Have a Better Life

Image by Cvalentine via Flickr

The name of my blog reflects what I am searching for: a Better Life. I worked full time for 22 years and this last couple years were a nightmare. I wrote about this in the past weeks so I’m not going to write again.

I’m jobless, I have no income but I’m happy. I already increased some weight (I was underweight), people say I look great, I’m calm, no stress and I’m happier. However, I’m taking some medication on my journey to cure my depression.

Getting rid of my job and abusive bosses were the biggest action I could take but my depression was already here and no natural sleep aids seemed to help me. I’m taking antidepressants but I’m sure it won’t be for a long time because I really am looking for a new future.

I would like to work from home and follow my kids closely, I hope I can get some income at home and be able to make my dream come true: be a WAHM.

photo credit: kightp

No one is free from the signs of aging. Although our mind continues to be young our skin gets old. I must confess that I neglect my face skin and people keep telling me that I should start taking care of it.

I’m 40 so I’m not a young woman anymore. My skin is not that old yet but it’s very dry and the first wrinkles are showing up. Some are expression wrinkles other are…wrinkles.

The market is full of facial anti-aging products so the choice is difficult. A pharmaceutics or a dermatologist should be the right people to help us out on our choice.

The first signs of facial aging are:

• Forehead skin loose and with horizontal lines
• Eyebrows lower down
• Eyelids become bulgy
• Neck area starts to sag
• Cheeks muscles lose firmness

Besides anti aging products usually can fade away some of the aging signs, or mask the aging signs, even if you choose the best under eye cream or the best anti wrinkles cream the aging ski n is there.

Of course there will be some improvements if your skin is well hidratated but you also have to complement that with facial exercises. They will make the facial muscle stronger and your skin will be more firm, giving it a rejuvenated look.

Here is an explanation why facial exercises are so important and useful:

Back, neck and shoulder pain are usually related to bad posture while in a desk using the computer. I have that problem myself but it’s not only due to the my desk posture but also due to the TV location.

If you have a TV on your room your should check your TV position. If you are in bed and your TV is at a very low level you tend to press your chin towards the chest and the neck will be under a lot of pressure causing pain. It might not feel the pain right away but the next day or days you will feel it. Prolonged bad posture can cause long lasting pain.

What can we do to improve the posture and avoid pain while watching TV?

• Pay attention to your posture and keep your back as straight as possible.
• Use TV or plasma mounts for your bedroom TV so that you don’t have to bend your neck too much.
• Choose to watch TV sitting down instead of laying down in bed.

Remember to spend a few minutes doing some stretching exercises when you wake up in the morning.

One of the things I often regret is not having a degree. I finished official school (12 years) and I had to start working right after because my parents had no money to send me to university. I few years later I entered a private university but two breakdowns and lack of money made me quit on the second year. Then came the marriage, the kids and the degree was put aside.

Now that I spend a lot of time online I realize I could spend some of that time taking some sort of degrees or certifications online. It’s easy, I can do it on my free time and I don’t even have to leave home.

Working in an industry where leadership and a wide range of knowledge is needed I think that a Project Management certificate would be great. I checked it online and I found Saint Joseph’s University that has an Online Management Certificate Program. This certificate can be used in several fields like Engineering, construction, computer systems, etc. so it would be perfect for my job and for others I might apply for. With this Project Management certificate give us all the necessary information and skills to make us better professionals.

Enrollment can be done online or by fax and several forms of payment are accepted. For those that have a full time job, a family and house to take care of, taking a degree online is the best choice. I really need to think about this because having no degree really narrows my opportunities.

I haven’t be very well lately and that has been reflected on my blogging. Lacking of posts is something I want t avoid but due to health conditions sometimes I just can’t be on the computer.

I’m doing my physiotherapy treatments every week day, six so far and no improvements to my back pain yet. Last week I started a new medicine for a disease that is not always understandable and that I’m reluctant to speak about it. My life was turning into a miserable life and I really couldn’t stand it anymore, I’ve been there before so I know when I’m on the edge. I’ll write a post about it when I feel more comfortable with it.

I have a lot to post but my ideas are not in order, my head is completely lost when it comes to blogging. So much to write, so much to do and so little time as usual. I tried to-do-lists, a blogging planner,  but as I work, it’s difficult to find a way to keep the lists with me all the time. At home I take it to my room to blog then in the morning I forget it and I go to work without it. It’s tough.

I really need a PDA or a sophisticated cell phone where I can keep all my to-do-things. I’ve got my laptop but it’s not very handy to take in the handbag so I just wished a PDA or a Iphone could cost the same as MP3 players or DVD players so that I could buy one. Meanwhile I guess I have to find an organized way to organize myself.

It all would be much easier if I only use one computer and one desk but having to work in an office does not allow me to have everything in one place without carrying files and notebooks with me.

So, how do you organize yourself? Any ideas of a good method?

This is a guest post by Susan Birmingham.

One of the greatest struggles for us as women is the ability to manage it all. If you are married, have kids and work, I’m sure there are times that you have asked yourself “How can I possible manage it all?” The most important part of being able to manage it all is recognizing that you cannot do it by yourself. You must have a team.

Here are three (3) questions to ask yourself:

• Do YOU have a team?
• Who’s on YOUR team?
• Is it a winning team for YOU?

Do YOU have a team?
- The dictionary definition of team is – a number of persons associated in some joint action: a team of advisers. My definition of team is a group of people that YOU consider to be on YOUR side and they have YOUR best interest at heart, they lift YOU up and build your self-esteem.

Who’s on YOUR team?
- Your team can consist of many people, or only a few – YOU choose who you want to have on it. Here are some examples of the people you may have, or may want to have, on your team:

• Your spouse or partner
• Family
• Baby sitter / or nanny
• Close friends
• Co-workers
• Doctor
• Lawyer
• Accountant
• Housekeeper
• Hair stylist
• Trainer
• Pastor, priest, rabbi, spiritual advisor.
• AND least us not forget your life coach!

Is it a winning team for YOU?
Simply put, if you can count on these people, then it’s a winning team. I want my teammates to be trustworthy, honest, have integrity, are loyal, and possess a sense of humor – these are just some of the qualities that are in line with the values that are important to me. Look at what values are important to YOU; this will help you recognize them in others. Some members of the team are the ones that are there for you no matter what, till death you part. I am blessed to have a few of them on my team.

In summary whoever is on YOUR team will be an influencing factor regarding the quality of your life and how you live it. I want my team to encourage me, support me, and love me. I want them to LIFT ME UP – all of this builds my self-esteem, and I want that for you TOO! This is the only way that you will be able to bring balance into your life and give you the ability to feel as though “You Can do it All.”

===========================================

Being in a constant struggle with my daily life as a full time worker, mother and wife, I couldn’t lose the opportunity to have here a guest post from by Susan Birmingham.

Susan Birmingham is a trained coach from The Coaches Training Institute and works as a Relationship and Marriage Coach based in Long Beach California. Susan is also an expert in helping women give themselves the ultimate in self-care, building self-esteem. Even when you think you’ve got it she takes you to another level of awareness. She works with women from all walks of life helping them get on the right track to creating a Successful Marriage.

Susan broke the code and today she has the real credentials that count, married to her Ideal Mate, Jim, for over seventeen years they are more in love each day! She has mastered the Secrets of a Successful Marriage and Romantic Relationship. Today Susan describes herself as a woman, a coach, an entrepreneur, a wife and a lover of life!

Susan’s blog is www.esteemprinciple.com/blog and her website is www.esteemprinciple.com

One of my goals for 2009 was to get organized but until know I haven’t accomplished it.

Having a full time job outside the house makes me use the office computer during the day and at night my desktop or my laptop.

I’ve been downloading a lot of free reports about family budget, affiliate marketing, debt strategies several reports from important bloggers about better blogging, so I’ve got those reports scattered all over the place. Some are on my handbag, others are on the laptop bag, some in the living room and others in my bedroom. I try to have them around me so that when I have a little time I can take a look at them but it’s not working.

Another thing that delays my online work is that in the office computer I can’t save my passwords and sites I visit for my own security so each time I want to check my Gmail, my feed reader, reply to some post comments I spend a lot of time with logging in and afterwards logging out and deleting all the private links or cookies that are left in the computer. I also stopped using twitter so often because some of my co-workers and bosses have access to my computer and I don’t want them to sneak pick my stuff or think that I’m neglecting work to use twitter.

I don’t know if there is an easy way to manage this but it’s getting complicated.

Of course blogging is not my main job but I came to a point that I think I should have my own space at home where I can store all the passwords, reports, e-books I have related to blogging. I have a small dressing room connected with my main room and I’m thinking about getting some sort of home office furniture like a desk with a drawer where I can put my laptop and blogging related items.

As we are going through a financial crisis I’m thinking about recycling an old piece of a bar we had in the living room and maybe I can built the desk I want.

What about you that work full time? Do you check your mails and feed reader at work? How do you “hide” it from your bosses? Do you login and out several times during the day?