Though not one to really follow self help books, I have read a few over the years and I know that a common theme is to be yourself. The problem is, while they all do a great job of putting over a very positive message, they rarely explain in any detail how to actually put those ideas into practice. With this in mind, it’s good to read Scott Young providing a practical, alternative perspective to the whole idea of being yourself. Well worth a read.

There is a hidden trap within the statement to be yourself. This trap is that sometimes being yourself is an excuse that cuts you off from growth. Instead of taking responsibility for who you are and striving to evolve that, you can avoid doing the work by saying that those aspects are just part of the real you.

Unusual Business Ideas That Work is quite an inspirational site if you have an entrepreneurial mind or are just generally interested in starting your own business. Every week the blog covers a story of an individual or business and how they achieved their success. It has definitely given me a few ideas! Here are some of my favorite stories to get you started:

• T-shirt sellers that make over 30 million dollars a year
• How to invest in music bands
• How to turn $5000 to $25 million in 5 years selling to… babies
• Bad fishing trip makes a Florida man rich
• The most incredible record company you never heard about

ConsumerReports.org has provided twenty simple tips to save energy, thus saving money and maybe even the world. I find the points quite useful because they are easy to implement but by doing every point you can make a big difference.

Wash clothes in cold water. You might guess that most of the energy used by a washing machine goes into vigorously swishing the clothes around. In fact, about 90 percent of it is spent elsewhere, heating the water for the load. You can save substantially by washing and rinsing at cooler temperatures. Warm water helps the suds to get at the dirt, but cold-water detergents will work effectively for just about everything in the hamper.

Today I have been giving my bathroom a major de-clutter and clean. It gave me a few ideas on how to maximize available space and clean the room quickly and easily, so I thought I would detail them here. If you have any additional pointers then do please post a comment.

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I came across this very interesting and detailed article which I came across via Lifehack.org that gives ten whole reasons (listed below) explaining why you should drink plenty of water. Over the last few months I have taken to drinking more water and have noticed a difference. Only point it doesn’t cover is how to explain away all the extra toilet breaks you have to take :)

• Get healthy skin
• Flush toxins
• Reduce your risk of heart attack
• Cushion and lube your joints and muscles
• Get energized and be alert
• Stay regular
• Reduce your risk of disease and infection
• Regulate your body temperature
• Burn more fat and build more muscle
• Get well