By Pam Golden 

“Like a drop of water falling on a rock, daily messages of criticism gradually, imperceptibly leave a destructive effect on children.” – Thomas Gordon 

“The problem with you is you don’t enjoy your food! Why can’t you just chew it slowly instead of gulping it down?” Josie said to her 11-year-old son. 

What’s wrong with the picture?

It sounds so simple doesn’t it? Josie thought she was giving good, well-meaning advice – constructive criticism. Yet the effects of those small comments often left her son feeling humiliated, angry and resentful. As with most “constructive criticism,” Josie focused on what was wrong with her son. I call this “Storm Cloud Criticism” because, just like a storm can devastate a community, certain types of criticism can devastate your child’s self-esteem and motivation. 

Over time kids begin to see themselves as bad, irresponsible, thoughtless, dumb, inadequate, unloved, and even unlovable. This negative self-concept can carry into adulthood, crippling them for a lifetime. 

What to do instead – Give Gentle, Appealing Feedback

When you take a wrong turn while driving, the last thing you need is for someone to tell you how wrong you are. What you need is help getting on the right path with a method that is inviting. You can do that with what I call “Sunshine Feedback.”

When giving “Sunshine Feedback.” 

1. Start with a friendly beginning – how you start is usually how it ends. Instead of: “I’m tired of you wasting time watching television.” Try: “It looks like you’re really enjoying that show.”

2. Express your concern and ask for their ideas. Instead of: “You need to turn off television and do your homework now!” Try: ”I know you have homework tonight and I’m concerned you won’t get it done. When are you planning on doing it?”

3. Agree on a solution-what they come up with themselves they are way more likely to do. Instead of: “Alright, you said you’d get it done right after your television show, you better do it.” Try: “That sounds good, you’ll do your homework as soon as this show is over. Enjoy!”

4. Calmly follow-up: This may be the most critical step. When you take the time to calmly follow-up, your kids soon begin to take you at your word and they also begin to take their word seriously. If you let it slide, they begin to lose trust in you and in themselves. Instead of: “What’s the matter with you? You haven’t even started your homework and your show was finished ages ago.” Try: “I thought we agreed you’d do your homework right after your show. Can you get to it now?” OR Try: “You finished your homework right on schedule. That must feel good.”

5. Have a Happy Ending: How you end the encounter will linger and probably be how you start the next one.  No matter what happened, find a way to leave a sweet taste with both of you. If it’s gone well, say, “Thanks.” If it hasn’t gone well, you can say, something like, “Well. This didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped, but thanks for sticking in there. We’ll do better next time.” 

Also, did you know that one type of praise can produce self-defeating behavior and anxiety, while another can move your kids to positive action? Changing a few words can make a night and day difference in your child’s life. If you like to get started learning how to give praise that motivates positive action while building self-esteem and confidence in your child please download my FREE Report on “The Amazing Impact of Effective Praise” at: http://www.basiclifeskillsforchildren.com/amazingpraise 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pam_Golden

By Pinky Mcbanon 

A growing-up child should be able to develop their self-confidence since it is fundamental in helping them to becoming a complete and whole individual and what that is not afraid to strive for the very best in order to achieve their goals and aspirations in life. Clothing and food alone will not make your child have the confidence and courage. Instead, it is mainly factors that are non-physical such as spending time and encouragement that can help your child develop self-confidence.

Below are 4 tips to help your child gain self confidence.

1.    The children will absolutely look up to their mother and father as role models. Children mimic everything about their parents; from the way they talk, walk, behave as well as dressing and other ways. One example for this is that when they have misunderstandings or problems whether it is from work and or aspects. It is very important not to discuss negative problem-solving ideas in front of the child so that they will not inherit it.

2.    When helping your children with their studies or home work be sure not to spoon feed them. You can do some part of their assignments before explaining clearly enough for them to do it by themselves. Aside from that this will also help you keep tabs on your children’s ability to learn things which are very important when it comes to the child’s self-improvement and confidence.

3.    Make your kid gets involved in some form of sports especially team games. It is not only good to build upon their strengths physically but also able to add to the kid’s inertia or inner strength as well as self-esteem on believing in themselves. Aside from this,  it can also help them develop their camaraderie in one team and improving their sense of sportsmanship. It is also a way of making them learn how to accept defeat wherein they can stand up again and strive to do better in future.

4.    Next, always encourage them to meet new friends. It could either be your neighbors or new friends from the nearby park and such. It can help your child develop the self-confidence needed to socialize and to communicate. At the same time, it will also allow your child to display his/her talents when you organize fun-filled activities such as singing sessions or any talent-time among the kids in the neighborhood.

The above 4 tips, when practiced to the fullest, will go a long way in helping your child gain their self-confidence.

Pinky is a mom with 3 school children. A Systems Engineer, an Independent Medical Billing and Coding Consultant. Her blog focuses on stay-at-home moms, dads and students who wants to work at home, build homebased business or just browsing her blog with a lot of information to gain! Visit her useful blog at http://ezonlinebusiness.blogspot.com/ and website at http://www.mommyisworkingathome.com

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By Will Ung
How I Reduced My Cost of Electricity in One Day
When my wife and I finally decided to look into ways to cut energy costs, we noticed that there are numerous ways to do so. The two biggest things we noticed were that you either implement alternative home energy sources, or you can find ways to reduce the energy you are already using.

You can purchase or make solar panels to store energy for small to midsized appliances. You can also use windmill generators to create and store energy for use like solar panels. I have even seen some setups where combinations of the two systems provide power to naturally heat water. The hot water and steam is then used to power turbine generators that produce even more power.

However, before you begin to budget for a set of solar panels or a windmill for your home, I highly recommend that you start by looking into the basics. There are so many different things you can do right now that will lower your next energy bill.

Here are easy ways my wife and I have saved energy and reduced our bills right away:

1. Control your thermostat
If you don’t already have one, then installing a programmable thermostat can help you manage your heating and cooling systems more efficiently. Turning down the heat or the A/C a few degrees while maintaining comfort can help make a little dent.

2. Turn off your computers and monitor
If you are reading this, then you most likely have a computer at home. When you are done, turn off your computer and monitor. Contrary to popular beliefs, turning them on and off will not damage your systems. If you use your computer intermittently on a frequent basis, try using your computer’s power save or hibernation functions.

3. Use power strips
When you are not using your appliances, you can turn off the power strip (or unplug it if possible) to avoid drawing unnecessary power. When appliances remain plugged in, they draw a constant trickle of electricity even when they are off.

4. Look for the Energy Star symbol when looking for new appliances or home electronics
Buy products that have the Energy Star symbol. Energy Star products meet strict D.O.E guidelines and can help you reduce power loads on a daily basis.

5. Use cold water for your laundry
You won’t need to use extra energy to heat the water, and most clothes won’t know the difference anyway!

6. Lower your water heater temperature
If you lower the temperature down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, your water will still provide enough heat to do shower comfortably and wash your dishes.

7. Use CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs
CFL bulbs last longer than incandescent light bulbs and use less energy in the process. They come in a variety of everyday color temperatures and lumens, so there’s most likely one out there that works for your home.

8. Window coverings
You’d be surprised at how much heat window coverings can hold in. Making sure all of your windows are covered are an excellent way to help make the most out of your heating in the cold.

9. Insulation for hot water storage tanks and piping
By retaining more of the heat, less energy would be expended to maintain a relatively constant temperature.

10. Attic or Wall Insulation
It can be a very big energy energy saver. It can also add to your home’s estimated value. With heat constantly rising, and energy being constantly used to produce more heat, it makes a big difference when your home can retain the most it can. That way there’s no need to produce the extra heat you would need if the energy were to escape through the roof of your house!

In the end, it is completely possible to reduce your energy costs by implementing some of these tips. If you go decide to go the next step and look into using alternative home energy resources, there’s quite a few ways to get into it. With proper planning, it’s even possible to go “off the grid” and never receive an energy bill again.

Good luck going green and off the grid!

Here is a website I have used to help me get started with implementing alternative home energy technology:
http://www.yourhomeenergyguide.com William Ung Thanks to http://www.yourhomeenergyguide.com and my friends at PECO energy for the tips! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Ung

By Gareth A Williams
I’ve always found it strange how children born of the same parents and raised in the same household environment can have such differing personalities.

My two boys are a prime example. One has always been a more vocal, more aggressive personality; the other more mellow and laid-back. And I don’t believe it was the result of how they’ve been raised.

Even now, as teenagers, their differing personality traits are still evident. But it was definitely a challenge to handle and parent the more aggressive of my two boys when he was young. So, I thought I’d share some of what I found out about parenting such children.

First, it’s important to understand why children might display aggression or anger. It has to do with language skills, or lack thereof, in young children. Aggression, via actions and temperament, can result because young children do not have well-developed language skills. They may understand what’s being said, but they don’t have the ability to then express themselves verbally with the same degree of competence. That leads to feelings of helplessness, since the child’s feelings cannot be adequately expressed through language. As a result, they “act out” those feelings of frustration, helplessness and anger.

What can you do about it? First of all, you should make sure your child’s language skills are at a normal stage of development, as opposed to being hindered by some sort of disability (hearing, learning, etc.). Even though linguistic skills in children tend to develop at different rates, if you suspect your child’s aggression might be the result of a physical and/or learning disability, consider a visit to a speech pathologist or neurologist to rule out such possibilities.

When talking to your child about aggression, it’s important to use age-appropriate language the child can understand. Begin by first exploring the child’s feelings, and using the words he/she does know to express those feelings, rather than expressing them physically (hitting, biting, etc.). You may even try some role-playing with the child to demonstrate how you would like the child to behave when expressing negative feelings.

Also, be aware of two very important role models that may be working to instill the wrong behavior in children: your family, including any older children in the household; and, of course, the TV. There’s a great deal of conflict and violence on television, and it can often translate into emulated behavior in children. Similarly, the way you and your spouse express emotions and settle disputes can also have a big influence on your children, so keep that in mind. Even changes to a parent’s normal routine (a work schedule, for example) can trigger aggressive behavior in a child, so take this into account as well should you see a sudden change in your child.

Lastly, understand that, like adults, children need to feel they have some control in their lives. Aggression is often the normal approach a young child uses to gain or regain control, so instilling a sense of self-control in children, and consistently reinforcing this over time:

By Dr. Cheryl Guy
It is a fact that parent communication and teenage communication can be vastly different. When it seems as if neither party understands the other during the parent child communication process, especially between a mother and teenage daughter, I term this communication as momglish and teenglish.

The truth is, no one can better understand the plight of mothers as other mothers. Teenage girls feel the same comradery and security within their own friendship circles too. As mothers of teenage daughters, we have to be able to connect with our daughters on a more intimate-heartfelt level if we are going to maintain open communication.

If you are a mother and have been unable to tap into that intimate-heartfelt level with your teenage daughter and you find yourself questioning your sanity, intelligence, intestinal fortitude, and patience while attempting to communicate with her, you are not alone!

The parent child communication process reminds me of the dummy blocking sleds my husband’s football players used during football practice while coaching them. To teach the concept of effective blocking, the players would run up to the sled and push against it with all of their might in attempt to push the dummy backwards.

We as mothers sometimes feel that during our attempts of communicating with our daughters, we are the football dummy’s being pushed backwards, but on the same hand, we also have the ability to make our daughters feel the same way.

In the early stages of trying to reconnect with your daughter, choose a visual such as the football dummy blocking sleds or some other object. Not only is it important to form that mental picture in your mind, but print an actual visual picture of that object. Post it at your desk, beside your bedside table, in your vehicle or other locations where you will be sure to be reminded that you do not want to continue the same mode of parent child communication with your daughter.

The second way to improving communication is to actually talk with your daughter and explain how you have felt and how you intend to work towards a healthier way of communicating with her. Allow her to express her feelings as well. Give her a mental picture and visual pictures of your reminders and encourage her to either use yours or to come up with her own. Have her print her own pictures out for her use as reminders. You won’t believe how this concept can begin to move your relationship into a healthier place.

Don’t stop there though. There is no silver bullet or quick fix to sustaining change between a mother and her teenage daughter. The same can be said of the relationship between a husband and wife. It takes work and the payoff for your efforts will come in the form of life-long relationship changes between you and the one you love.

Dr. Cheryl Guy is author of “The Secrets to Having the Teenage Daughter You Actually Like” & Creator of the Relationship Renewal ProgramsTM. To learn more about her, her programs, services or to receive her FREE award winning “Parenting the Teenage Daughter” newsletter, visit her site at http://www.TheTeenageDaughter.com .
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Cheryl_Guy

By Robert H Davis
Habits – we are all too familiar with bad habits and the difficulty involved in trying to break them. For an action to become a habit, the action requires repetition. Thus, everyday life becomes a habit. Life becomes routine and unexciting. And, the stress that infiltrates all of our lives because of the current economic situation only makes matters worse. From the oldest family member to the youngest, everyone feels the crunch.

But, take heart. These difficult economic times are an opportunity to be creative, try new things, and create new habits.

Here are 5 simple suggestions to help you and your soul mate(s) weather the storm:

Say “I love you” to your soul mate(s) at least twice a day
Say I love you once in the morning to start the day, and once in the evening before going to bed. Hint: “I love you” can be used throughout the day, too: apply generously.

If your children are no longer at home, follow this same prescription. Get into the habit of contacting them twice a day either by phone or e-mail.

Make homemade pizza
Break the monotony with an inexpensive and fun meal that the entire family can help make. There are several pre-made pizza crusts available, but try the pizza crust mix. The simple mix allows you to be creative and make the pizza into any shape you can imagine. Try making a butterfly or a heart shaped pizza. Crust mix, spaghetti or pizza sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, pepperoni or your favorite toppings make a delicious, fun and inexpensive pizza your family will love.

Plan a weekly ‘at home’ family night
Rent a movie the entire family will enjoy or, better yet, dig a game out of the closet. Hint: the sillier the game, the more popular it will be. Recent discoveries that we have enjoyed are “Candyland”, “Don’t Break the Ice”, and “SORRY”.

Limit phone time
We are becoming increasingly mobile and the communications technology available today encourages us to spend more and more time in idle conversation. This creates distance between family members and wastes opportunities for bonding. We can set aside specific times for phoning friends that will not interfere with the time we spend with our soul mate(s).

Encourage creativity in your home
We all have a creative interest or talent. Make exploring these interests and talents the past time of choice when boredom sets in. Is there a budding actor, actress, or artist in the family? Here are a few suggestions for entertaining and creative activities that will cost little or nothing:

By Janet Nusbaum
Devoting time to establish consistency and structure is often one of the biggest challenges that parents face when trying to teach responsibility to their children. Life skills are best learned by example and repetition, meaning that consistency is of utmost importance in building the skills that your children will need in the future in order to survive successfully in today’s society.

While imposing a daily home schedule may seem restrictive, the opposite is actually true. Children need to be able to depend on the adults in their lives and they feel safe and secure when they have a structure and routine to count on. Children do not yet have the maturity level to know how to structure their time on their own. They learn these skills from institutions like school and from the adults in their lives. For the parents, establishing a family schedule provides consistency and routine in a busy household. Consider our society in general, and you will find time schedules regulating most everything we do. Companies have standard hours, schools offer classes with a defined beginning and end, and mass transportation runs on a tight, proven schedule that is dependable to all who use it.

By establishing and posting a daily schedule in your home that includes chores and times that tasks are expected to be performed and completed, you are providing the structure and consistency that your children need in order to grow and mature. Schedules at home help regulate your children’s lives so that they have a model to learn from that they can take into their adult lives.

Start with a morning routine that includes daily tasks required to get ready for a new day. Have a set time to be out of bed and a list of preparatory activities, including getting dressed, brushing teeth, and combing hair. Give a reasonable time frame to complete these activities, and require the children to be at the breakfast table by a certain time.

After breakfast, allow time for checking that all school supplies and homework are properly stored in backpacks and any accessories – gloves, jackets, etc – can be donned in time to either get in the car or meet the school bus. Once you have set a morning regime, it is time to work out the evening plans, outlining homework time, mealtime, showers, chores, and any other activities that are involved in daily life, while still maintaining a consistent bedtime. We are a sleep deprived culture. Make efforts not to pass this way of life on to the next generation.

Establishing a visible daily schedule for your children to follow provides consistency and a foundation from which they can build on. It will also help you with organizing your own day because you will now have a structure and schedule to manage your time effectively and efficiently as well. With a daily schedule in place for the adults, prevents you from having to reinvent the wheel every day. All family members know the routine and in that they learn and can trust. Providing these routines and structure for your children while they are young not only provides them with a model of how to manage a home and how to perform routine home tasks, but it also helps them develop critical time management life skills that are essential to later life success.

Copyright (c) 2009 Simplified Spaces
Janet Nusbaum (AKA the Organizing Genie), WAHM of two, is an Organizing Consultant, Speaker & Author of ‘Mom, Can I Help Around the House? A Simple Step-by-step System for Teaching your Children Life-long Skills for Pitching in & Picking up’. Grab a FREE chapter of her book & household chore system by visiting http://www.KidsandChores.net. Get even more organizing & family management help by visting her blog: http://www.TheOrganizingGenie.com
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By Steven Milbrandt

More Time is a paradox. Time is a constant. You cannot make more of it because it just is. Substituting what you do with your time is possible and advised because children grow and priorities change. One significant distinction is to prioritize time spend as a family. How this can be accomplished because of the “busy” schedules of modern life is often the question. The answer is not complicated, but will require lifestyle shifts and a person must be committed to make these changes and stick to them.

The fix it now mentality, a sort of “family night in a box” approach – just add water, let stand for thirty minutes, stir and serve (to borrow a cooking metaphor) is perhaps too simplistic, but as with cooking, if you make the right changes and follow a prescribed series of steps, you will see the desired results. More time with family and better, more quality time will be the results. “Family night in a box” is the possible and you can find time where you thought none existed.

First, family time can be built around one specific event among family members. For example, surfing has been used as a means to bring board enthusiasts together. It is through surfing that, because surfing is a male dominated sport, all involved have found a way to do something positive while spending time with their dads in particular. Many surfers say their fathers have either introduced them to the sport or have been a huge influence by being heavily involved. The first point here underscores a fundamental truth about time spent together as a family. It must be a specific time that you set aside to spend with your spouse and children. Regular Family Time helps us to remember that we are part of a special family unit; that we are loyal to each other, that we love and support each other; and that we want to celebrate each others birthdays and special events together.

However, it must also be remembered that everyone is an individual and we all have our own ways of doing things, goals and aspirations. Not only that but everyone you meet in your life you give a gift to. You either leave them wanting to be more like you or you show them a person they never want to be. Therefore treat everyone as the individual they are and respect these differences while endeavouring to develop and maintain a cohesive family time that is meaningful to all involved.

To better understand the apparent lack of family time today, it is important to consider some underlying reasons for this. Social, economic and technological change has altered the way in which families spend time together. Important changes include increases in maternal employment, part-time employment and the number of people living alone. The changes during this period have lead to a number of modifications of the traditional structure and nature of marriage. Marriage is still regarded as an important institution in certain parts of the world such as Vietnamese society. There, despite the influences of westernisation and western ideas few couples in Vietnam cohabitant before marriage. There are arguments on both sides of that debate, and that is beyond the scope of this article. It is merely pointed out that certain cultures have not yet adopted the free spirit attitudes typical of Europe and, to a lesser degree, North America. It is this have now, do quickly, and pack every possible thing into each hour and minute that has lead people to feel extreme stress and anxiety.

The speed at which most of the world progresses is at best troublesome and at worst alarming. Some have called this diminishing social capital. Social capital can be understood quite simply as networks of social relations characterized by norms of trust and reciprocity. The essence of social capital is quality social relations. So the question by extension than is how to build more social capital into our relationships with those closest to us – in short, the family unit?

Fortunately, this downward societal trend can be reversed, but it takes understanding and effort. “Family night in a box” as I have been calling it, begins with recognition that such a time is needed and entirely essential to both preserve and maintain the family structure in whatever form it takes. Family today does not necessarily mean a mother, father, 2.2 children and a pet. It might mean single mothers with five children struggling to make the bi-weekly cheque stretch far enough so as many possible needs are met. It might be a widower with two young boys or perhaps two people living together outside of marriage that are helping and leaning from each other along the way.

Family time must be nurtured regardless of what the family unit may look like. Here are some important things to consider with respect to how this can be accomplished. The ideas below, it should be pointed out, are not listed in order of importance. They are offered as a general guide. Take from these ideas what works for you and leave the rest. If you do some of these things you will at least be on your way to the “family night in a box” solution that was spoken about earlier. Here are some suggestions for developing a family time where perhaps none exists, or strengthening one that does. Some ideas are:

1. Set aside time each week. If you can, make it the same time from week to week. Children benefit from routine and will anticipate the time

2. Talk with your kids about limiting their activities outside activities to a predefined and reasonable number. By doing this they chose the one or two things they enjoy most, still maintain their independence and autonomy and can also divide time for family activities.

3. As a parent, put limits on your own activities so that you will have more of your own time to devote to your family.

4. Build a snowman. Winter activities are a great way to create a family together time. Memories that last a lifetime are made up of such spur of the moment fun times.

5. Protect your Family Time by eliminating any distractions like the phone, TV, radio, video games, or the computer.

6. Have a candlelight dinner every once in a while as a family. Such an atmosphere is not only calming, but can lead to great discussions and is a different experience from the usual dinner.

7. Make brunch for your bunch every Sunday. Set aide a day to break the regular routine and do things a little different.

8. Find a “Reading Tree” and claim it as your own to sit under with your children to read.

9. Friday night being the end of the workweek is one of the best times to focus on family. Have a games not or a family fun night of some type. Grab some fast food or make a quick healthy snack with vegetables and salad or perhaps crackers, cheese and soup and spend Friday night together.

10. Sledding. What could be more fun than zipping down the hill on a sled? Young kids may need an adult to go with them, but older ones just need a ride to the nearest park. This is another winter activity that you can do together as a family.

If you start to practice some or all of the above activities, “family night in a box”, the quick and simple family time will become you reality. You can do it if you paradoxically “make the time”. Make changes to your schedule and alter your plans. Soon what was a deliberate choice on your part will become a habit and you will never look back. Family time is essential. Make it a priority. Start today.

For more information, please visit the Marketplace section of http://www.learnherenow.com You will find additional articles on this website. Please check out our sister site at http://www.stevenmilbrandt.com Thank you. It is hoped you find this article both helpful and informative.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Milbrandt

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By Jill Borash

Getting and keeping your home organized can save you time, stress and headaches. It does not have to be hard but it does require a bit of planning. And getting your kids involved in getting your home organized can not only help you but teach them valuable lessons as well. The trick is to make it fun both for you and for them.

Let’s start with the basics: Set aside some home organizing time every day. Many different home organization tips books encourage this one. Keeping your home organized is going to require some specific dedicated time every day. Use this time to organize mail or to focus on a specific home organization project.

And while you are working on your home organization project, have your kids either working on their own home organizing project or have them help you with yours. This helps teach them good life lessons about staying organized and gives you some helping hands with your organizing projects as well.

Use some creativity to keep it fun and interesting for both you and your kids. Let’s face it, most home organization tips and tricks are boring and dull. But you can make it fun if you just use a little imagination. Some ways that you can make home organization fun is by making it a game. Make it a contest to see who can get their room cleaned up and organized the quickest. Make sure there is a reward at the end that makes it worth it for your kids. To “test” how organized your kids’ rooms are, ask them who can find you a pen or a specific kind of toy first.

For younger kids, you can incorporate imaginative play into home organization. Make getting and keeping their toys organized a way to teach them and have fun at the same time. So explain the noises that each of the toy animals makes as you put them in a specific drawer and explain that all of the animals “live” together in that drawer. Then do the same thing with the toy cars, etc.

As a working mom, one of the best home organization tips I ever learned was to plan out the meals for the week. This saves me so much time and headaches throughout the week. Every lunch and dinner is planned and sometimes even partially prepared by Sunday night. The part I like the most about this one is that it allows me to spend more time with my daughter because I am not trying to figure out what I need to make right before mealtime and whether or not I have the ingredients.

Need more free help getting your home organized? Get more free home organization tips at http://www.YourHomeIsOrganized.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jill_Borash

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

By Ronnie Nijmeh

There are very few aspects in life that require as much balance as juggling the nine to five work schedule plus your relationship, kids, home, and personal lives. Whether you are single, married with children, or married without children each of these situations has their own individual challenges when it comes to balancing the work-life load. Utilizing work-life balance affirmations will help you to master the demands of the work environment while still maintaining a healthy “play” life.

The Single Life
If you’re single, you may be making the erroneous conclusion that work is the definition of your life achievements. The argument for this conclusion is that you live alone, therefore there is no one to appreciate whether you make your bed in the morning, or pick up your dirty clothes. So, you may define your own worth in how successful you are in the work environment. This translates into long hours at the office, with your “play” time consisting of making contacts at after-hour business socials.

There is considerable wisdom in the old adage “All work and no play makes Jack – or Jill – a dull boy” (or girl, of course). We all must balance both our work and their play life with positive work-life balance affirmations. For example: “I enjoy spending quality time with myself apart from work.” or “My job reflects that I am an intelligent, passionate person.” or “I choose to invest time in the things I like to do.”

Married without Children
A working couple with no children may lead to many nights such as the following: A king size bed with two very intense individuals, each with a laptop and a myriad of paperwork scattered next to them, and one of the many late night shows playing in the background. These individuals need positive work-life balance affirmations in order for them not to lose focus on each other, nor themselves. For example: “I appreciate the fact that my spouse and I both have careers.” or “I appreciate the time we have as a family and I actively seek out more time for just us.” or “I am enriched by both my work and my play.”

Married with Children
Finally, there is the challenge of balancing work with a family with children. It is a balance of not only work and the life of the family; but also balancing their own personal time in the mix. Their positive work-life balance affirmations might be as follows: “I choose to set work aside and spend time with my family free from thoughts of work.” or “I cherish the quiet moments with the love of my life.” or “I appreciate the opportunity to be with my loving family.” or “I love spending my time off playing with my children.”

A list of positive affirmations to help you achieve your goal for work-life balance is below:

Ronnie Nijmeh is an accomplished author, speaker and coach. He is the president and founder of ACQYR.com, a inspirational resource where you can download free wallpapers (http://www.acqyr.com/Wallpapers/), read powerful affirmations, inspirational articles and much more. Learn more about ACQYR’s free affirmations (http://www.acqyr.com/Positive_Affirmations/).
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