MCR Success Coaching

* WE ARE HIRING *

2013-04-20T08:56:00.004-06:00

*** WE ARE HIRING ***

MCR Success Coaching is looking for highly motivated "workshop/presentation facilitators."

Workshop/presentation facilitators will be in charge on delivering an interactive workshop/presentation that inspires individuals to develop a sense of personal purpose, which is activated in their daily life.

This is a contractor's position (WAE).

For more information or to get a copy of the job announcement, contact us at success@mcrcoaching.com

Position closes on May 31, 2013

* WE ARE HIRING *

2013-04-20T08:45:00.002-06:00

2012-10-13T14:32:00.001-06:00

“It is not about how far you get, it is about making the journey worth it.”

~ Melody Morales ~

Some motivational words from inside of the book "Coaching for Excellence! 55 Motivational Quotes for Career and Personal Success."

Buy your copy today at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009B2OI60

2012-10-13T14:19:00.002-06:00

Do you have a kindle or an IPAD? Now, you can access our book "Successful Coaching: 20 Tips for a Better Life and Career Performance" in seconds. Visit the link below for more information.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008ON9A92

Email vs Letters: The Art of Receiving “Mail”

2012-08-15T22:18:00.003-06:00

It is not a secret that nowadays, the most use ways of communications are either via text or e-mail messages. Long gone are the days when we used to write paper-based letters to family members, friends, or clients. What have happened to us? Why technology has taken over our lives? Why are we allowing technology to control our lives?

I do not blame technology for these changes, I blame the human race for allowing technology to change the way we do things in life. I remember when I used to receive letters from my friends and family. Having the opportunity to hold those letters in my hands made me feel close to the person. I have to say that it was an amazing feeling. Not as closed as actually holding the person in my arms, but close enough.

I am not saying that technology is a bad thing; believe me, I love technology and all the good gadgets that are available to us at the present time. The truth is that those new inventions and ways of communicating can make a person’s life a lot easier than it was before, but my question is – why are we allowing technology interfere with the way we connect with people?

Let’s face it – emails and text messages are great tools, but our society can’t afford to let these new technology inventions to take control and to contribute to the loss of “human touch” in our lives anymore. Today, I would like to invite you all to put your computers to the side and to grab a piece of paper and a pen and start writing letters to your family members of friend who live far away. Doing this will help you provide your relatives something that is actually created by you and that they can hold on to it as a memory.

As we all know, we live in a crazy fast-paced world and even when most of us have plenty of computer knowledge and feel confident about our computer abilities, there are also people who don’t have the same abilities and may have a hard time dealing with all the chaos involved with receiving or sending email or text messages (e.g., fancy fonts, emoticons, and abbreviations like LOL, etc.).

That been said – let’s take control of our lives by writing letters instead of sending e-mails. Let’s provide our relatives something they can open with their own hands and not with the click of a bottom. By writing letters instead of e-mails you can provide your relatives a “touchable” object that they can smell and hug not only as a gift from you but also as a part of you. Let’s start making our relatives/friends feel loved and close to us again. Remember - e-mails are instant but the feeling of satisfaction after receiving a letter will last forever.

One last thought – “The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.” ~ Anthony Robbins ~

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a career/life coach and the author of the book “Successful Coaching: 20 Tips for a Better Life and Career Performance.” If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com or email her at success@mcrcoaching.com

Infidelity: Tips to Move Pass the Affair and Re-build your Marriage

2012-06-02T06:47:00.000-06:00

The day Lori discovered that her husband was having an affair, she thought she was in a bad dream and that after waking up, everything was going to be back to normal. The sad part about this is that unfortunately, she was not living a dream. It was a reality – she has just discovered that her husband of 13 years and the father of her two children had an eight months extramarital affair with another woman. She knew right there that her life was about to change forever.

Lori’s story is one of the many sad stories involving infidelity. According to Marriage Builder (2011), more than 50% of all spouses will become victims of infidelity. What they mean about this is that five out of 10 spouses will suffer the greatest marital pain possible at some point during their lifetimes. As upsetting, hurtful, and devastating this experience could be, there are many ways to overcome it. Life does not stop after an infidelity. It is true that being in the receiving end of an infidelity can shift your life around, but the important part here is to understand that it is not the end of the world and if you are committed to make your marriage work, you can still collect the pieces that are left and go pass that terrible experience.

Many people believe that after an infidelity, the marriage will never be the same and that the couple dealing with the experience will never be able to have a happy marriage. Lori (the betrayed spouse mentioned at the beginning of the article) used to think that way until she decided to fight for her marriage. “Our marriage was never the same, but after deciding to forgive and forget and move pass my husband’s infidelity, we were able to re-build the trust and create a stronger marriage,” she said.

If like Lori you have been the victim of an infidelity and have decided to fight for your marriage but find yourself struggling with the whole situation, continue reading. Below are some helpful tips to help you survive this experience and move on with your life. Yes, finding out that your other half betrayed you could be a painful experience, but what you do after you find out is what is going to establish the course that your marriage is going to take.

· Understand why the affair happened: Talk to your spouse and together, try to identify the reasons why your marriage situation pushed your other half to fall in the arms of a third person. Only by identifying those areas that need improvement is that both of you will be able to fix them. This is not an easy thing to do and will require both of you to be honest with each other but the reality is that something may not be working properly in your marriage if the other person had the necessity to be with other people.

· Commit to each other to re-build the trust: Make a point of making each other happy and working hard in rebuilding the marriage trust. This will sound corny but make your spouse the center of your world and become the center of his/her world. Show the world that you are meant to be together and that not even a bad experience will ever destroy what you guys have. Again, another difficult decision, especially after experiencing all the pain but it can be done if you decide to fight for your marriage.

· Leave the past where it belongs – in the past: As simple as that. You will never be able to change what happened so try to forgive and NEVER bring that experience back into your marriage discussions. Not even when you feel like getting back at your spouse after he/she did something to get you upset. I am not saying that you will be able to forget because unfortunately, you will never forget what happened but you can forgive and try to start a new chapter in your marriage.

· Seek professional help: Seeking the help of a marriage counselor is a resource that you should consider. Talking to a professional who can provide impartial suggestions and guidance could be the difference between spending years trying to re-build your marriage with no luck or successfully putting everything in the pass and moving on with your life.

· Understand that rebuilding your marriage trust will take time: Moving pass the affair and working in rebuilding the trust in the marriage are very time consuming, frustrating, and stressful tasks to complete. The important part here is to understand that it is completely normal to feel that way and that it will take time to rebuild that trust, but if all the parts involved work together in rebuilding the marriage, before you even know it, you once again will be living a happy and stronger marriage.

Let’s be honest - an infidelity is one of those experiences that could easily break the strongest person in earth, but if you want to make your marriage work and you are willing to forgive and create a better marriage, deciding to “survive it” and to move past the experience could be the most important decision that you will ever make in your life.

If you are going through a rough path in your marriage due to an infidelity, today I invite you to gather all the pieces and decide what is that you want to do with them. You have two choices; either you throw those pieces in the garbage and start a new life or try to put the pieces back together and rebuild your marriage. The fact is that only you can make that decision and only you know what is best for you so go ahead and do it but make sure that whatever decision you make is the one that is going to make YOU happy.

Let’s face it my friends - sometimes life experiences are not fair and could bring a lot of pain a deception into our lives but living them, surviving them, and using them as tools not to make the same mistakes again will be the key for our success.

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a career/life coach and the author of the book “Successful Coaching: 20 Tips for a Better Life and Career Performance.” If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com or email her at success@mcrcoaching.com

Emotional Intelligence and its effect in decision-making processes

2012-06-02T06:45:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wondered the effect that your emotions (especially negative emotions) have in the decisions you make in your life? Or, how your reactions could have a tremendous impact in other people’s opinion toward you? If you do, there is something you should know. The way people manage their emotions and reactions play an important role in the decisions they make. Making sure to use our emotions “intelligently” could be the difference between a decision made based on actual facts and a decisions made based on current human emotions. Just in case you are wondering if this “action” has a real name – yes, it does. This action is commonly known as the inclusion of the “emotionally intelligence” concept into all our decision-making processes.

Emotional intelligence (E.I.) is defined as the ability to understand, manage, and value our emotions and other people’s emotions at the moment of making decisions or establishing arguments. According to the article Emotional Intelligence in Health Care written by Kathryn Faguy in January 2012, the first definitive use of the term “emotional intelligence” is believed to be in a doctoral dissertation by Wayne Payne in 1968. However, Payne’s theory was never published. In 1983, psychologist Howard Gardner proposed seven different types of intelligence, including knowing one’s inner world and social adeptness. Those two notions together come close to capturing E.I. as it is currently understood.

It is not a secret that people sometimes behave, act, and react based on their current emotional stage but the truth is that allowing our emotions to take part during our decision-making processes (especially when making important and/or crucial decisions) is one of the bigger mistake we could ever make.

How many of you have made a decision in the “heat of the moment” just to later realize that it was a bad decision and that you should have thought about the consequences before making the decision? If you are one of those people who tend to let their emotions to have an active role in the way they make decisions, we invite you to continue reading. Below, are four important tips to help you incorporate the emotional intelligence concept not only into your decision-making processes but also into other aspects of your life.

· Identify and analyze the problem or the situation on hand: When facing a situation, problem, or when life puts you in the position of having to make an important decision, you have to develop an intelligent approach to it by identifying and analyzing the problem or situation to have a better idea on how you are going to manage it. By identifying the main idea of the issue, you will have greater opportunity to create an “attacking” plan without deviating from the actual situation.

· Develop an emotional self-awareness plan: Let’s face it. Most of the time, we know when a situation is about to makes us feel upset or to drive us straight into a frustration mode. The important part here is to learn how to identify those signs of desperation and discontent to be able to create a plan to help us in controlling them. A solid and well-established self-awareness plan is the number one resource of emotionally intelligent individuals. It helps us not only in recognizing our emotions and to be aware of the effect they could have in our decision but also in preventing us from making decision based in those emotions.

· Understand the reasons for your emotions and reactions: Understanding what is the real reason for you to feel the way you do is a very important process because it also helps you in matching your emotions with a real problem. Sometimes, people develop emotions and react in certain way, but they don’t know why so they blame their current emotional stage to the last situation that happened in their lives. This could push them into making erroneous decisions. Taking an impartial look to the situation and trying to identify the reasons for you to react the way you do will help you in putting a face to the problem and to deal with it the best way possible without letting your emotions get in the way.

· Go ahead - make a decision, but based them on fact; not on emotions: The fact is that once you learn how to manage your emotions and reactions and decide not to let them control or interfere with your life, you will be more than ready to make emotionally intelligent decisions.

People who understand their own feelings and emotions and don’t let them sabotage the way they make decisions can have a better chance in managing situations more effectively and proactively. It also helps them not only in making better and more successful decisions but also in learning how to take control of their lives by becoming emotionally intelligent individuals.

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a career/life coach and the author of the book “Successful Coaching: 20 Tips for a Better Life and Career Performance.” If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com or email her at success@mcrcoaching.com

Dealing With Relationship Phobia: When the Mind Says “No” to Love

2012-05-06T14:00:00.000-06:00

When Karla met John, she thought she had found the love of her life. Not wanting to jump into a relationship right away, they decided to stay friends at first. They used to go out together to clubs, to dinners, and most of the time, they would just hang out in Karla's apartment watching TV or cooking. Karla was extremely happy for her "new friend" and slowly, she started developing feelings for him. Since in her mind she thought John also felt the same way, she shared with John her feelings. What she didn't know was that a simple "I think I am falling in love with you" was going to change the course of their "friendship" forever.

After telling John that she was falling in love with him, their friendship went sour. John started getting distant from her. He didn't call her as often as before, and they stopped hanging out together because, according to John, he was always busy at work. Karla felt terrible for damaging her chances of starting a serious relationship with John, but in reality she didn't damage anything; John was a declared relationship phobic and the thought of getting romantically involved with someone pushed him to run in the opposite direction, leaving Karla feeling used and rejected.

Relationship or commitment phobia is one of the most common phobias affecting people's lives. It refers to the anxiety, fear and avoidance that certain people suffer when getting romantically involved with other people. People suffering from this "social disease" tend to avoid falling in the traps of love and go through life jumping from one romantic relationship to another, leaving a trail of deception and broken hearts along the way.

It is commonly known that people who are suffering from relationship or commitment phobia may never allow themselves to fall in love and will try to prevent others from entering their lives. When this happens, they are not only putting a stop to their happiness, but it also makes them shut people out, creating a painful situation for other people as well.

There are many reasons for this type of phobia. Some of the reasons include previous abusive relationship experiences, child abuse or any other traumatic childhood experience, fear of rejection and abandonment experiences. When people experience one of these scenarios, it is very common for them to develop attachment issues or in this case relationship or commitment phobia.

The most common signs of relationship or commitment phobia are:

· An uncontrollable feeling of anxiety when thinking about love

· Fear of being "attached" to someone

· A sudden feeling of "trapness" in a relationship

· An inexplicable urge to sabotage a romantic relationship

· Not being able to trust anyone who shows romantic feelings toward them

· The tendency of pulling back as soon as they start falling in love

· A history of unfaithfulness in romantic relationships

Let's face it my friends - love is the most beautiful feeling a person can experience in life and being able to love and be loved is one of the best gifts you can ever receive and also one of the best gifts you can ever give to another person. If you are showing signs of relationship/commitment phobia, I invite you to stop sabotaging your romantic life and look for help. It is time for you to start enjoying other people's company without feeling scared or anxious about it. Allow love to become an active participant in your life and life will show you its purpose.

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a career/life coach and the author of the book “Successful Coaching: 20 Tips for a Better Life and Career Performance.” If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com or email her at success@mcrcoaching.com

10 effective tips for better communication skills

2012-04-17T17:12:00.001-06:00

10 effective tips for better communication skills

Re-invent yourself: 5 Tips for a Personal and Career Upgrade

2012-04-15T17:51:00.000-06:00

Are you happy with the current developments in your life? Do you find yourself sometimes wishing to do something different with your life? Let me tell you my friend that these are the most common signs of career and personal boredom and if you are feeling like this, you should stop whatever you are doing and decide to re-invent yourself.

It is commonly known that career and personal boredom is the number one enemy of success and the number one reason for people to become unhappy with their lives. When people stop liking what they are doing or get stuck in their comfort zone, the chances of becoming bored with the current stage of their lives is very high. The problem is that if they don’t do something to make it better, they will be joining the long list of people who are characterized for having a “disengaged approach toward life and career.” Yes, I know that this term sounds really bad and I am pretty sure you don’t want to be on that list so get up, look at yourself in the mirror, and repeat after me…“today is the day I will re-invent myself not only for me but for the people who I care the most.” Wait, don’t sit down yet. You have one more thing to say to yourself…“yes, re-inventing my life sounds scary but I know I can do it so I will not be afraid anymore.” Now, in this part you have to scream loud…“success, here I come.”

Now that you have told yourself that you can do it, I encourage you to keep reading. Below, I will share with you five tips to help you create a personal and career upgrade. You are the only person who can help you to re-invent yourself so I invite you to get out of your comfort zone and start working on creating a new you.

Tip # 1: Kick the fear to the side and allow yourself to get out of your comfort zone: That’s it my friend. Give yourself permission to experiment, to learn new thing, and most important to get out of your comfort zone. I know it may be a little scary at first, but after you take that first step, everything else you try after that will seem less scary.

Tip # 2: Identify the areas in your life or career that you want to re-invent: Yes, take an impartial look at your life and try to identify those areas that you think are keeping you from achieving your goals. Once you have a better idea of what is that you want to change or upgrade in your life, you will have a better chance to “attack” them one by one without getting distracted or confused.

Tip # 3: Create the new life/career plan: Now that you have a better idea of the areas you need/want to work on, the next step is to put together a new life/career plan. Having a plan will help you stay focus and will serve you as a guide in all the things you want to accomplish. This plan should include the things you want to change in your life, the reasons you want to change them and a clear and brief explanation why you want to change them. It also needs to include the steps you are going to use to be able to complete those goals and if needed, a list of resources you will need to help you during the process.

Tip # 4: The plan is done; now TAKE ACTION: As simple as that my friends. Now is the moment to take action and put in practice all the things you have in your action plan. Don’t be scare. Remember, you already gave permission to yourself to try new things. But one thing I have to remind you guys; you have to stay positive and have confidence in yourself. If after trying something new in your life, you feel that is not what you wanted or what you were expecting, scratch it out of your list and continue. Your plan can be modified at any time.

Tip # 5: Find or develop a support system: Now that you are in your way of success, try to recruit as many people you can who can help you stay focus and will provide the support you need to keep moving forward with the accomplishment of your goals. Having people beside you who can provide you mental and emotional support will be one of the most important things in your pursuit of success and happiness.

Bottom-line is that if you don’t make an effort of getting out of your life and career boredom, no one will do it for you. You have only one chance to live your life so get up and re-invent yourself.

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a career/life coach with over 10 years of experience in the human resources field. If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com or email her at success@mcrcoaching.com

Lending a Helping Hand: Six Tips to Help Others During Difficult Moments

2012-03-08T20:02:00.000-06:00

Photo by Yelenys Calabrese

There are moments in life when things do not go as we planned. It could be that we experience a death in the family, or that the things that we want the most start falling apart right in front of our eyes. In moments like that is when we start losing fate and also start questioning why bad things happen to us. These are normal feelings but what makes things more difficult is having to go through these experiences without a shoulder to cry on or a helping hand telling us that everything is going to be ok.

The ugly truth is that people should not have to experience these kinds of feelings by themselves. Having someone next to us when we need them the most is one of the most important “gifts” someone in pain could ever receive.

It is very common for people to feel bad when they see others in pain, especially after a death of a love one. But the problem is that “feeling bad” would not help them overcome their pain or speed up the process of closure. It just adds more emotional pain and suffering to an already damaged soul.

If you have a person in your life who is currently experiencing a difficult moment and you want to help this person cope with the pain, I invite you to continue reading. Below, I will share with you six tips to help you create an action plan that in one way or another could help you at the moment of providing support and a helping hand to this person.

Tip # 1: Understand that the pain this person is feeling is completely normal: By acknowledging the pain and suffering that this person is going through and finding ways to help him to acknowledge his own pain is the first step in helping him move past the terrible experience.

Tip # 2: Do not try to be a “problem fixer” right away: When a person is suffering, he does not need you to try to fix his problems for him. What he needs is for you to listen to him and show a genuine desire to be there for him not matter what the problem or situation is. Just be there for him! He will let you know if he needs your help fixing the problem.

Tip # 3: Respect his privacy and alone time: We all need our quite time and when a person is suffering, it is very common that he will want to be left alone. That is ok as long as you touch bases with him from time to time to make sure he is doing ok.

Tip 4: Look for signs of depression: When a person is in pain, there is a great chance that he will develop some level of depression. Being sad is one thing and being depressed is another one. Be alert for those clues that may tell you that this person may be suffering from depression and look for help as soon as possible. An untreated depression could make things worse and may put the person in a terrible risk of attempting against his life if help is not provided on time.

Tip 5: Show them the light at the end of the tunnel: A person in pain may not see that even after the worst disasters, the sun always comes out; sometimes brighter than before. That been said, help this person to have hope again. Show him that no matter how bad things are right now, soon things will start to fall in place again and his life will become normal again.

Lending a helping hand to a person who is going through a terrible moment in life does not have to be a stressful experience. It only requires people to put themselves in the person’s shoes and to have a genuine desire to help. The truth is that we may not have all the answers while dealing with this kind of situations, but the important part here is to be there for the person and to show him that life goes on and that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

One last thought; “dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light.” ~ Norman B. Rice ~

About the Author:

My new book

2012-01-15T16:47:00.001-06:00

Good news, my dear friends. Finally... My book is here.

Visit http://www.mcrcoaching.com/products to buy a copy of the book. You will love it!

Goal Setting: Your Key for a Better Life and Career

2012-01-13T20:41:00.000-06:00

How many of you have woken up in random mornings with zero idea on how to spend your day? Or more simple; how many of you can mention at least five real goals that you would like to accomplish within the next year? I am pretty sure that some of you answered yes to the first question while others may are having a hard time answering the second one. If you are one of those people, do not panic, you are not alone. There are many people who unfortunately live their lives without a plan; a plan that in one way or another will help them get where they want to go in life.

Having a plan in for your life is an important process that all human begins should take in consideration. It involves creating realistic and “reachable” goals. Goals that you can use as your guide while moving forward in life. Many people (especially young adults) believe that creating goals is difficult because they are not sure what path they want to take in life. Or some of them feel like their lives changes so fast that they cannot keep up with those changes, which in one way or another it prevents them from achieving their goals. Again, if you are one of these people, do not panic, you are not alone. The important part here is to understand that without a plan in life your “pursuit of happiness” or your “pursuit for a better life and/or career” will become a scary and frustrating maze.

Goal setting is not as difficult as it seems. In fact, is one of the few things that you can have complete control of, and that can be modified (If you need to) according to the life path you want to take and/or according to the changes you make during your drive toward that “pursuit of happiness.” Goal setting requires you to have an idea of the things you want to accomplish in life and to put those things in a “to do list” and organize them by priority. Yes my friends, it is as simple as that.

If you are one of those people who had a difficult time answering my second question at the beginning of this article, or are having a hard time accomplishing your goals, I invite you to continue reading. Below, I will share with you six (6) tips to start setting realistic goals and to continue working toward the achievement of those goals.

Tip #1 Relax and clear your mind of unnecessary distractions: This tip, in my opinion is one of the most important ones at the moment of setting your goals. It is important for you to relax, to take a deep breath, and not to take this exercise way too seriously. Remember, obsessing over things is not going to take you anywhere. Also, discharging unnecessary distraction from your brain will help you to have an “empty mind,” which will prepare your brain for the next tip.

Tip #2 Brainstorm about where you want to go in life and the things you want to achieve: Start by identifying what is that you want to do in life, or the things that you really want to achieve. Identifying those things and having a clear idea of where you want to go in life will help you to see the big picture and create realistic goals. Remember to identify the things YOU want to achieve. This is not the time to let other people influence you or to give you ideas. This should be your goals; not other people’s goals.

Tip #3 Maintain a journal of those goals: After you identify the things you want to achieve, write them down in a journal and keep that journal handing for those moments when you start losing your focus. Putting your goals in writing will also help you in remembering why you want to achieve that goal, which in one way or another will prevent you from taking an unnecessary detour.

Tip #4 Set timeframes and prioritize your goals: Once you identify your goals and write them down, make sure you establish timeframes for each goal. Setting timeframes will help you prioritize the goals in a way that you do not feel overwhelm by them. Knowing what you want to do and the time in which you want to accomplish it will help you maintain your mental health intact and will prevent you from burning yourself down trying to achieve all at the goals at once.

Tip #5 Create a plan: Now is time to create your plan. Gather your journal and start making a “let’s do it” plan to help you achieve your goals. In this plan, make sure to list all the things you need that will help you achieve your goals. Also, add to the list people who you think will help you achieve the goals or at least can give you the motivation you need to maintain yourself focus on the completion of your goals. Once you have identified those resources, write down how you are going to “attack” each goal and the way you will use those resources during your “attack.” Once you have a better idea of what you want to accomplish, the resources you need, and the way you are going to use them, it will be easier for you to get in “attacking mode.”

Tip #6 Follow that plan: And last but not least; follow your plan. Yes, it is that simple my friends. I know that life has its ups and downs and sometimes, it is difficult to stay focus in the achievement of your goals but if you put all your effort and make a point of sticking to your plan, you will have a great chance of success. I promise!

Bottom-line; setting realistic goals in your life not only will help you have a clear idea of the path you need/want to follow, but it will also give clear and direct instructions to your brain of the things you are supposed to be working on to avoid distraction or unnecessary detours. Let’s start taking control over our lives my friends by creating a plan and working hard toward the achievement of our goals.

Remember; “the significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain.” ~ Kahlil Gibran ~

About the Author:

Do Not Allow Your Happiness to Depend on Other People’s Actions

2012-01-09T19:13:00.000-06:00

When was the last time you felt sad or upset because someone did something that hurt you or disappointed you? I surely remember my last time. I was trying to prepare a delicious meal for a group of friends and when I was in the middle of it, one of my friends said these exact words… “Since when do you cook?” At that moment, my first reaction was to stop cooking and to send him packing, but I decided to ignore that little comment and continued cooking. Long story short; at the end, the dinner was delicious and the guy had to apologize to me for his tactless comment.

Did the comment make me mad? Of course it did. Did I allow this guy’s action or words ruin the night? No, I did not. Why? Because throughout the years and thanks to my experiences in life, I have learned not to allow my happiness to depend on other people or their actions. Period!

Now, let me share a secret with you guys. When people allow other people’s actions or words to have a negative impact in their lives, they not only start depending in other people emotionally, but also they allow external actions to play a big role in their pursuit of happiness. According to the website www.thehappyguy.com (n.d.), happiness is a choice in life that YOU have to make. It is a state of being that only you can create. I have to say that I completely agree with this statement.

Now, let me go straight to the point. Do you feel like other people’s actions have a negative impact in your life to the point of putting in jeopardy your happiness? If the answer is yes, I invite you to continue reading.

Below, I will share with you four (4) tips that will help you to “detach yourself” from the effect other people’s actions could have in your life. These tips will help you to learn how to live a healthier, happier, and productive life without allowing those actions affect your life or the lives of those around you.

Tip 1: Independence: Make a point of not depending from other people to achieve your goals in life. Not emotionally or physically. By acting and behaving independent, you will be the only person responsible for the good things or the bad things that happen to you. Basically, take control of your life and be the author of your own life story.

Tip 2: Attitude: Attitude my friends is the key for everything. If you have bad attitude toward life, you will attract negative energy into your life. Have a good attitude even if you don’t feel it. Remember the old saying… “Fake it until you make it.”

Tip 3: Find your happy place: Finding your happy place is not as hard as it sounds. It only requires you to identify those things that you enjoy doing and pursue them more often. No one should be in charge of making you happy. That is something that you should work on your own. Identifying things that make you happy and making them part of your life will be the only way you can find that happy place.

Tip 4: Love yourself: Finally; love yourself for who you are and not for what other people think of you. By loving yourself, you can show the world that nothing can bring you down and that your well-being is the most important goal in your life.

Bottom-line; unfortunately, as we all know by now, we cannot control other people’s actions, but we can surely control the way we react to life situations and the impact these actions and situations have in our lives. Our happiness my friends is something that we need to work on without allowing other people’s action to affect it or to have a negative impact on it. Make a point of living a happy life without letting other people’s action influence the way you are trying to live your life.

One last thought; “do not rely on someone else for your happiness and self-worth because no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are – completely; the good and the bad, and make changes as YOU see fit; not because you think someone else wants you to be different.” ~ Stacey Charter ~

About the Author:

The 30-Seconds Speech: Learn how to “sell” yourself in a job interview

2011-09-05T20:27:00.000-06:00

Written by: Marielys Camacho-Reyes

How many of you have been asked during a job interview to talk about yourself? That question is usually asked during the first 3-5 minutes after the interview has started. Many people believe that this is a very easy way to start an interview but many others believe that this question is one of the hardest questions they have had to answer during an interview. I agree with those who believe that it is a hard question, but I will also

want to add that is one of the most important questions during a job interview.

When you are asked to talk about yourself during a job interview, what the interviewer is trying to do is to get to know the type of employee you are and if you have what it takes to perform the job. It is important that I mention that when you are asked this question, that is not the time to talk about how many children you have or if you are the oldest in your family. Let’s be honest; the interviewer doesn’t want to know that. After you

get the job, you will have plenty of time to share that information with your boss and co-workers.

This question, as easy as it looks sometimes pushes people to rumble through the answer and to present the wrong image of themselves during the interview making the interviewer to disqualify them from the position within the first couple of minutes after the interview started.

If you are getting ready for a job interview and want to “ace it,” I will suggest you to keep reading. Below, I will share with you couple of tips that will help you prepare an excellent answer for the “can you talk about yourself” question. Following my tips will not only help you create a great answer for the question but also to develop a powerful 30-second speech to impress the interviewer and to get the job you have always dreamed of.

Tip # 1: Do your research: Read the vacancy announcement and carefully study the skills and qualifications required for the position. Once you know the requirements and if you possess the skills, make sure to add those skills to your “speech.” By doing this you will catch the interviewer’s attention right away and position yourself among the most qualified candidates. This doesn’t mean you are going to lie about your skills and qualification. What you will do is to use the same terms the interviewer is using in the vacancy announcement and to show them right away that you possess those skills.

Tip # 2: Make a list of your strength and weaknesses: By having an idea of what your strengths are can help you to use them to your advantage during the first couple of minutes of the interview. At the same time, knowing what your weaknesses are can help you show the interviewer the areas that you need to improve. Having weaknesses doesn’t make you an unqualified candidate. It shows that you are human and that you are fully aware of the areas that you need to work on. Let’s face it. We all have weaknesses and the interviewer knows that. What is important is to be aware of them and to be willing to improve them.

Tip # 3: Go straight to the point: When asked the “can you talk about yourself” question make sure you go straight to the point. What the interviewer is looking for is a brief description of your professional experience, education, and the skills you posses. In other word, what your professional background is, what makes you the best candidate for the position, and most of all what do you have to offer to the company. Give that to him without deviating from the important information.

Bottom-line is; preparing for a job interview requires time and dedication and creating a good impression during the first couple of minutes after the interview started requires you to have a great introduction paragraph. Preparing, practicing, and presenting a powerful 30-second speech about your skills and qualifications during the initial part of the interview could be the difference between getting the job or going home empty-handed.

Remember; “What a man thinks of himself, that is what determines, or rather indicates his fate.” ~ Henry David Thoreau ~

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a career/life coach with over ten years of experience in the human resources field and human relationships. If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com or email her at success@mcrcoaching.com

6 Tips to Maintain Your Life and Career Intact After a Break-up

2011-07-20T09:51:00.000-06:00

Written by: Marielys Camacho-Reyes

Break-ups are among the most painful experiences a human being can endure in life. It is not a secret that a break-up can easily “break you up” and leave you feeling like nothing have meaning in life anymore. Believe me, I know what I am talking about because I have been there before and the experience I had almost destroyed not only my career but also my life.

Being in love is an amazing feeling but the more in love you are, the harder it is when is time to say goodbye, especially, if you are the one left behind. As adolescents, we are taught by our parents that love is the cure for everything and that with love, we can get whatever we want in life. As adults, even when we know that there are other important things in life that require our attention, we still believe that love is the answer for all our problems, and we go through life looking for that perfect love; the one that brings joy, happiness, and a sense of protection into our lives.

It is not a secret that once that special person in our lives decides that he/she doesn’t want to be in a relationship with us anymore, a great deal of pain will arise making our hearts hurt like it just broke into tiny little pieces and at the same time, making us feel like our lives will never be the same.

If you are going through a break-up at this time, and you are hurting a lot and feeling like your life have zero meaning, let me tell you something my dear friend, yes, I know it hurts and probably it will hurt for many days (not to say weeks) to come. The important part here is to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that one day, you will feel in control of your life again.

Below are six (6) tips to help you navigate through the break-up experience without putting your life and your career in jeopardy.

1) Cry your heart out, but after you finish crying, make a point not to cry again: This will help you to release all that pain that you are carrying around. But like I said, put a deadline to the crying and after you reach that deadline, stop crying and move on.

2) Find a hobby or a new challenge in your life/career: Take this experience as a great opportunity to re-intent yourself. Start practicing a sport or volunteer to complete a task at work that nobody else wants to do. You will be surprise how much you can accomplish, and this will help you get your mind out of the break-up.

3) Stay away from your ex: Yes, that includes calling, texting, facebooking, or stalking him/her at work. Unless you have children in common, there is no reason for you to stay in touch with your ex. At least, not until you can look at him without crying or feeling like begging him/her to take you back.

4) Get a makeover or do something nice for yourself: Another excellent opportunity to get yourself re-invented. Get a new haircut, try that new hair color you always wanted to try, or treat yourself to a trip to the Bahamas. Bottom-line; give yourself the queen/king treatment. Believe me; this will make you feel better.

5) Say “no” to post-break-up sex: Let’s face it guys, having sex with your ex will not make him/her want to come back to you. After sex, if the ex doesn’t want to have a relationship with you anymore, he/she will get dress and will keep on walking leaving you feeling used and betrayed once again.

6) Get rid of the excess baggage (aka: break-up feeling) and move on: As simple as that. Time cures everything, but a little help from you won’t hurt. Stop tormenting yourself over what happened and look at the future. You are the only one who can get yourself out of that dark hole you are in, so stop crying and move on. Your future boyfriend/girlfriend will thank you for that.

Bottom-line; experiencing a break-up may feel like the worst nightmare you have ever experienced in your lives. As a matter of fact, it is. But, if instead of throwing yourself in the couch for days feeling sorry for yourself, you take it as a learning experience and try to actually learn from it, the recovery process will be a less painful one.

Remember, the pain you feel after a break up is inevitable; letting it control your life and destroy it is optional.

About the Author:

Conflict Management: 6 Tips to Successfully Manage Disagreements at Work

2011-07-14T07:41:00.002-06:00

Written by: Marielys Camacho-Reyes

It is commonly known that when people work together or have any type of relationship that involves making important decisions together, disagreements and difference of opinions between each other will arise. Let’s face it; there is not such a thing as a “free of conflict” workplace.

How many of you have experienced a conflict at work? The type of conflicts that leaves you wondering if you are in an adult’s working environment or at a children’s playground? I certainly have and I can tell you my friend; that’s not a pleasant feeling. The important part here is to learn how to manage those conflicts to create a better and healthier working environment for all the people involved.

If you are currently involved or experiencing some type of conflict at work, I invite you to keep reading. Below, you will find six tips to successfully manage disagreements or conflicts at work. Following these simple tips will help you not only to identify those moments in which a conflict may be developing but at the same time they will help you to successfully manage them to be able to build a stronger working relationship with your peers and a healthier and productive working environment for you and for those around you.

Tip # 1: Identify what the “real” problem is: This is one of the most important tips. Make sure you recognize what is causing the conflict in the first place. By identifying the real problem, you will have a better chance to attack it directly not having to waste time trying to find solutions to an issue that in fact, wasn’t the actual problem at that moment.

Tip # 2: Listen to the other person’s point of view: Listen, listen, and after you finished listening; make sure you listen some more. This will be the key of your success. By listening to the other part, you can make sure that, in fact, you are the one that has the best argument or perhaps, the other person has a valid point and you are the one that needs to “change” the way the conflict is being managed.

Tip # 3: Express your point of view in a respectful way: Don’t be afraid to express your opinions, or letting the other person know what you point of view is. The key here is to do it intelligently and with respect. Don’t let your emotions get in the way or you will take the risk of looking like a cry baby.

Tip # 4: Compromise: Together, try to find a way to make the issue go away or to create a better solution to the problem in hand. By compromising, you show all the parts involved in the issue that you do care about their opinions and that all you want is for the problem to go away. Don’t have an “I want to win” attitude. Is better to negotiate.

Tip # 5: Seek guidance from a supervisor: If after trying to solve the problem with all the parts involved you still feel that an agreement hasn’t been reached, talk to your supervisor so he can be aware of the situation and help you to find the best way to deal with the problem. But remember, seeking guidance and whining about your coworkers isn’t the same thing. Make sure you look professional and that you have all your ducks in a row when you go and talk to your supervisor or you will look like you are pushing him to take sides, which isn’t an intelligent thing to do.

Tip # 6: Learn from the experience and move on: Every conflict we face in our lives can serve as a learning experience. Take advantage of those moments to learn something new and to open yourself to new ideas. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have to fight for what you think is right, but to respect other people’s points of views and ideas and try to learn from them. Then, move on!

Successfully managing disagreement is a skill that not everyone knows how to put in practice, but not a difficult one to learn. It requires that one of the people involved in the conflict decides that he/she doesn’t want to continue arguing and wants to fix whatever disagreement they hay the correct way, and at the same time decides to act like the “big kid” to ensure a positive outcome during the conflict management process.

One last thought, “successful leaders manage conflict; they don’t shy away from it or suppress it but see it as an engine of creativity and innovation. Some of the most creative ideas come out of people in conflict remaining in conversation with one another rather than flying into their own corners or staking out entrenched positions. The challenge for leaders is to develop structures and processes in which such conflicts can be orchestrated productively.”

~Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky ~

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a career/life coach with over ten years of experience in the human resources field and human relationships. If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com or email her at success@mcrcoaching.com

Are You Taking Life Too Seriously? 7 Ideas to Live a Healthier, Happier, and Productive Life

2011-05-19T16:19:00.000-06:00

Written by: Marielys Camacho-Reyes

How many of you feel that taking life too seriously is actually ruining your life or the lives of those around you? When I was living in Miami, FL, my friends used to tell me that my life was a spreadsheet, not a journey. Guess what? After carefully reviewing my life, I realized that they were right. Couple of years ago, I had my

life all planned out and every move I needed to make was written down on a spreadsheet.

The thing is that because all my duties (eg., mother of three, wife, professional, graduate student, and business owner) for me it was extremely important to have all my ducks in a row to be able to accomplish all those “task” to the best of my abilities, and I demanded perfection not only from the people around me but also from myself. But, there was one little detail that I wasn’t aware of; I was not having fun at all. While trying to be a role model and the responsible person of the equation, I completely forgot to have fun. After realizing that I was taking life way too seriously and that this behavior was jeopardizing my health, my marriage, and the relationship I had with my children, I decided to do something to stop being so serious about life and to

start enjoying it more.

If like me, you think you are taking life to seriously and you feel as if you need to do something about it, I invite you to keep reading. You will be amazed how your life will change by just putting in practice these

simple “let’s enjoy life” techniques.

Here are seven (7) excellent ideas to help you live a healthier, happier, and productive life without letting life control you or becoming a robot or a “spreadsheet maniac” like I used to be.

1) Do not forger to have fun with your family and friends: Family and friends should be the most important part of anyone’s life so go ahead and spend quality and fun times with them. By doing this you will be building excellent family and friends’ relationships and at the same time creating great memories that will last forever in your memory.

2) Be a responsible person, not a maniac: Be responsible with your duties and responsibilities, but don’t obsess about the things you can’t control nor change. Obsessing will only create stress, frustration, and anxiety. Believe me, you don’t need these feelings in your life, unless you want to start losing your hair J.

3) Plan your day, but leave room for changes: Have a plan, but allow yourself to deviate from that plan if life starts pushing you in a different direction. Again, don’t stress over things you can’t control. Tomorrow is another day.

4) Slow down and relax: Allow yourself to slow down and take a day off from all your duties and responsibilities. Believe me; all those things that you need to do will be there tomorrow. They are not going anywhere.

5) Realize that you are not a superwoman or a superman: Look at yourself in the mirror and repeat with me: “I am not a superwoman or a superman and guess what, that is ok, I don’t need to be.” Realizing that you are not perfect and that you don’t need to be will take that huge bag out of your shoulder and will help you live a life full of joy without the stress of trying to be a perfect human being.

6) Exercise more: Get your sneakers on and start moving that body. Not only you will feel healthier and sexy, but also sweating a little bit will help you relieve all that stress you have been accumulating throughout all these years.

7) And the last one, stop taking life too seriously: That is! Stop acting like you are not allowed to have fun because you have responsibilities. Do the things you need to do, but don’t forget to have fun and to enjoy every single minute of it while doing them.

Life is too short my friends to be taking it too seriously. Let’s live, love, and laugh. At the end that is all you will take with you at the end of your life cycle.

One last thought; “life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming – WOW – What a Ride!" ~ Unknown ~

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a career/life coach with over 10 years of experience in the human resources and is currently pursuing a master degree in Psychology. If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com

Believing in Yourself: 8 Tips to Build a Stronger Self-Esteem

2011-05-09T19:40:00.000-06:00

Photo: www.building-self-esteem.net

Many people believe that in order to achieve their career or life goals all they have to do is believe in themselves and by doing that, they will go far in life. I completely agree with this. The important question here is how can you develop that strong ability in moments like this when you can’t find jobs as easy as you used to or when your personal and social relationships are not where you want them to be and you feel responsible for those failures?

The answer is simple; having confidence in who you are, knowing where you are going in life, and identifying what you can offer to society. But how do develop confidence in yourself? By building and “polishing” a stronger self-esteem.

Self-esteem in defined by www.encyclopedia.com as “the evaluative and affective aspects of the self, to how "good" or "bad" we feel about ourselves. It is a consequence of the self's capacity for reflexivity, that is, the ability to look at oneself and to evaluate what one sees.”

There are many signs that could indicate that you may have low self-esteem. Some of the signs are:

• Excessive self-consciousness
• Lack of confidence in one’s abilities
• Excessive feelings of guilt/self-blame
• Inability to accept compliments
• Expecting little out of life for yourself

If you can identify some of these signs in your attitude and behavior toward life, you may be suffering from low self-esteem. The good news is that you can build your self-esteem and create a new you. I invite you to get out of your comfort zone and start working on creating a new attitude and opinion toward yourself that way you can face life with optimism and confidence, which in one way or another will help you achieve all your personal and career goals.

Here are eight (8) tips for building and increase your self-esteem to be able to create a better quality of life for you and for those around you:

1) Create a positive opinion about yourself: Having a positive opinion and attitude toward yourself increases your chances of personal and professional success and at the same time helps you maintain an excellent mental and physical health.

2) Create a list of your accomplishments and evaluate it as often as possible: Making a list of things you have accomplished in your life can help you get a better idea of the areas you have excelled and those in which you still need to develop.

3) Stop comparing yourself to other people: Remember, you may not be better that other people, but other people are not better than you.

4) Don’t take yourself, or life too seriously: Have fun! Life is way to short not to have fun doing the things you enjoy the most. Love, live, and laugh.

5) Spend time investing in your personal growth: Make every life situation a learning experience. It is never too late to learn new skills and to improve those areas in your life that require adjustment.

6) Make it a point to treat yourself well every day: Treating yourself with respect and self-love can help you develop a loving relationship with yourself.

7) Know your strengths and weaknesses and when is time to ask for help: Identifying your strengths and asking for help to improve those weak areas clearly shows that you are mature enough to know when you can and when you can’t accomplish something by yourself.

8) Don't confuse high self-esteem with arrogance: According to http://www.bodyandthought.com, “one mistake that you can make is to confuse self-esteem with arrogance. This kind of behavior is more often due to low self-esteem leading to the need to be constantly validated by others.”

Building high self-esteem doesn’t have to be a painful nor an agonizing experience. It involves positive thinking, a strong willingness to create a better you, the desire to find the true meaning of your life, and most of all, the urges to live a life full of love, respect, and success.

Remember; "the most important opinion you have is the one you have of yourself, and the most significant things you say all day are those things you say to yourself." ~ Unknown Author ~

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a career/life coach with over 10 years of experience in the human resources and is currently pursuing a master degree in Psychology. If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com

Bullying in the Workplace: The Untold Story of Career Bullies

2011-04-19T19:58:00.000-06:00

Photo from www.parade.com

When thinking about bullying, we have this mental picture of a child being harassed at school by other children. For parents that is a scary thought, but the truth is that bullying is such a terrible “social disease” that is affecting not only our children at school but also many adults in their workplaces.

In my experience as a career coach, I have met many people who come to me for guidance on how to deal with that situation and to see if, in fact, they are being bullied at work. The problem here is that since bullying can happen in many ways, not everyone knows how to identify it and how to deal with it.

According to the Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, workplace bullying refers to repeated, unreasonable actions of individuals (or a group) directed toward an employee (or a group of employees), which are intended to intimidate, degrade, humiliate, or undermine; or which create a risk to the health or safety of the employee(s).

Workplace bullying is a problem that can touch our lives when we least expected. One client came to me once asking me for guidance. When she shared her story with me, I was completely heartbroken. She was working with an auto company in Miami, Florida and her superiors were treating her badly without any reason. She was humiliated, intimidated, called stupid, retard, and many other disrespectful names. Unfortunately, she needed the job and decided to “put up” with that behavior for as long as she could. This experience was causing my client health and self-esteem problems. One day, she gathered all her strength and she confronted her superiors and left the job.

Workplace bullying, like the one mentioned above can manifest itself in different ways and most of the time, the person being bullied is scared and may not say anything. That is why it is our responsibility to identify those possible behaviors that can indicate that one of our coworkers or even ourselves are being bullied and do whatever is in our power to make it stop.

According to bullyingonline.gov, here are 10 of the most common ways of workplace bullying:

1) Being constantly criticized and the subject to destructive criticism.

2) Being regularly the target of offensive language, personal remarks, or inappropriate bad language.

3) Being threatened, shouted at and humiliated, especially in front of others.

4) Being undermined, especially in front of others.

5) Being singled out and treated differently.

6) Being the target of unwanted sexual behavior.

7) Being given unrealistic goals and deadlines, which are unachievable or which are changed without notice or reason or whenever they get near achieving them.

8) Being denied support by their manager and thus find themselves working in a management vacuum.

9) Being giving the silent treatment.

10) Being encouraged to feel guilty, and to believe they're always the one at fault.

Learning and understanding the possible signs of workplace bullying and how to confront it can help us create a better working environment for all the people involved, which in one way or another can provide us the necessary tools to grow as professional in a healthy, pleasant, and fair environment.

Workplace bullying is unacceptable. As professionals, it is our responsibility to change this behavior and to join forces to put an end to this terrible social disease.

If you or someone you know is experiencing workplace bullying, I invite you to speak up. Talk to your supervisor or to your human resources office as soon as possible. They will be able to help you and to guide you in the right direction. Do not wait anymore because the bullying will not stop until you make it stop.

Remember, you are not alone nor responsible for the bullying behavior. Do not allow this experience to keep you away from reaching your professional goals. I invite you to look for help and never forget who you are and what you can do. That will be the key for your success.

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes has over 10 years of experience in the human resources field and is a career/personal coach. If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com

Suffering from self-esteem issues?

2011-04-18T09:21:00.000-06:00

Are you suffering from self-esteem issues?

Don't worry--we have you covered! Share your story with us and you could be the winner of the book "Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem."

Send us an email at success@mcrcoaching.com with your story and you could be the winner..

Follow us in facebook and twitter for more information.

Thought of the day

2011-04-17T08:52:00.001-06:00

Good morning FB friends. Today is a perfect day to take a look at your life and see which areas you would like to improve. After you identify those areas, create an action plan to help you reach your goals.

Remember, "if you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else." ~ Lawrence J. Peter ~

If you need coaching, contact me at success@mcrcoaching.com.

Teen Advice Services

2011-04-10T20:08:00.000-06:00

Teens & Pre-teens

Are you having problems with your friends or at school and you want to get advice from someone your age?

You came to the right place. Our teen experts are waiting for your email.

Send them an email at success@mcrcoaching.com and let them "guide" you and help you fix those issues that are not letting you sleep. But before you contact us, ask for your parents' permission.

Once you contact us, one of our teen experts will contact you within 24 hours or sooner.

This instant advice via e-mail will include up to four (4) e-mail interactions with one of our teen experts.

This service is free of charge

Healthy Habits for Kids: Tips for a Healthier Life

2011-04-10T09:38:00.001-06:00

Photo from www.healthylife.elementfx.com

Written by: Mileydy T. Morales Camacho

Children all ages need to have healthy habits. It is responsibility of the parents to keep a child healthy from the very beginning. Here are some tips not only for parents but also children to be able to live a healthy life.

A child must be fed three meals a day and two snacks. They must also be given the proper nutrition. Eating healthy is very important because it is the first step to having a healthy life. It is good to eat fruits and veggies, but it is not good to eat too much fruits and veggies. Michelle Obama once said “Too much of a good thing, isn’t such a good thing.”

A child should be given the following things:

· Fruits

· Veggies

· Pasta

· Milk

· Meat

· Bread

The least a child should be fed are sweets. Sweets are bad if you eat too much; they are not healthy and rot children’s teeth. I understand that eating sweets is not just delicious but also tempting but they are not healthy for a child. It is a parent’s job to keep his/her child away from sweets and to eat more healthy foods.

My next category in having a healthy childhood is exercising. Many parents think children are too young to exercise, but they are wrong. A child should start exercising as early as possible depending on the physical conditions of the child.

Children who are younger than 13 years of age should not be using any advanced exercising machines because of the child’s own safety. The best exercises for a child are sit-ups, push-ups, and squats. If wanted, a child may also run at least one or two laps depending on their age.

I started exercising and running laps when I was 5 years old. It is very important to stretch before you exercise especially for a child because it may cause major pain and can also make the child to pull a muscle. It is also great for a child to jump rope, use the hula-hoop and play many sports.

Many children like playing these sports:

· Tennis

· Soccer

· Basketball

· Squash

· Volleyball

· Kickball

· Softball

· Handball

My last category in keeping a child healthy is living in a safe environment. A child must be able to live in a place where it is safe and he/she can live without danger. For their own safety, a child under the age of 12 should be accompanied with an adult when they are out of the house.

If invited to a party, make sure there are chaperones. Also keep educational things around the house so that your child may play and learn at the same time. Most important of all, make sure that your child does not only eat healthy, exercise and live in a safe environment, but also make sure your child can have fun. Fun can really boost a child’s happiness.

I hope my tips come in handy to many parents or guardians to help their children live a long and healthy life.

And remember; “The first wealth is health.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

About the Author

Mileydy T. Morales-Camacho is a 3^rd grade student who loves to write, read, and sing. She dreams of becoming an interior designer and a journalist.

Email Etiquette: Sending Emails Without Annoying the Receiver

2011-04-10T08:41:00.000-06:00

Email communication is among the most important aspects of business relationships. How many of you spend more than half of your working day reading or sending out emails? I know I do. Long gone are the days when we only communicated with others via phone or letters, which took almost a week to reach the receiver. Nowadays with just a click of a bottom, we can send messages, attachment, and greetings to practically

anyone around the world. Great huh!

The problem with this useful and practical communication technique is that not everyone knows how to properly use it or sometimes due to the rush of their days, they forget to put in practice some important email etiquette rules to be able to create a concise, well-written, and “to the point” email message.

Do you remember the last time you sent an email and after pressing the sent bottom, you realized that the email was sent either to the wrong person or had a bunch of mistakes? I certainly do. I was writing an email to a prospect client who was living in Miami FL at that time and at the same time reading an email from a good friend who was having marital problems. Long story short, the emails got all mixed up and I ended up forwarding the email from my friend to my client. I was able to fix the misunderstanding, but oh boy! What an embarrassment. Taking about messing up huh!

According to www.emailreplies.com, many companies send email replies late or not at all, or send replies that do not actually answer the questions you asked. If your company is able to deal professionally with email, knowing the email etiquette rules will provide your company with that all important competitive edge. Moreover, by knowing these rules you can learn what can and cannot be said or done in an email, which in one way or another will help you protect your company from awkward liability issues and you from losing your job.

There are many different etiquette rules in the professional field and some of these rules will vary depending to the type of business or company structure.

Below, I will share with you six of the most important email etiquette rules that apply to practically all professional settings:

1) Writing the message: Make sure the structure of your email message applies to the situation. When sending business emails, do not forget to follow standard writing protocol. Avoid confusing abbreviations, emoticons, or other distracting slangs (eg., LOL, TTYL, BTW, etc.) in professional emails.

2) Length of the message: Try as much as possible to keep the message short and to the point. Sending a long message will put you in risk of losing the receiver’s attention within the first two paragraphs.

3) Over use of email messages: Do not use emails to avoid personal contact with your receiver. Face-to face communication still considered the best way of personal/professional communication when dealing with important matters.

4) Emails are not private: Do not write in an email anything that can haunt you in the future. E-mail messages sent from work email accounts are considered business property and can be retrieved, screened, and examined without your consent.

5) Tone of the message: Do not forget that tones cannot be heard in an email. Make sure to maintain the tone of your email professional and free of sarcasm.

6) Contact information: Never assume the receiver knows who you are or how to get in touch with you. Including your contact information at the end of your message will help the receiver to have an alternate way of getting in touch with you in case he needs to.

Practicing these simple rules will help you improve your email writing abilities and at the same time will provide a positive professional image to you and to your company. But remember; “electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.” ~ Charles Dickens ~

About the Author:

Marielys Camacho-Reyes has over 10 years of experience in the human resources field. Her working experience along with her educational background has given her the necessary tools to guide individuals to discover their full potential and to complete their career or personal goals. If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session visit her website at www.mcrcoaching.com