Personal Growth
Developing an exercise habit can impact every other aspect of your life. For me, it planted a desire for personal growth. Here you will find some personal development tips that will hopefully help you in your pursuit to live your best life!
-
5 Self-Care Strategies for Stress
This year so far has been challenging, to say the least. Some are trying to figure out how to make ends meet after experiencing significant financial setbacks. Others are exhausted from home-schooling and looking after their young families at home day-in and day-out. Some are battling illness or loss. And of course, there are those who are working on the front lines of this crisis. (Thank you!) Feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression threaten many of us. That’s why, no matter what your situation, I believe self-care and balance are more important than ever during this time. But what does that look really like? I had to ask myself this…
-
7 Signs You Will Be an Effective Leader
What are the signs of a good leader, and how the heck are you supposed to become one? It’s not like there was a “Leadership 101” course in high school. Speaking of school, remember what a shock it was when you graduated? Up to that point, you’d been learning English, math, science, and history for most of your life. You were tested, grilled, and graded on those subjects as if your whole future depended on them. Then – rather abruptly – you’re out in the real world and expected to make serious choices, like an adult, that can affect the rest of your life. What are you going to do…
-
How to Actually Follow Through with Long-Term Goals
I know all too well what it’s like to start the day off with the best intentions only to flake faster than a day-old croissant. Because let’s face it, knowing how to actually follow through on goals is hard. Especially the long-term ones. And there always seems to be some external factor at play that prevents you from following through. Like when I was going to sit down and write an article, but couldn’t because my inbox was exploding and I just had to spend the next hour answering emails. Or when I was going to make a healthy lunch to bring to work but there just wasn’t enough time…
-
You Won’t Be an “Overnight Success” – But That’s a Good Thing
We freelancers and bloggers see it on Facebook, Instagram, and everywhere else on the internet every single day. A news story about a 23-year old making six figures within months of launching their business. Or a blogger in your Facebook group who made $1000 of passive income within a month of their website going live. These “overnight success” stories should be inspiring to us – and they are, to a point – but inevitably, they cause us to look at our own progress, or lack thereof, and start wondering what we’re doing wrong. Today, I’m here to tell you if you’re actively working towards your goal, then you’re not doing…
-
Looking Back to Move Forward: How to Stay Motivated on Your Journey
The first time I tried to start a business, I was ten. My parents had just bought me a book called, How to Draw Animals. After a week of doodling wolves, lions, and horses, I believed myself to be a true artist. So I taped a sign to my bedroom door with a list of my drawing services and fees. Alas, this business model was doomed to fail. My mom turned out to be my only client, who paid me a dollar to draw her a giraffe. And that was the start and end to my decidedly unsuccessful career as a freelance wildlife artist. But it makes me wonder…
-
6 Awesome Uses for Trello to Organize Your Life
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that I love finding new uses for Trello. I have no association with Trello whatsoever (aside from getting a free month of Gold membership every time someone signs up through my referral link). But I declare my love of Trello so often, you’d think I work in their marketing department. But what’s not to love? It sounds dramatic, but Trello changed my life. And with over 14 million other Trello users out there, I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way. That’s the power of organization. Better still, its a completely free tool that you can…
-
Transformative New Year’s Resolution Ideas That Will Stick
There seems to be two extremes when it comes to New Year’s resolution ideas: Those who think they’re pointless, and those who hang all their hopes and dreams on them. (And usually give up on them within days.) I think somewhere in the middle is where the magic can happen. Yes, personal development is something you can (and should) focus on any time of the year, not just New Year’s Day. But for many, the new year is a natural springboard for launching some new healthy habits. So if Jan 1 is motivating you to make some positive changes, go ahead and take advantage! ** My blog posts contain affiliate…
-
How to Write Faster as a Freelance Writer
Believe it or not, the biggest challenge of being a freelance writer isn’t finding new clients. It’s finding time to actually do the writing. At least, it is when you also work full-time. When I first started landing freelance writing jobs, I was dismayed by how long it took me to even finish a 500-word project. I simply did not know how to write faster. That’s because in the beginning, I didn’t have a structured approach to writing articles. I would try to “write pretty” when all I had to work with was an (intimidating) blank page. I would think long and hard about the structure, grammar, and flow of…
-
How to Be Confident: 10 Ways to Grow Your Self-Assurance
“I wish I was more confident.” It’s a sentence that we’ve probably all uttered at some point in our lives. I know I have. There’s no denying that confidence is a pretty key component to success in life. And yet, understanding how to be confident remains an elusive element for many people, particularly for women. The evidence of this is all the more pronounced in the office. Studies show that the gender pay gap is partly because women simply don’t ask for raises. And when they do, they request up to 30% less than their male counterparts! It’s not because of a lack of competence. But the reality is that…
-
The Audible Advantage: 5 Reasons to Try Audiobooks
I’d been seeing Audible audiobooks on Amazon for years but didn’t have the slightest interest in them. I like to savor the words on a page. Plus, something about listening to books seems like “cheating”, because you’re not actually “reading” them. But this year I’ve been having trouble reaching my reading goals. I realized I needed to try something different if I was going to squeeze a bit of literature into my day-to-day life. So I put my text-only snobbery aside and gave Audible a try. And I’m glad I did! If you’ve ever been curious about how audible works, what it’s advantages are, or what books to try with…
