Category Archives: Lifestyle

Health, Lifestyle, Tips

Simple But Effective Ways to Enjoy Life More

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Some people find it hard to enjoy life more than others. But you might be glad to know that it isn’t too challenging to turn your frown upside down and carve out a little piece of happiness for yourself. From addressing your health issues to adjusting what you do, here are some tips.

Get to Grips with Your Health

You won’t be happy if your health is bad. Sure, you can paint on a smile and pretend everything’s OK, but that won’t work forever. Your general health is the key to being happy because it affects everything about you, such as your ability to get outside, how much you can work (and earn), and even your mood. Being in pain or having health issues such as being overweight is common, but you can always, always do something about it if you try.

Address Mental Health to Enjoy Life More

On a more serious note, mental health is no laughing matter. Severe mental health issues can have a negative impact on your life and your ability to enjoy it. The good news, though, is that mental health issues are being more widely recognized than they once were, especially in the workplace. Slowly but surely, the stigmas of certain mental health problems are fading away as we work towards a more inclusive and tolerant social, medical, and professional environment.

Feel Good About the Positives in Life

One of the worst things you can do is dwell on the negative things that happen. This never works out well and gradually drags you down. The trick is to completely disregard the bad things and accentuate the good things. Maybe you are running low on cash this week, but you will get paid soon, and you have friends and family. Be grateful for that. Of course, you may not have friends and family, but there is always something to be grateful for in your life if you look.

Be Professional but Not Too Serious

Professionalism and seriousness are not mutually exclusive. Sure, be professional at work; in fact, it’s encouraged. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a joke, goof around a little and have fun every now and then. But never at someone else’s expense. Here’s how to have fun at work:

  • Get everyone involved in health activities such as work yoga or a sports team.
  • Suggest a game room or recreational area be placed in the office.
  • Have an open vision board where fun meets professionalism.
  • Be the guy who comes in with a safe-for-work joke every morning.
  • Socialize with your colleagues as you may be close to a lifelong friend.

You don’t have to be the clown at work, but you also don’t have to be the one people avoid. Even as a boss, you can stay professional and be approachable and fun at the same time. 

Sleep as Much as You Need

You have probably heard that you need eight hours a night of sleep. Well, this isn’t entirely accurate. Sleep experts these days agree that while this is a good general guideline, it is different for everyone. Some need eight, others ten, and there are people who can spring out of bed after just four hours of sleep. The trick is finding your optimal sleep habits and adjusting your life around them. And these changes could be drastic depending on how much you need.

Enjoy Life More by Adjusting Your Habits

Further to adjusting your life, make sure your life works for you. Most of us get up, do the nine-to-five, and come home. But what if you have genuine trouble functioning in the morning? You aren’t alone, and you may even be a night person. Making these kinds of changes can mean completely readjusting your entire lifestyle, even to the point of getting a new job. But you will never be happy if your life begins living you rather than you begin to live your life.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

Toxic people are everywhere, and you need to look out for them. Is there a specific someone who puts you down, makes you feel intimidated, or even casually suggests you are inadequate? Toxic relationships can be with a perceived best friend, a colleague, and even your partner. These relationships must be addressed and worked on. If you can’t find a resolution, then slowly move away from them and surround yourself with people who care about and appreciate you.

Summary

Addressing physical and mental health is a great first step to enjoying life more. It also helps to have some fun now and then, even at work, and work at removing toxic people from your life.

Lifestyle, Tips

How To Keep Your Car Running On The Road With Few Troubles

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A car is an expensive asset to own. Whether you’re someone who has a Land Rover or a Vauxhall Corsa, they’re all going to provide a different degree of expense and that goes beyond simply paying for the car in the first place.

It’s not just the running costs but all the costs that come when you take it in for its annual service. Is it going to pass its MOT or are you going to need to shell out a lot of money? It’s a nail-biting moment for any household and an expense that simply cannot be avoided.

With that being said, it’s worth knowing what advice is best when it comes to keeping your car running on the road without too much trouble. Here are a few tips that might help you keep your costs down when it comes to maintaining your car this year and beyond.

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Drive it carefully

First and foremost, make sure to drive it carefully. This is important because if you’re not driving it carefully, then you’re likely to do more damage to it. It’s not just the threat of crashing it or crashing it into another car but how you use your car can cause financial costs you don’t want.

Overuse of the brake pads for example or going over potholes that could damage your tires and the alloys. These are all things that can be avoided if you’re driving it carefully.

Consider how you’re driving your car now and whether you’re doing everything you can do to avoid the costly repairs and fixes that might be needed when you drive too erratically or without caution.

Get it checked annually 

Getting your car checked annually is important, especially when it comes to the MOT servicing that you’re legally required to get. Otherwise, if you don’t, then you’re not allowed to run it on the road.

It’s good to get the date each year noted in your diary so that you can get it checked over by the garage every time something might need to be fixed or updated. You may be blissfully unaware that nothing is wrong and therefore you won’t realize how big the problem is until you get your car into the garage.

If anything is wrong before your MOT, get it taken in because chances are you might be able to save yourself some money in the meantime. 

Conduct the relevant car maintenance in a timely manner

Make sure that when it comes to your car’s maintenance, you’re doing it all in a timely manner. This is important because when there are problems with the car or certain tasks that need doing, like filling up the oil in your car’s engine, the longer you leave it, the more damage it could do.

There are some typical maintenance tasks that you should be doing on your car regularly to keep it in good condition. These include:

  • Check your engine oil levels
  • Change oils and filters regularly
  • Checking your fuel levels and don’t go too low in the tank
  • Checking your antifreeze levels
  • Check your brakes feel and perform the same

These are just some typical maintenance tasks that you’ll want to stay on top of in order to keep your car performing efficiently.

Start your car and leave the engine running briefly before moving

Before you start moving your car on the road, let the engine run briefly. This is important to do, especially if you’ve not used the car in a while or it’s a particularly cold day. That can often be a problem because when the battery or engine has been used or has been quite cold, it might have a few troubles running efficiently on the road as a result. 

When you first step into the car, start the ignition and leave the engine running for a couple of minutes. This will help give your car’s battery and engine time to warm up before you set off.

This is something you should do regardless of how short or long the drive ahead will be!

Avoid overpacking your car on trips

Overpacking your car on trips is never a good idea because the weight can make driving a lot more challenging. Not only do you have to ensure your car has a good grip on the road but that might influence how fast or how slow you’re able to go in order for it to remain safe.

Car packed with luggage, road trip, travel, vacation, maintenance

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When you overload your car, you’re also putting more pressure on the car itself and the heavier it is, the lower it will sit, meaning there’s a chance you might catch it on the road somehow.

Avoid overpacking where you can and always approach your packing with the attitude that if you feel you’ve got too much in the car, then you’ll want to remove some stuff before you leave.

Be aware of everyone on the road

It comes as no surprise or knowledge that there are more cars on the road than there were some thirty to fifty years ago. That does mean that you’ve got a lot more drivers to contend with and not all of them are going to be as talented on the road as others are.

Many may have developed bad habits and those bad habits are something that you don’t want to deal with when you’re trying to drive the best that you can. However, when it comes to driving, it’s important that you have eyes on the back of your head.

Be aware of everyone on the road so that you can ensure no accidents occur or that you’ve mitigated as much of the risk to you and your safety as possible while on the road. 

Have a good towing service on speed dial

Should anything happen where you can’t physically move your car because it may have broken down, always have a towing service on speed dial. These can be lifesavers, especially when you’re in a situation where it’s an emergency and you’re perhaps in the middle of nowhere with a broken-down car.

Keep your car running on the road with these top tips!

Life, Lifestyle, Tips

Unconformed: An Unbound and Unbridled Path to Unstuck Growth

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Ever felt like you’re stuck in a rut with your job? Or maybe you know someone who jumped into college because of family pressure, gathering loans for a degree they’re not even sure they’re into. It’s even tougher when they feel like they’re backed into a corner, unable to explore new career paths.

That’s where Unconformed comes in. It’s a toolkit for preventing and overcoming that “stuck” feeling and exploring the many paths to success, no matter your age or life stage. With many stories about successful people from diverse backgrounds, this book offers a fresh look at learning and working.

Unconformed questions the whole “you need a college degree to succeed” mantra. It highlights the awesome value in tradespeople and artisans – real people who shape our world. This book focuses on the importance of lifelong learning and resilience rather than a diploma from a lofty institution. The best part? It will show you how to take advantage of real-world opportunities and get unstuck at any stage of life. Unconformed is your guide to becoming “unstuckable.”

Here is what Richard Trethewey from This Old House said about the book

“I couldn’t put it down. It’s the book that’s in the heads of all of us on This Old House. We have been talking (not writing) about convincing people to join the trades and the fact that conventional education doesn’t always serve to make successful adults…… Unconformed is fabulous; and necessary; and funny, and readable; and needed……. Bravo!”