Here’s a few tips to help you land a cool dude, and if you’ve already got one, how to eliminate the stress from a few situations in order to help keep him.

1. Pretend to Understand the Plot

If you actually watched the movie/TV show instead of simultaneously talking to your mum on the ‘phone, painting your toenails an unnatural colour and slurping up some weird-smelling, Greek, lentil, yogurt-looking slop you got from the health food shop, you’d be able to understand what the hell’s going on.

Now, we understand girls are multi-taskers and asking you to focus on one thing is like asking Jesus to juggle marbles, but the whole purpose of this entertainment malarkey is to entertain, hence its name. By assigning it to a low-priority peg on your concurrent activity board the senses you’ve assigned to other tasks are missing a cacophony of nuance, which you seem to have absolutely no problem interrupting the programme to ask me about while I’m trying to watch the damn thing. Thus I miss vital dialogue myself during my hurried explanation, which perpetuates the situation until eventually there‘s absolutely no point in either of us watching it in the first place.

So feel free to go about your gaggle of activities, but please pretend to understand the plot and stop pestering us with inane questions about the blatantly obvious.

2. Wear High Heels. All the Time

High heels are magic because they turn cottage cheese into eye candy. I’m not talking about those platform-soled moonboot-looking things, either. I’m talking about proper old-fashioned stiletto heels at least five inches tall. Shoes that scream sex. We know they’re uncomfortable; we don’t care. You can take them off and wear your fuzzy bumble bee slippers as much as you want while we’re asleep or engaging in our own stress relief by being out on the piss with the lads.

3. Stop Burping and Farting in Front of Us

A good rule of thumb here is to ask yourself; What Would a Stripper Do? This rule can apply to all sorts of behaviours, not just audible gastro-intestinal emissions. If you are unfamiliar with the behaviour of strippers as a reference point, I recommend you attend one of the many stress relief strip clubs dotted around the planet. Take a date. He will appreciate it.

4. Open Your Own Car Door

Seriously, how lazy can you get? Dumb tradition be damned. Anyone that expects another human being to slavishly caper around an automobile in order to facilitate Her Majesty’s entry and egress needs to lower their expectations to a level that doesn’t pre-empt disappointment. No wonder women cry at the movies they actually do pay attention to.

Of course not. But this is something we often forget. So I’ve decided to give you a couple of easy fixes to two of the most common stressful marital problems. You might be surprised how common these are…

Complaining to Your Friends and Family

Never, ever, air your dirty laundry in front of close friends and family. A little venting to friends may be okay as a stress relief, but family? Never. Your agitation with your loved one is invariably temporary, but family, especially parents, never forget, and the little bitchfest you pulled off in front of them will stay in their psyche forever, probably leading to severe familial problems down the road.

You want your spouse to have a great relationship with your parents? Keep them in the dark. As far as they are concerned, your relationship is great, even if it isn’t. In addition, too much complaining drives your focus away from where it should be; pondering solutions. Portraying yourself as the victim is ultimately self-defeating.

If your friends start dishing the dirt on their own partners, sympathy is the ideal response. Joining in not only makes one look shrewish, it fosters a lessened image of your spouse in your own mind. Instead of airing grievances while everyone else is mouthing off; make the effort to sing his or her praises.

Mutual compliments not only make you both feel good, it strengthens the marriage unit. It’s difficult to be vexed when you’re being admired, and when other people perceive you as having a good marriage, it tends to nurture that ideal.

To Argue or Not to Argue

We’ve all heard the adage pick your battles, and while wise words, it’s best not to suffer in silence, as that builds stress and resentment. A better idea is to bite your tongue, stifle your friction-building knee-jerk retort and instead consider a framed response after some deliberation. Think about how to broach the subject without arguing; present the situation as a problem for you both to solve together. And save that conversation for when you’re both relaxed and playful, rather than when your partner has, for example, just got home from work.

If you want to make a change in your partner’s behaviour, employ a little behaviourism. Use only positive reinforcement; reward pleasing actions with a thankyou or a compliment. Try not to admonish displeasing behaviour, as that’s another resentment builder. (Yes, human beings really are this simple.)

In conclusion, in relationships you get far further with a carrot than you do with a stick. (I am, of course, talking figuratively.)

Okay, how much damage has she done to the bloody car this time? Is the first thought that screams across my beleaguered brain. But her car is okay, she hasn’t been shopping and her mother’s arriving for a visit next month. So what the hell is going on here? My mind races. Is this some kind of trick? My eyes narrow behind the newspaper, not reading a word. She’s up to something, but I don’t let on that I’m wise to her wiles. Hang on a minute! Is a musical theater show coming to town?!

I make a non-committal grunt and scrabble to the entertainment section in a raw panic, though on the surface I appear millpond still. Over the years I’ve mastered this little trick of outward ice and inward fire. It’s a survival technique men have evolved to navigate the miasma of relationship bliss. A bead of sweat rolls unbidden from my armpit as I achieve the appropriate page. I find no show tunes on my immediate horizon. The relief is so palpable I have to restrain myself from sobbing a little cry of joy. This respite doesn’t last long, however, as another possibility dawns on me:

Maybe she wants to go for a walk?! Quickly, my thoughts gather and excuses begin to flip before my mind’s eye like flash cards in a procrastinated cramming session.

“It’s just that, I’ve noticed you’ve been a little short with me lately, and you’re a lot easier to talk to after you’ve blown some stuff up.

Are you where you want to be in your life? Have the dreams of youth been side tracked? Do you always feel like you are just trying to survive?  There must be a better way, is something you probably say to yourself frequently. Did you know that making a personal development plan can help you achieve your goals and put you in control of your life?

Simply put, a personal development plan is a map you develop that states the goals you have in your life and what you will do to attain these goals. Think of a personal development plan this way, if you were going to travel to a destination you had never visited before, would you need directions? Would the directions have a starting point and an ending point? Yes, of course they would. If you did not have a starting point and an ending point, you would wander aimlessly looking for your destination. It is the same in life. We must have goals; we must have a purpose, a destiny.

To make a personal development plan you will need to take the time to do some “soul searching.

These are stressful times for families. The new norm is to have activities every night on top of school and homework. Many parents constantly talk about how busy they are, that they never have time to slow down. It is no wonder that parents sometimes feel they are losing control over their lives and their kids. How can we stop this disturbing trend? How can we put the word family back into family life? Family personal development centers are available to help struggling families get back on track.

How do you know if your family needs help? The following are some symptoms of a family in crisis. Behavioral issues with your children (can include everything from being disruptive, temper tantrums right up to drug/alcohol use or promiscuous behavior)

• Children having trouble learning
• Parents fighting
• Parents not fighting but living separate lives
• Constant Exhaustion by one or more family members

Family personal development centers help families including parents and children to grow both emotionally and socially. You should contact a family development center when any of the symptoms listed above are happening, if you are questioning whether your family is headed in the right direction, or if it is glaringly obvious that your family is falling apart.

The counselors at family centers are trained in using various methods to achieve the goal of strengthening your family. They will work with you to change destructive patterns. Most of the time parents know full well there is a problem, however, they feel powerless to stop it, mostly due to lack of confidence. In situations like this, counselors will work with parents to empower them by clearly defining the roles of the parent in the family.

Family goals are made using input from the parents and children. Members of the family are given tools to achieve these goals and are held accountable to the counselor so they must give a report to the counselor about how they handled different situations. This is incredibly effective. Most of the time, family members only need to be reassured of their role within the family structure to be successful in following through on the desired actions.

For example, the Johnston family had four children ranging in age from second grade to seventh grade. The fourth grader, Kris, had always been a handful. It did not take long for him to be labeled as ADD/ADHD once he entered Kindergarten. Kris fully acted out his “label

Nobody wants to work in dull and dreary places. It kills your enthusiasm and creativity and makes work a burden. The key to happy, productive, innovative employees is to keep them strongly motivated to working for the good of the company. Here are some ways to keep your employees highly motivated:

#1 – Get to Know Your Employees:

This is one of the most important factors in keeping your employees highly motivated. Every person is different and requires different perks to keep them motivated. Get to know the kind of personality each employee has – some will work best if you keep praising their extra efforts and their hard work. Others will work best if you show interest in them as a person while still others will feel more comfortable with a distant, cool relationship. Some will take criticism as constructive and strive to improve their work, while others will get offended by criticism. Managing each employee both professionally and diplomatically is the key to keeping them motivated.

#2 – Offer Rewards:

Most people are highly motivated when towards achieving a goal, so offer rewards for meeting a particular goal. For example, have an employee of the month award for the most efficient work, or offer material rewards such as a bonus. This will promote healthy competition among your employees and will keep them working hard and giving it their best.

#3 – Make the Workplace Fun and Comfortable:

The workplace is where your employees spend a large part of their day. If it is seen by them as boring, stressful, and dull and dreary, they will lose their motivation to work for its good. Keep the look spacious, light and airy, and offer opportunities for fun and socializing, such as staff picnics, dinners, and office parties. In addition, take special care of hygiene factors. Hire good cleaning staff, and also ensure that the food provided to your employees is hygienic.

#4 – Ensure Democratic Leadership:

Let your employees have a say in how things are run. For instance, meet with them once a week to hear their problems and take their own suggestions for solving them. Making people feel valued is a great way of boosting their self esteem, leading to better motivation. In addition, allow them some independence as far as working methods are concerned. It gets difficult to stick to very hard and fast specifications, so allow them room for a little variety. Appreciate the personal touch in their work. Employees work best when allowed to follow their own methods of working, and this boosts their productivity dramatically.

#5 – Enrich Your Employees’ Job Experience:

Create little challenges and an environment of healthy competition among your employees. Delegate tasks of a suitable difficulty level to each employee, according to the level of interest they exhibit. Making their job more challenging makes them feel better when they actually do a good job, and keeps them working harder to outdo their own achievements. Appreciating an employee when they rise to meet a challenge is very important for maintaining their motivation level.

#6 – Allow Room for Error:

To err is human, so lessen your employees’ stress level by forgiving the occasional error or lapse. Be understanding when they have problems and ensure that you are always approachable – they should not be afraid of coming to tell you that there has been a mistake. Always have a plan B in hand for when something goes wrong. Ensure that your employees do not try to cover up their mistakes by pointing fingers at others. Strongly discourage the blame culture. This way, you not only keep your staff highly motivated, but also win genuine respect from your subordinates.

This post presents two solid examples you can present to students that will get them thinking about how important science is to the advancement of technology. Scientific findings have spurred much fantastic technological advancement. Impressing this upon students will help them have more respect for science as well as encouraging them to think about not only the scientific process, but the application as well.

Technological advances can be developed in many different areas of science such as environment, forensic, geological, physical, chemical, etc.

# Example 1

photo courtesy of  ColleenM

The first example of the relationship between science and technology I would like to explain is using heat produced by your body to create energy. “News in Science

The problem with motivating a workforce is that individuals are not necessarily motivated by the same criteria. So rather than implement watered-down attempts at catch-all solutions that cater to the lowest common denominator, it is advisable to determine and apply motivators on an individual basis. In larger companies, however, this is often impossible.

#1 Money Matters!

The one motivator that applies to every employee is, of course, money. Remuneration is the primary reason why we work. A fair, living wage is the cornerstone of the motivated employees that underpin a successful business. All other motivators are built on this one. Without it, they are useless.

However, let’s assume you pay your employees well. What else can you do to decrease employee turnover and increase loyalty, morale, and productivity?

#2 Supervisor Appreciation

Though money is well established as the primary motivator, many studies have shown that employees often rank supervisor appreciation higher. For example, the motivational guru, Bob Nelson, mentioned in his Workforce article, “More than anything else, employees want to be valued for a job well done by those they hold in high esteem.

Emotional intelligence, it’s a term that sounds….well….it sounds intelligent. But why should we know about emotional intelligence? What does it have to do with us? Isn’t this something that only scientist have to deal with, I mean it sounds so scientific and uninteresting! Well, that’s what I used to think, but recently I read an article about emotional intelligence and it was quite fascinating. I realized it’s really important for us to be aware of what emotional intelligence is, and how it affects basically every aspect of our lives, especially our careers.

Unless you live in a cave, in which case, you wouldn’t be reading this blog post, you will be affected by your emotional intelligence and the emotional intelligence of everyone you come into contact with. Of course, the most dramatic and direct effect will be with the people in your immediate family, co-workers and close friends. So what exactly is emotional intelligence? According to Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, leading researchers in the field of emotional intelligence since 1990, emotional intelligence is the ability to control your feelings and emotions in a way that guides your thinking and actions.

You may be wondering what all this has to do with you and why should we know about emotional intelligence. Well consider this; everyone has a certain emotional intelligence. If you understand how a person’s emotional intelligence can affect how they react to people, this knowledge can help you understand why this person behaves in a certain manner.  Take for example your workplace. Have you ever wondered why some people seem to get along with everyone and other people cannot get along with anyone at all. Once you understand that how we are able to deal with our moods and emotion varies depending on what type of person we are, it is plain to see why some people get along so well in the workplace and others do not.

Research has shown that intelligence plays a large role in a person’s professional success. It can also play a huge role in their lack of success. It is also worth noting that just because a person has advanced into a high level management position does not mean that they have high emotional intelligence. Why should we know about emotional intelligence? Well, haven’t you ever worked for a boss who sometimes sounds like a two-year-old or four-year-old having a temper tantrum?  You are dealing with someone who has a low emotional intelligence. Having this knowledge does not always make it easier to work with this person, but at least you can understand why they are acting this way.

So why should we know about emotional intelligence? Because having this knowledge can help you deal with people you are working with and it can also serve as a reminder to yourself regarding having a proper attitude in the workplace. For example, if you work for a person who has high emotional intelligence, this person will be levelheaded, calm, and not prone to outbursts.  If you have low emotional intelligence, meaning you are unable to fully control your emotions, how long do you think it will be before your manager will get tired of dealing with you?

This happened just recently and the company my husband works for.  There was a woman who could not get along with anyone, she was cantankerous, argumentative and on top of that was not able to complete her work satisfactorily. The end result was that she ended up being getting fired. If her emotional intelligence had been more developed and she had been able to control her emotions, she would have been successful at her job and would never have been fired.

In closing, a question you should ask yourself is, “Do I get along with most people at work?