The Importance of the "Me Factor"

Sometimes a little love for yourself can do the trick.

Self-confidence is one of the most important success strategies in our lives. When our needs and worries are met and we feel value in our lives, we then can begin living a happier and more fufilling life.

Sam Davis, Professional says, "having your own personal needs met is important because when you're worrying about your job, or school, or things in your life, you don't have the ability to open yourself up to new people or experiences. When all you can think about is what's going on, adding a new relationship is just another item on your to-do list." 

Davis says relationships, which are very important to human happiness, cannot occur in a balanced way when one person is feeling stressed and overrun by their own lives. This plays into how having your own needs and things in your life sorted out first can open up opportunities for happiness in other parts of your life.

Tony Trim, Marketing Senior at the University of Oklahoma says, "self-confidence, to me, means confiding in myself. I try to tell me all of my secrets." Although a humorous play on words, Trim brings up a good argument that you cannot be okay with yourself and the decisions you make if you put up a front and don't live honestly. 

Not being honest with yourself and living behind a facade can really influence your happiness. Some of the most influential people in our world who seem to have everything put together, are some we know to have the most insane breakdowns. 

Bryan McDonald, Vice President of Sales and Service at T.D. Williamson says, "Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking. Feeling good about the choices you make are the secrets to success... You can't move forward unless you have your integrity."

Integrity, not only in your work but also in your personal relationships, is very essential to a "successful life." If there are regrets and secrets in your life, it's just like bottling up your emotions and not allowing yourself to live an honest life.

First Post/Critique of Dating Tips

This week's dating tips come from a website everyone should get to know a little better:DumbLittleMan. This site is full of helpful tips and methods to deal with life's many challenges. Alex Shalman, creator of the Practical Personal Development blog, brings us some tips and pointers for couples in long-term relationships.

"When boringness is so prevalent that you hit the snooze button 4 times before dragging yourself out of bed, you know you aren't living the life you love" (Shalman, 7 Ways to Breathe Life Back Into Your Relationship). This advice leads us to our topic of the week: Long-term Relationships. Everybody wants one, but they can be so hard to handle sometimes. It's much easier to be a young and carefree couple, but the road to everlasting love is also the road to monotony and the same day-to-day activities. So how do we spice it up? Today we'll take a look inside some ways to keep a relationship alive. 

Shalman suggests these seven tips for couples:

1. Public Display of Team Effort - Never fight in front of others. You are a team, you function as a team. Disagreements are not meant to be discussed in front of others.

2. Cheerleading Unit - When talking about your significant other, make it a point to bring up the good things that make you adore them, these things will get back around.

3. Date Your Wife - Remember at the beginning of your relationship when you went out on spontaneous dates? Keep the flame alive!

4. Create Bucket Lists - This will be setting down a foundation for the two of you and setting mutual goals to work for in the future.

5. Give it to Them - Everyone loves to have a special treat every once in a while, show your loved one you care by bringing them something you know they will enjoy.

6. Don't Make Them Wrong - There are all things we can't stand. Even if your loved one does these things, we have to learn to love them for who they are. Because it's what they decide to do.

7. Share the Landmark Forum - Try this out: The Landmark Forum

These tips Shalman gives are are good ways to balance relationships in a healthy and functional way. 

My parents (married 20+ years) dancing together on their cruise.

Source: 7 Ways to Breathe Life Back Into Your Marriage by Alex Shalman on DumbLittleMan.com

PWOP/SOP

This is a picture I took of a girl who may or may not have a lot going on in her life. She isn't vain, but image is something she tries to keep up with. As well as the constant struggle to be organized.

I work at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, this is a picture from inside the museum. The room is very large and bright, which really illuminates the statue. 

The summer is ending.

A new beginning.