Happy New Year everyone!

I’m delighted to host the January 5 edition of the Carnival of Personal Development! This is the 3rd Edition of the Carnival and we have more than 80 articles lined up.

Most of the articles are really good reads, so I suggest you bookmark this page and return to it every time you want to grow as a person, strengthen your finances, or improve your health.

I’m also planning to add one of the links below to each of my future posts until I run through all the links here. So each time you receive a post from this site, you’ll get another post written by someone else as a bonus! To enjoy this two-for-one delivery, subscribe for free here!

Editor’s Picks

Most professional-looking blog

Brain Blogger presents Personal Health Records and Mental Health posted at Brain Blogger:

Personal health records or PHRs are becoming more and more popular these days as health information technology capabilities become more wide-spread. Look at Google Health as one example.

Most engaging personal sharing

Erin Pavlina presents The Path to Purpose posted at Erin Pavlina’s Blog:

People ask me all the time how they can figure out their purpose, their one true path through life. I’m sure there is more than one way to get there, but let me share the method I used to finally find my way. Perhaps it will work for you too.

Most universally applicable

Brian Terry presents Create Your Elevator Speech posted at Integrity Business Blog by Terry Dean.

Most concise and to the point

Mike King presents 6 Steps to Pull Yourself Out of a Slump posted at Learn This.

Most informative and well-researched

Ben presents Best Online Savings Accounts posted at Money Smart Life.

Personal Development

The Shark Investor presents How To Outgrow The Self-Help Learning Stage posted at The Shark Investor:

Are you really doing something to improve your life?

Wally Bock presents Who you gonna call? posted at Momentor.

Clark presents The Number One Way You Can Improve Yourself Today posted at Clark Faint .com.

Clara Myers presents Reflection and Journaling posted at Mind Mart:

Keeping a journal facilitates introspection and reflection.

Aparna presents Self esteem-Why is it so important? posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming.

Richard Onebamoi presents Anatomy of Frustration: What is your definition of failure? posted at THE ANATOMY OF FRUSTRATION:

Failure is one most single factor responsible for frustration and stress personally and professionally.What is your definition of failure? This is a legitimate concern that a lot of people have as they progress through the corridors of life.

Chris Edgar presents To Be Creative, Let Go Of Your Identity posted at Purpose Power Coaching:

Many of us are driven by a need to “know who we are”—a desire for a clear understanding of our roles in the universe. It gives us a feeling of security to say and think things about ourselves like “I’m a lawyer,” “I’m a father,” “I’m an opera lover,” and so on. But when we become willing to dispense with our self-labels and stare into that abyss of uncertainty, we gain access to inspiration we may not normally feel in our writing and elsewhere.

omguy presents IQ & Success posted at Ordinary Miracles:

A person’s intellectual level, based on a test and represented by a number determines his/her IQ level. The higher the number, according to the test, the more intelligent the person is, but does high intellect guarantee success in life?

Rich Vosler presents It Takes A Lifetime To Master Time posted at Sales Training Tips:

Chase Stowers presents Limiting Options posted at Super Duper Blog-O-Rama!:

Have you ever been in a situation where you do not know what step to take next? Do what Chinese general Xiang Yu did - limit your options.

Akemi presents Success Secrets And The Catch posted at Yes to Me.

financefanatic presents How To Set Effective Goals - S.M.A.R.T. Goals posted at Planning Financials | Personal Finance For You:

A good article to help better your life by setting life goals.

LBJirel presents Here is HOW to make someone’s day? posted at Positive and Successful Life Style tips.

Simon Stapleton presents Who Would You Throw Your Shoes At? posted at SimonStapleton.com:

Is it better to keep your feelings to yourself or vent them openly?

Applying the Law of Attraction presents A Good Morning in Two Worlds posted at Applying the Law of Attraction Membership Library.

Trisha Wagner presents Why a Graceful Departure is Important posted at Empowering Mom Blog.

Wife Wizard presents Improving Your Marriage Resume posted at Find Love:

For many women, the quest to find a husband is just as important as their career. Whether you realize it or not, in the same way you have a career resume, you have a marriage one too!

Allen Rinehart presents Life Experiment #1: Wake-Up At 5AM For 30 Days posted at The Life Experimenter:

This article explores a 30-day trial of waking up early every morning. This is one area of our lives that we all struggle with and I intend to finish the challenge by the end of the year to inspire others to do the same.

Celes presents 6 Reasons Why Being a Perfectionist Leads You to Failure (And What To Do About It) posted at EmbraceLiving.Net.

Paul Alexander Wood presents Create Change in your life » Possibilities posted at Create Change in your life:

Sometimes when you are faced with uncertainty about what to do with your life you should look upon it as a time when you are open to all possibilities.

Jeff McCall presents You Don’t Have To Be A Giant To Bang Your Head On The Ceiling! posted at Jeff’s Blog.

Will Edwards presents Amazing but true… posted at White Dove Books:

The biggest revelation came when I realized my anger was at my self. The peace came when I realized it was ok to be angry no matter what the anger or at whom it originated. The real peace came when I realized that even though it was ok to be angry that the anger had to be funneled into a productive process.

Rational Anarchist presents The Rational Anarchist: December 18, 2008 posted at The Rational Anarchist:

Be aware of wonder and that child living in all of us will never grow old.

Asmoday presents Hard or Boring Goals: Force Multipliers, Threading the Needle posted at The Asmoday Experiment:

Some of the best goals, like loosing weight, quitting smoking, or having more day-to-day dicipline are the best goals, but also the hardest to achieve. In this article, I explain why, and give you a trick you can use to significantly increase your odds of success.

Juliet du Preez presents What To Do When Someone Is Unpleasant Towards You posted at LifeMadeGreat Blog, providing suggestions for dealing with an unpleasant situation.

Felix presents End of Year Magic? posted at Fulfilled Dreams.

Flash Gordon presents Personal Development for Every Person: Selling Yourself posted at Great New Books that Are a Must Read.

Relax presents 70 Tips to Become a Super Student posted at The Wise Curve:

Life is too short to be ordinary. Don’t just be an average student, be a super student.

Joshua Seth presents The Importance of Persuasion and Influence posted at Joshua Seth Blog:

The quality of your life is determined by your ability to influence and persuade. Now think about that sentence for a moment. Where would you be today without your ability to persuade others to your point of view and influence them to take the actions you desire?

Kingsley Tagbo presents How to Enjoy Every Moment? posted at Personal Hack:

Most of the times we don’t do things the way we want because of numerous reasons, mainly because of social restrictions. Of course, we are social beings, hence we have to follow certain rules and rhythm to live in the society. But, unfortunately we tend to bind ourselves with these social restrictions and forget the beauty of spontaneous life.

Sean Reynolds presents Trancendence posted at Creativity:

Is it possible to rise above and not be defined or limited by our lived experience, to go beyond our thought patterns and tune in to the universe of which we are a part?

Pinyo presents 6 Ways To Give posted at Moolanomy.

David B Bohl presents Your End-of-Year Personal Inventory: 6 Signs You May Need an Accountability Partner posted at Slow Down Fast Personal Coaching and Lifestyle Design:

Do you find that you keep promises to everyone but yourself? Do you tell yourself you will do something, but then not do it? It seems much easier to make commitments to others and keep them, than it is to honor ourselves.

Great Management presents How To Make 2009 Your Best Year Ever? posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

Alex G presents Setting Goals for 2009 posted at Cutting Out the Unessential. The Journey of Becoming the Best in the World.

HIB presents Life is Like an Etch-A-Sketch posted at HIB.

Isaac Yassar presents 2 Requirements Of Definite Success posted at Isaac Yassar .com:

Fulfill these two requirements of definite success and I guarantee that you will earn success in every field you want. Prove me wrong!

Mindful Mimi presents Your talent lies in your choice - Stella Adler posted at MindFul MiMi.

Dr Martin Russell presents The Top 5 New Year Real-Solutions For 2009 posted at Self Help Blog:

From my own experience in counselling people over the years I would suggest that New Year’s Resolutions don’t work.

Xquisitlife presents Never let go of your dreams! posted at The best is yet to come!:

This blog discusses how to have success when going after your dreams with passion!

Personal Finance

Heather Levin presents How To Pay Off Your Mortgage Early posted at The Greenest Dollar.

Tristan presents Good Investment Ideas posted at Find Financial Freedom:

Why spend your whole life investing in vehicles with low returns when you can invest in yourself for much less and in time achieve much greater returns.

Credit Shout presents How to Challenge a Credit Card Denial posted at CreditShout.

Sandy Naidu presents Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme posted at FutureNestEgg.

Steve Faber presents - How to Save Money on Car Insurance posted at Debt Free.

Giamatti presents Here?s Why Using Camtasia Can Increase Your Affiliate Checks posted at seocialise:

Since there are already lots of people getting into affiliate marketing, it is no wonder that the competition is getting stiff. The challenge is to try and outdo other affiliates and think of ways to be able to attain this.

Brooke presents Present Problem? Get Them a Lotto Ticket! posted at Dollar Frugal.

Destroy Debt presents Make Your Own Debt Reduction Plan posted at Destroy Debt.

Debbie Dragon presents It’s Not About The Money posted at Share Your Number. DebbieDragon also presents Finding Your Growth Engine posted at 7 Millionaires… in Training!.

apply4-credit presents Got Bad Credit? Get Secure posted at Apply4-Credit.

Debt Free Destiny presents New Year’s Resolution: Get Out of Debt For Good posted at Debt Free Destiny.

Matthew Paulson presents Should You Consider Social Lending? posted at American Consumer News.

Debt Freedom Fighter presents How to Find the Debt Relief Company That is Right For You posted at Discover Debt Freedom.

American Entrepreneurship presents How to Avoid Late Fees on Credit Cards posted at American Small Business News.

FIRE Finance presents Lottery Tickets - Our route to Wealth? posted at FIRE Finance.

Dana J. presents Start the New Year with a Family Budget posted at The Family Wallet.

Deposit Accounts presents How to Choose a Money Market Account posted at Deposit Accounts.

Thursday presents Set Yourself Up For Success: Plan Your Financial Goals posted at Wealth Junkies:

No matter how firm a person’s resolve is, most people give up on their New Year’s resolution after only a few weeks. While most resolutions are hard to follow through on, financial resolutions are particularly difficult because most people take a very general approach. This article includes tips that can help you make your efforts concrete — and set yourself up for success.

Save Money presents Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps: My Take posted at How I Save Money.net.

Mr. CC presents The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman Conclusion | Ask Mr Credit Card’s Blog posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Jason Patrick presents In Keeping up with the Joneses posted at MoneyTheory:

Striving to live a bit more simply, in this hectic modern life.

The Investor presents The simplest, most effective investment decision you will ever make posted at Monevator:

Put your money into the stock market via an index fund. By avoiding the fees of actively managed funds and the volatility and risks of directly holding shares, you’ll save yourself much money, time and likely heartache.

Skyler Reep presents 30 Days for 30 Dollars Manifesto posted at 30 Days for 30 Dollars:

With the current state of the economy and the possibility of a real depression on the horizon, a lesson in frugal living might be more useful than any of us want to admit.

KCLau presents Introduction of a new scheduler tax deduction (STD) posted at KCLau’s Money Tips:

About LHDN introducing a new tax scheduler deduction system.

Personal Health

Jeremy Day presents What we all know about health, but don’t do. posted at Insight Writer:

Many of my readers have said that this is a GREAT way to improve their health. Check it out!

SeanBissell presents Weight Loss Alcohol And Having Fun posted at Yummy Fitness | Fitness For Fun People.

Woman Tribune presents Moderate Alcohol Intake Associated with Higher Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids posted at Woman Tribune.

Sarah Scrafford presents 50 Pricey Spa Treatments You Can Do at Home posted at National Massage Certification.

Peter presents Raw Vegan Food Questions posted at we overstep.

Clara Myers presents Dual Diagnosis posted at Mind Mart:

Often addiction involves mental health issues as well.

Barry Wright III presents Water 30 Day Trial: 15 Day Update posted at 3stylelife.

Bill Urell presents If Drugs And Alcohol Are The Solution, Then What Is The Problem? posted at Addiction Recovery Basics:

Drugs and alcohol have the capacity to provide short-term solutions to many of life’s problems.There are some major problems though…

Scott Whelan presents Are You a Workaholic? Take this test and find out! posted at I Am A Workaholic:

It’s great to focus on your business, but perhaps there are limits. Find out if you’ve crossed the line by taking this test.

Verna Morris presents Top 20 iPhone Apps to Get Healthy in 2009 posted at X-Ray Technician Schools.

Heather Johnson presents The Ultimate Guide to Bodyweight Training: 100 Killer Resources posted at National Massage Certification.