From my guest post How to Take Life in Stride at The Next 45 Years:

“For someone with a flair for the dramatic, or for those of a sensitive nature, life can feel like a roller coaster run amok. At first, this sort of high-drama life can feel exciting, exhilarating even.

But before long it just becomes an unending cycle of exhausting effort. Unfortunately, by the time it gets to this point few people remember that their roller-coaster lifestyle is a ride they actually control. Don’t let life jerk you around like a runaway midway attraction. Here are several tips to help you get off the scary-go-round for good:”

Read the rest of How to Take Life in Stride.

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From my article 7 Secrets to Improve Your Ability to Learn (For Students of All Ages) at Pick The Brain:

“No matter what your age, throughout your life you will be learning. Your formal education ends with high school, but for many the learning never ends. You may attend a university, trade school, night school, community college or adult school. You may enhance your knowledge via business seminars, lectures, books, e-courses, and whatever else shows up in our information society. So wouldn’t it be helpful to have some good study habits and some tools to increase your ability to learn?

Although you may not be studying information to get good grades, retention of what you are learning can help your career, your parenting skills, your business, your relationships, your hobbies, and so much more. So it makes sense to acquire good learning skills sooner than later. Skills such as speed reading and good comprehension are useful for all the great information you want to take in.

Here are some more secrets for improving your ability to learn. Most apply to classes, but you can adapt them to any learning situation.”

Read the rest of 7 Secrets to Improve Your Ability to Learn (For Students of All Ages).

Personal development is simply the act of enjoying your life and of being in control of it. You learn to make decisions every day that guide you towards achieving a set of goals or values, and remaining motivated to achieve your goals. Personal development helps you work more effectively and efficiently yet maintain your focus on what really matters in your life.

The first personal development book was published by Samuel Smiles in 1859. He opens his book with the quote, “Heaven helps those who help themselves.” Also known as self-help, there is a great variety of resources available to offer guidance through nearly any of life’s trials and tribulations.

There are some commonalities seen carried throughout most personal development texts, articles, teachings, and so forth: Read Post

When we are young, we are invincible. There is nothing we cannot accomplish – no mountain too high to climb, no weight too heavy to bear. We believe we can do anything. If you do not believe it, go right now and try to give your teenager some words of wisdom and you will see exactly what I mean.

So when do we lose our invincibility? What happens to us over time that causes us to put limits on what we believe is possible? Most likely, someone along the way told us we were not good enough for them – that we did not have the skills, the brains, or the looks they wanted. We learned to judge ourselves, and came up wanting.

In your quest for personal growth, it is important to recognize that most of the limits we face in our lives are self-imposed. Free up your mind, and you will free your spirit, allowing you to accomplish things you may have always thought impossible.

There are a few important keys to limitless living, and it takes practice. You are not going to be able to overcome years of negative energy all at once. It will take conscious thought to release your subconscious from its bonds, but it can be done. Keep these things in mind as you pursue your own goals that lead you towards happiness and fulfillment: Read Post

From my article 5 Reasons Why People Don’t Take You Seriously and How to Fix It at Dumb Little Man:

“Ever wonder how some people manage to command a room simply by entering it?

Do you sometimes feel like you get mowed down by other people’s big ideas, priorities and needs?

Is it exceedingly difficult for you to get people to cooperate and follow your lead?

While some people seem blessed with strong character from birth, the rest of us flounder, stagnate, learn to acquire a taste for shoe leather. Why is this? It may be because people aren’t taking you seriously enough. And the reason is that, most likely, you don’t take yourself seriously enough.

How others see us begins with how we see ourselves. We project this self-perception into every action and every word we speak. Here are five reasons people aren’t taking you seriously and how to fix it.”

Read the rest of 5 Reasons Why People Don’t Take You Seriously and How to Fix It.

From my article Happiness: How to Become Comfortable in Your Own Skin at The Change Blog:

“Did you ever enter a room, see people talking and laughing together and wonder: how are they so at ease? Does it feel like a big deal to just “jump into a conversation” or assert your opinion? Do you have trouble relaxing and just being yourself in the company of others?

Many of us carry around the notion that other people are more emotionally and intellectually solid than we are. Is this true? Is it some kind of glitch in the human brain which makes us regard others as being better or superior?

If we press the pause button and really stop, what happens? We realize that our comfort level has much more to do with ourselves than anybody else. Here are some ways to become more effective, simply by feeling more at peace with who (and how) we are.”

Read the rest of Happiness: How to Become Comfortable in Your Own Skin and give it a Digg!

Conflict in life is inevitable. No matter where you go or who you are with, you will encounter conflict at some point. It is important to develop healthy conflict resolution strategies, though, to ensure ongoing successful relationships with the important people in your life.

There are many things that can lead to conflict. Whether it occurs in your personal or in your professional relationships, each person brings his or her own moods, ideas, habits, and needs into the relationship. Each of these things creates the possibility of conflict.

When people do not get what they want or perceive they are not getting what they need, conflict can arise as those people begin to act out. Sudden change, boredom, or poor communication can serve to enhance that person’s already acute sense of frustration, hastening the occurrence of the conflict and potentially increasing its severity.

Failure to resolve conflict can lead to the alienation of individuals and cause rifts in relationships. Keep in mind, though, that not all conflict is necessarily negative. In many instances, conflict can lead to increased communication, uncover solutions to a problem, clarify issues, and lead to deeper emotional bonds. Conflict can be the impetus to achieving positive change in your life or in your career.

When you do encounter conflict, there are several things you can do to ensure a successful resolution: Read Post

When you are trying to keep up with the daily grind, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of the fact that you reap what you sow in your personal relationships. If it is intimacy you desire, you must first be able to inspire it. If you desire friendship, you must first be able to bestow it. If you seek equality and fairness, then those qualities must work both ways.

Relationships are like flowers. They need sunshine and tending. They need to be looked after. They need attention. Without these things, the relationship will grow stale and wither away, like a flower dying on a vine.

As a relationship blooms, it becomes the priority in each person’s life. Both people put in the effort to make time for each other, to pay attention to each other, and to constantly let the other person know how much they care. There is tremendous happiness in each others’ company, and the relationship brings a great sense of fulfillment.

But as the relationship matures, the struggles of day to day life gradually creep back in, like weeds growing in the garden. At first they may not even be noticeable, but if left unattended, they can slowly take over and choke out the flower.

1. Take the Time for a Loving Gesture Read Post

Sometimes in our haste to get things done, we forget to take our time and make sure they are done well. Trying to hurry through a project without giving much thought to the consequences is likely to result in shoddy work and a large number of errors. Not only does your reputation as a professional suffer from such work, but in the end it could end up costing you precious time as well. You may find yourself revisiting old projects, trying to undo or repair mistakes that were made the first time through.

Rather than put yourself in this position and risk tarnishing your reputation in the process, slow down and take the time to ensure your projects are completed right the first time around. The added time it takes to be thorough is a small price to pay in comparison to the price shoddy work can cost you in the long run. This could be of particular concern if you work as an independent contractor, and are able to charge higher rates due to the high quality of your work. Performing rushed jobs could cause your quality to slip, which could result in fewer sales or the need to reduce your prices so they are more in alignment with your local competition. Read Post