Search Results for: blog striving to improve

Striving for Progress Rather than Perfection

I recently ran across a quote that I thought was very fitting for those who are trying to improve their fitness levels. The author of the quote is not known but it is this: “Strive for progress, not perfection.” Would you call yourself a perfectionist? If you are this can be a huge detriment to you as you seek to make changes in what you eat and how active you are. That’s because as soon as you mess up—such as eating that dessert you wanted to skip or missing two days of exercise—you feel like you are a failure. When … Continue reading →

Striving to Improve

We can all strive to improve in an area in our lives. It may be that we need to focus more on studying the gospel. It may be that we worry too much, and so we need to focus on trusting the Lord more. It may be that we need to learn to be more kind to others and to ourselves. It is easy to allow ourselves to become wrapped up in the overwhelming need to be better, instead of just working on what we need to change. Here are some tips to help you move forward without feeling overwhelmed. … Continue reading →

Winter Meal Planning

It feels like I am constantly running to the grocery store. If I’m lucky, I only go a couple of times during the week. But more often it ends up being three or four times that I visit. Now that it’s gotten colder and I am thinking ahead to the winter months, my goal is to eliminate unnecessary trips to the store. The only way I can really do that is to improve my meal planning skills. Last year I had this great idea of trying three new recipes every week. I was tired of cooking the same things over … Continue reading →

It’s Always About Money

This time of year is always stressful financially. It is especially stressful when you are a single parent, you have to make that dollar you are stretching go even farther. Striving to be financially responsible is something you should do all year round. As a single parent it is doubly important that you do your best to manage your money. *Don’t keep secrets about money, talk to your kids. I remember when I was a child and my mother would tell me we couldn’t afford something and I would be resentful because I knew she had money. Because we never … Continue reading →

Thank You For Calling, Have A Nice Day

Have you ever noticed that when you call various businesses in the course of your everyday life, each phone call is a unique experience that tells you a little bit about the business that you are calling? Sometimes your call is answered after only one or two rings by someone who is polite, knowledgeable, and helpful. You feel like that business cares about our needs, and you are able to get what you need out of the conversation. Other phone calls are really frustrating. You may get automated instructions that take you through twenty different questions before you finally decide … Continue reading →

What I Discovered in My Self-Evaluation

Last month I wrote about the benefits of a self-evaluation. It is a great way to evaluate where you are at, what you would like to change and what you hope to accomplish in your career. Since those of us who work from home typically don’t have the opportunity to receive feedback from others, we can at least take a good look at our business practices and habits and take note of what could be improved and what goals we would like to set. A couple of weeks ago I finally went ahead and did a self-evaluation. What I discovered … Continue reading →

E Is For Excellence

E is for excellence. Excellence is something we should be striving for in our marriages.But there are some other Es that could improve your marriage. Enthusiasm Enthusiasm for making your marriage the best it can be. The world needs to see people who are enthusiastic not just about getting married but about staying married. Another time for enthusiasm is when greeting your spouse. What spouse doesn’t like to be greeted enthusiastically and know that you have missed them while throughout the day? Approaching it with enthusiasm can make even the most mundane task more interesting, especially if you approach it … Continue reading →

How Did Your Family’s Goals Go?

How did your resolutions go for this year? The end of the first month is a great time to look at how far you have come, and areas that you may need to adjust. You may also want to adjust your goals slightly and change the stepping stones so that you can reach your goals. This is a great time to teach your children. Being open in your attempts, successes and failures teach your children the importance of continuing to work for your dreams. It can also demonstrate to them that we have the opportunity to start over and try … Continue reading →

Encouraging Two-way Communication

I find it fascinating that when I talk to people about communication, they often want to talk about “talking”—they want to “communicate” which means they want to be able to talk, tell stories, express their feelings and have someone else listen. When we parents talk about communicating with our children, we are often lamenting the fact that we do not think they hear and understand us or we are not sure if we are getting through to them. I believe that true communication can only happen when it is a two-way street—both parties are speaking, listening and understanding each other. … Continue reading →

Strive to be a Little Better

Some people are goal oriented, and some are not. I am the type of person that plans my life out ten or twenty years in advance. I have it mapped out step by step, and I know where I am going and what I want. Of course life does not always match up with my plan. Sometimes it turns out much better or other times it takes an entirely different direction from what I’ve planned. As I’ve grown older I’ve found that having a general goal for the distant future is good, but I like to focus on the immediate … Continue reading →