How to Love Yourself Better!

It seems that some people are simply born confident. They never let anyone ruffle their feathers, they hold their heads high and march through life with purpose. But rest assured, absolutely no one was born perfect, not even Jesus! That sort of confidence is learned and practiced, so for all you wallflowers, there's hope for you yet! You don't have to become a police officer to come out of your shell, and claim your self-confidence, there are plenty of other ways to feel like the master of your own domain, and none of them involve joining the military or taking up some masculinized hobby.

Get Movin'! Join a gym and actually go. Or join a running club or ski club. Make getting in shape an absolute priority, and as you start to see results, you'll start to see a significant change in the way you look at yourself in the mirror. If public exercise isn't your bag, try an intense at-home program like P90X, where you can work out in the comfort and security of your livingroom. You can join online community if you wish, and share your results. After 90 days, you can emerge from your cave looking smoking hot! 

Show off your strut! Whether you're a guy or gal, when you walk tall, you feel tall. My father was in the military, and he always use to tell me, "stand tall, shoulders up-back-and-down". And it worked. If you repeat that mantra in your head over and over again, you'll be less likely to slouch. Slouching is for slackers, so chin up, you are in control of your life!


Giving the best brings out the best! This may sound strange, but paying others compliments makes us feel better about ourselves. By acknowledging the best in others, we bring out the best in ourselves.

Eliminate negativity from your life. Do a social media cleanse, clear out your phone and email contacts, it's time for a clean slate. Life is already full of downers, why on earth do you need list after list of negative acquaintances? It's better to have 10 positive friends, than 336 negative ones. Avoid gossip, and refuse to participate in knit-picky politics (especially in the workplace!). People respect and gravitate towards people who maintain their integrity, so be the exception, and not the rule.

Be a little less selfish! This may sound a little contradictory when you're trying to gain more self-confidence, but it's necessary. We tend to get all wrapped up in ourselves, what we want, and how we're going to get it, and then we stress ourselves out, and a get bogged down when we don't achieve our goals. Spend more time time focussing on the needs of others, and you'll spend less time focussing on your flaws. Think about how you can make the world a better place, and when you make a difference in other people's lives, the self confidence will flow!

Not Just About the Bucket

Have you ever given any thought to the phrase "I have a new lease on life"? Probably not, so now's the time. A lease. That is a fairly accurate way of describing the nano second of time we have here on Earth. And we are forever abusing our time. We steal it, lose it, waste it, try to manipulate it so we can eek more out of it, but we forget to respect it, appreciate it, make the most of it. Well, there is no time like the present, you have the ability to change that, so stop cheating it, and start living it.

It's a new year and it's only natural to feel inclined to set new goals, make drastic changes, a list of resolutions. You have every intention of fulfilling every single one of those resolutions, but let's face it, you'll be lucky to get a third into that list before you let your mundane life get in the way. You'll slip back into a monotonous routine because you're too damn scared to stand up to yourself, and demand better. Stop. Sit down, and calculate how many hours on average you spent on your behind in front of the television last year, unable to will yourself into doing something more productive, more exciting, thrilling even? Enough! It's time to earn yourself a little life merit scholarship. Time to get out there. Unless you are one of the incredibly fortunate few who actually adore their 9-5, it's time to break the mundane, and catapult yourself out of your comfort zone.

Bucket lists are not a new phenomena, and with the influence of globalization, the world has become incredibly accessible to a greater percentage of the global population. Traveling has never been easier (for those who can afford it). Within mere seconds, an individual in Johannesburg can chat with someone in Bangkok. If you are lucky enough to live in a big North American city, you can dine on cuisines from Namibia to Bali. So why aren't you out there tasting, sampling, gallivanting even? Stop making lists about making lists, get out there!

Your Bucket List doesn't have to include illusions of grandeur. Going on safari up the Skeleton Coast, or spending an afternoon dishing it up with Gordon Ramsey in one of his swanky London restaurants may not be an attainable, nor affordable option for you, hell, that may not even interest you. Your list can be as small as learning to run a 5km run without stopping, or maybe you want to learn to knit, and you don't think all the guys at pub are going to think you're so slick. Or maybe you want to go back to school! You are never too old to further educate yourself, so why not check out a fine establishment like Boston University Online and get yourself the career you truly wanted, instead of the one you settled for.

Sara McKinninmont, Owner of Eager-Beaver.com

For many of us, life is about choices. And if you're just wasting it, slugging along at a job you hate, eating food your dog wouldn't eat, plunking your tired rear end in front of the television every night while your brain wastes away, snap out of it! Erase that old list, and write a new one, a personal proclamation to live by. As a very good friend of mine always says, it's time to start living like you give a damn!