Hurt

Hurt, a four letter word that has the potential to change a person's entire life. Hurt can come in either the form of physical or emotional. Physical hurts heal faster than emotional hurts. When we are hurting it does not only affect us, but also those people who care about us. That also goes for our actions, they impact those around us in a positive or negative way. I am not suggesting that we live our lives for other people, but just to be conscious that before we make a decision to think of how it will affect us later in our life, and our relationships with other people.

Hurts that have occurred in our past can have a reflection in our future, depending on how we dealt with the situation at that time. Sometimes it may seem easier to push everything into the recesses of our mind and say that our situation is different. Although, the reality is that nobody is immuned to life. One decision can lead to the road of self destruction, leaving us to look back on what we have either damaged or destroyed. At that point we must make a decision: continue down this path of destruction or we can change. 

After being hurt by other people our instincts may tell us to build up that wall and begin to live our lives with the mentality of self preservation. This can cause many problems, especially with relationships close to the heart like our family and loved ones. The love never goes away, but it may take more effort to repair that relationship. 

People who have been tend to hurt other people. This is a vicious cycle, but it is up to us as individuals to make things right as we realize them. It may seem difficult to stand alone on a decision, but we need to make decisions that will give us the best possible future. Although it may be hard to do, it is worthwhile to look deeply and reflect on these aspects of our life. It may be difficult to open up, but those who truly care will accept it and they will still be there. If anyone has encountered a hurtful situation or is currently going through a similar ordeal, feel free to contribute or ask questions.

-Jane Marie     

Making Decisions

Today I was thinking to myself "What should this weeks post be about?" , and I realized how difficult it was for me to reach a definite decision. Then it hit me, EVERYONE has to make decisions everyday!These decisions range between simple ones that don't require too much thought to life altering decisions. 

When we begin to look at the tougher decisions that is generally when problems arise. Many times a person may ask someone else for input, or weigh the pros and cons of the situation. If the good outweighs the bad, its a simple decision. Other times people may go to the extent of completely avoiding a decision for fear of the outcome and consequences. There have been a multitude of times I ask myself "why in the world did I do that?". Most of the time these decisions do not drastically change my life, but I know that eventually I will face such things. There are times that I get slightly concerned because I am realizing that if I make mistakes in small decisions, then maybe there's a problem with how I make decisions. Scary thought right? Although eventually I calm myself down and realize that everything will be fine. Even if I make a mistake, as long as I realize what I did wrong and learned from it the experience has helped me. 

Being more conscious of the decisions we all make each day may determine our future decision making capabilities. Also I am hoping to get followers more involved, so suggestions for new topics would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you and have a great week,

- Jane Marie

Procrastination

I will openly admit that procrastination has become something constant in my life, as bad as it may sound. Actually, I think that it has somehow morphed into some sort of chronic procrastination problem, because despite the best intentions I end up trying to finish things at the last minute. I often find myself resorting to the old “I’ll just do it tomorrow” mindset, which has put more pressure on myself in the end. 

Procrastination can come in many forms, whether it’s a project, doing the dishes or calling a family member. Procrastination can take on a negative role in a person’s life, and the longer it goes on the severity increases. Although, some claim to excel on their last minute efforts. Once a pattern is formed it becomes comfortable to stay within whatever pattern it is. If someone forms a pattern of procrastinating, they tend to do so more often and eventually do not complete tasks. In order to overcome procrastination it is pertinent that if you are doing a task it gets done in a timely manner and completed. This may be difficult, but the results are worth it.     

If anyone is willing to share some stories about procrastination or ask questions you are more than welcome to!

Have a wonderful week,

-Jane Marie

Fear of Disappointment

"If you expect nothing, you can never be disappointed."  I stumbled across this quote and my first thought was how silly, but after thinking about it a little deeper I realized that all too often I find myself sinking into this mindset. Most of the time this is because I let my fear of the unknown get the best of me. If I find myself in this position then I know there must be others who feel the same way.  

How many opportunities does a person pass up within a lifetime for the fear of disappointment? How many of us choose to no longer have expectations for the same reason? All too often fear cripples a person’s ability to dream and succeed. Many go as far as no longer becoming excited because they fear that disappointment is right around the corner, or they are waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak.    

Have any of you encountered this predicament? If so would you like to share?

Thank you,

-  Jane Marie

Stress

There are many facts that we must accept in our lifetimes. One of these facts is that stress is inevitable. How a person deals with stress is within their control. Everyday there are many obstacles that people face that can trigger stress, but that does not mean that stress has to run a person’s life.  In small portions stress can serve as motivation to meet challenges, but in larger proportions can lead to serious problems.

Often times the responsibilities in life cause the most stress, so there isn’t exactly the option to back out. If someone is in such a situation such as this then the best thing to do is find the time to relax. When in these circumstances it is normal to get worked up, although that doesn’t help alleviate the problem. If it is possible walking away from a task or situation may be the best option before stress escalates to a dangerous level. 

I hope that all of you have a wonderful and relatively stress free week!

-       Jane Marie

Welcome!

There are a couple of reasons that I started this blog. I've always had a passion for helping other people and wanting to be there through the rough times. Also my school requires that I complete a senior project in order to graduate. Which is how this came to be, I was able to incorporate my desire to help others and completing my project. My original idea was an advice column, but as a website so that it would be available to a wider range of people.
I understand that at times advice on a certain subject would be greatly appreciated because I've been there! Also I've faced the feelings of subjects being difficult to talk about with someone else. This is an excellent opportunity for me to spread my wings a bit, and hopefully help other people in the process.
I want to make sure that everyone participating feels comfortable talking to me. I want to be able to do everything I can to help. So ask away! The only thing I ask from all of you is that this please stay family friendly, thank you!

-       Jane Marie