Motivation, 7 Ways to Bounce Back From Life’s Challenges

 

In life, stuff happens. People get sick.  The IRS calls. Then, just when you think it can’t get any worse, the dog throws up on your shoes.

And that’s before you’ve left for work. What do you do when you don’t know what to do anymore? Here are ten ways for you to develop your resiliency – your ability to bounce back from the challenges in life.

1. Acceptance

Ugh. People hate it when I talk about acceptance because they equate acceptance with giving up. Actually, acceptance has more to do with giving in than giving up. When life throws you a curveball, your immediate response is usually to resist what is happening. This is a form of denial, which is okay for awhile, but at some point, you need to see the situation for what it is and go with it rather than resist it. The key is to accept life as it is, rather than what it should be.

Acceptance is a big topic that needs its own article, but for now, here are a few more components:

• Being okay with emotions, even when they’re “bad.” This means it’s okay to feel however you want about a situation and not saying to yourself, “I need to keep a stiff upper lip” or “I guess I shouldn’t be angry about this.”
• Realizing that accepting a situation doesn’t necessarily mean that you like it. I think this causes a lot of confusion for people, too. “How am I supposed to like the fact that I’m losing my house to foreclosure?” You don’t, but you do need to accept the reality of the foreclosure so you can develop strategies to address the situation.
• Being able to hold two opposing thoughts or feelings at the same time. This one is kind of tricky, but it has to do with acknowledging opposites like “I love my kid AND right now I can’t stand him because he’s being defiant.” Or, “I’m relieved that my dad died and is now out of pain AND I want him back.”

2. Social support

Even though you might think you need to “tough this out alone,” it really doesn’t help when you’re trying to overcome a problem. Going it alone leads to feeling isolated and immersed in your problem. You have people who love you and want to help, even if it’s just to provide a listening ear. Be okay with sharing your circumstances with at least one close friend or family member.

Kate Middleton Jumps Over Cans as Prince Harry Plays With a Ball During Commonwealth Games Visit: See the Funny Royal Pics!

Danny Lawson - WPA Pool / Getty Images

The royal family is showing off their sports skills!
During a visit to the Commonwealth Games Village in Glasgow today, Kate Middleton, Prince William and Prince Harry got in on the action by participating in some sporting events.
Dressed in a bright blue dress and navy jacket with wedge heels, the Duchess of Cambridge was all smiles while participating in the South African jumping game of three tins. For the event, Kate showed off her impressive hopping skills and landed perfectly on her two feet despite her formal attire.
VIDEO: Inside the royal baby's 1st birthday!

      Danny Lawson - WPA Pool / Getty Images

But Kate wasn't the only one who got in on the action. Harry was caught playing a game of catch looking a bit like with a kitten with a toy! Harry and his older brother also tried their hand at three tins during the visit.
In addition to playing some games, Kate, Will and Harry enjoyed a tour of the athletic facilities at Hampden Park where Will even stopped to play video games with some young girls. The trio also got to meet world-famous Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt before heading to the stadium stands to kick back and watch some of the Commonwealth Games from the bleachers.

      Danny Lawson - WPA Pool / Getty Images

Kate also chatted with fans and revealed son Prince George has taken a liking to swimming! "[Kate's] been swimming with him. She said he loves the water and he grabs things to splash with," Commonwealth champion James Hickman told ITV. "So, maybe he could be the next royal to take part in the Olympics, and if he was in swimming that would be incredible."
Too cute.

It's Official! Demi Lovato to Appear on Nick Jonas' New Album!

JKING/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES

Nick Jonas is taking his relationship with Demi Lovato to another level.
Following his stint as the musical and creative director of the "Skyscraper" singer's Neon Light Tour, I can exclusively reveal that a duet with Lovato will appear on Jonas' upcoming solo album.
"We did one for my record," Jonas told me of the untitled song and album (set for release in the fall). "It's a great song that we both love. Her voice is just amazing on it. She's the real deal. It's the perfect fit for this record."
Jonas actually made a surprise appearance during Lovato's opening night performance of Neon Lights in Vancouver, Canada to perform three songs together. Lovato revealed last month that the two wrote a song together, but they weren't sure what they were going to do with it.

While we have to wait to hear the Jonas-Lovato collaboration, we're happy to report that the video for Jonas' first single, "Chains," is finally here. It was released this morning.
Shot in downtown L.A. earlier this month, the steamy video features Sean Penn and Robin Wright's daughter Dylan Penn in her music video debut.
"Dylan and I have mutual friends and we were looking for someone for the video," Jonas said. "We were wracking our brains for someone interesting and cool and our friends said, 'Dylan would be great.'
"We were all floored by the idea," he continued. "She came in and she killed it."
Jonas said he was careful not to go overboard in the sex department. "I think the important thing for the video is that is has an underlining tone of sexiness that isn't gratuitous and in your face," he explained. "There's more to the song than that."
NEWS: Look at Nick's crazy big biceps!
Island
In the song, he sings, "Gave you my heart, but you took my soul. You got me in chains, you got me in chains for your love."
While Jonas didn't write "Chains," he said, "I found my way to connect to the song. I found it was really true and real. For me, it embodies that feeling of being trapped in a love that is kind of doomed."
And yes, Jonas said he plans on touring in support of the album. Plans will be firmed up once he finishes shooting the first season of his new DIRECTV series, Kingdom.

Why You Should Take More Time for Yourself

 

In today’s busy world, it’s easy to put everyone else first. With the demands of work and family, it might feel that there’s not much time left over for you. Perhaps you even feel guilty about taking time for yourself – after all, shouldn’t you be spending that time with your kids, or your spouse, or your in-laws?

We all need time to rest and recharge. If life feels so busy that you’re convinced you can’t manage to have a few hours for yourself, then it’s especially crucial that you carve out some “me time”. Here’s why:

You Need to Take Care of Your Health

If you run yourself into the ground, you’re not going to be much help to the people around you.

That might seem a rather cold way to look at things – but if you’re struggling to justify your daily meditation practice, your exercising, your book club, or whatever it might be, then you need to remind yourself that your health is vital.

Good physical and mental health requires upkeep of your body, mind and soul. That might mean:

• Body: Jog for 30 minutes, three times a week
• Mind: Read a book during your lunch hours
• Soul:  Go to a religious service (or other act of worship) regularly

You Want Space to Breathe and Think

If your life is starting to feel like a treadmill, it’s time to hit the stop button.

5 Awesome Ways Love Improves Your Life

 

So many people live life in a constant state of anguish in their relationship. Either they don’t like their partner or they don’t like them enough. Everyone can improve their relationship to make it more satisfying. Yet, most people don’t.

It’s most likely because they don’t realize how significant love is in life. Love can improve your life in so many ways that we can’t possibly list them all here. However, I have chosen the top 5 reasons how love can greatly enhance your life in hopes that it may persuade people to finally take action on their relationship and make it one that they truly want and deserve.

#1 Love Energizes You

Think back to when you first met the love of your life. Just for a few moments, put yourself back in that time. How did you feel? Elated? Walking on air? Did you feel like you could do anything and everything? Now, think about what if you could have that feeling all the time. That feeling you had was being in love with your partner. Finding that love again could bring that incredible feeling back and give you that love for life that you had once before.

#2 Calms You

When you come home, do you instantly release yourself into your partner’s arms? No? Well, wouldn’t that feel nice? Just imagine if after a long grueling day, the both of you could come home and take comfort in each other, knowing that whatever happened during the day is now over and you can now relax with the one person who wasn’t part of all that mess during the day.

#3 Makes You a Better Person

Having love inside of you enables you to share it with others. This will show in your behavior as you open doors for strangers or hold them open for them. It shows as you stand in line and someone cuts you off and all you do is say, “It’s okay, you must be in a hurry today.” rather than the usual curse word. When you are in love, others benefit from it just as much as you do and that is something to be proud of because it makes you a better human being.

#4 Helps You Solve Problems

Life isn’t easy and there are many challenges along the way. When you truly love someone, you trust them completely to help you with problems. This can be a relief when your suck and don’t have a clue which way to go. Two heads are always better than one and when you love your partner, you’ll always have that other head on your side.

#5 Live Longer

Being in love will mean that you want to take care of yourself so you can be your best for your partner. You may exercise more, you may not want to get sick as much because it’ll mean not being about to spend time with them, and it also means that you’ll take precautions to protect yourself from an early death. Love also has physiological effects since it’s a natural stress reducer, which prevents many chronic stress related diseases, such as heart disease.

How much do you love your partner? It’s time to pay more attention to this area of your life. The New Year is coming upon us. Make a resolution to renew your relationship. Everyone needs someone that they can love and lean on in life – bring that wonderful feeling back into your life.

Marcelina Hardy is a guest blogger for PickTheBrain. If you need help with relationship problems so  that you can get to a point in your relationship where you can love again, please visit Relationship Repair. I am an experienced relationship coach with a passion to help individuals and couples overcome relationship problems and improve their relationships.

Bad Ingredients – top 10

Remember when mom made food fresh every day with nary anything but a wholesome ingredient? You never had to read an ingredient or learn how to pronounce them because they were not made in a laboratory. Well, at least we have the memories.

Where did it all go wrong? A lot of what has to do with preserving shelf life and coming up with alternatives that are patentable (and therefore profitable). Both help increase company’s margins and for the executive that’s the bottom line. We can also blame subsidies on certain commodities such as corn which resulted in over production and having to create new and innovative ways to utilize them.

So I present to you ingredient deal breakers you should rarely if ever consume. Some of these ingredient frauds will be all too familiar but bear repeating as their persistent presence in food still illustrates that we have not stopped consuming these types of products. Choosing to not consume them is your vote for healthier alternatives.

Top 10 Ingredient No-No’s

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – found in nearly everything, it is mostly consumed through fruit juices, sodas, and sweet snacks. Its been referred to as poison that causes obesity and liver damage. It is completely unnatural, goes through a terrible process that leaves it riddled with heavy metals, and spikes sugar levels out of control. Hello diabetes!

2. MSG – commonly disguised and used as a “flavor enhancer” in a wide variety of foods, it is commonly referred to or hidden in autolyzed yeast, yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed protein, smoke flavor, spices, and a number of other ingredients. It is a neurotoxin and should be avoided at all costs.

3. Aspartame (Artificial Sweeteners) – made famous in diet sodas, this chemical sweetener is so deadly it should be considered poison. When broken down it has been said to turn into formaldehyde and wood alcohol. Any sweetener that claims it is calorie free, aside from stevia and xylitol, should never touch the human tongue.

Climbing Mount Kinabalu Is Going To Be Ascending To Heaven

Climbing Mt Kinabalu will probably be the most fun experience within your lifetime. This unique mountain is very “friendly” and possesses a whole lot to provide to its users, that you should be more impressed with each step you adopt.

As you start climbing Mount Kinabalu, there are certain things you should take into account:

Tone up first!

Since you are close to ascending to the tallest pinnacle in South east Asia, you ought to be in shape for the excursion. Remember to be in good health with no physical issues that can make it hard to access the top. It is extremely arduous, simply because you need to go directly up then straight down, struggling with rugged surfaces and having to take huge steps oftentimes. You’ll need to be extremely attentive during the vertical sections. You’ll want to workout a little previous to selecting to start up the climb in order to acquire energy.

Pack sensibly!

Obviously, climbing Mount Kinabalu, as it happens with all rock climbing, demands an effective management of your backpacks. Without exception pack light to ensure you can transport your luggage devoid of too many efforts. Bring merely the required products and revel in the time at the summit. It is better that you possess some snack foods together with you for getting vitality and durability.

If you suffer from elevation condition, remember your own medicine to prevent yourself from frustrating conditions. Dress in very good trekking footwear, thus you’ll be certain you do not slide and will evade undesirable mishaps. Also, you need to package warming clothings and possibly a poncho or a rain coat. And lights and ropes really are a must!

Experience, Leverage – Key to Business Success

Leverage is an extremely powerful concept. The ability to use it in your personal life and business means the difference between setting you free, and setting you up as a slave to someone or something else. There’s no short-cuts to success, but leverage gives us the best chance at making the most out of our efforts. Learn several ways to use it to your advantage, so you can become a part of the 1%.

Lets start with a definition of leverage from Dictionary.com:

“The use of a small initial investment, credit, or borrowed funds to gain a very high return in relations to ones investment, to control a much larger investment, or to reduce one’s own liability for any loss.”

Ok, so lets look at some methods that you can use leverage to your advantage.

Investments

One of the more well known ways to leverage your money is to invest it. But in what?

The most popular way is through stocks. With this type of investment, you are simply allowing your money to work FOR YOU, rather than you putting in the time or the work yourself. Of course, there is risk in stocks, as there is any any profit making adventure, but through some general knowledge and sound advice, you can start to earn additional income and save for your retirement. Something most people desperately need, especially at this stage of the economic uncertainty. It can also only take a half an hour a day.

A recently popular fad (that is coming to an end, or has come to an end for some) is real estate. In the last 10 years, this investment has grown beyond its limits and made many people some quick money. However, the investment required was often only in the 5-10% range to control a property, and from there you could decide if you wanted to upgrade and flip yourself, or have someone else do it for you (leveraging your time).

Unfortunately, you can only run the housing market to ridiculous prices for so long until it all comes crashing down and the investment is not worth the risk. I believe for many areas across the US, we are in that time. In Canada, there are still pockets of profitable opportunity, but not near what it used to be. That, and it takes a lot of time and energy.

Entertainment, New Radiohead Songs Set for Next Week

 

In 2011, Radiohead released their eighth studio album The King of Limbs, handed out newspapers to promote it, played some intimate shows in New York City, didn’t play for Occupy Wall Street (then did) and released a lengthy remix album. What else is left? Next week, two songs from the Limbs sessions that appeared in Radiohead’s From the Basement concert broadcast will hit your favorite digital retailer:

“The Daily Mail” and “Staircase.” Both tracks have been in live rotation this year and were commonly thought of as songs that could’ve bolstered Limbs standings within the Radiohead community. Right now, our (unscientific) calculations places Limbs somewhere between The Pyramid Song EP and Hail to the Thief in terms of likability.

We suggest splicing these songs into your own copy and create that perfect version of Limbs you’ve always dreamed about.

The King of Limbs — From the Basement arrives January 31 on DVD/Blu Ray.

Broccoli Cheese Soup and I.O.U.

 Today is the second finalle of the Heaven's Cake Bakers.  We're supposed to be telling you about the 3 tier wedding cake we've prepared.  I'm one that advocated for including a wedding cake, but I'll have to give you and I.O.U.

I've been cooking two mornings a week at a ministry coffee shop - mainly their menu items, but occasionally  something special from my repertoire.  You know a few of Rose's recipes will make an appearance.  You can read more about Sweet Surrender on their website or on my Polish blog. 

With the time I spend in the kitchen at the coffee shop, I've been baking less at home, but Rhonda was kind enough to let me share the recipe for their broccoli soup.  It's quick, easy, and delicious!

This 17-Year-Old Girl Has Been Deemed "Too Beautiful" to Play Volleyball for Her Country

 Instagram Warning: this story might make you rage out a bit because it's ridiculous.
The athlete pictured above is 17-year-old Sabina Altynbekova, a volleyball player who plays for Kazakhstan's youth squad and has recently been competing for her country in the Asian Under-19 Volleyball Championships in Taipei.
And obviously, she is a very beautiful young lady. That much is clear. But according to the local media covering the event, "beautiful" and "athlete" does not work well together.
We hope we speak for all you out there when we say: What a crock of s--t.

Usually the media coverage of the Asian Under-19 Volleyball Championship is the bare minimum, but they soon took notice of Sabina's model-worthy looks and started dedicating ten-page photo spreads to her.
But like clockwork, the same media machine that turned her into a star quickly turned against her and started running articles asking if Sabina was "too beautiful" to play volleyball for her country.
"Fans just stare at her and they are not following the championship anymore," reported Kazakh paper Vesti.
Here are just some of the sample headlines regarding the teen and how her beauty is supposedly getting in the way of the game:
Asian Volleyball Player Sabina Altynbekova Is So Hot Her Teammates & Coach Are Furious & Feel Unloved (Caught Offside)
Sabina Altynbekova Might Be Too Hot For Volleyball? (Crave Online)
And our personal favorite:
Kazakh teen volleyball player is turned on by her own teammates because she is so attractive nobody watches the sport anymore (The Daily Mail)

The attention surrounding Sabina has been so fervent, her coach Nurlan Sadikov thinks the publicity surrounding his player has become distracting.
"It's impossible to work like this," Sadikov told Tengrinews. "The crowd behaves like there is only one player at the championship."
Well, now she's an Internet sensation due to this so-called controversy, amassing thousands and thousands of fans on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
And what does Sabina have to say about all the attention she's getting? While she insists she's thankful for the support, she really just wants to do what she does best: play volleyball.
"I was flattered at first, but it's all getting a little bit much," she told the Daily Mail. "I want to concentrate on playing volleyball and to be famous for that, not anything else."