Editing your day - 10 things

Take 10 seconds (or a little more) in your day to do these 10 things. It's amazing how a little bit of kindness can brighten up someones day. Or even just changing what you do for the day can make a big difference.

Here's my list:

1) Be kind to others and give out happiness; it comes back to you like a boomerang
2) Smile at a stranger and say hi
3) Offer help to someone
4) For the ladies, wear 10 seconds less of makeup, or don't wear make up at all
5) For the guys, tell someone how you feel
6) Tell your family you love them
7) Speak out
8) If you speak too much, be quiet for a bit
9) Work harder
10) Let go of the past

There are things in the past that I've done that probably wouldn't qualify as one of my proudest moments, one of them is not "being smart at math" and almost failing Pre-Cal math in Grade 12. While everybody else in my family are math whiz's, I wasn't. Being smart isn’t the only thing that will get you far though. It's a combination of things, like how you are as a person. How you live as a person determines whether you are successful or not. How do you measure success? What is success? I think success is subjective, you can be successful in happiness. Whatever the case may be, whatever makes you happy. That is all that matters.

Editing money: Student edition

Funny. But, it's a no-go for me.

With school almost winding down, my plans for the summer is to cut down on my spending and work like a mad man. (so I can earn back all the money I had spent this year on school)

But with personal finance, as with so many areas of life, we have a tendency to jump from extremes. Usually, an excess of spending or strictly anti-spending on things (at least, that what I find myself doing)

Recently I reviewed the totals of my debit/credit transactions and I found that I spent a lot on little treats this year. Things like clothes, food, dining out with friends, and just buying for the sake that it's on sale. Often, I find spending money is accompanied by a credit card, and of course, stress.

This year has been a lot of hair pulling, worrying and running after buses. I can see why my spending spiked up during the course of the year. Shopping just seems to be the therapy for me. I use to deny little treats for myself, like chocolate bars. The thought that goes through my head is: "I want it, but I don't really need it."

I found that by doing this, I actually spent more on something else later on. What I learned: Don't deny yourself a little treat once in a while when you really want it, because you really deserve it. So how do you choose what to buy and what not to buy?

At the same time, I call myself frugal. It's all about making sure I get the most (pardon my cliche) bang for my buck. (Or wait, I'll change it to kaboom for my buck then) But, it’s about cutting back on things that don't add anything to my life. I also find it's good to set reasonable limits on what I spend on certain things a month. I personally spend more on dining out as I love food. But I hardly spend anything on entertainment. So where I spend in a certain area I cut back in other areas.

After all, what do you most enjoy?

Editing: Line art

There's a time and place to clean things up, and as an artist, editing and cleaning your line art is the most tedious and time consuming process (in my opinion anyway). For artists who haven't invested in a tablet yet, like myself and still need to do the 'draw and scan' you'd know what I'm talking about.

But it's amazing what editing can do, you can turn a drawing like the one on your left, to the one on your right.

As an artist however, sometimes it doesn't matter how much time you've spent on the piece. Sometimes, it just doesn't seem quite finished yet, even if it does to others. The thing about creating and designing, you start to get an emotional attachment with that piece. In a way it could be a good thing and a bad thing. If you get too attached to the piece, you start to be closed minded toward other ideas and opinions. But all in all, the decision to make changes to your work is in your hands.

What do you care about?

As I get older (turning 20 tomorrow) I find I care less about objects and "stuff". The objects I do care about are usually visually beautiful, exceptionally functional (like my iPod) or have sentimental value. 

As I type this, I see a cardboard box filled with mine and my sister's old art and school work and know that what fills the box - the content's end is nearby. My parents have been urging me to get rid of the "stuff" taking up space in our basement. But somehow those pieces of paper give me happiness, even if they are not every day items I go through or use. The tattered yellow notebooks of drawings remind me of my childhood and it's something that I cannot replace.

What are things or objects in your life that you care about? or what are things you don't care so much about?

A little list I found on HELLO my name is BLOG. It reminded me of the infamous question: "Why are you telling this to me now?" and "Why do I care?" or don't care in this case.


1. PEOPLE DON’T CARE … how good you are.
They care how good you’re going to help them become.

2. PEOPLE DON’T CARE … what you’ve done.
They care what you’ve learned, and how those lessons can help them.

3. PEOPLE DON’T CARE … what you can’t do.
They care what you CAN do.

4. PEOPLE DON’T CARE … what they hear you say.
They care what they SEE you DO.

5. PEOPLE DON’T CARE … what you do for a living.
They care what you’re passionate about.

6. PEOPLE DON’T CARE … if you’re having a bad day.
They care how you’re going to help them have a better day.

7. PEOPLE DON’T CARE … about price.
They care about value, convenience and risk.

8. PEOPLE DON’T CARE … about your company.
They care about the problems your company can solve.

9. PEOPLE DON’T CARE … about being apologized to.
They care about answers, solutions and resolutions.