2010 New Years' Resolution

This really happened to me.

My home office PC had an automated backup program running that saved my data to a USB connected external hard drive.  I figured everything was A-OK and there was nothing to worry about.  In truth, I hadn't been careful enoough in selecting software that reported via email/popup/siren/flashinglights when something went wrong.

The external drive failed and I didn't notice.  A couple of months later the local electrical utility company was doing some work about 2 miles from me.  A truck backed into a pole holding a transformer... knocking out power in the area... and breaking my main hard drive in my PC.  The one I thought was safely copying data to the external drive.

Emails, bookmarks, software, data, music files, photos, work, play, family tree data, contracts, etc, etc -- all gone.

Oops!

$1,500 later I had my data recovered to a new boot drive.

I also learned two things:

1. Be careful about selecting my backup software
2. Check to make sure it is running

A couple of months later I read about an online backup solution.  Secure, automatic, remote, reliable, simple to set up and affordable.  In fact, you can back up 2 GB of data at no cost if you want to try it out.  When you need your data it is right there on the Internet.  You can even restore using just a browser!

All of my valuable emails, pictures, scanned images & documents, genealogy databases and reports were gone... without warning.  And it cost me a bundle of $ and some frayed nerves before I got lucky enoough to get them recovered.  I don't want to do it again.

For 2010... promise yourself to visit http://nolimitsuccess.info/mozy.html and when you forget about making backups you can sleep peacefully knowing your computer is looking after things for you. It will be a resolution that is easy to keep!


Happy New Year!

P.S. Did I ever tell you the one about the stolen laptop?  I'll save that for next year!

Marlise Karlin Offers Practical Tips for Releasing Holiday Stress

Today's guest article is from Marlise Karlin, a person who teaches people to reboot their lives through The Simplicity of Stillness®. I know you will find her holiday stress tips helpful.

Marlise Karlin (www.marlisekarlin.com), a person just like you and me who teaches people to reboot their lives through The Simplicity of Stillness®, offers practical and achievable tips to release stress and added pressure during the holiday season. Millions of Americas are already drained financially, emotionally, and physically as a result of their existing daily responsibilities and challenges, and the approaching holidays only increases anxiety and frustration.

A recent American Psychological Association “Stress in America” survey reports that seven in ten Americans say that money is a significant source of stress (71 percent), with similarly high percentages reporting stress resulting from work (69 percent) and the economy (63 percent). More than half of adults (55 percent) also cited family responsibilities as a significant source of stress in their lives.

Marlise Karlin offers healthy alternatives to releasing stress with the following tips:

1. Express: Become aware of why you are stressed and speak about what’s not working – try pacing in your living room – until you’ve said everything you needed to say. Really shout it out in a ‘I’m MAD AS HELL” kind of way. Soon, you will feel a shift in your disposition.

2. Write: If you haven’t formulated what the upset is, or have a hard time expressing yourself, then get out a pen or sit in front of your computer – and just write. You will be amazed at what pours out and how quickly you will feel the stress dissolve.

3. Reboot with The 3 Breath Awareness®: Take 3 DEEP breaths, each one focused on releasing any tension in your body – and connecting to that tranquil place of Stillness within. Envision the silent power of a mountain or the calming blue waters of a tranquil Sea. With each breath feel that infinite peace expanding.

4. Get Going: Change locations, move away from your desk or your present environment. Take a walk, a drive, or even go shopping. Get a different perspective – feel the mind relaxing as you get involved in other activities.

5. Smile & Laugh: We get so distracted; sometimes we need to remind ourselves to smile. Have a heart-to-heart or light-hearted conversation with friends, or even complete strangers, as it can change our state of mind so quickly. Talk with the sales person or the woman waiting in line. Watch your worries fade.

6. Gift Yourself: Buy something just for you. You have discovered how to shift you stress and share your happiness with others. You deserve a treat.

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Marlise Karlin is a person just like you and me who teaches people how to reboot their lives through The Simplicity of Stillness®. After a series of profound experiences shifted her perception of life, Marlise developed The Simplicity of Stillness, simple methods for people everywhere to reboot themselves so the journey of life can be more enjoyable.

Countless people from every culture around the world have attended Marlise’s Programs and are attesting to the extraordinary benefits that her Stillness Sessions® have brought to their lives, from experiencing a sense of peace rarely felt, to finding balance and wellbeing, from releasing years of road blocks, to discovering what they really want out of life and how to create it.

Marlise’s authentic personality allows her to connect with people at a real level to bring balance to their lives through The Simplicity of Stillness. Identified by SheKnows.com as an inner-peace expert, Marlise Karlin is also an ongoing contributor to The Huffington Post and Malika Chopra’s Intent.com Wellness blog.

For more information about Marlise and her Practices, please visit www.thepractices.com