Winston Churchill's Short Guide to Life: 6 Essential Fundamentals [The Positivity Blog]

One of my favorite posts on the blogosphere this year is a collection of Churchill quotes, along with life lessons and implementation tips. Here's one example:

3. Be an optimist.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

“I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.”

Focusing on what helps you sure makes a huge difference compared to if you keep focusing on what is wrong in every situation or what makes you more of a victim. It’s like living in two different worlds.

How do you make the shift to a more optimistic attitude? Well, it takes time. But gradually you can change it.

That's just a sneak peek. Great stuff - check it out now!

5 Classy Gift Ideas for Any Time of Year [Wise Bread]

Stumped on what you're getting that friend for Christmas because you only see them at Christmastime? Here's one of the things you can get them:

Liquor

I’ve suggested this before in last year’s hostess gifts article, but I’m tossing it out again here. Why? Because it’s timeless, unisex, and depending on what you select, uber affordable. Think butterscotch schnapps or coconut rum versus twenty year old single malt.

Easy as pie. Find the 4 other ideas at the link above!

The Perfect Breakup? [Stepcase Lifehack]

"It'll never happen - we'll be together forever." Sure you will. And how old are you? Sixteen?

Everybody's gotta deal with breakups in their life. I'm a man in love myself, but I know that in the past, the objects of my affection have certainly changed their minds. It's a part of growing up and learning about relationships. Stepcase Lifehack put together a list of tips on handling a breakup, regardless of what side you are on. Here's what you should remember when breaking up with somebody:

1. Know why. Before you act, do a little self-reflection. It’s easy to say “It’s not you, it’s me” but a lot harder to mean it if you don’t know what about you “it” is. You don’t have to tell your soon-to-be-ex everything, but you should at least understand for yourself.
2. Be honest. While you don’t have to unleash a torrent of insults on the person you’re breaking up with, at least be clear about the main reasons things aren’t working for you. And don’t lie about remaining friends if you have no interest in this person as a friend. It just drags out the inevitable.
3. Don’t drag it out. It can be scary to tell someone you’re not interested in seeing them any more. So scary, in fact, that you don’t – you just act colder and colder, find excuses not to see them, start picking at their weaknesses, putting them through the wringer while you build up the courage to do what you need to do. You’ll both be happier if you make a clean break sooner rather than later.
4. Be gentle but firm. There’s no reason to be hurtful, no matter how bad things are going. But do be clear that this is not an ultimatum, an invitation to improvement, or just another argument – this is The End.

They've also got tips on being the one broken up with, and handling the future of the relationship, if there is one. It's a great read, and something I wish I would have had years ago. Check it out!

How to De-Cable Your Life [Dumb Little Man]

Nope, the article isn't about getting rid of cable/satellite TV. We've covered that already. This actually was really relevant to me since I recently figured out how to go almost completely wireless in my apartment. Here's a quick clip:

Cables suck. They get in your way, look ugly and make it difficult to move your electronics around. Is it possible to live a cable less life? Of course! Just abandon everything you own and move to the forest. But for those who want to maintain some modernity there are some simple solutions to the cable problem.

Lots of great tips in here, like consolidating and getting rid of crap you don't need, as well as embracing the concept of cloud computing, if you haven't already. Check it out!

Why Life Without Cable or Satellite May Be Easier than You Think [Lifehacker]

I've written about it here before, but if you didn't believe me, I submit someone else's testimonial as to why you should ditch your cable/satellite TV:

When all was said and done, I found my experience without standard cable television to be more liberating than anything else. Sure, streaming video isn't always HD quality, not all of my favorite shows are readily available, and I have to search around a bit more for the things I want to watch—but I didn't suffer and I didn't feel like I was missing out. The added expense [of cable] was not justifiable—especially when I was paying for a bunch of things I never watched. The best part is that I was able to get pretty much everything I needed with a basic set of tools that anyone with a computer can take advantage of right away.

You got it! Setting yourself up to ditch cable TV is a freeing experience! Have any of you tried it? Share in the comments below!

A very special congratulations goes out to J over at Budgets Are Sexy - he is the winner of our custom poster print contest from Digital Room! There weren't a lot of entries, so keep checking back for contests from The Practical Nerd in the future. After all, the less people that enter = the better chance of you winning!

Thanks to those of you who entered, and good luck next time!

Your Credit Report Card [Get Rich Slowly]

I'm 24 years old and counting, and I am starting to work towards my future. That will mean getting a house down the line. I'm currently buried in debt and gradually pulling myself out of it. So, I know my credit score can't be very good right now, but what can I do to monitor the situation?

Enter the Credit Report Card, courtesy of credit.com. Get Rich Slowly featured this service today and I find it pretty fascinating. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it gives you a quick, fairly accurate snapshot of the different areas that affect your credit score and how you are performing on them. Here's Get Rich Slowly with more:

Each section of the Credit Report Card also contains a detailed explanation of how your grade was derived. These sections contain a couple of paragraphs each explaining how credit scores work and recommending actions you can take to improve your credit.

The Credit Report Card isn’t earth-shattering. It’s not a tool that’s going to revolutionize the way you deal with money. It is, however, a useful way to monitor your progress. I’ve added the site to my bookmarks, and I plan to check in every month or two when I’m doing my personal finances.

If you're not comfortable sharing your Social Security Number to them, don't bother. They'll need it to pull your information together. I was fine with it, and my snapshot is at the top. Unsurprisingly, my full credit cards have a very negative impact on my score. But it also helps to learn the other areas and how I'm performing. For example, I have been on-time with every payment ever since I opened my first account. That helps out immensely! In addition, I got my first credit card five years ago, and it seems that my rating will shoot up once I go past seven years. I don't have a mortgage, so they gave me a lower grade on account diversity.

Inquiries from this service are considered "soft", meaning they do not impact your credit score. The service is free, and you can check in on your score every 30 days. Like J.D., I also added the link to my bookmarks so I can monitor the situation while I pull myself out of debt.

10 Life and Money Lessons Learned from Immigrant Parents [Wise Bread]

Wise Bread rocks another great post, this time from Vince Scordo. What's great about this article is letting it blow away all the materialistic garbage that the media has forced on us about what it means to be happy, smart, and rich. Today, the word "immigrant" is assumed to be "illegal immigrant", but there was a time in our country where swarms of people were coming from all over the globe for an opportunity to be better. Here's a taste:

Lesson 10: “Ignore your neighbors.”

I’m convinced that many individuals lead their life according to the goings-on of their neighbors. For example, if Doris next door leases a shiny new German sedan, you may be compelled to question the worth or legitimacy of your 10-year-old Ford sitting in the driveway. If, by the miracle of home refinancing, Doris adds another 800 square feet to her over-leveraged center hall colonial, you may all of sudden feel cramped in your tiny Cape-Cod-style home. What is my parents’ opinion of neighborhood goings-on? Make friends, and be a good neighbor, but don’t follow the neighbor into debt and materialism.

It's a beautiful, even touching, look at our history. Take a look!

How To Manage Your Ego So You Can Reach Your Full Potential [Dumb Little Man]

Twitter is all... um, "a-twitter" about this great article from Dumb Little Man about managing your ego. Now, like many other people who might see that title, thought, Well, I don't really have much of an ego... But I was proven wrong with this article. We associate ego with being cocky, but that's not always the case. According to Dumb Little Man, there are 6 signs that you are ego-driven:

1. Concern with the approval of others
2. Fear of asking for help
3. Comparing and competing
4. The constant need for more
5. Lack of presence
6. The need to always be right

Some of those points hit home, don't they? The article details how to deal with each of these problems. Check it out now!

How to Access Gmail When It's Down [Lifehacker]

I'm a Google nut, and I love me some Gmail. But sometimes, like anything in life, it gets screwed up temporarily. If you're like me and you live off of your Gmail, Lifehacker put together a guide for handling big Gmail outages, like the one we had earlier this week. It's incredibly useful, and it's going in my Evernote right now!