Finish What You Start

By Glynnis Whitwer

"'My food,' said Jesus, 'is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.'" John 4:34 (NIV)

I excel at starting projects. Especially those that include a trip to the office supply store, where I can stock up on new notebooks, file folders and pens. Optimism abounds at the beginning of something new. Then reality hits.

What seemed fun at first is actually hard work. Discouragement sets in. Perfectionist tendencies stifle moving forward. And it's easy to give up rather than finish what I start.

One of my problems is a lack of focus. There's so much I want to do that my thoughts are often scattered. I allow myself to be pulled in multiple directions, intrigued by the possibilities of a new and exciting project. Plus, sometimes I do things just because I can. This approach often leaves me with a to-do list that's seriously un-doable.

10 Confidence Secrets of Successful Women

Always exude a can-do attitude when it comes to work

By Pierra C. Labrador for Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Confidence and success are inextricably linked—confident women tend to excel at whatever they set out to do. Need a little help addressing your wallflower tendencies? We interviewed some successful women in the fields of business, marketing, and even blogging, and came up with a list of 10 confidence secrets to help you achieve your potential.

1. The cardinal rule of confidence: love thyself. "I think in whatever role we play, we first have to like ourselves. When you are happy in your own skin, others pick up on that vibe," says Christine Dychiao, popular fashion blogger (manilafashionobserver.com), columnist, and social media consultant.

Stop worrying about what others will think or say. Rather, know that when people see how you value and believe in yourself, they instinctively follow suit.

2. Radiate positivity and a can-do attitude. Make it easy on yourself by working in a field you actually enjoy. Vivacious PR practitioner Annie Delgado Ringor, Managing Director of Bridges@com, says, "I love what I am doing and so it shows in every aspect of how I do my job."

3. Know your stuff. Widen your network. Whether you're at a corporate presentation or cocktail party, as Annie says, "Learn your craft, dress the part, know how to converse."

Marketing entrepreneur and blogger (OCMominManila.com) Kris de Guzman shares, "When I meet with clients or present to a big group, the ultimate confidence-booster for me is knowing I am credible. I make sure I am prepared for meetings by studying, researching, practicing, and thinking of possible questions from the audience."

4. Contribute something. When you know you have something valuable to offer—a skill, a talent, your expertise, even a good restaurant recommendation—let the world know!

Says Christine, who is also a columnist at The Philippine Star, "I think what gives me the confidence to keep on writing is the fact that I know what I am talking about. I make an effort to fact-check stories, I get my content straight from official sources, and I write about what I like. It's hard to contradict a story based on a foundation like that."

5. Manage your time wisely. Confidence can stem from a sense of accomplishment, but that means being able to allot enough time for every hat that you wear. Devise a schedule that works for you so you can focus on what's important.

For Kris, who is also wife to a TV producer and mom to two young girls, quitting her corporate marketing gig and working at home is the best decision she every made. "The main perk of owning your own business is owning your own time. I schedule things according to when I can do them. Even if I just gave birth a week ago, I am still able to find time to do a little work and take care of the new baby."

6. Have a good support system. Venisse Laurel-Hermano, sister of top designer Rajo Laurel and the business force behind House of Laurel, draws her strength from her family. "I believe that we are a powerful force, because I have been blessed with a strong family unit. Hard work and perseverance was instilled to us by our parents, and my mom taught us to always take care of each other and be supportive of each other's decisions."

Maureen* AVP for Marketing of a leisure developer corporation says, "My husband is always there whenever I need advice. Because we are so different in terms of personality, he gives me a different perspective on things."

7. Be driven to succeed. Having a defined mission or goal powers you to excel. For high-powered corporate exec Maureen, her family serves as an inspiration. "I hope I am being a good example to the kids by having a strict work ethic and a passion for excellence. There's a certain level of fulfillment you get when you put your heart into something and it works!"

Shares Venisse, "We are driven and determined not by how much we can make but how success can help a lot of families in our employ."

8. Keep your cool. Not everything will go your way, and the true test of a person's character is how they face adversity.

Says the PR maven Annie, "In a normal situation, when something goes wrong, I immediately try to look for an option to right the wrong. I always appear calm in many situations even if my stomach is churning!"

Meanwhile, Maureen turns to a higher power during trying moments. "I pray extra hard whenever I need direction. Sometimes you just need to go through painful and difficult experiences so you can learn to appreciate the good in your life later on—also these challenges make you wiser and stronger."

9. Be inspired. It always helps to have role models to emulate. Christine says, "I don't think there is anybody out there who is absolutely confident. So I am inspired by the many people I have met who are successful in their own respective fields, but still have bouts of fear, nervousness, and insecurity... what sets them apart is that they did not let fear and insecurity keep them from doing what they feel they are destined to do. I think confidence is important to have, but fear and insecurity can also be the catalyst to take the next step, try harder, dream bigger."

10. Dress for success. When you need an extra boost, turn to power dressing. Look good, feel good! Annie channels confidence via a bold color: "I wear a red dress and a pearl necklace." Maureen's confidence boosters? "Killer stilettos! Or a really cool accessory." As for Venisse, she shares, "My no-fail outfit? My black dress with my white overblouse and heels. A nice pair of earrings and a smile."

*not her real name

Pierra C. Labrador is a freelance writer, editor, stylist, and co-founder of the Philippine's new virtual styling site miss-match.com.ph. She's worked for the top Philippine glossies for over 10 years, and recently co-authored the Enjoy Philippines Manila Travel Guide.

What Happy People Know About Money

By Kimberly Palmer | U.S.News & World Report LP

In Laura Vanderkam's new book, All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending, she argues that many of us need to shift the way we think about money. Instead of focusing on budgets and how we're doing relative to our friends, she suggests thinking of money as a valuable tool. She says that her research reveals people who are "happiest about money" feel like they have enough (even if they aren't wealthy), could get more if they needed it, and that they have full control over how to earn and spend their cash.

[50 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2012]

We asked Vanderkam more about her insights into money and happiness, including why she decided to start buying more fresh flowers. Excerpts:

Your last book, 168 Hours, focused on time management. Why did you decide to tackle money next?

Time and money are related variables that are always pulling in opposite directions. You can spend money to save time or spend time to save money. Money issues came up frequently when I was writing 168 Hours, so I decided, with All the Money in the World, to do for money what 168 Hoursdid for time: re-examine some conventional wisdom, look at how people are spending this scarce resource, and see what the research says about how we can spend it better.

As you point out in the book, sometimes we waste money on expensive purchases, such as engagement rings, just because we think we should, and not because it actually improves our happiness. What are some splurge-worthy investments in happiness?

Travel is almost always worth the splurge. You'll anticipate the experience beforehand, live through the adventure, and then savor the memory afterwards. So even if travel is expensive, you get a triple happiness whammy for every dollar spent. Taking a class in a subject that intrigues you is another good use for cash. Challenging our brains is enjoyable, and many of us don't make a habit of learning new things after school. We should.

How did writing this book change your own money habits?

I've learned to sweat the big stuff and splurge on little things. For years I would walk past a flower shop in New York, where I used to live, and I'd want to bring a bouquet home, but I'd never buy one. I felt it was wasting money. In the course of writing the book, I learned to spend more on flowers, and on fun groceries like produce and cheese that looks appealing. But we also moved from New York City to Pennsylvania, in part for the lower cost of living. You can buy a lot of flowers for the difference in tax rates between the two places.

[The Secret to a Long and Happy Life]

You recommend thinking of money as a tool to make us happy. How can we start doing that?

Using money wisely involves being mindful of what makes you happy, and what does not. Look over your bills and receipts, and see which give you pleasure to pay, and which feel like pulling teeth. Over time, can you allocate a higher percentage of your income to things that are pleasurable or meaningful for you and the people you care about?

Another way to get at the idea of what you enjoy is to ask what I call "The $10,000 Question." Say you got a $50,000 windfall. You put the first $40,000 toward savings, retiring any debts, and your usual charitable commitments. Ten thousand dollars is for fun money. The only ground rule is that, looking back on your life, you'd think you spent it in a memorable way. What would you do with it?

Spend some time thinking this through, because there are probably some insights into other things that can become financial goals in your answer. In general, people use money best when they spend on experiences, spend to nurture their social networks, and spend to buy time--a more absolutely limited resource than money. Since I know this, I always make time to meet friends for lunch, and I try to err on the side of having adventures. It's always easier (and cheaper) not to try something new. But afterwards, I'm glad I did.

Twitter: @alphaconsumer

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