Balancing Work and Family

Balancing Work and Family can be a huge deal made easy with these positive and inspirational strategies and tips that includes daily inspirational quotes and positive quotes about family.

Lifelong peace and happiness can be obtained with a strong family. Society needs strong families. Strong families need strong marriages. Strong marriages need people with strong hearts and a good balance of what's essential in life.

*Here is how the process starts...

The first thing to do in regaining that life work balance and focus on family is to determine the things that are most important to you.

The second step is to create a list and write down what those important things are. Starting with the most important.

The third step is to focus on the the top 2 or 3 items that you have put on your list.

The fourth step is to begin to center the bulk of your daily actions around those 2-3 more important items on your list.

By following this uncomplicated process you will be half way to accomplishing your goal of balancing work and family. You will begin to get in tune with the important things in your life and this will lead you and your family true happiness that can only be achieved from a strong family.

*The support of a strong family at home helps people and helps careers.

The road to a strong family is an exploratory journey and one of profound discovery. It’s an imperfect path created by many decisions and a great deal of risk taking and much learning.

As the path unfolds before you, you’ll make decisions that will lead to one direction and you’ll suddenly see yourself going in a different direction.

The decisions you make are never always permanent but just another step in the direction that you wish to go.

Keep an open mind to experiences you never expected to encounter and never be afraid to make a wrong decision.

Stay firm to a solid core of values and principles and know that through all the confusion and uncertainty that you’ll face, you’ll always be moving in the path you wish to go even in times when it seems that you’re moving in the opposite direction.

Be grateful for the blessings of all your strengths and know that you have the God given gifts to withstand everything that is put in front of you even in times of true test.



Build your path to a strong family and for all your work you’ll be blessed with so much more.

~J. Charest

"Make It A Good Day"

*Strategies to Balancing WORK AND FAMILY

1. Life Work Balance is a Daily Effort. Your actions need to turn into part of your daily effort. The balancing part doesn't come naturally. Find inspiration for your actions in our inspirational quotes (put into picture in this post) and learn how they can help you make positive changes.

2. Make a List and Write Down Your Priorities (like what I've said previously). It's important to point it out again. It will be easier to act on the stuff that matter most to you if you actually write them down on paper and you can also put it on your tablet's or mobile phone's organizer. Keep the list near you or you can make a daily alarm and review it each day to reinforce your actions toward positive focus on family success.

3. Stick To Your Family Values. You will need to make challenging decisions along the way. Stand firm to your values and belief no matter how hard the decision is to start moving towards positive life and family changes. Know your priorities and stick to them.

4. Remain Flexible in Your Efforts to Achieve Balance. Life will throw you hard puches and your life situation will change and you may need to make adjustments along the way. It's important to stay open minded to change and stay flexible in your efforts.

5. Stay Healthy and Reduce Stress. Sickness and stress at work can put undue pressure on family life. Working long hours, no exercise and poor eating habits will lead to poor health and increased stress. Exercise regularly and eat healthy and your family will benefit. Healthy living is a very important family value and an important part of balancing work and family..

*BALANCING WORK AND FAMILY QUIZ

1. Are you successful at making the time to do things with your family everyday?

2. Do you engage in a quality family time on a regular basis without feeling anxious or thinking about work?

3. Can you participate in family activities without interrupting those activities with concerns of unfinished business at work?

4. Can you keep your focus on family during family time without worrying about your own life work balance?

If you answered "YES" to all of the questions, then you are well on your way to balancing work and family. But don't stop here because there is still more work to do in strengthening your family values.

You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once.
~Polish Proverb


*Additional Tips for Balancing Work and Family

Your success at balancing work and family will have an enormous impact on your kids and the family structure that they will be surrounded by for love and support.

It's this love and support structure and your teachings of strong family values that will give them the tools they need as adults to be successful at balancing work and family in thier own lives.

They will have a stonger family and will be more successful parents.

A successful family/work life is dependent on finding the right balance, making the right choices and ensuring that you have the flexibility, systems and support to achieve the goals that you have set. It takes teamwork, perseverance and a lot of effort. Remember that you can anything but you just can't do EVERYTHING.

Please write a comment or send an email if you have questions or suggestions so we can make this post much more informative.

Thanks for reading and I hope you've learn something. Stay blessed!

The Best Ways to Keep Your Motivation High

One of the primary reasons why people don’t achieve their target is because they lack the motivation to either get started, or to keep going once the going gets tough.

Fortunately, there are many distinctive strategies you can use in order to motivate yourself to work toward the achievement of you goals. Here are my list of best ways to keep your motivation high:

*Make sure that the goal is your own. 

Nothing will drain your energy as much as trying to go after a goal that someone else has set for you and which you don’t believe in. Think of the difference between the effort that you have to produce in order to walk uphill, in comparison to the effort that you have to make in order to walk downhill.

-Taking action in order to accomplish a goal that someone else has set for you is like walking uphill. Since the goal is not something that would really inspires you, you have to continually push yourself to act.

-Taking action in order to achieve a goal that is your own is like walking downhill. Since the goal is something that would really inspires you, it pulls you toward it like the force of gravity.

*Engage in what you like best.

"A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.”
-Charles M. Schwab

"Enthusiasm is easily expressed when one is inspired by a burning desire for something. Therefore, you need to set goals that you’re enthusiastic about. Think of enthusiasm as the flame that keeps your motivation burning."
- Napoleon Hill

*Surround yourself with people who are enthusiastic.

Other people can either dampen your enthusiasm and your interest, or they can help you to keep your motivation high. Befriend people who will inspire you and challenge you to achieve your goals.

In addition, enthusiasm is contagious. When you’re with people who are enthusiastic about their lives and about their goals, their enthusiasm will rub off on you.

*Use affirmations.

Usually, I’m not a fan of affirmations. Telling yourself things such as, “I am now a millionaire”– when the truth is that you do not any savings in the bank–, is not significant in any way. However, affirmations such as the following are useful:

-By taking small steps on a consistent basis, I will achieve my goal.
-I have the capability to achieve anything I set my mind to.
-No matter the challenge, I will see it through.
-Each time I fall, I get back up again.

*Ask yourself questions.

"One of the best ways to generate enthusiasm in yourself is by asking yourself questions about your abilities, your ideas, and your progress. Likewise, if you want to generate enthusiasm in others, ask them questions."
-Earl Prevette

“Ask enough questions and you will find the answer. Asking questions starts an endless chain of ideas, each one suggesting several others. Most inventions and improvements are the result of questions. Someone wanted to know the answer.”
-Earl Prevette

Questions stir up ideas, arouse feedback, stimulate interest, and create aspiration. That is, they generate enthusiasm. Here are some questions you can use in order to begin producing enthusiasm:

How can I have more fun doing this?
What’s good about this situation?
How can I continue moving forward?
What’s the next best step that I can take?
What do I want to happen here?
How can I advance the speed at which I’m moving forward?

*Focus.

Still another way to generate enthusiasm is by giving your full attention to what you’re doing. Earl Prevette explains that doing any job well requires concentration of thought. Integrate your mental attributes completely, pull together, and pay strict attention to what you’re doing.

“It is not putting in hours, but putting yourself into the hours that wins promotion, earns more money, precipitates an increase in salary and gets you ahead.”
-Earl Prevette

Whatever it is that you’re doing, look for ways to drag your attention together and place it fully on the activity that you’re carrying out. It’s very difficult to generate enthusiasm when half of your mind is on one thing, and the other half is contemplative of something else.

Create a “yes, but” list.

Whatever the goal is that you’re trying to fulfill, you can probably come up with a never ending list of reasons of why you can’t achieve it. These doubts linger in the back of your mind, eating away at your motivation. However, there’s a process you can use to help you alleviate these doubts. I call it the “yes, but” approach.

Sit down and write down all of the reasons why you think that you may not be able to attain your goals. Then, counter each of these with a “yes, but”. Here’s an example:

Reason I can’t complete my goal: I’m too old to go back to school.
Response: Yes, I am older, but my life experience is an advantage that younger people don’t have, and which will help me to do well in my studies.

Addressing your disbelief and looking for ways to knock them down or turn them into positives will help raise your motivation.

*Generate enthusiasm and motivation by feeling appreciation.

One of the emotions that helps to generate enthusiasm—and, therefore, helps to keep your motivation high–is gratitude. Feel gratitude for everything that you have that is helping you to achieve your goal. Here are three examples:

-Feel grateful that you have the health that is necessary to achieve your goal.
-Feel grateful that you have access to the internet which allows you to quickly find the information that you need in order to achieve your goal.
-Feel grateful that—through books—you have access to the stories of people who have already achieved what you’re trying to accomplish. This allows you to use these people as mentors and role models (even if you’ll never meet or speak to them).

*Be motivated by the past.

Make a list of all of your past successes. Whenever you’re feeling unmotivated, take out your list. Reminding yourself of everything that you’ve accomplished so far is a great way to pump yourself up when you feel like your efforts are not producing the results you were hoping for.

*Boost your self-esteem.

Your motivation may be low because you don’t feel that you’re capable of achieving your goals. If you think that you don’t have what it takes in order to achieve your objectives, your motivation will suffer. If this is the case, take steps to increase your self-confidence, and your motivation will rise accordingly.

*Give yourself a break.

If you’re constantly “on”, and you’re always striving to achieve your goal, sooner or later, you’re going to burn out.  Allow yourself to take breaks and do stuff that’s not productive, but that you enjoy doing. We all need some downtime.

Is there a TV show you really enjoy? Put it on your schedule.
Is there a video game you love to play? Give yourself a chunk of time to just sit back and play.
Is there a trashy novel you’ve been wanting to read? Take a weekend off, go to the beach, and sit under a beach umbrella with your novel.
Think of these scheduled breaks as an opportunity to recharge your battery, so that you’re fully charged and ready to go when it’s time to get back to working on your goal.

*Make the journey more enjoyable.

As Earl Nightingale once said, “Happiness comes from direction not arrival. It’s the trip that is enjoyable. Moving toward our goals is more satisfying than accomplishing them.”

If moving toward your goal is not currently satisfying, ask yourself how you can make the action that you need to take in order to achieve your goal more enjoyable. Here are some ways in which you can do this:

Add variety: work in a different location or try a different work method.

Balance physical work with mental work: if your goal requires a lot of mental work, take a break every now and then and do something physical. For example, you can go for a jog or turn on some music and dance around the room.

Involve others: ask a friend to read the first chapter of your novel and discuss it with you, or get your sister to train for the marathon with you.

Avoid the unpleasant: if there’s something that you need to do in order to achieve your goal which you find highly unpleasant, look for a way to outsource it, delegate it, or eliminate it.

Make the task more enjoyable: if there’s a task that you find unpleasant and which you can’t avoid doing, find a way to make it more enjoyable, even if it means that it will take longer.

Try to remain in a state of joy—or at the very least contentment–throughout the entire journey toward the achievement of your goal.  This means that sometimes you’ll have to sacrifice efficiency in favor of joy. And that’s OK.

*Begin.

Whatever you want to do, begin it.

“Do the thing, and you shall have the power.”
-Earl Prevette

Start learning about the topic at hand; the more you know about something that more likely you are to become enthusiastic about it. In addition, set small goals for yourself and begin to achieve them. These small achievements will help you to generate the enthusiasm that you’ll need to keep going.

In order to live your best life, you need to set goals. And in order to work toward the achievement of those goals, you need motivation. Use these strategies described above in order to keep your motivation high.

How to Divide Your Time and Attention Between Your Children

For 4 years, my daughter was an only child. As parents, we could spend as much time with her as wanted. When my wife got pregnant and gave birth to our son the love and attention needed to be divided, things had to change.

Very quickly, we had to change our plan as parents and learn how to divide our time evenly between our children – children who had very contrasting demands. Now that our daughter is 10 and my son is going 7 I can still feel that their is a sibling rivalry for attention between our kids.

Here are some tips and tricks that we have picked up during our time as parents that will hopefully assist others, as well.

1. Understand their different needs

 My first piece of advice is to identify the different needs of your children. For example, my 10 year old daughter needs to feel grown up, wants to help her mother with the laundry and washing dishes at times. My son on the other hand wants to play, draw, and sometimes be just by himself watching tv or playing games on his tablet.

Even if your children are closer in age, they will still need different things and attentions from you. This makes it much easier to divide your time between them.

Where their needs are the same, spend time with them both in order to help them learn that they do have to ‘share’ you.

2. Teaming up with your better half


One of the best ways to divide your time is to work with your better half.

While you’re spending time with one of your kids, let your wife spend quality time with the other. By working as a team in this way, my wife and I have found that each child gets the attention they’re craving.

Parenting is all about teamwork so remember to back one another up, and make sure you’re playing for the same side. It can be very difficult pleasing everyone but by sharing the load when you can makes things easier for you both.

3. Enjoy one-on-one time


One of the biggest challenges I have found as a parent, is making time for one-on-one days or activities with my children which is I barely do. But when you can, this is one of the best ways to help divide your time between them.

For example: if my son is having his 'me time' playing his toys in our room or playing his favorite game in his tablet I try to convince him that I am also interested on what he's been doing and try yo bond with him as much as possible.

Then, when my daughter is alone watching movies, I’ll spend the same amount of time with her. I’ll help her with his homework or just simply talk to her about school, talk about her day, or spend half an hour or so doing something she wants to do. This helps them both spend time with me each day especially on weekends.

4. Foster independent time 

 It’s important that your kids learn to not be so dependent on you, and demand your attention and time 24/7. That’s why I would like to recommend encouraging your children to spend time on their own 'me time'. Whether they play with their toys, spend time together, or do some homework; it’s important they learn a little independence.

This will help you to spend time with your other child, but will also teach them that it’s okay not to have your undivided attention. For me and my wife though, my daughter is so happy to spend time at her grandparents house during weekends, so it’s hard to pencil in any one-on-one time!

5. Spend time as a family

My final advice is to not see parenting as a ‘one or the other’ type approach. You’re a family and should spend as much time together as you can whether it be evenings or days out, or just eating meals together. Being a multi-tasking parent is hard but it’s a rewarding job.

Do you have tips and advice on how you spend time with each of your children? I’d love to hear them and we can add it here in the future.

It Takes A Real Man To Be A Dad

Fatherhood is  a wonderful thing!

Every father has fears that he won’t be a great one, that he’ll mess up, that he’ll be a failure. It comes with the job. Unfortunately, what doesn’t come with the job is a simple set of instructions.

Married for 10 years and having 2 kids (my daughter is 10 years old and my son is going 7). I've learned a lot on the do's and don'ts of fatherhood and yet i know that it is a never-ending process and no one can master it. One thing is for sure Anyone Can Be A Father But It Takes A Real Man To Be A Dad. So please start reading some of the fatherhood tips i have compiled and put up some comments if you want to add more. Thank you!

Do not separate or brand every duties — always share responsibilities.

While there are a lot of great things back from the day (our grandparents days) that we should start bringing back, the traditional father/mother separation of parenting duties should not be one of them.

Most couples still look at certain duties as “for the mother only” or "that's a thing that only fathers do", don’t be like them. Try to be involved in everything, help each other and share the load. For example, changing diapers, giving baths, getting them dressed, even feeding them.

Time is Gold, make the most out of it.

One thing that amazes me is how quickly the years have flown. My Daughter is now 10. and she is nearing her teenage years and a couple more years she will have a boyfriend and she will start her own family and she will leave the house and we'll all be lonely! (joke lang back to the real topic).

There is not enough time! The time you have with them is short and precious — make the most of it. Always spend as much time as you can with them, and make it quality, loving time. Try to be present as much as possible while you’re with them too — don’t let your mind drift away, as they can sense that. (come on stop looting in coc when you're with them, maximize the shield, LOL)

Let them be themselves.

Most parents try to mold their child into the person they want their child to be or they have dreamed to be when they are still young (and of course dreaming)… even if the child’s personality doesn’t fit that mold. Instead, instill good behaviors and values in your child, but give your child freedom to be himself and be what they want to be and what would make them happy. Children have oddity and different personalities. Let those personalities flourish. Love your child for who he is, not who you want him to be.

Let them decide. 

While it is easier to be strict, what you’re teaching your child is to submit to orders no matter what. Instead, teach your child to make decisions, and he’ll grow up much more competent— and happier. Kids like freedom and decisions, just like any other human beings. Your job is to allow them to make decisions, but within the conditions that you set.

Let your child be independent.

From an early age, teach your kids to do things for themselves, slowly letting them be more independent as they grow older. While it may seem difficult and time-consuming to teach your child to do something that you could do faster yourself, it’s worth it in the long run, for the child’s self-confidence and also in terms of how much you have to do.

Model good behavior.

It’s one thing to tell you child what she should do, but to say one thing and do another just ruins the message. In fact, the real lecture your child will assimilate is what you do. Your child is always watching you, to learn proper behavior. Excessive drinking or smoking by parents, for example, will become ingrained in the child’s head. Bad manners, bad habits, anger and a negative attitude, laziness and greed … all these behaviors will rub off on your child. Instead, model the behavior you’d like your child to learn.

A little patience goes a long way.

As a parent, I know as well as anyone how easy it is to lose your patience and temper. However, allowing yourself to react in anger or disappointment is not the best thing for your kid, and you must remember that. That means you need to take a deep breath, or a walk, when you start to lose your patience. Practice patience with your child and your relationship, and your child, will benefit over the long run.

When you say "no" mean it.

While I'm all for giving children the flexibility to choose, and for free play, and lots of other freedoms, there should be limits. Parents who don’t set boundaries are going to have children with behavior problems, who have problems when they grow up. And if it’s not good to always say “yes”, it’s also not good for the child to say “no” at first … and then cave in when they throw a temper tantrum or beg and plead. Teach them that your “no” is firm, but only say “no” when you really feel that it’s a boundary you need to set.

Don’t be the absent dad.

The biggest mistake that dads make are not being there for their children. Always, always set aside time each day and each week for your children. Don’t let anything violate this precious time. And at those big moments in your child’s life — a basketball game, a little video game, a movie marathon — do you very best to be there. It means the world to them.

Treat their mother with respect, always.

Some fathers can be abusive towards their wife (hey not me, but i think i know someone :P), and that will lead to a cycle of abuse when the child grows up. But beyond physical or verbal abuse, there’s the milder sin against the child’s mother: disrespectful behavior. If you treat your child’s mother with disrespect, your child will not only learn that behavior, but grow up with insecurities and other emotional problems. Treat your child’s mother with respect at all times.

Stand together. 

It’s no good to have one parent say one thing, just to have the other contradict that parent. Instead, you and your wife should be working together as a parenting team, and should stand by each other’s decisions. That said, it’s important that you talk out these decisions beforehand, so that you don’t end up having to support a decision you strongly disagree with.

There you have it... Hope it could give you some insights and tips about fatherhood. Don't forget It Takes A Real Man To Be A Dad.

Now is the time to “work smarter, not harder.”

Punctual or late? Do you finish things within the time? Are you able to accomplish what you want to do before deadlines? Do you hand in your reports/work on time?

If your answer is “no” to any of the questions above, that means you’re not managing your time as well as you want and now is the time to "work smarter, not harder".  Managing time isn’t about squeezing as many tasks into your day as possible. It’s about simplifying how you work, doing things faster, and relieving stress.

Here are some tips on how to be a better time manager:

*Create a daily plan. Plan your day before it unfolds. Do it in the morning or even better, the night before you sleep. The plan gives you a good analysis of how the day will end. That way, you don’t get caught off guard. Your work for the day is to stick to the plan as best as possible.

"Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail".

*Use a calendar. Having a calendar is the most fundamental step to organizing your daily activities. Make use of your mobile phones calendar. Google Calendar is also a great alternative – I use it, and you can make use of it too. It’s even better if you can sync it to your mobile phone and other hardwares you use – that way, you can access your schedule no matter where you are.

*Know your deadlines. When do you need to accomplish your tasks? Mark the deadlines out clearly in your calendar and organizer so you know when you need to finish them.

*Learn to say “No”. Realize your limits, and plan around them. For the distractions that come in when you’re doing other things, give a firm no. Or defer it to a later period.

*Focus. Are you multi-tasking so much that you’re just not getting anything done? If so, focus on just one key task at a time. Don't get distracted easily. If you're in a computer, close off all the applications you aren’t using. Close off the tabs in your browser that are taking away your attention. Focus solely on what you’re doing. You’ll be more efficient that way.

*Prioritize. Since you can’t do all things, learn to prioritize the important and let go of the rest for a while.

*Be conscientious of amount of TV/Internet/gaming time.
Time spent browsing Facebook or Playing COC or watching TV and movies can be one of the biggest drains on productivity.
I suggest becoming more aware of how much time you spend on these activities. Simply by noticing how they’re wasting up your time you’ll begin to do them less. (except COC :P )

*Exercise and eat healthily.
Studies have linked a healthy lifestyle with work productivity. Similar to getting enough sleep, exercising and eating healthily boost your energy levels, clears your mind, and allows you to focus more easily.

*Sleep at least 7-8 hours.
Most people (especially the younger ones) think sacrificing sleep is a good way to hack productivity and squeeze a couple extra hours out of the day. This is not the case.
Most people need 7-8 hours of sleep for their bodies and minds to function best. You know if you’re getting enough. Listen to your body, and don’t undervalue the power of rest.

It's never too late to start over. If you weren't happy with yesterday, try something different today. Don't stay stuck. Do better. -Work smarter, Not Harder.

A Stress Free Life

Life can be boring and stressful at the same time.....

At times we tend to forget that whatever it takes or no matter what we do, we should always find a way to relax and be better the next day! here are my stress relieving tips that you may find helpful so you can start living, A Stress Free Life. :)

1. We face stress from all areas of life--work, school, relationships. One amazing way to relieve stress is by reducing it--minimizing the amount of stressors you face in your life by cutting some things out. It will take many forms, from letting go of a relationship that factors stress, to letting go of commitments that carry stress, to letting go of "stuff" that creates clutter in your space. Examining your existence for areas where stressors can be eliminated is a proven strategy, in that it might slash the whole amount of stress you face, so you may have more energy and endurance to control the stressors that are not able to be cut.

“Feeling good about yourself is the best sleeping pill of all.” 
― Annika Sorensen, Take Stress from Chaos to Calm

2. Nothing is more stressful than being unorganized. Get prepared so you're ready for the next day, taking a few minutes to make a to-do list and clean up before you leave. Knowing you've got everything covered means you'll be less likely to fret about work in the evenings. When you come in the next morning, you'll have the sense that you're in control of the situation and can handle it. This brings a positive tone for the day, which will help you be more accomplished.

“It is fine to be committed to work, but our minds need time to recover and our bodies need to move.” 
― Annika Sorensen, Take Stress from Chaos to Calm

3. Slow or meditative music is a proven stress buster, so set your dial to a soothing station during your commute. Women worry more than men do.  Women tend to worry whereas a man might fret about something actual and specific—such as the fact that he's just been passed over for a promotion—a woman will tend to worry abstractly about her job, her weight, plus the well-being of every member of her extended family. Keep your anxiety focused on real, immediate issues, and tune out imagined ones or those over which you have zero control, and you'll automatically reduce stress overload.

“By simply braking down the task into more manageable pieces much can be accomplished in a year.” 
― Annika Sorensen, Take Stress from Chaos to Calm

4. Don't be so serious. There's nothing like anxiety to annihilate your sense of humor. It would follow, then, that it's impossible to feel stressed when you're hunched over in a fit of giggles. Studies have shown, in fact, that laughter not only relieves tension, but actually improves immune function. Swap jokes with your friends. Watch a funny movie. Stop taking things so seriously!

"I've got 99 problems and 86 of them are completely made up scenarios in my head that I'm stressing about for absolutely no logical reason."

5. Identify at least one good thing that happened today. It's a scenario played out every evening. Come home from work and start venting to your spouse or roommate about your day. Instead of creating a negative atmosphere the minute you walk in the door, try starting off the evening with your family or friends by exchanging good news. Something good every day, you just need to recognize it.

"In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive."
- Lee Iacocca

Be positive, Take command and start living a stress free life!