Want a Great Holiday Survival Strategy? How to Take Criticism like a Champion

December 12, 2011 by

One of the hardest things in the world can be to receive negative criticism on something we have done. No one wants to feel like they havecritic quote done something wrong and hearing someone talk about our faults and mistakes can make us very frustrated and discouraged.

However, criticism doesn’t have to be so bad when you approach it with the right attitude. In fact, when you think of it in the following way, it can actually benefit you positively and help you improve.

Here is how:

Separate yourself from what is being criticized

Whenever we put our time and effort into doing something or creating something, we inevitably invest a little part of ourselves in it. Therefore, whenever anyone tells us that it is not good, whether it is a dance performance, a chili con carne, or a business report, it is easy to feel hurt.

When someone criticizes your work, you might feel like they are criticizing you as well and their comments can make you feel discouraged and defensive.

The first step to taking criticism like a champion is to completely take yourself and your fragile ego out of the equation. When you do something, make sure that you are able to separate yourself from it and view it objectively.

For example, if someone is critiquing a painting that you have done, remember that they are not insulting you as an artist they are simply pointing out the flaws of the painting itself.

Understand the Criticism

The next step after you have overcome the urge to take the criticism personally is to understand what the person is trying to say. Perhaps they have a valuable point that you can take into consideration, which will help you do better next time.

If you don’t understand why they are making the criticism, ask them for clarification. Ask them why they think the way they do, how they came up with that opinion, and if they have any suggests of what you could do differently. Whether you disagree with them or not, it’s important to understand first where the criticism is coming from.

Use it To Improve

The final step once you have understood what the other person is trying to say is to try to use the feedback you have received to improve. Keep it in mind next time that you do something and if you can change your behavior to get a better result, do so!

Now you are succeeding even more than before and you have discovered that criticism doesn’t have to hurt, and it can even help you do better at whatever goal you are trying to achieve.

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Make Your House Look like a Million Bucks on a Miniscule Budget

December 10, 2011 by

What can you do if your home is looking tired and drab, but you can’t afford to give it a full makeover?

Sprucing up your home can be expensive, especially if you are buying all new furniture and décor. However, it doesn’t have to be.

When you can get beautiful items for cheap, and use your own creativity and hard work, it is possible to create a beautiful home that looks like a million dollars but doesn’t cost it!

Video Decorating Tips from Thom Filicia, host of Style Network’s “Dress My Nest”:

 

Always Buy Used

Have you ever walked around a new furniture show room and fallen in love with the beautiful couches, tables, chairs and décor but let out an unhappy sigh when you saw the price tag?

When you start to look anywhere other than the brand new furniture stores for your home furnishings and décor, you will be amazed at how much cheaper buying used items can be.

  • Auctions: If your city has an auction house, head down and see what you can find. Sometimes auction houses will have estate sales or foreclosure sales, and there will be many good quality items on the chopping block. It comes down to luck and timing, but if there is an item that you want that no one else is interested in, you can snag it for an absolute steal!
  • Ebay, Craigslist, and other Websites: Why go buy a brand new chest of drawers, when someone in your city is trying to get rid of theirs because they don’t have room? The items you find on these websites can be of good quality, and are certainly cheaper than buying new.
  • Used Furniture Stores: Every now and then, spend an afternoon hunting through thrift shops and seeing what you find. It’s never a guarantee, but you will usually discover a great little item that is good as new and suits your décor perfectly, and it will only cost a few dollars!

Get Creative

You can save a lot of money on home décor if you take the time to put in a little creative effort yourself.

For example, you can spend a lot of money on expensive patterned wall paper, or you can take an afternoon and a couple of different colors of paint and sponge your own unique pattern on the walls.

Rather than buying expensive art or photos for the walls, print out your own photography and use a simply but cheap frame. Doing the hard work of decorating by yourself will also save money on labor costs.

Making your home more beautiful doesn’t need to cost a lot of money, as there are many ways to cut down the costs of decorating.

 

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Need to Exercise? Use These Quick Tips to Fit Exercise into Your Busy Workday

December 9, 2011 by

Do you get frustrated because you want to live a healthier lifestyle but your job keeps you sitting at a desk all day? quick exercise tips

Sedentary work can cause us to gain weight and suffer from eye strain, back pain, and lack of energy. However, it is a lot easier than you think to add physical activity to your workday, even if you are chained to a desk.

Adding in small bursts of exercise to your daily routine will not only help you keep fit, slim and healthy, it will also give you more energy to take on the day and boost your mood.

Here are a few ideas to get a little exercise even if you’re super busy:

  • Wake up 10 or 15 minutes earlier than you normally would and try going for a jog around the block or doing some yoga stretches. It will be difficult at first, but once you get into this habit you will feel strange without it.
  • If it is possible, ride your bike or walk to work rather than driving. This is a super easy way to fit exercise into your routine, and you will save money on gas!
  • If you work on a high floor of an office building, take the stars instead of the elevator. It makes a little bit of difference, and it is one of the easiest ways to grab 5 minutes of exercise in your busy day.
  • Replace your chair with an exercise ball. By sitting on this large ball, you will be forced to keep your abdominal muscles and back muscles flexed, which will strengthen your inner core. You will burn more calories just sitting there, and it will also help to avoid back strain.
  • Instead of eating at your desk, use your lunch break to get some fresh air and walk to a nearby park to enjoy a picnic instead.
  • Throughout your day, whenever you finish a project or a report reward yourself with a short break and do some stretches, pushups, or calisthenics in your office. This will invigorate you and clear your mind for the next project.

These are just a few ways that you can fit exercise into your busy workday. Have fun keeping fit!

If you have good ideas of your own, please share them! I’d be interested in hearing how you fit fitness into your daily routine.

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How to Create a Luxury Spa in Your Own Bathroom

December 7, 2011 by

Imagine yourself relaxing into a hot aromatherapy bath at a luxurious spa center at a resort. Surrounded by flickering candles and peacefulhome spa experience music, you can allow the healing power of the essential oils calm your mind and forget all of your worries. It is a truly wonderful experience.

However, going to a luxury spa can be very expensive, so what if you can’t afford to treat yourself to this indulgence?

Don’t worry. You can still pamper yourself on a small budget, because it is fun and easy to create a luxury spa at home in your own bathroom. With a few special touches you will have your own private spa that you can visit again and again whenever you need some serious relaxation.

Adding Spa Details

The luxurious feeling of a spa is all about the little details, and you can add these details to your home bathroom as well. Buy yourself a soft and fluffy cotton or velour robe to wrap around yourself, and add a comfortable chair or an ottoman to the bathroom where you can sit and read or paint your nails while you wait for the bath to fill up. Invest in some heated towel racks which will provide you with warm and fuzzy towels when you step out of the bath or shower. You might want to also swap your old shower head for a detachable, massaging shower head so that you can soothe your sore muscles with the jets of water. 

Another simple way that you can make your bathroom more like a spa is to treat yourself to some high quality scented bubble bath or handmade soap. Don’t use it for every shower; just bring it out for your special spa sessions.

Setting the Mood

Now that your bathroom is well equipped for giving yourself the spa treatment, it is time to create a mood of pure elegance and relaxation. Dim the lights and use several small candles throughout the bathroom to provide light.

You can place them around the sink and bathtub. Bring a stereo or radio into the bathroom and play some soothing music, such as an instrumental classical piece or a slow ballad. Play something by one of your favorite artists, because if you like the music more it will make you more relaxed.

Don’t forget about scents as well, as you can use essential oils or scented candles to make your spa smell amazing.

Pampering Yourself

The next step to making your homemade spa experience complete is to go above and beyond your normal bathing routine. Take your time and treat yourself to something special, such as a face mask, deep conditioning treatment, or manicure. Devoting this extra time to taking care of your appearance will help you relax and enjoy, and give you a happy and confident glow.

Giving yourself the spa treatment at home is fun and easy, much cheaper than a professional spa, and you can do it whenever you need a bit of relaxation. Go ahead, you deserve it!

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Why Do We Never Do the Things We Enjoy?

December 5, 2011 by

You might be watching a film about an artist, and your friend will say, “I used to love making pottery when I was in school. I wish I could doroller-blading it again.”

Or perhaps you will be walking along the beach and you will pass someone on Rollerblades and your partner will say, “I love rollerblading! I used to do it all the time when I was younger.”

Or maybe you will treat yourself to an ice cream once in a blue moon, and think about how much you love ice cream but you can’t remember the last time you had it.

When we are younger, we don’t have a problem doing the things we love. They seem to come naturally, and the focus of our day is centered on play and fun. However, when we get older we tend to focus more on work and obligations.

Unfortunately, this causes us to forget how to play and do the things that we enjoy. For some reason, we deny ourselves these things, telling ourselves that if we indulge in life’s simple pleasures we are somehow being irresponsible or childish.

However, this is the kind of thinking which causes so many adults to feel unhappy with their lives and look so fondly back on the playful days of childhood.

Do What You Enjoy

What is the simple solution to this?

Take time for yourself to do the things you enjoy in life.

It sounds easy, but when is the last time you did it?

The first step is to think about what you really enjoy doing. Don’t worry about what you should be doing, or what is most productive or efficient. Think about what brings you joy, whether it is wall climbing, learning a new language, or watching cheesy horror films.

You will already know what these things are, but you might not have allowed yourself to enjoy them for so long that they might be hard to remember. For a hint, think back to what you loved as a child or teenager.

Now make time in your schedule to enjoy these things that you love. If you love lying in the sun reading a good book, cancel your plans for the weekend and grab your beach towel. If you always loved playing theatre games in school, take an adult improv class one evening per week. If your pleasure is music, go see a live band perform every so often rather than going to the same bar every Friday night.

Allowing yourself to enjoy these simple pleasures won’t put any huge burden on your schedule, but will certainly make an enormous difference to your happiness and enjoyment of life, so go ahead and do what you love!

 

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What Are You Waiting For? Effective Cures for Procrastination

December 3, 2011 by

Is your motto, “why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?”procrastination tips

Procrastination is an easy habit to slip into, as it is incredibly tempting to avoid doing something that is not urgent. When a project is due, the house needs cleaning, or a form needs filling out, we often decide that we will get away with doing it another day.

However, procrastination can really come back to bite us when the deadline looms near and we realize that we have left way too much work for ourselves. Every college student who has gotten in trouble for snoring in class after pulling an all-nighter finishing a term paper will tell you that procrastination seems like a good idea at the time but isn’t a healthy or productive way to manage your life.

So how can we combat our natural tendency to put things off until tomorrow? Here are a few effective ways that you can cure your procrastination and get things done!

  • If you are procrastinating because the task seems huge and overwhelming, break it into small steps and accomplish one step per day. For example, if you are writing an essay you can decide on the topic one day, create an outline the second day, write a first draft the third day, edit your draft the fourth day, etc. When you break the task into small parts, it seems much less scary and you will be more likely to accomplish each small piece in one day.
  • Promise yourself a reward, only after you complete your portion of the task for the day. For example, tell yourself that you will take a walk on the beach after you clean the kitchen. You will be surprised how much quicker you wash those dishes when the sun is shining outside and you are eager to get out and enjoy it.
  • Start in the middle. Sometimes we procrastinate on a large task because we are just not sure how to begin. Don’t worry about the beginning, just start in the middle instead and get the ball rolling. For example, get started tackling a large job like cleaning out the garage by grabbing any random box of junk and figuring out how to deal with it. Doing things out of order is better than never doing them at all.
  • Eliminate your distractions. If you know that television, Facebook, or computer games distract you from getting things done, get rid of them until you are finished your task. Unplug your modem, or ask someone to hide the Xbox until you finish what you need to do.
  • Stop over-complicating the task and waiting for the perfect opportunity to do it. There is no “perfect” time to do anything, so make the most of the time you have right now!

These are just a few ways that you can cure your tendencies for procrastination, and enjoy a more productive life!

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Three Tips for Becoming More Aware of Your Spending Habits

December 2, 2011 by

It’s not how much money you earn that will make you rich; rather it is your spending habits. How aware are you of what you spend on a daily money saving tipsbasis? Do you ever think you have a certain amount of money in your account and then realize that you have a lot less?

Noticing how much you spend can be the first step to learning how to manage your money better.

Here are three useful tips for becoming more aware of what you are spending:

Use Cash

There is something about credit cards and debits cards that make it much easier to spend more than you intend to, because you cannot actually see the money leaving your hands. Also, when you use a credit card the money doesn’t come out of your account until much later which makes it hard to gauge how much you have spent.

If you are going out shopping, try taking out as much cash as you will need at the beginning of your shopping trip. Handing over paper bills every time you make a purchase will make you much more aware of how much you are spending. When you open your wallet at the end of the day, you will able to physically see how much change is left over.

Track Your Purchases

Over a month, try saving every receipt from anything that you buy and place it in a plastic bag or an envelope. At the end of the month, total up all of the amounts and sort them into categories such as eating out, clothes, entertainment, household expenses, groceries, etc. You can use a spread sheet on the computer to organize them. Chances are that you will be shocked by the results.

You might have thought you were spending one amount on groceries, eating out, or drinking and then realize that you are spending a lot more!

Check Your Bank Balance Often

With almost every bank offering online banking services these days, you can check the status of your bank account with the click of a button. It is important to keep tabs on how much money you have in your account every day or two. This will help you avoid going into overdraft or having checks bounce, and it will also let you see with your own eyes how much you spend on a daily basis.

If your bank account starts to rapidly shrink before your eyes, it’s time to rethink your spending habits!

Becoming more aware of what you are spending will put you on the right track towards managing your money better.

 

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The Five Minute Tidy: How to Keep Your House Clean in a Few Stolen Moments per Day

November 30, 2011 by

The weekend is finally here and you are exhausted from a busy week. You are looking forward to sleeping late and lounging around thefive minute tidy house, enjoying your day off. However, the sink-full of dirty dishes is staring you in the face, the shower is in desperate need of a scrub, and the dust creatures under the couch are starting to growl at you. Oh well, looks like another Sunday will be spent cleaning the house again!

So many of us are so busy during the week that we leave our housework until our day off when we finally have time to commit several hours to giving the home a good clean. However, there is a clever trick to remember that will help you keep your home clean throughout the week and reduce the amount of time you have to spend scrubbing and dusting on your precious days off.

The Five Minute Tidy

The Five Minute Tidy is the idea of taking advantage of any small burst of time within your day, even if it is only five minutes, to clean or tidy something in your home. There are many moments throughout our day to day lives when we are waiting around for a minute or two, whether it is for our dinner to heat up in the microwave, for the computer to boot up, or between commercial breaks during our favourite show. If you can take advantage of these small moments, you can keep your house tidy through a serious of many short cleaning sessions rather than one big one on the weekend.

You can do a five minute tidy in any room, but here are some ideas for the kitchen and the bathroom, two of the most daunting rooms to clean!

Five Minute Kitchen Tidy Ideas

Waiting for the popcorn to pop? You can:

  • Wipe down all counters and surfaces.
  • Clean the food from the oven elements.
  • Sweep the kitchen floor.
  • Open up the fridge and throw away anything that has expired.
  • Wash and put away a few dishes.

Five Minute Bathroom Tidy Ideas

Waiting for your bath to run? You can:

  • Wipe the toothpaste stains from the sink.
  • Clean the bathroom mirror.
  • Organize the bathroom cabinet.
  • Scrub the toilet.
  • If you are taking a shower, you can even take a bottle of shower cleaner with you and give it a spray as you are getting out!

If you can get in the habit of doing a five minute tidy whenever you find a spare moment, when the weekend rolls around you will discover that you won’t need to spend your entire day off cleaning because everything will already be done!

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Do You Do These? Three Unhealthy Habits You Might Not Be Aware Of and How to Kick Them

November 28, 2011 by

Eating While Distractedfacebook addict

How many times have you been eating while watching TV and thought that you had another few bites left but then realize you have devoured the whole thing? Not watching television while eating will actually help you lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle.

Since your mind is so entranced by the television, cramming the food into your mouth becomes automatic and it is hard to notice when you have eaten too much.

How to kick it: When you make dinner, sit down at the table instead of on the couch. If you live with a partner, converse and enjoy each other’s company while you eat. If you live alone, give yourself some quiet time to focus on how yummy the food tastes. Savour each bite slowly and chew it well, and stop when you feel full.

Skipping Breakfast

“I don’t have time before work.”

“I’m just not hungry in the mornings.”

“I’m trying to lose weight.”

No matter what your excuse is for not eating a morning meal, this is an unhealthy habit that you need to kick. Studies have shown that people who eat a healthy breakfast in the morning perform better on tests and are more alert.

Also, forget about skipping breakfast to lose weight, as studies have shown that this will actually make you more likely to indulge in an unhealthy mid-morning snack or eat more at lunchtime. When you starve your body your natural metabolism tends to assume that you have ended up stranded on a deserted island and that you might not get a meal again for days.

Once your body is in starvation mode, you will horde more calories when you finally do eat something.

 How to kick it: If you can’t stomach a large breakfast first thing in the morning have a simple piece of multigrain toast and jam before you leave for work, and then bring fruit, nuts, and yogurt to eat at your desk an hour later.

3AM Facebook Sessions

We’ve all done it. We can get so distracted doing something online, whether it is watching clips from your favourite television shows, chatting with friends, or clicking through funny forums, that we don’t even notice that we have stayed up way longer than we need to being hypnotized by the computer’s glow.

Studies have shown that using electronic devices such as computers right before bed can increase the risk of insomnia. The bright flickering screen hinders the natural release of the hormone melatonin, which is what puts you to sleep.

Lack of sleep makes you less alert, more susceptible to illness, more emotional, and not to mention those bleary eyes are so not attractive!

How to kick it: Create a “computer curfew” for yourself that is at least 2 hours before bedtime. Shut down your laptop. Take a relaxing bath, listen to music, or read a book instead.

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Got Junk? How to Tame an Unruly Cluttered Garage

November 26, 2011 by

Your garage seemed innocent enough when you first moved in to your home, but now it has grown into a cluttered jungle of junk which Junk in Garagehaunts your dreams.

It begins as a covered space to park your car, but your garage soon becomes a dumping ground for any odd objects and a place to store the odd few tools and things that didn’t fit in the house.

Broken lawn furniture, toys that your kids haven’t played with in years, tangled webs of garden hoses, half-finished DIY projects, garbage bags of clothes that you meant to donate to charity, and that hammer you borrowed from your neighbor are all stacked precariously in dusty corners.

It’s getting to the point where you can barely even squeeze the car in, and something needs to be done.

Taming a garage that has gone out of control is a big job, but if you have some helping hands and a day or do to dedicate to the task, you can hack your way through the mess and turn it into a space that works for you.

Get Rid of the Junk

The very first step is to get rid of anything that doesn’t need to be in your garage in the first place. Although it is tempting to hold onto stuff for sentimental reasons, be brutal in your elimination of junk.

Is it broken and not worth fixing? Throw it away. Have you not used it in the last year? Give it away or sell it. Is it something you borrowed from a neighbor? Give it back.

Keep only the tools and other items that you really need and use often. It is much easier to organize your belongings if you have less of them.

Once you have removed everything out of the garage, this is a great opportunity to give everything a good sweep and scrub so that you have a clean space to work with.

Create a New System for Storage

If you want your newly clean garage to stay clean, you need to create an organized storage system for keeping everything tucked away where it should be. For example, you can get a pegboard for the wall where you can mount rakes, brooms, tools, and hoses neatly without taking up floor space.

If you often work on projects, bring in a table or a cart to work on with drawers for storing your supplies and tools. Keep seasonal gear or other objects in sturdy plastic tubs. You can even get special hooks for bikes and kayaks so that they can be stored hanging from the ceiling.

Congratulations, you have transformed your savage and untamed garage into a practical and efficient storage space!

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