Software That Can Change Your Life

Here's my top five picks of software that can change your productivity and your life as well:

5. Adobe Creative Cloud (www.adobe.com / $49.99 per month)

I'm sure you've all heard or used some of Adobe's products. In the past their software was so expensive that only professionals could afford it. However, since their roll out of creative cloud it is now affordable for the everyday user. Sign up, then log onto www.lynda.com to watch some training videos that open up your world to the potential of doing some freelance work or launching the digital product of your dreams.

4. Evernote (www.evernote.com / free basic version / $45.00 per year for the premium version)

I store everything in Evernote: Models #'s of household parts, clothing sizes I wear, random ideas, account numbers, to-do lists, my goals, and so on. Evernote works as a desktop program, a website, and a mobile app that all sync. With Evernote you will always have the most updated versions of all your notes wherever you go.

3. Plaxo (www.plaxo.com / $5.00 per month basic version)

Plaxo is a service that syncs all of your contacts and calendars across platforms. This is great for any business people that have a lot of contacts and multiple computers.

2. Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php / $40.00)

If you're a writer there is no better program than Scrivener. This is the best thing since Microsoft Word. The layout allows for quick and easy storyboarding. The best thing is you'll save hundreds of hours on your bigger sized projects with this software.

1. Active Words (www.activewords.com / free basic version / $49.95 premium version)

If you perform the same daily computer tasks over and over (opening files, writing the same text, going to the same websites, etc.) then Active Words could be the best computer program you'll ever use. You set up quick text "triggers" to automatically launch files or other actions. The amount of time I save each day at work is staggering because of this program.

Axiom 49: All in the Family

"Nepotism is a game the whole family can play." -Unknown

"The parents eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." -Ezekiel 18

For good and bad our families help shape our successes and failures in life.The more we understand the influences our families have on us the more we can maximize our resources and talents.

It's in your genes...

Whether you like it or not you are genetically good at some things and bad at others. If you're not sure what your strengths and weaknesses are look at your family and see if you can spot similar traits in yourself. Once you know what you are naturally good at you can tailor your goals and activities to your genetic strengths.

It's in your behaviors...

You learn how to deal with the world from your family. You should take a real hard look at those learned behaviors from time to time. Figure out what behaviors are good and which ones are harming your chances at success. Don't unknowingly inherit the bad behaviors of your parents. As long as you are aware of these behaviors you have the power to change them.

It's in your resources... 

Your resources (or lack thereof) are often tied to your families resources. If your family has resources they can get you a job, give you money, educate you, connect you to the right people, keep you safe, and so on. The concept of generational wealth is real. Your resources now are likely the result of successes and failures of the past generations of your family. Yes, not just your parents, but their parents, and so on.

However, lack of generation wealth does not preclude success. It just makes it a little tougher. Most of the highly successful people of today came from average middle class families. Lack of resources can be overcome for those that are willing to work hard and work smart.

DISC Personality Test

When I attended some sales training classes last year I had to take a DISC personality test. I had always though these types of tests were quack pseudo-science. I mean how could answering 24 quick questions tell someone everything they need to know about my personality? However, the results were astoundingly accurate

I'm not going to summarize what the DISC test is. You can read more about it here. What I actually found is there is a lot of support for this test. Many companies are using it for hiring. Steve Jobs believed in it. I became a believer after I saw my results.

I now see the world in D-I-S-C colors. I interact differently with people based on their personality style. As a manager I have to know my strengths and weaknesses and my staff's strengths and weaknesses. DISC is the easiest way for me to do this.

Whether you are skeptical or not you should take the test and judge for yourself. There are many free versions online you can find. You'll find out if your career fits your natural personality type. You'll find out why the people around you act the way they do. You'll find out what your own strengths and weaknesses are. Lastly, you'll find out that the world is much simpler than you may think.