Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Derrick Torrens
Hormones raging and hairs sprouting, it gives off that Wild Kingdom vibe. It’s primal, it’s territorial, and it might even be human. It’s a teenager.
So many of us treat our dealings with teens as if you are an explorer landing on a distant world. Phasers on stun we don’t know if they are lethal. How soon we forget what people must have thought looking at us. Some of us are still getting looked at like that, HELLO.
Say hi to seven long years of looking at someone and truly not understanding him or her. That reminds me of my love life, but I digress. Saying things like “in my time” (what is “my time”) or “today’s kids” (how long does “today” last) isn’t bringing you any closer to the truth that you already know. We were all and are all going through the same trials and tribulations. Read More »
Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Chris Bennett
Editor’s Note: It the difficult times we are facing with financial and job crises, the need for volunteers in every community is growing. We are tempted to focus on ourselves because of the fear and uncertainty seemingly in the news every day. It is our hope that after reading this article you will see that volunteering not only helps others, but it helps each of us. Approaching volunteering with gratitude will leave each of us feeling better and greedy for more of this feeling every day.
Even to most amiable of people, mental ruts seem to find their way to the forefront of any given personality. Signs of such an impersonal emotion are strong amounts of irritability and discontentment mixed with downright ill tempered attitudes. These traits more than likely do not represent who you are, hence the term ruts.
For me, mental ruts are extremely frustrating because I am consistently on the go and my life moves very fast. So I ask … how is it possible to not only find a simplistic way of relieving that unwanted crabbiness but also find a way to channel that off-putting energy to good use? Read More »
Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Tamara Belinc
Editor’s Note: Thanksgiving is normally the start of the Christmas season. This article is dedicated to all the family traditions we each hold dear in the hopes we are able to maintain and cherish them this season and many more to come.
Every year on Christmas Day, after the turkey was eaten and the presents were opened, my family members participated in a no-hold barred paper ball fight. As everyone opened presents, they gathered wrapping paper, hording it behind, under and around them – anywhere they could get it, just so they could get in on the fun.
Soon, red, green, blue and multi-colored paper balls were flying; people were ducking and twisting to avoid being hit, while strategically throwing the balls at whomever they wanted to hit. It was a fun way to avenge any wrongs that might have happened during the year. Even my Granny, the family matriarch, got in on the action, throwing from her lift chair in the corner of the room. Read More »
Article by Make The Days Contributor Chris Bennett
Happiness is fundamental root of all things that are good in your mind. Life is too short to be with out it, so how do you make the best of it every day?
The content of your own happiness should come from within, despite all external hindrances. How hard is it to be truly happy if you hate your job? Stuck in a dead in relationship? Or simply feel like you are mulling along in life and selling yourself short? Genuine happiness is balance of responsibility and satisfaction.
Is happiness biological? Sure it is. Is it part metaphysical? Possibly. Is it psychological? Yes. The mentality of contentment is complex in nature yet simply beautiful.
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Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe
“I am worthy and deserving of a good life.”
“I am responsible for my life.”
“I am responsible for my own spiritual growth.”
Each of these is an affirmative statement, or affirmation. Affirmations can be about health, love, respect, God … anything that you want to affirm within yourself. They send powerful messages deep into our minds. Written purposefully and said regularly, these statements penetrate levels of our psyche that typically seem to be out of reach, operating beyond our conscious control.
By using affirmations, we can not only reach the deepest levels of consciousness, but once there, actually change our consciousness as a means of improving our attitude, our feelings about ourselves, and ultimately our lives.
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