7 Things You Can Learn from Sailing

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Sailing can be many things: a competitive sport such as sailboat racing, a fun and adventurous holiday, or an active hobby. Sailing trips can be relaxing, but also filled with adrenaline. They're perfect for groups of friends, families, couples, for team building events, and for solo thrill-seekers as well.

If you're already into more active hobbies or maritime activities such as scuba diving, fishing or surfing, you just might fall in love with sailing. It is definitely a hobby that brings you closer to nature, as you learn to appreciate the power of currents and winds, and the simplicity of moving across vast bodies of water.

Sailing can also teach you a lot. With each new sailing trip, you'll have the opportunity to develop useful skills  such as working in a group, depending on yourself, navigating according to winds and using a compass and a map. You'll also acquire nautical terminology and, overall, grow as a person.

Let's look at some of the most important things you can learn from sailing:

1) Planning ahead

Sailing requires detailed preparation before embarking on a journey. This means getting to know your route, checking the weather conditions and packing your clothes accordingly. It also means making sure you have all the documents you might need: boat license, your personal IDs, a passport if you're traveling abroad, as well as foreign currency. Another thing sailors need to consider and plan ahead in order to ensure everyone's safety is whether to hire a crew or not. If there are no professionals or people with advanced sailing experience in the group, getting a chartered boat is always advisable.

2) Thinking like a minimalist

Related to planning ahead, sailing can make you think more like a minimalist. Sailboats are usually very limited in space so unless one is sailing on a million dollar yacht, every bit of room needs to be utilized. For this reason, sailors are taught to think practically and bring only the things they will most definitely need. These are usually clothes, emergency ratios, medicines, non-perishable foods, canned goods and plenty of bottled water to last for the duration of the trip or until a harbor checkpoint is reached. Gadgets like smartphones are also necessary for communication, while tablets and laptops can come in handy not only for staying in touch with civilization but also for following weather forecasts.

3) Working in a team

There are many activities that can teach you how to work in a team, but few of them are as good as sailing. If you go sailing with a group of friends, you'll notice how quickly you'll develop into a boat crew. (Of course, this doesn't mean you shouldn't hire a crew in case you need it.) As a matter of fact, many companies take their employees on sailing excursions exactly because sailing builds team spirit. It takes a whole crew to handle a sailboat, pull the ropes, hoist the sails, follow the weather, navigate, and take care of food and medical supplies. It is most definitely a team effort.

4) Depending on yourself

In a crew, just as in any team, every person is assigned with certain duties. These duties need to be respected as all the team members depend on each other, but they're also an opportunity for every individual to learn to depend on themselves. After all, there are always situations where only one person is able to perform certain assignments so they are forced to develop their independence and self-assurance.

5) Learning how to navigate

Another very useful thing that sailing teaches is how to navigate. In fact, it is a skill that can be used throughout the entire life, regardless of whether one is on water or on dry land. Sailors learn how to read nautical maps and use a compass, how to properly follow weather reports, how to differentiate winds and currents and determine the route based on their directions. Perhaps the most interesting way of navigating one can learn by sailing is celestial navigation. Also known as astronavigation, this skill lets the person specify their location by looking at the starry night sky. And the best part about it is the fact that it requires no tools, which means it can be used even when modern equipment fails.

6) Respecting others

Sharing a boat with a group of different people makes one realize the importance of mutual respect and proper conduct - especially when it comes to safety and personal space. There's even sailing etiquette, a set of rules that regulate behavior on board to ensure that everything goes smoothly and that everyone gets along. The rules contained in sailing etiquette are tightly related to sailing, but many are in essence common good manners that play an important role in building any interpersonal relationship:

Asking permission to board. Just like knocking on somebody's door when visiting, before stepping on a boat, each person should ask for permission from the highest official present at the given moment.
Avoiding overpacking. It is important to respect other people's personal space and avoid taking up too much room by bringing unnecessary items. Everyone also needs to make sure to always keep their things in designated storage areas.
Thinking about the safety of others. It is advisable to check up on people and make sure that everyone is safe.
Bringing something others can use. For example, some scuba diving equipment won't take up too much space, but can be a source of fun for everyone.
Offering help. When enthusiasm gets the best of them, people sometimes do things which are more annoying than helpful. For this reason, each crew member needs to make sure they don't get in anyone's way and that they always ask and offer help.
Avoiding making a mess. Remembering to keep things neat and tidy is essential. Each crew member should take care not to leave their things around, to pick up the trash, use the restroom (known on a boat as the head) accordingly, and keep the noise down at times when it might cause inconvenience to others.

7) Learning to be open to new experiences

"Not all those who wander are lost", says a popular quote from Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings", and this is definitely true when it comes to sailing. People take up this hobby to explore new sights and sounds, discover new places - and perhaps make some new friends along the way. And for those who favor sailing as a long-term hobby, the biggest exploration that occurs is usually that within themselves. Sailing helps them to improve both physically and mentally, and get to know themselves better.

7 Tax Tips for Musicians

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For many musicians, the idea of making a decent living doing what they love is practically a dream come true. However, making a profit in the music industry can be difficult enough without having to worry about the tax laws and restrictions that can make life even more complicated. Luckily, there are plenty of steps a musician can take to make sure they are fully compliant with the IRS and their state taxing agency.

Classify Yourself

You need to decide exactly what type of musician you are before you can even begin thinking about taxes. What course is your career taking? Are you in a band? Are you interested in being a music teacher? Or, do you offer lessons from your home or at a nearby music shop. Once you have classified yourself, if will be easier to keep track of your finances and tax liability.

$600 Rules

No matter what type of musician you are, if you make more than $600 in a year doing something then you will need to report your income to the IRS. Whether you make that much in tips from performing at clubs, or from teaching the piano to a family friend, it will need to be reported to the IRS.

Teaching Advantages

If you are a music teacher at a school, you may be able to take advantage of several tax deductions available to teachers. One of the most useful tax advantages for teachers is the educator expense deduction that allows qualifying teachers to deduct $250 worth of out of pocket expenses for classroom supplies. For more information on tax tips for teachers, including the educator expense deduction check out this article on CEO Roni Deutch's personal blog.

The Business of Music

If you teach music classes from home or a business, you may be able to classify yourself as a small business owner. Speaking of teaching from home, if you have a separate room at home that is used to run this business then that room may qualify for a home office deduction. If you have not already, you may need to get a small business license from your city or country, and if the business expands you may even need to get a federal ID.

Quarterly Payments

If you are earning income from your music, either teaching or performing then you might want to consider making estimated quarterly payments. If you wait until the end of the year, then you might end up with a massive tax bill, and possibly even penalties and fees. To learn more about making estimated payments check out this post from earlier in the year.

Deserved Deductions

If your music career turns into a legitimate business, not just a hobby, then you can take advantage of all the business friendly tax incentives. First and foremost you can deduct all expenses related to the business from your taxable income. Just remember to keep all of your receipts and records of purchases. Some common music business deductions include instruments, sheet music, trade magazines, lessons and training costs, travel expenses, etc.

At Home, and On the Road

If you are a solo artist or part of a band, that performs at several venues across the country, then your taxes are going to get a little more complicated. Unfortunately, income taxes are due in the state that you earned the money in. Therefore, if you live in California but get paid $1,000 to perform a show in New York, then you are going to need to file state tax returns in both California and New York. Filing returns in multiple states can become very complicated, and you will need to keep a detailed record of all venues you are paid to perform at.

The Tax Lady Roni Deutch and her law firm Roni Deutch, A Professional Tax Corporation have been helping taxpayers across the nation find IRS tax relief for over seventeen years. The firm has experienced tax lawyers who can fight IRS tax liens on your behalf.

7 Steps to Keep YourHobbies and Marriage Intact - Save Your Marriage

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Ian and Kim were a couple who came for marriage counseling, as they were constantly fighting over Kim's love of fashion and the financial cost of her shopping sprees, her husband Ian couldn't keep up with it and thought that there were far more important things to be spending money on. Kim felt hurt that Ian didn't try to understand her passion and angry as he spent plenty of money out socializing and drinking. They came to save their marriage, as after years of not understanding each other's interests they had grown so far apart, they were living separate lives under the same roof.

Reshma and Binod another couple that sought marriage counseling to save their marriage, were also struggling to see eye to eye over the amount of time Binod would spend watching cricket, tennis, and football on TV. Any game, any time of day when he wasn't working he would want to sit and watch TV, this drove Reshma crazy, she was concerned what that would teach their 3 children and annoyed he didn't seem interested or make an effort for family time.

It can be difficult if you or your partner have a hobby you passionately embrace and the other one sees it as nothing but an intrusion. Yet it is critical to reach a compromise to prevent frustration and resentment from building, as resentment can often lead to angry silence, withdrawal or explosive rows. Here are 7 Steps to Keep Your Hobbies and Marriage Intact - Save Your Marriage

1. Recognize we all have hobbies. I've noticed working with many couples, that on average men tended to have one hobby that takes up a lot of their time and women had several activities (which they weren't counting as hobbies). For instance, I love to run, swim, practice yoga, write, dance, cook and try alternative healing courses. None of these hobbies individually take up much of my time, but collectively they add up to be more than some of the most consuming hobbies.

2. Ensure you both have hobbies. Expecting your partner to be your hobby or vice versa can be a recipe for disaster. It's just like expecting them to make YOU happy, only YOU can do that. If your spouse is having difficulty to accept your hobbies and have none of their own, help them to find something enjoyable and stress-relieving.

3. Find the good. We tend to love our hobbies, to us they are noble, important and engaging. If you think your spouse's hobby is silly, trivial or dumb or they say the same about yours, you are judging each other, when you need to be supporting each other. Look for the good in each other's hobbies, for example Kim explained to Ian, that he was benefitting from her fashion and make up passion, as she always looked good and took care of her appearance, which he always complimented her on. The benefit to Resma of Binod's hobby was that he could play with the children and watch TV at the same time, so she could get on and do things she needed and liked to do. Plus she was grateful that his hobby was not a financial burden to them.

4. Accept all hobbies, as they are part of who we are. When we reject the hobbies of our partners or they reject ours, we are in some way rejecting a part of each other. As our hobbies make us who we are and for most of us are a source of stress relief and happiness. Would you rather prefer a grumpy, bored spouse with plenty of time or a happy, content spouse with a hobby? I'd choose the second.

5. Learn about each other's hobbies. I love the statement "If you can't beat them, join them!" I think this is a great approach in marriage to learn more about each other's passions, it will enhance your conversation and connection, even better if you can join them.

6. Always have at least one hobby you share. Find a hobby you look forward to doing together, this will help you become closer and strengthen your relationship. If we engage in all our hobbies without our spouse, we miss the opportunity for the fun and excitement to be brought into the marriage.

7. Talk about your boundaries. Despite the above we all have boundaries, Think about what you both really need to be happy. Chances are its often not the hobby that really bothers us. Its the time or money spent on it, especially if the time or money isnt being spent on something else important to us!
Ask yourselves what is it that bothers you? Could it be you want more time as a family? More intimacy, affection or appreciation? Are you concerned financially that you won't have enough money for the car, holiday or children's needs?
Learn to share what precisely what is on your mind so you can move forward and compromise. Be vulnerable and you will reap the rewards! Rather than say I hate you doing that stupid hobby" instead say, I miss being with you and would love to spend more time together Or if your partner has a problem with your hobby ask them lovingly what concerns they have. Then work out a compromise that suits you both and fits in with the family.
Hobbies can help a marriage if the right balance is struck, aim to support one another and speak up if you need to.

From my heart to yours,
Nicola

6 Tips to Remove YouTube Addiction

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By The Pioneer of Subliminal Messages Online.

Yes, you don't watch a lot of television but you're spending too much time in YouTube. This video-sharing website has garnered millions of followers all over the world, for only a very short time. With so many videos to watch you can't help but spend the rest of your day doing nothing else but that.

Now just imagine how it can affect you personally. You can no longer complete your tasks, you spend less time on productive activities, and you may even distance yourself from your loved ones. It's not really surprising that you'll end up suffering from depression and a lot of stress later.

But how do you exactly get rid of YouTube addiction? Here are seven tips:

1. Just block it. If you don't want to watch any YouTube videos, then just block the website from your computer. A lot of websites and plug-ins can already do that for you. Every time you check on YouTube, you'll end up having an error page. Further, to make sure you don't delete the plug-in, you can look for a tool that allows you to add passwords. Have someone set it for you.

2. Spend less time in front of the PC. You won't be tempted to watch YouTube videos if you also spend less time with your PC. Besides it's really not a good idea to spend more than 4 hours in front of your computer. You don't have to cut everything off suddenly. If you spend 8 hours with it, you can reduce it to 6 or 5.

3. Take up a sport. A sport can be a good motivator for you to spend less time with YouTube. In fact, it can increase your self-confidence, plus you're forced to spend more time with your friends and perhaps your family. It also feels so good if you win competitions.

4. Choose a hobby. If you don't like sports, then at least pursue a hobby, and hopefully it doesn't involve computers. If you're a mom, arts and crafts would be perfect. You can share the hobby with your kids. If you're a dad, creating furniture and fixtures may be an exciting hobby, which may even turn into a profitable venture.

5. Go to the outdoors. There are a lot of things you can do outside of your home, but you're missing all of them since you're just there, watching YouTube. Try being in the outdoors at least an hour a day. And if you can afford it, spend a night in the mountains camping or even travel outside the state or outside of the country.

6. Encourage yourself to just do it. Unless you have the will to get rid of your YouTube addiction, you'll never be able to do it. But how? Use subliminal messages. Affirmations have a way of changing your present mind-set from "cannot" to "can." The moment you wake up, say the following lines:

Today, I'll spend more time on things that make me grow.
Today, I will spend more time with friends and family.
Today, I'll relax and spend my day with a lot of quiet and peace.

6 Simple Steps to Create a Perfect Online Portfolio

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Whether you are a programmer, designer, photographer, or writer, having an online portfolio will significantly increase your online visibility. Its essential that your online portfolio presents both your work and your talent in the best way possible. This will increase your chances of success in the freelance world, or when it comes to job applications. Just follow these simple steps and success is practically guaranteed.

Choose a platform and make it look good

Dont worry if youre not experienced when it comes to web design and programming, there are plenty online platforms and websites with the beginner-friendly usability that will help you effectively showcase your talent. In most cases all you have to do is select the appropriate website template and start filling out your portfolio.

Keep your work relevant

No matter what, dont let the work in your portfolio become outdated. Whether you have one page portfolio website, or several URLs of your work, your portfolio should always be fresh and up to date. This doesnt require much effort, just enrich it with the latest screenshots and links from time to time. It is always better to have fewer but more fresh projects in your portfolio, than to include outdated work, which will surely bring down your average.

Organize everything

The way you showcase your work will have a significant impact on whether visitors and/or potential clients bounce off, or stay and browse your portfolio for a while. You can organize your work in a number of ways, by industry, project or maybe media type but whatever you choose dont forget the most important part to provide all the necessary information. Include a brief but interesting description about the project and company you worked with, what your main task was and all the goals you have accomplished.

Include all services you provide

If you're looking for clients who require a type of services that you provide, display those services. Single out the projects where you had to use each of your specialties and showcase them first. For instance, youre a graphic designer who specializes in logo design and business branding. The smart move would be to include two or three projects that display your latest work in those fields. Of course, dont forget each project should have an adequate description and should be categorized appropriately.

Less is more, always

Remember, your best work should be the center of attention of your portfolio. Dont overcrowd the website, keep the design clean, interface simple and easy to navigate. People will always appreciate the simplicity better than if you include every piece of work youve ever done. Display only the work or projects you are really proud of, and also include the type of work you want to be doing in the future.

Introduce yourself

This is where you explain who you are. Personalize your about me page, tell your story, let your personality shine, dont just provide your past job experiences and personal skills. Here are some basic guidelines for you:

Its important to have a unique point of view on the industry youre working in. Come up with something creative, share a story from your own perspective. Leverage the power of visual storytelling to stand out from others.
Tell your backstory let people know how you become the person you are today. Was there a particular point in your life, or maybe some experience when you were young that made you pursue this path?
Be welcoming and open-minded. If you have a hobby include it; if youre passionate about something - about me page is the perfect place to put all those peculiar things for other to see.

5 Ways To Make Some Extra Income Online

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Whether you are satisfied with your monthly earning or not, an extra income would.t heart, right?

There is no such thing as easy money and you should always put your education and improvement on the first place.

However, here are 5 ways how to increase your earnings without the need to quit your job!

1.Freelancing

Nowadays, online freelancers can make quite an income by doing the thing they are best in form their homes. You dont need to make such a radical step and be a full-time freelancer, but extra hours will bring extra money! You can chose to work a part time job or apply for a project you think is suitable for you.

Check out the two most popular platforms for freelancers, Upwork and Freelancer, but join some forums and facebook groups in your niche, as well. There you will find many useful tips but maybe job listings also. Make sure your resume is well written and that it describes exactly what you are best in. Building a profile on above mentioned networks will take some time, but it can result in many jobs, connections and.dollars!

2.Sell your used items online

Selling your both used and unused (never wanted) items online is quite easy, doesnt require much time and can be a decent source of income. The choice is wide: DVDs, clothes that dont fit you anymore (or are just outdated), video games, toys or whatever items you think are useful for others. Check out local websites that allow this type of reselling and start getting rid of your old old stuff today!

3.Trade stocks

Even though this can be risky, if you dont invest a lot, yoo wont risk a lot, right? But you might end up earning quite an income!

Before pushing the trade button, make sure youve read enough about the stock market on relevant websites, blogs and forums. There are numerous online courses and webinars available as well. Also, in order to eliminate currency exchange risk, use a local online trading broker that allows trading in your local currency.

Be patient, disciplined and not greedy!

4.Be a baby (and pet) sitter

These jobs are not proper online ones, but the easiest way to find them is actually on the internet. There are bunch of websites that offer sitting jobs, just (again) find ones that are local.

Babysitting was always (..or at least most of the time) a good, fun and easy way to make some extra cash. You dont need to do it on a regular basis, you can just help out some parents that want to go out, travel or just enjoy their time alone and start with just an hour or two with their child. Who knows, maybe this will turn out to be your dream job...it happens a lot!

The second, a bit more modern, option is to be a part time pet sitter. There are numeros websites that offer daytime or overnight jobs like this. Like any other job, you should consider the application very serious: resume, photos, previous experience etc.

  5. Be a tutor

Online tutors are getting very popular nowadays: from maths and science to language ones. The payment varies depending on the subject matter and your qualifications.

Even if you are not a regular tutor, there are for sure some things that you are good in: cooking, DIY, make up...are just some of the ideas.

Again, find websites that offer tutoring jobs but this time there is no need to go local, just dont forget to mention the language you will be tutoring on!

Good luck and remember: stay motivated and determinated!

5 Ways to Cash on Your Useless Hobby

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Do you often hear people berating and ridiculing you for wasting time on an obviously useless hobby and suggesting you spend more time actually doing things and earning money? If so, let us tell you this: these two things neednt be separate.
If you are good enough at a hobby, you can always find a way to make money off it. How? Let us take a look.

1. Teaching

There is no hobby obscure enough for you to be its only proponent, and where there are other people, there are people who are less skilled at it than you are. If you are fairly good at what you do, you can either find people who want to improve and teach them what you know, learning new things yourself in the process. Or you can create a video course explaining the intricacies of the hobby to the laymen and sell it. Or run workshops in other words, possibilities are endless.

2. Blogging

Everybody and their dog is blogging nowadays, and fairly many people doing so earn reasonably good money. If you have something to share about your hobby and possess some elementary writing skills, you already can blog. Even if your writing isnt much to look at now, excellence comes with practice. Of course, you will have to spend some time promoting your blog, using guest posting services, communicating with other bloggers in your niche, doing SEO but it pays off at the end.

3. Sell Products Related to the Hobby

If you know a lot about a particular hobby, you should know a lot about tools, raw materials, educational books and suchlike that would be interesting for other people with the same passion. You know what is good and what is bad, and you know which points to press in order to impress potential buyers. So why not sell stuff related to the hobby?

4. Sell What You Make

If your hobby involves making things, you can sell the resulting products on websites like Etsy. There is a much larger market for things like that than you may think, and you will kill two birds with one stone by going on practicing your favorite pastime and knowing that the products of your work find their owners.

5. Write a Book

Again, if you are interested in a hobby, you are likely well-informed about it much more so than the majority of people. Even if your knowledge isnt quite sufficient, a couple of weeks of intensive reading can fill in most gaps. You can then publish your work via Kindle Direct Publishing and, if you actually have valuable info to offer your readers, find your audience.
There is no such thing as a useless hobby. With enough ingenuity and work, any pastime can be turned into a valuable enterprise but first you should actually decide to move in this direction. If you yourself believe that your hobby is useless, you are unlikely to go far with such a mindset.