Manners! We learn them as children and we try to put to good use all our life. Of course, not everybody knows what to do in the most complicated situations, but everybody should have at least the basics. Unlike other things, our manners can be improved all our lives. It’s never to late to have them proper!

So, if you are not sure how mannered you are, maybe yo need an evaluation. This time, ladies only!

Take just now this quick, fun quiz and find out how ladylike are you!

How Ladylike Are You?
//cdn.playbuzz.com/widget/feed.js

Leave us a comment below to tell us what you’ve got!

The post How Ladylike Are You? appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/29A4Z8d

Popular statistics say that we will change our career 7 times in our life. Sometimes we need it, and sometimes we don’t. It’s hard to identify when we should change our job. There are a lot of factors involved that should be considered – sometimes we feel like we really need a change and sometimes we lose focus of how lucky we are to have what we do. It’s a serious issue for a lot of people and definitely worth the consideration. Some of us have worked at our job for many, many years. It’s our life, socially and financially. Here are a few things to consider before making any crazy decisions.

If you love what you do, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

1. Do you have it good?

When I was in my twenties I had a very good job. I didn’t know how good it was, or how good I had it there, but I knew I was doing well for a boy in his early twenties. I went on with my savings to travel and enjoy my life after that , but when the going went tough afterwards it was when I really woke up and realized how good I had it. Although I enjoyed all the time I took off afterwards, nothing could rep lace the upward momentum I had at that first job. When I returned to work I was fortunate enough to retain my position and continue my progress – but with the humble realization that I had it much better than my peers. I was lucky to get my job back, and am still thankful to this day. It’s the realization that’s important.

2. Are you really having a bad day?

We all have bad days at work. Sometimes it’s not even the work that’s the problem; maybe we stubbed our toe before work and everything see med to go downhill after that, or we woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Before you feel like quitting your job, remember all the bad days you had, but take note of all the good days. The normal days where nothing special happened, or the great days where you made a customer very happy – these all outshine your bad days heavily. Remember that you will have bad days anywhere you go. If you have a job now, be grateful that you do and remind yourself that at least at this job you know how to handle the bad days like an adult.

3. Do you feel undervalued?

You have been working there for years, but you never feel like you have been given the respect you deserve, or the shifts you want. As you have become a staple of the store, you seem to have blended into the wallpaper as well. New employees are complimented on their learning efforts, and good work ethic is simply expected of you. Before you have a meltdown and quit your job, calm the steam and just talk to your supervisor. In an adult workplace, anything can be solved by acting like adults. Our brash emotions unfortunately don’t stop in adulthood and we still have strong feelings throughout our life. Instead of acting impulsively by making huge, life changing decisions, have a small staff meeting with your peers & supervisors and let everyone help you release the steam. Your boss will applaud you for being open, and remember to support you at work. Ask for a raise if you feel like you deserve it. There’s no harm in asking for anything.

4. Every job is a job

You have been working for years, and you are downright tired of it. Well, the reality is, you will also have to work for many more years! We’re not allowed to stop, and when you do stop, trust me, it’s not so pretty! Remember that if you are tired of your job and get a new one, that one will just be a job too. It will be a job with new bosses, new routines you may or may not like, new habits and new everything. But it will still be a job. If you are tired of your job now, just take a break. You can take a few weeks off – just ask. If that doesn’t work, demand it. You’re allowed to do that. Go somewhere for a bit, switch up your routine, do something exciting. But don’t leave your job because trust me you will just become bored of the next one too. Just try to enjoy every day.

5. Be grateful for your job.

I know, you’ve been there for 11 years too long already. But make an effort to remind yourself that you are grateful you have that luxury. Some people are from countries that have populations of over 100 million, where overpopulation and unemployment issues are massive. In our country people also struggle to find jobs, and kids are certainly having a hard time too. Be grateful you have somewhere to call “work” and be proud of yourself for it. You worked for it.

6. Take pride in what you do.

If you can be proud of what you do, you will be happy at work everyday. Take pride in the satisfaction you give customers for your service (no matter how grumpy they can be) and take pride in the solutions you offer to customers and other employees. If you’re proud at what you do, you are good at what you do, and if you are good at what you do, you are valuable. You are making a contribution to society and it is not going unnoticed. Thank you for that.

The post Do You Really Need A New Job? appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/29Mb9C0

Who doesn’t like movies? They make us dream, they influence us more than we can imagine!Of course, we all want to be the hero, the leading character on the big screen. And, in a way we are. We are playing the main role in our own movie, our life.

If we are not some celebrity the chances to see our life in theaters are low. Of course, we can make our own show, and thanks to the internet we can share it with others .But will it be a box office success? Until you start it, you might wanna know if something similar was already made.

Take just now this fun, quick quiz and find out which movie is actually based on your life!

Which Movie Is Actually Based On Your Life?
//cdn.playbuzz.com/widget/feed.js

Leave us a comment below to tell us what you’ve got!

The post Which Movie Is Actually Based On Your Life? appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/29yZLGd

We spend a lot of time here talking about ways to over come personal challenges; regret, job dissatisfaction, house cleaning… you name it! How about our biggest day-to-day challenge then – saving our precious pennies. Despite having a great economy, the people of our country continue to struggle with personal debt and the burden of loans and checks. We argue that our minimum wage isn’t high enough, school is too expensive, and the cost of living is soaring in comparison with flatlining wages. What are we going to do?!

An issue we face in our country is the low threshold o f services for people who do not make a lot of money. Even the cost of public transit is getting unaffordable to those who need it most, never mind the cost of raising a child. There are ways of surviving however, that most people have a hard time seeing due to habit or lifestyle. Let’s check out a few sneaky options today.

The rich get rich by living like they are poor. The poor stay poor by living like they are rich

1. Keep your lifestyle in check.

If you are not making enough money to support a surplus of expenditures, you need to be humble enough to realize it. That means cutting out the cable packages, buying cheaper makeup, and spending less time eating out. If you have impulsive shopping traits, or love retail therapy, you should start to train yourself to enjoy smaller things (no more Gucci handbags!). If you like customizing your life but find it to be too expensive, do it slowly and in smaller portions. Try homemade soaps, book giveaways and student discounts to satisfy your individuality. Ask your network of friends for things to spruce up your home instead of doing heavy shopping.

2. Stop eating out (full service restaurants).

We all need a break from cooking and like to be seen, but cutting out your daily or weekly drink or night out is huge monthly savings. Give yourself a day a month for “entertainment” : as in, eating out somewhere. You will love the release when it’s that special day – make a night of it!

3. Stop eating out (casually).

If you have a habit of picking up a sub on the way to work or eating that expensive salad for lunch from the local food court, you need to start packing a lunch. Remember that a $10 lunch a day is $300 a month. This is what might be your entire monthly grocery bill if you just shop for the home! You will see huge savings if you start packing a lunch, and your friends will be impressed with your savvy life skills.

4. Defeat the “Latte effect” .

If you haven’t seen it in economic news, let me bring you up to spe ed on the savings-killer that is the “Latte effect.” It simply refers to the groups of people who pick up a Starbucks or similar brand coffee on the way to work each day. Again, another $5 expenditure that amounts to hundreds of dollars per month. Brew coffee from home and take it with you. You need to be strong enough to change your routines, if you want to actively save money.

5. Use public transit.

Some people swear against using the bus, underground, or metro rail, for any number of reasons. Maybe you think it’s for kids, or you rely too much on your car. But against an expensive economy, we all know that cars are meant for those with plenty of disposable income. We can talk about upfront costs, insurance bills, winter tires, damages, etc, well, you know how it is! Cars are expensive. Think about the incredible savings you might be able to make if you just sucked up your pride an d took the tram. You could make a few thousand of the sale of your vehicle, and the monthly savings will be immeasurable.

6. Eat cheap foods.

Stop buying the fancy rice – it’s just rice. Stop buying excessive condiments and learn how to use salt when you cook. Buy foods that are vital to your health, not in excess or for pleasure. That’s those $3 boxes of cookies, $6 bags of trail mix, $5 boxes of cereal; opt for breads and dips, cheaper deli meats and pork instead of beef. Your body can’t tell the difference between the foods and tastes once you ’ re full, but your wallet sure can!

7. Shop online.

When you shop at a mall or store, things will be more expensive because a lot of the price you pay is also paying for huge monthly rents and labour for the company. Shop online using Chinese sites like http://www.AliExpress.com or http://www.Amazon.com. You can find millions of independent sellers offering cheaper wares at competitive prices that can be simply shipped to you. Sunglasses, bags, clothes, housewares, decor and even food can be found for cheaper than at the store, and you don’t have to worry about travel costs or your valuable time on your day off either.

8. Don’t make alcohol or smoking a habit

This one can get personal, but it’s up to you to define your life. Smoking is an expensive habit unless you live in a developing country, and alcohol most certainly is. A drink or two a day could be hundreds of dollars a month. Instead of alcohol, keep soda water or Diet Cola at your home to have something bubbly to drink instead; and quit smoking – it’s not good for you, period.

9. Learn to love what you have.

Instead of spending so much time shopping for new things, find ways to enjoy your older possessions. Styles and habits come and go every few years – those old jeans or shirts that you think look funny now, will be pretty cool again in a few years. Keep them around and be able to sport them in the future. Find new ways to wear the styles you have now by matching them with different accessories and colours to keep your styles fresh. It’s not about what you’re wearing, it’s about how you wear it!

The post 9 Tips To Help You Save More Money appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/29FDqGq

What’s your New Year’s resolution? To be happier? Healthier? More successful? Improve your relationships?

No matter what your goal, there is one thing you can do to improve the likelihood of succeeding.

Begin with gratitude

Research has repeatedly confirmed that acts of gratitude, such as counting your blessings, showing appreciation and helping others, can result in more happiness and better health. In one study, participants who kept a weekly gratitude journal were more optimistic and healthier after 10 weeks than a comparison group that recorded things that irritated or displeased them.

It also turns out that a grateful heart is a healthy heart.  In another study, a group of people with heart disease were asked about their feelings of gratitude. Those who felt more gratitude were less depressed, slept better and had more energy. And after keeping a gratitude journal for 40 days, the participants also showed reduced inflammation (a key risk factor in heart disease) and improved heart rhythms.

Because gratitude can reduce feelings of stress, it also could improve resistance to cancer and increase immunity.

But the benefits of gratitude multiply when it becomes more than just a feeling. People who take the time to show gratitude with words and actions can spread the positive effects to others.

Finding the path to gratitude, however, isn’t always easy. Sometimes we are locked into habitual patterns that cause us to dwell on the negative and overlook all the good things in our lives.

Start your new year with gratitude by taking these four approaches:

Feel it

Pause and think about what you’re grateful for. It might be as basic as food on the table and a roof over your head. It might be the past hour, day, or week that’s been peaceful and trouble free. It might be the friends and family who love you. Don’t overlook the mundane and the obvious. Feel gratitude for all that is right in your world.

Record it

Now write it down. Nothing is too big or too small. And nothing can be repeated too often. Taking a moment to remember and record your blessings actively reminds you of their importance. Try to do this daily so that you begin each day with a feeling of gratitude.

Express it

Don’t keep all that gratitude goodness to yourself. Feeling grateful for your friends and family? Tell them. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. A simple “Thanks for all the love and support. I really appreciate it,” works fine.  Discover how good it feels to say thank you out loud for gifts or favors, or tell co-workers and service people how much you appreciate their hard work.

Act on it

Maybe the biggest benefits of gratitude occur when you pass it on. People who donate time and money, regularly do good deeds for others, and make gratitude a habit as well as a feeling, not only boost their good feelings but make the world a better place for everyone else too.
Finally, moods are fleeting.  When we get stuck in a rut or start listening to that inner voice in our head that isn’t being supportive, it is easy to fall victim to catastrophizing about the world around us.  There are five primary emotions that humans experience: anger, fear, worry, grief and joy.  Four of them are negative emotions.  Focusing on the gratitude in your life helps re-wire your brain against negativity.

By working with gratitude you become able to process emotions and experiences with a different perspective.  You establish a neural pathway to happiness.  You begin to unconsciously react differently to situations that previously baffled you.  You are able to see changes in yourself that are then in return reflected in the world around you.

Gratitude is one aspect of thinking that also helps individuals practice mindfulness.  Mindfulness can be defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations.”  The next time you are feeling out of control or disturbed, stop, breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth and begin adding to your gratitude list.

If you struggle coming up with something to put on your list, I will provide one free of charge.  Your first item can be that you caught yourself and realized something didn’t feel right.

That is the greatest gift you can give yourself and a great start to your own gratitude list!

The post The secret to positive change? Gratitude. appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/29E0NjN

We all have a favourite book, and one or more favourite characters, which we admire for various reasons? Can you name them? I think everyone of us has dreamed at one moment or another being their beloved literary hero/heroine. Even if we do not realize it, we might have more in common with this characters than we think.

If you don’t have one, it’s not to late to pick some books and chose. A model, even a literary one could be a tremendous help in shaping our personality for the better.

Take just now this quick, fun quiz and find out which classic literary character you are.

Which Classic Literary Character Are You?
//cdn.playbuzz.com/widget/feed.js

Leave a comment below to tell us what you’ve got!

The post Which Classic Literary Character Are You? appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/2a8RWrf

Don’t we all wish we could jet off to some tropical paradise island for two weeks and sip pina coladas by the ocean while listening to a mariachi band. Or maybe your wish is to climb a volcano in Central America. Perhaps your dream vacation would be downhill skiing on the world’s longest hill. Whatever your dream vacation may be, it’s damn beautiful but sadly at the moment totally unattainable for whatever reason.

Life gets in the way, work, family, bills, finances. For whatever reason, we simply can’t have that dream vacation. Maybe not this year, maybe next year. It’s anyone’s guess really. So what can we do in the meantime? How can we possibly bring our dream vacation, or any vacation really, into reality without actually going away? Keep an open mind. Remember this is fun.

1. Get on the bus to nowhere.

Go to a totally different area of your city that you have never been to or perhaps a little town just outside your city and explore. Maybe they have a nice beach you haven’t been to or a great movie theater. Get off the bus and act like a tourist. Talk to the people in the neighbourhood and immerse yourself in all the different parks, stores, streets etc.

2. Put on a Beach Boys CD and call some friends over.

Make some fruity drinks, with or without alcohol, grab your sandals, sunglasses and all other beach paraphernalia and have a beach party. You can even rent a small hall or school gymnasium and do this twice a year with the people in your community. It can certainly be a blast.

3. Grab your binoculars, your hiking boots a bottle of water and go find the biggest mountain in your area.

If a mountain climbing adventure is your idea of a great vacation then it’s possible where you live, provided you have big mountains. If not, go to a city nearest you that does. Tell everyone you are going to mountain climbing, for safety reasons and also let them know where you are going, and maybe even bring a sleeping bag and camp overnite.

4. Spend the evening surfing the net.

Go to all the vacation hotspots online and plan your trip as if you are going. Maui, Venice, Ireland, New York. Go to all the attractions, watch the videos, plan and dream. Nothing wrong with doing that and it may make you kick so me plan into action so you actually can go away next year.

5. Where’s the party?

Somewhere in your town there is a community party going on for something. Go and attend it. Maybe it’s a theme party. Those are the best. Grab a friend or two and go have some fun. It will be completely foreign to you so you will meet new people and have fun like you are on vacation.

6. Host a fancy dinner party like they have on cruise ships.

Have everyone bring something tropical and unique and make sure they put on their best dress. Suit up and get dazzling. You can decorate your house with some super glamorous items from the dollar store or you can make your own. Put some jazz music on and away you go. You’ll feel like you are in the main dining hall on a Carnival Cruiseline.

7. Movies, karaoke, games night.

You choose. Call up some friends and organize an evening like you’ve never had before. Music, laughter, drinks, games, singing, wii games, whatewer strikes your fancy. Be creative. Let loose and have fun. Act like nothing matters and no one cares. This is your vacation. they can dress up in theme style clothes or bring pj’s and have an overnight party. Sleepover anyone?

The possibilities really are endless as long as you bring your imagination and keep an open mind. Maybe next year a real vacation away will be in the cards. Until then, make your own at home.

The post 7 Fun Ways To Take A Vacation When You Can’t appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/29QxWL3

Professor David Keirsey is author of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. This links human behavioral patterns to four temperaments and sixteen character types. Each temperament has its own unique qualities and shortcomings, strengths and challenges. Each springs from an interaction of the two basic dimensions of human behavior: what we say and what we do.

The four groups are: Guardian, Idealist, Artisan, Rational. There is no group better than the other, but knowing the characteristics of the group we are part of, it would be a real help to understand us better.

Take just now this quick, easy quiz and find out which Keirsey Personality Type are you

Which Keirsey Personality Type Are You?

//cdn.playbuzz.com/widget/feed.js

Leave a comment below to tell us what you’ve got!

The post Which Keirsey Personality Type Are You? appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/29TqHos

The dating scene is a tough one. These days with the online dating scene taking over the more traditional methods, you just never know who or what you’re getting anymore. We tread carefully, always keeping one foot in the other direction, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Caution is necessary more now than ever before. It’s hard to know really if you are getting into the right relationship.

As we move forward into the first year of dating, we lesson our grip on the door handle and start relaxing a little more in the company of our new partner. The questions and doubts are almost non existent. The odd red flag still pops up but for the most part, we’re doing ok. As we go into year two we’re pretty confident that this person just might be the one. If you recognize any of the signs below, you might be in the right relationship for you.

You don’t have to watch your words.

You know that no matter what you say, your partner will either laugh it off, shrug it off, or call you out on it. There doesn’t have to be a filter, mind you that’s independent of being rude or mean which you should never do anyway, and you know your partner will not judge you.

No judging ever.

Your partner accepts you and all of you. Your flaws, imperfections, even your crazy family (and they won’t judge you based on your family either). They love you just the way you are and think you are the best. Ever. Your partner doesn’t judge anyone, period.

No changing.

Unlike some partners in the past who wanted you to change your clothes, your hair, your perfume/cologne or even your job, this new partner isn’t interested in changing any part of you except maybe your marital status to married. They take you just the way you are.

Patience is beautiful.

One of you has lots, the other one doesn’t. What a perfect balance. If you are the one with no patience, your new partner has a wonderful way of calming you down. If they have no patience, they gladly accept and appreciate yours. Such a great combination, really.

Freedom.

Lots of it. They give it, well, freely. You can go out with your friends, have a great time and never have to answer a million trust related questions. They are happy you have your own social circle still and encourage you to go out and have fun with them. Feel like a solo road trip? They’ll encourage that too and maybe even pack you a little snack bag for the road.

We are equals.

You both cook, do dishes, take out the garbage, look after the dog/cat, whatever the chore is. They are more than happy to chip in and do their part. There is no such thing as, that’s your job. There is no squabbling over whose turn it is. Stuff just gets done by both of you, equally, no questions or quips about it.

Let me hold you.

There is compassion and lots of it, especially when you need it. even if you’re just having a plain old shitty day, they get it, and will offer up a shoulder to cry on or an ear to talk to. If you want to scream and shout about work, they’ll listen to that too, and then patiently calm you down.

Let’s get crazy.

The wild side sometimes needs to be released and you can certainly do it with this person. They are in the car waiting for you to get ready! You two have a no holds bar attitude towards adventure. And it’s good, so good.

Like minded people stick together.

It’s always nice to know that what you value, they value and the causes you believe in, they believe in them too. Volunteering your thing? they are right there with you lending a hand.

I’m your biggest fan.

If you have a plan or an idea or some crazy thought about doing something out of this world, they stand by you 100% and cheer you on. They are more than happy to offer a hand, advice if you need it but most importantly, encouragement and support. They want you to succeed just as bad as you want it.

Clearly, there are many more signs that you are in a great relationship but these are pretty solid ones. What can you add to this list?

The post 10 Signs You Are In The Right Relationship appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/29DTxYH

What does being successful actually mean? Success is a very wide term and there is not a single definition that can describe success. However, the right question is actually – what does it take to be successful? Well, it takes discipline, determination and many other things that we all possess more or less.

Nowadays, people have various things that can help them achieve success and computer is certainly one of them. Of course, a computer by itself is not enough for that and what everyone who wants to be successful needs to do is start using the right tools that are offered in order to boost his or her success and start leading a successful lifestyle. Let’s see now what tools that can help us with achieving and leading a successful lifestyle are.

iMindQ – a tool to organize your thought process successfully

In order to achieve great success and lead a successful lifestyle, one has to have a very good idea. However, the idea itself is not enough and the whole thought process needs to be put down in paper. In order to successfully organize your thoughts, you should definitely consider using iMindQ which is a tool that helps you do exactly that. As a matter of fact it functions as a mind mapping tool, where you start with the most general things about your idea and break them down to more specific.

Freedcamp – organize your life into one big project

Achieving success is not easy at all and the main thing that most of us lack is organizational skills when it comes to organizing our own life. One tool that can definitely help everyone become better at organizing not only their life but everything is Freedcamp. Freedcamp is a very simple tool to use and one only needs to know the basics of Internet browsing in order to see what it has to offer. For example, you can make a task and then keep its progress by dragging and dropping it through the various stages.

IFTTT – connect everything with everything

The certain aspects of our lives certainly require a small amount of automation, especially for those processes that are not really difficult to do but we still have to do them. We cannot really automate our car (yet!) but we can automate all the tools and apps with this great tool called IFTTT. IFTTT (which stands for If This Then That) is a very simple tool that can connect several of your apps and devices and execute a task that you give it. For example – if someone uploads a picture of me on Facebook, save it automatically to Google Drive.

RescueTime – understand how time-consuming your daily habits are

RescueTime is yet another unique and interesting tool that will help us understand the way we spend our time. It is a fact, of course, that people cannot really have this feeling of time because sometimes time flies and sometimes it drags. For example, imagine you checking your Facebook on your job. You might just say that you will be on Facebook no more than minute and you end up being for 2 hours, watching your neighbor’s dog videos. Luckily, RescueTime will keep track of your activities, notify you about the time spent and it will even set the alarm off when you do something for too long.

Pocket – stay informed about the topics you like the most

There are too many interesting articles and eBooks connected to the topic that we like and that is likely to bring us success, but we cannot read them all because we are usually too busy doing other things. In order to solve that problem, someone came up with this simple yet brilliant idea of the website (app) called Pocket. In Pocket, you will be able to immediately store all the things that you think might be interesting to you and you can read them later. It seems like bookmarks, but it is actually more than that. In pocket, you can literally put anything and then view it afterwards on any device that you want as long as you have Pocket installed.

Prezi – make great presentations in minutes

The thing about achieving success is that you will have to present your ideas and actions many times in front of many important people. In order to present something successfully, you need to create a presentation that will be both captivating and interesting and that will keep the attention of the people who look at it. Prezi is the tool which grants a completely new and unique approach to creating presentations, which is interesting and very simple as well. It is basically a next-gen presentation creator which has already overcome Power Point.

Bitrix24 – the ultimate company organization platform

If you are working with people in order to achieve success (which is inevitable, as a matter of fact), then you will need to organize them and keep track of their work. Furthermore, you will have to keep track of all the tasks, projects, finances, etc. Well, Bitrix24 is a platform that offers a solution to all of that by keeping it all in one place and giving you the ability of video chat, document management, social media overview and even their own drive. In other words, this tool is basically all-in-one tool for all the entrepreneurs who want to be successful and who need help in leading their company.

To sum up, achieving success and leading a successful lifestyle seems like a very good idea but in order to make it a reality one should definitely use all that is in his or her power, including using tools that are mentioned in this article. These tools here, among dozens of others that the internet offers will not achieve success instead of you, but if you use them smartly, you will be able to feel a significant boost in your productivity which is, after all, the most important thing in leading a successfully lifestyle.

The post The Best Tools for Successful Lifestyle appeared first on Change your thoughts.

http://ift.tt/29HAI6x