Tag Archive for self-confidence

Support Groups: Can They Make a Difference?

August 13, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Is a support group right for you? GenuLines looks at some of the factors to consider if you’re leaning in that direction. 
 
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Support Groups: Can They Make a Difference?

When you’re dealing with an adverse situation, you may feel like you’re all alone. It seems the bigger the problems, the more alone you feel.
 
help from support groupsBut others have dealt with the same or similar situation themselves. And, they can help you get through it and give you any needed support.
 
It’s best to face this head-on. Don’t try to put off dealing with it, thinking that it will get better by itself.
 
 
Some situations will get better by letting it go, but most won’t.
 
You should confront the challenge so that it doesn’t build up. You can also make a situation worse than it already is by not taking appropriate actions.
 
Talk to family members and friends. You may be surprised by their understanding.
 
And you’ll find some of them may have been in the same situation.
 
room for support groupsIf this falls short, a support group could offer help. The group members may want to meet with you in person to find out more about your circumstances. and how they can help.
 
Again, don’t put this off because your emotions will build.
 
 
Make an appointment as soon as possible. When you find a group that is related to your situation, go to meetings regularly.
 
It can be either the process or the meetings that help you overcome adversity. Or both.
 
The groups you find have gone through the process (and may still be going through it). If you try to rush the process, you may not get everything you need from the group.
 
Many groups offer their help free of charge. However, you should consider pitching in some money as there are costs involved with running these groups.
 
The groups may ask you to contribute some money to help out. Often, this is voluntary.
 
But, if the group is worthwhile, you want it to continue as a going concern. They need money for that to happen.
 
You get out of the group what you put into it, just like anything in life. If you go there and don’t get involved, you shouldn’t expect to get much help from the group.
 
Become involved and ask a lot of questions.
 
JK 8-13-2019
chiforyourself.com home
 
stick man hearing of support groupsOverheard: “It is a kingly act to assist the fallen”                                       ~Ovid 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Computer Code Uses Routine – And It Works

August 6, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Having a routine can help your life go a lot smoother. GenuLines borrows from computer science to give you a template for setting up your own routine.

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Computer Code Uses Routine – And It Works

Ever write computer code? It’s an effective way of creating routines. These snippets of code can repeat the running of certain functions or processes.
 
They prevent coders from having to write redundant code each time they need it. It’s an efficient way to code and saves countless hours for programmers.
 
binary code shows routine
 
From the machine’s perspective, it will run successfully every time you call it. This assumes the code is well-written and bug-free.
 
With the program loaded the device runs the routines on command.
 
Humans try to create routines for themselves. They write down processes that they handle on a frequent basis.
 
For instance, you might pay your bills on the same day every month.
 
You have a system for how you do it. You follow a step-by-step procedure to organize the eventual payment of bills.
 
The routines that you set up for yourself help you to keep an orderly flow to the work at hand. But unlike a machine, you are subject to error.
 
That’s part of the human equation.
 
You can’t help it, and this means that your routines are fallible. While it may be annoying, it’s reasonable because you’re human.
 
Sometimes, we try to use machines to automate as much of our routine as we can.
Routine and Your BIlls
Let’s take a closer look at bill paying. Rather than send checks you can automate your bank payments on a specified date.
 
In most cases, all goes well and your bills get paid on time. But, what if you forgot to deposit enough funds into your account?
 
Your automatic payment will fail.
 
This issue shouldn’t discourage you from automating your life. You need to realize that there is room for error.
 
Be ready when errors occur.
 
While the banking example is trivial, others may not. For instance, suppose someone in your company is leaving. and they transfer an automated process over to your control.
 
The process works well for a while, and then one day, it blows up on you.
 
Your company is depending on you to get the work done. You never learned the manual completion of the automated process.
 
And you don’t know anything about coding.
 
As you can see, routines are great. But they have their limitations.
 
Be aware of those limitations and make sure you have steps in place should your plan not work for you.
 
JohnK 8-6-2019
 
stick man hearing of routineOverheard:  “Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine”
                          ~Shunryu Suzuki
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Can Vision Boards Help You Believe in Yourself?

July 23, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
It’s called a vision board. Its purpose is to reinforce some message about yourself or your goals.
 
But, does it really work?
 
Today GenuLines looks at the question from both sides.
 
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Can Vision Boards Help You Believe in Yourself?

man looking for vision boardsWhile “vision board” is not an official definition, it should serve to give you the concept in a nutshell. Are vision boards an effective tool towards helping your self-development?
 
First, we look at how they work. In general, you place information and pictures on your vision board.
 
 
 

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

 

These represent various aspects of your life. They can be personal, professional, or both.
 
You could have separate vision boards for personal and professional purposes as well.
 
Vision board pros and cons
One of the most significant benefits of a vision board is you can refer to it whenever you need inspiration. Or if an aspect of your life changes in some way.
 
You can update the board to reflect those changes.
 
Another pro (but possibly also a con) is that you can put whatever you want on a vision board. That’s great, but if it doesn’t help you with your goals, it may not be as beneficial to have it on the board.
 
In fact, it could hinder your progress since it takes up prime real estate on your board.
 
Remember that nothing is set in stone on your board. If you find something on it that isn’t working, take it down.
Vision boards are not for everyone
Some people find them to be a waste of time. They spend lots of time finding items to place on the boards and then never refer to them again.
 
It’s time that could be better spent elsewhere.
 
One use of vision boards is to place accomplishments on them. It’s easy to forget about events that happened earlier in our lives.
 
Keeping spots on the vision board dedicated to them will serve as reminders.
 
Don’t believe that you’ve forgotten about your accomplishments? Think back to what you accomplished in high school and college.
 
Or when you started your first job.
 
Having a handy reminder of your accomplishments boosts your self-belief. Each accomplishment will help you remember what you went through to get it.
 
This can help move you toward future accomplishments.
 
There are no right or wrong answers when creating a vision board. It just needs to work for you.
 
If it doesn’t, you should figure out why and adjust as you see fit.
 
signature for vision board article
 
 
 
JohnK 7-23-2019
chiforyourself.com home
 
 
stick man sees vision boardsOverheard: “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements”
                                         ~Napoleon Hill
 
 
 
 
 
 
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How to Handle Being Laid Off

July 9, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Being laid off sucks! As a broadcaster for many years, I experienced this over and over again.
 
Read on for the GenuLines look at ways to deal with layoffs.
 
 
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How to Handle Being Laid Off

You wake up every day and think about what you’ll need to do when you get to work. Once you get there you feel overwhelmed, but you know it’s good to have a job that pays the bills.
 
man laid offThis time, your boss calls you and several other coworkers into a conference room. A Human Resources person is at the meeting, too.
 
Then, your boss gives you the news that you’re losing your job.
 
 
 
 
Image by www_slon_pics from Pixabay
 
Your first thoughts are how are you going to pay the bills? Do you have enough money to cover your expenses for the next several months?
 
Where will I find a new job?
 
Even when you find something, it could take months before you end up starting it.
 
Don’t panic
Losing your job is a blow. But, it’s not the end of the world.
 
You’ll find something.
 
Or you may feel the urge to start an online business. It’s never been easier or cheaper to get something going.
 
Of course, taking that route isn’t an instant path to riches. It still takes work.
 
Don’t spend too much time on what happened with your job. Instead, focus on how you’re going to rectify the situation.
 
That focuses your energy and lessens the chance of having gaps in your work history.
 
Avoid crutches
Getting fired moves some people toward drugs and alcohol. It’s easy to get hooked, and once you do, it’s challenging to overcome the situation.
 
It could lead to you postponing your job search. Worse, you will likely alienate your family and friends.
 
Contrary to popular belief, alcohol is a depressant. If you’re pessimistic about your situation, it’ll drag you down even more.
 
Cut back on spending. Don’t rack up credit card balances that can reach unmanageable levels.
 
If you’ve saved some money for emergencies, use it instead of hitting up the credit.
 
If you find yourself strapped for cash, make sure you pay your mortgage or rent before other bills. You don’t want the bank hounding you or foreclosing on your property.
 
You can negotiate the payment terms on other bills.
 
JohnK 7-9-2019
 
stick figure is laid offOverheard: “Keep doing some kind of work, that the devil may always find you employed”                                                      
                                                ~St. Jerome
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer to deal with being laid off
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Make Your Exercise Routines Less Routine

July 2, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Your exercise routine is so, well, routine! GenuLines has a few ideas on making it less so.

And in the process making it less likely that you’ll abandon it.  

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Make Your Exercise Routines Less Routine

It’s difficult to get into an exercise routine, and for the few who do, it starts to become too routine. In other words, it becomes too easy to stop doing the routines and give up on exercising altogether.

 

exercise routine

When you do the same routines with exercise, you get fewer benefits from it after a while. Your muscles get used to the routine.

And they’ll reach plateaus that are difficult to break through.

By mixing up your routines, your muscles will have new plateaus to reach and will develop faster. This is why trainers vary their clients’ exercises.

They switch up the sets of routines to keep the muscles from not getting the benefits from new exercises. Then, over time, they bring back the previous sets to once again break up the routine.

Routine exercise is still better than no exercise at all. Without exercise, your muscles will start to break down and become out of shape.

But, once you start changing your routines, your muscles will develop quicker.

Also, your mindset about exercise will stay fresh. That’s one of the best ways to keep going with it.

Anticipation

You can look forward to trying something different. Of course, your muscles will hurt when you give something new a try for the first time.

But, it doesn’t last forever. In fact, it should be a reminder that those muscles haven’t been getting the proper exercises.

Most people break their exercises into two major categories, cardio, and weight training. You can do cardio exercises more often than weight training. In fact, you can do cardio every day.

But work the weights every other day or every two days. The rest period gives the muscles time to rebuild.

Even though you can do cardio training every day, it is still beneficial to break up the exercises. You can do the same exercise for a few weeks and then change to something different.

Or, you can alternate between two or more cardio exercises. If you use a treadmill one day, use a cycle the next.

If you jog one day, then swim on the next day, etc. Shaking up your exercise routines will give your body the most benefits.

And you increase your chances of sticking with exercising. You’ll be happier as well as healthier because of it.

JohnK 7-2-2019
 
stick figure learning exercise routineOverheard:   “Exercise should be regarded as tribute to the heart”

                                              ~Gene Tunney

 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer to help exercise routine
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

Knowledge, Trust and Being a Know-It-All

June 25, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
 
man increasing his knowledgeQuestion: When is knowledge not a good thing?
 
Answer: when it goes to your head!
 
This GenuLines offering is aimed at keeping you grounded while acquiring and using your knowledge.

 

(Image by Tumisu from Pixabay)

 

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Knowledge, Trust and Being a Know-It-All

It’s said that knowledge is power. It gives you the power to make decisions and even keeps you from making the wrong ones.
 
 
people gathering for knowledge
 
But, trouble comes into play when you get to the place where you believe you know everything. That can hurt your ability to make those decisions.
 
At that point, you’ll lose trust in your abilities.
 
 
 
 
 
 
You’re one smart cookie. After all, you went to a respected college.
 
You landed a great job after graduation.
 
But once you start working, you come to believe that you know everything there is to know. That’s when you’re in danger of losing your edge.
 
You’ll start to make bad decisions which could end up costing you a job or two.
 
It’s important to trust yourself with the knowledge you’ve learned. Just remember, times and technologies change, and you need to be ready for those changes.
 
Too many people get left behind by getting comfortable in their current positions.
 
Companies have been trying to help by offering training or tuition reimbursement. It’s a step in the right direction.
 
But without appropriate corporate or college training it’s a waste of money.
 
There’s another danger with companies that offer internal training. They can blame employees when those employees don’t learn from the offerings.
 
Even if employees learn their knowledge may not boost the bottom line.
 
These companies don’t rate the effectiveness of their programs.
 
What’s worse are broad claims that their training makes them leading-edge firms.
 
There are some great training programs online. These include websites such as Udemy.com, SkillShare.com, and others.
 
Keep in mind, though, that anyone can submit training modules. This can make your selection process hit or miss.
 
There are good offerings with these programs. But, you’ll want to get feedback from others.
 
Expired knowledge
No matter where you find training there’s a chance it will be out-of-date.
 
And sometimes courses get high ratings based on the fact that they’re well-presented. That gives you a false sense of security.
 
Be selective when choosing training for the current work environment. Be critical, but don’t let it stop you from seeking training.
 
Good training exists. Ask people you know for suggestions.
 
Stay in learning mode, no matter where you went to school or how much knowledge you think you have. In a world that keeps on changing, you’ll be way ahead of the curve.
 
And you’ll have the tools you need to trust your decisions.
 
JohnK 6-25-2019
 
 
stick figure gains knowledgeOverheard:  “Time, as it grows old, teaches all things.” 
                               ~Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound
 
 
 
 
 
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Project Into Your Future: Appreciate the Small Stuff

June 11, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
crystal ball to projectSuppose you had a crystal ball. You gaze into the ball, and it starts to reveal your life for the next twenty years.
 
It’s showing your future. How would it look?
 
 
 
 
Today GenuLines takes a “look.”
 
 
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Project Into Your Future: Appreciate the Small Stuff

While there are no definite ways to peer into the future to date, you do have some control over the process. There are random events that will be beyond your control.
 
Unfortunately, some of them will be unpleasant. But, there’s a lot you can do to shape your future.
 
The point of the exercise is to try and determine if you appreciate the small things in your life.
 
A look into the crystal ball
Are you spending time with family or friends? Or are you working long hours and not interacting with anyone?
 
If you keep your focus on making money, you may look back on your time and wish you hadn’t. There’s much more to life than work.
 
At some point, the company could turn you loose. They may replace you with someone younger and less expensive.
 
You aren’t as important to them as you make yourself out to be. Everyone is replaceable.
 
People do need to work. You have to be able to provide for your family.
 
But, you need to have a balance between work and spending time with your family and friends. Work and money are things you can always manage to find.
 
Family and friends are irreplaceable as is the time you spend with them.
 

Opportunity knocks

Another reason to spend time with people is they can also present you with opportunities. For instance, you may not like your career, but you stick with it because the money is good and it’s steady work.
 
As you interact with other people, you may hear about opportunities for work that you’d much prefer. This kind of thing happens quite often.
 
If you spent the majority of your time at your job, you would never discover these opportunities.
 
Of course, you don’t want your friendships to be dependent on the opportunities they provide. Yet, friendships often lead to forming new ventures.
 
That’s a natural part of the process.
 
But don’t pick your job on the basis of forming close friendships. In time some co-workers can become good friends.
 
Just remember that these relationships are professional.
 
JohnK 6-11-2019
 
stick figure ready to projectOverheard: “We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”
                       ~Albert Schweitzer
 
 
 
 
 
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Teaching Kids to Deal with Adversity

June 4, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Parents want to shelter their kids from adversity as much as possible. They see the world as dangerous, and going into protection mode is understandable.
 
But kids need to learn how to deal with adversity. Sheltering them can prevent this from happening.
 
Below are some GenuLines suggestions for showing kids the way through adversity.
 
banner to appreciate
 
 

Teaching Kids to Deal with Adversity

Can you teach kids about the difficulties ahead of them? It’s a delicate balance between knowing what to tell them and what to keep from them.
 
After all, many societies use movie rating systems to limit certain children’s viewing.
 
But they learn a lot from older siblings. And they learn from classmates in school (who also have older siblings).
 
They also take cues from parents who let profanities slip out, as hard as they try not to.
 
Kboy facing adversityids know more than we give them credit for, and they can handle much more than we want to believe. They watch the news and see stories of violence, terrorism, and other horrific events.
 
Even if you keep them from watching, they hear about the events in school. There is simply no way around it.
 
 
 
When kids know they can talk to their parents, they can handle most situations. It’s better to learn from the source, i.e., parents, rather than from outside sources such as friends.
 
Chances are the information from friends is not reliable. That’s one reason kids tell outrageous stories when they get home from school.
 
To help kids deal with adversity, be sure the set the stage for their behavior. If you lose it during your own challenges you can be certain they’ll do the same.
 
Stay as calm as possible and look for solutions. The kids will take your lead on this behavior as well.
 
Kids should also learn to help others at an early age. This way, they won’t be afraid to rely on others when they need help.
 
When they get older, they may be willing to reach out to friends or family members. Of course, they should try to take care of certain situations on their own before reaching out.
 
Again, it’s a delicate balance and a learning process.
 
Every family situation is different. Each may call for different ways of handling them.
 
The variety makes a step-by-step process tough if even possible. Early exposure to life’s situations is key.
 
This will pay dividends for them when they’re adults.
 
JohnK 6-4-2019
 
stick man looking for adversityOverheard: “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”
                                        ~ Chinese Proverb
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer for routine
 
 
 
 
 

Stop Relying Too Much on Others

May 21, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

If you have difficulty trusting yourself, you may be too dependent on others. The situation can grow and you become dependent on more and more people.

GenuLines knows that can present problems when called upon to handle situations on your own, so read for some helpful ideas. 

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Stop Relying Too Much on Others

Have you ever let someone else take over a part of your job? You may feel relief when this happens.

But you could be setting yourself up for future failure. The reason this happens is that you didn’t trust that you could do the job yourself.

 

character explaining to others

 

In the above scenario, you’re taking on something outside of your comfort zone. It may be that your boss wants to test how you will handle a new situation.

He or she gives you an assignment knowing that you have never dealt with it before.

It’s natural to ask others for help when you find yourself in unfamiliar territory. There’s nothing wrong with doing this.

But there’s little growth in letting others solve problems for you. You won’t develop the self-trust for handling new situations.

And your manager will see that you, for the most part, passed the assignment to someone else.

Positivity helps
Face your new challenges with positivity. Be willing to make an attempt even if you make mistakes.

The mistakes are the tools for you to learn. When you do make those mistakes, ask what you did wrong.

Over time, those mistakes will get less and less, and you’ll begin to trust that you can handle the situations.

There’s a subtle result of trying something new. You’ll prove that you can handle new tasks and develop new skills.

That’s enlightening and it’s a big factor in developing trust in yourself.

Every skill you are now good at and find easy you probably struggled with at the start. If you keep this in mind, you will give yourself over to trusting that you can handle anything that comes your way.

You’ll need less reliance on others. But you still should ask questions when you are unsure about something.

That’s another part of learning.

Some people may give you a hard time because it’s inconvenient. But, you’ll find most people want to help you succeed.

It helps them when you get up to speed with new skills.

JohnK 5-21-2019
chiforyourself.com home

stickman listening to othersOverheard: “Trust but verify”
                           ~Ronald Reagan

 

 

 

 

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Become a “Turnaround Factory” for Negative Thinking

May 14, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Negative images bombard your life. They’re all over the television news and your favorite TV shows.
 
You see it online, at work and even at home. But, GenuLines suggests some out of the box thinking to turn things around 
 
call to fight negative

Become a “Turnaround Factory” for Negative Thinking

What if you could picture your brain as a factory? One that takes in negative thinking and processes it to churn out positive thoughts.
 
negative picture of factorySeems a bit odd since, of course, you’re not a factory. But, if you can think in these terms, you may be able to combat negative thinking.
 
Switching to factory status means you need to stop overreacting to what people say. When someone says something you don’t agree with, take a moment to consider what they’re saying.
 
 
When you get annoyed at others, you stop listening to them and only want to get your point across. You want to prove why they’re wrong.
 
Instead, after he or she speaks, take a moment and consider what the message is.
 
The next step is to try and see the other person’s point of view. If you have a difficult time doing this, calmly ask questions of the person making the statement.
 
You can say that you don’t understand the reason for the statement and would like to know more about why they said it.
 
You don’t have to agree with the other person, even after you start to process what they say. But, the act of listening and considering their point of view will transform you.
 
You may start to challenge your belief system. Sometimes you can get so focused on a belief, even when the reason why you feel that way has changed.
 
When you start to question your beliefs, you’ll be more open in considering what others have to say. The process will help you turn negative thoughts into positive ones.
 
Negative thoughts seldom lead to believing in oneself. You will end up challenging what everyone says as wrong if they don’t agree with your way of thinking.
 
You’ll become bitter towards others and at some point towards yourself. You won’t believe that anything is possible because you shoot down every suggestion.
 
This type of thinking doesn’t make people happy.
 
When you start to open yourself to others, you will learn more and be accepting of different beliefs. You’ll become enlightened when this happens.
 
JohnK 5-14-2019
 
 
stick figure hears negative talkOverheard: ” Negativity can only feed on negativity”
                                ~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
 
 
 
 
 
 
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