Morning Rituals That Upgrade Life Satisfaction

How we feel on a day-to-day basis changes constantly. We might feel on top of the world one day, but then like death the next. While our day-to-day moods may fluctuate, how satisfied we feel with our life should not. Life satisfaction relates to the big picture, and how a person feels about their life as a whole, over the long-term. It’s typically answered by a simple question: “How satisfied are you with your life, right now?” If the answer is negative, be sure to read on as I explores the top morning rituals that will upgrade your overall life satisfaction. Groom- While it feels almost silly to say, it’s the cold hard truth: When you look your best, you feel your best. But when you’ve overslept and are suddenly running late for a big breakfast date, work, or etc, do you really have the time you need to groom properly? Probably not. Now you’ll show up looking like a mess and will probably blow the one chance you have to impress a new date, or that co worker you sweet on. The point is that looks go beyond mere self-esteem. How we look has an impact on everything from personal relationships to business relationships. So get grooming to get satisfied. Take stock of what you're grateful for- The mind is an incredible thing. As science continues to provide windows into how it functions, it’s becoming clear just how powerful positive thinking can be, particularly with respect to life satisfaction. In the hustle and bustle of busy life, we often forget to simply stop and take stock of what we’re grateful for. So why not do that each and every morning? Find a few minutes each day to congratulate yourself on long-term and short-term goals that you’ve accomplished. Don’t focus on what you have yet to do, but what you’ve already done. Turn off the TV- Who doesn’t love early morning talk TV? There’s something so comforting about it, knowing that the world is waking up alongside you. Well, perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate. Not only can TV in the morning be a huge distraction, keeping us from focusing on the day’s goals, but too much TV has actually been shown to decrease life satisfaction. Do yourself a favor and tune out. Wake naturally- Human sleep is largely controlled by circadian rhythm, often referred to as the body’s clock. This clock is driven largely by the light-dark cycle of the sun. When light begins to fade, the body produces melatonin to put you to sleep. As morning approaches, melatonin production stops. The problem is that many of us sleep in dark rooms with little-to-no entryway for natural light. The lack of natural light prevents our body’s clock from properly resetting, resulting in low quality sleep. Get a satisfying night’s rest by leaving the curtains open at night or by purchasing a natural-light alarm clock that mimics the rising sun. Eat a balanced breakfast- Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard the expression that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well, it’s true. Over the years a number of studies have examined the subject, and most have reached the same conclusion: Starting the day without a solid meal has a slight but detectable negative effect on mood, memory and energy level. But it gets worse. If you’re starting off on the wrong note, that negativity is likely to snowball, throwing your whole day out of whack. Stay satisfied by eating a balanced breakfast of complex carbs, protein and fat. Hit the gym- My favorite one. I don’t need to tell you that increased exercise leads to greater life satisfaction -- OK, I just did -- but did you know that when you exercise is also important? Studies are increasingly finding that morning exercise improves our quality of sleep compared to evening exercise. And poor quality of sleep is linked to a variety of health conditions that will leave you feeling less than satisfied. But you don’t have to actually hit the gym to be active. Any form of exercise will do, like biking to work or walking the dog. See people- Hollywood loves to depict the hermit-type as an angry, foul person. Although it’s becoming a touch cliché, it’s probably grounded in truth. After all, research shows that social interaction and personal relationships tend to be strongly associated with greater life satisfaction and a positive mood. With that in mind, try to add a social component to your morning ritual. It can be something as simple as sharing 10 minutes of chat time with your partner over coffee or joining an early morning running club. Get out and be social. Get some- One most of you may like. Just to be frank, I'm not talking about getting some breakfast, or friends, or anything else for that matter. No, I'm talking about sex. I already told you about the importance of physical activity and social interaction in terms of improving life satisfaction, so why not combine the two? Now, don't get it twisted I'm not telling you to start every day off with a bang, just find a way to once in a while incorporate physical contact into your morning routine. The result should leave you smiling. I know we all do have access to that luxury, but this is for the people who do. Set goals each day and achieve them- What better time than the morning to set the day’s goals? This isn’t exactly rocket science. If you set your goals early, you’ll have the whole rest of the day to achieve them. Easy, right? Just make sure to set realistic goals that you can actually achieve. But why is setting goals important? Research shows that setting goals and achieving them improves our life satisfaction. The process builds self-esteem and confidence, and ultimately feeds into the whole mentality of positive thinking. Find a morning hobby- Hobbies are the secret to improving life satisfaction. They’re outside of family, outside of work and generally outside of the many stresses of everyday life. And yet, finding a hobby that you enjoy and are good at can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. Heck, it could even land you a new and exciting career. But because finding time for a hobby can be challenging, if you manage to incorporate one into your morning routine, you’ll not only be making time for yourself but you’ll leave the rest of the day for the rest of life’s problems. Problem solved. John G. Dunn II jgdunn.blogspot.com

Baby Momma

Now, you made me the proudest daddy, giving birth to my first born son I tend to not like you for so many things you do, and done. I don't want to tell my some how I think his mom ain't Shit. When deep down I know it ain't true. But I can sometimes however, see the jealous, bitter chick in you. I used to know the good in you. All the things you did to help out others. Being for your to do, and help them keep through. Because I know you possess this trait, I know you'll be a good mother. Good Mother??? Yeah I can honestly see that within you. Ignorant to the working of this country you choose to live. Remember you though you though your family and wealth could buy my kid? I'm not a big fan of yours, yeah it's true. However I must admit I consider myself lucky to share a kid with you. This journey we started, it runs a while I promise though to myself, you, and God, I'm do whatever it take to see my kid smile. John G. Dunn II jgdunn.blogspot.com

Differences In Men and Women That Will Never Be Changed.

I took part on a study that lasted a few months, where I went and asked many people, most in different aspects of life, about the differences between Men and Women. Asking a series of question to each person and putting together this post. Let see how much you agree! People in relationships often have strong expectations that their partner will be just like they are: exhibit the same attitudes, values, perceptions and behaviors. However, we know that you will not change your partner's attitudes and behaviors unless they themselves are motivated to do so. You are even less likely to change their basic gender characteristics. So it is very important to educate yourself as to the basic gender differences which exist between men and women, and accept the fact that the differences are there, they are real, and they are not going away. In this way you can learn to use the differences as a way to enrich your relationship rather than to damage it.

Are Men and Women really different? Let's look at the evidence in a variety of areas of life. Note that these findings are generalizations and summaries that apply to most men or women, but not to all men or all women.

*PHYSIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES Girls develop right side of brain faster than boys: leads to talking, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading earlier, better memory while Boys develop left side faster than girls: visual-spatial-logical skills, perceptual skills, better at math, problem solving, building and figuring out puzzles. Girls more interested in toys with faces than boys are; play with stuffed animals and dolls more; boys drawn to blocks or anything that can be manipulated. Women use both hemispheres of brain; corpus callosum thicker in women.

*Developmental Differences Between Boys and Girls: Nursery rhymes, books and cartoons perpetuate stereotypes,which often promote damsel in distress, frumpy housewife, helpless senior citizen, sexy heroine and swooning cheerleader. Girls use more terms of endearment than boys. Boys get away with more aggressive antisocial behavior in school and home than girls. Girls who act as tomboys are accepted; boys who act like girls are severely reprimanded ("don't cry" "Don't be a sissy"). Girls tend to talk about other people; secrets in order to bond friendships; and school, wishes and needs. Boys talk about things and activities. What they are doing and who is best at the activity. Teenage girls talk about boys, clothes and weight. Teenage boys talk about sports, mechanics, and function of things. age 12-18: biggest event for girls: have a boyfriend are 12-18: boys are equally interested in the following: sex, cars and sports. This carries into adulthood when women talk about relationships, people, diet, clothing, physical appearance. Men talk about sports, work, money, cars, news, politics, and the mechanics of things.

*VALUES AND SELF ESTEEM AS ADULTS -MEN A man's sense of self is defined through his ability to achieve results, through success and accomplishment. Achieve goals and prove his competence and feel good about himself. To feel good about himself, men must achieve goals by themselves. For men, doing things by themselves is a symbol of efficiency, power and competence. In general, men are more interested in objects and things rather than people and feelings. Men rarely talk about their problems unless they are seeking "expert" advice; asking for help when you can do something yourself is a sign of weakness. Men are more aggressive than women; more combative and territorial. Men's self esteem is more career-related. Men feel devastated by failure and financial setbacks; they tend to obsess about money much more than women Men hate to ask for information because it shows they are a failure. -WOMEN: Women value love, communication, beauty and relationships. A woman's sense of self is defined through their feelings and the quality of their relationships. They spend much time supporting, nurturing and helping each other. They experience fulfillment through sharing and relating. Personal expression, in clothes and feelings, is very important. Communication is important. Talking, sharing and relating is how a woman feels good about herself. For women, offering help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength; it is a sign of caring to give support. Women are very concerned about issues relating to physical attractiveness; changes in this area can be as difficult for women as changes in a man's financial status. When men are preoccupied with work or money, women interpret it as rejection.

*OTHER DIFFERENCES Men are more logical, analytical, rational. Women are more intuitive, holistic, creative, integrative. Men have a much more difficult time relating to their own feelings, and may feel very threatened by the expression of feelings in their presence. This may cause them to react by withdrawing or attempting to control the situation through a display of control and/or power. Men are actually more vulnerable and dependent on relationships than women are and are more devastated by the ending, since they have fewer friends and sources of emotional support. Men are more at ease with their own angry feelings than women are. Women are in touch with a much wider range of feelings than men, and the intensity of those feelings is usually much greater for women than men. As a result of this, many man perceive that women's feelings appear to change quickly; men may find this irrational and difficult to understand. Men tend to be more functional in approaching problem-solving; women are aesthetically-oriented in addition to being functional. Women tend to be much more sensitive to sounds and smells than men are; and women as such tend to place a greater emphasis on "atmosphere".

*CONFLICTS WHICH ARISE DUE TO BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN The most frequent complaint men have about women: Women are always trying to change them. The most frequent complaint women have about men: Men don't listen. Women want empathy, yet men usually offer solutions. When a woman tries to change or improve or correct or give advice to a man, men hear that they are being told that they aren't competent or don't know how to do something or that they can't do something on their own. Men often feel responsible or to blame for women's problems. Men always assume women want advice and solutions to problems, that that is the best way to be helpful and to show love; women often just want someone to sincerely listen to them.

Housework: men avoid it, try to get others to do it at all costs, feel demeaned by doing it. For women, cleanliness of house is a manifestation of warm, homey nest. Men and women have different thresholds for cleanliness and dirt. Men often try to change a woman's mood when she is upset by offering solutions to her problems, which she interprets as discounting and invalidating her feelings. Women try to change men's behavior by offering unsolicited advice and criticism and becoming a home-improvement committee.

*HOW TO WORK WITH THESE DIFFERENCES When women are upset, it is not the time to offer solutions, though that may be appropriate at a future time when she is calmed down. A man appreciates advice and criticism when it is requested. Men want to make improvements when they feel they are being approached as a solution to a problem rather than as the problem itself. Men have great needs for status and independence (emphasis on separate and different); women have needs for intimacy and connection (emphasis on close and same). Women need to receive caring, understanding, respect, devotion, validation, and reassurance. Women are motivated when they feel special or cherished. Men need to receive trust, acceptance, appreciation, admiration, approval, encouragement. Men are motivated when they feel needed. A man's deepest fear is that he is not good enough or not competent enough, though he may never express this.

*SUMMARY There are major, significant differences between men and women. The differences are different, NOT better or worse. Do not judge the differences. Do not try to change the differences. Do not try to make them go away. These are generalizations! Individual differences exist; we all have some of these qualities. To get along, you MUST accept, expect and respect these differences. Be sure to remember these differences when communicating about anything important, when expressing care and concern, and when solving conflicts. (John G. Dunn II jgdunn.blogspot.com)

Another Reason To Stop The Smoking.

Smoking cigarettes gets less cool by the pack. The latest news is that smoking destroys your memory. The common perception with cigarettes is that your lungs get trashed, your teeth turn medieval yellow and you stink. Now you can add a sluggish memory to the list of expected side effects.The journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence is set to publish a study that showed people who had never adopted the habit scored 37% better on a cognitive test than smokers. Those who had quit smoking for at least two and a half years fared 25% better than those still puffing.We’ve known that smoking effects retrospective memory, but this study reveals that smoking undermines your prospective memory, which is what you need to remember to carry out activities such as putting the toilet seat down, buying her flowers on her birthday and remembering to call on your anniversary. It’s yet another reason to forget about cigarettes.

Bengals @ Broncos Week 2 Preview

So we come into week 2 as winners off a win last week. Call it how you want it, rather it was lucky or what the Cincinnati Bengals are 1-0. A week that wasn't pretty, no consistency, Dalton get banged up, and the most positive thing was Cedric Benson and getting over 100 yards and carrying this team. That week is over and done with me, and now we face the Denver Broncos. This is a Broncos team that has just as many question, and insecurities as our Cincinnati Bengals, which mean this is another game that's really a toss up, a game that can go either way. So what's the keys!?! For us, we need Dalton to play the whole game, he has an injury to his throwing arm, so it will be very interesting to see how this go today. In order for Dalton to survive and play a good game, the O-line MUST play on a level we believe they can't. Believe it or not that's not the most important thing, the most important factor for the Bengals to come home 2-0 is the secondary. This secondary must not allow Kyle Orton to pick them apart. Orton is the Denver Broncos he is the only chance that team have to be successful, so they must contain him. The D-line will have to provide help by getting pressure on Orton and not giving him the time to pick their weak secondary apart. Offensively the Bengals must play their same game, but even better, Benson must get over the century mark again, and the Bengals receivers must step up to open up A.J. Green and keep the bracket coverage away from the new impact receiver Jermaine Gresham. This game will be a battle between these two Defenses. Broncos D, and Bengals D is very similar in many ways I give the Bengals the edge on that side of the ball, however I give the Broncos D the better matchup because the Bengals offense is weak, and weaker than the Broncos offense. It should be another very interesting week for WHO DEY nation. The fan in me has the Bengals winning a close game 21-17, the realist in me has the same score but the Broncos being winners. John G. Dunn II jgdunn.blogspot.com

Ortiz could beat Mayweather IF.......

So as we near a couple hours til the much anticipated fight (as we do every Mayweather fight), most people love Floyd, and want him to win. The Floyd bandwagon is always packed and filled with people. Of course I like to be different and I love the underdog so I like Ortiz. I think Ortiz has as much of a chance to give Floyd his first lost as anybody do. For Ortiz to win it a simple game plan, but will be VERY difficult for him to execute. Ortiz must use his power to his advantage, he must land punches early and often. Ortiz must get up in the fight early, up as in, up on the scorecards. If Ortiz can get up early on the cards, he forces Mayweather out of his comfort zone, and that defensive approach. Floyd approach to every fight is to use his speed to dip and dodge, and stick and move. If Ortiz can win the first few rounds, and force Mayweather to be the aggressor, then that's when he can sit back and use counter punches and possibly not only win, but knock Floyd out. Ortiz can't go the distance and win with Floyd, if he don't get up early on the fight. Stay tune ppl, but this is the game plan and the only way Ortiz can win this fight tonight!

Week 1 Preview: Bengals @ Browns

So week 1 is finally here. The wait has ended. It just so happens to be on this day September 11, where 10 years ago all our lives changed forever. As a fireman it really hurts me, mad about the fact I was 13 had no idea what was going on or had no way to help. All I knew was that even then I wanted to be fireman and I wanted to help people and my brothers but couldn't. Sports was our medicine, sports is the medicine for this country. So this is not a day to be feeling sad, mad, or etc.this is a day for rejoice, be thankful for what we have, the ability we have to love and the dose of medicine we will be taking in today. So with that said will WHO DEY nation please stand up. I'm talking about the genuine, true Bengal fans. Not the fans who expect them to lose, not the fan who think they're going to do anything but win. I know Cincinnati fan base is one the worst as far as commitment, but don't stand up if your going to bash them on Facebook as soon as they turn the ball over, or get a 3 and out. The expectations is not high at all for this team worldwide, but the fans that I want to stand up, are the fans that regardless of what everybody say, you still believe whole heartedly that, not only that this team can be successful, but also that they will be. True of the matter is, you never know what can happen, the NFL consist of the best against the best, which mean any given sunday, anybody can win and anybody can be beat. The 2011 Cincinnati Bengals can be one them teams that surprise everybody and I think it starts today, so let me tell you what must occurre for this to happen. We all know they must ride the back of Cedric Benson, and I think he will carry them today running for 110-120 yards and 2TD's.  Dalton will be better than expected, I only say that cause nobody believe he can be a good QB yet. Coach Gruden can help this kid out a lot by using the strength of Dalton's accuracy to the team advantage, by throwing short intermediate passes and mixing in some screen, and I think Gruden will do these things. So we all know Benson will be a key to this team success, but I think more importantly than him, is the play of the defense. This defense will be the difference maker not just this week, but every week this year. I personally think this Bengals D is could be a sleeper. There so much youth and talented there and with the knowledge and skill of Coach Zim coaching that D it only a matter of time before these guys are performing as one of the top unit in the game. I know it seem like I'm being blind to the fact that this team is extremely young with a new QB and OC, but I'm not. I genuinely think this football team can win today. The Cleveland D is not as good as I think people give em credit for, not that they don't have talent there, it just unproven, sort of like the Bengals D. Colt McCoy I think he's overrated and even if he's not, there nobody for him to throw the football too. Hillis will be Hillis, I'm personally not a big believer in him either, he only had 1 good year, and with Brandon Jackson banged up I don't see him being able to carry the load all game. I have the Bengals winning today 24-14, maybe it the fan in me, but I'm a realist too. I like what I saw from the 1's this pre-season, this team can be good, this team will be good and It starts today.

John G. Dunn II jgdunn.blogspot.com