Photo by .Martin.

Is your life making you dizzy? Then I’m here to help.

The purpose of this blog is to encourage you along the path of self improvement through thoughtful, sometimes entertaining, motivational posts.

Bookstores stock quite an assortment of self improvement books. And for good reason. Most of us want to become a better version of ourselves.

In this modern world, we struggle with anxiety, depression, weight control and other health concerns, family problems, career issues, and more.

Some of the areas of self help I will cover are:

Photo by teammarche

Health and Fitness
Have you given up physical activities that you once enjoyed? I used to love shooting baskets in the driveway, or even playing a full-court game with the guys. In my thirties, I was on a jogging kick for a while. I lost a lot of weight in a short period of time.

Now it’s been a few years since I’ve gone jogging or played basketball. Where do the years go? Where does the fitness go?

It’s easy to think your physical conditioning has held static over the past ten years. But imagine this: You’re walking down a deserted city sidewalk at night. Some madman with a knife starts chasing you.

Could you run fast enough to get away? Would you be more likely to die from a heart attack or from the knife?

It’s depressing to think you’re withering away year by year. Gee, thanks, you say. Why am I trying to depress you?

Photo by innacoz

But you can turn it around. You don’t have to let your body go to pot. “I’m on a slow, inevitable march to death,” you say, “so why fight it?” Yikes. That is depressing.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Sure, when you’re 60, you won’t be able to do all the things you did when you were 20. But you don’t have to be a typical 60-year-old either.

As a society, we have made great gains since I was a kid in the 1960’s. Back then, a 60 year old was lucky if he lived ten more years. These days, it’s not unusual to meet people who are in their 90’s. In fact, more and more folks are making it past the 100-year mark.

But it’s not just about living more years. It’s also about living better years. Who wants an extra 20 or 30 years of misery? You want to live your life to the fullest for as long as possible.

I will be writing about ways you can improve your physical fitness. And I’ll tell you upfront that I’m in love with yoga. It has transformed my life over the past six years—and I’m still just a newbie.

Photo by cybaea

But yoga may not be your cup of tea (until I can convince you that it is). So, I will also be talking about other things you can do to improve your fitness as well.

Career
Is your career heading in the right direction? Or maybe you don’t even think of your work as a career.

I used to feel that way too, believe me.

My ultimate jobs have been software engineer and writer. But before that I was a laborer, a shipfitter’s helper, a milkman, an apprentice electrician, a retail electronics store manager trainee, a small church music publisher, a minister of music, and probably some other short-term jobs I don’t even remember.

When I first started working I had blue-collar jobs, and I thought all white-collar workers were looking down on me. Many probably were, but not all.

It took me years to realize that I was putting myself down. There was no reason for me to have low self esteem because of the work I was doing.

I learned to respect all workers—no matter what their job title. Anybody who gets up and goes to work everyday and does his best to perform his duties has earned my respect. Unfortunately, many people have still not learned to respect themselves. They will experience a gratifying life improvement when they do.

Photo by Garrette

But whatever job you hold, there needs to be a certain level of satisfaction. It’s great if you can love your job. But that is not always possible. I’ll talk about ways to deal with that.

Dating
Can self development improve your dating life? Sure. Particularly if your goal is to enrich the life of the one you are dating as well as your own.

But dating can change your life for the worse if you’re not careful. The newly divorced are particularly susceptible—especially men. They tend to skydive into their newfound freedom. Women are typically more cautious.

If you fall into this crowd, you probably already know that the dating world has changed since the last time you were single. Online dating has opened up more opportunities for finding love…or disappointment.

Photo by Manassas Cakery

Marriage and Family
Being married and having children can be a dream come true. Or it can be a nightmare that will never end.

Even if you’ve married the right person, it won’t be all smooth sailing. But with the wrong mate, you’re on a sinking ship.

I’ll offer you self improvement ideas to help you make the most of your marriage, and tips on how to know if it’s just not worth saving.

All babies are beautiful—at least to their parents. But when little Johnny goes through the Terrible Two’s phase, you may think you’ll go crazy before it ends.

And no sooner than he has returned to a sweet, angelic state, you’ll be sending him off for that first day of school. You going to think your heart will break. He’s growing up so fast. But just wait until he hits puberty!

Pink Sherbet Photography

Putting it all together
I want to help in your quest for personal development, and in any case to first, do no harm.

You’re probably already stressed out. The last thing I want to do is add to your anxiety.

So, just relax, and we’ll sip our coffee (or tea) and talk it over. Like the girls in this picture, we’ll take our time and enjoy the stroll.

This is all about personal growth, and some practical ways to make your life better.

Feel free to drop by anytime. You’re always welcome here.