Self Improvement

Provide constant support to children

icamm — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:45:03 +0000

Shyness has its roots in early childhood experiences. By providing support to shy children, you can help them overcome shyness effectively.

Children and shyness

Unlike adults, children express their shyness differently and more directly. Shy children are reluctant to talk, show fear of people and tend to hide behind others in times of unavoidable interactions. Some children also become irritable, aggressive and miserable during profound periods of shyness. Children are not able to overcome shyness without obtaining emotional and mental support from adults.

Providing support to children

The child needs to feel accepted and wanted at all times. Despite shyness, children confident of being loved at home show greater progress and lesser behavioural problems. Parents and guardians need to understand the exact nature and intensity of shyness in their children. They should also recognize the situations where the children are more vulnerable. For example some children are extremely shy in extended family functions. Before participating in such events with the child, parents need to assure the child of his safety and security. The child should not be forced to talk with adults or play with other children. This will make the child feel victimized and the problem can become profound. While providing support, the focus should be on building self-esteem and self worth.

The feeling of being worthy will also boost the child’s opinion about himself. He should also be taught social skills suitable for his age. This should be done in a fun way and should not appear like a chore to the child. Avoid talking about this ‘problem’ in front of your child. Some children unintentionally enjoy the attention and may refuse to cooperate with the parents later on. The process of helping children overcome shyness is a slow and a gradual one and it should be kept that way. Rushing the child in new situations in an attempt to make changes quickly is not an ideal solution. Understand your child’s unique personality and work with him accordingly. However, You may also need to seek professional help if the problem persists or worsens.

The Law of Attraction and Magical thinking

icamm — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:15:04 +0000

The Law of Attraction is a school of thought that emphasizes upon the way in which a person’s thought process emotions and attitude influence his life. The Law of Attraction which emerged in the late 19th century explains that through positive thinking and rightful utilization of our positive energies we can make our own reality. The Law of Attraction is often interchangeably associated with Magical thinking. The two theories are similar on some grounds.

Magical thinking mainly refers to beliefs and practices. Unlike the Law of Attraction it is non scientific approach and believes in religious practices and sayings. Magical thinking is often used to explain situations or occurrences that hardly have any relation with science. It refers to alternative modes of explanation by interpreting with reference to superstitions and popular beliefs. The Law of Attraction on the other hand believes in maintaining a scientific outlook and is non believer in religious practices and superstitions, as it often leads to negative thinking.

Magical thinking, like the Law of Attraction refers to the theories of karma in orient. It refers to cause and effect relation of an event. It also believes in past conducts and past lives and the way it affects the later life. Each of us is different and hence, contributes differently to our lives. According to the Law of Attraction, we ourselves reap the results of our conducts just as Magical thinking believes Good conduct breeds good results.

Magical thinking, is popularly referred to as “motivation” and “positive thinking” in western thoughts. The Law of Attraction employs positive thinking to create a pleasant reality and also prevent unpleasant reality. This is possible because if one concentrates upon Positive thinking and maintains a calm of mind without giving in to negative situations or thoughts, he can actually overcome them. This happens because, positive thinking and adherence to the Law of Attraction creates a sense of preparedness in an individual, which imbibes in him the strength to confront the bad. This in turn results in removing the fear from his mind and disappearance of the negative thought.

Magical thinking and the Law of Attraction both influence each other. The two theories differ on many respects, but the dissimilarities do not hinder the common end that the Law of Attraction and Magical thinking shares: goodness of mankind.

Soccer Moms Rejoice : Kick up your Time Management Skills in Five Easy Steps

icamm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:30:03 +0000

Soccer lore has it that the term first saw the light of day when a city council, hopeful in the mile high city of Denver, supplied her with a soccer mom credential for becoming a council member. Right, wrong, or indifferent, the truth of the matter clearly indicates that soccer moms fulfill one of society’s most important and time-consuming tasks: ensuring that your young one and his team mates make it to their soccer games on time, in style, and well-fed. Being a bit of a mother hen, the typical soccer mom will be the nurturer of the carpool, the time keeper for the practice rounds, the snack volunteer, scrape bandager, and communications hub for other parents, babysitters, siblings, and so forth. Yet at times soccer moms find themselves on the receiving end of criticism, first and foremost for a propensity to over-scheduling their children (and themselves) and for sacrificing valuable opportunities for their children to simply enjoy the friendships they are building.

While a lot of the criticism against soccer moms is simply the result of nonsensical stereotyping, at times it may appear that a kernel of truth can be found in these statements. Many a time a soccer mom’s schedule is more demanding than a politician’s reelection campaign, and adding to this the pressures and time commitments of family, career, and personal hobbies, it is clearly evident that soccer moms are in desperate need of excellent time management skills. For those who may not have quite attained the highest levels of this art, there is hope! Follow these five easy steps for kicking your time management skills, and you will not only meet all your deadlines, but will also enjoy doing so.

Step one is common sense, but it cannot be underestimated: know your objective. Let’s face it, driving a car full of kids to a soccer game in and of itself sounds incredibly easy, but if one of these kids’ moms suddenly cannot come to pick up the child? What if someone gets injured? What about little Sue’s sister’s ballet lesson that is only a five-minute drive from the soccer field? What is your objective? It is easy to fall into the trap of alleged teamwork, with your being the only one working. If you are willing to take a van full of children to the game, but will not be able or willing to supervise them after the initial drop off, please be sure to communicate this clearly. The children’s parents need to understand that you will be glad to get them to the game, but getting them home, or getting their siblings to ballet lessons, is out of the scope of your objective.

This note ties in with step number two: learn to say “no” and mean it. Once you know your objective and have built your schedule around it, avoid exceptions. These exceptions are sometimes unavoidable, such as an injury on the soccer field, but oftentimes are simply the result of the poor planning of others. Remember that your job is not to rescue another parent every time they have over-scheduled themselves, but instead your job is to see to it that you and your children will enjoy the time you have at soccer, learn the game, interact with friends, and do so without the stress and panic that goes hand in hand with poor planning. So if another parent asks you to take little Sue’s sister to ballet practice, and if this will upset your whole schedule, since it might require you to pull your son out of practice early, politely but firmly say “no.”

Steps three and four go hand in hand: begin each month with a to-do list that covers that particular month only, and then allocate sufficient time to the tasks. For example, does a particular month host the biggest game of the season? If so, you will want to adjust your time schedule to permit for extra practice sessions, awards banquets, and trips to the trophy shop. This may mean that your child’s other activities may need to be rescheduled or alternate rides may need to be secured to assure that everyone’s needs are met. Do not spread yourself so thin that an awards banquet leaves you in a lousy, stressed out mood!

And last, but not least, step number five: have fun and enjoy the process rather than the result!

Stop mental anguish with mind power

icamm — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:04 +0000

Everyone posses within themselves the ability to alter any aspect of their life that they are not happy with, there is no need to suffer any type of mental anguish when you have the power within yourself to stop it. The easiest way to use your mind to set things right within you is to develop your mind power by the use of affirmations.

Yourself and your mind are the only limitations on what you are able to achieve in life and how you turn yourself around, your mind is the most creative and wonderful thing you have and very few people put it work to their own advantage. There is nothing special or magical in affirmations, it isn’t something that you have to study in order to gain the knowledge or start to benefit from it. Affirmations are simply statements that you use to re-train your brain to work to its full potential and make it work to your advantage. The simple act of re-training your brain has many advantages and brings nothing but positive changes to your life; they are especially helpful if you are the type that constantly torments himself with mental anguish.

Putting yourself down all the time, constantly bombarding yourself with feelings that you are inadequate and cannot achieve in life can have a devastating effect on your person and life in general. It fills your life with nothing but negativity and negativity is harmful.

While affirmations are easy to learn and training your mind isn’t particularly hard they can have a profound effect on the subconscious. Here are some simple tips to help you get the most of your affirmations.

Always use affirmations which are in the present, stating things in the present enforce this is your mind and keeps from getting too far ahead of yourself which could lead to your becoming overwhelmed. Concentrate on today not the past or the future.

Be persistent in your thinking, it takes a long time for a bad habit to develop and it will also take a long time for new ones to develop, you can change your way of thinking but it will take a lot of perseverance and determination on your part to get there.

Make a commitment to yourself to use affirmations on a daily basis, at first you will have to work at this until a more positive way of thinking actually becomes the norm.

You can use affirmations for any aspect of your life that you wish to change. While affirmations are excellent for stopping mental anguish you can tailor them to suit anything and any situation in your life that you are having problems with. Affirmations all work the same by changing the way you think which ultimately changes how you feel about yourself and what is happening around you.

Never be afraid to experiment with your choice of words when using your affirmations, you will only be held back your own imagination and willpower. Experiment to find out what works better for you, in different situations.

Walking your way to a healthier you

icamm — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:00:04 +0000

Walking is the best form of exercise you can have to obtain better health and a fitter you and it will cost you nothing. It is a form of exercise which can be taken up by anyone regardless of age or physical condition providing you start off sensibly, as with all forms of exercise you are not used to doing.

The first steps to getting healthier should be taken slowly and it is advisable if you do not exercise on a regular basis to start off with no more than a 10-minute walk most days of the week. This can then be gradually increased to walking 3 times a day for 10 minutes or twice a day for 15 minutes at a time. There are many ways you can fit this into your daily routine without too much trouble; just consider when and where you could alter your routine to walk instead of taking the car or bus.

The benefits of walking are numerous to your health and wellbeing and simply by altering your routine and walking 30 minutes or more each and every day you can

* See an increase in your overall fitness and the tone of your muscles
* Feel good and look better
* Find that your level of energy increases
* Feel a lot less stressed and are slower to start feeling stressed
* Find that your pattern of sleep changes and you sleep better and feel more rested on waking
* Begin to reduce the risk of heart disease
* Reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer
* Find that depression starts lifting and you don’t feel down as easily as you once did
* Your outlook on life in general and the way you deal with things changes for the better
* You lose weight and look better
* You find that your muscles, joints and bones are stronger
* You reduce the risk of developing diabetes

You can start gaining all these and more benefits simply by increasing the amount of walking you do per day and being more active. In order to gain the best health and fitness from walking you should aim to walk at a moderate pace, a moderate pace means that while you shouldn’t be over exerting yourself you should be walking faster than strolling along. This means that while you are walking, you should be able to hold a conversation without getting breathless and your temperature should rise a little, but you shouldn’t be sweating to the extreme.

Not only will you feel better and look better once you have been on your new regime for a while, you will feel many more benefits health wise and be well on the way to leading a more productive, happier and healthier way of lifestyle.

Improve your Spiritual Life

icamm — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:15:02 +0000

Self improvement means a lot of things to different people, but for many folks the spiritual side of life is an important aspect of living. Spirituality can afford a certain comfort in life which isn’t found elsewhere, so naturally when a person sets out to improve their life the subject of spirituality should be addressed. Spirituality does not necessarily refer to packing up the family and heading to church services every Sunday. Although a corporate worship setting can provide contentment to some people, there are many others who choose to worship on their own terms.

Additionally, to derive the benefits of spirituality it isn’t necessary to accept one religion or another. Instead, the point is to find a belief set from which a person can derive comfort and focus faith. Having the belief that there is something bigger than themselves assists people in letting go of some troubles and concerns because they feel as though not everything is up to them. This sort of habit helps to eliminate certain life stressors and results in a calmer disposition in addition to improved physiological response. It is no wonder that researchers suggest people who are actively involved with spirituality live longer lives and are overall more satisfied with their quality of life.

So how does a person get involved in spirituality? Since it is imperative to feel comfortable with a chosen religion or spirituality, it is a good idea for a person to do some research before diving into a particular worship setting. There are countless books and videos which are designed to assist people who are seeking answers to spiritual questions, but it’s important to also ask questions of trusted friends and loved ones. Sometimes a friend or loved one can relate better to certain life situations and address questions more appropriately. There is also an abundance of religious leaders in every community who are usually more than willing to meet with people and answer questions. When seeking answers to spiritual questions, it’s important to not be timid and go forth full speed ahead with getting all the answers questioned before making any sort of decisions on where to worship.

The same idea applies to folks who are already involved in a religion and who might feel as though they aren’t getting what they need from their place of worship. Because spirituality can have such a huge impact on a person’s life, it is important to be content with whatever spiritual path chosen. When seeking self improvement in life, examining one’s current spiritual status is critical. If a person has everything else in line, such as having a healthy body and finances which are in order, everything might still seem chaotic if there is no spirituality present. For this reason, all people who are looking to make improvements in their lives should examine their spirituality and seek assistance when necessary. Spirituality can certainly provide comfort to people in good times and bad, so it makes a lot of sense to add it to daily life.

Traumatic Grief

icamm — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:30:03 +0000

Grief and Trauma

Traumatic grief is an uncomfortable state of mind that sets in due the traumatic loss of a loved one or some priced possession. It is a higher level of complicated grief. People who mostly in young age have suffered a major loss suffer from traumatic grief that further leads to illnesses, serious diseases and many disorders. The mind and body stop responding to simulations and acts happening around. The sudden state of shock with emotional imbalance leads to other serious problems. Traumatic grief if not checked or treated with alternate remedies can eventually become a disastrous menace.

Traumatic grief: Inside out

Many organizations in world today are assisting people, orphans, senior citizens who’ve been totally taken aback in life due to traumatic grief. Traumatic grief many a times shapes up as destructive grief that is not only harmful to one’s own self but also to the victims near and dear ones. Traumatic grief is accompanied by traumatic mourning, anger, guilt and even a sense of revenge at times. When critical relationships meet their end, when a sudden death afflicts a family the post effects and symptoms are inevitable which generally lead to traumatic grief. It is said that death leads to more death. The unforgettable loss of close persons or things leads to difficult situations. This hardship produces intense sensitivity to stimulus and extreme agitation, survivor guilt, invasive (uncontrolled and unwanted) thoughts and agitation. Inner self and conscience becomes inert and passive to normal gestures and routines.

Remedial Measures

A number of techniques have been developed to deal with traumatic grief. Traumatic grief treatment is a recently developed intrusion for a weakening bereavement-related condition.

Traumatic grief treatment techniques target emotional anguish and behavioral dodging with interpersonal relationship management as a major sub-juncture. The intensity is of traumatic grief is brought down considerably by alternate medicine therapies like aromatherapy, ‘yoga’, chelation therapy, chiropractic and homeopathy. With a slight effort and the will to recover out of the enduring trauma, one can be happy and satisfied even after major losses and disconcert situations.

Improve your sex life in just one week

icamm — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:00:03 +0000

Has your sex life got a little stale? Is sex becoming the very last thing on your mind? Are you finding it harder and harder to become aroused or arouse your partner? If so then maybe it is time that you spiced up your sex life a little and improved it, bring back the spark. Here are some tips to help you begin to improve your sex life in just one week.

Try something new, we can all benefit from a change and changing the way things are in the bedroom is no exception. For example you could try introducing something such as dressing up in uniforms. Dressing up is a way to help you escape from the humdrum of life and do or be something different. For example your man could dress up as a policeman, pilot or someone from the armed forces. You could dress up for you man as a French maid, policewoman or nurse.

If you have got into a rut and sex has become boring then consider trying out new positions. There are many ways you can learn new positions, the Internet has a vast amount of information and of course there are many books on new sexual positions. While some of the sexual positions in the karma sutra require you to be almost double jointed, there are a variety out there that are suitable for anyone, of any age.

Introduce sex toys into your love life, these can be as kinky or tame as you desire and can quickly add excitement and bring back the spark to a deteriorating sex life. There are toys available for both the man and women and these include handcuffs, pleasure creams or light bondage gear such as whips.

Role playing can add that little bit extra to a fading sex life, there is something exciting about pretending to be someone you are not. For instance pretend that you are complete strangers meeting each other for the first time in a bar. Play this out by using stools at your kitchen counter top and entice the other into a night of naughty passion with a stranger. Or you could play at being secretary and boss, doctor and nurse. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Lots of caressing and touching can add a spark and light the fires of passion. Plan on not having full sex but rather just foreplay, this can get so exciting that the two of you lose all control and end up having the best sex of your life.

Introducing food into your foreplay can be a great turn on, ideas you can use are bananas and whipped cream, cherries, chocolate or strawberry sauce, ice cream, again what you can do to turn each other on is only limited by your imagination and the contents of your fridge.

These are just some of the ways which you can easily and quickly spice up your sex life without it costing you a fortune, what you can achieve and how quickly you can achieve it is virtually only limited by your imagination.

Motivation and goal setting are the two sides of the same coin

icamm — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:30:04 +0000

Imagine a child standing on a diving board four feet high and asking the question: “Should I jump?” This is what motivation or the lack of it can do. Motivation and goal setting are the two sides of the same coin. Without motivation you can neither set a goal nor achieve it. Like the child on the diving board, you will stay undecided.

So how should you motivate yourself? More than that, how should you stay motivated to achieve the goal? First, you need to evaluate yourself, your values, your strengths, your weaknesses, your achievements, your desires etc. Only then you should set your goals.

You also need to judge the quality and depth of your motivation. This is quite important, because it is directly related to your commitment. There are times when your heart is not in your work. Such distraction can affect your work. So, slow down and think what you really want to do at that moment. Clarity of thoughts can help you move forward.

You also need to make an accurate and honest assessment of your abilities. This will prevent you from under-estimating or over-estimating your skills and guide you to set attainable and appropriate goals.

Another way of setting realistic goals is to analyze the short and long term objectives, keeping in mind your beliefs, values and strengths. Remember that goals are flexible; they can change according to circumstances. They also need to be measurable. You must keep these points in mind while setting your goals.

Your personal circumstances are equally important. For instance, you may want to be a pilot but can’t become one because your eyesight is not good enough. However, this should not discourage you. You should reassess your goals, and motivate yourself to set a fresh goal.

You will surely need to cross several hurdles, some planned, but most unplanned. You cannot overcome these hurdles without sufficient motivation. Make sure that you plan for these hurdles at the time of setting your goals.

Signals that could mean you are stressed

icamm — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:15:04 +0000

Stress affects people in different ways, but it is usually only the severity of the symptoms that differs while the actual symptoms remain basically the same. Some people are much easier to stress than others while some lose their cool for the slightest reasons, others can seemingly take a lot before the give in to stress and begin to show the common signals related to stress.

Stress can also be divided into two categories, short-term stress and long-term stress. Stress is generally regarded as short term if a situation comes up that you aren’t used to in everyday life such as an interview, an exam or going to the dentist. While the signals of short term stress and long term stress are the same, if you are only stressed in the short term these feelings are only with you on the day of the event or just before and quickly disappear once the event has passed. Once this has passed your body settles down and you think no more about the feelings of stress and anxiety and it passes with no trouble.

However, long term stress differs because it has the same signals as short term stress only they are with you almost everyday, constantly affecting your body and mind and developing into deep seated anxiety and panic attacks occasionally, if left to its own devices.

The common signals listed below could be warning signs that you are suffering from stress, either in the short term or long term and can vary from person to person in the severity

* The feelings of butterflies or knots in your stomach

* Feeling cold sweats and feeling very flushed or hot

* Your mouth feels as dry as a desert or that it is full of cotton wool

* Your heart seems to pound or beat much more quickly than it should

* Your hands may feel cold and they may tremble

* You lose the ability to concentrate and even think properly

* You feel a terrible feeling that you cant describe

* Your head feels as though a tight band of steel is encircling it and is pulling tighter and tighter

* Your skin feels itchy or as some people put it as though something is crawling beneath your skin

* You find it hard to settle down and often your sleeping patterns change with you laying awake for hours while feeling exhausted

* You sleep but wake up feeling more tired than when you went to bed

* Your energy levels drop and you begin to feel lethargic and have no interest in the things you once did

All the above are the most common signals that you are stressed and that you should take steps towards eliminating some of the stress from your life or finding adequate ways to be able to release the stress from your body and mind. If your level of stress is particularly high or if you have long-term stress then you should take advice from your doctor as you may need medication to get you back on track while you develop ways to beat stress.

Turn Off Your Television

icamm — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:45:04 +0000

Television is not innately evil,many people enjoy television responsibly and do not allow the TV to become a big time consumer. The fact is, however, that watching television is not only a passive activity but it can also thwart self improvement efforts in almost every possible area of self improvement. People looking to lose weight should turn off the TV so they can get moving. People looking to save money should turn off the TV and stop paying the high cable charges. People looking to make new friends should turn off the TV and go out among other people. No, TV is not all bad, but it certainly isn’t all good either.

People need to take a look at their TV viewing habits. What might have started out as watching a sporting game once a week and an occasional sitcom on a weeknight may turn into having the television on entirely too much. If a person has the TV on all the time simply as background noise, he or she needs to realize that the brain still processes what it hears, regardless of if the person is paying any attention. That means that people may not understand why they have a sudden craving for a certain type of ice cream, but if they had paid attention to the commercial on television they would understand that a marketing strategy was successful on them.

Television can make people feel bad about themselves. How many actors in prime time are overweight or unattractive? Not many. The fact that families on television shows can wrap up a quarrel within a thirty minute time slot (including commercials) may leave some viewers feeling inept in their own relationships. Sometimes these feelings can be subconscious, leaving people wondering why they feel so down on themselves when in all actuality the television show presents an unrealistic portrayal of human relationships. Television takes on a whole new level of danger when children are the viewers. Parents must take care to monitor the shows which children view, because children of a certain age are so incredibly impressionable that television might sway them in ways the parents never even thought of.

If television becomes such a permanent facet in people’s life, they may be left to wonder what in the world they should possibly do instead of switching on the tube. These people should try opening a book or magazine, or maybe going for a stroll. When all else fails, perhaps a nice, old-fashioned conversation is long overdue. Television does not need to be abolished from homes forever, but people should certainly learn to entertain themselves without the assistance of the TV. Self improvement is hindered when people spend hour upon hour slumped on the sofa watching television. People who spend less time in front of a TV will probably spend more time exercising, reading , socializing, and doing all the other sorts of things which make life more enjoyable. Try turning the TV off for a couple of nights and see what happens.

The Law of Attraction and Positive thinking

icamm — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:00:03 +0000

The Law of Attraction which came up in the late 19th century, states that a person’s thought process, emotions and attitude influence his life to a great extent. The theory explains that we are capable of bringing about remarkable changes in our lives, by through effective thought management and rightful utilization of our positive energies.

The idea of Positive thinking is closely associated with the Law of Attraction. The two ideas were interchangeably used by William Walker Atkins in his book Thought Vibration or Law of Attraction in the Thought World. The Law of Attraction believes that Positive thoughts attract Positive action and in turn, bring about Positive results. It is the inner understanding of one’s mind and a Positive belief in his thinking that leads a man to reach this end.

Positive thinking, which is one of the main tenets of the Law of Attraction, supposes that a person may have several shortcomings in his nature. Positive thinking may be made use of to rectify the areas that need correction. By this means, one can turn his biggest weaknesses into some of his biggest strengths. As for example, a person may be too meticulous. This may take a lot of his time and he may also enter into trouble with others who do not approve his nature. But with Positive thinking, it can be corrected. The man may be taught to where to stop and how much to edit. In that case, his eye for perfection becomes a virtue. This is one of the biggest rewards of both the Law of Attraction and Positive thinking.

The Law of Attraction employs Positive thinking to create a pleasant reality and also prevent unpleasant reality. This is possible because if one concentrates upon Positive thinking and maintains a calm of mind without giving in to negative situations or thoughts, he can actually overcome them. This happens because, Positive thinking and adherence to the Law of Attraction creates a sense of preparedness in an individual, which imbibes in him the strength to confront the bad. This in turn results in removing the fear from his mind and disappearance of the negative thought.

Though, the Law of Attraction and Positive thinking are integrally linked to one another, the truth is one is a part of the other. Positive thinking is a part of the Law of Attraction. On the other hand, the Law of Attraction operates mainly through Positive thinking.

Positive Influences On Your Self Improvement Success

icamm — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:30:02 +0000

There are things you can do to ensure your success when making self-improvement goals this year. They all have to do with having a positive attitude and positive energy. Positive influences are those things that we do or say that make us feel good about others or ourselves. Positive influences can shape good personal character. Influences can come from home, church, school, peers, co-workers, friends.

Home

Our parents usually have a major influence on their children. They model behavior for their children to follow, good or bad. As children grew they become more aware of how our parents handle various life situations and good outcomes positively influence their kids to follow in their footsteps. Bad outcomes will cause kids to avoid following in the same footsteps.

The environment we grew up in can have a positive or negative influence on us. A loving, stable home life will provide the kind of positive reinforcements that will enable children to grow up healthy and strong in character. An unstable, or violent home life will have a negative impact on the psyche and ability of kids to mature or cope with situations. Positive influences from your home, whether that be from your parents or from the home environment help to shape the positive attitudes necessary to feel confident about achieving self-improvement goals. Peers, co-workers and friends

These people in our lives can create positive influences for us as well. They encourage our efforts at self-improvements. They support us when we fail, or when we get lost along the path. We confide in them, our self-improvement goals and discuss with them how to go about achieving them. We value their input and are uplifted when we receive positive encouragement.

Church

The church environment will positively affect our spiritual and moral character. A lot of our self-improvement goals center on moral issues. Usually these goals involve behavior. Inappropriate behavior can create uncomfortable relationships, or have unhealthy consequences for our bodies. Behavior that may cause us to desire to make self-improvements might be: having multiple sex partners, being involved in crimes of violence etc. Some of our bad habits start when we forget what is good for us and become entrenched in doing what is harmful for our bodies and or our minds. The church can have a positive influence on us to understand how such inappropriate behavior is harming us and others, which leads us to set goals for self-improvement. Positive influences in the church can be found from congregational members, pastors, church programs and in the faith doctrines that are taught and followed by church members.

School

School officials and teachers as well as fellow students can have a positive influence for those who attend the school, as well as the community. Positive influences can come from teacher-pupil relationships, extra-curricular activities, curriculum and the friendships that are fostered in the school environment.

Just like the home, the school environment can have both negative and positive elements depending on the people and factors that exist in the school. The community members can choose to contribute to the school programs through volunteer positions (cafeteria aids, teacher helpers etc.) The community also can have a positive influence through monetary donations that support positive programming in the school.

Children learn values in both the home and school that can affect the choices they make in life; including the choices concerning self-improvement. Positive influences form home and school reinforces the idea that we can succeed at what we set out to do. We learn how to believe in ourselves by the positive reinforcements awarded to us in school and at home when we attempt to accomplish tasks and succeed. Even our failures are opportunities for positive reinforcement and encouragement.

Tips To Restructure Life After Grief

icamm — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:00:08 +0000

Situation Analysis

A traumatic period is when a person is going through a difficult phase of his life due to the loss of close persons, precious things or simply a state of shock. Today science has developed methods like aromatherapy, timeline therapy, psychotherapeutic medication etc. to assist a victim come out of the trauma. On the spiritual side we have meditation, ‘yoga’ and ‘reiki’ to bring back persons to their original normal. One with assistance of loved ones needs to review the whole scenario and convert it all into healthy stress that’ll further prevent Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We should accept the fact with full grace that shocks and sadness are an inseparable part of one’s life. One should efficiently search for ways to better one’s living after problematic situations.

Ways to reconstruct life

First and foremost we should just be altered by tough times and not devastated or destroyed by them. Try out techniques like self-help, adventure activities, like interest communities to lighten the burden of life and try making life less cluttered by staying in a peaceful environ with cheery people around. Try and chalk out weekly schedules regarding your exercising, socializing, diet-regime, pleasure outings etc. Start communicating more with loved ones and believe strongly in the power of expression. Try seeking guidance from experienced personnel like counselors, elders and friends. Do not cut yourself from the society; it’ll just aggravate the process of becoming an introvert recluse. It’s better to be late than ever, identify your capacity and speed and start working to better yourself in life.

The Happy Ending

Once if a deliberate effort is made to restructure life and accept it’s intricacies in a better perspective, one can easily experience the spring that awaits one after the fall. Restructuring means methodical, meticulous approach towards management and in this case is in respect to self-management. An effective restructuring can aid a person to better ones analytical, inter-personal and social skills. Try recouping out of the stress and life will seem much easier and comfortable be it emotionally, physically, socially or psychologically.

Sleeping your way to health

icamm — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:00:05 +0000

Most of us don’t realize the true value that sleep can have on our bodies and minds and the majority of us don’t get enough of it. While for some of us this is due to suffering from a sleep disorder such as insomnia, others just stay up too late and have commitments which require us to get up early. Getting enough quality sleep is essential to getting us through our day but also for our overall health.

One of the biggest things that lack of sleep has on our bodies is our hormones; various hormones in our body work together and have an effect on our health. When we suffer from lack of sleep we begin to crave more carbohydrates and sugar, our blood sugar levels will also fluctuate. If we don’t get enough sleep it can cause problems with out adrenal glands, the adrenal glands regulate your body’s health, when our adrenal glands start suffering, and we start to suffer.

One of the main problems being an increase in hormone cortisol, cortisol helps us to resist stress, maintain our blood pressure and our moods are dependant on it. However if there is an increase in cortisol then it can cause adverse reactions within our body and is not good for us.

So what can we do to ensure that we get enough sleep? Here are some tips to help

* Avoid eating before going to bed – if possible do not eat after 7pm, the later you eat the less time your body has to digest food before you go to bed. Instead of resting your body will spend all night digesting the food you ate. Also going to bed on a full stomach will lead to you feeling uncomfortable and tossing and turning all night long.

* Get enough exercise throughout the day – if you aren’t getting enough exercise throughout the day then you aren’t going to be tired. Getting regular exercise not only gets you fitter but also helps you to get a good nights rest.

* Dim your lights – just as the sun streaming through your window first thing in the morning starts your day off by energizing you, dimming your lights at night can encourage your body to slow down and unwind.

* Buy a suitable mattress – if you are having trouble getting comfortable at night in bed then consider buying a new mattress, if your mattress is old and worn this could be the reason you are tossing and turning all night.

* Have a schedule and keep to it – develop a healthy internal clock by getting yourself into a routine. Get up at the same time every morning and go to bed at the same time.

* Avoid taking naps – where possible stay awake and don’t take a nap during the day, taking a nap during the day confuses your internal clock and you are not as tired when it comes to going to bed.

* Keep your bedroom relaxed – avoid turning your bedroom into an office, don’t put a desk or computer in there and be tempted to work. If you have work in there you are more than likely going to thinking of the things you have done or should have done and this can keep you awake.

* A hot drink – try winding down with a hot drink before going to bed, of course give this time to go through your body before lying down for the night, otherwise you will awaken with the need to go to the bathroom. Preferably make cocoa with hot milk but avoid coffee and tea.

Manage your life by setting workable personal goals

icamm — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:15:04 +0000

Managing your life successfully is all about how well organized you are, setting yourself personal goals is an excellent way to manage your life more efficiently and make it run along smoother.

With personal goals in place you are better able to achieve what it is you want out of life and by keeping a written journal of your achievements are able to see how far you have come. Goals can be set on different levels depending on what it is you wish to achieve. Starting out with small goals in mind and reaching these before moving onto higher ones will ease you into the routine of working with them. You can also set goals for the short term or the long term but the most important thing to remember is that they must be reasonably obtainable in a specific period of time.

Structuring goals

Structuring goals will also help you to meet them, by structuring it means breaking larger goals down into smaller ones and working on each part independently. The first step you have to take when thinking of your life goals is what t is you want out of life, unless you know what you want or the areas which you want to improve upon then you have no chance of setting life goals.

Covering as many important aspects of your life as you can is important, the easiest way you can achieve this is to divide what it is from life into separate categories. For example think about what you wish to achieve artistically, what you want to change about your attitude, your career, family or your financial aspects.

Once you have chosen the areas that you realize need changing then organize these into categories by importance, the goals which you want to achieve first to last. Setting out your goals this way can help you to prioritize your life and get you on course.

Divide and conquer

Once you have set out the goals that you wish to achieve throughout your lifetime then again break these down into smaller time frames. 5 year, 1 year, 6 month and 1 month goals work out well and each step of the way will bring you closer to reaching your lifetime goals. Of course these goals should be taken from the categories you worked out beforehand.

Dividing them further you can then break them down into daily to do lists. During the beginning these goals should be related to the categories of which you want improve areas of life but keep them small. For example you could choose to learn more about a certain aspect you wish to change. By starting out small and working your way up it will give you confidence and show you that you can succeed in meeting tasks you set out.

Once you have been striving towards your goals for a while don’t forget to keep reviewing and make sure you are going where you want in life. If you find that you have strayed off the path or are going slightly in the wrong direction then take a good look at your life goals again and reorganize them.

Remember to set life goals which you will be able to achieve, never set yourself impossible goals or tasks or you will surely despair and eventually give up. Give yourself encouragement by keeping a journal of your progression as you go forward to finally achieving what it is you want out of life.

Taking the Steps towards a New Body

icamm — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:45:03 +0000

A quest for self improvement often begins when people take a look in the mirror and decide that they just don’t like what they see. Weight loss companies make billions of dollars from people discontented with their bodies, and oftentimes people pour money into programs with no results or instead with results which are merely temporary. In order to make physical changes permanent, people need to consider their goal to be a long term one, and not look for a quick fix.

Before beginning the endeavor of improving physical health, it is important for people to meet up with their doctor. This advice is more than simply something which is plastered on every exercise machine, book, and program; it is sage advice which is meant to make sure people do not jump into a program their body cannot handle. Unless there is a history of health problems in a person’s family, he or she may not really know what sort of disease or ailment may be waiting to emerge. After all, heart disease is referred to as The Silent Killer because oftentimes there are no blatant warning signs before a person’s heart gives out. Visiting a doctor and requesting a complete physical is the best place to start because a doctor is the only person who can rule out any underlying physical conditions which may need attention.

After the visit to the doctor, a person should set some small goals to reach their large goal. For example, if a man is looking to lose thirty pounds he may want to break the goal up into small increments to make it more manageable: five pounds by his impending birthday, five more pounds before vacation, and so on until the ultimate goal of fifty pounds is reached. Along the way, he should certainly allow for rewards with each small goal accomplished. Perhaps he might purchase a new workout outfit with each five pounds lost, or instead treat himself to a night at the movies each time he gets five pounds closer to his ultimate goal. Not recognizing all the small successes along the way might result in his losing his momentum and eventually getting off track. The main point is to stay motivated.

A better physical condition does not always include losing weight. Some people need to gain weight, some people need to build muscle mass, and for many people the exclusion of cigarettes or alcohol from their daily repertoire might be the thing to improve their health. The important thing is to recognize what needs to be done in order to reach the ultimate goal of better health. An aspiration such as this is indeed a valid goal when it comes to self improvement because not only will it improve a person’s quality of life, but it may actually wind up lengthening it as well. People might set self improvement goals such as getting finances in order or meeting their soul mate, but the goal of becoming physically healthy is a worthy goal indeed.

Positive Attitude and Optimism for Promoting Health

icamm — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:15:03 +0000

Perhaps you know that your mental health has a strong relationship with your physical health. If you adopt a positive attitude and an optimistic view of life, you will lead a more satisfying and healthy life than when you constantly look at the dark side of things or take a negative stance. Studies have shown that people with a happy state of mind live healthier and longer. They lead more fulfilling lives. People who are highly pessimistic are known to run a higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular disorders and other ailments than those who are habitually highly optimistic.

You would like to live a good and healthy life for long, surely. The best way for this is to shed your negative way of thinking and replace it by positive thinking, positive attitude and optimism. This is the very foundation for well-being and a fulfilling and happy life. Real enjoyment in life comes when your good health permits you to reap the benefits of your material wealth. And that is possible if you habitually look at the brighter side of life. The power of positive thinking cannot be underestimated in terms of its effect on promoting health.

Adopt a way of thinking which helps you always to be hopeful, even in times of extreme misery and sorrow. As day follows night, if you remember that a brighter and better life is round the corner and that the present, however poorly lighted it might be, will give way to a brighter future, your attitude is optimistic. It will help you to deal with the prevailing circumstances with fortitude and patience.

Psychological studies conducted on some Harvard students have established a strong correlation between the optimistic attitude demonstrated in their student days and the health they enjoyed after they attained the age of 40 and above. Optimism has proven benefits. You deal with your life’s problems in a better way if you adopt a positive attitude. You will then lead a healthier, happier life and there is a high probability of living longer.

It is not impossible to change your way of thinking from negative to positive, even when you have been a pessimist all along. You can change your attitudes, with a little bit of effort and training. Remember, it is never too late to change, if that change is for the better and holds out hope for a better health and happier life. Start right away by banishing all negative remarks and utterances that you are in the habit of making. Gradually improve upon it by thinking with hope for better things to come, for better health and for a favorable solution to your problems, whatever they might be.

Practice is essential for thinking in a positive manner even when faced with an apparently hopeless situation. Analyze the facts, get rid of your fears and above all take full responsibility for your actions. Just see some good in the worst of situations and events. If you adopt this attitude, you will see for yourself how your life takes a new meaning. You will be healthy and happy.

Top 8 ways to help yourself eat right

icamm — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:30:03 +0000

The benefits of eating health and right are numerous, it changes not only the way you look and feel about yourself, but the health benefits are also numerous. Here are the top 8 ways you can help yourself to eat right, look better and feel healthier.

Establishing a regular schedule for eating is a great way to train yourself to eat right. This not only includes main meals but also snacking. Never be tempted to miss out on breakfast and just grab coffee. By doing this you are setting yourself up for snacking around mid morning.

Always start off your day with a healthy nutritional breakfast with juice. Have a sensible lunch and don’t forget to include fruit and vegetables, follow this by a healthy dinner with plenty of fresh vegetables. If you do snack then keep vegetables and fruit handy to nibble instead of reaching for the cookies.

Always make sure that you keep plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables around the home to snack on. You can cut up carrots into sticks or celery and put them in the fridge, the same goes with fruit, try making a fruit salad in the evening, cover it up airtight and chill it overnight.

Motivate yourself to eat better, if you don’t get enough exercise then start up a routine. Work out or go for walk before meals to build up an appetite and always think about eating healthier when shopping for food and planning meals for the week ahead. If you are stuck for ideas then check out the numerous healthy eating recipes online.

Instead of just picking ready meals from the shelves of supermarkets, sit down and think about your meals and write out a shopping list before you go shopping. Remember to include lots of healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, and chicken, fish and lean meat.

Take notice of what you are drinking; this is as important as what you eat. Do you drink a lot of coffee or tea? This is a stimulant, so if you do cut down, drink more water, natural juices and milk and keep a track of the soft drinks with sugar and additives.

When shopping always remember to read the labels on food packaging. It can be surprising how many calories packaged food contains along with large amounts of salt and additives.

If you like take away food then limit yourself, there are a large amount of calories in many of the fast foods. Only eat out every once in a while or why not try a salad or pasta instead of burgers, fries or pizza. It’s a lot healthier.

If you like snacking then consider replacing chips, cookies and candy with nuts or health food bars. There are numerous health food bars available which contain a set amount of calories while providing a nutritional and tasty snack. If you have to eat crisps and chips then go for the ones which are low in salt and oils.

Stretch Your Budget Farther

icamm — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:15:03 +0000

Just because the price of things does up all the time doesn’t mean your spending needs to. Instead, stretch your budget a little farther with a little help from these tips.

* Repair things when you can, even things form other people, and reuse them instead of buying new. Search print classifieds and publications like “Trading Times” for items no longer wanted that you could put to use instead of buying new. Look at eBay for auctions of used and even new, discounted items.

* Get with a neighbor and buy in bulk, then separate when you return home. This works great for meats form the grocer, with pizza delivery specials and a whole lot more.

* Every year at least once, go online to search for better credit card rates and watch your postal mail, too. You can save up to 10 percent and even more. Plus sometimes you can get neat specials like free travel miles or points to purchase products or get rebates.

* Negotiate with purchases and services you need, even if prices are clearly marked. See if you can barter or offer your own services in exchange for those of another.

* Start your own part time business online or off. Check library books for helpful information and businesses to start. Also check with the Small Business Administration and their affiliate S.C.O.R.E. at:

SBA Answer Desk
6302 Fairview Road, Suite 300
Charlotte, North Carolina 28210
1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722)
Send e-mails to: answerdesk@sba.gov
Answer Desk TTY: (704) 344-6640

SCORE Association
409 3rd Street, SW, 6th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20024
1175 Herndon Pkwy., Suite 900
Herndon, VA 20170
Phone 1-800/634-0245 or 703/487-3612
Fax: 703/487-3066

http://www.score.org

Get on their mailing and emailing lists today!

* For a date with your spouse or a time out for yourself, head to a matinee instead of the evening show. It’s not only cheaper, it’s healthier because you’re not eating all that popcorn and junk food right before bed.

* Look around before buying your next purchases. You can comparison shop online in a click nowadays at sites like MySimon.com. Check at eBay and Amazon, too, for new and used goods.

* Stop looking for name brands all the time. Toothpaste is toothpaste; mouthwash is mouthwash. But everything is cheaper at Dollar stores and wholesale outlet stores. Instead of fancy, brand name conditioner, you can buy at least twice the dollar amount or more there. It’s worth a visit.