Women Save Money

What Do You Get Her this Valentines Day? by Wayne Levine

proverbs31investor@gmail.com (Wayne Levine) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:40:46 GMT

Security is the gift that keeps on giving, according to relationship coach, Wayne Levine. "As men, we judge other men by their actions, and women judge us by our actions, as well. Women can be wooed initially with words, but at some point later in the relationship, the actions better be in line with what is being said or problems will become more and more prevalent."

This Valentines Day, skip the chocolates and flowers and make the conscious decision to really give your wife or girlfriend the one thing that money cant buy - a better version of yourself. Commit to making the important changes that will make you more present when it comes to your kids, your wife or girlfriend, and your relationship as a whole.

"Women need to see their men making the effort to improve themselves," explains Levine, "and men need to start this process before Valentines Day. By putting into action the commitment to improve the relationship, your woman may just find you more irresistible than she did when you initially found each other!"

So how does a man show her hes serious about improving the relationship? Levine says, "Let her know that you' re taking stepsthat youve enrolled in a mens group, have started seeing a life coach or counselor, or that youve found a support group with other men who will help you to silencing that little boy and become the man, father, and husband you want to be, and the man she wants you to be, too."

Wayne M. Levine, M.A. is the founder/director of BetterMen Coaching in Agoura Hills, CA, where he coaches men, couples, and mens groups. www.BetterMenCoaching.com. Post your thoughts below!

Toward a Balanced, Productive Family Life by Richard S. Kordesh, Ph.D.

proverbs31investor@gmail.com (Richard S. Kordesh, Ph.D.) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:22:55 GMT

An important key to a balanced family life is to remember that the family is a producer as well as a consumer. Acting on its productive potentials is empowering, and provides the family leverage with the outside world so that moms and dads can create the situations that their kids need.

Three ways to think of the family as producer are:

1) See and use the home as a productive habitat. “Habitat” includes the built environment as well as natural amenities such as the yard, the landscape, and the spaces shared with other families. For example, growing vegetables provides fresh, nourishing food that can complement what the family purchases from the grocery store. It also expands one’s options as a consumer.

2) Co-school the kids at home in partnership with the school they attend in the community. Even when full homeschooling is not desired, there are many ways for parents to serve as the co-teachers. As this author discovered, it’s even possible in some districts to negotiate with the elementary or middle school to teach a course or two at home, even as the children attend school for most of their subjects.

3) Base some work at home. Home-based work, whether carried out as an entrepreneur or as an employee, is becoming more possible due to technology. It is also more widely accepted, thanks to the growth of “family-friendly” employment practices. De-coupling work from a distant work site, even for only part of the work week, makes it more feasible to control one’s time to attend to other productive tasks.

There isn’t one model of a productive family. A mom and dad can negotiate about who will build different kinds of creative activities into their lives. There are as many inventive combinations as there are families. If you’ve seen one productive family … you’ve seen one! The family-as-producer yields good things for its members and the community. A community blessed with many industrious families is rich in partnerships that keep it vital economically, successful educationally, and empowered spiritually.

Through his experiences as a planner, professor, husband and father, community development expert Richard S. Kordesh has developed a model he calls ‘family-generated community building,’ describing how productive families are the source of energy for effective community development – and, thus, successfully raising children. He explains his model in his new book, Restoring Power to Parents and Places.

"To progress successfully through all of their stages of development, children need to grow up in good communities,” says Kordesh. “Good communities do not occur without viable, productive families. If we want communities to become more capable of educating children effectively, generating sustainable economic development, reducing crime and so on, we have to restore power to the productive family.”

Think you’re doing all you can to raise your child? If your community is lacking, you might not be doing as much for them as you think. Post below.

How Creativity Can Help Reduce Stress

proverbs31investor@gmail.com (Carolyn Castleberry) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:05:02 GMT

Stress is something that millions of people are plagued with, throughout the year. It may be brought on by work or our daily life duties, but the fact is that many of us feel the strain that leads to emotional issues, muscle tension, stomach and digestive problems, and more. One of the most satisfying ways to combat stress is to engage regularly in a creative activity that brings enjoyment. For many, that outlet is creativity, whether it involves writing, photography, or drawing.

“Having a creative outlet can be both fun and therapeutic,” says Sarah Gilbert, the director at Lulu (www.lulu.com). “Today people can also share their creative work with the world.”

According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapy, which can be used at every age, helps people relax, share, and helps people cope improve mood, and with such issues as grief. They also report that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight.

Many people have art therapy-related hobbies that include crafts, drawing, painting, writing or journaling, all of which can provide them with the means to reduce stress and bring about feelings of happiness. Being creative can also stimulate the brain, keeping people learning new things and engaging in life, which helps to ward off things like Alzheimer’s disease.

“The great thing is that, after people have put their feelings on paper, we help them share it with the world,” added Gilbert. “Being able to share one’s feelings with others, or to help educate others about something, can be extremely gratifying and healing.”

Lulu helps those who use their creative talents to be able to turn their work into something for the masses. Whether it is a novel, a nonfiction book, or a children’s book with illustrations, Lulu is a free way for authors and illustrators to publish their work. Whether it is an adult book covering an issue in-depth or a children’s book that helps to explain a tough subject, their self publishing system allows everyone to get their creative work into the mass marketplace.

Lulu.com, founded in 2002, is a company that specializes in self publishing. The company has 1.1 million creators and has 20,000 titles added to their collection each month. They offer their free service to authors in exchange for a small percentage of profits from each sale. Lulu provides anyone with the ability to publish books, eBooks, mini-books, photo books, calendars, cookbooks, and travel books. To learn more, visit the website at www.lulu.com.

Sources:

American Art Therapy Association. About us. < http://www.arttherapy.org/aata-aboutus.html>

American Art Therapy Association. Art Therapy: Enhancing the lives of older adults. <http://www.arttherapy.org/SeniorToolkit/SENIORTOOLKIT.pdf>

Fat Free Fudge Recipe (courtesy of CDKitchen.com)

proverbs31investor@gmail.com (Carolyn Castleberry) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:44:50 GMT

Thinking there is no way around an expanded waistline in order to enjoy chocolate offered on Valentine’s Day? Cari Coulter, RD, LD Director at Wellspring in Wisconsin offers up the following, eat this, not that food selections on Valentine’s Day so you can still afford to show your love without ruining in your New Year’s resolution.

Instead of eating a regular brownies, Coulter offers up a no-pudge brownie mix that is only 140 calories with 0 grams of fat.

She offers this recipe:

Fat Free Fudge Recipe (courtesy of CDKitchen.com)

Ingredients

3 cups sugar 2322, 0

2/3 cup cocoa 126, 7

1 ½ cup evaporated skim milk 150, 0

¼ cup butter buds 60, 0

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

Directions

Bring sugar, cocoa and milk to full boil, stirring constantly. On reaching a full boil, stop stirring, until candy reaches soft ball stage. Remove from heat, sprinkle butter buds and extracts on top, don't stir.

Let temperature come down to 110°F on candy thermometer. Beat thoroughly until it loses its glossiness. Working quickly spread into a 8 or 9 inch pan. Cool and cut.

Nutrition (per 1/20th of recipe): 132 calories and 0.35 grams of fat

Wellspring at Structure House is a member of CRC Health Group, the most comprehensive network of specialized behavioral care services in the nation. Enjoy and post your heart-healthy recipes below!

Burn Those Calories!

proverbs31investor@gmail.com (Carolyn Castleberry) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:06:42 GMT

One month into the New Year and how are those resolutions working for you? Make 2012 "your year to become physically fit and keep your vascular system healthy,” said Anil Hingorani, MD, a member of the Society for Vascular Surgery®. “Winter sports burn calories, increase your heart rate, and keep your blood flowing at a healthy rate.”

Hourly caloric burns include (according to Livestrong.com):

Cross country skiing - burns 511 calories on a 160 lb. person

Downhill skiing - burns 365 calories on a 160 lb. person

Ice hockey – burns 563 calories on a 155 lb. person

Ice skating - burns 511 calories on a 160 lb. person

Shoveling snow by hand - 400 calories on a 140 lb. person

Tobogganing – burns 493 calories on a 155 lb. person

Of course, persons who reside in warmer climes can spend the winter months enjoying activities such as:

Bicycling at a leisurely pace – burns 281 calories for a 155 lb. person

Golf carrying clubs - burns 329 calories for a 160 lb. person

Walking the dog slowly – burns 211 calories for a 155 lb. person.

“Thirty minutes of exercise daily is the minimum for maintaining proper weight and good blood flow,” said Dr. Hingorani. “Exercise may reduce the risk of stroke, the fourth leading cause of death in America according to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2010 National Vital Statistics Report. In 2010, 137,000 Americans died of stroke.

Daily exercise, a healthy diet, not smoking, and a healthy body weight help to maintain good vascular health.

There are non-invasive tests that can screen for vascular disease. Medications are available that can help control vascular disease. Every year, the lack of regular physical activity results in 250,000 deaths according to a 2003 report in the medical journal, Circulation. Persons who are least physically fit have a mortality risk 4.5 times higher than physically fit persons.

For vascular health information, visit: VascularWeb.org and post your ideas for staying physically fit below.

Four Rules for Effective Communication by Jude Bijou

proverbs31investor@gmail.com (Jude Bijou) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:06:59 GMT

After thirty years in private practice, Jude Bijou, MA, MFT, psychotherapist, and author of Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life with decades in study and teaching, has come to see that all good communication boils down to following four simple rules. With them, anyone can communicate about any topic effectively and lovingly.

Also, there are four main violations that create the misunderstandings and ensuing hurt, alienation and confusion that we experience when communicating with others. They balance each other out perfectly.

1. The First Rule is “talk about yourself.” This is our true domain. Share what we feel, think, want, and need. This brings closeness, as we reveal information about ourselves. The First Violation is to tell other people about themselves (without permission). This includes blame, sarcasm, teasing, attacking, and finger-pointing. It only creates separation and alienation.

2. The Second Rule is to stay specific and concrete. That's what we do with music, architecture, engineering, cooking, math, physics, and computers; and what we must do when communicating. When we stay concrete others can understand what we're saying – the topic, the request, the reasons. It brings peace. The Second Violation is over-generalizing. This can take the form of sweeping conclusions, abstractions, and labels, and using words like “always” and “never”, or bringing in other topics only barely related to the subject at hand. This is confusing, as we don’t know what's being said. It fuels fear.

3. The Third Rule, then, is kindness. Compassion fosters love. It can take the form of offering appreciations, praise, focusing on the positive, and sharing gratitude.The Third Violation is being unkind. Focusing on what’s not working, on what we don’t like, throws a blanket on furthering a conversation and produces anger and feelings of separation in the recipient.

4. The Fourth Rule is simply to listen. That means seeking to truly understand what someone is saying, and encouraging their speech. This brings closeness. Listening is a practice.The Fourth Violation is not listening. We know how that feels. Not good. Automatic interruptions, debates, and wise-cracks don’t truly acknowledge the speaker but instead further our own agenda.

The four rules bring loving, effective communication and feelings of connection. These rules, share from your own experience, use specifics, kindness, and listen, are very simple (but not easy); and the rewards of abiding by them are great. These violations apply in virtually every setting and causes communication breakdowns and distance.

Jude Bijou is a licensed marriage and family therapist, an educator, and the author of Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life (Riviera Press, 2011). In Attitude Reconstruction, she proposes that everyone can create the life they are truly seeking. And that as they learn the emotion-resolving tools they weren't taught, they can’t help but make a significant difference for themselves, their families, and their world.

Post your ideas for more effective communication on the job and at home!

Joblessness Among Young Veterans Rises Above 13 Percent

proverbs31investor@gmail.com (Carolyn Castleberry) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:39:52 GMT

Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that joblessness among young veterans ages 18-24 was 1 in 3 for the last quarter of 2011, up from 1 in 5 in the last quarter of 2010. The overall unemployment rate for young veterans in December 2011 rose to 13.1 percent.

As reported in USA Today: “One out of three veterans ages 18 to 24 were without work the last quarter of 2011, double the rate of civilian peers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. One in five young veterans were without work in the last quarter of 2010.”

“Those who made the decision to serve our nation and to defend the freedoms of all Americans are selfless individuals who, along with their families, have made sacrifices for a cause greater than themselves. The fact that unemployment is disproportionately high for young veterans should be a cause of concern for every American,” said Paul T. Conway, president of Generation Opportunity, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Labor, and former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

“When young veterans – highly trained and tested professionals with a proven ability to learn quickly, operate on a team, and produce results – are unable to find real opportunities in the job market, it speaks to the poor state of our economy. The root of the problem clearly does not rest with the American veteran – the issue is the faltering economy and leadership in Washington that is committed to higher regulations and job killing taxes that inhibit ingenuity and business expansion, limiting opportunities for all Americans.”

Generation Opportunity, which has more than two million Facebook fans, is proud to have former and current members of the U.S. Military as fans on its popular Facebook pages “Being American” and “The Constitution.” Currently, the organization has thousands of fans serving the nation and defending freedom in Germany, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Qatar, Afghanistan, and other posts around the globe.

Generation Opportunity commissioned a poll with the polling company, inc./WomanTrend (April 16 – 22, 2011, +/- 4% margin of error) and select highlighted results for all young Americans ages 18-29 appear below:

Millennials and National Security:

Greatest threats to national security: National Debt (62%), Energy Dependency (61%) and Indebtedness to Foreign Powers (50%).

80% view China as a danger: economic threat (48%), both economic and military threat (28%) and military alone (4%).

70% (net) would increase production of domestic energy sources like oil, natural gas, and coal, while only 22% (net) would decrease production.

Dissatisfaction with Current Level of Employment and President Obama’s Handling of Unemployment:

43% are not satisfied with their current level of employment.

Just 31% of 18 – 29 year olds approve of the President Obama’s handling of youth unemployment.

Delayed Dreams Resulting from a Poor Economy:

77% of young people ages 18-29 either have or will delay a major life change or purchase due to economic factors:

44% delay buying a home;

28% delay saving for retirement;

27% delay paying off student loans or other debt;

27% delay going back to school/getting more education or training;

26% delay changing jobs/cities;

23% delay starting a family;

18% delay getting married.

Leaders In Washington, D.C. Fail to Reflect Interests of Young Americans:

69% say the current leadership in Washington fails to reflect the interests of the younger generation.

Only 36% believe there is the right leadership in Washington.

61% indicated that a candidate’s positions on issues and record in office will be more important than charisma and likeability when they cast their vote for President in 2012.

Government Spending and Economic Opportunity:

76% of overall Millennials would favor a decrease over an increase in federal spending from its current level if given the chance to set America’s fiscal priorities.

69% prefer reducing federal spending over raising taxes on individuals in order to balance the federal budget.

59% of overall Millennials agree the economy grows best when individuals are allowed to create businesses without government interference.

53% of overall Millennials agree if taxes on business profits were reduced, companies would be more likely to hire.

ABOUT GENERATION OPPORTUNITY

Generation Opportunity is a non-profit, non-partisan 501 (c)(4) organization that seeks to engage everyone from young adults, to early career professionals, college students, young mothers and fathers, construction workers, current service men and women, veterans, entrepreneurs and all Americans who find themselves dissatisfied with the status quo and willing to create a better tomorrow.

Is Prayer Enough by Janice Gentles-Jones

janice@onlinesuccessmap.com (Janice Gentles-Jones) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:26:21 GMT

I recently had a conversation with a close friend and she told me of someone who was going through a really difficult time and was inconsolable because of her situation. I found myself saying “tell your friend to pray about it”. My friend responded with annoyance and said that the person does go to church (most Sundays in fact) and she prays.

At first I was a little taken aback by the annoyance. But as I started thinking more about what I said I realized I fell in the trap of saying the common “pray about it” phrase and how empty it can sound without context.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV) says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

When you search for God with all your heart, you start to build a personal relationship with him. Think of when you first met the love of your life or someone you really cared about. You did everything you could to get to know them better. You talked on the phone for hours. You thought about them all the time. You couldn’t wait for the next time you’d see each other again.

That’s what it feels like when you wholeheartedly seek a relationship with God. It becomes more than just a Sunday morning routine or an absent prayer. It becomes a love relationship where you can’t wait to talk with God and share your hopes and disappointments. He becomes that friend that you can go to for guidance and lean on for peace and comfort. Difficult times are inevitable in our life, but imagine how much harder life can be without really knowing God’s love, comfort and peace.

In a loving relationship there’s trust, understanding, forgiveness, unconditional love and a desire to know each other better. You can have that with God but he does ask that you earnestly seek him in return. Prayer without a relationship with God is tough because you won’t believe He has good plans for your life. If you don’t really know him it’s hard to trust Him. Through God’s words and prayer you can really get to know Him and start to trust Him. As you study the Bible you’ll see proof that God keeps His promises.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKIV) says For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are My ways your ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

God can see beyond your current circumstances. His ways and thoughts are higher than any human being. And while your friends and families can offer you comfort and advice even their perception is limited. Praying while you’re earnestly seeking God allows you to accept that His ways and thoughts are higher than yours. So while you may not understand the reasons for some of the difficulties you face, you can find comfort in God’s word that he has plans for you that are for good and not for disaster, plans for a future with hope.

So now the next time a friend is facing a difficult time, I’ll think twice about saying “pray about it”, at least not without adding context to that statement. Perhaps I can say “I’m so sorry you’re having a difficult time. And while I may not have the words to console you, please know that God has good plans for you. Pray and earnestly seek Him and He will get you through this difficult time”. That’s His promise to you and He keeps His promises!

My Favorite Excuses (and Five Ways to Eliminate Them) - Theresa Ceniccola

proverbs31investor@gmail.com (Theresa Ceniccola) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:28:19 GMT

Have you ever experienced a fleeting moment when your true desire for greatness took up residence in your heart and radiated within you, only to be extinguished in seconds by all of your excuses? It looks a little bit like this:

“This is my year! I'm going to run a marathon!”

“No, maybe just a 5k…I would never make it 26.2 miles.”

“Wouldn't it be amazing to open that boutique I’ve always wanted to own?!”

“But that’s too risky and we don’t have the money to invest.”

“I am finally going to write that book that’s just waiting to come out of me!”

“Well, maybe I’ll wait until the kids are older – they really need me now.”

Sure, they sound like perfectly legitimate reasons for putting our lives on hold. And sometimes God does call on us to serve others and to be good stewards of our resources. But surely he doesn’t call on us to sit backstage forever and watch others step in the spotlight to achieve their goals and dreams while we dampen our own lights.

How to Tell the Difference Between Excuses and Legitimate Reasons

Trust me when I tell you that I know all about excuses. I’m a rock star when it comes to explaining, justifying and defending my choices to stay stuck in my own overwhelmed mess of a life. Whenever I have one of those enlightening moments, in which I can see clearly where God is calling me to go, I am filled with energy and passion! I am ready to take that leap of faith and I know for certain that He is going to be there for me. That euphoric feeling lasts about 24 hours at most. Then the excuses creep in. Here are some of my favorites:

“I’m too busy.”

“My family needs me.”

“I don’t have the money.”

“I need to get a degree or certificate first.”

“My friends and family wouldn’t approve.”

“I'm not ready yet.”

“That’s not the responsible thing to do.”

“It will never work.”

“Now is just not a good time.”

What to do When Your Excuses Are Calling the Shots

If these excuses sound even vaguely familiar, I want to encourage you to keep reading. Because I don’t profess to be “cured,” but I do know how to recognize – and overcome – the excuses that have held me back in my business. Here are the steps I take when my favorite excuses start to occupy space in my heart and attempt to prevent me from shining my light on others.

Five Tips for Extinguishing Your Own Excuses:

1. Dig a little deeper. Ask yourself why the excuse is true for you. Why are you not ready? Why don’t you have time? Why wouldn’t it work? Sometimes when we dig beneath the surface of our resistance, we uncover the source of the problem, which has nothing to do with our original understanding. This happened for me when I told myself I couldn’t let someone else handle the family finances. My excuse was that “nobody else will do it the right way.” What I later discovered to be my real issue was, “I don’t want to let go of control.” (By the way, if you don’t have any control issues, you can stop reading now, because I probably can’t help you!)

2. Turn it around. Choose to believe the opposite is true. Tell yourself that you do have the money and that now is the perfect time. Say it aloud as many times as you need to until you believe it. Write it down and keep it someplace where you can see it every day. If you tell your child she’s great at math, will it make her earn straight A’s? Maybe not…but as a mother, you know it will make her more likely to give it her best and to feel good about herself in the process. You can give yourself that same boost by choosing to believe in your own success.

3. Create a daily habit. Excuses are like head lice -- by the time you can see them, they’ve taken root in your soul and require painstaking attention to eliminate. And they’re quietly infectious, which makes it easy for us to be surrounded by others who feed on our excuses. So we have to be diligent each day in taking action to combat our excuses. What’s ONE thing that you can do to extinguish your own excuse each and every day? If you tell yourself “It will never work,” then perhaps you need to spend ten minutes a day reading inspirational stories and words of wisdom from others who “made it work.” If you think you’re too busy, then maybe you can commit to 30 minutes a day at first. Surely you can create 30 minutes a day to your life purpose!

4. Tell someone. Not just anyone. Share your fears with someone who won’t accept them as truth. Someone who believes in you and sees you in the place you want to be. It’s easy to confide in a “Yes Man” – someone who will agree with you and tell you that you’re doing the right thing by putting your hopes and dreams on the back burner because it’s safe or smart or caring. It’s easy to find validation for our excuses. But what you really need is to be challenged. You need to share your excuses with someone who doesn’t accept them. Who will force you to confront them with gentle but firm compassion. So find someone who can hold you to a higher standard and ask her to do that for you.

5. Pray on it. Don’t assume that your excuses are coming from God just because they are rooted in noble intention. If you’re putting off your business because your family needs your attention, it’s natural to think that God is calling you to be a mother and a wife. And maybe he is. But maybe he has other plans for you – plans that allow you to expand your capacity to serve hundreds (or millions!) of people with the gifts he has bestowed on you. How do you know he isn’t calling you to do more? Or to do less? Ask. Listen. Trust.

What’s your excuse? Have you been putting your business or your dreams on hold for a seemingly logical reason? Can you tell the difference between excuses and reasons in your own life? Share your story with me here! For more information on Theresa visit theresaceniccola.com

More than Enough

proverbs31investor@gmail.com (Carolyn Castleberry) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:27:22 GMT

God desires you to be blessed, and these outstanding financial wisdom resources explain why and how you are blessed to be a blessing. Begin your 2012 with a powerful resource tool to help you understand and walk in God’s plan for your financial peace, provision and prosperity in Christ.

The CD series, More than Enough, features the teachings of Jimmy Evans of Marriage Today; Jay W. Richards, author of Money, Greed and God; Robert Morris, pastor and best-selling author of The Blessed Life; Dr. Caroline Leaf, author of the bestseller, Who Switched Off Your Brain?, Carolyn Castleberry’s CD, The Jesus Factor: 8 “Rules” of Tithing in Joy and many others.

In addition, you will receive James Robison’s book, True Prosperity

Order for a donation of any amount. Click here.