How To Go Against The Crowd And Still Live Your Truth/Life

If you see how society is living today and are repulsed by it, you’re in a small minority of people.

While most of us are trying to stay busy, move up in our careers, and buy nicer homes and fancier cars, you might think that this “keeping-up-with-the-Joneses” way of living is maddening.

If you have no interest in climbing the social ladder, hopping up the financial ladder, spending your life paying off a mortgage or being an active part of the rat race, this post is for you.

against_crowdThere is nothing wrong with you. If your spirit is shining brightly and your soul is focused on your inner pursuits, don’t march to society’s tune. Live life your own way.

Some reminders when you’re going against the crowd.

1) Do what feels right to your soul and spirit.

Follow your intuition and live your life as you want to live it. Do not let the actions or lifestyles of others influence you even though nearly everyone you know is going after society’s standards of achievement, fame and fortune. You do you, no matter what anyone else does.

2) Know what you want.

Stay true to your heart and your dreams. Ask yourself regularly what you want, not what your parents or society wants for you.

3) Stay away from the comparison zone.

Remove yourself from situations in which others compare you, judge you or make you feel bad about yourself. Don’t associate, partake in activities or hang out with people who you know will depress your spirit or minimize your value.

4) Find peace in moments of judgment and comparison.

If you’re in a situation in which you’re feeling bad about yourself in comparison to others, use that moment to practice an inner meditation. Take out your journal and write your feelings. Talk to another friend who lives their truth.

5) Others need to see you living your truth.

Know that while many people may not agree with you or what you think, many people will find you inspiring. Even when they don’t agree with you, you might slowly shift the minds and thoughts of other people. When you’re living your truth, you’ll be inspiring other people to live their truth (even if they don’t say it). You may spark change in someone else by simply being you.

6) Learn to embrace your imperfections.

Once you can accept that you’re not perfect and that you don’t have to live up to anyone else’s standards, you will breathe a big sigh of relief. You are your own person. Remember that you are enough regardless of what you do or achieve.

7) Be patient with the life and relationships you desire.

Do the inner work and become more attuned to your truth and you will get what you want more quickly. Many people live another life or a copycat life because they think that this will get societal approval. It’s not about anyone’s approval but your own. Be patient with yourself, work on your inner game and let life meet you when you’re ready.

8) Let go of expectations, timelines and deadlines.

Feel peace and happiness in the present moment even if you’re not where you want to be.
Timelines and continual striving are society’s games. You have to do certain things by a certain age. If you’re not educated or if you’re not married or if you don’t have a child by x age, you’re not enough in society’s eyes. Give up on the dumb rules and expectations that society has created. Live according to what feels right to you. Just be yourself.

9) Surround yourself with people who follow their truth.

Have your own circle of confidantes and friends whom you can trust and who understand you – others who are going against the grain and living their own truth. Rely on your circle of truth-seekers and soul-seekers to support and uplift you.

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Which Two Foods Are You And Your Partner?

A happy couple is a delicate balance between “the personal flavors” of the two individuals who are part of it. Just like preparing food you’ll have to pay attention to all the ingredients in the mix. Too much of one and the dish is spoiled.

How likely to match is the combination of your personalities? Are you more like chocolate and hot peppers? Or like steak and potatoes?

overeatingTake just now this fun, quick quiz to find out which two foods are you and your partner!

Which Two Foods Are You And Your Partner?
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Are Men Or Women More Successful At Saving For Retirement?

**NOTE: This article is being submitted on behalf of Zina Kumok of Retirement Online NOT Tarelle Tolson of Stone Temple**

The sphere of finance and economics is largely male-dominated. From the most powerful positions to the highest salaries, the world of wealth has been a boys’ club since the first drachma was minted in ancient Greece.

While that disparity isn’t disappearing anytime soon, advocates for gender equality can look to one area of finance as a sign of the changing tide: retirement saving.

According to a recent study by investment management behemoth Vanguard, women are out-saving men for retirement, and it’s not even a close race. Read on to learn more.

The Study

successful retirement planning

A 2016 survey from financial firm Vanguard found that despite the wage and wealth gap, women are outsaving men for retirement. In fact, women are almost 15 percent more likely to save, and when they do, they save 7-16 percent more than men.

Even women who are earning less than $50,000 are still saving for retirement at a rate of 45 percent compared to 28 percent in men. These women prove that a low salary doesn’t have to dissuade you from saving for retirement.

The study also observed that women are more likely using pre-packaged options like target-date funds, which choose a basket of funds based on when you hope to retire. Target-date funds are a good choice for someone who wants to invest in the market, but doesn’t know which securities to choose.

Unfortunately, the study also revealed that both sexes are not saving enough for retirement. Women set aside 7 percent of their salary for retirement—nowhere close to what they need. Most experts recommend saving between 10-15 percent of their salary for a comfortable nest egg in retirement years.

The women involved in the survey earned $68,895 on average, while the men earned $85,983, making their savings rates all the more impressive. The study also dispelled the myth that women are less likely to invest in the stock market, stating in the abstract that “on average men and women take very similar risk levels and hold similar types of portfolios.”

How Men Can Catch Up

successful retirement

While gender experts may be able to extrapolate some deeper reasons behind this gap, there’s nothing inherently gendered about the actions women are taking to save more. Any man is capable of bridging that divide with thoughtful and consistent financial decision-making. Here are a few important steps to take.

Take advantage of employer-sponsored plans. The easiest way to get started saving for retirement is to sign up for a plan through your employer. Nowadays many companies offer 401ks and other options for their workers, often with a company match. Not only could you be eligible for free money, but you’ll have access to someone designed to walk you through the intricacies of starting and funding your retirement.

Start early. Men earning less than $50,000 should start saving for retirement now, even if their instincts are to wait until they’re earning more. Time and compound interest can take small, regular contributions and turn them into large sums later on. Even if you can only save $25 a paycheck, it’s better than nothing.

Take advantage of catch-up contributions. If you’re an older man who’s been slacking on retirement saving, it’s not too late. Those 50 and older can take advantage of catch-up provisions for IRAs and 401ks, which allow you to set aside more money. You can put an extra $1,000 toward your IRA and an extra $5,000 to your 401k per year.

Take advantage of higher salaries. Not only are men likely to earn more than women, but they’re also more likely to have jobs making more than $100,000 a year. They should use those high salaries and put more money into their employer-sponsored retirement plans (or IRAs if those aren’t an option).

Ask for help. If you’re having trouble starting to save for retirement and aren’t sure what to do, consulting a financial planner may be the best option. An advisor can tell you how much you need to save and what kinds of investments to choose. They can make custom recommendations based on your goals and where you are in life. And if all else fails, you can turn to the real experts: the women in your life.

Zina Kumok is a 20-something writer for TraditionalIRA.com and RothIRA.com specializing in personal finance. She started covering personal finance while blogging about paying off $28,000 worth of student loans in three years. A former reporter, she has covered murder trials, the Final Four and everything in between. She has been featured in Lifehacker, Daily Worth and Time magazines.

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5 Tips To Keep You Sane In A Crazy World

Unless you live under a rock, you know of all the tragedies going on in the world. Bombings, shootings diseases, starvation, fires, droughts, floods, you name it, it’s happening. Wouldn’t we all love to be able to save the world one person at a time. It breaks our heart and rips us apart inside to hear of all the devastation happening. Our first thought? We feel helpless and hopeless. What on earth can we possibly do to alleviate the sadness all around us?

We all do our part in helping to make the world a beautiful more loving place but obviously we can’t save everyone by ourselves. Often it may even feel like your efforts are wasted or have gone unnoticed. They aren’t and haven’t. it’s not even just the tragedies going on around the world, it can also be the stress and conflict within your own world either at home or work. The traffic, the 60-hour work week, the business trips, the kids are fighting. It seems to never end. When does it, when will it ever stop?

saneIt can and it will but it starts with you. Here are a few tips to help keep you relatively sane in this zany world.

1. Random act of kindness.

Go do this. Do this lots. Every day every hour if you want. The world needs more kind people. Be one and when people watch you perform your acts of kindness they will be more inspired to follow suit. That’s how the world changes, one person at a time. These acts can be as small as holding the door open for someone, with a smile, or buying a homeless person food. Babysitting for a single mother so she can go to the movies with friends or mowing the lawn at the senior’s home. Choose your weapon of mass kindness and do it.

2. Avoid drama at all cost.

I know that may seem almost impossible to do but trust me, it’s not. As soon as you feel or hear and see drama coming on or starting, simply walk away. You don’t have to take part in any of that, ever. It’s your choice. Even if it’s your family, you still have the choice to walk away. You don’t have to stay and listen or engage in their shit talk. Go and be a part of a conversation that makes you happy.

3. Smile lots.

As much as you can. All day if you want. It’s really up to you how much you want to smile. The more you smile, the happier you will feel and the more at peace your mind will be. Do it while you are alone or walking down the street. Spread some cheer. The world needs more of that.  Eventually, as you keep smiling it will become a brilliant habit and you will automatically do it without even thinking about it or realize you are doing it. It will just become a part of you. the result? You will just feel happier and so will the recipients of your smile.

4. Shut them down.

Your worrisome negative thoughts that is. Your mind will go into overdrive if you give it the green light to do so. Don’t let it. You control your mind and your thoughts. Feed your mind with positive happy thoughts. Soon as you feel something negative coming on, immediately switch it off. You can do it. This will take some practice but it can be done. This could be negative thoughts about the horrible events around the world or even your boss. Turn that negative thought into something you are grateful for.

5. Unplug all devices.

Not literally but physically step away from cell phones, iPad, computers, tvs and anything else that may be delivering horrible news to you. We don’t want any part of that. Everything is still going to go on even if you don’t know what’s going on all over the world.  If it’s something you need to be concerned with I’m sure someone will inform you. You’ll find out. The rest of the stuff, you can’t really do anything about. Send out a healing prayer and let it go. Put on some fun light music instead and go for a nice walk in the park or read a love story, do a puzzle, whatever makes your heart sing. Do more of that.

You can see in this crazy zany world of ours, there are still ways to stay happy and sane. You can choose to get caught up in drama or just be in peace. Choose wisely.

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How Many Times Have You Been Reincarnated?

It is said that our soul keep returning to earth many, many times, until his mission is accomplished. Reincarnation is a very interesting perspective to judge the meaning of life. It is also a source of great comfort for those who seek spiritual growth based on inner resources. Reincarnation is used to explain the differences between people; they are lucky or not, rich or not, based on their actions from previous lives.

The concept was born in India around the 9th century BC, but now it is believed by many, including groups from the monotheistic religions.

reincarnationTake just now this quiz to find out how many times you have been reincarnated.

How Many Times Have You Been Reincarnated?

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5 Techniques for Increasing your Focus in 5 Minutes

Did you know that for every distraction, you will have to wait for at least 25 minutes before things return to normal? Yeah, I didn’t know that either. That’s why increasing your focus is vital.

The truth is, distractions are now a part of everyday life. Notifications, email, the Internet, social media, colleagues… these are but a few of the many obstacles we face today. And if you have ever struggled with any of these, you aren’t alone.

For example, Facebook and email bombarded me during my last summer break. I knew I had to work, but the temptation to check each of them was constantly on my mind. Also, I found that during conversations, no matter how engaged I am, whenever my phone would vibrate my focus immediately dropped to zero.

Over the course of a month, I have adopted 5 techniques to help me get rid of – or at least minimize – distractions. And I’ve found that these methods give significant results in a short amount of time.

1. Get Simple

One of the main reasons I got distracted from working was the fact that I used Word for writing. Though I have nothing against Microsoft, Word simply sucks when you want to focus on writing. There are just so many options at the top of my screen that it’s hard to focus on doing the task at hand. That’s why I switched to plain text writing – it’s simple and helps me focus.

I urge you to do the same. Simplicity breeds focus. Once you have nothing to do other than work, you will work.

See Also: 4 Habits That Will Improve Your Focus And Destroy Procrastination

2. Fight tech with tech

If you’ve found that technology is your biggest time waster, then fight it – with the right software. A popular one is StayFocusd for Chrome. This app helps in increasing your focus by blocking distracting webpages from the Internet. And if you ever visit these pages? You get this:

stayfocsd_msg

Now, what if something came to your mind while working? Something like: “What was the name of the character who *place name of actor here* acted in *place name of film here*?” Good question! Read the next point.

3. Create a Distraction List

internet distraction

Sometimes you will get distracted by a thought that disrupts your focus. When this happens, the last thing you want to do is tell it to go away, as this usually doesn’t work.

So what does? A distraction list. To make this, just create a new text file. Not in Evernote. Not a Word document. A text file.

Now, rename it to “Distraction list”. After doing so, place it in your desktop. Whenever you have a thought, you can just open the file and type the thought down. These are usually things you won’t come back to again, but writing them down usually helps to clear your mind.

4. Go offline

Most distractions you get come from the Internet. While using the right software can help a lot, it still helps to go offline for at least an hour each day.

If you ever decide to do this, do it in the morning. Unless you’ve just napped, your energy levels in the afternoon are not as high as when you’ve just woken up. Therefore, in the morning just after you wake up, go offline for an hour and get on with doing whatever you are supposed to be doing.

See Also: How to Stay Focused When You’re Tempted to Slack Off – in 3 Simple Steps

5. Turn off notifications

turn off notifications

Even if you go offline, there is still another thing you should worry about: notifications. How do you stop them? Well, you simply turn them off!

Both Android and iOS let you do this. Check out this tutorial on how to go about it. And while notifications can still exist on the Mac and PC, they aren’t as bad as what you get from a mobile phone.

So there you go! Five techniques in increasing your focus that you could adopt in the next 5 minutes. Make sure to adopt one tonight to get rid of distractions and do what is actually important.

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10 Signs You Are A Healer

A healer, an empath, a light worker, an energy healer. You must have at one time or another heard these declarations. Someone was telling someone they are an energy worker or healer. What makes someone a healer or light worker anyway? How do you know you are one? What are the signs that indicate we are gifted and special and can feel, see, touch and heal?

Let’s first bust the myth that you have to be a tree hugging hippy from the 70’s to fall into any of these categories. You don’t. You can be the girl behind the counter at the coffee shop or the young man at the auto repair shop. Healers are everywhere and can be anyone. So are you one? If you have any of these signs you just might be.

healer1. You feel that you are here for a bigger purpose.

If you feel that, you are probably right. What’s your purpose? Have you discovered it? What causes are you drawn to? Do you feel a longing and a yearning to save babies, lions, villages? If the desire is burning inside of you deeply, you are a healer and should start looking into living your purpose.

2. Many don’t understand you.

Your friends and family don’t understand when you try to explain your feelings and they may even look at you like you just fell off the planet Mars. Only healers understand other healers. We understand the bigger picture and know what we are here to do. Others won’t get it.

3. You may be introverts.

Because you feel misunderstood by so many, you may have a tendency to be more introverted. It’s easier to stay home and enjoy your own company then to be with others who don’t understand you or feel weirded out by your energy. Finding like minded people can be difficult so you stick to yourself .

4. You are super sensitive.

To so many things. People arguing, loud noises, babies crying, bullying, thunderstorms, nature, the full moon. You name it, it stirs something inside of you. Some good, some not so good. It can sometimes be a struggle or a battle to not be so sensitive because it can actually hurt a lot.

5. You feel people’s energies strongly.

You easily pick up on other’s energy, whether happy or sad, good or bad. You are extremely sensitive to angry or negative energy. Not only do you feel energies but you wish you could heal the wounded as well. We sometimes forget we can’t help those who don’t want help.

6. People are drawn to you.

They naturally gravitate to you and feel comforted by your presence. They may even ask for advice or for some energy healing work. Your glow or aura is radiant and not so easy to mask or hide even if you wanted to. People just want to be with you. They love you and don’t quite understand why but they do.

7. Black sheep of the family.

Some healers are the black sheep of the family whereas others may come from a family of healers. You were always different. There was always something special about you and no one could figure it out. Even you knew you were different and didn’t quite belong with this family (and that’s a real feeling too).

8. You get emotionally drained quickly after a long day.

If you are around too much toxicity you will emotionally collapse by the end of the day and need some of your own healing. Because you pick up so much of everyone else’s energy and carry it with you, it is mandatory for you to clear your own energy field and until you get to do that, you’re emotionally zapped.

9. You experience a lot of headaches, neck and shoulder pain.

You feel like you carry the weight of the world and indirectly, you sort of do. You can get many headaches throughout the week depending on what your interactions were like. It is mandatory for you to drink lots of water and take time to clear all energies you are carrying or feeling.

10. People want advice.

You get a lot of people asking for advice on romance, work, family and other issues they may be dealing with. Sometimes even strangers are pouring out their soul to you because they simply feel that connection with you and no one has any qualms about telling you their life story. They just trust you.

Being a healer is truly a beautiful thing. You are gifted more than you know if you are one. Love it, embrace it, cherish it and be with it. The world needs more healers.

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4 Keys To Create A Life You Don’t Need A Vacation From

The good life… We work hard at our jobs to get a glimpse of it during the summer or spring breaks when we finally have the time to do what we want to do. Some people use this time to go to the beaches to chill and party until the moon comes up. Others go to a foreign country to explore and experience a new culture. Everybody has his own definition of the good life. But what everybody has in common is that it’s associated with the ultimate happiness, joy and satisfaction of life. How great would it be to live life on your own terms and to live the good life, whether you have time off from your job/school or not? Let’s find out what the keys are to live the good life anytime anywhere.

happy_with_lifeLove what you do

Your work is going to fill a large portion of your life. You need to find out what it is that you’re good at and also what you really like. If you combine those 2 key elements, you’ll approach your ‘work’ as something totally different. You’ll begin to see it as something that helps you becoming a better person in life and of course, a happier one. For some people entrepreneurship might be their thing, others like to work in the corporate world or in the health-care industry.

Everybody has his own passions and interests so it doesn’t really matter in which profession you’ll work. As long as you work in a place where you feel happy and feel like you’re making work- as well as personal-related progress, you’ll never work another day in your life.

Build strong relationships

Having great relationships with your loved ones is of crucial importance to be happy and feel loved. Not only is this common sense, but there is also finally evidence to back up this claim.

The Grant study, a 75-year study about finding out what creates a fulfilling life, showed a really simple but important conclusion: feeling loved and having good relationships with the people you care about are the most important things to live a happy and meaningful life, regardless of the situation. Therefore, focus on and cherish the relationships that you have with your loved ones, because they are the ones that will give you happiness and joy that you won’t find anywhere else.

Gratitude

When has been the last time that you just took a moment for yourself to think about all the things that you’ve accomplished so far? Since we live in a world that is 24/7 up and running it’s hard to stand still by your achievements, because nowadays you always see someone who has it better than you. However, your achievements don’t decrease in value just because someone else is 3 steps ahead of you. You’ll start to live your life on your own terms when you don’t feel the need any more to compare yourself to others. The key is to be genuinely happy with what you have, and the universe will reward you with more in life.

Strive for progress

The ideal situation would be to learn or to do something new every day. However our reality almost never matches with our ideal self, hence the name ideal. It’s also pretty difficult to challenge yourself every day, because some days you probably won’t feel like it and just want to be and feel comfortable and relaxed. That’s why you need to look at the bigger picture. Striving for progress means that you should set goals for yourself that encourage you to become a better person and to do things that you normally wouldn’t do. You don’t have to learn how to play the piano, if you don’t like pianos. But what you can do is becoming more knowledgeable in the classical music if that’s what interests you. This can be progress to. As long as you’re keep trying to do and learn new things over time you’ll not only improve the quality of your life, but you’re also finding more things out about yourself that you wouldn’t find out otherwise.

People wait all week for Friday, all year for summer, and all life for the good life. However, you don’t have to escape your ‘normal’ life during spring or summer break to experience the good life. You can create your own ‘good life’ without going anywhere. Once you realize this, you can start living the life you’ve been waiting for all your life by creating it right now.

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What Is Your True Birth Name?

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

Birth NameThe power of our name has been immortalized in literature or religious ceremonies. It is said that the name we use influences us in many ways. It is true. How many times have you remembered somebody just because of an unusual name, or have you thought that his/her name doesn’t suit the personality?

Take just now this quick and fun quiz to find out what your true birth name is!

What Is Your True Birth Name?
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8 Critical Reasons To Start Self Care Now

I believe that many of us are natural care givers. We want to take care of our friends, our family, our children, people on the street, you name it, we feel them and want to help. Any way we can. Every way we can. In keeping with all this caring, we often neglect ourselves. Too many of us insist we don’t have time to take care of ourselves because, clearly, we’re just too busy saving the world, right? What we forget is that it is absolutely critical to take care of ourselves first.

For some of us, the level of care we give to ourselves is substandard. We eat, sometimes we exercise, we try to spend time with family and friends, quality time, and we try to have our alone time but unfortunately, we fail miserably at half of this. People need us. Well, you need you too. Your self is whispering to you to please take time out for you. Here are 8 reasons why you better start doing that today.

self_care21. You are NOT a super hero.

You are not indestructible. You are not immune to crashing and burning. You are a human and if you don’t stop and decompress you will crash and burn and it may be harder than you would like.

2. You are important too.

Yes, you sure are. Your mental health, your energy, your self love. All that is very important to your well being. It’s also very important to the level of care you can offer others. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

3. Keep the love.

Many people who give and care too much eventually start to feel resentment towards the people they are caring for. When resentment sets in, you no longer enjoy doing what you’re doing. If you spend a wee bit less time on them and more time on you, you will avoid resentment and keep love in your heart.

4. No doormat.

Remember respect is something that is earned and too often people will start to take advantage of your kindness and cross the line of respect. You’ve definitely earned it but there are those who are now taking you for granted and have lost it. Regain it by drawing the line. You are no doormat.

5. Who are you?

Caring and helping others is something you love doing but what about you? What are your other hobbies and interests and fun things to do? And when was the last time you did any of them?  Before you forgot what fun was, go out and have some.

6. Recharge your batteries.

They will run dry. Don’t think they won’t. You will eventually start dragging yourself out of bed to have to go and take care of others or run errands. Recharging can come in the form of a meditation or a nice walk in the park. Take some downtime. Grab your iPod, plug in your favourite tunes and enjoy.

7. Emotional and physical health are important.

So very important to each and every one of us. You may feel awesome today and think you are in excellent shape and health but that can quickly come to an end with no warning. Stroke, nervous breakdown, high blood pressure or stress can easily occur to those who don’t take proper care of themselves.

8. Rediscover you.

Maybe there are other little things deep inside that are screaming to be discovered by you and unleashed but they simply can’t, they are trapped, because you don’t take time to allow them to surface. We are all slightly more complex than we think we are. There are many different parts to us. Discover all your parts.

It’s time you give up that excuse you don’t have time for yourself and start making time for yourself. This is the only life you have and you don’t want to go through life not caring for yourself and then end unfulfilled and sad wishing you had done more for yourself, experienced more of life. Don’t live with regret.

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