Journey to Finding Life's Purpose - Part 2

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QUESTIONS TO REVEAL THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE

It’s impossible to find your purpose without a degree of self-reflection. Answers are the result of asking questions. Asking the right questions will provide the answers you seek. 

Happiness - More Than Thinking Positive Thoughts

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While the dictionary defines happiness as “the state of being happy” which gives you very little information about the idea or feeling of, or state of happiness. Let’s look at some different things that happiness can be, but realize that in truth, happiness is in the mind of the beholder.

Developing a Strong Relationship with Your Teen

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Teenagers are a challenge. They can drive you crazy, eat up all of your disposable income and bring all kinds of dramas into your home, but there’s no denying your love for them. Your child’s teenage years are when they start becoming adults, shaping who they’re going to be in the future. It’s a time you’ll want to be around for which can be difficult when your teenager is trying to push the boundaries.

My Perfect Day - #myperfectday

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My fellow blogger, Joan Senio, of Kindness, Coaching, and Compassion, recently wrote a post about her perfect day. I've been meaning to write a similar post, but sometimes life gets in the way!

On The Verge of 40

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Sunday is my birthday and I will be 39.  It's such a lackluster sort of birthday - you aren't quite yet the BIG 40, but you are literally at the threshold of moving into your forties.  

Setting Your Kids Up For Success

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You want your children to be happy and healthy above all else. You also want them to grow up strong and secure in themselves and to be able to achieve whatever it is they want out of life. After all, as a parent, it’s your job to give your child everything they need in their first years of life! (And of course, for the next couple of decades too…)

73 Questions About Me - #VogueParody

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Similar to Joan Senio, I had never heard of this challenge but I love answering funny questions so here we go!  To read Joan's answers, click here.

Lack of Time is Lack of Priorities

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Time Management

At the end of the day, it’s all about time management. When it comes to time management, we don’t want to admit we don't have it all together. It’s one of the hardest issues to face and can be a challenge. However, the good news is it’s very doable.

How to Get Better at Managing Priorities

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Managing Life Areas

In order to live a whole, full, and complete life, you need to break your life down into categories. What are the categories that are most important to you? Which ones are you most successful in? Where is there a breakdown and you need to recreate?

The Focus and Action Required to Achieve Your Dream Life Now

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Focus on Your Goals

Meditate on your goals. If you’re like most dreamers, your dreams are so big and so vast, you think about them and just as quickly, you put them aside because they are too big and too unrealistic. Rather than look at the big dramatic picture of your dreams, meditate on your goals.

6 Tips For Achieving The Life Of Your Dreams

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Self-Sabotaging Thoughts That Hinder Happiness

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Most people go through times when they have trouble getting their thoughts to align with their intentions. When that happens, it will hinder your happiness. Your thoughts can get in the way of your happiness because these types of thoughts are focusing on what’s wrong, what’s missing, or the negativity of the situation instead of the positives. 

Success Does Not Fuel Happiness

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It’s easy to simplify happiness and claim that it’s obvious that successful people are happy. However, if you really interviewed 100 successful people, you may be surprised that a large percentage of them are not as happy as you think they ought to be. The fact is, you can be a millionaire, have a wonderful spouse, great kids, and everything you think you want and still not be happy. The truth is happiness fuels success.

·         Happiness Leads to More Productivity – When people are happy with the work, they do they tend to be willing to do it a lot more, even for free. Assuming other needs (food, shelter, health) are met a happy person can find joy doing the most mundane things because they can focus on outcomes instead of just what they are doing.

·         Happiness Leads to Higher Profits – In companies that keep their employees happy by offering a living wage, benefits, and a flexible schedule the profits tend to be a lot higher. One reason is that when a person feels respected in their job even if the work is hard, they are happier about doing it.

·         Happiness Leads to Stability – When people are happy, they tend to be a lot more stable, stick to tasks longer, and are more likely to complete an assignment. In addition, they tend to job hop a lot less. This is one reason smart employers know that by making work a happy place they can reduce turn over.

·         Happiness Leads to a Better Work Ethic – Most people think of work ethic as something you must suffer to experience, but for happy people, they tend to stick to their jobs longer and work even harder. The main reason is that they have the energy to do it and can envision the outcomes more positively.

·         Happiness Is Not About Wealth – Everyone knows someone who has plenty of money but is not happy and maybe even hateful. They seem to have everything but happiness. Because of this fact, it’s clear that being happy doesn’t always directly correlate to the circumstances you find yourself in regarding your bank account balance.

·         Happiness Colors the Lens by Which You See Life – The surprising truth about happiness is that if you practice happiness it will begin to affect how you see everything in the world. You’ll be able to pick out the most positive things no matter the situation.

·         Happiness is About Today – Happiness is really all about today. If you’re happy today, you’re more likely to eat right, move more, get your work done, and do everything well. Naturally, that is going to affect the future too.

·         Happiness is a Mindset – It’s hard to imagine it is true, but it is. Happiness is about your mindset. Thankfully, with work, you can train your mindset to be happier and more positive despite your current circumstances.

While bad things do happen to good people and can bring them down, the truth is, happiness can be experienced by most anyone regardless of where they are in life right now in terms of their success. It just requires that you accept that you can be happy, right now, without anything changing while also developing plans to make changes.

Prioritize Your Life: Make More Time for Achieving Your Goals and Enjoying Life

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For many people, it seems like life has two options: achieving goals and enjoying life. Neither one of them seems as if they are one hundred percent fulfilled. There seems to be a broad spectrum on the scale of go-getters and over-achievers versus those who slack in all departments.

Can You Turn A Blog Into A Business?

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Blogging has become one of the most popular projects online with millions of people writing about the things that interest them. However, over the last decade or so, there has been a serious rise in the number of people using blogging in order to earn a living and that's pretty understandable. After all, who wouldn't want to make a career out of talking about their passions and connecting with people? However, actually earning a living from a blog can often be a whole lot harder than a lot of people realize. With that in mind, here are some of the things that you can do to weather the challenges and turn a blog into a business.

Know your niche

One of the most important things to remember about blogging is that there are thousands upon thousands of other people out there doing exactly the same thing. Because of that, if you really want your blog to succeed you have to know exactly what your niche is. Once you know exactly what you want your blog to be then you're going to find it a whole lot easier to connect with an audience rather than trying to reach out to everyone and wasting a great deal of your time and energy.

Be consistent

Consistency is the key to really building an audience that is going to keep coming back to your blog time and time again. People like things that are familiar and if you're constantly changing up your blog's visual style or the kinds of content you're creating then people will find it offputting. The same goes for your upload schedule. You need to make sure that you've got an upload schedule that your audience can be sure of. If you decide to randomly go a couple of weeks without posting anything then there's a good chance that your audience is just going to forget about you.

Use the right resources

There are so many great resources out there to help you connect with audience members and really push your blog into being a bonafide business. However, you have to be sure that you're using the right resources. Otherwise, you could end up wasting time and money. From marketing resources like this: https://www.templafy.com/blog/how-many-of-these-outbound-sales-email-fundamentals-do-you-use/ to things like different social media accounts to connect with different kinds of people. If you're not willing to adjust your blog based on your audience then it's never going to succeed.

Of course, it's important to remember that, even if you follow this advice, running a blog can be a genuine challenge. You simply can't make a career out of blogging if you're only really willing to do it when you feel like it. There will be days when you just don't want to bother with your blog but whether or not you still keep at it is the real difference between doing it as a hobby and doing it as a career.

An Age-Old Problem: Helping Our Children Understand Their Grandparents’ Failing Health

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While there is a lot of focus on children and their mental health these days, it can be a very difficult situation when we've got to have a heart to heart conversation with our children about their grandparents. Whether their grandparents aren’t doing very well or they have to go into care because they're too old, these issues can eat away at us until we decide to sit down with our children and have that conversation. But when it comes to this sort of thing, how can we help our children understand what's going on, but also help them to cope?

Prepare For The Conversation

You could chew away at every word permutation in your mind, but the best thing to do is to sit down and just plan how you intend on saying it. It's important that you don't sugarcoat the language so much that it becomes almost unreal what you're saying. It at the same time, the reality of the situation needs to present itself, and it's something that your children need to know. Ultimately, it can be a very difficult thing if you have difficulties in trying to speak to your children in the first place. On www.HuffPost.com, there are some handy hints for being a parent that your child actually wants to talk to. This is something that could tip the balance firmly in your favor. Ultimately, you need to break the news, but if you're someone that they don't really take seriously, or they just ignore, it can prove to be more of a shock when you do deliver bad news.

Be Open And Receptive

They may have a million questions or they may have none. Whatever their response, it's important to be open and honest, but also be receptive to any questions they have, no matter how grizzly the details they want. This can be a very difficult thing for us to go through as parents, but it's important that our children understand exactly what's going on. If they have only half the information, they're going to walk away feeling more confused. What's happening to the grandparents? Are they been taken away? Are they not coming back ever again? It's these sorts of things that need answering in the most straightforward manner. This requires openness and honesty.

Offering Them Ways To Help

Your children will want to see them, or they may want to help. Ultimately, if it's something like your parents going into a home, if your child is old enough to have some of the responsibility, you can give them things to help with so they can contribute. Something as simple as visiting www.PegasusSeniorLiving.com  can be a great way for you to give your child the time they need to adjust. This can mean that they may be able to process the news easier. If they feel they are far away from the situation, and you're not letting them get involved, this could very easily compound their anxiety.

It's never easy, and it's an age-old problem, but by discussing with your children these difficult situations, it's going to have a more positive outcome than you realize, no matter how long you have been putting it off.

How to Help Someone Struggling With Their Mental Health

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Mental health struggles affect most families across the world. If you aren’t struggling with issues yourself, you’re likely to know someone who is. It’s important that we educate ourselves on how to help someone struggling with mental health problems. If you aren’t quite sure what to do, here are some suggestions on how you can help.

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Listen

Listening to someone doesn’t mean you are charged with having to find solutions to their problems. Sometimes, people don’t want solutions- they just want someone to listen. If you can sit and listen to someone’s problems without passing judgment, you can be a really good friend to someone suffering from mental health issues. By truly listening, you’ll be able to gauge what a person’s needs are in that moment. It could be helping to find a solution, or it could just be recognition of the difficulties they’re facing.

Don’t Assume

Some people make the mistake of assuming they know what someone with mental health problems needs. Perhaps they’ll attempt to cheer them up or bring them a glass of wine. There are times when all the effort in the world won’t get the desired result because they’ve made an assumption. Ask the person you’re supporting what they need. More often than not, someone suffering from a mental health disorder will be able to tell you what kind of support they require.

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Get Help

Supporting someone with mental health issues can be tiring work. The last thing you want to do is burn yourself out, so you’re forced to stop providing support when they need you most. It’s okay to reach out and ask for help. For example, teen bipolar disorder treatment is a great way to help a teenager suffering from bipolar without taking on too much yourself. You can also approach medical practitioners, with the sufferer’s permission, to see what help is available in your area. Whether it’s medication, therapy sessions or intermittent support, it all helps.

Avoid Arguments

When you’re supporting someone who's struggling with mental health, there will be times when things can get tense. Either one of you is likely to get frustrated at any point and it’s easy for arguments or confrontation to start. Try not to engage in arguments in order to keep a strong relationship. If you find it difficult to avoid an argument, make sure to leave the room and the other person’s presence and take some time to cool down.

If You Don’t Know the Person

If you’re in a situation where you’re trying to support someone you’ve never met before, try and stay calm. Offer as much information as you can and try to direct the person to any information or resources that could be of help. Ask the person if there’s anyone you can contact to help them further. If the person seems too distressed and you’re worried about his/her safety, always call the authorities to be on the safe side.

There are no tricks to looking after someone with mental health issues, so just do the best you can.

Could You Spot These Warning Signs In Your Teen?

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There comes a time as a parent that you realize that your little ones are no longer babies, and they are developing their own minds at an alarming rate. The things that you start to witness them going through reminds you of your adolescence, and all you want for them to do is be able to work their way through their education, there hormones raging and their new found confidence for their lives. But there can be another issue that you might not necessarily want to face? Your teen will be going through so many changes, and often they can affect them mentally. Could you spot the signs that your teen is struggling? Here are some of the things that you might want to look out for.

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Is there a change in their mood?

One of the easiest things to spot will probably be their mood. Of course, all teenagers will have their hormones raging, and this can also mean that their mood is changing. But there will be more evident things to look out for. Naturally, you may find that they are grumpy, agitated, and frustrated, which can be normal, but they could also be down, sad, emotional, teary and even recluse. Look for changes that you wouldn’t feel is normal for your child, and take it from there. Often just monitoring it to see whether there is a pattern or any other changes.

Have you noticed a change in their behavior?

A big indicator that something isn’t right is a sudden change in behavior. Are they more secretive? Are they less talkative? Do they do things differently? Are they dressing differently? Sometimes these changes are noticeable, but other times they happen gradually so being more aware can help you to spot the signs if something isn’t right. This is when things like teen depression treatment could help your child get back on track with their thoughts, feelings, and behavior towards things.

Do they respond to things differently?

Often the response from a child is a big indicator that things aren’t what they seem. So listen out for their responses to normal questions. Is there doubt? Is there use of a lot of negative language? Do they still find fun and happiness in things they used to? Such as their favorite foods or the things they used to like doing like hobbies or sports. Do they respond to family or friends in a different way? Often asking yourself these questions may help you to spot any signs that things are not as they seem.

Have there been any changes to their routine?

Finally, has there been any changes to their normal routine? Things like exercising more frequently and rigorously? Not eating as much as they would normally do or a loss of appetite? Are they quieter more recluse? Are they getting up later or sleeping for much longer? Again these things can be big warning signs that things are not right, so try and work things out. Again teenagers can sleep more, or change their routines, but it is looking out for the unhealthy habits that might be developing.

Let’s hope these questions help you to spot the signs that your teen is struggling.

Health Issues To Think About As You Get Older

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Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important at any age. But as you get older, taking care of your health can require further effort, as well as being prepared to handle a range of issues. From maintaining a healthy weight to making sure your mental health is in order, there are things to consider that can help you live a longer, healthier life, and even help the signs of ageing too.

Need to start thinking about your health as you age? Use some of the following as food for thought.

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Eating well and keeping fit

We spend a lot of our lives focusing on our weight, and while the pressure to be ‘thin’ can be unhealthy, it is important to keep your weight within a healthy range. Being overweight can increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer, but healthy living is considered one of the most effective ways of reducing your risk.

Get to know the basics of a healthy, balanced diet and start planning meals that are nutritious and healthy. Meanwhile, help give your cardiovascular health a boost by working out regularly and making sure you get moving during the day. It’s simple advice, but effective for keeping your health in check as you age.

Birth control

While you might have spent a large portion of your life trying not to get pregnant, your birth control needs will change as you start a family and get older. It’s a good idea to have a conversation with your doctor about appropriate birth control methods and to make sure you’re on the right type for your circumstances. You might want to consider coming off hormonal contraception altogether. A vasectomy is an option for your partner, and there are reversal vasectomy procedures available in case circumstances change. Your sexual and reproductive health is important, so don’t neglect these areas of your wellbeing.

Looking after your mental health

We focus a lot on our physical health, but mental health is just as important. You can start focusing on your mental health by learning how to manage stress, making time for yourself and relaxing. Sleep can also have a considerable effect on your mental health, so aim to get around 8 hours a night to allow your body to recharge ready for the next day.

Mental health can be a taboo subject, but it doesn’t have to be. Talk about your feelings and encourage open conversation in your family too. The sooner problems get picked up, the sooner you can get help.

Your health needs change as you get older, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect them. Self-care can help you stay healthy and happy, allowing you to enjoy the good things in life. It’s never too late to start taking care of yourself, so if you’ve been letting things slip lately, start over today and look forward to looking and feeling fabulous no matter what your age.