This is a tribute to my dear grandmother who passed away last Thursday, February 4th, at the age of 91. She was an amazing woman who made this world a better place during her time here.

My grandmother never verbally gave me any advice on life, but instead she provided a living example through the way she lived her own life. I’d like to share with you what I learned from her.

1. Speak Your Mind

My grandmother was never shy about speaking her mind. She would be quick to let you know if she was tired, hungry, thirsty, bored, or if she didn’t like something. I really appreciated that about her. I think that to many people waste time by being afraid to say what they’re thinking.

Just imagine if we all spoke our minds.

• No more trying to guess what’s wrong when someone is visibly upset. We could get straight to trying to solve the problem instead.
• We could get to know people for who they really are instead of the false fronts that so many people put on.
• We would know that the people who love us, love us for who we really are.

I think this would be a huge time and energy saver for everyone.

2. Exercise Every Day

Up until about the age of 89, my grandmother exercised every day. When she was younger she would be working on the farm that she lived on, and after she retired, she started walking 5 or more kilometers every day.

It didn’t matter if it was hot, cold, raining, or snowing, nothing stopped my grandmother from getting out for her daily exercise. For her, exercising wasn’t a should do, but a must do.

Regular exercise kept my grandmother strong and healthy. She was rarely ever sick, and she was never hospitalized for anything (except for a hip operation) until she was in the final year of her life.

3. Family is Important

What really matters the most at the end of your life is the relationships you’ve had. I’ve seen many interviews where successful people are asked what they would do differently if they got a chance to do it all over again. Almost every single one of them reply that they would spend more time with their families. They all seemed to realize that while success and accumlating money and things might be nice, it should never be done at the expense of your relationships with family and friends.

I think my grandmother understood this. Hardly a day went by that she didn’t spend at least some time with family. Sometimes her frequent requests for a visit seemed a bit frustrating, but now that she’s gone, I think our whole family really appreciates all the time that we got to spend with her.

4. Cook Everything From Scratch

My grandmother was a great cook. She made some of the best meals and pies I’ve ever tasted. And none of it ever came out of a box.

I think that part of her “secret” to having such a long and healthy life is that she avoided processed foods. Processed foods are usually devoid of any nutritional value and are often full of fat, sugar, and salt. My grandmother regularly fed herself and her family fresh, wholesome foods that provided them with plenty of vitamins and minerals.

5. Keep a Clean Home

My grandmother took pride in keeping a clean home. I never once saw any sort of mess, dirt, or dust in her home. She always honored both herself and her guests by having a clean home.

Just imagine for a minute that you got a call today saying that somebody of importance (the queen, the president, or the primeminister) was going to come over to your home for dinner tomorrow night. Would you end up going on a mad cleaning spree to get your home prepared for this person’s visit? You would want to honor this person and give them a good impression by having a clean home right?

Well, why not honor yourself by keeping your home just as clean for yourself? You matter just as much as they do. Not only that, a fresh, clean home makes you feel good, and if it’s well organized, you even tend to think more clearly.

6. Enjoy Life

Grandma ate a lot of nutritious food and she exercised regularly, but she also enjoyed life.

She didn’t deny herself the things she enjoyed, she just enjoyed them in moderation. Every day she would have one cigarette with her morning coffee. She enjoyed eating a little bit of something sweet everyday, and she would also enjoy the occasional drink.

When my grandmother did these things she wasn’t thinking of how bad they were for her, or how they were going to make her sick, or fat. She just simply enjoyed them. Being stress-free and enjoying life can go a long way to helping you to live a long and happy life.

My grandmother also had a lot of fun. She could often be seen cracking a subtle joke with a twinkle in her eye and a sly smile on her face. We even have many photos of her doing funny poses in front of landmarks, or laughing while wearing crazy looking green sunglasses.

Laughing and having fun helps to reduce stress. Stress can take a major toll on your health, so make sure you take some time to laugh and play everyday.

7. If You Love Someone, Tell Them Frequently

I never doubted that my grandmother loved me because she told me every time I saw her.

Feeling loved makes us feel good. Who doesn’t feel a bit better about ourselves and our day when somebody tells us they love us?

Don’t just leave it as an unspoken assumption. Tell your loved ones that you love them. It will make their day, and you’ll feel better for it to!

8. Work Hard

When my grandmother got married, she and her husband had nothing to their name. No home, no money, no car and their families had no money to help them out.

Since my grandmother never had anything handed to her. She always took the initiative to work hard to get what she wanted. It payed off. By the time she and her husband retired, they had a successful farm and a well funded retirement plan.

It’s always nice to receive a helping hand or a timely gift, but you should never expect it. If you want something, roll up your sleeves, get to work, and make it happen for yourself.

9. Get up Early

You’ve probably heard the saying “The early bird gets the worm”. I’m not totally convinced that it’s true, I see birds eating all day long. But there might just be something to it since many successful people seem to share the habit of getting up early.

My grandmother was one of them. She would always be up around 5am and by the time the rest of the world was rolling out of bed, she had already walked 5 kilometers or more and eaten her breakfast. Just imagine how much more you could get done in a day if you got out of bed an hour earlier.

I have also read in several health related books that going to bed early and getting up early is better for your health. Seeing as my grandmother lived to be 91, there might just be something to this.

10. Trust in a Higher Power

My grandmother always believed that God would take care of her. This belief provided her with a sense of security, and it also became her reality. It always seemed like things worked out well for her.

Almost all major religions, and more recently, quantum physics, teach us that our thoughts and beliefs create our physical reality. So if you believe that you will always be taken care of and that things will work out for the best, it actually will.

Just imagine how much less stress you would feel if you believed that there was a greater power out there looking out for you and taking care of you.

Technorati Tags: self help, personal development, success, grandmother

By Logan Lindabury

Some people hate me! But you know what, I’m ok with that. In fact, I’m actually am happy about it.

Why would I be happy about people hating me? It’s because it means that I’ve finally learned that I can’t, and shouldn’t, try to please everybody. It’s been a valuable lesson that I want to share with you…

I Don’t Try To Please Everybody

You really can’t please everyone. If you did, you’d burn yourself out and leave no time or energy to do anything for yourself.

Unfortunately, when I finally made a decision to stop trying to make everyone else happy, a few of those people ended up hating me.

There really is no way to make everyone happy. Once you accept that truth, it’s really quite enlightening.

If you want to be seen as an honest person with integrity, you have to learn to love to be hated. I have. I am not bitter about it. It means I am doing something right. Whoa! What?

Yes. It means that I am who I am. I do not pretend to be someone else.

If you cannot accept me for me, then hate me. See how much sleep I will lose at night because of it; little to none.

Yet Another Reason People Hate Me

Are there other reasons that people hate me besides the fact that I don’t burn myself out trying to please them all anymore? Certainly…

Some people hate me because they actually hate something about themselves. And instead of facing up to the problem and dealing with it, they decide to be cruel and take their frustration out on others.

So, How Do I Deal With All This Hatred Toward Me?

Well, you will have to try different approaches and see what works best. That’s all. No suggestions.

Just Kidding!

Here’s what I do, and it’s made me happy for a long time. I don’t spend my time worrying about or focusing on the people that hate me. Instead, I spend my time being with, and thinking about, the people that enjoy my company.

Why? Well, the way I see it, the people that hate you are a lost cause. They’ve made up their minds and are not worth your valuable time or energy. That does not mean you act differently when you’re around them if you are momentarily unfortunate enough to experience that!

There are so many people in my life right now that I love spending time with. By focusing on them, I live better days, have better nights, and dream better dreams. I am also truly happy. And that, my friend, is what it’s all about!

So Let Them Hate You Too!

Trust me; you’re better off without them. If they can’t see the obvious specialties in you than how do you expect them to ever notice your inner greatness?

Embrace the people you care about, the ones that make you smile. And laugh with them because laughter is great!

About The Author:

My name is Logan Lindabury.  This is the first guest post I’ve written for Practical Self Help.  I am the Founder of www.Laughtub.com.  Laughtub is a site aimed at obtaining, spreading, and sharing laughter and happiness.  I know, it seems ironic that I wrote about people hating you, doesn’t it?  Well, you cannot be truly happy until you face the things you’ve been avoiding.  So, now you know!

This one piece of advice can help whether you are a business owner or you are working for somebody else. It can help you in your relationships with friends, spouses, children, and even pets if you wanted to try it.

Just following this one tip could change your life.

Would you like to know what it is? I won’t hold you in suspense any longer…

Do just a little bit more!

What Happens When You Don’t Do Just A Little Bit More?

Before I explain how doing just a little bit more is one of the key things you need to know about how to be successful, let me first share with you how most people operate their lives.

You may have noticed a trait in most people, maybe even in yourself, to do just enough to keep themselves out of trouble.

• At work, they do just enough to keep from getting in trouble.
• In their business, they do just enough to meet the customer’s expectations.
• At home they give their family just enough attention to keep them from complaining too much.
• For their health, they only do something when they become ill.

When you do just enough to get by in life, nothing really changes.

• Meeting expectations will rarely get you a promotion at work.
• Meeting the expectations of your business customers won’t get you raving reviews and lots of referrals.
• Meeting expectations from your family and friends won’t help you improve your relationships with them.
• Only doing something about your health when you become ill won’t help you optimize your level of energy and well being.

How Doing Just A Little Bit More Can Help You Succeed In Any Area Of Life

Doing a just a little bit more is one of the key things you need to learn if you’re studying how to become more successful.

Doing just a little bit more is what makes you stand out from the crowd.

• Exceed your job expectations by even just a bit, and you’ll stand out from everyone else who is just doing the minimum to get by. Chances are that you’ll be the one up for the next promotion that comes along. And even if your current employer doesn’t recognize it, others will and new job offers will come along.
• Do just a little bit more for your customers than your competitors do and you’ll have a loyal customer for life. Not only that, they won’t hesitate to tell everyone they know about how pleased they were with your product or service.
• Do just a little bit more each day for your family and friends and watch your relationships blossom to amazing new levels. Take some time each day just to compliment and appreciate your spouse and talk with them. Spend a few extra minutes doing fun activities with your kids. Take the time to call up a friend and ask how they’re doing. You’ll be amazed at what a difference this can make!
• Do just a little bit more for your health and watch yourself feel better and better. Small changes like committing to quit coffee, eating one less donut and one more salad instead, going for a half hour walk instead of watching that sitcom, will all help you to feel better and have more energy in the long run.

Now you know one of the secrets of how to become successful. Doing just a little bit more doesn’t require a lot of extra effort, but it can make a big difference in your results.

Do you have any other ideas on how the philosophy of doing just a little bit more could be applied?