Do you remember sending valentines when you were a child? Can you recall the construction paper-covered shoebox, decorated with glitter and doilies, full of tiny valentines and heart candies? Or perhaps the first serious Valentine’s Day gifts you received, or your first delivery of one dozen red roses?

Receiving a Valentine’s Day gift is a magical experience. It makes people smile, sometimes even feel a bit giddy. After all, this holiday is not about obligatory gifts. When you receive a Valentine’s Day gift, you know the giver cares about you.  Read more...

As the New Year approaches, you may already have a short list of habits you would like to break, goals you would like to reach, and other changes you would like to see in your life. You may even have your resolutions written down and posted on the fridge next to your jam-packed calendar, grocery lists and to do lists.

New Year’s resolutions serve a useful purpose: they help us to reflect on our lives and make commitments to create positive changes. But they can also be overwhelming for busy moms who barely have any time to handle the everyday tasks of life.  Read more...

How does procrastination show up in your life?  Do you delay doing something for no obvious reason?  We all know that to optimize our productivity we need to focus on completion.

There is a double problem to procrastination:

–First, we are not doing what we want or need to do.

–Second, this awareness makes our lives more stressful because we don’t feel good about ourselves.

Why do you procrastinate?

Procrastination exists because of habits or beliefs we have about something.  Here are some reasons people procrastinate.  Do you see yourself in any of these points?  Read more...

You can think of these traits as the building blocks…the foundation…of your growth into a successful life.  Review these abbreviated traits and decide which one you want to start building into your life.

The Power of Concentration

People make their own world.  The power of concentration enables a person to do better work and to produce the best that they are capable of doing. Concentration is related to persistence and definiteness of purpose and it arises chiefly from being deeply interested in one’s focus.  To cultivate concentration you must think and do only one thing at a time.  Read more...

Do you remember the expression “that all work and no play made Jill a dull girl?” Jill knew that there was a time for play…that was after the work was done.  By setting priorities and goals for yourself and making a dedicated commitment to meet those goals, you benefit from reduced stress levels and increased free time to pursue those things you like to do, or do nothing at all should you choose.  

Write down all the things that need to be done in order of their importance. The greater the importance of the task, the higher it goes on the list.  At the bottom of your “to do” list add your “play time.”   This is a great incentive to get things done.   Read more...

When it comes to saving money, many people begin to become overwhelmed just thinking about the cost of everything. How many times have you asked yourself “Where does it all go?” Finding out is easy and essential if you’re ever going to turn things around.

Where to Begin

What level of tracking do you do now? Is it just your basic checkbook and bank statement reconciliation or do you have software like Quicken to track your financial status? Whatever tool you have to keep track of your expenses, you do need to use it.  Read more...

Over time we have developed habits to deal with many areas of our lives. What thoughts we think, what we do, how we do it or if we do it are all indicators of our habits. All repetitive activities seem to generate a habit.

==>What about the “procrastination” habit?

Basically, procrastination is defined as avoiding doing a task that needs to be done…putting the activity off until tomorrow.

When you create a “procrastination” habit, you reduce your ability to function effectively. This habit is controlling you and can be a hard habit to break. If you believe that procrastination is an issue in your life, what would it look like to no longer choose to resist doing something?  Read more...