January 18, 2019

Turning a New Leaf to Lead a Better Life

 
Note: This post has been contributed.
 
 
We’re in the first month of the year, so it’s not all too surprising that many of us are still thinking about new beginnings and becoming a better person. The opening of a new calendar provides us with a completely blank slate that we can mould into a wonderful twelve months filled with positivity and happiness. So, where should we start when it comes to improving ourselves and consequently improving not only our own lives, but the lives of others around us too? Well, here are a few steps that you can take in order to make everything as peachy perfect as it can be in the near future!
Confront Existing Problems
When we are experiencing difficulties and tough times, it can be relatively difficult to stand up to whatever it may be that’s causing us trouble. This is why many of us attempt to sweep issues under the carpet and hope that they go away. This can be anything. Whether it’s financial issues, problems in our personal relationships, struggles with our physical health or mental health, or anything else. But it’s important to remember that simply ignoring issues doesn’t help to resolve them and there’s a good chance that they won’t simply go away. This is why you need to confront your problems. This can be done in a variety of ways. Sometimes just talking to someone about your problems can help significantly. It helps you to better explain and understand what you are going through and you could receive some good advice on how to move forward. If you want someone to talk to, take a look at Universal Church of the Kingdom of God locations and pop in or call up for a little help. Remember that a problem shared is a problem halved!
Forgive
It’s easy to bear a grudge. Especially if you truly feel that someone has wronged you. But try not to do this. Holding onto negative feelings can often prove more detrimental to you than the person you feel upset or hurt by. It causes you to ruminate on bad experiences and can hinder the process of getting over them and moving on in your own life. This is why forgiveness is so important. Being able to forgive someone doesn’t necessarily have to mean being their best friend and spending all of your time with them. It just means that you accept what has happened and show a willingness to leave it in the past. Letting go can be a huge relief. So, give it a try. It’s not necessarily going to be an easy or an immediate process, but it is possible.
These are just a couple of steps that you could try out in your journey to turn a new leaf in the book of your life. But they could significantly improve your happiness and quality of life. So, consider incorporating them into your routine as soon as possible! You will be able to reap the benefits sooner rather than later.
 
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January 4, 2019

Best Books of 2018

Read 23 books in 2018. Down a bit from prior years, as podcasts are getting better and better (and taking up more and more of my commute time). Top 8 asterisked, with the rest in descending order.
Any must-reads I missed?
*Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy - Sheryl Sandberg *Like Brothers - Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass *Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life & Comedy - Judd Apatow *The Power of Moments - Chip and Dan Heath *12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson *The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement - Eliyahu Goldratt *Why Not Me - Mindy Kaling *Lost and Founder - Rand Fishkin
Dare to Lead - Brene Brown The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few - Robert Reich The Modern Political Tradition: Hobbes to Habermas
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries, Jack Trout When to Jump - Mike Lewis The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee - Sarah Silverman Not That Kind of Girl - Lena Dunham Killing Marketing - Robert Rose and Joe Pulizzi Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions - Russell Brand The Coming Storm - Michael Lewis The Rational Optimist - Matt Ridley Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant - Renee Mauborgne, W. Chan Kim Unqualified - Anna Faris
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January 4, 2019

Making Working From Home Easier

 
Note: This post has been contributed.
Many people have finally taken that plunge to either work for themselves and freelance or start their own businesses, and traditionally these begin from home. Working from home for some can often be seen as the dream, but actually it is a lot harder than you might think. There are, however, tips and hacks you can implement into your day to make things work easier, and to allow you to strike that work and home life balance right. With that in mind, here are some suggestions.
Go paperless
Working from home means that you have everything in the one place, but that can often mean that your home gets untidy because of work related papers, etc. So out may be time to go paperless. You could start with a cheap virtual mailing address service that will actually make all your mail virtual and sent direct to your email. Making less paper. It can also look professional at meeting to have a paperless system. Being able to showcase results, figures, etc on your tablet or to be sent to potential clients via email.
Work on your time management
Time management is extremely important when you work from home, so it may be time to start thinking about how you can make some changes to the way you work. This will help stop the blur of working and living at home. It could be that you give yourself set working hours, and focus on areas to make some big changes. It could be that you look at blocking time to do certain tasks, so that you can bulk do tasks at different points of the day. There are some great time management hacks online and many of them are very useful for working from home.
Have a dedicated area to work
Working from home means that you are surrounded by distraction, so having a dedicated place to work can help you get into work mode more easily than it would be to sit in bed or in your living room. Of course, these are big benefits of working from home, being able to work from anywhere, but having one space for work can help you to stay on track. Plus it can also work in the opposite way, enabling you to walk away from your job and then focus on home life without feeling constantly on the clock.
Work in the local community 
Finally, working from home means that you have the local vicinity to work with. Not only does it help to work locally and outside of the home, for a change of scenery, but dependent on what your work is, you could also canvass for business in the local community. You are there to provide a service or to sell products, so doing this locally can help you to tap into a customer base with very little competition out there. Working outside of the home can also give you that time to network and be in the company of others, as working from home can get lonely at times.
Let’s hope these tips help you to make working from home easier.
 
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January 1, 2019

My Favorite Songs of 2018


2018 was an INCREDIBLE year for new music. And I listened to it all, so you'd only have to listen to the best. Here are my favorite (indie rock/chill-leaning) SONGS of 2018, since albums are irrelevant (fight me).

Anything move you that I missed?
lovely (with Khalid) - Billie Eilish
This is America - Childish Gambino
Slow Burn - Kacey Musgraves
Fallingwater - Maggie Rogers
‘Til It’s Over - Anderson .Paak
Loving You Well - Luke Sital-Singh
2009 - Mac Miller
Nina Cried Power (feat. Mavis Staples) - Hozier
The Gold (Phoebe Bridgers version) - Manchester Orchestra
Peach Scone (Live) - Hobo Johnson & The LoveMakers
Pray - SAM SMITH
Birthplace - Novo Amor
Souvenir - boygenius
Bambi - Hippo Campus

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