Tie the Knot or tie the Noose?

To marry or not to marry – that is a fairly big question to ask oneself! Now whether you are male or female I certainly feel that it is no small matter to consider.

I found myself in a position about two years ago when I realised I really did want to get married. My partner had not been keen on the idea for the 14 years we had been together. It had never really been an issue until it came to the point when I was naturally considering my options for having babies and getting married. Needles to say, I was approaching my mid thirties, which could be argued to be a certain turning point for many a woman very aware of her “biological clock”.

So there I was, pretty sure I was going to leave the “having the children” job to my friends and sisters, but something was niggling me about the whole marriage thing. I couldn’t put my finger on it. We were happy for so long and didn’t need a piece of paper to prove that. We had been getting on fine up to

Technorati

I have been informed about this site to increase your exposure as a blogger.

It is interesting that I have to write a post with the following:

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The things we do for authenticity!

Check it out here

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Feedback (sometimes referred to as positive criticism) is a process in which the effect or output of an action is ‘returned’ (fed-back) to modify the next action. Feedback should only ever be used as a basis for improvement. It should not be mistaken for negative criticism and vice verse. If feedback does not provide learning or a chance to improve, then it is being communicated as negative criticism.

“Admonish your friends privately, but praise them openly.” – Publilius Syrus (35 B.C.)

So why is feedback important?

Whether you are a

Say what you mean and mean what you say!

I say: “I didn’t spill the yogurt all over your dress”

I mean, “I did spill the yogurt all over your dress”

I say “I don’t want to be rude, but…”, “I hate to spoil the fun, but…”

I mean “I want to be rude, and …”, “I love to spoil the fun, and…”

Why do we find it so difficult to tell the truth, and say what is really going on in our minds? Why do we have to cloud our speech with unclear language?

We put so much thought and effort into what we write on paper, whether it is a job application letter, a piece of prose, a blog entry or a birthday card. It is rather amusing then, that a lot of Irish people can stumble over their words, when asked a question at a network meeting, dinner party or any gathering of people. We seem to get caught up in saying something for the sake of it, rather than pondering for a moment to gather our thoughts, and answering then in a constructive and informative fashion.

Or what about scarcasm?

The Words of Fitness and Success

“Oh, I really need to go on a diet”
“Oh, I’d love to lose weight”
“Oh, I should join the gym”
“Oh, I must start that new supplement diet”
“Oh, I had better start my fitness programme, only 4 weeks to the dinner dance”
“Oh, I’ll try and start losing weight next week”

Sound familiar? And then we wonder the day before “the big Do” why we just never got around to losing the pounds, joining the gym, cutting down on carbs, etc, etc…

Look back at the quotes above?
Ask yourself: How would saying these things help me succeed?
Then ask yourself:

Don’t Fret the small stuff

Have you Timed-Out?

A common message you will see if you take too long to book flight or concert tickets on the internet: “Sorry, your session has timed out, please return to the Homepage and try again” or something to that effect.
How do we feel about it when that happens? We have to do it all over again, either straight away if we are not too miffed, or later when we have stopped being mad at ourselves for missing that 30 second time slot. So how well did we manage that time allocated to buying those concert or airline tickets?
Bear in mind that we were very aware of the time constraints provided and

Sweet Dreams

Sleep is good for you!

According to Wikipedia: “Sleep deprivation (having too little sleep), can be either chronic or acute. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight gain. Complete absence of sleep over long periods is impossible to achieve; brief microsleeps (3-14 seconds) cannot be avoided.”

What causes us not to sleep?

I asked around Ireland and was not surprised by some of the answers and suggestions:

Will the Real Entrepeuner please stand up?

Fitness Success anyone???

Top Tips for Fitness Success

The road to fitness success holds many rewards, and as many roadblocks. So when we begin a fitness program, we are full of energy, drive, motivation and dreams of our “fitter self”. We have a vision of how much more toned/muscular and slim we will look. We go out and buy the proper gear and accessories, to look the part but more important BE the part. We are full of enthusiasm as we write the cheque and sign up for a year memebership to our local gym.
We steam ahead day after day, week after week, and suddenly after a certain time, realise we don’t really look any better; don’t really feel any fitter. We are plagued with self-doubt. We question our motives and reprimand ourselves for even thinking it was possible.

Now STOP!

This is the beginning of the road to failure.

One for the Dads!

Well – the time has come and gone, that one day, June 21st 2009 that marks a special day for Dads all over has passed and all dads go back to normal life today. Father’s Day does not get as near the amount of coverage and exposure as Mother’s Day, which begs the question: Are dads not as important as the mums???

The mother has the privileged and at times, arduous, task of carrying a child for the best part of 10 months, and then giving birth. So she may naturally have a stronger bond with the child before it’s born. However, it is a known fact that an unborn child is sensitive to noises and sounds happening around him/her, and does become familiar with the voice and tones and accents of those close by (including co-workers, shop assistants or anywhere else the mother may frequent).

So by the time the child is born, they are very familiar with both mother and father’s voices and presence, as well as the relationship between the two adults. Most fathers are present at the birth and often can be the first