Investing In Yourself

Have you or your child ever come down with the hand, foot and mouth disease? One of my daughters and I recently had the, ahem, pleasure of making close friends with this nasty virus. Itchy and painful blisters, an out-of-whack stomach plus a really swollen throat and mind-numbing fatigue were a daily ritual for the better part of a week before the immune system sent the virus on its way.

Remember the saying "It takes a village to raise a child"? It makes sense; raising children is a challenge that can benefit from the expertise of different voices bringing varied experience to the table. In this day and age, there seems to be a prevalent "to each their own" mentality where man (and woman) is an island in the sea of humanity. How does one get that "village" effect if their village is, say, halfway across the country? Moms and dads need support when kids enter into the family equation.

Everyone knows that you only get one first impression in life: One chance to impress that potential boss; one chance to showcase your best assets to a date; one chance to walk in with a bang and walk out with a win. And that one chance is based a lot on how you present yourself through your wardrobe – which can seem both daunting and expensive at the same time.

Normally, I'm pretty much a go-with-the-flow type of gal and usually happy and content. However, I recently found myself in a bad mood; a funk, if you will. I'd like to say I was only in this state for a few hours or less, but, truth be told, I managed to retain the foul and grumpy mood for a few days.

Most of us will experience these trips to Bad Mood Canyon from time to time. It's life. It happens. If you have five minutes to spare, here are some quick-to-implement ideas that might help make your return trip back to Normal a bit smoother, easier and faster.

The Good List

Overwhelmed. Frazzled. Feeling like a chicken with its head cut off. Call it what you will, we've all been there. You know the feeling: like you're being pulled in a hundred different directions at a hundred miles per hour when all you really want is five minutes of calm. The good news is: 1) this season in life is usually brief yet furious (think: hurricane) and 2) there are steps you can take to help minimize the stress of being overwhelmed and get back on track. Let's take a look at some of these steps.

Call In Reinforcements

With an abundance of nutrition advice out there, deciding the who, what, when, where and why related to eating nutritional foods is pretty simple: fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean protein should make up the bulk of your diet. However, it's much more difficult to find ideas on how to get that nutrition into your body at optimal costs in today's economy.

As we move on in our “Investing in Self” series, we come to the idea of investing in your education. We here at MomVesting believe that education is the cornerstone to self-improvement. Whether you’re contemplating your first financial investment or looking to jump into a new career, setting yourself up for success only takes a little education and motivation. So how do you get started? Let’s take a look.

Decide Your Final Goal

Seven years ago, had you taken me to coffee and asked me what I thought about investing, I probably would have snorted my coffee right out my nose. My life was wrapped up in studies of literature and law. I was just looking for a way to make money, not really concerned about what I would do with it once I actually had some.

In some regards, this was a great way to be, because all of the money I made just sort of stock-piled in my checking account. I didn’t make much, but I didn’t spend much either. Then marriage happened.

More than Just Stocks

Bad years happen, and I'm sure everyone out there has had at least one or two. You know the years I'm talking about: the blows start and keep on coming, and you really start to understand that old "when it rains, it pours" cliché.

Has life dealt you a really bad hand? Or several really bad hands? What can you do to come back after that? While I'm not an expert, I have personally been dealt a couple of rough years, and here is my story about how I've been replenishing my life after some pretty grief-stricken times.

I Only Wish It Were Fiction

Today, indulge me a little. I want you to take a minute, close your eyes, and think back to that BC time – you know, Before Children. Remember those days? Now, eyes still closed, allow yourself to drift back a bit further to your single days, before your spouse entered the picture. Meditate for a moment on the person you were then.