The Relationship between Happiness and Work

Success means different to various sorts of people. But to most people, unfortunately, success means a new car (that is not just any car), a mansion, multiple businesses, a white collar job, management work, or just plain money. Having all these things could give you a sense of power. Yet a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment is far more difficult to achieve. You would have to tap into the immaculate relationship between happiness and work.

The relationship between happiness and work is often overlooked especially as happiness is more frequently equated to family life or to love. However, the relationship between happiness and work bear out an important concern since an unhappy work-life affects our other relationships most especially the home. The key then is to keep a healthy, positive, and sustained relationship between happiness and work, and to do this, you dont have to be (job-) rich.

What could be said as the most serious hindrance to happiness in the workplace is discontent. Most people always wait for the time they will be happy when actually they already are. If youre not experiencing any on the following list then you might want to look closer into your inner contentment. The obvious obstacles to having a good relationship between happiness and work are: lack of job security, not having enough salary to pay debts, living payday after payday, no money to save, invest, or buy a house or lot, being passed-over for wage-increase or promotion, getting stuck in a dead-end job, lack of know-how about technologies coming into your workplace, embarrassment about your job, frustration at seeing others get on better or get ahead faster, desiring to do better but unsure of what to do or how, and worrying about the future in general. The solution to these problems could only take a diligent choice and change physically. However if you still feel discontented when these physical problems are already out of the scenario, then thats the problem. You might want to look into your goals to work against trying to succeed in the sense of priding for a good show or towards greedy objectives, for success is far simpler than all these, yet much more pleasing.

Im sure youve heard about this maxim, learn to do the smallest thing in the grandest manner This is a great summary when it comes to the concern about our keeping the relationship between happiness and work within reach. One may not catch a successful by-product out of his good efforts yet the thing is, as always, performing your chosen job as well as you are able win or lose. And if you manage to win only a perfect little world, then remember that it is still a perfect one no matter how little.

In the end it might just be, gaining more than what you earn.

How To Be An Aussie...

A Chinese man decides to move to Australia after 50 years of living in Shanghai. He buys a small piece of land near to Mt Isa. few days after moving in the friendly Aussie neighbour decides to go across and welcome the new guy to the region, so he goes next door, but on his way up the drive-way, he sees the Chinese man running around his front yard chasing about 10 hens.

Not wanting to interrupt these "Chinese customs", he decides to put the welcome on hold for the day.

The next day, he decides to try again, but just as he is about to knock on the front door, he looks through the window and sees the Chinese man urinate into a glass and then drink it.

Not wanting to interrupt another "Chinese custom" he decides to put the welcome on hold for yet another day.

A day later he decides to give it one last go, but on his way next door, he sees the Chinese man leading a cow down the drive-way, pause, and then put his head next to the cow's bum.

The Aussie bloke can't handle this, so he goes up to the Chinese man and says "Jeez Mate, what the hell is it with your Chinese customs? I come over to welcome you to the neighbour hood, and see you running around the yard after hens. The next day you are pissing in a glass, and drinking it and then today you have your head so close to that cow's bum, it could just about shit on you.

The Chinese man is very taken back and says "Sorry sir, you do not understand; these aren't Chinese customs I am performing, but Australian customs."

"What do you mean mate" says the Aussie, "Those aren't Australian customs."

"Yes they are", replied the Chinese man, "for you see, in order for me to become a true Australian, I must chase chicks, drink piss, and listen to bull-shit...! "

Easy Heart-Rate Trick Gets You Fit - and Skinny Too!

Every evening in the gym, the ladies (and a few guys) can be found working purposefully on bikes, treadmills and elliptical trainers. The whir of machinery fills the air and determination is fired by visions of losing weight and getting in really good shape.

Some casually browse the pages of old magazines, read the latest thriller or chat with friends as they dutifully put in their "forty five minutes" of "slow and steady". They are well-intentioned but clueless. I question the results of their efforts but decide it is unwise to offer unsolicited advice.

One lady, however, is focused and pays attention to what she is doing. She periodically refers to the treadmill's glowing red display and adjusts her pace accordingly. Good for her! She is monitoring her heart rate.

What she knows, that the others don't know, is that your Heart Rate is a dead accurate indicator of just how hard your body is working. This is the best way to make sure that you are exercising vigorously enough to improve your fitness level but not so hard as to overexert yourself.

This is also a great way to lose weight and get really fit in the shortest amount of time. What you have to do is exercise at the correct intensity within an optimal range. This is your Target Heart Rate (THR) which is expressed as a percentage of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).

You can calculate your personal Target Heart Rate, but this gets a bit tricky. You have to know your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and plug it into a couple of formulas: (MHR – RHR X (50% - 80%) + RHR = THR) where (Age – 220 = MHR).

You also have to know how long to exercise, at which point in the optimal range (50% to 80%) and you have to monitor your heart rate while you are working out. There are charts that estimate your THR for you but their accuracy can vary, up or down, by as much as ten percent.

Confused? Don't be. Dump the math and take a low-tech approach. You already have a simple, built-in heart rate monitor that is perfectly calibrated to your body.

And, you already know how to use it because it's as simple as watching your breathing. Your respiration rate is how you monitor the intensity level of your exercise and it relates very closely to your actual Heart Rate. You can use this method with any piece of gym equipment and while walking or jogging outdoors.

WHAT YOU NEED TO REMEMBER is that, as your workout progresses, you may exercise at any one of three levels or zones. I will describe each zone and relate Heart Rate to how hard you will be breathing.

ZONE 1. (50% - 65% OF MHR) Breathing is normal at this level and you can easily carry on a conversation with a workout partner. This is your warm-up and cool-down zone which will do little to get you fit unless you are very overweight, very out of shape or have been ill.

ZONE 2. (65% – 80% OF MHR) Your breathing becomes somewhat to very noticeable. This is your training zone where you will do most of your work, develop cardiovascular fitness and burn calories. At the lower end of the range (65%), you will be able to speak to a partner easily but your speech is somewhat broken as you deliver phrases between breaths. At the top end (80%) you will be breathing very hard. Though conversation is possible, breathing may be your priority.

ZONE 3. (ABOVE 80% OF MHR) Entering zone three, you begin panting and gasping for breath. This level can be hazardous for many of us and is best reserved for competitive athletes.

TO GET FIT IN THE SHORTEST AMOUNT OF TIME, DO THIS:-
1. Tell your doctor that you are going to begin exercising at a level where you will be breathing vigorously. Ask if, based on your physical condition, you should limit your effort and if so, to what level.

2. Warm up at a conversational pace and then increase your speed or intensity level to 70% - 75% of MHR (breathing strongly) so that after about five minutes you feel fatigue setting in. Back off and catch your breath at 65% of MHR or below.

3. Now really pick up the pace (fit walkers find a hill) and push to 75% to 80% of MHR (breathing vigorously). Hold it there, from one to three minutes, until your body is asking for a break and then slow down to 60% of MHR, or below, until you recover.

Repeat, gradually increasing the number, duration and intensity of intervals as you are able. If you challenge yourself to work hard your workout should, at most, take no longer than thirty minutes.

Cool down and have a refreshing drink of water. These interval workouts, using your breath to gauge intensity will work very effectively to burn calories and get you in shape.

And always remember "Be Strong…. Be Lean"


- by: Howard McGarity

Howard McGarity is a “Human Performance Specialist”, Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach who has studied nutrition and exercise science for most of his fifty-six years. He creates online programs for MyVirtualGym.com to help busy people get permanently lean, strong and healthy. Get the Free e-book, “The Five Fastest Ways to Fitness” at --> http://www.MyVirtualGym.com

Tips on How to Teach Your Kids to Save Money

A lot of teens nowadays do not understand the value of earning and spending money. They were not oriented that investing is necessary even if they are still students. As parents, you play a crucial role in this area.

You should be able to teach your kids on how to save money. They should be able to understand the concept of money and investment as early as childhood. This will prepare them to learn money management, as they grow old.

Here are some tips on how you can teach your children how to save money:
1. Your children should be educated of the meaning of money. Once your children have learned how to count, that is the perfect time for you teach them the real meaning of money. You should be consistent and explain to them in simple ways and do this frequently so that they may be able to remember what you taught them.

2. Always explain to them the value of saving money. Make them understand its importance and how it will impact their life. It is important that you entertain questions from them about money and you should be able to answer them right away.

3. When giving them their allowances. You need to give them their allowances in denominations. Then you can encourage them that they should keep a certain bill for the future. You can motivate them to do this by telling them that the money can be saved and they can buy new pair of shoes or the toys they want once they are able to save.

4. You can also teach them to work for money. You can start this at your own home. You can pay them fifty cents to one dollar every time they clean their rooms, do the dishes or feed their pets. This concept of earning little money will make them think that money is something they have worked for and should be spent wisely.

5. You can teach them to save money by giving them piggy banks where they can put coins and wait until they get full. You can also open bank accounts for them and let them deposit money from their allowance. You should always show them how much they have earned to keep them motivated.

Money and saving is not something that is learned by children in one sitting. You should be patient in teaching them and relating the value of money in all of their activities. Children will learn this easily if you are patient and consistent in guiding them and encouraging them in this endeavor.

Author: Norleen Gray
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What's Your Emotional Type? Women Only...

For women, emotions are like water; they flow.

When I first got into therapy, my therapist began to educate me about my emotions. I thought I was crazy. She said, “No, just colorful.” What she explained to me is that everyone feels their feelings differently. Some of us paint with pastels, while others go for richer hues. We have different palettes. My mother and I are very different emotionally. We have spent years coming to the place where we finally understand one another. Growing up she was the stable one, and I brought big emotional extremes and theatrical moods.

As I considered how emotions are like water, contemplating the ways that water flows, I came up with the four emotional types of women. Most of us have a primary, with a secondary:

River women
River women are emotion in motion. Theirs is a subtle and constant stream of emotion that flows like a river from one feeling to the next, often seamlessly. They are remarkably even-tempered, with a great sense of playfulness. If they learn to channel their emotions into positive outlets, everything they touch takes on a certain shine.

Though their emotions aren’t predictable, per say, they have patterns that are known to themselves and their loved ones, which are relatively decipherable. For example, a river woman might know that weddings always make her cry. She knows to never leave the house for a wedding without a purse full of tissue. River women laugh easily, and have great senses of humor, knowing innately how to cheer others and make them smile, just as rivers provide nourishment and sanctuary for all kinds of life.

Rain women
Like the rain that comes and then departs, rain women have feelings that come from out of nowhere, and then dissolve and vanish back into the mystery. A rain woman can experience sudden emotional outbursts when logically she can’t make sense of why or where the feeling is coming from. I had a friend a few years ago who was certainly a rain woman. We would be in the middle of a conversation when suddenly out of nowhere she would begin to sob about something she was feeling. I would usually be very surprised by the suddenness and intensity of her feeling. Then, just as quickly, the rains would stop and the sun would come out and she would be laughing and carrying on again. It’s very important that rain women not judge themselves just because the emotion is so sudden.

Rain refreshes and renews and restores. And then it departs to make way for the sunshine. Rain women can also tend to brood, like storm clouds on the horizon. Exercise helps them move emotions through. Rain women are often moved by the emotional victories and downfalls of other people. They will cry or laugh for someone else's win or loss, even total strangers, just as quickly as for themselves.

Lake women
Still waters run deep. Lake women very rarely show their emotions on the surface. They feel so deeply and so privately, that their emotions usually remain contained. They are often referred to as calm or meditative individuals. They express their feelings with a simple warm smile, or a silence that indicates their sorrow. They are most comfortable showing their feelings when they are alone, or with someone they know intimately. They are not women who repress their feelings, but women who reveal very little of what they feel just naturally. Because they feel so deeply, they are often extremely connected to their environment, and prefer to be out in nature or in retreat centers.

They also make great team players, and excel at sports like golf that require significant concentration and sensing beyond themselves. Lake women are also very empathic, picking up the feelings of others and mirroring them, or taking them on as their own. This is the same way a lake mirrors a flock of geese flying overhead. They receive impressions very easily. Lake women have to learn to build protective boundaries around themselves so they do not absorb the emotions of others.

Ocean women
The ocean is a vast and deep body of water, always changing on the surface. This is the most complex and rich emotional temperament, and also the most challenging. Where a river or a rain woman might have one feeling at a time, ocean women can have emotional cocktails, feeling ten ways at once, with many layers of feeling spreading in all directions. There is a lot to sort through for ocean women. They are sometimes overwhelmed. On the surface, they are much like the sea. Every day is different. Some days are calm and tranquil. Other days are tempestuous and wild. An ocean woman can wake up in the morning from a night of dreams, and her whole day will carry the emotions from her sleep. Like the ocean these women are beautiful and deep and mysterious.

Because their emotions can be so vast and unidentifiable, ocean women need music and dance and art to help them find and feel their feelings fully. Talking with close friends also helps to ground the shape-shifting ocean woman, and help her identify what she feels. Ocean women who become actors can lose themselves in their characters, completely embodying the role without a trace of themselves apparent. They have access to a great reservoir of feeling that informs their lives.

What emotional type are you?

What emotional type do you think your best girlfriend is?

What emotional type might your mother be, or your daughter?

About The Author
This is an excert from the Kaia Van Zandt's book, The Beauty Promise: How to Become More Beautiful At Any Age (c) Lakshmi Canyon Press, 2007.