Category: Uncategorized

Posted in A Better You, Uncategorized

Daily Challenge: Self-Appreciation

Posted on by melissaburgess

Today’s daily challenge relates to self-appreciation. Sometimes, it’s easy for us to appreciate the people around us – but somehow, quite difficult for us to appreciate ourselves. We find it hard to accept compliments, but are quick to praise others for something we like about them.

We’re putting an end to that today. It’s time to appreciate ourselves. Throughout the course of the day, I want you to work on three lists for yourself.

The first list: things that you can do well. What are you good at? Whether it’s making a great pizza, knitting, skateboarding, or listening — everyone is good at something. Come up with 5 things (or more!)

The second list: good qualities about yourself. Slightly different from the first list. Are you kind, giving, generous, sweet, caring, courageous? List at least five positive adjectives you’d use to describe yourself.

The third list: things you want to improve at. While this is all about self-appreciation, it’s important to recognize that you’re not perfect; no one is. But being able to recognize your weaker points, flaws, or the parts of you/your life that you want to improve, will only help to make you an even stronger person.

Self-love is a beautiful thing, folks. Below are some of my favorite quotes on the subject:

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
 – Ralph Waldo Emerson

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself. – Steve Maraboli

To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance. – Oscar Wilde

Posted in A Better You, Uncategorized

Daily Challenge: Give to A Charity

Posted on by melissaburgess

Today’s daily challenge can be completed in many different ways, but it’s a simple one: give to charity.

The first step: pick your cause. What are you going for? Gay rights, poverty, homelessness, animal rights, Alzheimer’s, a cure for cancer, etc. There are so many good, legitimate causes out there to champion for – but you have to start by picking one!

Next: research organizations. This is where you have to decide if you’re looking to assist on a local level, a national level or a global level. Do you want to donate to your local animal shelter? Or do you want to donate to a nationwide organization campaigning for a cancer cure? How about a global initiative aiming to end poverty? Charities and causes at all three levels are equally as important and equally as worthy, but it’s up to you to decide what you want to do.

Give it some thought, then research at least three to five different organizations related to your cause. Figure out what your donation would go toward. Research the organization itself; make sure it’s legitimate and that your money will really be going toward the cause. Then pick an organization – or give to all of them, if you want to and have the available funds/etc.

Whether you give $5, $50 or $500, charitable organizations will accept donations of any denomination and they’re all appreciated. Of course, you can also donate in other ways, such as donating your time by volunteering with an organization (obviously more time-consuming than a financial donation), donating items such as products, baked goods, etc., or by donating to the cause by spreading awareness about it and the organizations that champion for it.

Posted in A Better You, Uncategorized

Daily Challenge: Write A Letter (Yes, A Real One)

Posted on by melissaburgess

It’s been a while since I tried to do any “Daily Challenge” posts, but I’d like to start them back up. These posts are designed to inspire readers to: feel better about themselves, improve their lives and the lives of others, be more positive, feel energetic and feel truly alive!

Today’s challenge: write a letter. A real, pen-and-paper, old-fashioned letter. It can be to anyone: your spouse, your cousin, a best friend, an old friend, your child, your parent… write them a letter. Talk about your day, your life; your current mindset, what you’re feeling; your plans for the rest of the week. If you haven’t spoken to them in a while, figure out why and talk about it. Ask how they are, too, of course.

Whether or not you actually send the letter is up to you, but ideally, I’d hope you would send it. Yes, I know stamps are increasing in price every day, but c’mon. A piece of paper, an envelope and a stamp likely won’t break the bank and could help you reconnect – or connect deeper – to someone in your life. In a modern age absolutely flooded with technology (and there’s nothing wrong with technology!), it’s just nice sometimes to receive a handwritten letter from someone. It shows that you took the time and initiative to sit down and figure out what you wanted to say – after all, you can’t just press “backspace” if you want to erase something.

And who knows, maybe the person will even write back to you. Maybe they won’t. Maybe, your old best friend from high school will think it’s a bit weird that you wrote them a letter to reconnect all these years later. Maybe your old friend who you fought with those years ago won’t even open the letter and will simply toss it away.

But maybe, just maybe, it’ll help you in some small way, even if you choose not to hit “Send.” (Err, wait. I mean, fold the letter, put it in an envelope, seal it, stamp it and address it. Wow, it’s a bit more work to send a physical letter than an e-mail, isn’t it? It’s well worth it, though.)

Posted in A Better You, Uncategorized

Five Things You Can Do To Organize Your Life RIGHT. NOW.

Posted on by melissaburgess

keep-calm-and-organize-351Do you feel: frazzled, overworked, strained, anxious or just plain stressed out? While many problems take a lot more work to solve, there are at least a few ways that you can organize your life RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT, and it won’t even take that long.

Sometimes, the smallest things can lift a huge weight off your shoulders, help you accomplish other tasks more easily, or otherwise just make you feel even the tiniest bit better about your life and where it’s heading right now. Sometimes, you just need to do something small to help get your life organized and get you a little less stressed.

Here’s five things you can do – right now – to help get your life organized!

1. Purge your email. Most of us are constantly connected, but sometimes emails can build up… whether they’re important contacts you need to respond to, spam emails you need to delete, or coupon offers you’ve been holding on to. Sort through it. Respond to the emails that require a reply; mark items as spam as appropriate. Delete coupon offers that have expired or that you know you won’t use. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, go in and unsubscribe yourself from half of those email lists you’re getting but never even bother to read.

2. Make a to-do list. Whether it’s short-term tasks you need to accomplish in a few hours (or a few days) or longer-term deals that entail a lot more work and time, make a to-do list. It’ll give your life and time some structure, set some goals for yourself, and keep you on track. Plus, there’s nothing like the quiet satisfaction of crossing a task off once you’ve accomplished it.

3. Plan out your calendar. Doctor’s appointments, birthday parties, meetings, soccer games, etc. Buy a planner (if you don’t have one!!) and write everything down. This will help in a few ways: first, you won’t have to worry about forgetting events if you’ve got them in your planner! Second, it’ll make it a lot easier to schedule future events if you have a handy calendar ready for easy reference.

4. Clean up your cell phone. Delete old texts. Move old photos to your SD card to save space, or better yet, delete photos you don’t want anymore. Remove apps you don’t use, and clear your cache to free up even more space. Our mobile devices are some of our most precious items nowadays, and it’s important that we make sure these things aren’t contributing to our stress.

5. Do that one thing you’ve been putting off. What is it? I don’t know. Maybe you’ve been dreading making that doctor’s appointment, or calling your mother-in-law. Maybe you don’t really want to go to the grocery store (but hey, you have to eat sometime). Whatever that “thing” is that you’ve been postponing…. go and do it. You’ll feel a lot better without the stress of that impending event weighing on your shoulders.

I hope these tips can help you feel less stressed and more organized! Anyone else got any tips they’d like to share?

Posted in Technology, Uncategorized

Periscope Your Way Around The Globe

Posted on by melissaburgess

11125388_10204603946242671_797934970_nOne minute, I’m sitting on the pier in Chicago, watching the sun set over Lake Michigan. Two minutes later, I’m walking to the bus stop in Hong Kong. Then I’m sailing on the Hudson River, passing the Statue of Liberty and looking back at that gorgeous Manhattan skyline. Next thing I know, I’m in Italy, strolling through the streets and listening to live music.

All the while, I’m sitting on my couch here in Buffalo, New York. It’s not magic or sorcery; I’m not a time traveler, or a “Jumper.” I’ve simply got a device in my hands and a lovely little app called Periscope, that can take me all over the globe without even getting up off my perch.

Continue reading “Periscope Your Way Around The Globe” →