Five ways you could be ruining your life without even realising it

Life, as we all know, is not a straight line. There’s no concrete set of stages which every person passes through according to the same timetable. You’re not under any obligation to finish your education, raise a family, or start a career by a certain age. You don’t have to get married at 25 and become an executive at 30. You’re allowed to take a diversion, to take a break from it all, if you want to or need to. You have every right to take the time to find out what exactly it is that gives meaning to your life, to you personally. It’s not surprising that we often forget about this; we were all forced to start planning our lives when we were still sitting in the classroom (you know what I’m talking about: ’I want to go to this university...I want this job’). We might hate our jobs, but we still go to work every day, because we think we have to complete the plan. We drift along, trying to complete each step one at a time, in the belief that ticking off each box on the list is the route to happiness. And then one morning, we wake up feeling depressed. We feel crushed, and we don’t know why. That’s how we ruin our lives. And we do it in plenty of other ways, too.

35 gifts which your kids will never forget

Written by joshua becker · 

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” —Kahlil Gibran
I have countless holiday memories. Most of them center around faith, family, and traditions.
Very few childhood memories actually include the gifts I received. I distinctly remember the year that I got a blue dirt bike, the evening my brother and I received a Nintendo, and opening socks every year from my grandparents. But other than that, my gift-receiving memories are pretty sparse. Which got me thinking… what type of gifts can we give to our children that they will never forget? What gifts will truly impact their lives and change them forever?

1. Affirmation
   Sometimes one simple word of affirmation can change an entire life. So make sure your children know how much you appreciate them. And then, remind them every chance you get.
2. Hugs and kisses
   You might have seen those fathers who tell their young sons that they’re too old for kisses. Doesn’t it make you upset? Know that your children are never too old to receive physical affirmation of your love for them.

50 phrases we should all say to our kids

Expressing belief in your child

• ’I trust you’
• ’I believe in you’
• ’I respect your decision’
• ’It won’t be easy, but I’m certain you’ll do it’
• ’You’re doing everything right’
• ’You understand this perfectly’
• ’How did you manage to do this so well?’
• ’Teach me how you do it, so I can succeed like you’
• ’You can do it better than I can’
• ’You’re better at this than me’
  

4 Unique Ways to Let Go and Get Over Failure

Written by Marc Chernoff // 

Your failure does not define you, your determination does.  Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, smarter than before.

It’s a feeling of heaviness deep within you.  You try to ignore it, but you can’t.  Dread and discouragement gradually seep into your thoughts.  Sadness and guilt soon follow, until you are completely defeated.
I feel just like this when I fail.
It makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry.  I feel lost and alone and I want to give up.  I want to fall on my bed and bury my face in a pillow.  But that doesn’t work, because the sinking feeling just follows me to sleep.
Failure is terribly painful on so many levels.
People get this idea about me, because I write and teach about success, happiness and mindful living, that I don’t ever slip up and fail miserably in these areas.  But of course I’m human, so that’s not true.  I fail at things much more than you might imagine, and certainly far more than I’d often like to admit.
At some point or another I fail at everything, just like you, and it feels just as horrible for me as it does for you or anyone else.
I feel letdown and guilty, and try to avoid thinking about it, and would rather hide it.
But deep down I know these negative reactions aren’t helpful.  So I own up to what happened, learn a lesson or two, and then get back up and try again.  The last part is the most important part – trying again…

15 clever psychological tricks which everyone should know

The following psychological tricks will make your life easier and help you cope with stressful situations. They’re well worth reading.

1. When a group of people laughs, people instinctively look toward the group members they feel closest to (or want to feel closest to).
2. Chew gum or eat food if you’re doing something that would normally make you feel nervous. It tricks a primal part of your brain into thinking you couldn’t be in danger because you’re eating.

Women Who Do THESE 9 Things NEVER Get Played By Men

http://www.yourtango.com/experts/michelle-jacoby/9-ways-date-your-heart-wide-open-without-getting-played

EVER.
The only way to find love is to date with an open heart.
But I know what you've been through.
You’re tired of investing time and energy in the wrong men, only to end up frustrated, hurt, and empty-handed again and again. You’ve worked hard to finally find peace and a sense of happiness in your life. And there’s no way you’re going to let someone come into your life and mess it all up.
And yet … you don’t want to give up on LOVE. You want to meet the RIGHT man — someone who makes you feel challenged, inspired and adored. But you’re scared.
After everything you’ve been through, you’re not sure how to date without getting played or wasting valuable time.
How do you put yourself "out there" and open up to love, but also protect your heart and the peace you’ve worked so hard to cultivate in your life?
The answer? Openness coupled with boundaries. Yes, it's possible!
Here are 9 things you can do to make sure it’s safe to open your heart when you're dating:

Simple 3-Step Process To Attract TRUE LOVE

February 7, 2016

By Wendy Merron, Coach and Board Certified Hypnotherapist
Against all odds, I attracted my true love at age 55

Finding Michael had nothing to do with luck. It was my clear and full intention to attract my perfect partner and marry again.
When I was 55 years old it was difficult to believe that I could attract my soul mate but I desperately wanted to share my life with a partner.
It was hard for me to believe it was possible. I was 30 pounds overweight and had teenagers at home.
Not a great combination in my opinion. Who would ever want me?
But I knew others found true love, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life alone and unloved.
I decided to take myself on as a client and create a plan using the same tools I use to help my clients.
Did it work? It sure did.
But… along the way I got some surprising benefits.
When you take the time to follow these simple steps, not only will you attract your perfect partner but you’ll also fall in love with an amazing person.

36 Questions to Bring You Closer Together

Get to know someone and create a sense of intimacy, in as little as an hour.

These questions only take about 45 minutes to discuss—and they almost always make two people feel better about each other and want to see each other again, according to social psychology researcher Arthur Aron of the Interpersonal Relationships Lab at Stony Brook University in New York, who published his results in "The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness" in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (1997).

Looking for math games for grade 3 and up?

Have fun and improve your story telling/writing

ESL - English as a Second Languages - Would you rather be a great icebreaker?