Top Five Holiday Presents for Teenager Mommies

By Samantha White

Looking for Christmas gift ideas for mom could be a bit hard, primarily if the recipient is a young mother. Well, obviously, you would not only buy a typical gift items for moms like cooking tools and other products since young mothers can have different passions and personal taste due to the fact she is still a youngster even though she's presently a mother. Well, fret no more because this article strives to assist you with this particular type of issue. The following are the best 5 Christmas presents for mom in her teenage years:
1. Necklace to remember motherhood - when you have a friend who is a new mom then without a doubt you understand how challenging it is for her to cope up with the adjustments in her lifestyle therefore you could help her a bit by providing a present for mom that's still appropriate for her age. The idea that she's by now a mother doesn't quickly signify that she ought to forget about her preferences. The majority of teens really enjoy accessories thus a young mommy would certainly love a jewelry to commemorate parenthood. It would b a great idea to come up with a necklace with images of her and the infant. She will undoubtedly use this at all times.

2. Home Spa gift collection - this young mummy is surely getting hard time adjusting to the new lifestyle. Today she stays up to late hours not because she's drinking with friends but because she tries so much to keep the infant asleep. It will be nice and sweet of you if you will offer her a home spa gift set that she can use to unwind once in a while.

3.Guide regarding parenthood - she definitely wants lots of tips about bringing up a child and caring for an infant so a book about parenthood is indeed one of the best Christmas gift ideas for mom that you might give.

4. Scrapbook - most teenage and first time moms wish to keep scrapbook to document various "firsts" of the baby - first time speaking, walking and so many others.

5. Post natal exercise video tutorials - you should realize that it is rough for most women to look in the mirror to see excess fat within the body. One of the main goals of young mums after pregnancy is to return to her original weight before pregnancy. You will be able to guide her with this goal by offering her some postnatal workout DVD videos. By doing this, she will be able to slim down and exercise even if she's at home looking after the baby.

These are five samples of Christmas gift ideas for mom that you may give to any young/teenage mother that you know.

About the Author:

Want to find out more about mom gift ideas for Christmas, then visit Samantha White's site on how to choose the best Christmas presents for mom.

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Collecting Passive Income From Selling Covered Calls

By Allan Rosinski

Passive income is the best kind of income because you get paid no matter what you're doing at the time -- travelling, working your regular job, enjoying your friends, etc; it doesn't matter, you still receive the income. Earning interest is an example of passive income. So is collecting dividends. What's not to like? The good news for investors who owns stocks or ETFs is that there is another type of investment that is passive in nature and easy to implement -- called covered calls.

Before we can talk about covered calls, let's talk about calls. A "call option" is an investment that gives the buyer the right to purchase stock at a certain price before a certain date. In exchange for this right the buyer pays 'premium' (money) to the option seller. If the buyer then decides he wants to exercise his right, the seller is required to sell the shares at the agreed upon price (but the seller keeps the premium).

As an example, let's say Bob wants to buy 100 shares of XYZ for $50 between today (December) and three months from now. Bob buys 1 call option on XYZ stock with a strike price of 50 and an expiration date of March (for example). Let's say XYZ is trading for $45 today and so Bob might pay $100 for the right to buy XYZ at $50 between now and March. He would do this because he thinks XYZ will rise above $50 between now and March. If XYZ shoots up to $60 then Bob can exercise his right and force the seller of the option to give him 100 shares of XYZ at the strike price ($50/share). Bob has to pay $5000 for these 100 shares. He can then turn around and sell the shares in the open market for $6000, pocketing $1000 (less the $100 in premium he paid to the seller when he bought the call option). However, if XYZ finishes below $50 in March then Bob's option expires worthless and he loses the $100 in premium he paid.

Generating recurring income by selling covered calls to other people is not difficult. If you do it with stocks you already own then the call options you are writing are 'covered' (because if the options you sold are exercised against you, you already own the shares you will need for delivery). If it happens that your stock is called away then you receive the strike price per share for your shares. If you still want to own the stock then you can either buy back the option before it expires, or wait until it is exercised and then use the proceeds to go buy more shares to replace the ones you lost during assignment.

Using covered calls to create monthly income is common (in fact, it is the most popular option-based strategy). It is a passive income strategy that lets you collect option premium each month as time passes. If an option buyer exercises the option the only thing that happens is that he will pay you for your stock. You still make money. Another nice feature is that the option premium you collect each month gives you current income and some downside protection. Covered calls are easy to learn and execute and should be done by anyone who owns stocks or ETFs. If you're not writing covered calls then you're leaving money on the table each month.

About the Author:

This article on covered call options is brought to you by Born To Sell. Click here to go to Born To Sell's website on covered call investing.

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Cycles of Life

By Steven Olson

A reader suggested I write about this topic: Explore the tension between being satisfied with what you have and your accomplishments vs. the desire to do better.

Being too complacent would yield suboptimal results because you're drifting and not getting close to your true potential. But push too hard, and you may never enjoy what you have and may burn yourself out. So it would seem the optimal solution lies somewhere in the middle between the extremes.

On the one hand, you have complacency. Think of this in positive terms as enjoying what you have and being at peace with your current situation.

And on the other hand, we have ambition and effort, the desire to keep moving and to improve yourself.

The perceived conflict comes about as a choice between here and there. Stay put or move on. Which is better?

Is a perpetual balance between these two extremes the right answer? Like 50% complacency and 50% ambition?

Let's try a perspective shift ... one that eliminates the problem entirely.

This problem arises from the assumption of a static view of life - that every moment is the same as every other, that if being ambitious is the right choice now, it will still be the right choice tomorrow.

Life isn't static though. When you take a snaphot "here is where I am now" view of your life, you reinforce a flawed view of reality. Life is always in motion. Look at the cells in your body. If they ever go into a static state and stop moving, you're dead. They're doing different things at different times. Sometimes your body must shut down to fight illness; other times it's happy to move around and get some exercise. There's no single right thing for your cells to be doing at all times. Movement and change are integral to life itself.

In life there's no status quo. Think about the momentum of different areas of your life right now. What's expanding? What's contracting? Instead of thinking of complacency vs. ambition as some percentage mixture in the present, think of long-term cycles of expansion vs. contraction. Cycles of ebb and flow are a natural part of life.

Notice what type of cycle you're in right now. If you're in an expansion cycle, then push your ambition as far as it will take you, and forget about complacency. If you're in a contraction cycle, then take a break from ambition and spend time on your inward development.

Sometimes these cycles last for years. From about mid-2004 onward, I've been in a massive expansion phase - trying new things, meeting new people, starting a new business. Before that I was in a contraction phase for many months, thinking and contemplating, doing lots of reading, turning inward, reassessing my priorities. There are even cycles within cycles, like periods of short-term contraction during a long-term expansion period. It's like the stock market. You have long-term bull and bear markets and short-term bull and bear days and weeks. At the time of this posting, it appears we're having some bear days in an otherwise bull market. Cycles within cycles.

So just as a stock investor needs to know when to buy and sell, you must listen to the signals from your own life (both internal and external) to learn when it's time to expand or contract. Every day is different. Sometimes buying/expansion is right, and other times selling/contraction is right. You don't balance the two. You cycle between them.

One of my favorite treatments of this subject can be found in the Bible in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. The whole book of Ecclesiastes is an interesting story about a man searching for the ultimate source of joy in life, eventually succeeding by identifying it as the fulfillment that comes from hard work.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Life is constantly cycling through expansion and contraction phases.

Sometimes we're able to go out and do no wrong. Other times we run home licking our wounds. By recognizing what kind of cycle you're in, you can flow with it instead of fighting it. In a contraction phase, this means spending a lot of time thinking and journaling, reading, working on personal development to build your skills, going to school, spending lots of time with family. In an expansion phase, it means taking on some ambitious projects and stretching yourself, joining new clubs, meeting new people, taking on new responsibilities, enjoying new experiences.

What happens in your life when your decisions are out of phase with your current cycle? What happens to a stock investor whose decisions are out of phase with the market?

Problems also occur when we get stuck in one phase for too long. A prolonged contraction phase can lead to depression (both in the stock market and in your personal life). A prolonged expansion phase can build stress and anxiety. Life requires cycles of exertion and rest - that's what makes us stronger.

What is your life calling for right now? Should you be contracting or expanding? Is this the time to reinvent yourself in private or express yourself in public?

About the Author:

Want to read more excellent articles like these?, then visit DailyBulb.com. Steven Olson also writes for Tatathemes.com

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Dark Night of the Soul

By Steven Olson

One of the things I'm struggling with in my life right now is making the leap to what I see as the next level of awareness I want to experience.

I've reached the point in my life where I'm very clear about my purpose, and it has become a powerful driver for me. Whenever I align myself with the purpose of serving others as best I can and expecting nothing in return, my motivation is powerful and I live totally in the present moment.

At the same time, part of my life is still being run at the level of business, career, and money. This is the level where my ego gets involved, and I think about things like writing and self-publishing info products, generating income, building a business, putting on my own seminars, building a brand, etc. But I can also see that this is a lower level of awareness than that at which my purpose draws me towards.

When I work at the level of purpose, my concern for these business factors fades. When I work at the level of business, my ability to live my purpose is weakened. The problem is that these are two different levels of consciousness; they're incongruent. I can shift between the two states, but I can't remain in both simultaneously.

The level of business suggests that I build a line of info products to sell and/or make money as a professional speaker. I have to support myself and my family financially. But at this level, I'm creating information that I "own," protecting copyrights, and creating a business entity whose survival I must then protect - from fraud, competition, etc.

But the level of purpose means that I devote my life purely to service. This is the level that suggests that no true teacher seeks material gain. At this level, I write and speak for free. Material gain is irrelevant. I only need to cover my basic needs, so I can keep doing my best to help people.

I ran Dexterity Software for many years at the level of business. I know very well what that level is like. Creating cool products, dealing with customers, outsmarting competitors, negotiating contracts, etc. It's an exciting ride. But that level ceases to provide any meaning for me now. I've simply lost all interest in working for material gain. At one time money and success in business were very motivating to me, but now they're empty and hollow when compared to other pursuits. I've read that the Buddha experienced a similar shift in his thinking in his late 20s, when he realized he could no longer enjoy his princely riches while there was still suffering in the world. I can relate to that.

The level of purpose has become so much more real to me now. I would rather invest tremendous effort in helping someone solve one of their most difficult problems for no material gain whatsoever than become a billionaire. I know that may sound like an exaggeration, but at the level of awareness I'm at as I type this, it's true for me. This is the level at which I've been working for the past six months. I've been writing for free and speaking for free, doing so primarily out of a desire to grow and to serve others. And even though I've only scratched the surface of my purpose, it's been tremendously fulfilling.

I can feel that when I try to take this purpose and turn it into a business motivated by profit, that type of thinking lowers my awareness and my energy. And yet somehow, when I don't worry about the money, I always seem to have plenty. At this level I'm tapping into a source of abundance which is more powerful than the level of business. Instead of exchanging information and ideas for money, I just give everything away without expecting anything in return. I could have written and self-published a book or two by now and generated a small pile of cash if I focused on that instead of writing for free. But deep down I know that my purpose must be centered around service first and foremost. When I work at that level, everything seems to work effortlessly.

When I ran Dexterity Software, I never quite understood the people who contributed to "free" open source software for no material gain, often seeing them as a lower life form compared to those who created "real" software to sell. This view is fairly common among shareware developers, who work hard to protect their copyrighted materials from piracy because it's the source of their income. My perspective has changed, however, and I now see such selfless contributors as potentially living at a much higher level of awareness than I gave them credit for.

And yet still it's very tempting to return to the level of business that I'm familiar with. But I know it's only fear that's holding me back. I need to raise my awareness to a high enough level where I can transcend the fear of not being able to meet my basic needs (and those of my family). As long as this universe continues to allow it, I will do my best to continue putting my focus on service first. Right now I can still feel myself oscillating between these two levels though - I haven't yet completed the quantum leap to the higher level. One thing that will help is if I can attract into my life someone who's already at that level and can help me make this transition, so I'm focusing on that intention.

I can see glimpses of the state of being I wish to reach, and for brief periods I experience it, but it is not yet real in my daily existence. I'm in the state right now which has been referred to as the "dark night of the soul," where I've left behind one reality but haven't yet landed in the next. Because I've pushed myself to grow so much over the past decade, I've experienced this point before. One previous episode was right before I created the game Dweep - just before developing that game, I transitioned from a lower awareness level to a new higher level, where I was driven by the desire to put something out into the world that was really my best work and which would positively impact people who experienced it; business success was not my primary motivation.

So here I am once again, now trying to reach a level where I am driven purely by the intention to serve, wondering if at such a level, there is indeed no need to worry about meeting one's basic needs. I intend to continue along this path as long as this reality will physically allow it.

About the Author:

Want to read more excellent articles like these?, then visit DailyBulb.com. Steven Olson also writes for Tatathemes.com

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