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You no longer are scared of your where you are and what’s expected of you, therefore, you let your guard down and aren’t true to the determined individual you used to be. You don’t even realize it’s happening, but time and routine have conned you into a false sense of security. As the saying goes, “it’s not over until it’s over,” so if you really think about it, don’t you want to stay strong throughout the entirety of an event? Putting your big guns down and staying neutral through an experience may seem tempting, but in this world, staying tough and trying your best from start to finish is what differentiates yourself from the crowd. It’s the humble ones who stay upbeat and true to their own diligence that ultimately get the most out of a situation. If you don’t have the staying power to finish what you started with a bang, then aren’t you merely a mediocre version of yourself? The question is, what does time teach us about how we deal with the beginning, middle, and end of an experience?

When you’re in the middle of something that you’ve been doing for a while, the first instinct is to feel comfortable with the routine. You know where you’re going, who you’re dealing with, and you start feeling a bit bolder in how you approach the situation. Stuff you were uncomfortable about at the beginning falls into place and you feel that you can even mix it up a bit, adding your own touch to what once was a learning experience. For example, if you walk to the same job every morning, maybe you take a different route one day once you know the area better. At first, you were just learning where you were going, but now that the daily routine is in place, there’s room for diversity and change.

One instance of clockwork that’s amused me for weeks is how the woman at Starbucks knows my order by heart and makes it even before I get to the front of the line. It’s impossible to change up your routine at that point, but it’s a welcome example of how staying predictable for weeks can cause a rapport with someone you don’t know personally. Over time, it’s possible that something you never expected to feel so natural can become apart of your daily consciousness; and while I’d never seen Starbucks as a particularly friendly vendor, having this understanding with the cashier has changed how I feel about routine. I’ve always gone against having too much of a routine, taking spontaneity as something that was a right, not a privilege. It can get boring ordering the same meal every morning, yet in the end, I’ve savored this summer’s routines as warm memories of a comfortable environment. Being a suburban-bred at heart, the feeling of a steady routine in a bustling city had it dawn on me that time really can change attitudes. As humans, we can slip into a rhythm easily as long as we have the music to guide us. Time and routine are closely connected – you need time in order to adjust to a routine and feel comfortable in new avenues. Once the comfort-factor happens, it’s only a matter of time before you feel a sense of balance. From then on, it’s your inner resilience which determines how you stay on top of your stride.

6 Ways To Push Yourself Mentally

Once you’ve almost surpassed the comfort stage, that’s when it usually dawns on you that it’s time to step it up. While there are those of us who never let their guard down, it’s very common to come up from a slump back to your full potential. Once the moment of clarity comes, that’s when the experience turns into a dwindling amount of time before the end. Nostalgia kicks in and stuff that used to be routine has turned into moments that should be cherished and remembered. The end of an event ends up becoming the beginning of reflection, which in turn teaches us the lessons that said experience has taught us. It depends on what this event was – a year of school, a job, a retreat, a time with friends or family – all of these have a beginning, middle, and end to the scenario that we eventually turn into a memory, good or bad, that’s attached to our lives forever. Isn’t it good to realize that while nothing lasts forever, the lessons and wisdom are what ends up being the important parts of our experiences?

Every time I’m nearing the end of an era, I always think of what’s happened, with fondness or deep-thought, trying to figure out what I’ve gained from the time I’ve had. I’ve always thought that everything happens for a reason – nothing in life is without meaning, whether it’s the start of an event or the finish line. We all are given lessons, no matter if we’re in the classroom or not and they’re always important. Sisters, go out into the world with the knowledge that everything has a purpose and that you just have to believe in what you’re doing in order to succeed. Never forget what you have learned from experience!

7 Ways To Preserve The Past While Embracing The Future

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While I don’t usually take my horoscopes too seriously, today’s prediction had an interesting line in it: “One your favorite themes is about the preservation of things from the past that have value to present and future situations.” I find that to be very telling because at least in my life, events from the past have never failed to pop up in my mind during times of learning. There really isn’t a difference between the present, past, and future, as they’re all just variations of time: one is now, one was then, and one is coming up. The past can be a valuable tool in knowing what to do for the future, but it also is important to know when to embrace what’s new and not put complete stock in what happened before. Events can change based on your mindset at the time or because of any number of factors ranging from new insight to unexpected circumstances that arise. It’s always good to be able to distinguish between what’s under your control and what could possibly surprise you. It is possible to keep the past in mind, but also completely move on to a new and different future. What are some ways to balance what you already know with what you’re yet to learn?

1. Accept the knowledge that you already have. The main idea is to store your past wisdom, yet remember to view the world from all sides: past, present, and future. Life doesn’t work if you don’t look forward, backward, and right in front of you. If you have a balanced view of what’s happening in your life and a plan for upcoming scenarios, then you’re all set and prepared to embrace your future. It can sometimes be hard to accept the facts that come up, but once you’re able to see your life from all angles, it’s easier to keep in the present moment.

2. Take chances (within reason!) If you don’t use your skills and knowledge to move forward with something that’s not a “sure thing,” then are you truly living? Once in a while, it’s good to take a chance on something that’s not completely certain and see what happens. Of course, that’s within reason, as there are some risks that could have dire consequences and shouldn’t ever be attempted. However, the type of risks that I’m talking about are ones involved in meeting people, going somewhere new and different, or just doing something you wouldn’t normally do that’s not overly dangerous. It’s important to see your future as an open canvas and something that should be experimented with. Thus, exploring the chances that life throws at you is a vital lesson to learn in life!

3. Dare to be different. Does it really pay to stay the same as you were in the past? While it’s important to take life lessons from the past and apply them to your future, keeping yourself in a steady stream of change ensures that you will evolve over time. As well as changing over time, living in the present rather than always looking forward or backward forces you to keep your head up high and embrace whatever comes up in your life. If you’re keeping your life fresh and interesting, it’s easy to take the lessons you’ve learned and apply them to a brand new you! SEE MORE BELOW THE GALLERY!

6 Ways To Push Yourself Mentally

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4. Take cues from what’s happening in front of you. Are you noticing the little things that are happening in your life, or are you far too focused on the past? It might be easy to stay in the safety net of what’s already occurred, but you could miss something important or life-changing if you’re not really seeing everything that’s going on around you. Stay planted firmly on the ground and don’t forget where you are. All you have is now, so let go of what’s already happened and keep moving forward.

5. Don’t live in the past (but don’t forget it altogether!) Very similar to #4, don’t live your life in what’s already happened. The past is the past and although you can learn a lot from past experiences, you could miss out on life if you’re not paying attention to the present. Reflecting on the past is not a bad thing at all, but that shouldn’t be ALL that you do. There’s only so much you can learn from your personal history. If you really want to keep living and moving on with your life, you have to create new memories and not stay stagnant in one place. Live your life in TODAY, not YESTERDAY.

6. Be an optimist. Keep your head held high at all times and nothing can bother you. While sometimes things might not go your way, the way to move into the future and keep the past held at arm’s length is to embrace everything as a learning experience. If you’ve learned from it, then you can move on and not make the same mistakes again. Keeping the faith that everything happens for a reason, even if it’s not a good situation, keeps you living in the present and seeing a good future. Once this optimism is established, you can tuck the past into a bottle and keep it with you as a reminder, not a hindrance. Nothing can shake someone who’s head is high and thoughts positive.

7. Keep your ambitions strong. If you’re living in the present with established goals, then your life has a balance of experience and ideas for the future. Keeping ambitious thoughts around helps you move toward something greater while not straying out of bounds in pessimism. By keeping #6 alive and wanting to do something important with your future, you’re strengthening your ties to what you know and pushing them further into uncertainty. As I said in #2 about taking chances, having goals in life is very important and can have a positive impact on how you live your life. Keeping firmly grounded in experience, but moving toward something greater is a strong life skill and can be a catalyst for how others view your competence. If you can keep your ambitions alive for the duration of your life, then you can always further your life and not fall into boredom or laziness. Being driven in life is a great way to be, therefore, us sisters should always keep our ambitions high – you’re strong enough to soar!

6 Ways To Push Yourself Mentally

In general, if you stay firmly planted in all aspects of your life: past, present, and future, then you can have a balanced view of your life and be strong, independent women in your own right. By keeping everything in perspective, you’re able to never lose sight of who you are and where you’re going. There’s always something new happening in your life, regardless of the past, therefore keeping ambition and strength in your back pocket can be a vital tool to staying grounded and never straying from your plans. Stay strong, sisters, and never look back!

I grew up without cable. “There are better things to do than watch TV,” said my mother. So I read books, did arts and crafts, and found a lot of ways to be constructive without 790 channels standing in my way. Sure, I watched movies and the occasional TV show (I have babysitters to thank for the latter), but television was never a priority, and I think it’s been pretty beneficial in my adult life.

However, more and more often one hears, “My son/daughter LOVES [insert TV show]” and less and less often I hear “My son/daughter LOVES [insert book]!” What the hell? Where’d all the books go? They turned into educational DVDs, that’s where.

However, I’ve uncovered yet aNOTHER study (click here to read the first one) that says that the less time kids spend being couch potatoes, the smarter they are.  Says LiveScience,

Even infants zone out in front of the television, and it turns out this translates into less time interacting with parents and possible lags in language development, a new study finds.

“We’ve known that television exposure during infancy is associated with language delays and attentional problems, but so far it has remained unclear why,” said lead researcher Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages television watching before the age of 2, a time when critical development, such as language acquisition, occurs. (Christakis said a baby’s brain triples in size during the first two years of life, so there’s a lot going on in that little noggin.)

Not popping in DVDs doesn’t mean you have to have a ton of time to spend with your kids, either. My mom was a single mom, and we got along just fine. Just let the kids do what you do! If you’re reading, read out loud and follow the words with your finger. Or let them read with you. If you’re cooking, let them stir. You’ll find that you have more time to spend with your kids than you thought, and eventually they might prefer a good book instead of another episode of Spongebob.

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