25Sep 2018 by CJ
Retirement planning is not something you can fix later

Retirement planning is not something you can fix later

Life & Living
“People have got to learn: if they don't have cookies in the cookie jar, they can't eat cookies.” - Suze Orman My grandmother was the third of nine children. While her parents provided all the basic necessities (most of all love), at the end of the day I’m not sure there was anything left in the cookie jar for retirement planning. My great-grandfather was a furniture refinisher in Jersey City, New Jersey and my great-grandmother was a homemaker who took in sewing work to help the family financially. Today, whenever I look at my retirement planning with skepticism for the future, I often think about my great-grandparents who probably only planned ahead a few months not a few decades when they’d no longer be working. While each new generation has…
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16Sep 2018 by CJ
Gender roles have no place in successful parenting

Gender roles have no place in successful parenting

Youth
“It’s time to teach good gender roles and to ditch the unnecessary ones.” – Dan Pearce There are many subjects I have strong opinions on (as you probably can tell from this blog). One which often infuriates me is our society’s antiquated and stereotypical beliefs when it comes to gender roles. Dan Pearce writes a wonderfully honest and truly inspiring blog entitled Single Dad Laughing, and I’ve come to appreciate his message on a range of topics regarding parenting, love and the human connection. While searching online for information surrounding the topic of gender roles in society today, the following passage popped up and immediately caught my attention. “Dads. It’s time to show our sons how to properly treat a woman. It’s time to show our daughters how a girl…
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07Sep 2018 by CJ
How to lead yourself – it’s not just for people in business but in life

How to lead yourself – it’s not just for people in business but in life

Life & Living
“A good leader must understand what makes a good life and how to help people find that. A leader’s job is not to provide a paycheck and benefits: It’s about helping people be truly happy and find meaning in their work and life. When a leader succeeds with this, it unlocks real performance.” ― Rasmus Hougaard I recently started reading this book, which caught my eye on a library shelf. The Mind of the Leader: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter. Whenever I discover a book that inspires me as I’m reading it, I like to share it with individuals I know will also appreciate its message. My current supervisor and I both have an affinity for quality leadership in…
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04Sep 2018 by CJ
Social media does not always support who you are

Social media does not always support who you are

Life & Living
“Social media was designed to SHARE what you’re doing and who you are, not BE what you’re doing and be who you are.” ― Richie Norton By definition, social media was designed to create communities in which to share information, ideas and messages with people from around the world. While the original intention was surely achieved in the early days, today it’s grown into more of a personal forum – a platform for thoughts and opinions that we wouldn’t often share in mixed company. You see, social media has offered people from all over the globe something their missing in reality – courage. As Norton says above, “to SHARE what you’re doing and who you are” often looks very different when you’re not hiding behind a screen. Social media affords us…
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03Sep 2018 by CJ
What you need will bring happiness wants can never satisfy

What you need will bring happiness wants can never satisfy

Life & Living
If I were to ask you what you need out of life, what would you say? Chances are you’d probably confuse the word “need” with the word “want” and before long you’d provide me with a list filled with materialistic possessions that have nothing to do with what you actually need. I recently came across an article by Allison Kahner, Psy.D. on Psychology Today entitled Key to Happiness: Focus on What You Need, Not What You Want. She had some pretty interesting things to say. “Studies of happiness and wealth repeatedly show that beyond a certain level of income or material prosperity, happiness levels do not continue to increase with increased levels of wealth. That is to say, once you have what you actually need (and maybe plus a little…
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