter things like "breakfast with John on Tuesday morning."

SET UP DEAD-SIMPLE CONFERENCE CALLS Take a look at UberConference (Android, iOS, web). You can host an unlimited number of conference calls with up to 10 callers at a time, and there's built-in call recording so you can play the calls back later.

Guests can call in the old-fashioned way or connect to the conference via the web or mobile apps, which sport some additional features such as higher-quality audio. And the conference organizer has access to a nice web-based dashboard, with the ability to mute individual guests or text with each one privately. Not too shabby for zero dollars.

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GET THE LOW-DOWN ON ATTENDEES If you find yourself walking into a meeting with people you’ve never met, give Charlie(iOS, Web) a try. A few minutes before your meeting is supposed to start, the app will surface relevant info about attendees, pulling data in from hundreds of available sources—social apps, news articles, and more. Consider it a system for automated one-pagers that you can use to your advantage.

MAKE PRESENTATIONS POP Prezi (Android, iOS, web) helps you create engaging, cloud-synched presentations that you can access from all sorts of devices. Companion mobile apps let you practice your presentations while you’re on your way to your meeting and control your presentations on the big screen once you’re there. You can even stream your presentations to remote attendees who can’t make meetings in person. The free version lets you create publicly viewable presentations, so you make sure you’re not outing any sensitive company info.

Tools TAG-TEAM YOUR DOCS AND SPREADSHEETS Quip (Android, iOS) injects a human element into an otherwise boring pasttime. It’s a relatively fully featured document and spreadsheet app that lets you and your cohorts work on things at the same time, tied together by a real-time chat system used to keep in touch alongside your documents. Files can be pulled in from popular cloud storage services and exported to Word, PDF, and Excel formats when they’re finished.

QUIT REPEATING THE SAME TASKS Check to see if they can be automated with If(Android, iOS, web).

The app works like a digital Rube Goldberg machine, connecting popular online services with one another. Let's say your boss wants you to add every tweet you send out to a spreadsheet. Bo-ring!

Formerly known as IFTTT—which stands for If This, Then That— the app can do that for you automatically so you don't have to copy and paste tweets all day. And let's say the same boss wants to get an email from you every time you add a new event to the company calendar. Yep: that can be automated too. It's great for dealing with old-schoolers who always want to be "kept in the loop" without requiring a whole lot of effort on your part.

DIGITALLY DETOX The tried-and-true CCleaner (Android, Kindle Fire, Mac, PC) scours your computers and mobile devices for excess crud—temporary files, cookies, old apps, and more—to clean out the cobwebs and, in turn, speed things up. Free versions of the app treat you to as-needed cleanups, which are plenty effective; paid versions offer real-time monitoring, automatic updates, lost file recovery, and premium support features.

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DOCUMENT EVERYTHING Microsoft’s free OneNote app (Android, iOS, Windows Phone) is a note-taker on steroids that lets you type, handwrite, audio-record, snap photos, and more. Notes are saved and synched across devices, with different formats available—checklists, research, meetings, lectures—based on what you’re looking to do.

FABRICATE A FORM, FAST Forget paper. If you need to whip up a form on the go, Canvas (Android, iOS) is worth a look. The app lets you cobble together custom forms—invoices, expense reports, checklists, work orders, and more—and sports additional features such as signature capturing and cloud synchronization. There are more than 5,000 prebuilt forms for you to finesse as you see fit.

INSTALL A TON OF WINDOWS APPS AT ONCE Visit Ninite (Windows) for a great click-and-pick selection of popular Windows apps. Whether you’re setting up a new computer or want to update a bunch of your apps to their latest versions, the site will build you a customized one-time installer that packages up the programs you want and installs them all in one fell swoop: No need to go from site to site, sit through download after download, or weather installation after installation.

GET TO KNOW YOUR PHONE BETTER Chances are, you probably haven’t fully tapped into all your phone’s features.Drippler (Android, iOS) provides Android- and Apple-specific versions that run down notable features, recent updates, and provide how-to articles that you can use to really get into the nitty-gritty of that handheld computer that’s always in your pocket.

BEEF UP YOUR BRAND Like most businesses, it's completely reasonable to think that much of your marketing strategy relies heavily upon popular social networks. Try Postfity (web) to manage your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus accounts. You can blast an update out to multiple accounts at the same time, or use the handy scheduling tool to dole your musings out at predetermined times. The free version lets you connect up to five accounts and schedule up to 10 updates.

GRAB SCREENSHOTS IN SECONDS FireShot (web) is a slick, lightweight screenshot tool that works with just about every browser to quickly grab whatever's in your browser window. You can save the visible section of the page, the entire page, or a selection of your choosing, all with a single click. Once you've got what you need, you can download it as an image file, as a PDF file, or print it out.

KEEP ALL THOSE PASSWORDS STRAIGHT If you use the same password for everything (don't do it!), check out Dashlane(Android, iOS, web). It's a password manager for mobile devices and desktops that keeps track of all your logins, automatically entering your credentials as you surf. The app will automatically generate new, super-strong passwords for you and can lock itself down if you lose your phone. The free version is limited to one device at a time.

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PROTECT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS Stop trading your email address for free stuff! MailDrop (web) lets you create a onetime address that disappears after you’re done with it—perfect for those quick-hit deals, downloads, and promotions. There’s no signup or passwords involved—by MailDrop’s admission, it should not be used for sensitive email—and you can store up to 10 messages should you need to engage in a bit of back and forth with your recipient.

Leave your temporary mailbox untouched for 24 hours, and it’ll vanish forever.

CONVERT VIDEOS WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED With several competing video formats out there, it's hard to please everyone. Thankfully, Any Video Converter (Mac, Windows) makes it easy to convert a video from one format to another—or several videos from one format to another. Drag your videos into the app, and select from more than 150 possible output formats, all thoughtfully categorized for specific devices, web formats, and offline formats. Then hit the Convert Now button, grab a cup of coffee, and . . . well, that's about it.

LET YOUR PHONE TYPE FOR YOU You’ve never really had a way with words, and scratching out screeds on a smartphone can be maddening.

Try SwiftKey (Android, iOS) as a keyboard replacement. The more you use it, the more it learns about how you type, including the ability to pull data from popular cloud-connected services you use in order to return incredibly personalized predictions. Just type your first word and the app will suggest the next one right above the keyboard.

SURF FREELY The popular Betternet (Android, iOS, Mac, Windows) service provides a free, unlimited (albeit adsupported) VPN connection that you can use to sidestep blocked sites and surf anonymously. There’s no signup required, making this one of the easiest—if not the easiest—VPN tools around.

SYNC YOUR STUFF There’s no shortage of file-shuttling solutions, but Daemon Sync (Android, iOS, Linux,Mac, PC) is worth a look, thanks to its sheer simplicity. Load the app up on your phone and install the agent on your PC or Mac, and every time your devices are on the same wireless network, your phone’s photos, videos, and other files you specify will seamlessly synch with the computer and get passed along to other mobile devices you have.

TROUBLESHOOT YOUR CONNECTION Slow Internet? Maybe it’s actually slow, or maybe your device is acting up. Rule one of them out with Speedtest (Android, iOS, web). The service will connect you to a nearby test server so you can doublecheck your upload speeds, download speeds, and ping, with data relayed to you via a cool-looking speedometer.

SAVE YOUR DATA Few things sting more than a nice American data overage. In that spirit, Onavo(Android, iOS) works to preserve your precious data allotment. Tell the app how much you’ve got to work with each month, and it’ll compress various image files while you’re connected to your mobile network with smart tricks such as not loading images in your web browser unless you scroll down to the point that they’re in view.

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SCRATCH OUT SOME DESIGNS If you’re not ready to tackle complicated prototyping and wireframing software, POP(Android, iOS) might be right up your alley. Short for Prototyping on Paper, you sketch your idea out on paper, snap a photo of it, and then trace around the elements on your phone to quickly create a digitized version of your design that you can manipulate as though it’s a live interface.

EDIT IMAGES WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK Photoshop may be powerful, but it's also expensive. Paint.net (Windows) is free and features a lot of the same functionality, including a clean, straightforward interface and built-in effects along with the ability to use layers. There's a vibrant user community as well, which offers up helpful tutorials and plugins to extend the program's functionality.

MINIMIZE DOWNTIME Like it or not, your website is probably going to crash once in a while. Montastic(web) can keep an eye on your site around the clock, sending you an email if your site goes down, and sending another one once it's back up. The free plan lets you monitor up to three URLs at a time, and checks in every 30 minutes, while inexpensive paid plans shorten the check-in time to five minutes.

Organization GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW When it comes to keeping track of life’s many, many tasks, Any.do (Android, iOS, web) offers plenty of options without being overly complicated. You can even forward an email message to turn it into a task—the 21st-century equivalent of stuffing Post-It notes all over your desk. And all your notes, tasks, and to-dos synchronize with the web-based version of Any.do so you can access them from just about anywhere.

PUT PAPER IN ITS PLACE TinyScan (Android, iOS) helps you digitize the mountain of paperwork, receipts, and takeout menus threatening to split your desk in half. This very simple but effective scanner app lets you capture images as PDFs that you can email to yourself or save to Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, Box, and other popular cloud storage services. You can save documents in black and white or color, and you can string several snaps into single documents if you're working with multiple items that belong together.

TAKE NO-FUSS NOTES Simplenote (Android, iOS) focuses on letting you take quick notes without worrying too much about organization. All your notes are searchable and synch to other devices, with a built-in to-do list to help you stay on track if you need to get certain tasks done. If you're not naturally super organized, this can be a good first step towards a slightly less messy lifestyle.

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GROUP YOUR GOOGLE TOOLS Handle (Chrome, iOS) pulls your Gmail, Google Calendar, and to-do list together into one handy dashboard. It turns your email messages into actionable items and serves them up in the middle column of a distraction-free interface, flanked on either side by your projects and your calendar. The iOS app lets you add new tasks via Siri as well.

WHITEBOARD TOGETHER Finally, a way to experience the white-knuckled thrill of a . . . well, it’s still whiteboarding. Even if you're not in the same room as your colleagues, you can share a real-time virtual whiteboard with SyncSpace (Android, iOS). Add text and doodles as a group, and when you've finally gotten all your ideas down, your whiteboard can be emailed around as a set of images or even edited later if you need to make some changes.

Running Your Business GET YOUR SITE UP AND RUNNING Go with Weebly (Android, iOS, web). The freebie account sports a slick drag-and-drop interface with plenty of starter templates, free hosting, and the ability to sell up to five e-commerce products (Weebly takes a 3% cut of each sale). The mobile apps make updating your site with new content and sharing it on social networks a breeze as well. You can even build your site entirely from your phone if you're feeling adventurous.

Weebly is a good option for people who know they need some sort of web presence but don't want to put too much time and effort into dealing with one.

FIND AN OFFICE ON DEMAND Breather (Android, iOS) helps you forgo the expense of a fixed office, offering up "spaces" that can be rented out around the city for a half hour at a time. Meet with a client, respond to email while you’ve got some time between appointments, or just get off your feet for a bit.

Spaces can be unlocked with your phone and sport Wi-Fi, power plugs, and charging docks. The service is currently available in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Montreal, and Ottawa, with additional cities on the way.

MAKE YOUR MARK You don’t have to read a stack of books or sit through grad school to make sure your marketing’s on point. Primer (Android, iOS) is a handy Google-built app that dishes up easily digestible lessons and tips that you can peruse whenever you have a few minutes to spare. Topics include advertising, content, design, marketing, and more.

DON'T GET DELAYED BY DELIVERIES Use Slice (Android, iOS) to track your packages from big-name retailers Amazon, Best Buy, Nordstrom, Walmart, and several others. The app automatically plucks your purchase info from your email account and serves up a trackable map of your item as it makes its way to your house. Best of all, after you've bought

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something, Slice will alert you to price drops that fall within the retailer's adjustment window, making it easy to save on stuff after the fact.

SEAL THE DEAL If you need to make sure your legal bases are covered, use Shake (Android, iOS). This app helps you whip up contracts that you and another party can sign on the spot. There are preselectable templates available that you can customize to your liking. Contracts can be signed and then sent electronically for signatures as well.

GET YOUR CLIENTS TO PONY UP Load up Zoho Invoice and Time Tracker (Android, iOS, web, Windows Phone). Easy-to-create invoices get top billing here, but Zoho adds some nice extras like time- and expense-tracking, recurring bills, and connections with online payment processors. The mobile app handles just about everything that the webbased version does, with a straightforward layout and similarly robust feature set. You can bill up to five clients using the free version.

ESTIMATE YOUR WINDFALL When tax season draws near, get an idea of how much moola you’re getting back or—gulp—how much you’re going to owe. TaxCaster (Android, iOS), from popular tax preparation provider TurboTax, asks you for some basic info and then estimates the final tally. Just enter your filing status, your income, and any tax breaks you’re expecting, and watch the dial at the top of the app (hopefully) move from red to green to indicate that a refund is headed your way.

KEEP YOUR FINANCES IN ORDER The easy-to-use Mint (Android, iOS) app helps you corral all your financial accounts—banking, credit cards, loans, and more—to present you with a nice overview of how much money you have. As far as taxes go, the app does a good job of breaking all your purchases down by category so that you can find various deductions without combing through statement after statement from each of your financial institutions.

(RE)COVER YOUR TRACKS Business mileage can be a big write-off, so a good tracker like MileIQ (Android, iOS) is a must. The app can auto-log miles for you by using your phone’s GPS, or you can manually add entries for past trips. It’ll show you how much of a deduction you’ll get—rates are currently 57.5 cents per mile—and entries are stored in IRS-friendly formats. The app lets you log 40 drives for free every month; monthly fees start at $6 thereafter.

MAKE A PLAN TO EXPAND Try Centro Business Planning Tool (Android, iOS) if you’re looking for some guidance when cobbling together a new business plan. The app steps you through a series of questions that cover finances, operations, your value proposition, target markets and more. The app is structured as a string of activities; once you complete them all, you’ll have yourself a nice little business plan to work with.

SOURCE: http://www.fastcompany.com/3052243/app-economy/50-free-apps-to-make-you-an-incrediblyproductive-person?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fast-company-dailynewsletter&position=1&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=10162015

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Startups The Exact Pitch Deck Strategy I’ve Used To Raise $125M Since 2011 By

Mitchell Harper @mitchellharper Featured image via Flickr

The right way to create a killer pitch deck and get funded — from someone who has raised $125M since 2011.

Creating a pitch deck is hard, especially when you’ve never done it before. If you’re a first-time entrepreneur like I was when we raised our $15M series A round for Bigcommerce back in 2011, then you’re probably excited, nervous and anxious about raising your first round of financing.

The good news is that a pitch deck can (and should be) be almost formulaic.You’ve got to tell a story, paint a vision, know your metrics and sell, sell sell.Whether you’re raising a small seed round or a bigger series A straight off the bat, you need to get a few things right and the rest will fall into place. In this post I want to share with you the 8 ingredients to create the perfect pitch deck.

There’s a lot of advice out there about creating pitch decks, so why should you take mine? Well, I’ve raised 4 rounds of venture financing since 2011, totalling $125M. I’ve pitched dozens of investors, including most of the tier one and tier two firms up and down the west and east costs.

I’ve also received multiple term sheets — all with strong valuations, great terms and the most important thing: great investors and board members.

Finally, I’m also an investor myself, so have been on both sides of the table, so to speak. I’ve seen good pitch decks, great pitch decks and terrible pitch decks. Probably 300 in total over the last few years.

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Anyway, enough about me. Before we move on — and if you feel so inclined — you can follow me on Twitter @mitchellharper.

Here are the 8 “ingredients” I think are the most important for creating a pitch deck that will make your fundraising experience short, effective and rewarding for you, your co-founders, your employees, your business and your future investors. #1: Have a big vision — then make it 10x bigger Having a compelling vision for where you want to take your business is important, but most first-time entrepreneurs think too small . I know I was guilty of this a few years ago. I can tell you now, whatever your vision is, it needs to be bigger and more compelling.

For example, if you have a vision to make it easy for people in a specific country to solve a problem, then expand your vision to help everyone in the world solve that same problem.

How do you know when you’re thinking big enough?

When you’re uncomfortable and even nervous with the size of the vision you’re adding to your pitch deck.

Over time you’ll get used to the bigger vision and you’ll be surprised at how much more aggressive it will make you towards pursuing it. #2: Explain how you’ll use the capital — in detail “We will invest half in marketing and half in engineering” is not the most articulate way to address how you will spend the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars you want an investor to trust you with.

Having a detailed financial model (AKA best guess) for at least the next 3 years will paint a picture of not only your operating expenses but also your revenue growth, margins and potential profit over that time as well.

More than anything, know by department and ideally by business case where you will invest the capital and if you already have a marketing machine with a predictable ROI (i.e. $1 in brings $5 out) then explain that in detail too.

Having an accurate financial forecast will help mitigate some of the risk potential investors see in your business, especially if you’re pre-revenue and/or are a first time entrepreneur. Remember — the more risk you can take away, the better your chances of closing the deal. #3: Know your metrics better than anyone For a subscription business it’s CAC, LTV, CAC:LTV, nett MRR, conversion rate, churn (both number of clients and percentage of revenue), gross margin, etc. For other businesses the metrics will be similar. You need to know your current and future metrics in exact detail and you should be able to talk to how you will improve the metrics that aren’t up to scratch.

David Skok wrote the ultimate guide to metrics back in 2010 on his great blog For Entrepreneurs. It’s a long and detailed post, but it’s foundational to understand if you’re raising capital.

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#4: Short main deck This one is simple. Your pitch deck should have two parts: the main deck and an appendix. In the main deck, include slides that are critical to telling your story, showing your metrics, team and vision. Supporting slides should be in the appendix.

How long should your deck be? Generally 30 to 60 slides is about average. The main part of the Bigcommerce series C deck, which we used to raise $40M from Revolution (founded by Steve Case), was 26 slides and the appendix was 16 slides for a total of 42 slides. #5: People grow a company, not capital The best companies are built by amazing and capable people . Devote at least one slide in your deck to outlining your team and what makes them amazing. Are you an amazing engineer? Spell out your talents and how they contributed to your product. Do you have a strong executive team from A-list companies?

Include a mini bio on each executive including the companies they’ve been at and each of their key accomplishments.

For example, has your head of sales built large, high performing sales teams before? If so, call it out. Has your CTO built highly scalable systems that handle tens of millions of users in her previous company? You get the idea.

Investors know you have competitors and generally the strongest team will build the best product and brand and therefore win the market. If you have a strong team, make it known. If your team is just a handful of first-timers then talk to your vision for the team. Who will you hire with the capital and how will you recruit them?

Have ambition to hire and build the best team you can and communicate that ambition in your pitch deck.

Be honest about your team’s weaknesses and emphasize your strengths. #6: Talk about pain and how you solve it All great pitch decks include a story that guides the reader from the initial pain point to the solution to the promise land (a business with excellent metrics that’s growing quickly). Be sure to talk about the initial pain point your product solves.

How did you come across it? Why are you solving it? Why is your approach the best one and how can you solve the problem for more people as a result of raising capital? #7: Traction speaks louder than words Whether you’re generating revenue or not, it’s important to show your product already has traction . Again, this reduces the risk in the eyes of potential investors and gives you a better shot at getting a term sheet.

If you’re generating revenue and it’s accelerating fast, make sure that’s a slide in your pitch deck. If not, look at all of your metrics and choose the one that best represents the potential of your business, such as total number of users, total photos uploaded or similar. Ideally this metric should chart “up and to the right” and show that with a little capital you can push this metric even faster, while on your way to revenue and then profit.

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#8: Pitch, polish, repeat As soon as you’ve wrapped your first pitch, make sure you have a Q&A session at the end. Questions help potential investors get clarity on everything from your numbers to your competitive advantage. Take note of their questions and feedback and use them to tweak your deck before the next pitch.

Repeat this for every pitch you do and after 3 or 4 pitches you should notice you’re getting fewer questions about the content in your deck. Because your pitch deck is continually improving, you should get a lot of positive feedback about your presentation — assuming you’re a captivating speaker and actually have a business that excites potential investors.

Good luck!

Leadership 3 Things Effective Leaders Know About Being Likable The Social Etiquette You'd Use At A Cocktail Party Doesn't Translate To The Board Room.

By Felicia Spahr Many leaders already know that commanding the respect of their team members can be a tricky business. If they're either too feared on one hand or too well liked on the other, they risk losing their effectiveness.

One reason why striking that balance is so hard is because it cuts against the social etiquette we've learned since childhood. In order to connect with people, we're taught to try to be liked. Doing anything to compromise our likability can feel uncomfortable, especially at work: If no one likes to work with us, we worry, how can we possibly get anything done?

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But the truth is it isn't a zero-sum game. Especially for leaders, likability has its limits. That , but it does mean asserting yourself in ways you might not consider polite at a cocktail party—and doing it strategically.

Here are three things effective leaders understand about towing the line between being liked and being respected.

1. BEING NICE DOESN'T ALWAYS GET YOU AHEAD NPR's This American Life once did an experiment to see whether a waitress who was especially friendly to customers earned more tips than a waitress who acted more aloof. The results were surprising.

Not only did the waitress who smiled and was more engaging typically not get higher tips, on average she actually earned slightly less. Does being nice actually pay off less than we think?

A similar phenomenon can occur in the workplace, but it isn't as simple as choosing to be either cheerful or chilly. After all, it isn't as though powerful people don’t smile at all. They only smile when it’s right for the situation. When they do, it’s sincere, not something they do in order to project a certain image—which people can usually see through anyway.

2. SPEAKING UP MAKES A DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU'RE CONFIDENT YOUR POINT OF VIEW IS VALID, LET IT BE HEARD. Years ago, I was in a meeting with a group of top executives to discuss a campaign we were going to pitch to a potential client. It was early in my career, and didn’t have much seniority. But when I saw an opportunity to voice what I thought was a valuable opinion—one that went against what others in the room were saying—I did.

Afterward, one of my bosses came up to me and praised me for speaking up. It may be more comfortable to be deferential, to just nod and listen, especially if it’s your first few weeks or months on the job. But when you're confident your point of view is valid, let it be heard. You don't need to be pushy or single anybody out whose position differs from yours, but you can politely voice your own conviction. At a very minimum, it creates the impression that you're confident enough to do it.

Some of us hold back because we don’t want to be rude or sound inexperienced, and we worry we'll come off like we think we know what we’re talking about even if we don't.

But by not speaking up you can risk worse. Sure, you might blend in and be seen as easy to work with, but you won’t be remembered—or, possibly, considered for a promotion when the time comes. Sometimes you have to speak your mind, even if your voice shakes a little at first.

3. PLAYING NICE CAN BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE Social etiquette tells us to smile, listen, and don't interrupt. But these rules don't have much bearing in the boardroom. One executive I spoke with recently sounded exasperated by this type of culture. "How do I get a word in edgewise during meetings?" he asked.

YOU AREN'T HAVING A POLITE, LEISURELY CONVERSATION WITH A STRANGER.

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The answer is to interject—where appropriate. You may feel like you're cutting someone off, but the fact is that interrupting is usually acceptable because the goal of important meetings is to find a solution to a problem in a limited amount of time. You aren't having a polite, leisurely conversation with a stranger.

In fact, there's an elegant way to interrupt others without causing resentment. Skilled interrupters use phrases like:  "I see your point, and..."  "I think what you’re saying is important because…"  "To continue with the point you were making..."

These expressions don't cause trouble because they aren't aggressive or threatening, and they don't belittle others' contributions.

Effective leaders know that if they have something valuable to bring to the table and interrupting is the only way for it to be heard, it's their responsibility to make sure it's heard.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE TIMES WHEN YOUR ANXIETY ABOUT APPEARING RUDE OR OUT OF LINE IS HOLDING YOU BACK. Pay attention to the times when your anxiety about appearing rude or out of line is holding you back. Then decide whether what you have to contribute is valuable. If it is, bite the bullet, and make your thoughts known. You may become less conventionally "likable," but you'll earn respect and influence—which is more valuable by far.

Felicia Spahr is a charisma and leadership coach who helps high-achieving introverts become better leaders. You can find her at How To Be Instantly Irresistible.

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Money Management 10 Steps to Becoming a Self-Made Millionaire You have to have a plan if you want to become wealthy

By

BY RHETT POWER

Co-founder, Wild Creations@rhettpower Building wealth for most people is a long process that requires discipline and sacrifice. There are many people who will waste their life away, wanting things to be different. Then there are those who are willing to change themselves to change where they are going. These are the people who have what it takes to become wealthy. These are the people who have a plan.

1. They don't live like millionaires.

What we mean is, they don't spend the way most people you would conceive as millionaires do. Those people who spend money like it's going out of style generally end up broke. They must file for bankruptcy and get rid of their fancy house, cars, and materials to pay their debt. Self-made millionaires know the value in not spending all their money. They know waiting for what you want and saving for what you need is the only way to get there.

2. They are cheap.

More than not, when you meet millionaires, they are penny pinchers. They will be a little more stingy with their money. And that is OK! You don't have to help every Tom, Dick, and Harry out there! They are wise

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with their money. Some of them are maybe a bit like Scrooge. You don't have to be so extreme, but don't spend every penny you have, just because you have it.

3. They give to charity.

Charitable donations not only help the conscience, they also help when tax season comes around. Those who give sizeable donations to charitable organizations, and have receipts for it, can take those contributions off their taxes. It is a win-win-win, right?

4. They invest.

Millionaires know that money sitting is just that -- money sitting. It isn't doing anything for you. Even if you don't invest it, but you put it into a high interest account, it is more likely to accrue money for you later on than money in your pocket. When you get a paycheck, allocate what you need for bills and living, but put 10 percent into investments or savings.

5. They earn a little more.

These are the people who are not afraid to go ask their bosses for a raise. They know how to work more hours at their job just to get that paycheck a little bit higher. They know how to do whatever it takes not to have to live paycheck to paycheck, because they put in the effort.

6. Get an education.

Although you will see some who do not get an education, the majority of millionaires see the value of an education, in getting a better job and compensated more for their work. School is expensive, but so is getting to millionaire status.

7. They work side jobs.

Many millionaires work one to three jobs, and their spouses do the same thing. They work as much as they can to bring home as much as they can.

8. They marry well.

Not that they marry rich. They marry someone with the same goals and value of money as their own. Their spouses may be as frugal, or even more so. That is the measure of good millionaires. They know how to become millionaires together.

9. They are organized.

They know where every penny goes. They know what each of their assets are doing. They do their own money managing. Do you think they would let someone who may potentially mess it all up take care of their money?

10. They teach their children.

Millionaires teach their children how to work hard and be millionaires. Their children know how to save for and earn what they want.

SOURCE: http://www.inc.com/rhett-power/10-steps-to-becoming-a-self-made-millionaire.html

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Toys

By Aaron Miller @aaron_m_miller You don’t have to spend a mint to get some of the fastest and most beautiful cars ever produced. If you’re willing to put the effort into finding the right car, $50,000 can go pretty far -- and just how far might surprise you. These 10? As Ferris Bueller so aptly states, "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”

FLICKR/BRIAN SNELSON

1. De Tomaso Pantera Price: $48k+ The Pantera is the only kind of Italian-American muscle you’d ever want to meet on an empty stretch of desert highway. With a body designed at the reknown Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin, Italy, and a V8 sourced directly from Ford, it's equal parts Lamborghini and Shelby. Made throughout the 1970s and '80s, the best of the best will fetch six figures, but you can still get a nice one to cruise around in for under $50,000.

COURTESY OF PANOZ

2. Panoz Esperante Price: $40k+ Take a few key components from a Mustang -like the engine and steering rack -- and handbuild an aluminum sportscar around it, and you end up with the Esperante. In that regard, it's not all that different from the 29

Pantera, but the Esperante is a car uniquely its own. Its divisive love-it or hate-it looks are unlike anything else out there, and it has quite the racing heritage behind it. Some of the earlier versions are now dipping into the $40,000s.

(Yes, that’s me….)

3. Dodge Viper Price: $20k+ That the Viper is readily available in the sub-$50,000 range is a testament to the enduring success of the car. While the original intent was to play on the Shelby Cobra's heritage -- with old man Shelby's blessing, even -- after several generations the Viper owns its legacy outright. If you ever wanted to know what a 1960s muscle car would be like disguised as a 1990s supercar, driving a Viper's a great way to find out.

WIKIMEDIA/WISTAR RINEARSON

4. Porsche 911 Turbo (996, aka 2001-2004) Price: $30k+ If you're looking for Ferrari-besting performance in a car that you can still take to work in the morning, the 911 Turbo has long been your ally. For less than $50 grand, the 2001-2004 models are really your only option. That’s because this generation of 911, known to the cognoscenti as the 996, is a bit of an odd duck in terms of pricing.

The prices of newer 997 Turbos haven’t fallen enough yet, while the older 930 has already attained legendary status, due to both its reputation as a widowmaker, and the affinity of nostalgic Porsche enthusiasts for air cooled engines (which went extinct when the 996 came to pass).

FLICKR/CHRISTIAN JUNKER

5. Ferrari F355 Price: $35k+ The F355 sat at the crux of an interesting time of change for Ferrari, and its importance in the global scope of the automobile is often underestimated. When it debuted, the engine was state of the art and it paid homage to the timehonored tradition of Italian cars with beautiful gated shifters. A few years into production, Ferrari introduced F1-

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derived paddle shifters; while the F355 wasn't the first car to get rid of a clutch in favor of a faster option, it was the shot heard around the world, signaling the ever-advancing downfall of the manual transmission.

COURTESY OF FISKER

6. Fisker Karma Price: $49k+ A bunch of enthusiasts are probably wondering right now how a Fisker made a list of supercars.

The answer is simple: it has the wild, edgy, and somehow still-elegant look that all supercars should have, and it's full of high tech ideas like solar panels that don't necessarily make a huge difference. It even has pedigree, in that its namesake, Henrik Fisker, spent decades working for the likes of BMW and Aston Martin prior to developing the Karma.

FLICKR/TONY HARRISON

7. Ferrari 308 GTB Price: $42k+ Look, I could go on about why the 308 GTB is a terribly important car in Ferrari's history, but the simple fact is that today it's known even by automotive illiterates as Magnum PI's Ferrari. Bountiful might be the wrong word to use, but it's true that a good 308 isn't terribly hard to find.

WIKIMEDIA/MICK

8. Lotus Esprit Price: $15k+ Some of the greatest and most influential sports cars came to life at this small English-based outfit, but truthfully, only one Lotus is a true supercar. In its heyday, the mid-engined, Italian-designed Esprit was worthy of supplanting Aston Martins for James Bond and cruising for, er, a Julia Roberts of the night. Today it's a relatively affordable and instantly recognizable icon, and while some variants still command princely sums, plenty can be found for those on a budget.

FLICKR/TRAVIS HORNUNG

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9. Acura NSX Price: $32k+ The stories surrounding the NSX's development are now the stuff of urban legend, with guys like Ayrton Senna and Bobby Rahal giving their feedback straight to the engineers, who drew a big red circle around Ferrari when targeting performance. Flash forward nearly a quarter of a century and the NSX is still available for under $50,000... for now. With the long-overdue followup on its way -- and a price tag well into the six figures-- the prices on the originals are going nowhere but up.

10. Cadillac XLR-V Price: $35k+ There is a theory that the Corvette is a supercar by right -- that its high performance warrants its inclusion in that exclusive category, but that its lack of refinement and rarity is what holds it back in the eyes of the public. If that theory is true, then the Cadillac XLR-V should count. Under the skin, it's all Corvette, and even today, 450 hp is nothing to laugh at. The rest of the car is all Cadillac, and is sitting on a plate for anyone ready to eat a mid-$40k slice of cake. *NOTE: These are all available for under $50,000, but the cost of maintenance varies greatly, so making sure you buy the most well-sorted example within your budget is paramount.

Aaron Miller is the Cars editor for Thrillist, and can be found on Twitter. He continuously struggles against the urge to fix up an old Esprit or 911.

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Relationships 7 Ways Successful People Build Exceptional Professional Relationships Successful people follow a simple model of behavior that leads to lasting and loyal professional relationships.

By

BY RHETT POWER

Co-founder, Wild Creations@rhettpower Have you noticed how successful people seem to easily expand their networks? Or how they are able to ask colleagues for assistance with just about anything? It may appear that they are more confident or sophisticated than others, but they actually are following a simple model of behavior that leads to lasting and loyal professional relationships.

Here's how successful people build exceptional professional relationships: 1. They are kind to people at all levels Respect for colleagues and employees in every position is not only the right thing to do, it's also a way to network. Acknowledge the responsibilities of every staff person; an organization's success depends on each team member.

2. They offer help without being asked Successful people don't wait to be asked. They provide information when they hear what someone else needs. They send links to articles, the name of a good plumber, and referrals to other colleagues. They find mentors for new staff members.

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3. They own their behavior Everyone makes mistakes. What's different about successful people? They don't wait to get caught; they are honest and upfront about their mistakes and decisions.

4. They take a hit for the team A true leader will not pass blame to a colleague or staff person. He or she will step in to handle a demanding situation or angry customer.

5. They ask for opinions and feedback Asking for someone's perspective says that you value the person's experience and intelligence. It also means that you are willing to listen to people who may disagree with you, and they may have valid reasons you may not have considered.

6. They connect people Successful people are generous in their introductions and in helping people find needed resources. One of the benefits of networking is getting to know a variety of people, and then using your network to connect those people who might not know one another.

7. They are genuinely thoughtful and considerate They offer congratulations and acknowledge achievements. They send emails to maintain connections.

They send gifts and remember important days. They are delighted when others succeed.

Real success is impossible without building and maintaining authentic relationships. When you treat colleagues with respect, you will be rewarded both professionally and personally.

SOURCE: http://www.inc.com/rhett-power/7-ways-successful-people-build-exceptional-professionalrelationships.html

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Intellectual Fun

I love Highbrow!

It’s fun and I actually look forward to each day’s new email.

In their words: “The idea of Highbrow first came to us when we felt like there was a huge knowledge gap between what we were learning from the media and real textbook knowledge. And like most modern people, we found ourselves constantly too busy or distracted to invest the time or money to learn about something new in-depth.

“So, we made it our goal to solve our own problem by creating Highbrow.

“Highbrow is the solution to the knowledge gap. With Highbrow, we try to create a simple, easy, and free way for people to gain new knowledge in less time than it takes to drink a cup of coffee.

“In just 5 minutes, we hope to make you just a little more knowledgeable than you were the day before.”

Source: http://gohighbrow.com/manifesto/ I highly recommend it! – Chris

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I also love Kevin Kelly, and movies, so this is a perfect recommendation if you do, too. – Chris

TRUE FILMS 3.0 (In Kevin’s words…)This is the golden age of documentaries.

Inexpensive equipment, new methods of distribution, and a very eager audience have all launched a renaissance in nonfiction film making and viewing. The very best of these nonfiction films are as entertaining as the best Hollywood blockbusters. Because they are true, their storylines seem fresh with authentic plot twists, real characters, and truth stranger than fiction. Most true films are solidly informative, and a few are genuinely useful like a tool. The rise of documentaries and true cinema is felt not only in movie theaters, but on network TV and cable channels as well. Reality TV, non-fiction stations like the History Channel or Discovery, and BBC imports have increased the choices in true films tremendously. There’s no time to watch them all, and little guidance to what’s great. In this book I offer 200+ great true films. I define true films as documentaries, educational films, instructional how-to’s, and what the British call factuals – a non-fiction visual account.

These 200 are the best non-fiction films I’ve found for general interest. I’ve watched all these films more than once.

Sometimes thrice. I haven’t had TV for 20 years, so I’ve concentrated my viewing time on documentaries and true films. I run a little website (www.truefilms.com) where I solicit suggestions of great stuff.

What am I looking for in a great true film?

• It must be factual.

• It must surprise me, but not preach to me.

• If it introduces me to a world or subculture that I never thought about before, even better.

• There’s a plot – a transformation from beginning to the end.

• It’s easily available.

As dogged as I have been in tracking down great true films, I have seen only a fraction of the more than 60,000 that have been made, and the thousands now being made each year. If you know of an amazing true film that I’ve missed please recommend it to me: kk@kk.org. Where to get the films: I recommend only those great and worthwhile titles that are available on tape or DVD at consumer prices. I indicate whether a film is rentable from Netflix, and if it is purchasable from Amazon. If neither of those options is available, I will then list an alternative source. For too long true films have been hard to find, appearing only fleetingly in theaters, or projected in school classrooms on expensive 16mm prints, or hidden on back shelves at

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video rental places. Now DVDs and websites are rapidly increasing the availability of true films; their prices continue to drop, and their distribution expands. However, many great true films are still not easily seen.

The British produce fantastic factuals that are shown a few times on BBC and then mothballed. A lot of older documentaries have still not been released on DVD or tape. Some of the greatest documentaries ever made are owned by educational agencies that price them according to the old model of scarce film prints.

Since their customers were once only classrooms in schools and universities, these distributors set very steep fees – typically $300 to purchase a tape, and $100 merely to rent it. They have maintained these prices for individuals, which is plainly ridiculous. I view this as an ideal strategy to prevent as many people as possible from seeing a film. So far, I am unable to recommend any of those good films since their fees, though lowered, are still not reasonable consumer prices. And much of the BBC treasure trove is still not released, although more of it is seeping out online as electronic downloads. As they reach consumer levels, to the point that anyone who wants to see it can pretty easily order a copy, I’ll add the best of those to the True Films list. Happily, more and more recent documentaries are being released to a receptive public at consumer prices.

Even better, a growing number of factuals are also carried by the emerging online DVD subscription services. Big companies like Blockbuster, WalMart, and Amazon UK offer some true films among their wide selections of fictional films. Some smaller players like GreenCine (www.greencine.com) offer interesting selections of true films that no one else may carry. The major player in the documentaries is now Netflix (www.netflix.com). I am a huge fan of Netflix’s film subscription service. Their library of 55,000 films (including nearly 6,000 true films) is now my library. At any one moment I have over 100 documentary titles I’d like to see stacked up in my Netflix queue waiting for me to return the last one I watched. The way Netflix works is this: the list of films I want to see is kept on my computer; the films come as DVD discs in the mail; I always hold 3 at home. As I watch them I send them back in the same envelope (no postage and no late fees) whenever I am done, and they automatically send me the next one in my queue. The service is amazingly fast, incredibly intelligent, inexpensive, and the best way to try out documentaries in a low risk way (it costs you nothing to return a disc unviewed). Give them a try (each film I review that they carry is linked to their database from my True Films site).

If there is a true film you want to see that they don’t have, ask them to order it. Netflix are such great fans of true film fans that they have been releasing notable documentaries onto DVD themselves, on their own “label.” These are films that were released in theaters but for various reasons never transferred to DVD. As of this printing, Netflix has released 170 such true films. Indeed, if you are the creator of a film documentary looking for a way to transfer it to DVD, you should contact them directly. Still, some true films are hard to find. If you can’t find a listed great true film for sale on Amazon, or even the used-item section of Amazon, you should check eBay, which carries a surprising number of used videos and DVDs. Don’t forget your local public library either. It is not uncommon for libraries in one region to pool their videos into a decent video library, yours for the asking. Also, even the saddest video rental store should carry at least a dozen of these titles. Shopping information changes rapidly so I’m trying to keep the ordering information for each film current on my website, at www.truefilms.com. Check there if you are having trouble finding something.

Source: http://kk.org/mt-files/books-mt/tf3.2-withads.pdf

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Humanitarian Tools Many of you know me from my work at the Center for Global Initiatives, a 501(c) non-profit, nongovernmenal organization with a focus on global health and helping provide tools and resources freely to those also working in that space. We have a monthly newsletter (Tools for Change) that’s availabe for the asking (DrChrisStout@gmail.com) and back issues are archived here: https://www.pinterest.com/drchrisstout/tools-for-change-the-cgi-newsletter/

If you’d like to access our free tools and library, then please visit the site: http://cente rforglobalini tiatives.org/

And you can get more immediate updates and share your own posts at our Facebook page, where over 2000 other likeminded folks participate: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CenterFor GlobalInitiatives/ Note about curated content: Photos and content were sampled from public, non-subscription websites and are thus assumed to be in the public domain. All original authorship is properly attributed and transparently sourced and this document serves as yet another avenue to publicize the authors’ works and is noncommercial. Disclosures and Fine-print

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