Have you felt nostalgic whenever you looked at an old album buried somewhere in your closet? Have you relived those moments of happiness when you went back in the past to rejuvenate those happy moments with your siblings or your best friend in the high school? We all have.

Blogging has been somewhat of an integral part of my life ever since I launched this blog. And, obviously, I have special feelings for this blog and those friends that I made friendship with in the first thrilling nine months of blogging back in 2008.

A woman from South Africa wrote me shortly after I stopped writing in late 2008. She told me that I made a difference in her life and requested to rethink about my decision not to write. My decision to stop writing was due to the fact that I had lots of traffic on the blog, but I had not found a way to monetize it. That email reminded me that life is larger than making money. I felt humble as I never imagined that my writing can have such a profound impact.

I now write regularly on Street Smart Finance, but I believe that personal finance is not about finance at all. It’s not about money, it’s about not allowing your personal finance to influence your pathway to happiness; it’s about how you choose to live a simple, happy life. That’s the purpose I strive to achieve every day. That’s the purpose worth living for.

I have decided to recollect articles that I have written for various well-known blogs to create an album of my thoughts, if you will. My goal going forward is to focus on every aspect of my life that provides inner, simple and lasting happiness.

1. Mahatma Gandhi’s 5 Teachings To Bring About World Peace on Zen Habits

“If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought, acted and inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



Have you ever dreamed about a joyful world with peace and prosperity for all Mankind – a world in which we respect and love each other despite the differences in our culture, religion and way of life?

2. 5 Ways to Bury a Great Idea on Pick The Brain

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

We are all born with the gift of discernment; a talent to visualize what is obscure. Why then do we see people with incredible talent fail in achieving what their mind is capable of? The smartest amongst us who fail to throw off the bowlines and sail away from the safe harbor baffle me. They’re the intellect without persona to explore, dream, and discover possibly the greatest idea that amused their mind.

3. 14 Simple Ways to Super Charge Your Brain on Dumb Little Man

Have you ever felt exasperated when you bumped into someone at the store but absolutely couldn’t remember their name? Sure, it happens to all of us.

Despite being the strongest computer on the planet, our brains do lapse. It’s hard to blame them really. As humans, we spend much of or existence stuffing our brains with stuff. Some stuff is worthless, some of it’s meaningful, some of it, well, it’s just stuff and there is an endless amount of it.

4. 5 Signs of a Stress Ridden Mind on The Change Blog

“No man is free who is not master of himself”- Epictetus, Greek Philosopher

There is a plethora of stress in our lives these days. Divorce, layoffs, threats of terrorism – these are just a few of the many things that can leave our mind, body and soul feeling anxious.

Stress is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be essential form of our emotional state for balanced growth in our life. A conscious form of stress motivates us, prepares us for things we have to face, and sometimes give us energy to take action when we need to. However, excessive stress can hinder our ability to set goals, focus on what we want to achieve and to live in harmony with our family.

5. 3 Ways to Identify and Master the Bug of Creative Procrastination on The Change Blog

Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday – Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) American speaker and motivational writer.

Procrastination is a term that needs no introduction. I’ve lived much of my life battling this bug, and I have come to believe that it grows from a fear of action.

Creative procrastination is a trick our mind plays to defer things we should do now until the future with an abstract goal to banish our desire.

6. 4 Reasons Why Blogging is a Noble Passion on LifeHack.org

I initially began the blog with a 20% desire to help others, and 80% to cynically make the kind of money the A-list bloggers are making. – Urban Monk.net

I began blogging four months ago with the intention to share my success in life with others and, of course, to earn residual income from the content creation. As I reflect on this short journey, I realize that blogging is more of a noble passion than merely a tool to earn income. I’ve been in business for a while but I’ve never had a passion that kindled my heart as intensely until I began blogging. Being an engineer by education and hotelier as an entrepreneur, I have a passion for people and for enhancing human values that make life a memorable voyage.

photo by: James-Blackburn