Discover the lessons Tim learned from his grandmother and learn the principles of Total Confidence that Tim used to radically turn his life around.  Listen to the full Tim Sanders interview now on Richer Life.

We are acutely aware of information overload. While there is certainly no shortage of information — even good information — there doesn’t exist a system (until now!) that you can easily plug into that provides you with easy to implement advice that can radically change your life.

What we believe:

• We don’t need more information; we need actionable advice.
• We don’t all have the same needs; we want to consume content when and how it is best for our lifestyle and learning style.
• We don’t want a teacher; we want a mentor.
• We don’t want to be overwhelmed; we want to be inspired.

If you want to take your life and finances to the next level and want to have some fun in the process, become a member now for free!

1. Post-Christmas clean up. If you didn’t get your sap and needles fix this year, give the gift of clean up. Take down the tree, lights, and ornaments. Be sure to kick them out of the house so when they return everything has been put away.
2. Entertainment. No, you don’t have to sing for them. Set them up with iTunes, and if they already have an account at Netflix, show them how easy it is to stream 1,000s of movies to their TV.
3. Accountability partner. This is when your nagging can really pay off. How would you like to have a weekly or monthly call with a good friend where you share your goals and what you’re doing to reach them? It’s a great way to stay on track and a great gift.
4. Blog. Selling out version 1.0. If you have a popular blog or lots of Facebook friends, you could give the gift of promotion. Offer to write a piece about them or their company.
5. Pitch their business. Selling out version 2.0. Do you have people on your list that have their own business? Maybe a CPA or someone who makes jewelry in their other 8 hours? If you like their work, offer to send an email or make a call to all of your friends about their business. It might lead to more business and you’re helping your friends find a great product or service.

Now it’s your turn . . . what’s your favorite FREE holiday gift you like to give?

The biggest problem with doing something all of the time is that we spend so much of it mindlessly. Being allergic to boredom, we have a neurotic desire to fill empty swaths of time with little tasks and actions that destroy our ability to concentrate. Checking our Facebook “newsfeed” or email compulsively, scrolling through online news sites looking for something interesting, or simply mentally sifting through all the uncompleted tasks we have to accomplish at work the next day, we’ve left no time to do nothing, to meditate on the moment, on the present.

Of course, doing nothing can quickly become an ambitious, creative person’s worst nightmare, if taken too far. Sitting on the couch staring at the wall for hours at a time is not the right way to do nothing. Doing nothing productively means allocating a certain amount of time every day, maybe fifteen minutes to half an hour, where you completely unplug. Don’t get online, don’t turn on that TV, don’t do anything. Breathe deeply, and focus on one thing, whether it’s the sound of traffic outside or the rise and fall of your breath. Sounds easy right? At first, you’ll find that your mind will begin to wander. You’ll start thinking about all the things you have to do. But stop yourself. After practicing this little mental exercise, you’ll find that it becomes easier and easier to do.

Once you’ve had your dose of doing nothing, you’ll find, like I did, a renewed energy and focus to all your creative pursuits. Sounds crazy, I know, but trust me. There is value in boredom, in inactivity. It helps to reset your brain and get off to a fresh start. Perhaps Friedrich Nietzsche put it best when he said:

“They [thinkers] actually require a lot of boredom if their work is to succeed. For thinkers and all sensitive spirits, boredom is that disagreeable windless calm of the soul that precedes a happy voyage and cheerful winds. They have to bear it and must wait for its effect on them. Precisely this is what lesser natures cannot achieve by any means. To ward off boredom at any cost is vulgar, no less than work without pleasure.”

Don’t be afraid of inactivity. Welcome it and control it, and it can be one of the most effective ways to recharge and get back to creating.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Kate Willson, who writes on the topics of top online colleges.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katewillson2@gmail.com.

Here are three strategies to quickly increase your low credit score.

1.      Become an authorized user on a family member’s credit card. If you have fewer than five credit cards, adding your name as an authorized user is a great strategy for quickly improving your credit score. Authorized users are allowed to use credit cards but have no contractual obligation to pay the bills.

For this reason, a person does not need to have a high credit score to qualify for authorized user status on a credit card. However, the credit card’s history will often be reported on the authorized user’s credit report, so long as the authorized user is related to the account holder.

Therefore, becoming an authorized user on a family member’s credit card is one of the quickest ways to improve a credit score. This allows you to “borrow” the account holder’s clean credit history, which will cause your low credit score to quickly increase.

2.      Find creative ways to lower your utilization rates. Your utilization rate is the balance you have on each individual credit card expressed as a percentage of the limit. If your limit is $4,000 and your balance is $2,000, your utilization rate is 50 percent. If your balance decreases to $1,000, your utilization rate drops to 25 percent.

The credit-scoring bureaus respond best to people with utilization rates below 30 percent. If you have a high utilization rate, your low credit score can start to improve by getting your utilization rate below 30 percent.

Obviously, you can lower your utilization rate by paying down your balance. You can also lower your utilization rate by transferring a portion of your credit card balances to credit cards with higher limits, or asking your credit card companies to increase your limits.

If you have fewer than five credit cards (the maximum number you should have), you could also open a new credit card that holds some of your debt. Keep in mind that opening a new credit card will cause your score to drop initially, but so long as you keep the balance below 30 percent and make timely payments, your score will start to improve in about six months.

And if you are married, be sure to read my article about how to build credit fast by transferring balances to your spouse’s credit cards.

3.      Correct your credit limits. Almost half of Americans have a credit card with a limit that is being incorrectly reported to the credit bureaus. Credit card companies often omit or misreport credit card limits to the credit-scoring bureaus. This causes your utilization rate to appear higher than it actually is. Imagine that you have a $300 balance on a credit card with a limit of $1000. Your utilization rate is 30 percent. Good news for your credit score, right?

Not so fast. If the credit card company is only reporting a $500 limit, you will appear to be carrying a 60 percent utilization rate. And this hurts your credit score.

Are you one of the many Americans suffering from this mistake? Find out by pulling your credit report from www.720ficoscore.com. If the credit card companies are inaccurately reporting any credit limit of yours, immediately begin the process of correcting this mistake by using the forms and worksheets necessary to correct this mistake.

Philip Tirone is the author of 7 Steps to a 720 Credit Score, which reveals insider strategies for increasing a low credit score.

People already know that bankruptcies, foreclosures, repossessions, and collections will hurt credit. And it’s no big secret that late payments are one of the top ten things that will hurt your credit score.

But I bet you don’t know this dirty little secret that will hurt your credit score.

The credit card companies’ secret is this: Credit card companies often omit or inaccurately report credit card limits, and this causes your score to drop. About half of all consumers are missing at least one credit limit on their credit reports. And in other instances, credit card companies intentionally report a lower limit than you have.

Why does this hurt credit?

The credit-scoring systems place a lot of weight on something called a utilization rate. The utilization rate represents your balance as a percentage of your limit. If your limit is $1000 and your balance is $300, you have a 30 percent utilization rate. If your balance increases to $500, your utilization rate would increase to 50 percent. In other words, you would be utilizing 50 percent of your available limit.

The credit-scoring formula responds more favorably to people who have a utilization rate that is no higher than 30 percent.

Now let’s imagine that you have a $300 balance on a credit card with a limit of $1000. Your utilization rate is 30 percent. Good news for your credit score, right?

Not so fast. If the credit card company is only reporting a $500 limit, you will appear to be carrying a 60 percent utilization rate. And this hurts your credit score.

There are a lot of theories as to why the credit card companies do this. One is that credit card companies buy lists of borrowers whose limits are, for example, more than $10,000. The companies then send credit card offers with enticing interest rates to the people on these lists. Their goal is to encourage borrowers to switch cards.

Your credit card company does not want your name on that list. They want to make sure that you remain a loyal customer. In an effort to keep you as a client, some experts say credit card companies report a lower credit limit than you actually have, or they do not report your limit at all.

This makes you less appealing to other credit card companies.

This might be good news for their client list, but it causes hurt credit.

Are you a victim of this scam? If so, take the following steps:

1.     Pull your credit report from www.720ficoscore.com.
2.     If the credit card companies are inaccurately reporting any credit limit of yours, immediately begin the process of correcting this mistake.

Or, simply get all the forms and worksheets necessary to correct this mistake that hurts your credit.

Rules

1. Start small. This is a common theme across all Cre8tor Channels. Why? I don’t want you to risk too much. If you go all out on your first t-shirt design but nobody likes it, you’re stuck. Make it a goal to start as small as you possibly can. Instead of 12 different necklace styles, focus on your best one or two designs. If you are successful with those, you’ll have plenty of time and money to expand the collection.
   
2. Research and test the product. You have to develop a research mentality. But this is hard for most creative types for two reasons. First, they think they are betraying their creative integrity if they must get feedback. Second, when you’re selling something you’ve created, you are exposing yourself. Most people feel vulnerable and want to avoid criticism. I totally get that. That’s why it’s important to get feedback from people you trust. I’ve got a friend who always ends his scathing criticism with, “I’m just keeping it real, man.” You know what? Just keep it to yourself. Consult friends who will be honest but supportive about your efforts.

   You can use Google AdWords to test any product in a day with just a couple hundred dollars. If you have a great idea for a new ab machine, create a digital image using Photoshop (you can sketch the design and then hire someone on elance.com to create a digital image), upload it to a website, buy a few targeted Google AdWords, and see how many people first click on your ad and then click on “buy.” If you get a lot of clicks but little interest, you may want to make some changes. This strategy works great when you can create a sample product and take a picture of it, but it can also work for less tangible products. Determine the best price point. Play around with different pricing strategies. Look at what your competitors charge. Test to see what works.

3. Get educated. You may be an expert in fashion design but there’s more (a lot more) to creating a successful clothing line than design. You need to know about accounting, marketing, writing, networking and more. Don’t know about Internet marketing? Google it. Even if you have a partner or plan on hiring consultants, get educated enough so you can at least evaluate different marketing strategies.

   A Cre8tor must have a Ph.D. in resourcefulness. When my wife started her clothing line, we didn’t know anything about the fashion industry. We went to one tradeshow and talked to a few people. Then we talked to a few more. A week later, we knew 95% of what we needed to know about sourcing—where to get blanks, which dye house to use, how to grind, where to get tags, who does the best screen-printing, etc. We went from completely clueless to educated in about a week and all of this was done offline (i.e., tradeshow, talking to people, etc.). There’s a lot you can learn online through eBooks, websites, Podcasts, etc. in even less time.

4. Sell, sell, sell. Put just as much time into thinking about how you are going to market and sell your product as you do in designing and creating the product. I’d take a mediocre product that is marketed well over a superior product that isn’t marketed well. I know. It’s not fair. The success of a product should be based on how good it is and not how well it is packaged and sold, but we live in America folks (ever hear of the Snuggie?!). Develop a killer marketing strategy and get out there and sell, sell, sell.

If you are starting a business, do your best to keep these five rules in mind. They will save you a lot of time, aggravation, and money.

If you’ve already done all the leg-work to make your venture as good as it can be and still need use other people’s money, start by writing a mini business plan.  It should include the following:

1.      Problem. What is the problem your product/service hopes to solve?

2.      Product/service overview. What is the product/service the company sells and how does it solve the problem?  Describe it in detail.

3.      Competitive advantage. Who are your competitors?  What makes your product/business better than what’s already out there?  In other words, why will people want to buy from you?

4.      Team. Who is on board?  What have they done?  Why are they right for this venture?

5.      Marketing plan. The best ideas and products will die a slow and painful death if they are not marketed properly.  What will you do to attract customers?  Advertising?  PR?  Partnerships?

6.      Revenue model. How will you make money?  You’ve got to run the numbers. What are your costs?  How much will you make?  How quickly can you pay back your investors?

7.      Use of funds. Why do you need the money? How long will it last?

8.      Milestones. What are your milestones or goals?  When do you expect to have working prototype?  When will the site launch?  Which companies do you want to partner with?  When do you expect to start making sales?