A Questionnaire to Assess Your Relationship with Your Partner

Are you thinking about the real status of your relationship with your partner? Are you thinking about where you stand with them? Here is a questionnaire that can help.

 

1.  Do you think about your partner quite often, like once in every quarter hour?

2.  Do you plan ahead for special events in your partner’s life, such as during their birthdays, anniversaries and so on?

3.  Do you look forward to your partner’s company, whatever the occasion may be?

4.  Do you still like to do things they like and you don’t care for much? Would you, for example, go to the grocery store with them or watch a movie they want to watch even if you don’t want to?

5.  Is there still a good deal of conversation between you? Do you discuss daily matters and plan for the future in your conversations?

6.  Do you still want to know more about your partner, like you wanted to do in the early days of your relationship?

7.  What do you see reflected in the eyes of other people you know when they see you together? Do they still think you look good together?

 

If you have answered ‘yes’ to all 7 questions above, then you are on the right track with your relationship. In fact, it cannot get better. If you have 3-4 yesses, then you are performing fairly with your relationship, but you need to improve your act a little. However, if you have just 1-2 yesses or fewer, then you have to take things seriously and without any delay.

 

Relationships are a sum total of the shared experiences that you have. The above questions indicate how many such shared moments you have together. If you are trying to develop your relationship, then it is these shared moments that become important to you—it is these things that you shouldn’t abandon. 

 

Top 5 Relationship Killers that You Must Avoid

Relationships are made and broken all around us. At such times, we become apprehensive about our own relationships. We try to protect what we cherish the most. We try to look at ways and means how we can keep our relationship flame burning. However, at the same time, we don’t realize that there are things we may do that can destroy a beautiful relationship. Actually speaking, it is these things—which are mostly behavioral traits—that we need to avoid.

 

Possessiveness

 

It is good to be a little possessive about your partner, but if you are too much possessive, then it can only backfire. You shouldn’t, for example, hog all of their free time. You shouldn’t be jealous of the other people they move around with. Give them their life to live; if you are confident about them, you will always remain the most important person in their life.

 

Restrictions

 

Too often, in a relationship, we tend to make people act in the way we want them to act. We tell them to avoid doing certain things they like and do certain things they detest. This is restrictive behavior. If you put yourself in their place, you will find that this kind of behavior can be stifling. A time may come when your partner eventually snaps and walks out.

 

Asking for Change

 

You need to realize that your partner is a different person. They have been brought up in a different way from you and they have a personality that is different from yours. You shouldn’t want them to become like you; it is best if they remain the person they were when you first decided to have a relationship with them. Even if your partner is willing to change, it will be unacceptable to them as well as you.

 

Complacency

 

When you are in a relationship, you have certain obligations. You need to do a few special things keeping your partner in mind. It is not just about remembering their birthday and showering them with gifts, but you also have to give them a good ear when they want it, a shoulder to cry on when they are looking for one and a motivational word when they need it. You cannot let your relationship grow all by itself; it won’t.

 

Competition

 

Even within the staunchest of relationships, there is always an element of skepticism. You shouldn’t do anything to aggravate that feeling. For example, it is best not to be too friendly to other people if your partner is feeling threatened by them. Casual banter is all right, but you need to draw the line with your other people when you are in a relationship with someone.

 

The 7 Keys for Improving Relationships

Human life is full of moments with people. These are people we build relationships with. And relationships aren’t just confined to people who are actually related to us—we can have a relationship with anyone we interact with. And it is because of this ubiquitous nature of human relationships that we constantly strive to improve them. In fact, when we are improving our relationships with people, we are actually improving ourselves. If we are looking for personal development, this is one of the most concrete ways to go about it.

 

Whatever the type of relationship may be, however simple or however complex, its enhancement basically boils down to the following simple keys.

 

Commitment

 

For your relationship to blossom, commitment is an important prerequisite. You have to commit to the other person in terms of your thoughts, your words, your expressions and you have to show it to them by investing time in them and putting in the right efforts to grow your relationship.

 

Freedom

 

You shouldn’t bind the people you are in a relationship with. Just as you want your freedom, the other person wants their freedom too. Respect that and you will find the relationship going forward.

 

Respect

 

You need to respect the other person’s feelings and emotions, likes and dislikes, wants and desires and so on. Respect them for what they are, for what they stand for and do not expect them to change for you.

 

Support

 

Being in a relationship means supporting each other. You have to help them in their aspirations and in their joys and sorrows. This will only get back to you—if you support the person you have a relationship with, they are going to support you too.

 

Equality

 

No one is higher than the other when they have a relationship. At least, you shouldn’t harbor such feelings in your mind. If you are connected with a person for some reason, then you need to think of them as equal to you. You need them just as much as they need you.

 

Resolving Conflicts

 

It is not that everything will be hunky-dory always in your relationship. There will be conflicts. You will argue; you will have alterations. But, when you are fostering a relationship with someone, it is essential that you resolve all these conflicts with them in a constructive manner, without demeaning each other and through fruitful discussion.

 

Trust

 

If you want the people you are in a relationship with to trust you, then you need to trust them first. Trust is the foundation on which a relationship is built. 

 

7 Tips to Manage Your Time

Are you looking for ways to manage your time in a better way? Better time management leads to better personal development. So, if you are not looking for these methods yet, you should start looking for them now. Here are some tips to help you.

 

1.  Realize your potentials and capacities. This is a very important first step of time management. When you know your own capabilities, you get a good idea of how soon you can accomplish a particular task. Others may take a whole day for something you can do within an hour. So, understand your own potential first.

 

2.  Time things that you commonly do. If you have to regularly do a particular type of work, then check how much time you need to do that. When you manage your time, you can allot that much time for it later on.

 

3.  Always prioritize your work. Give priority to things that are more important, those that have an influence on other things that you do. If there is some task whose fulfillment will expedite another task, then do that task first. Proper prioritization can lead to better productivity.

 

4.  Keep proper time for every kind of activity—work, play and recreation. Keep some family time as well. If you only allot time for work, then your time management will backfire because you will be stressed out. You will then look for other kinds of things to do, and rebuff your own time management agenda.

 

5.  Always have some variety in your tasks. Don’t do the same things over and over again. Clockwork precision may sound good for time management but it actually isn’t. When things become boring, they may take longer to finish just because you may not stay motivated to do the same kinds of things repetitively. Variety is the spice of life.

 

6.  Plan ahead of deadlines. For all work that needs to be compulsorily completed within a particular period of time, you need to prepare a proper strategy. Plan on finishing all such work a little ahead of schedule. That takes care of all contingencies and helps you finish the jobs you have taken up.

 

7.  Keep all your watches and clocks five minutes ahead. Even if you consciously know that they are ahead, your subconscious mind will respond to the hands of the watch or clock and try to work faster. It happens—try it out!

 

Try these time management tips and see how you can add to their productivity. These are tips that can help you immensely in your personal development efforts. 

How Can the Value of Time Management Make You a Better Person?

If you don’t have any special quality in you, but you know how to manage your time quite well, then you already have it made. You have the potential in you that highly effective leaders, political figures and businesspeople of the world have had. You know how to take up tasks and then you know how to give or allot them the right timeframe so that they can be accomplished. You know how to manage your deadlines. To be a highly successful person, this quality is the basic raw material that you need.

 

There are many ways in which the quality of time management can enhance your personality to a large extent. Here we take a look at the three most important of them.

 

Makes You More Productive

 

When you can manage your time well, you are able to take up more tasks and complete them. You don’t waste time because you develop a habit of accounting for every second of your time. There is proper utilization of all the time you have at your disposal. On account of this, you are able to produce more in more ways than one—materially, physically, spiritually and in other aspects.

 

Improves Your Frame of Mind

 

People who manage their time properly are often in a better mental state than those who don’t. The most straightforward reason for that is the fact that they can finish their jobs and they don’t need to procrastinate or push their things for the next day. As a result, they can sleep better, and their sleep is sound because of the sense of fulfillment.

 

Allows Personal Development

 

Being more capable of finishing tasks in a given timeframe implies that you are able to take up more challenging jobs and schedule your affairs in such a way that you can finish them as well. This leads to your own growth. You are able to reach new levels all the time. Your personal development happens because you can manage your time.

 

These are the main reasons why you should learn to manage your time well. It gives ample space for you to finish your tasks and look forward to more, thus assisting your personal development in a consistent manner. 

 

Understanding the Value of Time Management

Time management should be one of the qualities that you should take very seriously if you are looking at your personal development. It is rightly said that a person who does not respect time does not respect his or her own self. Today, parents go all out to inculcate the values of time management in their children so that they can grow up to be better individuals who can gain respect in society.

 

How would one define time management actually? Is it about making a timetable and abiding by it? Or is it about allotting a specific time to do your daily tasks? Or is it about separating time for work, play, food and everything else that a human needs to do? 

 

If you put it simply, time management is all about scheduling your tasks in any way that ensures their accomplishment. It does not matter how much time you allot to your tasks; the main thing is that you should be able to accomplish everything that you take up. There should be no wastefulness of time. Even entertainment and recreation—two very important human necessities—should be accounted for. When a person masters the art of doing that, they can be called as good time managers.

 

Another important quality that people must have that dovetails with time management is prioritization. We take up various tasks, and we already have so many different things to do throughout the day. However, our time resources are limited. That is why prioritization becomes important. This ensures that we accomplish the most important tasks first. Which are the more important tasks? The tasks on which the fulfillment of other tasks is related—those are the ones that need to be prioritized.  When you learn to prioritize, you automatically manage your time in a better way.

 

So, whether you are a housewife or you are the president of a country, it is quite essential that you learn to value time. Time is a finite resource that we have—it is our utmost responsibility to make the most of every second that we have and use it fruitfully for some kind of advancement, either our own or of the people and things we care for and love. 

 

Balanced Life

Many us live our lives like confined animals. Built to move, too often we put ourselves in a cage. We have bodies designed for racing across the savannas, but we live a life style designed for migrating from the bed to the breakfast table; to the car seat; to the office chair; to the restaurant booth; to the living room couch and back to the bed.

 

It wasn't always this way. Not long ago in the U.S., a man who worked on a farm did the equivalent of 15 miles of jogging every day; and his wife did the equivalent of 7 miles of jogging. Nowadays, our daily obligations of work and home keep us tied to our chairs, and if we want exercise, we have to seek it out.

 

All the same, that doesn't mean that a lap or two around the old high school track will offset a daily dose of donuts. Exercise alone is not very efficient, experts say. They contend that if you just exercise and do not change your diet, you may be able to prevent weight gain or even lose a couple of pounds for a while. 

 

Even so, it is not something that you're likely to sustain unless exercise is part of an overall program. The more regularly you exercise, the easier it's to maintain your weight. Here is what to do every day to make sure that you get the exercise you need.

 

Make certain that you get adequate sleep. Good sleep habits are conducive to exercise, experts point out. If you feel broken during the day, you're less likely to get much physical activity during the day.

 

Additionally, there's evidence that individuals who are tired tend to eat more, using food as a substance for the rest they need. It's probably the easiest exercise program of all. As a matter of fact, it may be all you ever have to do, according to some professional advices of some health experts.

 

Gradually build up to at least 30 minutes of brisk walking five times a week. Brisk walks themselves have health and psychological advantages that are well worth the while. When the weather is bad, you might not feel like going outdoors. But if you have a treadmill in the TV room, you can catch up on your favorite shows while you're doing your daily good turn for your weight-maintenance plan.

 

Most of us watch television anyway, and indoor exercise equipment enables anyone to turn a sedentary activity into a healthy walk. Excuses aside, lack of time is certainly a limiting factor in most lifestyles. That's why health experts suggest a basic guideline for incorporating exercise into your agenda.

 

Superfoods for a Smooth Transition Into Change of Life

Menopause is a tough transition for a lot of women. It commonly begins to occur in late middle age when the efficiency of the ovaries starts to decline. Issues associated with the related estrogen deficiency that occur might include arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis, decreased skin elasticity and changes in the sympathetic nervous system that result in “hot flashes.” But, by including the following superfoods in your daily diet, symptoms may be alleviated, memory power maintained, and osteoporosis prevented. 

 

Tofu is a great protein alternative for meat and it may be very helpful in lowering your cholesterol and preventing cardiopathy. Tofu and other soy products might also help lessen the side effects of menopause, like hot flashes. 

 

Recent studies have shown that fiber may help reduce your risk of colon and other types of cancer, as well as diverticulosis. Women require approximately 30 grams of fiber daily. Navy beans come in at nineteen grams, so they’re a fantastic choice. Utilize them in your chili or soups, or try them for a nutritious side dish rather than the usual pasta or rice.  

 

As we grow older, we might find that our memory starts to slip a bit, and we discover ourselves forgetting things. By eating blueberries, we may actually be able to curb that short-term memory loss. Toss them on top of some plain yogurt for an excellent breakfast or snack choice. Yogurt, which is loaded with calcium, may help prevent osteoporosis. As an added bonus, it may help strengthen your immunity and support your weight loss efforts. Pick yogurts that contain high amounts of good bacteria like acidophilus, which may also help prevent yeast and urinary tract infections. 

 

Avocados are high in antioxidants like vitamin E, which is crucial element to protecting both your vision and skin. They likewise contain monosaturated fats, which have been shown to better the condition of hair and skin, which may suffer when a woman goes through menopause. Chunk up a nice ripe avocado for a delicious guacamole dip, or even try them on your sandwich with a tomato. 

 

Try likewise to avoid drinking a large sum of caffeinated drinks daily, and boost your body’s vitamin C absorption by teaming an orange with an iron-rich food like whole-grain oatmeal.

 

Super Techniques for Killing Acne

Most individuals with acne attempt to treat their irritated skin with external face washes, soaps, lotions and treatments. But, the best way to treat acne is by altering your diet and doing away with acne-causing ingredients like fried foods. 

 

A healthful diet rich in natural whole foods like veggies, fruits, whole grains and beans is the first recommendation for treating acne. Foods containing trans-fat, like milk, milk products, margarine, shortening and other synthetically hydrogenated veggie oils, as well as fried foods, ought to be avoided.

 

It appears the prevalence of acne in the U.S. is built into the typical American diet. Americans tend to consume fried foods in big quantities, usually cooked in the most harmful of fats and oils. Not all fats are foul, but the fats that typical Americans eat make them more prone to get acne and skin issues, like what’s in ice cream, cheese, bacon, and milk. 

 

Acne can't really be treated utilizing creams and soaps as the root of the condition lies beneath the skin. Pimples and blemishes are induced by bacteria and additional irritants embedded underneath the skin's oil glands and hair follicles, which are usually caused as a result of improper hygiene, and poor diet - like too much processed, fatty, fried and sugary foods. 

 

A skin-healthy diet emphasizes raw and lightly cooked veggies, especially green leafy veggies that contain valuable trace minerals and are rich in fiber. Fresh green veggies are crucial. Also include in your diet lean protein sources and complex carbohydrates, like rice, whole-grain bread, and potatoes. These fiber-rich foods help ensure a clean gastrointestinal tract, which is especially significant in the management of acne. 

 

Consume 3 healthy meals daily to provide crucial nutrients and to decrease your appetite for sugary or greasy fried foods. Foods rich in vitamin A, like apricots, watermelon, and broccoli, as well as foods like lean beef, nuts, beans and whole grains that are rich in zinc may likewise be helpful in reducing acne breakouts. It’s likewise imperative to drink lots of water to help flush the toxins out that contribute to breakouts.

 

Diet Tips

Here are some weight loss diet tips that can be followed anywhere, everyday:

 

Make a delicious low-fat mayonnaise by combining one teaspoon of Dijon mustard or satay sauce with a low-fat yogurt.

 

Don't skip meals. Skipping meals slicks the body into relaxing the metabolism, attempting to conserve calories during a period where limited fats and fuel are available. Remember that eating increases the metabolism.

 

Stuff vegetables like capsicum and zucchini with flavored fillings or minced chicken, white meat or fish. These are healthy and contain low fat.

 

Eight hours after waking up, our metabolism slows down that's why 30 minutes of exercise before dinner will increase the metabolism for about two to three hours. This produces an increase in burned fat even hours after the work out is over.

 

Add alfalfa or mung beans to salad to get extra iron. 

 

Great cooking and healthy eating begins with learning about nutrition and how to prepare healthy recipes.

 

Learn how to make the family favored recipes and make certain that fats, salt, and sugar are cut out. Substitute non-fat yogurt for cream, stir-fry without oil and use herbs and spices instead of salt to taste.

 

Consult the doctor before beginning an exercise or weight loss program.

 

Slowly eat and chew each bite during meals as this would decrease one's appetite.

 

Make certain that the right discipline is still practiced to promote consistency on the diet plan. This will lead eventually to a healthy life-style and a more fruitful living without the extra fat and extra pounds on the side.