Joi

Happiness and Security When You Are Financially Strong

October 23, 2021 by Joi Leave a Comment

Financial stability offers long-reaching advantages for our general health and well-being that go far beyond the capacity to pay bills promptly. We shall define financial stability and discuss how it might influence your life in the sections that follow.

What Exactly Is Financial Freedom?

Once you are financially secure, you are confident in your financial condition. You don’t have to worry about paying your expenses since you know you’ll have enough money. You are debt-free, have funds set aside for future objectives, and have enough savings to handle emergencies.

Achieving Financial Stability

Financial stability has a variety of rewards but it takes hard effort, determination, and intentionality (as well as some backtracking) to achieve. Whatever stage of your financial path you are in, here are a few tips to help you improve your financial health.

Spend Less Than What You Earn

Although it may appear to be a straightforward guideline, many individuals struggle with it. It’s incredibly easy to waste money on items we don’t require. Nevertheless, living under your means is critical for long-term financial stability. You can’t expect to increase your savings if you routinely squander all of your income or more than you make.

Budgeting

Budgeting is a crucial step to take while attempting to achieve financial stability. After all, if you don’t budget, how will you see where your money goes? How can you establish spending and saving objectives if you don’t recognize where your cash is being spent? Essentially, a budget should always be utilized to create and stick to a plan.

Invest

Investing is the best method to amass riches. Investing may appear to be daunting, but it does not have to be. Select a diverse portfolio (a combination of stocks, cash, bonds, and so on). That is, don’t invest all of your capital into the stock of one business or the shares of five firms in the same sector. Ensure you follow insider buying to invest in the best-performing stocks.

Clear Your Debts

Debt makes achieving financial security difficult. Focus on getting out of debt once you’ve determined how much you should reasonably spend through budgeting. Clear off credit card debt and prevent incurring further debt on your credit cards in the future. Do you have student loans? Pay additional payments to clear them as soon as possible. You could pay off your loans sooner, even if you entered a long-term payment plan. Paying off your debts earlier will save you cash in the long term since you will owe less interest.

Have a Rainy Day Fund

A rainy day fund is a strategy to prepare for the unforeseeable. There’s always the possibility that you’ll lose your employment and have to make do for a while without a regular paycheck. Perhaps you have to make a major auto repair or take an unexpected trip. A rainy day fund will cover part or all of your expenses and help you get through a difficult period. A rainy day fund will also provide you peace of mind by providing you with a backup plan.

The Benefits of Achieving Financial Stability

Now that you know how to get financially secure let’s look at what you stand to gain by putting in the effort.

Stress Reduction and Improved Health

According to a study, money is the top factor influencing people’s stress levels. This is a concern since prolonged stress is not only unpleasant but also fatal. Stress is a significant factor in many serious medical illnesses, including depression, stroke, heart disease, and obesity. By putting in the effort to get your finances in shape, you may extend your life and improve the quality.

Family Stability

It may seem obvious that being financially secure helps you pay bills in time and fulfill the needs of your loved ones, yet are you aware that it also adds to the stability of human relationships and overall family well-being? Marriages and love relationships perform better when financial stress is removed.

More Choices in Life

You have more influence over your lifestyle when you handle your money wisely and plan for the future. Individuals who are perpetually in debt, on the other hand, are captives to their obligations and what the lenders will let them do. Would you like to have the financial cushion required to make a job change? Do you want additional options for your children’s education? Then make modest sacrifices today to empower yourself tomorrow.

Financial freedom is the capacity to enjoy living on your own rules without having to worry about how you’ll cover your next expense. Many people believe that this is an unattainable dream; however, it is very well within your grasp. If you follow the tips outlined above, you will be on your way to financial stability.

Try Something New Every Day: You Never Know Where Your “Amelia” is Hiding!

October 20, 2021 by Joi Leave a Comment

Try Something New Every Day!

Think of a hobby or pastime you love to do – one that brings you great joy. Something you look forward to doing and feel on top of the world while doing it! Maybe it’s watching baseball on tv, cooking, gardening, walking, hiking, collecting Pyrex dishes, watching old movies, golfing, or burning it up on the tennis courts.

Whatever that something special is, it’s such a part of your life it almost feels like recess from the real world!

I’ve always been of the mind that the more interests you have, the more interesting life will be and the cool thing is, the opportunities for new interests are limitless. You can start a new hobby, find a new pastime, or adopt a brand new subject to learn about.

I remember about 12 years ago , I saw an Amelia Earhart special on the History Channel. An interest was greatly sparked and I went down an Amelia Earhart rabbit hole that has led to collecting every article, book, and collectible I can that has anything to do with her! I love looking for new specials about the iconic legend and have even began reading about other aviators (particularly women). On the flip side, there have been other individuals on the History Channel I have followed up on by studying more that didn’t spark any further interest, but there have been more people and subjects who have stuck around and greatly enriched my life.

You just never know when or where you’ll find your Amelia!

Have a great day and, as always, make each moment count double!

~ Joi (“Joy”)

Thoughts from 1917 Time Travel to Teach us Today

October 14, 2021 by Joi 1 Comment

For research and quotes for this very self help blog, I often look at rare, out-of-print books in the public domain. Occasionally one will have a timelessness about it, allowing it to be given new life and a second chance to enlighten and entertain a whole new generation of readers. For book lovers, like myself, this is too exciting to even describe. Books that never die, after all, are the best kind of books and I get a natural high in allowing them to breathe again.

Nine times out of ten, however, they’re simply too out-dated in their terminology, approach, and/or overall message. However, there’ll often be a passage (sometimes even a whole chapter!) that I’ll use on Self Help Daily. This allows the author to sort of “Time Travel” into our modern day and find a whole new audience.

Very cool, I think.

Today’s Time-Traveler is one of my VERY favorite authors: Grenville Kleiser. Even before I had books as business partners, I collected them for my own personal use. Mr. Kleiser had his own personal shelf – he still has it….great property, too – a Penthouse shelf. Thanks to by husband’s ebay skills, I nearly have every word Grenville Kleiser ever wrote.

Also very cool.

In a book published in 1917, INSPIRATION AND IDEALS, Grenville Kleiser wrote an inspirational entry for each day of the year. Kind of a dated blog in a book. But he was so much better about being concise and to the point than I could ever hope to be. I tend to ramble like an 85 year old substitute teacher with purple hair, coffee breath, and sensible shoes.

I was enjoying a reread of this book earlier, picking out quotes for the Quote Collection like they were grapes on a vine. One of the entries was so perfectly perfect and so brilliantly brilliant that I knew what it had in mind: It wanted to come back to life in a blog post.

So without further delay…or rambling (See?! See?!?! Merrily rambling away!), here is the entry as it appeared in 1917.

“To be strong and true; to be generous in praise and appreciation of others; to impute worthy motives even to enemies; to give without expectation of return; to practice humility, tolerance, and self-restraint; to make the best use of time and opportunity; to keep the mind pure and the judgment charitable; to extend intelligent sympathy to those in distress; to cultivate quietness and non-resistance; to speak little and listen much; to adhere always to a high standard of thought, purpose, and conduct; to grow in grace, goodness, and gratitude; to seek truth and righteousness; to work, love, pray, and serve daily; to aspire greatly, labor cheerfully, and take God at His word – this is to travel Heavenward.”

Some things really are timeless.

Dealing With Control Freaks

October 14, 2021 by Joi 3 Comments

Quote About Control Freaks

My own personal take on control freaks is this: Avoid, avoid, avoid, avoid. Okay, I know… this isn’t always possible. Sometimes you’re born into the situation, sometimes you marry into the situation, and other times you “inherit” control freaks at school or work.

Like everyone, I’ve been exposed to people who micro-manage (some so much so that it’s more funny than annoying), but they aren’t full-blown control freaks. They know what would happen to them if they ever headed in that direction. I’d make their life absolute hell.

Control freaks are those types of people who have the potential to suck the life right out of you. They make everything in life about THEM and, before you realize what has happened, your entire day and night are spent revolved around what THEY want and what THEY enjoy. You see a movie you’d like to see but instead of getting excited, you think, “I wonder if THEY would want to see this.”

Heck, sometimes the control is so strong, you may even think, “I wonder what THEY would say about me wanting to see this movie?!”

What kind of life is that? Seriously.

The good news is that, like most negative aspects in life, this one can be managed, controlled, and even improved. The first step?? You just took it! When you began reading about the situation and began seeking for a solution, you took the first step. You basically said, “I don’t like this situation and, frankly, I deserve better!”

The second step is to decide whether or not the individual (your own personal control freak) can realistically be confronted. Here’s where it gets tricky. Some control freaks can be reasoned with and the rare (deliciously rare) one will even thank you for pointing out a tendency they were unaware of. Please beware, however, that this type of control freak is extremely, extremely rare. By nature, most will simply want to control the fact that you’re confronting them!

My experience has been that most control freaks don’t believe the problem lies with them whatsoever – it is always, always, always other people who need “fixing,” never them!

One thing to keep in mind if you chose to confront someone about their tendency to try to control others (and situations and, quite honestly, the entire world!) is this – keep your voice calm and your words non-confrontational. If you put them on defense, you will not get anywhere. They’ve trained for this battle their entire life!

If possible, when they come across as controlling, calmly ask them, “What makes you say things like that to me?” or “What would I have to do to make you realize I can _____ by myself?” Many times, when someone is forced to stop and answer a question (as opposed to making a defensive comeback), the lightbulb will go off and they’ll realize, “Hmmm, I LITERALLY just tried to tell another adult how to eat their soup…” (or what to order at a restaurant, how to walk, how to talk, how to breathe, what to think….).

When looking at problems or challenges in life, I’ve always felt that it comes down to two approaches…

Change what can be changed.
Live with (accept) that which cannot be changed.

If the control freak in your life is one that cannot be avoided and, frankly, deep down you’d never truly WANT to avoid them…. like a spouse, parent, sibling, or child…. and if they refuse to lighten up, the ball is entirely in your court. You can’t do anything with THEM, so you must focus on YOU and YOUR response. It’s your life, after all, and you deserve to live it as you want to live it, not as someone else wants you to.

It’s your soup, by gosh, and if you want to slurp it in the privacy of your own kitchen…. slurp on! If you want to see something on television, watch it. It is your life, after all, and we are all free to live our own lives and NOT have them lived for us.

The next time your control freak tries to control some minute part of your life, point out to them that you will do it your way and allow the chips to fall where they may… and that you will then pick up your own chips! Point out how much freedom this now gives them – they’re free to concentrate on their own chips and leave yours alone!

Your Home is Your Happiness: 10 Ways to Improve your Interior

October 6, 2021 by Joi Leave a Comment

Making Your Home a Peaceful Fortress!

Any house can be transformed into a cozy place to which you always want to return, hiding from this hectic world.

Several design solutions will allow you to save on repairs and truly transform your interior.

Brighter colors

Adding bright decor, textiles are the first steps to change the interior. More lighting will emphasize the advantages of your home. To feel the changes more clearly, change the furniture. Even a few chairs of non-trivial design or a couple of bright armchairs will change the perception of the interior. A more drastic solution would be to repaint the walls or replace the wallpaper. It is better to change everything gradually, otherwise, the interior may change beyond recognition.

Mixing styles and textures

The combination of the incongruous has replaced the pure style. It is not necessary to stick to one canvas in the design of the home. Vintage items will not be superfluous in a modern interior, loft elements will be a good addition to strict classics. Mixing different styles in one space will be successful with a limited number of colors.

Art objects

Empty walls look unfinished. A work of art that fits the style is a universal way to change this. When choosing paintings, posters, photographs, or other art objects, you need to pay attention to their size concerning the room and furniture, so that they are not too small or too large.

More textiles

In addition to curtains, carpets, decorative pillows can transform the interior. To emphasize the individuality of the owner, you can decorate the interior with products made of velvet polyester in the form of your favorite car. This solution is perfect for a children’s room.

Pillows of non-standard shape are suitable for the design of other rooms. Any idea can be displayed on a soft handmade product: from a photo of a beloved girl to a picture of world art, from a pet to a glass of your favorite beer. All this will emphasize your individuality.

When making a bed, an experienced decorator is not limited to one blanket but uses the whole arsenal: bedspreads, blankets, decorative pillows. All this will create a special atmosphere of comfort in the room. More details on how to get a custom pillow can be found on the All About Vibe website. Your happiness is under your head.

Mirrors

Mirrors will instantly transform the space – they will increase the amount of natural light and create a sense of spaciousness in the room. As decorative accents, they are also good: with their help, you can decorate an empty wall above a dresser or dressing table, beat the fireplace area in the living room, or become the only decoration in a minimalist hallway.

More light

Designers know how important light is in the interior, so they always think over several lighting scenarios for each room. Along with the main one, the local one is very important: sconces and table lamps will create a chamber atmosphere in the bedroom and children’s room, and in the living room you can not do without a floor lamp with warm light.

Hide the electronics

In order not to give the impression that this or that technique was in the room by accident, you need to make it as inconspicuous as possible. The easiest way is to hide behind furniture facades. The TV can also be hidden behind sliding panels or included in the home gallery.

Accent wall

To do this, use wallpaper with an expressive print, textured plaster, 3D panels, or contrasting paint color. Moreover, light and decor help to beat one of the options. For example, a wall painted in a different shade is decorated with moldings or a large-format painting, and a large panel with a natural stone texture is illuminated with a pair of sconces.

To support the accent wall, designers recommend choosing furniture or accessories that match the color.

Glass partitions

Today designers are increasingly using glass partitions in their projects – it looks stylish and modern. By the way, this is a good reason to zone the room and at the same time leave the interior light and airy. With their help, you can separate the private area of the bedroom from the living room, the kitchen from the dining room. Use it as an alternative to doors or even walls in the apartment.

Metal parts

A must-have of any modern interior – bright metallic accents. They make the space more elegant, go well with wood, marble, mirrors, and glass. In the last few seasons, it has been fashionable to mix several types of metals in one interior at once. One of the win-win options is to combine warm metals with warm ones, and cold ones with cold ones.

Final thoughts

Your home is not only your fortress but also a reflection of your spiritual world. Don’t keep it to yourself, let your inner world go beyond the boundaries of your body, transforming your home.