We know about the 5 senses taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing, and most of us are more than a little familiar with the 6^th sense ESP.  Well I propose a 7^th sense – COMMON SENSE.  I know we are all supposed to have common sense already but I swear every day I see more and more people acting as my Grandmother use to say “like they don’t have the sense God gave a goose”.  I personally don’t know any geese that have a lack of common sense but Gram may have known some…

Perhaps it is Hollywood’s fault that so many people don’t possess (or have a reduced capacity for) common sense.  With movies like Jacka** the Movie(s) and TV series, the reality shows etc. that seem to kill brain cells by the second while they are watched.  Since the main focus of these programs is that the actors/participants in them don’t seem to suffer from the burden of common sense.

Mom’s used to dispense tiny tidbits of wisdom to their children, the children’s sponge like brains would grab those wise words and along with life lessons learned would blossom into adulthood with their common sense securely in place.  They don’t run with scissors, they don’t lick frozen flag poles, and they don’t turn right from the far left lane while driving down the freeway at 70 miles an hour.  You know common sense… Maybe Mom’s across the globe are slacking, what with working, raising children, and attempting to have a life of our own, we have somehow let down or prodigy.

The 7^th sense is in my humble opinion the most important of all the senses, I mean really you could live quite well with out the sense of smell, or taste.  Most of us live with out ESP just fine, and although it isn’t any ones dream life, the sense of touch, sight and hearing are not necessary to have to live a good long life.  But common sense, well think about it, sticking metal objects in electric receptacles and standing around watching a tornado/hurricane bearing down on you can definitely be considered a life threatening lack of common sense.

Can the Public Schools teach common sense, or is it learned in our pre-school years?  Is it just that the human form has mutated, and common sense was left out of the genetic equation?  Or maybe these things that I relate to a lack of common sense are something truly different.  Possibly all the people I see acting with a total lack of common sense aren’t human after all… Aliens, this has to be the answer.

Just in case Mom never told you---- think before you act, your actions can and often do affect other people.  Be Safe Out There.

Any doctor will tell you that depression is a hard illness to come to terms with.   Depression causes people to feel alone, it makes you feel like going into hiding, as if you should just climb up under the bed covers and disappear from reality, though its never that easy and hiding is never the answer.

So what causes this depression?  That answer depends on who you speak with, some will tell you that there is one of a million different causes, while another person will tell you that they are unsure as to what causes it.  One thing we do know for sure is that the world we live in can be a difficult place to wake each day.  As mothers, many of us know all to well what effects depression can have on a family.  Though we do not have the luxury of hiding, crying or wishing it away.  No, we instead have to be strong, we have to make ourselves be better for our kids, our husbands, our family.

One mother can carry the wait of an entire family, career and world on her shoulders when her family is in the room and as they leave, its almost as if that same woman was weakest being on the planet.  There were times when I found myself crying for hours on end and wanting to be left alone, even the idea of taking my own life came into my mind a few times, I never knew where to turn for help.  When I tried to talk to my husband he told me to get over it, he didn't understand that it jst wasn't that easy of a thing to get over, how do you stop feeling as though you hate everything.

I kept telling myself that I needed to get some help, if for nothing more than so I could be around for my husband and my children.  I love my family, they are my world and I didn't want our family to crumble because I wouldn't take the time to get the help that I needed.   Eventually, I went to my doctor and explained to her how I had been feeling, how much I had been crying, not sleeping and how I just felt like everything was falling down around me.  My doctor was able to give me some options as to what I could do to control this disease, I took her advice and went with a medication that, in a short amount of time, made my life a whole lot better.

These days I am nowhere near as emotional as I was then, I can actually sleep at night.   One of my concerns was that my prescription would make me a little loony, not that I don't like space cadets, I just don't want to be one.  Some people told me that the medication would have adverse effects, though in my case I have suffered from none of those.

It is a wonderful thing to know that I can now relax and enjoy life, because life is just so short.  You never realize that until you actually live it.  If any of you feel bad and  want to hide from your life, I encourage you to take the time and see your doctor, allow someone to step in and help you just as I did.  Allow yourself to live life to its fullest and never look back!

I raise my hand plead guilty to not being able to delegate tasks very efficiently, but it is something that I have worked on and gotten much better at doing for several very good reasons. Learning how to delegate tasks will increase your efficiency in the workplace, at home and just about everywhere and every time throughout your life.

The majority of you that have a hard time with this, are probably experiencing the very same problem I had. Something in my head told me that I could do the given task better, faster and with less worries than if I were to delegate that to someone else, even if it meant that I had to work myself to the bone to get everything finished. However, that's the problem. When you begin taking on to many tasks in the course of a day, you begin to rapidly lose the valuable time needed to accomplish your days work, which coincidently makes you less efficient than you would have been had you just let someone else do the job in the first place.

So in an attempt to combat the evil that resides in all of us, I decided to share some of the tips that I used when learning how to delegate tasks.

Tips for Learning How to Delegate Tasks:

Get over yourself: Yes, you are probably very good at everything you do or have been trained to do, but that doesn't mean that no one else is just as good at the same thing. Even if another person does a given task in a different manner, doesn't mean that they are doing it wrong or don't know what they are doing. Everyone does stuff differently and what works well for one person may not work so well for you. So try not to be quite so impressed with your own abilities and allow others to show you theirs.

Organize yourself and your schedule: Before you can even consider which tasks to delegate, you have to know which ones will free up the most time for you. Simply choosing the easiest tasks, sometimes known as "busy work", and passing those off to someone else is not properly delegating. The tasks should be chosen very strategically so that you can get the most out of your day, while completing the most important jobs yourself.

Choose your helpers wisely: This where a lot of people go wrong, though it sounds like common sense. When delegating any task be sure that the person you are delegating it to knows what they are doing. Handing out jobs carelessly to anyone you see will only get you in trouble, because chances are they might just make matters worse. So choose wisely and be sure that you have given the job to the most capable candidate.

Explain the task thoroughly: I don't think it can get any clearer that that. Anytime you are delegating tasks be absolutely sure that the person in question completely understands what it is that (s)he should be doing. This will avoid any confusion and problems that arise from lack of communication.

Be sure to follow up: Anytime you have gone through the process of delegating tasks to family members, co-workers or whom ever else it may be, make sure to follow up at the days end. Ask questions, how did it go, were there any problems with the given task, did you complete the task and so on. If there was a problem, this is a perfect opportunity to discover why the problem arose, was it on their end, your end or out of everyones control? You should also take this opportunity to offer a little praise if all went well, everyone loves to hear thanks or great job once in a while.

So what do you think? Can you delegate tasks or are you a do it yourselfer? Share your tips for learning how to delegate tasks in the comment section below.

Public speaking is one of the most common fears of professionals. Some of you worry to much about what others might think, some have little confidence in themselves and others might just be afraid they won't know what to say. Regardless of the reason for your fear, if you plan to succeed you're going to have to overcome it. In reality, public speaking can be a lot of fun if you allow yourself to have fun with it.

While there are a lot of different techniques people use to build up their comfortable zone, these are my favorite ways to not only overcome this fear of public speaking but also to build more confidence in yourself.

Overcoming Your Fear of Public Speaking

Don't be afraid of failure: Many people don't realize it, but failure is one of the best learning tools at our disposal which is exactly why you shouldn't fear it. I like to think back to the old adage "What doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger.", believe me, that saying holds an abundance of truth. A bad presentation won't be the end of the world, but it will be a stepping stone to build on and improve your skills for the next time around. So rather than worrying about failure, think of it as an opportunity to grow.

Try some deep breathing exercises: Don't hyperventilate on me here, but if used properly deep breathing techniques help to lower your blood pressure and calm your mind and body. Having the jitters before stepping up to the podium is normal, but you are going to want to relax yourself as much as possible in order to give an excellent presentation. Lifehack.org has a great article on deep breathing techniques you should check out. If presentations and public speaking are a big part of your chosen career, you might consider investing in some yoga classes which will not only teach you breathing but a lot more calming secrets as well.

Know your material: One of the biggest fears people face when it comes to public speaking is forgetting what they plan to say. You may already picture yourself standing on stage with a giant blank spot where your thoughts used to be, but if you know your material you have nothing to worry about. Try and allow yourself a minimum of two weeks before speaking to write your thoughts down and study them daily. Once you have everything in your head, start reciting it to yourself in front of a mirror without looking at your notes. Knowing your material will build your confidence and make for a much smoother presentation.

Join a Toastmasters Club in your area: Practice makes perfect and some times you just can't do it on your own, but there is help to overcome your public speaking woes. Toastmasters International is a unique non-profit organization that provides an outlet for professionals like yourself to give presentations and learn how to function in a group setting. Currently they have over 226,000 members in 11,500 clubs throughout 92 countries so chances are there is a location near you. Club dues are only $27 every six months, so this is a very affordable option for everyone.

You can't control the audience: Right from the start you have to realize that you can't control the audience in front of you. They will either love what you have to say or they won't, but you can't force them in any direction. Simply presenting properly thought out and targeted information is all you can do the rest is out of your control, so please don't allow that to effect your performance.

Act and speak natural: The last thing anyone wants is their speech to appear forced or unnatural. If you normally use hand movements as you talk, then use them on stage as well because that is what is comfortable for you. Pasting your hands to your side makes you look like a stiff and you will probably be very boring to watch. You should also try and communicate as you would in any old conversation. There is no need to put on an act when you are speaking, people came to listen to you not a robot drone that doubles as you, so just give them what they want.

Focus on one person in the audience: Right at the beginning of your speech pick one person in the center of the audience to focus on. This could be a friend of yours or just someone wearing a funny hat. As you make your speech keep your attention pointed towards that person and occasionally scan the audience as you are talking. What this will do is allow you to narrow in on a single person and take your mind off of the actual size of the audience, believe me it works wonders.

Drink a cup of coffee before going on stage: A lot of people recommend avoiding caffeine before a large presentation to avoid the jitters, but in reality caffeine has a lot of benefits to weary public speakers. According to Wikipedia: "Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system first at the higher levels, resulting in increased alertness and wakefulness, faster and clearer flow of thought, increased focus, and better general body coordination, and later at the spinal cord level at higher doses." Now I don't know about you but better thought, focus and alertness during that presentation sounds good to me, so drink up.

Dress for success: How you look can be another great confidence booster. Most often public speakers want to come across as professional but also relaxed and fun. Consider choosing a sharp looking business casual outfit that really makes you stand out. Take the extra time to do your hair and nails if need be, maybe even an extra spritz of cologne or perfume that morning. Once you're finished, take a look in the mirror and say "Now that's a good looking person who knows what they want!". Just remember, if you feel good about yourself, the audience will feel good about you too.

Get plenty of rest: All stress and no rest is hard on your mind, body and soul, so make sure that you get plenty of sleep the night before and avoid scheduling anything that may effect your mood the day of the big speech. The last thing you need is to be sleepy or have something else on your mind, think clear thoughts.

If you follow my advice, your next bout with public speaking should be a positive one. I wish you the best and remember all that matters is what you think of yourself, not what others think of you!

Setting goals and more importantly achieving goals is much easier than everyone seems to think. So many people have such a negative outlook on themselves and what they are capable of, that they just see reaching a goal as an impossible feat of luck. Here is the first thing you should know, luck has nothing to do with it. Those who reach their goals on a regular basis do so because of their hard work and intense focus on their end objective or the goal itself.

Everyone from world class athletes to high powered businessmen and women have at one time set goals to achieve the status they now have. Typically, the goals they set are long term, which often includes furthering their education and working their way up through the ranks to finally reach the position that they want. Which leads me to my next point, there are two types of goals - long term goals and short term goals.

Short term goals

These are an integral part of everyone's life and an important first step towards believing in the power of goal setting. Short term goals give you an almost immediate satisfaction, of course depending on the how short term it is. For example, let's say you set a goal that you're going to study real hard and pass your big exam next week. That is a short term goal that is easily obtainable, a week from now you will realize that you can achieve goals that you set and thus believe in the power of your long term goals.

Long term goals

These are the big ones! Long term goals often include major life changes that you have set out far enough to be realistically achievable. Goals like quitting smoking, finishing college, buying your first home or owning your own company are perfect examples. Long term goals require dedication and patience, but are best used with short term goals. Setting little goals along the way that directly relate to your long term goal will allow you to see real progress towards the larger goal.

The basics of setting goals

If you take the time to set clear goals, both short term and long term, you will be able to see and measure your progress as you successfully complete each goal throughout life. Charting your progress will also enable you to actually see the stages of completion leading to the actual realization of your goals. This eliminates the feeling of a long and pointless grind towards achieving your goal. Your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve as you will be more aware of your capabilities as you complete or achieve your goals.

You will soon find that the basics of goal setting will directly relate to your life and what you intend to do with it. You will begin to take notice of the clear path that lies ahead in an otherwise difficult journey. Once you embrace your goals as integral steps through life, life will become easier you will become more defined as a person.

Advice for Setting and Achieving Your Goals

First and foremost, you have to take your goals seriously! Your attitude will play an important part in not only meeting your goals, but your eventual success or failure. The only person in this entire world that can hold you back from achieving anything in life, is you. You can be your own greatest accomplishment or worst enemy, and you have to make that decision for yourself.

Allowing yourself to see the possibility in anything you set out to do, will move you forward to where you want to be. If you remember nothing else in this article, remember that it is so much easier to doubt your abilities but so much more rewarding to believe in them.

Have you been giving some thought to learning a second language lately? I took the initiative a couple of years ago to learn Spanish and surprisingly, it was a lot of fun and has come in handy a few times. I don't use it on a regular basis and am probably pretty rusty, with it but I can understand and communicate well enough to get through a conversation.

I also wanted to mention here that there is a lot of junk on the web for learning new languages and you should really do your research before spending any money on a program. You will see a lot of these ebooks and podcasts that claim to teach you in 24 hours, don't fall for the hype, none of it works, at least that I have seen anyway. If you do want to learn, I would recommend going down to your local library and picking up some audio-books or regular books and learning from those, its free and usually good material.

Importance of Learning a Second Language

If you are over the age of five, you probably realize that we live in a very diverse world. Here in the United States there is always a blend of cultures, languages and religions, no matter where you live. You may run into people at the grocery store that speak a different language or maybe even your neighbors, most Corporate services now have multi-lingual options to accommodate their diverse group of clients, customers and business associates. With all of this taking place in this great world, the importance of learning a second language should come as no shock to you, it couldn't be a better time to start learning.

Advantages to Learning a Second Language

First and foremost, learning a second language will open you up to meeting and interacting with a whole new group of people. These people may have not been able to communicate with you well before, or maybe they just feel more comfortable communicating in their language, either way its an opportunity that shouldn't be passed up.

Your new language also opens you up to new career opportunities. Corporations, police departments, hospitals, construction companies and so many more employers are always on the lookout for bilingual employees. Often times these companies will show preference to a bilingual person over a person with more background in the job position. Bilingual employees are often times paid more than their one language counterparts. A second language can easily advance your career.

Have you given any thought to vacations? What if you could go to another country and speak their language fluently. Imagine how much more enjoyable that vacation would be if you could speak to the locals and find out their favorite dining spots or shopping destinations. This alone is worth the time invested to learn.

Regardless of why or how you learn a new language, there is no time like the present to get started. Choosing a language to learn may be the toughest part, try and consider the area you live, work and play, the countries you would like to visit and the jobs you would like to have, which language will suit you best in those areas? Once you figure that out, pick up a book and get started.

Turning debt into wealth, that has a nice ring to it doesn't it? Now what you are probably wondering is can you really turn your debt into wealth and if so how do you do it. Both are common yet respectable questions to ask and the answer to the first part is yes, you can turn around your financial situation. As for the second answer, well, the answer is a little longer.

The first thing you need to get started, is to forget all of the over hyped affiliate garbage that you have read on the internet. Programs that claim to offer a package that will turn around your debt in 48 hours for only $119, are the kind of slime that I am talking about. In fact if you found this article through a search on Google, you probably had to wade through a bunch of them before you got here. So just ignore the sales jargon that they all preach, forget the fake testimonials plastered across their sales pages and get started with a clean slate.

Now that we have filtered out the bad stuff we can get on to the truth. Turning debt into wealth is actually pretty straight forward. There is not any secret formulas or magic tricks, its simply the process of managing finances. The first thing you need to do is pay off your debt, and I know your thinking duh, but I can't do that, when in reality you actually can do just that.

Paying off debt requires planning, budgeting, self control and of course having a little money doesn't hurt either. Below are some tips to help manage your debt and then we can cover some ways to make enough money to help pay it off.

Planning, Budgeting and Managing Your Personal Debt

Figure out your bills - In order to pay off all of your debt, you need to know what debts you have, many families don't. Take a weekend, or longer if needed, to make a chart of everyone you owe and the amounts owed. You may need to pull your credit report to do this, you can get a free one at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Figure out your budget - It is very important for you to know how much money you have available. The easiest way to do this is sit down and calculate all of the income for your household and then subtract all of your monthly expenses from that amount. Make sure that you include your rent or mortgage, grocery bills, car payment, utilities and anything else that you pay out on a regular basis. To make this process a little easier, or at least automated, you might try a tool like Microsoft Money, which does allow you to download a free trial to see if it something that works well for you. Continue Reading »