14Nov 2012 by CJ

There’s something to be said for a life coach help

Life & Living
I first became acquainted with the term “life coach” back in college when a classmate and I, at the suggestion of our psychology professor, attended a lecture being conducted by such an individual. For those unfamiliar with the term life coach, which is also referred to as a “personal coach”, these professionals often treat relatively healthy people who are simply looking to improve the ways in which they live their lives. Differing greatly from therapy, their focus is on the present moment rather than the future or the past – helping clients improve their careers, health, relationships and self-understanding. As a young twenty-something still finding his place in the world, I was familiar with fitness coaches, dance coaches and even coaches for mastering the SAT’s. But a coach designed to…
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13Nov 2012 by CJ

Humans require a humble amount of praise to grow

Generosity & Kindness
“Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit: we cannot flower and grow without it.” Jess Lair No matter what your situation in life, human beings require a humble amount of praise from time to time. Whether we’re talking about relationships or careers, letting someone know that you appreciate their efforts, no matter how small, can many times be all we need to know that our lives have meaning and purpose. Unfortunately I’ve noticed the frequency of criticisms seems to overwhelmingly outweigh the praise most people receive. Why is it so easy for us to find fault in each other, but so incredibly difficult to hand out a complement every now and then? People are doing wonderful things each and every day and just like a flower, how are we…
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12Nov 2012 by CJ

Visit the elderly before they find themselves in a rehabilitation center

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living, Love & Relationships
My 92 year old grandmother took a little tumble recently – forcing her to set up residency at a heavily populated rehabilitation center in northern New Jersey. Up until now she’s been able to live at home with the assistance of a health care aid – not bad for someone in their nineties! But she was always far from happy as she spent much of that time alone without the company of family and friends to alleviate the silence, which has become commonplace in her life. What a sad reality that you manage to live some 90 years on this earth, and yet few people come around to marvel at the accomplishment. But ever since my grandmother settled in to the rehabilitation center, I’ve noticed an increase in her visitors…
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11Nov 2012 by CJ

Don’t hoard your blessings like an old miser

Generosity & Kindness
“The real issue in life is not how many blessings we have, but what we do with our blessings. Some people have many blessings and hoard them. Some have few and give everything away.” Fred Rogers Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and sadly so many families will go without many of the trimmings that fill our holiday tables. This self-serving behavior that our society seems to have adopted has got to stop. The only way a positive change can begin is to learn the art of compassion – to look beyond our own needs and desires to help someone less fortunate than we are. To be grateful for all our blessings. So maybe you have to skip your morning Starbucks for a week and instead buy a few canned goods for…
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08Nov 2012 by CJ

The way in which you conduct yourself is an example of leadership

Information & Education, Life & Living
From politicians to employers to heads of households – every one of us has a basic understanding of what an example of leadership truly is. For many of us however, I think we have the wrong impression. When we think of someone being the “leader” we often think of descriptive words like dominance, control, power and sometimes even fear. But a true, effective leader comprises much more than that, and Jim Rohn sums it up best. "The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." Sadly we won’t stumble upon many such individuals who understand this balance as…
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