Freedom is what gives people the power to act or not to act. It allows them to determine their own future and to shape their own destiny. That is what we all crave for. Yet, somewhere along the way, we have lost touch of this freedom we all love. We now struggle with our own minds.

If you are struggling to take control of your life, here’s what you need to know.

What many people are doing

Most people get influenced by the world around them. This can be intentional or unintentional, but it keeps them from being fully in control of themselves. They don’t have the power to make the most out of their day. They cannot stick to the choices they make.

People go along with these influences like they are normal. Instead of being in full control of themselves, they have given up their freedom to things and people which should not matter to them.

Why it matters

These scenarios happen countless times every day and most people don’t realize their extent.

Instead of playing with their kids, parents are influenced into placing a football bet after watching a TV advertisement. Employees browse aimlessly on the internet, instead of working. Instead of working on their business, aspiring entrepreneurs are busy scrolling on Facebook after receiving a few notifications.

If you are one of those people, you need to wake up and take control of your life. You aren’t living on your terms and you are being influenced by things to such an extent that you aren’t a free man anymore.

What you can do

An acknowledgment of this is a good first step, but most people don’t even go that far. They continue to live their lives depending on other people’s approval. They don’t even realize that they have a choice and they let other people control their happiness.

Modern society considers this as normal. Isn’t this absurd?

Many people are still fighting for political freedom to this day, yet many of our actions aren’t done through our own control. People should fight for freedom, and the freedom we can most control is the freedom within ourselves. No one should influence our choices in life.

We must protect what we have, especially what we can control. We do not have power over many things external to us, and we can accept that and continue living happily. But, we shouldn’t be so weak and give up our control of what can’t physically be taken away from us.

After all, political freedom won’t mean much if one’s own mind isn’t free. If we cannot control our mind, then we can’t expect ourselves to fully enjoy a life based on our own terms.

Conclusion

The worst part of this is that this is all self-inflicted. There isn’t an enemy this time- just ourselves.

And we shouldn’t be our own enemy. We should be in full control of how we live our lives.

Many ordinary people will agree with this article, but right after they are finished reading it, they will go back on Facebook, their phones and pondering things that aren’t really important. The reality is that it takes great effort to get rid of these temptations, especially if it’s not in your true interest.

Bear in mind, however, that you have a choice to reclaim your freedom and take control of your life.

Strong people can easily agree to this. They know that they are in full control and nothing or nobody else has power over them. These people have the authority over their lives and they will do what they want. They will not cave into societies’ influences.

These things are great examples for other people, especially those who have lost their way and those who are currently unhappy with their lives.

Embrace change if you need it. Your freedom is one of your most prized possessions, so don’t take it for granted. When one realizes that he might have lost his way, then they need to fight back for it. Freedom is never worth giving up.

 

The post The Importance Of Freedom And How To Take Control Of Your Life appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Most people understand what hardship is but not a lot of people know how to develop empathy. When we think about someone who undergoes hardship, we often think about those who are impoverished, disabled or marginalized in some way. What we fail to think about is subjective hardship.

What is subjective hardship?

I define subjective hardship as the hardship that someone internalizes. Often, we cannot see these hardships. But, just because we cannot see them, does not mean that they are not real. Just because someone might seem fine on the outside, does not mean that person is not having real pain on the inside.

If a child from a high-income household expects hundreds of presents each year, and one year that child receives less than expected, there is a good chance that child will be undergoing subjective hardship.

Now, you might be thinking that this spoiled kid is not undergoing any hardship and that’s exactly the problem. The number of people who take their lives has increased in recent years. High schools and colleges are seeing a major increase in mental health issues across young people who are 14 to 24 years old.

Many of the reasons that these numbers are increasing revolve around how we conceptualize hardship. We have to reframe how we think about hardship to better understand what factors are leading to the increase in mental health service use.

Developing empathy for hardship

One of the best ways to understand how people conceptualize subjective hardship is to listen. Active listening is the key. Simply listening to someone who is going through some form of hardship, without judgment, could make all the difference. When we fail to account for subjective hardship, we forget that we are human.

Humans live and die by the expectations they create for their society, community, and families. If all of a sudden, we change someone’s paradigm, that person is likely to struggle with his or her mental and physical health. On the outside, that person may own a fancy house and car, but, on the inside, that person could be struggling with depression, anxiety, and stress.

Break down the barriers through vulnerability

The easiest way to break down a barrier is to acknowledge. If someone you know seems a little off, say something.

There are so many reasons why we experience pain in life. However, because we feel like no one will be able to understand the pain and what we are going through, we often hide them.That attitude is the barrier that we need to break down. Other people will only be able to understand you if you let them in.

Showing vulnerability is the easiest way to get another person to open up to you. If I tell you about how my life is going and the struggles that I face, you will be more likely to open up to me. Showing vulnerability is showing strength as it takes strength to admit when something is wrong.

If we can break down the barriers and realize that people are just people, then we might be able to save some lives.

Conclusion

Hardship is both objective and subjective.

There are plenty of data on objective hardship which enable us to know exactly how to combat it. What we know less about and what we need to learn more about is subjective hardship.

No one has a perfect life. Because we place such a high value on money and material possessions, we often forget how important personal relationships, health, and moods are. No one deserves constant stress, anxiety or sadness. It is the right time that we step up and show empathy for others.

The simplest way to show empathy is to listen to someone’s problems. Ask about what’s going on in their lives. Try kindness and aim to develop trust.

There is a good chance that person will return the favor in the future. If we can break down our barriers, we can develop relationships across socioeconomic boundaries. Be just a little better than you were yesterday and see what happens.

 

The post How To Develop Empathy By Understanding Subjective Hardship appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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There are many positive actions and habits we know we should do, like working out, eating healthily and not spending beyond our means. We know the big things that will make our lives better, but the fact that they’re big tasks means they can feel daunting or overwhelming.

And so we easily give up on them.

Life isn’t always about big, bold milestones. It’s also about the little things that can bring you a more positive and fulfilling lifestyle.

If you feel the same way, then you should know that there are small positive changes you can still do to make your life better. Pick one thing from the list below and test it out. If you like it and it’s becoming a regular habit, add another one in.

And the best thing about these small changes? They require no extra money or prep time.

So, what are you waiting for? Scroll down the list, pick a number and start making positive changes.

17 Things That Will Bring You Positive Changes

1. Get up and go to bed at the same time every day as much as you can. However, a spontaneous wild night out every now and then won’t hurt anyone.

2. Watch some comedy every day to keep those laughter muscles warmed up.

3. Have a healthy breakfast to set yourself up well for the day. Oatmeal with fruits, a smoothie or even a homemade granola will do.

4. Consider playing the songs you love as you’re getting ready in the morning. It will give your day a great start even before you leave the house.

5. Unfollow people on Facebook. A major factor in feeling bad is comparing ourselves to other people. Seeing your high school buddy’s “perfect” holiday, kids or home isn’t going to boost your self-esteem. It’s best to remove them from your view.

6. Do something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the time for. Make it simple and achievable, like dining at a particular restaurant or trying out a new recipe.

7. While you’re lying in bed at night, think of five things that went well that day. They don’t have to be big or dramatic. It can be a nice lunch, a free gift at the store or a cute baby that smiled at you. As a result, you’ll be able to train your brain to focus on the good rather than the bad.

8. Talk back to your negative thoughts. If your friend told you she’d had an unproductive day, would you respond negatively or positively? Consider it the same for yourself. Being harsh on yourself won’t help you achieve more. In fact, it can only make you feel crappy.

9. Keep a notebook and jot down all the things that make you feel alive. You’d be amazed at how this simple act can switch your brain into feeling good.

10. At least once a week, wear an outfit that makes you feel great. Wear your most fabulous clothes, underwear included. Do your hair in a style you love, put on some makeup, and head out looking good. You’ll be amazed at how differently people will treat you.

11. Send a text once a week to someone you know and tell them why you think they’re awesome. This will boost your positivity.

12. If you want to work out but can’t find the motivation, just go for a walk. It’s better than nothing and will get your blood pumping. The best way to get fit is to see yourself as someone who works out and keeps fit.

13. Drop the word “should”. Keep an eye out for how often you say it and ask yourself if it’s making you feel better or worse. Is it something genuinely important to you? Who said you should do it? Do they know you better than you know yourself? Ask yourself these questions and you’ll know why the word won’t help you.

14. If you’re a procrastinator, introduce the “yucky task, nice task” process. It works just as it sounds. Get your yucky task done first and give yourself a reward or do a nicer task after.

15. Another positive change you can do is clear your inbox of all the newsletters you’re signed up to. Put them in a separate folder, delete them, or pare them down to just the ones you love to receive. The feeling of freedom that comes from an uncluttered inbox is worth more than the sporadic, fleeting bonus you might get from one of your newsletters.

16. Add one more piece of fruit into your day and mix it up with the usual ones you have every day. Make it a daily challenge to see the different kinds of fruit you can eat. In addition to helping you start with some positive changes, it can also help you be healthier.

17. Finally, if you’re a news junkie, set a timer and allow yourself to read the news for an allotted period of time only. Our news has changed over the past few years and they’re designed to hook you in. Generally, we feel worse after watching story upon story of terror and bad news, so limit your exposure. If you’re not a news junkie, why not take a break from watching?

So, there you have it. These are the 17 small changes that can add up to big results. Where will you start?

The post 17 Easy Positive Changes You Can Make In Your Life Right Now appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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As a 4-year-old, I recall clinging to my father’s leg at a friend’s birthday party. I was terrified to go into the other room, where other kids were whacking a piñata with a long stick. That model followed me the rest of my life.

Being an unconfident male in America is not a winning recipe for success and I knew that. For decades, I had no clue what to do to get out of it. At times, I felt doomed to a life of misery, despair, and loneliness.

But that wasn’t acceptable. I couldn’t live with that defining my life. Even though I felt completely annihilated, I figured a way out must exist. Otherwise, life won’t even be worth living.

And today, as a young 34-year-old man, I’ve got all the confidence in the world despite things being rough at the moment. My wife and I have $30,000+ in medical debt (and growing) and she has perplexing health problems that baffle doctors.

I have every reason to feel anxious and fearful and yet I’m not. I’m certainly not perfect, so fear and doubt creep in from time-to-time. But, I’m happier and more joyful than ever before. And if you met me, you’d think things are going quite well.

If you are wondering how I started building confidence, here are a few lessons I learned along the way:

Consider Your Mind A Dangerous Place You Never Go Alone

Remember your parents telling you,”Never go near that place. It’s dangerous. You could get hurt.”

What happens in your mind? If you’re a fearful person, you’ll notice the thoughts start buzzing. Although you try not to think about them, they still gain power. You tell yourself not to act on them, but you still find yourself doing that.

And often, you feel completely overwhelmed and defeated. Fear runs your life. You don’t talk to people you want to. You don’t ask women for dates. You don’t leave the house, even though you want to.

True, isn’t it?

That’s exactly how I handled fear for a long time and I got the same old results — more fear. Failure after failure made me feel trapped and at a dead end. I felt stumped, defeated and totally lost.

That’s why I no longer hide anything or live in my mi-nd anymore. I had to constantly practice sharing my thinking with others whom I trust to listen without judgment. I keep pouring those fearful thoughts out of my head so they won’t have an opportunity to grow and gain strength.

You Can Only Neglect the Spiritual Dimension of Your Life to Your Detriment

To cope with my fear, shame, guilt and poor self-esteem, I developed an addiction. The addiction took my naturally fearful disposition and magnified its intensity 100 times.

Eventually, I learned the spiritual part of life had to come first. It’s kept me out of my addiction and it’s transformed me from fearful to confident.

Spiritually, I simply trust that all will work out and everything is under the control of a supreme God. That gives me the confidence that all I have to do is continue to grow as a person and keep trying. Something will work out. I don’t know what or when, but I know it will.

Can you gain confidence without spirituality? Perhaps. But, I think it’s like not taking vitamin C when you have a cold. You can do other things (like rest). But you’re throwing away a key part of the puzzle.

Have an Insane Desire to Serve Others

My natural fear kept me withdrawn and isolated. The addiction made it even worse that coming out became impossible.

But, as I learned what worked, it became clear that serving others was the key. When I thought about my fear, I realized how self-focused it made me.

These are the thoughts that would often cross my mind:

• What’s that person thinking of me?
• Oh no, I did something wrong.
• What should I say?
• Will I fail?
• I’m an idiot.

If you ever find yourself constantly thinking about these things, get out of that thinking. I actually started this right away before feeling confident. Although I knew I didn’t have the confidence or skills to accomplish large things, I knew could deal with the smaller stuff.

I didn’t just serve others by volunteering to serve soup at a homeless shelter once a month. It’s actually a daily practice. When a friend calls, I pick up immediately. If someone asks for help, I say “Yes” 90% of the time.

Whenever someone has a small problem, I clarify it for them. A friend wakes me up at 6:30 in the morning with a phone call, I answer right away, rather than calling back at a more convenient time.

Identify Your Own Strengths and Weaknesses

Building confidence comes from knowing yourself. Just like everyone else, you have strengths and weaknesses.

I always thought confidence means appearing invulnerable, like Superman. You have no weaknesses and you never feel afraid.

In reality, however, that’s just trying to stuff feelings and it only increased my fear.

When you’re trapped in fear, you falsely believe you have more weaknesses than strengths. It prevents you from seeing yourself accurately.

But, take a look. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with what you’ll find. You’ll realize that as you learn how to deal with your fear, you’ll find you have more good parts which you didn’t know you had.

The good parts of you will grow while the bad and negative will fall away and become much less apparent in your life.

That’s how it worked for me. I couldn’t have done it without looking at the bad (greedy, critical, demanding) and good (intelligent, helpful, funny). And today, I feel like I’m 95% the good version of me. You can ask my friends, my wife, and even strangers, and they’d say positive things about me.

Only Focus on What You Can Control

Historically, so much of my fear has been based on outcomes of situations. I want to:

• Have people respond my way
• Always win
• Never have any rough patches
• Be a fearless superhero winner like James Bond

When I didn’t get the desired outcomes, I beat myself up and felt guilty and ashamed. Clearly, because I didn’t get the woman, the job, the friend, or the money, I was a “bad” person.

I rarely do that anymore, because about 90% of life doesn’t work out your way.
Only 10% does. So, focus on that 10% and grow the heck out of it. Keep trying until you find what works and do less of what doesn’t.

In a given day, I can’t control much. I’m self-employed. I can only control how and when I reach out to prospective clients, and how many of them I contact. Whether they choose to do business with me or not isn’t in my control.

So, I can only make contacts and chat with interested prospects. After that, I just have to trust that everything falls into place.

In the grand scheme of things, I realized that isn’t much.

Understand The Paradoxical Ways Your Mind Works

Human minds sometimes work the opposite of what appears to make sense. For example, if you have ever said to yourself, ”I’m going to walk right up to that girl and ask her for her phone number” and then promptly avoided doing it, you’ve probably felt confused as to why.

Well, it’s because you’re using willpower but you don’t have enough confidence. You still feel fearful and it shows most of the time.

So, the first paradox is this:

• To overcome your fear, let it enter

I no longer say to myself, ”Uh-oh. I’m getting fearful again. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it…Oh no! Here it is. I’m screwed. This is gonna be rough.”

Instead, I allow the fear to enter. Whenever it comes in, I feel numbness and tingling in my arms. My hands sweat a little. My back and neck tighten up.

However, I don’t get fearful of those sensations. I let them happen. I know they’ll pass and I’ll be alright. And that diminishes the power fear has over me.

Other paradoxes include:

• You get what you give
• Seek to understand to be understood
• Listen to others and you’ll be heard
• You get what you oppose
• Do it because you don’t want to
• Embrace your vulnerability

Feelings Often Don’t Fit the Facts

My wife of nearly 8 years and I met online. We talked a few times by phone before meeting. And once, I said something to her which I later thought was quite rude.

I panicked. I thought I had blown it and she would never talk to me again.

I’ve shared the story with her several times. I no longer remember her exact response, but she can’t recall anything unusual from our phone conversations.

However, she does recall the awkwardness of our first date. She thought I was a cheapskate because we went to a friend’s house for dinner, then to a local zoo by the lake (free), and then watched a horror movie (rented) at home.

Seemed fine to me since I thought it made sense to keep it casual when meeting the first time. Unfortunately, that’s not what she was expecting.

Anyway, my feelings told me I had ruined our relationship before it started. Then they told me the date was fine.

In both cases, my feelings were different than reality.

So today, if I’m feeling anxious, fearful, or wondering how I did or how to take what someone said, I don’t spend too much time thinking about it. I simply move on to what’s next and focus on that.

And if I’m having a hard time with feelings that refuse to go away, I talk to someone else.

Yes, You Can Skyrocket Your Confidence, Too

You may, like me, have been born with low self-confidence. You may also have had catastrophic life experiences which ruined the confidence you have had.

Well, you can get your confidence back. Or find it for the first time.

No matter how stressful or intimidating it can be, you can absolutely learn how to feel confident in any situation. That can happen even if you don’t have a shred of confidence now.

These tips can make that possible. But, of course, it will still be up to you to take action.

The post How To Start Building Confidence: A Story From A (Formerly) Fearful Guy appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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What do successful people actually do with their weaknesses?

That is a question worth pondering. If you think about it for a moment, you’ll realize that people who are truly successful don’t shy away from their weaknesses. In fact, they are alright sharing them.

As a leader (which I believe you are), it will actually inspire those around you if they see you succeed in spite of your weaknesses. It will give them the courage to be better as well as to press on.

To help you figure things out, here’s how to maximize your potential.

Why peace is essential

You don’t have to feel like you are climbing uphill as you work on maximizing your potential. You can actually get a sense of peace when you come to terms with a skill that doesn’t come naturally to you. It will help you attain the patience needed to make progress.

With that feeling of frustration off of your shoulders, you can focus more on how you can start working on your goal.

How weaknesses trump strengths

Your weaknesses can teach you more about how to work with people and the importance of cooperation. It’s also a place where growth can feel very rewarding.

The right relationship with your weaknesses will allow you to focus more energy on maximizing your potential. Essentially, you’ll be able to achieve success faster when you are able to do this. In addition to figuring out what you are not good at by the process of elimination, you’ll be able to know what you are really good at.

Remember, focusing solely on your strengths can be detrimental to you. You might miss out on the opportunity to grow.

How to handle reaching a plateau with a weakness

Investing in things you are naturally good at should not be an excuse to avoid things that don’t come naturally to you. Bear in mind, however, that when you do invest in improving on a weakness, you are likely to hit a plateau.

So, what do you do?

This is where you change things up. Changing your approach can raise the ceiling in your area of assumed weakness.

As Gary Keller, in his #1 bestseller book entitled The One Thing, said, “Natural ability can only take us so far before we hit our achievement ceiling. Models and Systems will help you break through that ceiling of achievement.”

You may never be a world-class lumberjack, but a chainsaw will take you further than an axe. Trying a new approach may be what you need.

A University of Florida basketball player, Canyon Barry, used an unconventional underhand free throw style to hit 42 shots in a row, setting a school record.

You might not look cool to some using a different approach to raise the ceiling of a weakness, but who cares. Just keep hitting your own free throws.

Just because it doesn’t come naturally to you doesn’t mean it’s a weakness

Most things don’t come naturally. They need to be learned. If you are struggling, maybe the issue is with your learning and not your innate ability.

This is where a growth mindset (believing that most basic abilities can be developed) over a fixed mindset (believing that things like intelligence or talent are fixed traits) really makes a huge difference.

As Carol S. Dweck said in her book, Mindset, “In the growth mindset, experiencing difficulty simply indicates the need to put in more effort. In the fixed mindset, difficulty means you do not have the ability.”

A reader who wrote to her also commented the following:

“We should be careful not to view failure as a proof of stupidity but rather as a lack of knowledge, skill or experience which can all be remedied”

Can you raise the ceiling of that assumed weakness with a different learning approach and mindset? Think about it.

The one thing worse than a weakness

The real thing that is going to hold you back is your bad habits. I believe that is the one thing that’s likely to determine your success. It’s not hard to see how bad habits can dampen your strengths and amplify your weaknesses.

A key element to embracing our weakness is facing those accompanying bad habits head on. It will not only help you raise the ceiling on a weakness, but it’s likely to boost your strengths, too.

Ready to maximize your potential?

It doesn’t feel good to know you are living below your potential. Mediocrity is not a crown to be worn proudly. Although it’s true that some things don’t come naturally to you, it doesn’t mean that they have to hold you back.

Freely admit your weaknesses and be transparent with them. Embrace the peace that comes with that decision and don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you feel like your progress is slowing down, it’s when you change things up. Just believe that you can raise the ceiling of that weakness.

Be sure to kick those bad habits and just go maximize your potential!

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Do you think that good looks, a six-pack, and some pearly whites are all you need to win over a woman’s heart? Well, think again. What women look for in a man is more than good looks.

You don’t need to have it all together in order to find a great match, but there are some resounding qualities that can put you ahead of the competition.

Here are five traits you can improve on to impress the woman you like.

Someone who can make them laugh

A good sense of humor tops the list for a lot of women. Having the ability to make light of a situation or crack a joke can help relieve stress and shows that you don’t take yourself too seriously. Humor in a relationship can also help break down tension and help the two of you navigate through life more harmoniously.

A sense of purpose

What women look for in a man is the passion and purpose in life and the drive to pursue it. A sense of ambition means that a partner cares about their future and isn’t satisfied with staying stagnant. Someone who cares about life and improving himself is much more exciting than someone who is comfortable in where he is.

Good communication skills

If you want to have a successful relationship, then you have to develop good communication skills. Misunderstanding is the number one factor that leads to fights in relationships.

Good communication skills involve knowing how to listen to your partner as well as being able to express how you feel. Yelling or shouting at each other won’t get you anywhere, so it’s important to learn how to discuss things in a calm, effective manner.

Taking care of yourself

Most women want a man who is a grown up and acts like one. They like men who can take care of their own laundry, clean after themselves and cook their own meals. Paying bills on time, making necessary medical appointments, and organizing schedules are some of the traits women want in men, too.

No one has it all together, but having these basic life skills will show women that you are a good catch.

Being able to integrate into each other’s lives

You both have your own social circles, careers, and interests. When you enter a relationship or when you start seeing someone, you shouldn’t  just fold into the other person’s life and abandon your own.

Each of you should work to integrate into the other’s life and merge your lives together. This will require compromise on both sides. Perhaps you don’t want to attend the play she wants to see or you don’t really care for a particular set of friends that she has. Despite this, it’s still important that you do things with her that she enjoys and to be with people she likes. And she should do the same for you.

Conclusion

What sets these traits apart is that they are deeper qualities that last. They have more value and they’ll put more importance on the quality of a relationship. Few of us can compete with Brad Pitt on looks, but we all can develop our sense of humor, improve our communication skills, and take care of ourselves. These are exactly what women look for in a man.

If this list seems overwhelming, then just pick one and start improving yourself in that area. Keep in mind that you do not have to be perfect in all areas. However, if you are conscious of where you could get stronger and are working on it, you’ll be able to put yourself well ahead of the pack. Women want someone who is honest, and that includes being honest about oneself.

See Also: 7 Ways To Tell That You’ve Gone From Dating To A Relationship

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With online shopping and easy credit facilities, it’s easy to feel tempted to spend more than you normally would. There’s always a new gadget, appliance or a pair of shoes put on sale. If you are trying to cut down on your expenses and start saving, these things can easily put you off track.

To help you out, here are a few tips on how to save more.

How To Save More And Spend Less

There are many simple ways to save more money without feeling the pain. You can even turn it into a challenge or a game to make it more enjoyable.

Save your loose change

Went shopping and now your purse is heavy with loose change? Count it, keep what you might need for bus tickets and other needs and put the rest in a special piggy bank. After two months, empty the piggy bank and deposit the amount in your savings account. This is one of simplest tips on how to save more.

Put it on auto pilot

Transferring cash online from your main account to a deposit account each month can be difficult, especially if you think you need all the money for your expenses.

As a solution, you can open one or two recurring deposits and put your monthly deposit on auto debit. Because the transfer happens automatically, it will be easier for you to stick with your deposits.

Curb impulse buys

Received a promotional offer from your favorite shopping website with a big discount? Do not click on the link right away.

When you put off a decision and you decide not to take immediate action, you get to avoid unnecessary expenses. So, instead of buying, transfer all or part of the amount you did not spend to another savings account.

See Also: Fashion Hacks That Can Save You Big Bucks

Turn discounts and cash backs into cash savings

Whether online or offline, you may get discounts on specific items, coupons, and special offers that can help you save money. At the end of the month, deposit the total savings you managed to get from various discounts.

Give up your expensive habits

Cut down on the beer and cigarettes. Not only will this keep you healthier, but it’ll let you save up on unwanted expenses. Even the government is increasing the sin tax on these to reduce their usage. If you don’t stop now, you’ll end up paying a lot more for them anyway.

See Also: 16 Essential Tips for Quitting Smoking

Visit ATMs less often

Reducing the times you use the ATM can help you cut down on service charges. Instead of turning to those machines, manage your finances well so you won’t have to make unnecessary withdrawals.

Use cash

Every time you use your credit card, you’re losing track of exactly how much you’re spending. If you’re buying something, buy it with cash. This will give you a clearer idea of how much you’re actually spending. When you see more money leaving your hands, you’ll be warier of spending.

Carry your own bag when shopping

With the government taking measures to reduce plastic usage, most shops have moved onto jute and cloth bags. These bags, however, are more expensive when compared to plastic bags. Instead of paying for these, carry your own bag.

Walk, ride a bicycle, carpool

If you’re going somewhere that’s a short distance away, put down the car keys. Walk or ride a bicycle. This not only saves you money on fuel charges, but it’s a great workout as well.

Whenever you need to head to work, bring some colleagues along so you can share the fuel expenses. This way, not only are you collectively working to save the environment, but you’re also cutting down on fuel costs.

Set a goal

When it comes to saving money, it doesn’t always have to be about big goals. You can also save for small goals, like a new smartphone.

Open a recurring deposit account and start saving for next year’s release of new smartphones. You can earn an interest with this type of account. Even if you get just 100 Rupees, it is still 100 rupees more than you had. You can use it to purchase your goal.

These are just a few ideas. You can come up with more exciting ones, like challenging your siblings or friends on who can save more after a month.

Saving doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, the more fun you’re having,  the more likely you’re going to stick to it.

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Understanding a personal injury lawsuit timeline can help a victim cope with the stress and emotional challenges that may arise with the processing of his case. Though the time and process may be different in some states, on the average, the process is complicated and time-consuming.

Unfortunately, a high percentage of Americans are unaware of the workings of the judicial proceedings both for civil and criminal cases. Because of this, it is extremely important that auto accident attorneys, for example, communicate the personal injury claim process to their clients before filing.

Regrettably, some lawyers fail to give clients the right information and instead promise to expedite action on the case to impress the victim to hire them. This practice is wrong and against legal ethics.

It is your right as a person who has a personal injury claim to know every step of the lawsuit. The right knowledge will help you prepare for any outcome since most personal injury cases are unpredictable.

This article will walk you through a step-by-step approach to understanding the personal injury lawsuit timeline so you’d know what to expect.

Seek Medical Attention

Immediately following an accident, it is paramount for the victim to seek medical care in order to minimize the severity of injuries. Whether it is a ‘slip and fall’ or ‘car accident,’ a hospital visit is necessary.

This single action will give you an edge if your insurance company tries to prove that there was no injury at all. Secondly, an immediate hospital visit will prove a point to the jury that you were hurt.

See Also: Personal Injury Claims After A Car Accident

Talk To A Lawyer

It is important to consult a lawyer if you suffer significant injury or other losses in an accident. If you are afraid of the cost, then take advantage of law firms who offer free consultations and discuss the situation with them.

It is necessary that you take this step because a lawyer can give you the right advice and help. He’ll guide you on how you can get a better settlement than the insurance companies initially offer.

Commencement Of Investigations

The investigation of the claims and medical records will start immediately once the lawyer agrees that your claims are worth filing in the law court. You can justify this by answering relevant questions from the solicitor and giving him access to your medical records.

Most importantly, you need to give out all pertinent information and be honest about the accident and your medical condition to avoid surprises in the courtroom.

Attorney Files An Insurance Claim

Most personal injury cases get settled out of court. However, it will still depend on the level of damage or loss suffered by the victim. Slip and fall accidents are mostly settled out of court. Auto accidents, on the other hand, are most likely resolved through the court process. An experienced attorney may get a reasonable settlement for his client from the insurance company.

In the case of a car accident, the lawyer should first submit the claims to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. After that, the claim will be investigated and compensation will be paid.

If the accident results in permanent disability, the lawyer will activate the Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) aspect of the law. This will help the victim get a resounding victory and much higher settlement in the case.

The Attorney Files A Lawsuit

Filing a lawsuit comes into play when the insurance company does not settle claims out of court, and your attorney sees no other option than to file a lawsuit.

The preliminary timeline for filing a personal injury lawsuit is as follows:

• Serving appropriate documents to the defendant should take from 30 to 60 days.
• The stipulated time for a response from the defendant, meanwhile, is within 30 days. In some cases, they may ask for additional days.

The parties will then exchange information related to the accident and this will involve complaints and counterclaims

Discovery

This stage of the legal process is meant to dislodge surprises that may arise during the main court sessions. At this juncture, each party (the plaintiff and the defendant) investigates one another using the documents and evidence submitted.

It has two major processes: interrogations and depositions. The first one requires parties to provide documents which will be useful during the court sessions. The latter, meanwhile, involves questions and answers from any witnesses.

The Mediation Stage

Following disclosure of the interrogations and depositions, attorneys may agree on certain terms. This can potentially lead to a peaceful settlement which is why this stage is also called as the ‘alternative dispute resolution’ stage.

Trial

This is the last stage of the personal injury lawsuit timeline. All the parties must be present in court for the jury to go through the documents and interrogate the witnesses. The length of such cases can last for weeks or months.

 

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Keeping a journal is one of the most rewarding habits you can develop. In fact, even key players in history valued it for its benefits.

Despite the benefits of journaling, it still has not maintained its popularity over the years. One reason is that a lot of people associate it with uncommunicativeness or aloofness.

Mari L. McCarthy, an International Bestselling Author, believes that “the benefits of a journaling practice extend to almost every conceivable human endeavor.” With this in mind, let’s look at how starting a journal can make a difference.

Journal writing is your personal therapy

All human beings need somebody to hear and understand them. At their treatment sessions, patients tell therapists about their latest updates, feelings, and emotions. That brings relief.

Journaling is an excellent (and free) therapeutic activity. Writing about stressful and emotional events can improve your psychological health. It reduces stress and anger.

Since there is no wrong way to keep a journal, you can make it suit your personality and situation. Create a daily record of events that fill your life. Give your deepest thoughts, feelings, and worries an outlet.

Allow yourself to be who you are when writing. Be frank. Journaling means no fear of judgment or blame or even the need for justification.

See Also: Writing Therapy: How It Can Make Your Life Easier

Journaling makes you sincere and open-minded

Journaling can help you enhance your personal development. Since it’s your private place, you can write whatever is on your mind!

You can develop ideas, challenge assumptions and spend time reflecting. Ask yourself thought-provoking questions. This will help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself, other people and your relationships. It will make your interaction with the world more meaningful.

Write down the bits and pieces you never bothered to put into words. Journaling brings clarity that will amaze you.

You take pleasure from writing and develop more vivid language

What is the best way to hone your skills in any craft? That’s right. You should practice!

This is also true for writing. Even the most gifted authors work long hours to get mastery. Ernest Hemingway put it this way: “It’s none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.”

Exercise your writing on a regular basis to enrich your vocabulary. Seek out new words and incorporate them into your own essay or story. With time, you will have enough word-stock to express ideas with.

To work on expanding your vocabulary, you can rewrite scenes from your favorite literary works or capture scraps of conversations you hear by chance. These exercises can stimulate creativity and polish writing skills.

Journaling is one of the most helpful ways to sharpen your skills in storytelling. It might open up your potential and help make your writing skills better., too.

Keeping a diary sharpens your senses and develops imagination

Journaling gives an opportunity for you to capture all your ideas without any pressure to work on it. It will help you keep a record of your thoughts, desires, and experiences. Keeping a journal helps you expand your ideas, too.

When you develop a habit of describing your daily life, it will heighten your senses and you will learn to notice the details nobody else ever sees.

Journal is a great place to brainstorm ideas or free-write for future use. Virginia Woolf found writing for no audience a great practice because “It loosens the ligaments”.

And you can also use a journal to overcome a writer’s block. It can be a source of seeds for essay topics, so go back to it when you need it and get your creative juices flowing again.

Journaling makes you more self-satisfied

Journaling is one of the best ways to know your inner self. It requires a high level of introspection and self-awareness. It can help you develop a greater self-understanding, discover how your actions affect other people and clarify your emotions and thoughts.

Regular journaling provides one more benefit. It’s keeping a permanent record of your life which will give you more opportunities to reflect and learn from yourself. Keeping a journal can help you know what makes you happy and find any patterns in your behavior.

See Also: 3 Writing Techniques to Increase your Self-Esteem

Anaïs Nin was a passionate diarist who began writing at the age of 11 and continued to write until her death at the age 74. Her diaries exposed the vibrant and uncensored richness of her life. Keeping a diary was more than an instrument for mastering the craft of writing. It was her means of understanding herself.

“In the diary, I only wrote of what interested me genuinely, what I felt most strongly at the moment”, – she confessed. It helped her feel “a love of the living moment” and “moments of wholeness and totality of the personality”.

Ernest Hemingway was sure that solitude is indispensable for creative work. “Writing, at its best, is a lonely life”, he said. Try to stay alone with your thoughts for some time. It can give you more chances to come up with something novel.

Conclusion

You’ll never know how journaling might work out until you try. To start with, it can be difficult to choose the right form as journaling isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. Look up different kinds of journals on Instagram and Tumblr and choose one from the loads of inspiring examples there. This way, you’ll get to make journaling work for you!

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When you’ve got too much to do and you’re under pressure, it can be quite tempting to just look back and remember how life used to be. With so many things to do and things happening, you just can’t help but wonder how good it will be if you can just forget being stressed.

Whilst you can’t be completely free of stress, you can control your relationship with it. Here are twelve things you should let go of if you want to live a calmer life.

Aiming For Perfection

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a perfectionist and wanting things done to a high standard, but you have to draw the line. When being a perfectionist is preventing you from making meaningful progress and frustrating you in the process, just stop. Good enough is usually good enough. Get the job done and move on. Aiming for perfection is a breeding ground fo self-defeating.

Comparing Yourself To Others

It’s only natural to look at somebody on the street and think ‘Hey, how come he’s got [this] or [that]. He must be so happier than me. His life must be way more fulfilling than my crappy life.’

Well, I have to tell you. You aren’t that somebody. You’re you. You most likely have a different chemical makeup, genes, attitude and a unique set of personal challenges that set you miles apart from the people you compare yourself to.

It’s not advisable to compare your life to someone else, especially those whom you perceive is doing better than you. It’s not an accurate or healthy way to gauge your own achievements.

Instead, try to compare your current self to the previous version of yourself. That’s a much more positive way to measure your own personal growth and progress.

Believing You’re a Failure

Failure doesn’t really exist. At least, it’s not how you’re perceiving it.

Failure is a chance to learn. It helps you do better the next time you have the opportunity to do the same thing. It’s a chance to make things right.

Believing you’re a failure is sometimes a result of you comparing yourself to others. It happens when you start beating yourself up over things other people have achieved that you haven’t.

Instead of focusing on those things, be mindful of your accomplishments. When you start tracking your own achievements, you’ll realize that you’re making massive strides forward and you aren’t a failure.

Holding Grudges

Holding grudges does more damage to you than it does to the other person. When you hold a grudge, you feel tense, bitter and resentful whenever you have an interaction with, or about, that person.

Alter your perception and understand that the other person isn’t affected in the slightest. It’s only you who’s feeling that negativity and tension, so let it go.

Allowing Yourself to Be Pulled Into Other People’s Chaos

It’s so stressful when somebody pulls you into their whirlwind of drama. I’ve got a neighbor who has a habit of calling me out of the blue for favors that usually involve his toxic relationships.

It almost always ends up with me being at the epicenter of his storm and it leaves me feeling stressed and uncomfortable. Not to mention, it also put my own plan on pause. After some time, I’ve finally learned how to say no and put up healthy boundaries about what I will and won’t accept.

Don’t allow yourself to be pulled into other people’s chaos.

See Also: The Courage To Say No

Pleasing People

The disease to please is a silent killer. That might sound a little extreme, but I believe it to be true.

Pleasing people can kill your dreams, ambitions and freedom. There’s nothing wrong with helping people, but it crosses the line when you please another person to the detriment of yourself. This is different to being ‘selfless’. You can be selfless without feeling the need to please people.

Maybe you please people because you worry about their response if you say no. Or maybe you please people because you attach your self-worth to the praise you gain from others.

Think about it. Both reasons aren’t going to serve you.

Letting Other People’s Opinions Affect You

Worrying about what other people think of you can only cause unnecessary anxiety and stress. I don’t know about you, but I used to find it triggering my anxiety, especially when I know somebody thinks of me as strange, silly and stupid.

I reached a point in my life recently where I started thinking differently about it. Now, I don’t feel anxious at all thinking about other people’s opinion of me or my life. I actually use it as a test to determine if I should let those people in my life at all.

Give it a try. Don’t try to stop people from being judgemental by altering your behaviors or activities to accommodate for them. Instead, live your life on your terms and don’t allow other people’s negative opinions control you. Never stop being you!

See Also: Top 9 Things To Give Up Immediately If You Want To Become Happy

Trying to Control Everything

Sometimes, to have a calm life, you just have to let go of trying to control outcomes. Enjoy the moment and be present.

A big source of our stress comes from wanting our lives to be in a particular way. In some instances, it’s our thinking that if we don’t reach certain outcomes, like getting that new job or landing that date, we’ve failed. But, in fact, we haven’t failed at all. We just tried to control the outcome.

Instead of spending all your energy on that, try shifting your perspective from one that is outcome-based to one that is mindful-based. Enjoy the process and be present.

Find enjoyment in the experiences and whilst outcomes are generally important for certain goals, try not to get caught up in them. They aren’t the be all and end all. You can always shift your goals if necessary.

Rushing Around

It’s ok to take your foot off of the gas.

Society gives us the impression that we need to be ‘on the go’ constantly and that we can’t be ‘lazy’. Because of this, we feel the need to perform to other people’s expectations which lead to frustration and burnout.

Allow yourself to take a break every now and then. Stop what you’re doing and find appreciation in each moment. Rushing around is really not an effective way to get things done.

People Who Drain You

Have you ever felt tired and drained after being in somebody’s company? How do you feel when you spend an hour with someone negative?

You go away feeling heavy and drained. These people don’t really mean to have these effects on you, but they just can’t stop moaning and complaining about their lives. In reality, however, if they were to actually analyze their lives, they most probably have very little to complain about.

Jim Rohn said it best when he said ‘You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with’. So, upgrade your social circle and let go of the people who drain your positive energy.

Situations That Don’t Serve You

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where just didn’t feel right? You probably went ahead and stayed in it anyway though, right? I know I have in the past.

Listen to your gut as it is almost always right. By ignoring it, you’re allowing yourself to come into contact with some pretty stressful and, in more serious situations, regressive circumstances. Said another way, you’re at risk of letting yourself be part of situations that take your life a few steps back.

Learn to listen to your gut and follow your instincts. Only allow yourself to get involved with things that move your life forward. Try asking yourself if you want to get involved in something, if it’s not a ‘hell yeah!’ then it’s a ‘no’.

Your Desire to ‘Fit In’

People spend their whole lives trying, and failing, to fit in. It rarely works and even if you do fit in, you’ll feel downright miserable because you won’t feel like you’re living your authentic self.

Instead of trying to fit in, find the courage to be yourself and realize that you’re fine as you are. There’s only one you, so find the excitement in that and exercise your right to be uniquely you. Let go of trying to fit in and the anxiety and low self-esteem that come with it.

How many of these twelve points cause stress in your life?

One? All of them?

I want you to start letting go. You owe it to yourself.

Although you can’t control the big wide world out there, you can control what happens in and around you. If you’re letting these things add to your stress levels, you aren’t doing yourself any favors.

And guess what?

Letting go makes room, too. You’ll have room for more happiness, warmth and contentment.

I’m not encouraging you to take action, but I’m challenging you to. I want you to do this, not for me (how would I ever know?), but for yourself.

So, what one thing can you let go of today?

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