Everyone reacts to compliments differently. Some people love them. Thrive on them, even. If verbal affirmation is your love language, nothing lights up your day like receiving a positive comment. At work, it might be praise about how well you handled a recent project. Among friends, it might be compliments about your new haircut or…
Rachael also contributed to this post. When I get up for work on a weekday morning, I keep to a routine. Among other things, I get something to eat, take some time to think about the day ahead, and then go get cleaned up and dressed for the day. While I’m eating, I also usually…
I have a number of friends who are considering leaving their jobs this year. That’s not surprising, because a lot of people have left their jobs this year. The reasons are varied, but a lot of it comes down to burnout. Many of my friends work in public education and are worn out over the…
Rachael also contributed to this post. If you’ve ever considered going on a trip to the Smokies — including Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park — you’ve probably wondered if it’s crowded … and, if so, how to best deal with those crowds. We’ve experienced it, so we can tell you. First,…
Credit and debit cards have changed a lot over the years. At one point, the card was simply a magnetic strip that you swiped through a reader. Now cards come with chips that let them do all kinds of things they weren’t able to do before. If you have a credit or debit card, you…
In mid-March, schools around the United States closed, seemingly overnight. That meant a lot of parents were left with kids at home, possibly for the rest of the school year. It creates a lot of challenges for parents. Every parent is in a different situation right now. Some parents have the capacity to facilitate the…
Americans are too sedentary. We sit too much and don’t get out enough, and the impact on our bodies is serious. The solution is to get active, and while vigorous activity like running is good for you, studies have shown that moderate exercise can also have a positive impact. It’s probably no coincidence that two…
Most people have heard the word economics before, but there’s a good chance they only have a vague idea what it means … or, if they did know in some dusty old class, they don’t remember it now. Economics is a field that covers many things, but if you were going to try to reduce…
Having something stolen feels like a violation. There’s this sense of intrusion into your space, this understanding that someone came into your things and took them. It’s worse when you don’t know where it is or if you’ll ever see it again. I’ve had it happen, and it’s not fun. At all. The reality is…
There are times in life when I know exactly what to do. I have a path in front of me, and I walk it confidently. I know the job I need to complete, the errand I need to run, or the problem I need to solve and how to solve it. Other times, I have…
