Now about Imagine True, the website is basically for self-help which is why it contains self-help articles. Some times we need a little push in life to get us going and what better than to read an article that helps inspire you right? I used to have a little trouble when I first started my web design business, I kept worrying about failing or not being good enough but I finally realized that all of that was just holding me back from being the best I could be. I now live a fearless life because I understand what I want to accomplish in life and I’m here to enjoy the journey every step of the way. My only hope is that this website is able to offer the same kind of mental push that I have experienced to get to the next level of my life.

By: Scott Botkins

You’re getting close aren’t you? You know what I’m talking about. The time to start living and stop fearing. Right now you’re here but soon you’ll be there. The time is now and you know it, but you know when tomorrow comes you’ll be ready to get there from here. Why? Because you have a feeling or a dream inside of you that is wanting to breakthrough and help you live that life you always wanted, you know the one you imagined yesterday but waited until today to decide that you will do it tomorrow. Maybe you’ll succeed or maybe you won’t, but not trying is the worse imaginable thing you could possibly do. Don’t live a life of “What If’s?”, instead just live without fear. Work hard, make a difference and enjoy the journey in your life of whatever it is you choose to do. Search and find your treasure that brings the true happiness in your life.

The sun is shining and the birds are singing, today’s the day you get from here to there. Go ahead and take the risk, take the chance to excel in what you do best but never forget where you came from.

By: Cornie Herring

“In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes”, wrote Benjamin Fanklin in 1789. If we taking care of our health and be safety conscious, we may be able to outwit death until we are very old. But for taxes, you can’t escape from paying tax since you start your first job, unless you are very poor. Hence, as a taxpayer, you need to have a good tax planning so that you can legally minimize your tax consequences and pay only what is due to Uncle Sam, not more!

Understanding Your Tax Bracket

The more money you make, the more you pay in taxes. Your tax brackets increase as your income increase. In additional, you loss some of you tax advantages, such as exemptions of dependents, that are phased out as your income increase.

Beside the federal government tax which is unable to be escaped for all taxpayers, if you live in state that also taxes you income, you need to pay for state government tax if applicable. There are seven tax-free states in United States: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. Hence, you should aware and plan in the additional tax rate if you are living at taxable state. For example if you are in the 25% tax bracket for federal taxes and you live in state that has a 5% income tax, you total tax rate should be 30%. Thus, for every $1,000 you earn, Uncle Sam has his share of $300 living you $700 to spend.

The dollar amount at which tax brackets occur change every year because of factoring in the inflation which vary from year to year. Hence, you should get the most current tax schedule and use it in your tax planning.

How To Legally Pay Less Tax?

There are many tax exemption and deductions benefits offer to taxpayers. You need to know the benefits that apply to you so that you can get some “discount” from Uncle Sam and pay less legally. The deductions and exemptions if you are eligible will help you to reduce your taxable income. Hence, you should get a good tax planning guide which will help you to understand what are the tax’s benefits apply to you.

While a tax deduction is something you subtract from your gross income to reduce your taxable income, tax credit is another tax benefits that you can utilize to minimize you payable tax. Tax credits are actually worth more to you than a deduction. It reduces the amount of taxes you owe, dollar for dollar. Thus, you better get to know the tax credits that can apply to you. Among the tax credits for you to calculate in, if applicable are:

1. Dependent & Childcare Credit

The dependent and childcare credit is available if you work outside your home or are full-time student. The expenses must be for dependents under age 13 or any person who is mentally incapable of care for themselves and they must be qualified as your dependent.

2. Child Tax Credit

If you enjoy this benefit if you have children being supported by if they are under age 17.

3. Education Credits

There are two types of education credits, the Hope Scholarship credit and Lifetime Learning credit. The Hope Scholarship credit is available for the first two years of college of you kids. The Lifetime Learning credit is not just for kids, you can utilize this benefit if you need to take courses to improve your job skills.

4. Adoption Credit

The adoption credit is based on the cost of adoption a child. These costs include reasonable adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees, and legal fees.

5. Earned-Income Credit

The earned-income credit is the only credit given as a payment. The credit is applicable for low-income families, usually with children.

In Summary

You can not escape from paying tax; this is the price of living in a civilized nation. But you can learn more in tax planning so that you can pay less, legally. Uncle Sam will let you living in peace if you just pay what is due to him and you no need to pay more to make him happy.

By: Rupert Mamby

Almost everyone has heard the hit single ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy to everyone. Bobby McFerrin’s simple message surely made an impression on a lot of people by telling them not to worry.

Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health. Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke.

One of the better things ever said is - ‘The only thing in life that will always remain the same is change’, and in our life we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to. Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation we can always find solace in the knowledge that it too would change.

Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. People are different, accept people for whom or what they are, avoid clashes, constant arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments. If arguments seem unavoidable still try and make an effort to understand the situation and you might just get along with people better.

Happiness is actually found in everyone, increasing it is a way to make a life more wonderful and also healthier.

To be happy is relatively easy; just decide to be a happy person. Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really, choose to be happy.

There are several ways by which you can do this.

Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner and thank the guy who cleans your clothes. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mail, thank the policeman for making your community safe and thank God for being alive.

News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can’t start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it, 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do.

A religious connection is also recommended. Being part of a religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers and meditations foster inner peace.

Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

Laugh and laugh heartily everyday. Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say -’Laughter is the best medicine’.

Express your feelings, affections, friendship and passion to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Try not to keep pent up anger of frustrations, this is bad for your health. Instead find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.

Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us; they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel worthy of your time.

Learning is a joyful exercise. Try and learn something new everyday. Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons, and could also give us more opportunities in the future.

Run, jog, walk and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.

By: Susie Cortright

“Sitting around is stressful.”

I heard someone say that the other day, and I laughed. Everything stresses people out these days, I thought. But then I gave it a little consideration, and I agreed that few things are as stressful as doing nothing.

Here is an example: Think about the familiar inner debate about whether you can fit in a workout. You know how good you will feel afterwards. You know how much your body wants it. Needs it.

I know I need a good run when my head starts feeling fuzzy. Thoughts come and go, but there is nothing important going on up there. I know what I could do to make the blurriness go away, but I just do not want to.

It is like trying to find something without my glasses on. I know what I could do to make it better. I know the solution is really simple, but it is somehow too much. I do not want to go get my glasses. I would rather bump around the world for a while.

And when I finally break free of that and go do something, there comes the clarity. The drama of it always strikes me. It rushes in like I have opened the drapes.

Once I am running or biking or doing whatever it is I decide to do, really hard, the sheer joy of movement breaks me out of that fuzzy, stagnant state of mind. I feel the hair flopping on my head. My heartbeat in my face. Something comes in and sweeps out my head, and I look back to the blurry world of 30 minutes before, and I thank God I found the motivation.

When you get your body moving, you suddenly become clear on what needs to be done. All at once, fresh ideas and a renewed energy and creativity tumble in.

The Antidote to Anxiety

We have heard it again and again in the days since September 11th. The antidote to anxiety is some kind of action. When we feel scared or worried, we have got to get up and regain control, even if it feels like too much at first. We have to disarm the paralyzing nature of fear by doing something. Anything.

If we can just get moving, we will find the energy to help those in need. We will connect to something larger than ourselves, and then we will tap its energy.

It does not have to be a big world sweeping movement. In Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav says it well: “If you wish the world to become loving and compassionate, become loving and compassionate yourself. If you wish to diminish fear in the world, diminish your own. These are the gifts you can give.”

It is simple, but you have got to be the one to get up and deliver the gift. Tell a friend how much you appreciate her. Pray, however you define it. Be kind. Volunteer. Find a problem that you want to help solve; do an Internet search for ways you can help.

I hear a lot about the importance of taking “baby steps.” Each time I hear that phrase I think of my oldest daughter learning to walk. She was so bowlegged that, standing, she looked like she was attempting the splits. Every few steps, she would topple over and, seconds later, up would come her little bottom and she would push up with her hands, lean forward and try to keep her feet moving as fast as her head. Her determination was inspiring.

To me, baby steps are about breaking something big into manageable chunks, but it is also about the will to just keep moving, no matter what.

And that brings to mind my high school English teacher, Mrs. Wasserstein. There are two things I remember about her: lots of clumpy black mascara and a writing tip on which I have based a career.

She offered the revolutionary idea that you can erase what you start with. The key is to just get started, and, once you get in the groove, the product is usually pretty good.

She must have gotten along well with my Algebra teacher, who once scrawled on his classroom wall with a red Sharpie, “Do not just sit there like you are getting a perm. Do something. Even it is wrong.”

Granted, he was no Gary Zukav, but there is some wisdom there.

To feel better about anything at all, take a tip from a tot. Lean your head forward and try to keep up with your feet.

By: Joshua Uebergang

I have a weird way of holding my pencil. Just about all my school teachers have attempted to change my pencil grip yet I refused to change. I was stubborn and stuck in my habitual ways. Maybe that is why my handwriting is still messy ;).

As I do now, like in school, I grip the pencil awkwardly. My thumb is perpendicular to the pencil and my index finger runs directly down the pencil. This left the pencil to rest against the last knuckle of my middle finger.

When I did a lot of writing, my awkward grip would cause the pencil to rub against the edge of this middle finger’s knuckle thus making it sore. However, the more writing I did, the harder the skin would become and the less easily irritated it would get from its constant rubbing against the pencil. A callus eventually formed.

When you wear a poorly fit shoe, it hurts as your foot rubs against the shoe. Yet when you continually wear the poorly fit shoe, the sensitiveness and pain eventually subside as your body creates hardened skin.

Human nature gave us the same emotional characteristics as these physical characteristics. We get hurt from a new type of pain or intensity of pain that we have never experienced before. From this hurtful experience, our minds create an “emotional callus” that “harden us”.

The next time we experience a similar painful event, we are less sensitive to what takes place and are more competent to handle the emotional pain. Wouldn’t it be nice though to not have to experience such pain? Well, you can.

There are some psychological aspects you can change to toughen yourself up. Unless you want to join a boot camp with me yelling at you all day here is two quick techniques that you can use to develop emotional calluses so that you do not become filled with bitterness, resentment, and other feelings of ill-will that are common in those who do not forgive people. The emotional calluses will allow you to move on more easily instead of dwelling on the past as all types of resentment involve resisting the past.

The first one is becoming more self-reliant. Stop being dependent upon other people to make you feel a certain way. A person cannot hurt you unless you give them power to. You must take responsibility for how you feel, think, and act. In doing so, you will become more “hardened” and not as susceptible to little or big problems you would once dwell upon.

The second technique is to stop acting so small. Stop letting the little things emotionally eat you up. The people who so often whine and complain over little problems being “so bad”, not only have a low self-esteem, but they have troubles in forgiving others because they frequently feel victimized. The world becomes “unfair” as they “always” feel they are picked on.

You can drastically reduce the resistance when forgiving others by developing a habit of being to big for petty problems. It is far easier to forgive another over something you feel they have not taken from you if you become bigger than the problem.

By: CD Mohatta

Honesty

The very first quality you must display is total honesty. No lies. Not telling about everything does not mean lying, but if a question is asked, you must give an honest answer. That honesty will make your body language positive and the confidence will show in your eyes. Speaking honestly itself gives a lot of confidence. Honesty pays better dividends than any lies despite whatever one may think.

Looks

None of us is responsible for the way we look. We inherited it from our parents and we were never consulted about what kind of looks we wanted. So don’t carry any negative thoughts if you don’t look like a celebrity. Being self-conscious about the shape of your chin or nose will make you appear less confident. Do what you can do. Getting a new hairstyle, going for thorough cleaning of skin and all other such procedures. These show that you to take care of what you have got and try to enhance your looks to create a positive impression.

Freshness and Hygiene

Before going on a date, scrub yourself thoroughly, use fresheners to make you feel good, use anti-perspirants if required and get checked with a dentist about mouth odor. Wear clothes that reflect your good taste and enhance your personality. Consult an expert if required.

Talk

Smile often while talking. Don’t interrupt if your date is speaking, avoid all negative talks, and talk of topics that you feel might interest your date. Why not ask in the beginning itself - ‘I was feeling apprehensive about what all to talk with you because one has so much to talk about many issues. How about telling me your preferences?’ This will break the ice and your date will appreciate your honest and open approach.

Worrying kills whatever chances you have. Rather be confident that you are a desirable person. Count your positive qualities and regain your confidence. Don’t ponder over the possible results. Prepare well and put your best foot forward.

By: Charley Hwang

An old proverb states that you have not because you ask not. No where is this more true than in the banking industry. Banks and Financial Institutions are businesses that have to make a profit. If a client is willing to settle for a certain interest rate instead of asking for a better one, they will give them the higher rate. If you want a lower credit card interest rate, ask for it.

If you call your credit card company and ask for a lower interest rate, 80 percent of the time they will say yes. There is too much competition in the market place and credit card companies need their customers, especially the good customers and in order to keep them they will give them what they ask for. When it comes to a choice between making a little less profit or making none at all–many credit card companies will choose the latter, giving you lower credit card interest rather than risk losing you to another company that will.

Of course, customers who have historically paid what they are supposed to when they were supposed to are most likely to get their interest rates cut, and cut lower, just for asking for the reduction compared to someone who consistently pays the minimum or misses the payments altogether or who frequently calls to complain about items on their bill. If you are a good customer, a company wants you to hang around.

If you are prepared to switch credit card companies if your credit card company does not give you a better rate then your chances of getting what you want increase drastically. Don’t make a promise you don’t intend to keep and if you are contemplating switching to another card with a lower interest call your current company and see if they are willing to match or even beat the competitor’s offer you are considering.

The worst thing that could happen would be that they tell you no, but most likely you will get what you ask for. Don’t just find one source for information on credit cards and interest rates but do your homework so you are aware of various perspectives. In this information age we live on, there’s a lot of valuable input you can find on any subject so take your time to find out what you need. Therefore, we have gathered some information for you to save you some time since research is always a difficult task. Yet without proper research there is no way to acquire the material you need to understand.

By: Thomas Webb

Muscle building is a great experience and also a hobby that is highly recommended, since it is rewarding and also gives you some really great benefits; such as better look, increased strength, improved confidence and overall, a healthy body. It is a known fact that muscle is much more attractive than fat. Muscle building and fat loss go hand in hand. Muscle building helps in improving your actual physique along with overall health. There are many health benefits to muscle building. The mass of muscle is approximately half as big as the mass of fat deposits.

Don’t be surprised if you are exercising in order to lose weight but actually end up gaining weight. It is not a shocking or bad thing really and there is no reason to be sad about it. Such weight gain means you are building muscle mass and you will look much better than you were before. You will look slimmer around your waist. Muscle building includes burning calories very rapidly. Muscles tend to use energy, but fat just stores it. So when you have more muscles, you will tend to burn more energy and maintain a healthy body weight more easily.

In order to gain maximum benefits, it is not essential to build a lot of muscle mass. According to study, building five pounds of muscle mass will make you healthier and provide ability to fight off disease. Just thirty minutes thrice a week is enough to reach your goal.

The most obvious and common ways to muscle building is weight lifting. But there are other ways by which you can improve muscle building. They are running, swimming and even just brisk walking. Brisk walking actually means walking rapidly.

Another essential fact about muscle building is diet maintenance. If you are lean and wish to develop a better physique, you will definitely need to maintain a good diet. So, you will need to change your eating habits in order to maintain your newfound looks. Even lean people can gain a lot. Hence you should eat healthier diet, which will help you to improve your physical and mental health and allow you to have more strength and energy to do things.