Most people don’t have a good understanding of what their strengths are, and even those who do often neglect them in favor of focusing on their weaknesses. This may very well be preventing you from living a better life.

Because our shortcomings tend to draw the most attention and frustration, it’s easy to focus on them more so than our strengths. As such, many people work diligently on improving their weaknesses to balance their strengths, but this may be one case where balance isn’t necessarily a good thing.

The Inspiring Story of Rudy

Chances are that you’ve seen the movie Rudy or are at least familiar with the story. The main character had always dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame, and despite being much too small to play college football at this high of a level, he was determined to do it anyway. (more…)

Despite the fact that many of us are extremely busy, stressed, and deprived of sleep, we somehow manage to watch more television than ever. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re always short on time and why you never seem to accomplish what you’d like, the answer may very well be right in front of your eyes.

According to a report from The Nielson Company, the average American watched a record breaking 151 hours per month of television during the fourth quarter of 2008. This amounts to approximately 35 hours per week which is almost the equivalent of a full time job.

Although television is a convenient source of entertainment, it’s usually mindless, provides little to no meaningful value, and can sometimes be a harmful influence. The following are three reasons why television detracts from the quality of your life and why you should minimize the amount of time that you spend watching it.

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Like most people, you’re probably stuck in the endless cycle of eagerly anticipating Friday, and just a few days after it passes, dreading Monday and the rest of the workweek that follows. It doesn’t have to be this way.

A full time employee dedicates nearly half of their wakeful hours to their job each week, and in many cases, it’s even more than that. With the typical retirement age being 65, most people spend more than 40 years of their lives doing this! When you spend this much time doing something, it will undoubtedly have a significant impact on your mood, energy level, quality of life, and overall sense of wellbeing. It can even influence your health, especially if there’s a lot of stress involved.

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Even though nobody likes disappointment, many people frequently experience it as a result of their own doing. Are you one of them?

Many of us tend to grow hopeful for some kind of change in our lives and gradually become dependent on the expectation of how happy it will make us. If the change doesn’t happen, we tend to perceive it as failure, and the resulting disappointment often leaves us feeling cheated and unhappy. With a different perspective, the same situation could instead be perceived as a positive and valuable experience.

Although this applies to any aspect of life, it’s especially pertinent to your health and the associated prospect of life altering changes. Fortunately, with the right perspective, it’s possible to aggressively pursue such changes while also minimizing the risk of disappointment and the unhealthy emotions that it brings.

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Independence Day signifies the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the recognition of the United States as an independent nation. While we can all appreciate the significance of this, few of us recognize how critical independence is to realizing our potential to live rewarding lives.

Independence implies the freedom to make our own choices, live according to our own values, and do so without relying upon others. Each fourth of July, we celebrate the independence of America and the freedom that it provides us as individuals. It’s an excellent time to also appreciate the opportunities that this freedom creates and to reflect on how sincere our efforts are to gain value from it. Without striving to discover and reach our potential, the independence and freedom that we’re blessed to have are nothing more than a wasted opportunity.

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Vacation provides us with something to look forward to and gives us a much needed break from the stressful lives that many of us live, but without proper planning, an eagerly anticipated vacation can leave you feeling depressed and more exhausted than when you left.

A well planned vacation should make you feel refreshed with energy and inspire a positive outlook, and this is tremendously beneficial to your health. Here are 12 tips to help make it happen.

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Many of us fail to find meaning in the day to day activities of our lives and are easily frustrated, overwhelmed and even depressed by the slightest misfortune. Some of us are forced to endure much greater misfortunes that make life seem unbearable. Even in the worst circumstances imaginable, recognizing a meaning to your life and value in your suffering will give you the strength to persist and pursue a much more satisfying state of being.

Viktor Frankl, a neurologist and psychiatrist, believed that living with meaning is essential to mental and physical well being. As a survivor of the Holocaust and four different Nazi concentration camps, Frankl had a profound opportunity to test his beliefs and was able to persevere through some of the worst circumstances imaginable. Because of his perseverance, we are blessed with the opportunity to learn from his triumph and realize that there’s always meaning and value to life regardless of how bad it may seem.

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I’ve been tagged by Beth from SmartFamilyTips.com to share 7 things about myself that you don’t know. Since I’m always preaching about how to live the perfect lifestyle, I thought this would be a good opportunity to share with you some of the ways in which I’m not so perfect myself and how you can learn from them.

Without further delay, here are 7 things about me that I hope you find interesting and informative.

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Do your birthdays come with the sadness of another year passing by? If so, then now’s the time to do something about it.

Think about the excitement that kids anticipate their birthdays with. Even teenagers welcome birthdays in anticipation of the freedom that older age brings. But once we hit our twenties, the excitement fades, and as years continue to pass, birthdays may even bring depression. This is because they tend to remind us that we’re getting older, losing our vitality, and running out of time.

Same Routine, Different Day

Most people mindlessly go through the motions of life every day and resign to letting other people dictate their experiences. This often leaves a feeling of emptiness and a lack of purpose that can easily cause someone to become depressed. Until you take control of your life and figure out what fulfills you, this emptiness will grow each year and make each birthday feel worse.

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Christmas is over and many people are dreading tomorrow’s return to work. If you’re one of them, have you ever considered how much of an impact your job is having on your health and happiness? Most people spend their entire workday doing work they have no interest in. By the time they get home, they are tired and barely have enough time to eat dinner and run a few errands let alone do something fun. They eagerly look forward to the weekend, only for Monday to reemerge it’s ugly head far too quickly, and they begin the cycle all over again. That’s far from the image I have of a happy and fulfilling lifestyle.

But with the current economy, you should be grateful just to have a job, right? Nobody wants to be unemployed and have a hard time paying bills, but this line of thinking just makes you feel guilty about wanting a better life and undermines your health and happiness even further.

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