During this holidays season, I will be taking a break from the Career Lover Series.

However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything happening here at A Long Long Road. Over the next few days, I will still be making some posts related to setting goals and New Year Resolutions which is going to be very relevant for readers who’s looking to start 2008 with a great frame of mind.

At the same time, I will also be making some announcements on new happenings here, which you can look forward to in 2008. So stay tuned.

Meanwhile, one of the new initiatives that I like to kickstart is a weekly digest of personal development articles - Recommended Reads. Every week, I will be scouring the Internet for high-quality and relevant articles about personal development and striking a balance. The purpose is to provide readers with additional reading value by leveraging on my blogging network.

I’m starting the first one with contributions from friends who have kindly contributed the best-of-the-best from their blog. So here’s the categorized list (in no particular order):

PRODUCTIVITY

• Why Don’t You See You Can Do In An Hour - A simple technique to get over those difficult tasks that keep get put off and how to get them done.
• How to Recall an Entire Book in 5 Minutes or Less - Have you ever read a great book, and after only a short period of time could recall just one or two ideas from it? It is very frustrating - and it happens all the time. But there’s a way to avoid forgetting what you have read and, if you do, instantly refresh it in your mind.
• 6 Unconventional Ways To Conquer An Overwhelming Task - Major tasks are not always pleasant but are often necessary, and can have a significant impact on our lives. The first step to a task can sometimes
  be the most difficult one. Here are a few tips to spur you into action.
  (Carlos Castellon contributed this article from The Call Card Chronicle. He writes a mixed theme of productivity, sales and marketing in the healthcare domain. Pretty unique mix.)

PERSONAL FINANCE

• Why Money Is Only One Third Of Happiness - This is one of my favorite articles on personal finance. It has a strong theme similar to what I advocate on my Money Mindset Series, and I am so glad that Tomaz has recommended this. Please check it out.
  (Tomaz blogs at Financial Freedom Online, a blog about financial freedom and tips to achieving it.)
• Want To Know Your Net Worth - Little Dough Girl recommends a really cool online tool that allows you to calculate your net worth. Useful for personal finance fans.

LOVE AND COMPASSION

• The Art Of Giving What You Don’t Have - What if we were to discover something very strange - what if we discovered that all our giving, our kindness and charity, had come from a place of lack and misunderstanding?
  (Albert Foong writes this wonderful article at UrbanMonk.net. It’s a beautiful place of bliss, compassion and love. Albert’s writing style is beautiful and insightful on many aspects of compassion and self-love. Highly recommended read.)
• Compassion Begins With Me - This is a story about how Patricia realized that before she could help others, she had to learn to be compassionate and heal herself first. Until then, she didn’t have a clue how to help others.
  (Patricia is one of the frequent commentators here at A Long Long Road, and she delivers very insightful comments that I truly appreciate. She is the author of Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker.)
• The Road Of Sensitivity - Being sensitive - being emotional - being strong. Those three things sound so different, but Katinka feels real strength has everything to do with being in touch with our emotions and being sensitive to others.
• You Have to Love Yourself in Order to Heal - Jennifer says that many struggle with self-love and self-esteem. Yet when you concentrate on the good in you instead of what you are upset with — it is an easy practice to put into place. It will bring you peace of mind, confidence and bring only more experiences and qualities to be proud of.

GENERAL PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Ice Storm - The storm hit us with a glancing, but substantial blow and we are still standing. We are still functioning because we didn’t lose our power.
  (This article is contributed by Alex Blackwell of The Next 45 Years. Alex says: Our purpose is to share meaningful ideas, strategies and stories to improve relationships, sustain happiness and create lasting success for the next 45 years of our lives and beyond. After all, it’s not about how you started in life, it’s about how you finish.)
• Happiness: It’s What One Emphasizes That Counts - The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.
  (David B. Bohl writes at Slow Down Fast, a blog about being focus about what we want and not be driven by external expectations. He says we should slow down the pace of life to appreciate the beauty that life has to offer. I think David has something great going and it’s very similar to my goals at A Long Long Road.)
• Invest In Your Personal Development - In this article, Zorka ask that we take responsibility of our own life by investing time in personal development.
  (Zorka write at Essential LifeSkills.net - a blog centered on personal development and awareness.)
• Success Is Complicated, But It’s Not Hard - This article is basically meant to dispel the myth that being successful is difficult. Chris says when we look at the entirety of the project, we become overwhelmed. The individual steps are doable and often easy, but we must be able to “break down” our goal into small, manageable “bites” and then attack them one at a time. Every project begins with a decision and a plan. Take small steps and you will arrive at your destination just as you will if you are running.
  (This article is contributed by Chris Melton of Soupornuts.com. Chris believes and advocate that we are responsible for our own success and to be the best that we can be.)
• Controlling The Sun - With the ever-increasing pace on life, we don’t have to let the calendar or even the clock dictate when we should start fresh and anew.

Thanks to all the great writers for your responses and contributions; especially during this holiday season and with a lead time of only 2 days. I really appreciate your support. Thank you!

This blog is about leading a balanced life focusing on career, relationships and money. You can read more about balancing your life here. These articles are written for you. If you find them useful, feel free to subscribe for regular updates as new articles are posted. It's FREE. :)