How To Ruin Your Life

A lot of people ruin their lives on a daily basis. I often hear some people complain, get angry, sad, depressed and grow bitter over choices they’ve made which they thought were good ideas at the time, only to learn they weren’t. As someone that’s made mistakes, I understand and know that as long as you’re still living it’s never too late to learn from your mistakes and work to correct things moving forward. Bad choices can even prompt smarter thinking. No one’s perfect and we all fall short because of mistakes, dumb decisions, and bad moves. That’s just life. But ways you can ruin your life, though? Let’s see…

· Not cultivating a relationship with God.

· Neglect prioritizing your health.

· Rush into big decisions you’re not mature or properly prepared for. (Proverbs 10:22 reads, “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth and he adds no trouble to it.” Blessings from the Lord don’t come without challenges, but I can tell when I’m ready to make big decisions, because when the Lord grants permission things usually flow well. When things don’t, it’s usually an indication to put things on pause and reevaluate what decisions I’m making.)

· Do what you think or falsely perceive everyone else is doing.

· Do the same things over and over again and expect different results (I believe this is Einstein’s definition of insanity.)

· Assume something’s a great fit for you because it appears that way in someone else’s life.

· Measure success by surface details.

· Mishandle money.

· Waste time spending time with the wrong people.

I understand this list may not apply to everyone, but I know these things are common behaviors I’ve seen be the downfall with myself in past seasons and different people I’ve interacted with. Try not to make decisions that will complicate your life. While a number of the things above have been problematic, they’ve also helped serve as launching pads for better choices and thinking. But no matter how much or how badly you might mess up, you can still work to change for the better.

A Year Of Being Ghosted

Ghosting: the practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication. I’ve been ghosted by every guy I’ve met within the past two years. About six to be exact. · The first guy pursued me and then got shady whenever I asked him about what he did for a living and where he lived. When he started dodging and avoiding questions, wouldn’t initiate dates, and slowly stopped keeping in touch with me altogether, eventually, all communication ceased. · The second guy was someone I met through a family member. He was super cool, very smart, handsome, and funny, but didn’t want to be in a relationship and acted like he didn’t want to be seen with me publicly. When we had plans to meet for an outing, he didn’t show up, and then texted me about a week later with an apology. We chilled at my place a few times, had a few phone conversations, and exchanged occasional texts, but eventually he stopped responding to me

Teacher Table Talk: When Parents Attack

As an English teacher, a core belief I’ve held close since the beginning of my career has been the importance of relationship building. I believe that if great relationships between teachers, students, and parents are established at the beginning of the school year, everything else will fall into place. Authentically modeling, practicing, and establishing mutually respectful and professional relationships within my classroom has been the bridge for effective communication, solid classroom management, and creating a safe and effective learning environment that fits each of my student’s needs. And though I’ve seen and experienced the benefits of great relationship building, unfortunately, there have been times when some students and parents have not been receptive or interested in my efforts to establish connections that would best serve all parties involved. I’ve also noticed and shared spaces with other educators, school counselors, and administrators who’ve experienced the same. And

How To Respond To A Nasty Email

Technology has made many people bold, rude, and incredibly messy. Often to the point where some may hide behind words they’ve typed instead of verbally communicating a message they want to convey. Such can be the case when it comes to sending emails. Ah, emails. You know what they are. Electronic messages that can be quickly drafted, sent, and misinterpreted (because you can’t always interpret tones or emotions through them). Which is why it’s key to know how to respond to nasty emails if they should ever come your way – especially in the workplace. As a working professional, there have been plenty of times when a coworker or superior sent an email my way that was petty, mad disrespectful, and unprofessional. And before I learned how to properly utilize email etiquette, my first instinct would always be to clap back. I just felt the need to respond and to communicate that I wouldn’t allow anyone, no matter who they were, to disrespect me. And while I haven’t taken things too far

Making Waves