Look forward to a stress free holiday this year with these great pre-travel tips.

Part of striving towards a work life balance is to take a stress free holiday without feeling anxious or apprehensive about your workload. Sometimes you come back from a holiday needing a holiday – what can you do to ensure you are relaxed and free from stress and pressure? Here are five tips to go away on annual leave, avoid holiday stress and come back to work with a post holiday buzz that lasts longer than holiday romance.

Delegate your work

The chances of having a stress free holiday are enhanced by having the peace of mind that everything is under control at work. Depending on the length of your holiday, ask your boss if a trusted colleague can cover you at work. Update your manager on the status of your work, whether they need to follow up on any projects and ask them to nominate someone who can make decisions on your behalf while you are away.

Get organised

Before you leave for your holiday, allocate time to cleaning your desk, filing your paperwork and making your office free of clutter. In the last hour before you leave, set your out of office message on your email software and also put an out of office message on your telephone. In your email and phone messages, let the person know who they should contact in your absence to try and avoid a barrage of messages when you return.

Plan ahead

The earlier you book and plan your holiday, the more likely you are to get the best deals on hotels and travel and the best choice of quality accommodation and better travel times. It’s great to get a cheap flight for $59 but it might be false economy if you’re getting up at the crack of dawn to catch the plane and starting your holiday on a tense note. It may be better to pay more and get a more convenient flight time.

Set work boundaries

It can be tempting to check your work emails when you are away on holidays but the whole idea of getting away is to escape from the rigours and stresses of every day work. Leave your laptop at home or go to a region with limited Internet access so you will have no choice to enjoy your holiday in the way you intended. Alternatively, set work boundaries and only check your emails once every day for half an hour only.

Easing your way back into work

It can be a culture shock to come back into work after a relaxing holiday and be confronted by numerous emails and phone messages and a high pile of paperwork. Another way to avoid post holiday stress is to set your email auto-reply to say that you are returning one day after your actual start date. This allows you a one day buffer to try and get organised before you resume your normal work routine again.

They say no one is irreplaceable but when you’re the boss, you’re the only one who performs your role in the company or you work in a small team, sometimes you feel that you can’t take holidays without worrying about your workload and your other team members. But with adequate planning and organisation, you should be able to take a stress free holiday and leave the workload and the worries behind.

Is it time to get up close and personal with a personal trainer to shed your winter coat and get fit for summer?

A personal trainer can help you get fit for summer, provide motivation and essential exercise tips to help you lose weight. But are all fitness trainers created equally? A personal trainer in Australia must have a Certificate Four issued by Fitness Australia before they can practise as a trainer. We give you tips on finding your perfect match with a personal trainer so you can not only develop a long-lasting relationship but maintain your weight loss all year-round.

Qualifications

Before hiring a personal trainer to get fit for summer ask them about their qualifications. Anyone can call themselves a personal trainer so make sure they have the relevant qualifications before you put your body in their hands. A personal trainer must have the following accreditation in Australia:

• A Certificate 4 or relevant tertiary qualification

• Registered to Fitness Australia

• First Aid certificate and

• Public liability insurance.

To double check that your personal trainer is qualified, you can always look them up on The Fitness Australia Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) directory.

Recommendations and referrals

It is preferable to hire a personal trainer through recommendations and referrals. Most people find a personal trainer through their local gym. Most gyms have personal trainers on staff and offer attractive packages to members for personal training. Other ways to find a personal trainer is to ask friends, family or work colleagues, read fitness forums or look for a trainer via your local fitness association such as Fitness Australia.

Knowledge and experience

You want a personal trainer who is very knowledgeable about their industry and with knowledge, often comes experience. The years that a personal trainer has been in the industry and long-term clients the personal trainer they have must be considered. However, don’t take these numbers on face value. An instructor who has been in the industry for less than two years may be a better fit for you and you may enjoy their fitness workouts more than someone who has been in the industry for ten years.

Results

Results never lie with personal training. Not only should you look for a personal trainer who has achieved great outcomes for their clients, you also want a personal trainer who is in great shape and can walk the walk as well as talk the talk. A personal trainer is a walking advertisement for their business. Ask for case studies, testimonials or whether you can speak to their previous clients about what results they have received with the personal trainer.

Customer service

When choosing a personal trainer to get you fit for summer, a strong customer service ethic is essential. You may have to fit sessions in your lunch time, after hours or on the weekends and you want to find a personal trainer who can not only work around your schedule but also turn up on time every time. It’s also important to find a personal trainer who can give you one-on-one attention, understand your training motivation, is a good listener and someone that you feel comfortable with in order for you to get the most out of the sessions.

Bigger picture mentality

Whether you hire a personal trainer for a certain number of PT sessions to get fit for summer or have ongoing training sessions, you want to hire a personal trainer that understands losing weight is a lifetime commitment. Research shows that the hardest part of weight loss is not losing the weight, it is actually maintaining the weight loss. Not only do you need to change your body, you need to change your mindset towards exercise and training.

Price

It is advisable to discuss the price of the personal training sessions before even doing a trial session. Don’t be scared to discuss the price with your PT – you don’t want to feel obligated to sign up for personal training sessions you can’t afford. Ask the personal trainer to provide a training structure to give you an idea of how many sessions you may need and for how long. You may also be able to buy sessions in bulk which may be more cost-effective.

Before you sign on the dotted line with a personal trainer, ask whether you can do a one-off workout before signing up for multiple sessions. A professional personal trainer will do an assessment of your fitness so you can set measurable benchmarks and goals. Most importantly, you need to feel comfortable with your personal trainer. You may initially hire a personal trainer to get fit for summer but maintaining weight loss is important all season-round.

Build self confidence at work and take your career to the next level. Even the most confident of people have been plagued with self-doubt at one time or another in their career. However, confidence is fundamental for career development and advancement so you must find ways to get over your mental building blocks. Here are 7 tips to improve self confidence, boost your self esteem and become empowered in the workforce.

Dress for success

Have you ever heard the saying ‘that you should dress for the job you want, not for the job you have’? If you believe that you look the part, this will help you feel the part and pay dividends in your confidence levels. By putting more thought into your work wardrobe and overall presentation, this will create a statement and not a question about your work abilities.

Fake it until you make it

You may think you are exuding confidence but your body language may tell a different story. Standing tall, a firm handshake, a warm smile and speaking clearly and authoritatively can make a huge difference to how you are perceived by others. Be conscious of how you sit, how you stand, how you use your hands and legs and the image you are projecting.

Come prepared

When you have practised your PowerPoint presentation over and over again, done advanced research before a meeting or prepared questions for a conference, this will show in your delivery which will be a lot more self-assured and confident. It is quite acceptable to jot down notes which you can refer to in meetings. Being prepared will not do wonders for your self esteem but also impress your colleagues and clients.

Be punctual

As well as being prepared, make sure you have given yourself enough time to go to a onsite or travel to an offsite meeting. Ten minutes before the start of the meeting is ideal so you can network with other attendees. When you are punctual and prepared, you will be less flustered, more in control and this will boost your confidence levels.

Ask for feedback

A lack of confidence can sometimes derive from insecurity about your position or unfamiliarity with a new project. Constructive feedback can help you assess whether you may need further education and training. By asking for feedback, you are not only showing your supervisor your continued interest in the company but you will feel more secure and happier in your position as a result.

Surround yourself with positive people

This is sometimes easier said than done in a workplace but try your best to avoid naysayers and toxic and negative people at work. Instead surround yourself with positive and supportive people who will try and enhance your self believe. You want to be able to learn from the movers and shakers of the company and find out what makes them successful and build your self confidence.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

Confident people are not afraid to take calculated risks, challenge themselves, and volunteer for new projects. By doing this, there is always the risk of failure but you can learn from these experiences, improve your confidence and take your career to the next level. It’s best not to strive for perfection and don’t be afraid to ask questions, make mistakes and grow from them.

By increasing your self confidence and workplace happiness, this will no doubt have a positive and cumulative effect on your colleagues and improve your workplace as a whole. You may not feel confident straight away but these tips will build your confidence over time and not only possibly fast track your career but make you feel happier in and out of work.

Health screenings are important at every stage of your life and an important part of maintaining a work-life balance.

Having scheduled health screenings is a great way to feel like we have some control over our bodies. So many health problems depend on early detection for effective treatment, including cancer, heart disease, and many autoimmune diseases. Here are the health screenings, check ups and exams you should have at various stages of your life.

Health checks in your 20s

You’re in the prime of your life, and the last thing on your mind is health problems. And that is exactly why health screenings are so important.

In our 20s, we’re placing our bodies under a lot of stress – from partying, overwork and sometimes pregnancy.

The health checks that most 20-30 year-olds should have include:

• Blood pressure checks: High blood pressure is a risk factor in the development of heart disease, and stress, carrying excess weight and being inactive can all contribute to high blood pressure.
• Bloodwork: Your blood should be screened yearly for glucose levels (an indicator of diabetes), cholesterol levels, levels of thyroid hormone and electrolytes (abnormal levels can indicate kidney function problems).
• Pap smears: Women who smoke or take the contraceptive pill should be especially vigilant about these health screenings, but all women should try to get a Pap smear done bi-yearly.
• Dental check and clean: You should have your teeth professionally cleaned and checked annually for early signs of decay.
• STI screenings: Sexually active adults should be screened by STIs, especially diseases which show no symptoms like Chlamydia, every year.
• Weight assessment: Sometimes it is difficult to know whether you are in a healthy range or not.

Health checks in your 30s

Those first grey hairs and a face that isn’t quite as bouncy as it once was often force us to think more about the condition of our bodies. Most of us are still at relatively low risk for many diseases, but you should get health screenings and check ups in your 30s like:

• Regular screenings: Just the same as you have been doing in your 20s, go for a yearly bloodwork, weight check, blood pressure check, dental check, and a 3-yearly Pap smear (if you have the bits required to test!).
• Depression screenings: If you consistently have trouble concentrating and don’t find anything to look forward to in life, be screened for depression.
• Skin cancer checks: It can be hard to identify, and your 30s are a common decade for skin cancer diagnosis.

Health checks in your 40s

In your 40s, the life distractions of kids and a career in full swing often put your health on the backburner. Even if you do little else, though, make sure you get the following health screenings:

• Your regular health screenings: The same one you were getting in your 20s and 30s are still important.
• EKG: An electrocardiogram should be done yearly; measuring your heart’s electrical activity can warn of arrhythmia and impending heart attack.
• Fecal occult blood tests: This health screening, though it can be embarrassing, is better than dying of fairly common colorectal cancer.

Health checks in your 50s and later

In many ways, people over 50 feel like they’ve hit a second prime. You’re at full earning capacity, and may even be unfettered by your darling children, as many of them will have moved out by this stage. Keep it positive in your 50s by getting the following health screenings.

• Regular health checks: Keep going with those.
• Bone density checks: To screen for early signs of osteoporosis
• Prostate exams: For men over age 50
• Mammograms: For women over age 50. These are offered free at periodic clinics around Australia.
• Vision and hearing checks: Deteriorating vision and hearing shouldn’t be a normal part of life in your 50s – have them checked regularly.

In addition, immunisations are important to maintain at all ages. Ask your doctor which shots are appropriate for you – most adults get a flu shot every year, tetanus booster every 10 years, and a pneumococcal shot every so often.

Health screenings take time – but they definitely free you from worry! Remember prevention is definitely better than cure and the quicker you are diagnosed for a potential problem, the quicker it can be treated. Doctors love to see people being proactive – so book a general health screening appointment today.

Britney Spears helps promote a healthy body image with her new campaign for Candies for Kohls.

Britney Spears, spokesperson for Candies for Kohl’s campaign recently released campaign pictures, before and after airbrushing, to dispel body image issues and promote a healthy body image for her young fans.

There have been significant gains in the last few years in regards to promoting healthy and realistic body shapes and a backlash to unrealistic models being used in fashion magazines and advertising.

Another celebrity to jump on the bandwagon includes Jennifer Hawkins, Myer spokesperson and ex Miss Universe who posed for the February 2010 issue of marie claire magazine sans clothes and airbrushing. This also provided a mixed response from critics who felt it was more of a publicity stunt than trying to promote a healthy body image.

In marie claire’s exclusive interview, Jennifer Hawkins confesses that she never could have done a shoot like this two years ago.

“I would have been worried about what people thought, whether it was the right decision – a thousand different things… But over the past year and a half I’ve grown into myself, and I’m more confident and comfortable within the modelling industry. I did it for the experience… It felt quite sensual and sexy. I felt empowered”.

Bianca Dye who appeared nude in the November 2009 issue of marie claire slammed the magazine and said that pushing a 26-year-old Miss Universe winner as the pin-up for female body confidence is “just not right”.

“She was born beautiful. She has not had to go through any stress to look like that,” Dye told Confidential.

“Jackie Frank is one of the most respected editors in the country and I am in shock that they would say Jennifer Hawkins is a natural role model. It’s like we’ve taken 20 steps backwards.”

In a more positive direction, Sarah Murdoch appeared on the cover of Australian’s Woman’s Weekly last year in an untouched photograph, saying women should be able to embrace the beauty of ageing. The magazine photo shoot coincides with the release of a report by the Federal Government’s body image advisory group.

The Federal Government jumped on the positive body image bandwagon and late last year introduced a new National Advisory Group on Body Image. The Advisory Group will be chaired by former ACP magazine editor Mia Freedman who championed the ‘Body Love’ section in Cosmo magazine.

Members of the advisory group include model and media identity Sarah Murdoch, Girlfriend magazine editor Sarah Cornish, founder of the Butterfly Foundation, Claire Vickery and body image researcher Susan Paxton.

Last year the Government allocated $125,000 to establish the Code of Conduct, which will include consideration of the following issues:

• Clearer notification of altered or enhanced images, including digital alterations.
• Better representation of diverse body shapes and sizes.
• Appropriate industry age limits.

“The Government is committed to tackling negative body image from a national perspective, by helping young Australians to build confidence and resilience against the body image pressures that they face.

“Body image affects the lives of young Australians in very powerful ways and the Government is determined to make a difference over the long term,” said Kate Ellis.

But critics say that Kate Ellis put a four-inch heel wrong and sent mixed messages when she appeared in in Grazia magazine’s annual “Body Image Special”. The young politician donned a pair of killer $1,790 Gucci heels and curve-hugging $695 leather Karen Millen dress that looked more catwalk model than state figure.

Like successful plus-size model Crystal Renn who appeared on the cover of Sunday Life in mid April 2010, only to be upstaged by a stick-thin model a few pages away in the Fashion section, it seems to be a case of one step forward, one step back with designers and fashion editors doing a reluctance dance around the issue of positive body image.

With some designers only providing samples in size six or smaller for photo shoots, magazines can only use models who fit into those sizes.

But with the luxury clothing market taking a major hit in revenue in the Global Financial Crisis while mainstayers like Target and Kmart capitalised on providing affordable clothing, are the elitist designers starting to see the business sense of adding kilos and thus dollar figures to their clothing ranges?

Influential designer Karl Lagerfeld who famously said “No one wants to see curvy women,” seems to have finally embraced plus-sized models and did a photo shoot with the voluptuous burlesque dancer Miss Dirty Martini for V magazine.

Perhaps the tide is finally turning and the fashion industry will do more than pay lip service to promoting a healthy body image.

The Australian online dating industry grew by 5 per cent last year and is expected to grow by a further 5 to 10 per cent this year so what’s stopping you from putting your heart on the line?

Model turned author Tara Moss wrote in her blog about her recent experiences with online dating and how she met her now husband on a popular dating site. Once a stigma, online dating is seen as the intelligent way of searching for a partner. Each of the major Australian dating websites have in excess of a million members. So if it’s good enough for Tara Moss, could it be enough for you take the plunge and see if you click with someone online?

What online dating website should I join?

One of the most popular websites is RSVP but the online dating website you join will ultimately depend on how narrow or wide you want to cast your net. There are websites that cater for people looking for specific criteria; whether you are looking for people who are a specific culture or religion, have interests such as fitness, you’re looking for a casual or serious relationship or even looking for a millionaire.

If you’re too scared to join up to an online dating site, you may want to dip your toe in the water and add Zoosk to your Facebook account. Zoosk is an application integrated with social networking websites like Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, and Hi5. Facebook has over 400 million active users and Zoosk is a popular tool which has been added by over 8 million Facebook members and has 924,346 fans.

How do online dating websites work?

With most traditional websites, you create a profile on the site which generally includes your photo, a small blurb about yourself and what you are looking for in a partner and your hobbies and interests. The profiles are approved by the moderator of the website to make sure they are appropriate for the website ie no profanity or indecent pictures.

Usually, you will get a far better response (3 to 10 times better!) with a posted picture than without. If you’re worried about privacy, some sites even let you password protect your photo and only allow members you select to view it. After your profile is approved, you are free to search through the list of members and contact any members that catch your eye.

Some recently launched websites in Australia such as eHarmony and MyType (owned by the same company as RSVP) match people based on their psychological profiles. Unlike other conventional online websites, your profile will only be sent to people who are considered a compatible match for you. This may be based on core values like character, intellect, sense of humour, spiritual beliefs, passion, and other factors so don’t lie on in your test!

How much will it cost to join an online dating website?

Most online websites do not charge a fee for you to join the online website but may charge a subscription or one off fee for contacting members. Monthly fees may vary so investigate the cost of membership before you join. You don’t want to meet the love of your life and be unable to contact him or her due to financial constraints!

There are far and few free online dating services to choose from and be wary that if a site may be free such as Craiglist, it may not be managed as well and as safe. One free online dating service you may want to try is Oasis Active which claims to be a 100% free dating service for singles. Members can create profiles and contact other members for free.

So what are the rules for online dating?

There are certain precautions to take when finding a potential mate online. The Craigslist killer springs easily to mind! Experts suggest that if you are serious about finding a relationship online that you do not spend weeks on end talking to a potential match and meet up in the first few weeks.

This is good for two reasons; you can rule out the tyre kickers who are just interested in cyber chats and maybe more and you can see whether you have chemistry face to face beyond a pixelated image. Be careful not to create a false intimacy with someone you haven’t met and may not be attracted to in real life.

Make sure you meet in a public place during the day and give a good friend or relative the details of your meeting place, who you are meeting and their contact details. Arrange a backup plan for your friend to ring you so if the date isn’t proceeding as you wish, you can make an excuse and leave quickly.

Online dating not your thing?

If you are working in a high-profile position or you are just simply afraid to put your profile online, you may want to try an executive dating agency instead. These boutique agencies will charge higher fees from $1,600 – $6,000 depending on the individual agency and the level of package you choose.

However you will be afforded a higher level of discretion and confidentiality than an online dating website and your potential matches will be vetoed by your agency who may even do a full security check on whether they have had any previous convictions, their marital status and whether they have been bankrupt and their financial status.

Agencies you may want to try are Blue Label Life which claims to have an unrivalled 92% success rate based on a scientifically proven CQ Test to measure compatibility. Elite Introductions is also a very popular agency with offices in Sydney and Melbourne. Trudy Gilbert, the Trudy Gilbert, the Director and Founder is a regular guest on the Today Show.

So what are you waiting for? Put your profile and heart on the line … and join an online dating website. Remember it’s a numbers game so the more people you meet, the closer you are to finding your perfect match. Whether you’re just testing the waters or plunged right into the online dating pool, having all these people pay attention to you may be the ego boost you need to get out of your dating rut.

Create a budget - ensure that you are in a positive cash flow position with more money coming in than going out. If not, cut back on unnecessary items and start curbing your spending habits. If your mobile phone bill is excessive, change to a pre-paid plan, move in with your parents or reduce the amount of money spent on eating out and entertainment.

Writing down your spending behaviour – Remember that budgets usually reflect 20% less than your actual spending. By writing down what you actually spend your budget will be more realistic and and you will be able to analyse where you are spending more than you should or where you are shortchanging yourself in regards to necessary items like food or transport.

Get rid of credit card debt – The high interest rates on your credit cards mean that you should pay these off first before you start to save. It may delay the process but just as credit card debt snowballs in the wrong direction, when it is moving in the right direction it goes just as fast.

Pay your investment first- Saving for a house deposit also includes dedicating an affordable amount into your budget to go towards your house loan savings. Pay this first, bills second and only spend what is left over. Getting into a regular habit of putting money aside will put you in good stead when you do get a mortgage.

Make the most of your savings – Chose a premium savings account and preferably one that has a high level of interest and low fees. You may find separating your accounts into spending, expenses and savings makes it easier to save and get together a house deposit.

Understand how much you need to save – there are always unexpected costs that creep in at settlement so it is a good idea to find out what these are and have an extra $5000 up your sleeve to prevent the deal from going unexpectedly pear shaped.

Keep an eye on the market – This is vital. Start to investigate the trends in the market so that you understand what you should be paying when you are ready to make your purchase. Go to open house inspections and start looking at real estate websites to get a feel for the market.

Getting together a home loan deposit can be tough, especially for first time buyers but by following these tips and being patient, you will be able to save for a home deposit and develop good financial management skills in the process. Whatever your circumstance, putting aside money each week and being realistic about the property market and what area you can afford to buy in will get you into the property market a lot sooner than you think.

One of the biggest obstacles in building a healthy relationship is actually ourselves. Are you emotionally available or emotionally exhausted? Read on to find out how this affects your ability to create the proper environment for your relationships to prosper…

Emotional availability … it’s a psychological buzzword for a characteristic that we can all pick up on in people, whether we are romantically interested in them or not. A simpler way to say it would be ‘He’s just not that into you’ … and there are books, movies and Sex and the City episodes aplenty to watch if you want some real-life examples of that condition! Here is some relationship advice to work out whether he’s emotionally available and really ‘into you’ and what should you do if he isn’t.

What is Emotional Availability?

You know if someone is truly interested in you. They ask about your life and they care about what happens to you when you aren’t around. They share details of their own lives and ask you for help. This is emotional availability.

A more dictionary-esque definition of emotionally available might be “the ability to comfortably and confidently share thoughts, feelings, time and energy with another person in a relationship” … but we all know what unavailability feels like. It feels very lonely, even when you’re sitting next to each other. It’s the feeling of having to force words out of your mouth, because you know they won’t really be heard or cared about. It the constant wonder about your position in the other person’s heart … and it just feels yucky.

Remember that physical availability doesn’t always equal emotional availability. There are many people who are willing to be there in body, but not in spirit. They will talk about only superficial subjects, or go through the motions of a relationship very mechanically.

How to make sure your potential partner is emotionally available

Here are some signs in an early relationship to help you determine if your partner will be emotionally available:

• You are certain that yours is the only romantic relationship in their life is a good indication of their emotional availability
• They proudly talk about you to friends and family
• They venture details about their day, both external and internal events. For example, “This is what happened; this is how it made me feel”.
• They are willing to spend time with you, and their old friends, together

Remember, though, that there is a difference between maintaining independence and emotional unavailability. Everybody needs time to indulge their own hobbies, to do their own work and to just be alone with their thoughts.

It’s usual for the amount of time you spend together and the number of issues you agree on to start petering off after a few weeks or months in a relationship – this cycle is healthy. Emotional unavailability can be seen when you drift apart, and then just keep drifting instead of striking a balance.

But, I can change!

There is a single inevitability in the universe – change. Leopards might not change their spots … but people change every day! Don’t just give up on a relationship with an emotionally unavailable person – try some of the following steps.

Try to make yourself as emotionally available as possible. Talk about you feelings, and ask about theirs if you want to know. Keep asking – some people are just too shy or have low self-esteem.

• Make sure you maintain some independence. Don’t suffocate your partner with requests for time, with constant conversation, etc. At the same time, don’t put up with living with a brick wall that likes to party without you!
• Consider relationship counselling. For many people this is the catalyst that allows their relationship to heal, and it is always worthwhile trying before chucking in a marriage or long-term partnership.

If this relationship advice and all else fails, remember that people change when they are ready to change, and sometimes nothing you do or say will quicken the process. It may even take a breakup for them to realise the error of their emotional ways. Emotional unavailability is not a walk in the park, and like so many factors in human relationships, there are no hard and fast rules or answers. In the end, you’ll know when you made enough effort … and what you have to do to be happy.

It’s very true, what the Beatles said …. money can’t buy you love or happiness. Self improvement and happiness don’t just ‘happen’ when you’ve saved up enough money to upgrade your car, house or children’s school. Also, much as the feeling seems convincing at the time, happiness is also not a new pair of shoes or a bout of retail therapy. Here are some ten self improvement tips that can help you find lasting happiness.

Mitigate morning madness

Set your alarm so that you have plenty of time to have breakfast, a shower, and tidy up after yourself before you leave the house. Then, tell yourself before you go to sleep that “I am going to wake up when my alarm rings. I will press the snooze button once, and then get out of bed”.

Pencil it in

Create a realistic priority list of tasks that you want to achieve for the day, and make a concerted effort to tick every one of them off. The key to using this self improvement tip is not to overload yourself and to also schedule some relaxation time.

Weekend maximiser

Do you ever find that you’ve spent an entire weekend stressing about work? No wonder we all feel that weekends aren’t long enough! Check tip #2 above, and pencil some ‘fun’ into your weekend schedule so turn off your computer and stop checking your Blackberry.

Generosity killed the ‘sads’

Humans are social creatures, and helping the people in your society is a wonderful personal development strategy to make yourself feel good. You don’t have to become a homeless shelter volunteer … but do take your co-worker’s teacup to the sink on your way, hold out the bag of sweets to your neighbour at the bus stop, and make dinner for an overworked friend.

The serenity to accept the things that you can’t change, the courage to change the things that you can

It’s a little trite nowadays – but if you think about this concept for a while and try to apply it to situations in your own life, you can find plenty of inspiration to either let go, or move forward.

Parlez vous …?

Learn a new language! It takes a while, but when you have the reward of a holiday in a country that has the language you’ve chosen as its native tongue it becomes much easier to motivate yourself.

Mix it up

Deliberately try to do things in a way that you usually don’t. The simple act of walking a different way to the bus stop or going to a new bar for after work drinks can really broaden your experience. Aim to achieve this on a larger level as well – to visit places you’ve never been, to speak to people that you usually wouldn’t or perhaps changing careers.

Face your fears – take a plunge

Deliberately doing things that put you outside your comfort zone are essential to personal development because they force you to look at the world in a new way … from a position of strength, courage and personal power.

Beauty is as beauty does

For many of us, thinking about our appearances takes up a significant portion of the day. Remember when your mother told you that true beauty is on the inside? She was right. Self improvement is about what’s on the inside, and you’ll have more energy for that without the distractions of excessive grooming. Spend your weekends without makeup, and wear clothes that make you feel comfortable.

Bend it, stretch it, just a little bit

Exercise is what our bodies were designed for – work that requires you to spend an entire day sitting down is a very recent social development. You’ll feel better able to deal with problems, more energetic, be less prone to depression and have a higher level of cognitive function if you make the effort to exercise every day.

Happiness has little do with the things you have, and so much to do with how you feel inside and what you do with your life! Try incorporating these self improvement tips and strategies into your life every week, and see how much difference it makes to your personal satisfaction level. Because in the end, who makes the most difference in your life? You do!

Scratching your head over what to get your loveable gadget geek or technologically forward parents or best friend this Christmas? Here are five of the best electronic gadget gifts.

64GB iPod touch

The iPod touch is a multi-media player that allows you to listen to music, watch videos, play games on a generous 3.5 inch display. The 64 GB of memory allows you to download 14,000 songs, store 80 hours of video and add 90,000 photos. New and exciting features include the clever ‘Voice Control’ feature where you can ask the iPod touch to play songs from a specific artist or playlist and use commands such as ‘stop’, ‘shuffle’ or ‘pause’ to control the iPod, peer-to-peer gaming so you can challenge your friends to games and the ‘Genius’ feature which allows you to mix songs together.

3GS iPhone

The 3GS iPhone has been released with even greater capabilities and a faster response time. With the 3GS iPhone, you shoot a high quality video; edit the video right on your phone and share videos via MMS or post on YouTube. With the iDisk functionality, it makes it easy to store and share files online so you can access them any time from any computer or even from your iPhone. The handy MobileMe feature stores your mail, contacts and calendar information to keep everything in sync across your iPhone, Mac, PC and the web.

Nikon COOLPIX S570 Digital Camera

The Nikon COOLPIX S570 is a 12.0 megapixel digital camera with approximately 47 MB of internal memory and fits nicely in your pocket without breaking the Christmas budget. You’ll be able to take great photos at the family Christmas party with the face-priority AF feature which automatically detects up to 12 faces in the shot and adjusts the focus and exposure while the Blink Proof function automatically shoots two sequential frames and saves the one in which the subject’s eyes are wide open. The in-built In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically corrects any perceived red-eye effect before saving the image to memory so bad family photos will be a thing of the past. With the Hi-Speed USB connectivity, you will be able to email the Christmas party photos around the world to overseas relatives in just a matter of minutes.

Sony VAIO X Series

The Sony VAIO will be the talk of the Christmas party. With its impossibly thin and extremely light body, it will soon become your most valuable accessory without being high maintenance. It has a long battery life, 11.1 inch screen and only weighs 745 grams. There are a lot of different VAIO models on the market that even come in bright gold, silver and hot pink so make sure you choose the laptop with the right specifications for your gift recipient’s needs so it remains functional as well as fashionable.

amazon kindle

The amazon kindle which features ebooks is starting a new chapter in electronic publishing. More than 360,000 books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs available available, including more than 101 of 112 current New York Times best sellers but not everything is available for each international market so make sure you check before downloading. At only 10.3 ounces, it is lighter and thinner than a paperback and holds over 200 titles. With in-built wireless connection, you can purchase ebooks directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport or in bed.

When buying electronic gadgets as gifts as a rule, make sure you enquire about what the warranties will cover, whether you can download additional software or purchase upgrades to increase functionality and what accessories come with the electronic gadget.