Most of us are raised under the belief that life is about never giving up, especially in the pursuit of a long-term goal. However, there is value in knowing when to consider if this pursuit is worthy of your continued time and effort based upon the progress made and effort put in. It is a fact that our greatest leaders always knew when it was time to step down.
5 tell-tale signs it is time to step away:
1. Misleading Reinforcers: The one thing which keeps us directed towards our goals is when we receive some occasional positive feedback, even when the overall trend is clearly negative. These occasional positive rewards can be misleading in that they keep us hanging on, stuck in a pattern which never progresses past the reality of what we are losing.
2. Emotional Investment: When we continue behaviors directed at our goal with the mindset that we cannot give up because of all we have already put in, we are not evaluating the opportunity cost ratio logically. If there is no opportunity we are giving up our lives at a cost to pursue an opportunity that is not manifesting.
3. Financial/Emotional Loss: When the financial/emotional investment we are putting in shows little benefit, fear and anxiety dominate our thoughts because we want to stay in control of our losses. Our rational thinking shuts down not allowing us to let go. All we see is loss and this doesn’t fit the image of the dream we had.
4. No Gain: No matter how hard we try, no matter how much effort, blood, sweat and tears we put in, we cannot effect any change in our circumstances we must look to terminating our attachment to this particular goal. It doesn’t mean there is a failure it just means this is not the success we are meant to have.
5. Lack of Joy: When what we have been passionately loving and putting ourselves into no longer brings us joy, this kills motivation. Life becomes ground hog day each day. The purpose driven emotion experienced in the beginning has worn away to mechanical, every day, uninspired behaviors.
In reality surrendering a desired goal requires a huge leap of faith. When we anticipate an unknown future, a willingness to take a “failure,” along with the emotional devastation which accompanies our decision requires courage. Since persistence and staying-the-course are default settings for us, knowing when to step down takes a tremendous amount of emotional and mental gymnastics to make that final decision.
Little life message: Sometimes it is only through quitting something, especially if we’ve long been unhappy, which opens up our life to fresh, positive opportunities we were blocking by staying committed to what was not working.
Dr. Sherrie Campbell, PhD is a veteran, licensed Psychologist with two decades of clinical training and experience providing counseling and psychotherapy services to residents
Last week, we got a special advance look at MarioKart 8 for the Nintendo WiiU, and the game looks amazing! It’s a perfect mix of classic MarioKart elements you know and love and new features that make great use of the WiiU’s advanced capabilities. Here’s a quick breakdown of what to expect in the racing game, out May 30th.
What’s Back
As I said, this MarioKart continues the trend of remastering old favorites and retaining classic elements from the previous installments. You can expect the following to stick around in MarioKart 8:
Motorbikes (MarioKart Wii)
Hang Gliders (MarioKart 7)
Car Customization (MarioKart 7)
Underwater Racing (MarioKart 7)
Online Multiplayer (MarioKart Wii)
Standard Items (MarioKart franchise)
16 remastered courses (MarioKart 64-MarioKart 7)
What’s New
However, it’s not all a blast from the past in MarioKart 8— there’s quite a bit of fresh material here too! These new features are sure to make MarioKart 8 a hit:
Anti-Gravity Racing, which allows players to drive on walls and ceilings in certain parts of the track
New Playable Characters: the Koopalings
New Playable Character: Baby Rosalina
New Playable Character: Pink Gold Princess Peach
New Item: Boomerang, with the ability to be thrown three times and hit other drivers on its return to the player
New Item: Piranha Plant, which attacks other racers and clears obstacles
New Item: Super Horn, the first item with the ability to deflect the Blue Spiny Shell
16 new courses
MarioKart 8 looks to be another classic installment in the MarioKart series– be sure to check it out when it hits shelves May 30!
I was recently treated to a preview of three brand new games at Nintendo World New York– Kirby Triple Deluxe, Mario Golf: World Tour, and Tomodachi Life— and they looked like excellent additions to the 3DS catalog!
Kirby Triple Deluxe, the character’s first appearance on the 3DS, transports Kirby to the land of Floralia, where he faces tons of unique new enemies and challenges. To deal with these adversarial forces, Kirby uses new copy abilities like Beetle, Bell, Archer, and Circus, and his brand new Hypernova ability. “Going Hypernova” allows Kirby to inhale much more than usual, even enabling him to suck up parts of the environment like trees, terrain, and more!
Mario Golf: World Tour, the sixth game in the Mario Golf franchise, also marks a first by being the first 3DS entry in the series. As always, Mario and his friends (and enemies!) make the sport even more fun with the addition of themed courses, items (a la MarioKart), and coins to enhance the gameplay. World Tour incorporates control elements from the previous games, while also adding a new way to aim your perfect shot. By using the gyroscopic motion sensors in the 3DS or 2DS, players can turn themselves like their in-game character to line up a hole-in-one like never before!
Tomodachi Life breaks new ground for Nintendo, as it will be the first Tomodachi game released outside of Japan. The game revolves around the kooky interactions that occur between the Miis that the player uploads to Tomodachi Life. These Miis then live on the game’s Chin Island, and go about their everyday lives with hilarious results. The Miis can become friends, rivals, and enemies, fall in love, get married, and even have little baby Miis!
We’re sure looking forward to playing these three great games for the Nintendo 3DS!
Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Mario Golf: World Tour are available now. Tomodachi Life hits stores on June 6.
Sickweather has launched the first major update to their iPhone app which was released last November and alerts parents in real-time when they enter Sick Zones: areas where illnesses are reported on social media. The latest version adds easy-to-read, local sickness forecasts and an element of crowdsourcing; allowing moms and dads to report illnesses directly and anonymously to the Sickweather map. Reports are then saved to their own ‘My Reports Map’ which can be used to track when and where they, or someone in their family, is sick.
“Sickness is one of the most disruptive events that can hit a household” says Graham Dodge, CEO of Sickweather, and father of three. “With Sickweather, parents can now check for the chance of illness as easily as they can check for the chance of rain.”
For example, when someone publicly posts ‘My kids have strep’ on Facebook or Twitter, Sickweather qualifies that report using a patent-pending process and then plots it on a map. If a Sickweather user travels near that report (whether they are dropping kids off at school or stopping by a cafe for a cup of coffee) they will get a real-time alert on their iPhone warning them of their proximity to strep throat, effectively making Sickweather the Doppler radar for sickness and the only real-time resource for disease surveillance available to the public. Parents can use the alerts as prompts to proactively wash hands, refill prescriptions, or restock the medicine cabinet with their favorite remedies.
About Sickweather: Sickweather, a Baltimore-based company, provides online reports and an iPhone app that scans social networks for indicators of illness, and maps real time data on more than 23 different symptoms and illnesses. For more information, please visit: http://www.sickweather.com
Last night, at an event spearheaded by Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg, the gaming company announced the next game in the popular Skylanders series. Titled Skylanders: Trap Team, the game allows players to utilize a new class of Skylanders called Trap Masters to thwart Kaos’s latest plan to take over the Skylands.
Central to the new game is a fresh mechanic that lets players “trap” certain enemies with the aid of the redesigned portal and another new addition to the series, trap crystals. Created from the “traptanium” that flew to earth when Kaos blew up Skylands’ most infamous prison, the trap crystals can be inserted into a specific groove on the portal; doing so enables players to capture specific enemy characters once they have been defeated. Using the trap crystals, players can access the villains caught within them, turn these enemies to their side, and then play as such favorites as the Chompy Mage (who first appeared in Skylanders: Giants), Chill Bill, and yes, even archvillain Kaos himself.
Discussing the development of this new feature, Hirshberg stated that the idea came about as an extension of the groundbreaking and innovative design that has been a hallmark of the Skylanders license since the brand’s inception in 2011. “Previously we’d brought toys to life by letting what happened in the physical world impact the digital world,” he said, “and now we get to bring life into the toys by letting what happens in the digital world affect the physical world.”
Also on scene at the event was Richard Barry, EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer of Toys “R” Us, who confirmed that the retail chain would be continuing its partnership with Skylanders. Barry announced that we will be seeing new Legendary figures at Toys “R” Us in conjunction with Trap Team, as well as other new exclusive Skylanders merchandise. He concluded by stating that the game, which hits shelves on October 5th, is now available for pre-order at Toys “R” Us, both in stores and online at ToysRUs.com.
As a final note, Eric Hirshberg said that working with Skylanders has given his team the opportunity to “make kids say ‘wow!’ for a living,” and I can certainly say that Skylanders: Trap Team is sure to make kids of all ages (including some adults!) say “wow!” when it releases this October.
Skylanders: Trap Team is now available for pre-order on all major video game consoles.
Sometimes it seems that all of the quality baby brands make and market their products to moms. In the diaper bag department, the options from Petunia Picklebottom, JJ Cole and Vera Bradley seem to be flowers, pastels, and then more flowers. Where are the options for new parents that want to share a diaper bag (and the changing duties that go along with ‘em) between both mom and dad?
JJ Cole Collections is working on solving that problem with the introduction of their new Metra Diaper Bag. When I recently received a sample* from JJ Cole to review, at first I thought I had received a messenger bag by mistake. The subdued “black stitch” option is just a simple black and gray color. Dude, that’s totally fine with me. When I opened the bag up and saw all the zippers, pockets and changing pad, then it became clear that the Metra actually is made to haul around diaper supplies. Oh, and as a bonus my wife seems to like the bag too… so it won’t be just me dealing with junior’s messes all the time. After using the Metra Bag for a few weeks (I just throw the supplies in, sling it over my shoulder and head out the door) I’m starting to become a believer that dads do“do” diaper bags too.
You can buy the JJ Cole Black Stitch Metra in-store at Babies R Us and buy buy BABY, and on buybuyBABY.com. Other colors of the Metra Bag – red, blue, and green – are available in store and online at Babies R Us and buy buy BABY. It’s $69.99…which is a fair price to me, especially since I can keep on using it for years after junior has outgrown diapers.
* Note – it was a free sample, but I received no other compensation from JJ Cole. All the opinions in this post are my own.
Springtime rings in warmer weather, as well as family fun outdoors to enjoy bike rides, BBQs and ball games. For the 50 million Americans[1] who suffer from all types of allergies, springtime also kicks off allergy season. A healthy immune system is the best way to fight off sickness throughout the year, but what are the best ways to combat the runny nose, watery eyes and overall congestion that wreak havoc on so many? Dr. Travis Stork, ER physician and host of the Emmy® award-winning talk show “The Doctors,” has partnered with Church & Dwight Co., Inc., the maker of ARM & HAMMER™ Simply Saline™ nasal mists to share his Top Five Tips to Ring in Spring for a healthy & congestion-free season.
·Keep it Simple and Natural. Nearly 43% of adults are congested year-round. The overuse of over-the-counter nasal decongestants can actually cause your congestion to return much worse than when it first appeared. Using products that are drug-freeand derived from natural ingredients, such as ARM & HAMMERTM Simply SalineTM Nasal Mists, can be extremely effective in clearing nasal congestion without side-effects.
·Know When to Work Out. Staying active and exercising for at least 30 minutes a day is a great way to fight off illness, but for allergy sufferers, be sure to plan workouts accordingly. Pollen counts are highest between 5am-10am, so it’s best to plan a time of day when pollen levels are a bit lower.
·Allergy-Proof the House. Allergens exist indoors and outdoors, so take steps to make your home allergy-proof. A simple way to keep allergens at bay is to wipe your feet and take off your shoes when entering the home. You can also prevent mold by keeping the indoor air dry with a dehumidifier and remove allergens by cleaning the floors with a vacuum that has a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter.
·Mind the Kids. Congestion-causing allergens are everywhere – on the bus, in the park, on our clothes and even in our hair. To avoid any impact on your family fun this spring – especially for the little ones – keep congestion remedies on hand, like ARM & HAMMER™Simply Saline™Baby Nasal Relief for both infants and kids.
·Wash Away Those Allergens. Suffer from allergies? Don’t ditch your favorite outdoor hobby, ditch the allergens stuck to clothes, bedding and bags. After a day in the garden, at the ballpark or family picnic, remember to wash clothes, bedding and bags as often as needed.
Rio 2, the follow-up to 2011’s Rio, continues the tale of Blu and Jewel (Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway, respectively), believed to be the last two blue Spix’s macaws. As we learn quickly in Rio 2, however, they’re far from alone— the film centers not only on Blu and Jewel adjusting to family life with three children of their own, but also on the discovery that there is a whole flock of blue Spix’s macaws in the wild. The pair (And their kids) travel to the Amazon to help their human companions Tulio and Linda (Rodrigo Santoro and Leslie Mann) to find the flock. But another surprise awaits them when they get there— the other macaws are Jewel’s flock!
As Jewel introduces Blu to her family and friends, it becomes clear that he’s going to have to try to fit in with the way of life in the jungle quickly if he wants to keep up with Jewel’s childhood friend Roberto (Bruno Mars) and win the respect of her father (Andy Garcia.) On top of that, the gang also faces the threat of industrial loggers who are trying to illegally deforest the jungle, and the return of old foe Nigel (Jemaine Clement), who’s out to get Blu and his family for thwarting his scheme and taking his ability to fly. With the deck certainly stacked against them, how will Blu, Jewel, and their family and friends make it out of this one? You’ll have to go see Rio 2 to find out!
Packed with laughs, music, and excitement, Rio 2 is a treat for the whole family— a great time at the movies you definitely won’t want to miss!
Be sure to check out Rio 2 in theaters April 11!
or let the kids watch this and see if they want to see the movie?
As a dad of a three year old boy and one on the way, the wife and I decided it was time to get the little guy potty trained before his sister joined the party. That being said, like most 3 year olds Brady is a very stubborn kid, so we knew we were about to endeavor on a challenging journey. Wow were we wrong and that’s for one reason, the Kiddie App!
As you know, there are literally millions of mobile apps with little purpose or value, but the same can’t be said for the Kiddie App. We scoured the iTunes App store searching for potty training tips and that’s when we realized there is no app out there that covers bedtime, dinner time and potty training – all in one.
Every parent has a difficult time coping with the challenges of raising toddlers, especially when it comes the dreaded potty training, but now Kiddie App provides parents with a fun and educational tool to make everything a bit easier.
The app is jam-packed with interactive stories and sing-a-long songs which will help children learn the desirable behaviors. Best of all, using the Reward Charts can motivate your toddler and at the same time, we were able to share their progress with family and friends on Facebook.
Best of all, the app itself is FREE and you can buy a few additional stories for a few bucks!
Any parent, that’s about to enter the world of potty training should definitely check out Kiddie App!
As parents we must teach our children the realities of life. Life hurts us, people hurt us, we hurt other people and we hurt ourselves. That is what relationships and life are about. The sooner we let our children in on this secret the healthier their life-approach will be. We must teach that life is not built to be fair. The relationships our children have will, for certain, be their greatest teachers of love and pain. They will never need to use forgiveness more than in their relationships. Forgiveness is many things but we also must teach that forgiveness doesn’t always mean reconciliation. It is not about condoning harms which have been done. Forgiveness is about taking power back.
5 Ways to empower our children:
1. Let go of the need for closure: When we have been hurt, we want people to be sorry for what they did. We get so hooked into this that we put our happiness on hold until we get this “apology.” Our children need to understand these apologies rarely come, and each day they are waiting to feel good until they get the apology they believe they need is another day wasted on a person who doesn’t deserve their headspace. Closure comes from within and in their ability to let go and move on.
2. Accept what has been done: What is done is done. They have already been hurt, the assault has happened and no amount of their anger or sadness can or will change that. We have to teach them that when they can accept there is no way to reverse the damage then they can move on and not give any more time to something they cannot change. This liberates and brings them the power to determine their own worth back to them.
3. Grateful thinking: It is important to teach the “sliver-lining” theory to our children. There is positive thinking and negative thinking, each which can be an extreme path to take after we have been hurt. There is something disingenuous about a strictly positive thinker because life is hard and to be positive all the time is not realistic, and to be consumed in negative thought is simply a lack of effort. Grateful thinking is that middle ground where we teach our children to accept life on life’s terms and to find the good in the painful and in the wonderful.
4. Forgiving is a verb: We need to teach the importance of time to our children when they have been hurt because hurts don’t usually heal quickly. Forgiveness is not an event it is a process. Their feelings are going take time to process and they need to know this is ok. Their emotions are healthy and they, like us, need to experience the full range of emotions when they have been betrayed before they can get clear about what they need to do next.
5. We come through every hurt stronger: If we can show our children that how things are supposed to be and how they turn out is often very different this will help them develop a realistic and mature view on life and people. With each hurt our children have the opportunity to turn a grievance into a success. We must show them their emotions are natural and that they grow the most by being more human (feeling emotions) not by being less human (acting like they don’t care).
We owe it to our children to teach them that forgiveness is the continual process of understanding that no matter how much they want to have life lived according to their ideas of fairness that it isn’t that way. When they can see forgiveness doesn’t always mean taking a person back who has hurt them they can breathe. All forgiveness means is accepting that what happened cannot be changed and no amount of their pain, anguish or anger is going to undo what was done.
Little Life Message: Teach your children that their best revenge is to move on and find their happy.
