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How fit are you? How fit do you want to be? Answering these questions, and writing down your answers so you can revisit them later, is a great way to kick off a fitness program -- or to take your fitness program to the next level. What Are Your Fitness Goals? First, write down some fitness goals. I encourage...

Want to adopt healthy habits for yourself? Spread the love! Helping your kids to eat better, stay active, and practice good financial habits is a winner for everyone. For starters, it's simply good parenting to model the behaviors you want your children to adopt. More than that, involving the whole family...

Are you sure that you're making progress toward your goals? Can you rely on the habits you have to day to move you forward automatically ? Today I'm returning to this theme, which I've approached from several different angles in past columns, because I think it's that important. Ready? Here it is: You...

For the past couple of months, we've been using a new mantra each week as a reminder to pursue good balance in life. This week, it's not about self-improvement, but about enjoying the things you already have. The mantra: "Take pleasure." See how often you can repeat those words to yourself in the days...

How serious are you about your core priorities -- the Big Things you want from life? However serious you've been, my advice is to increase your dedication to those FEW things that will matter to you on your deathbed someday . What I'm proposing today: clear your mind and your schedule by eliminating...

So you've got big goals -- for fitness, finances, or whatever. How do you stay on track with those goals from day to day? My super-simple suggestion is that you make visual reminders that help you stay on track with where you are and where you're headed. Track Your Trajectory Years ago, I read a great...

Is investing a task perpetually on your "to-do" list? Are you befuddled by market timing, wondering when and how to invest your money? You can invest effectively without being a market guru or knowing how to time the markets. (In fact, nobody can accurately predict the markets 100% of the time, no matter...

Sometimes you don't need an elaborate solution -- you just need to follow through with the simple solution . Case in point: eating better. How do you eat better? Portion control. More fresh vegetables. Fewer fatty, greasy, salty, or packaged foods. Seriously, just start there. Don't count calories or...

Let me give you a little cautionary tale about why you need to set a training schedule and stick with it . I set the topic for this post a couple of months ago. I figured I would tell you to use all of your belief (this blog's theme for January), discipline (February), and motivation (March) to follow...

Thoreau said it more than 150 years ago: "Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!" If that advice was needed before railroads had even spread across the country, how much more do we need it today? Simplify Your Life . . . We have more choices today than ever. More communication channels, more ways to entertain...

People who do big things -- build a company, write a book, lose 100 pounds, clear off their debts -- often do it without any big "Eureka!" moments. They just keep plugging ahead, marking progress day by day until the work is done. Do you believe that you can tackle your big goals in life that way? Pay...

Making big life changes can be so daunting some people don't even get started. Whether it's buying a house, starting a business, getting married (or divorced!), changing career or lifestyle, losing weight, or eliminating debt, life changes require patience, dedication, and commitment. Here are 20 tools...

Are you lonely? Divided from a loved one? Tired of fighting? I'm going to suggest a few ways you can get the ball rolling on living a better, happier life, based on the attitudes you bring to your relationships. As with much of what I write, this post is just a starter kit. If you're facing serious or...

Think of a fitness goal you have -- finishing a marathon or climbing Mount Whitney or losing 50 pounds. What will the world look like through your eyes as you achieve it? How will you feel -- not just emotionally, but physically? Literally, what sensations will you feel as you cross the finish line,...

This month's theme is motivation . How do you motivate yourself to pursue what you want from life? How do you maintain that motivation with your fitness, your finances, and your relationships? We'll talk more about this in the posts to come, but today I want to emphasize keeping a positive focus on what...

You decide to clean up your finances, create a budget, and start saving money. But a few months later, progress is slow and you're losing inspiration to stay on track. Welcome to the club! Here are 18 ways to stay motivated, keep your budget buckled, and your savings swinging. Know Why You're Saving...

Do you want to be happier? Then I recommend you improve your ability to express your emotions constructively. When you do, you'll be kinder to those around you -- always a good way to promote happiness -- and you'll see yourself much more clearly. It's not an easy task. It may be obvious to say, but...

This whole site is about setting yourself on a better course financially, so I'm not going to go into detail about the CareOne plans or how specifically to address your debts. This post is to help you think about the bigger picture of reducing the decision-making required to build a better financial...

Do you get annual tax refunds? Conversely, do you regularly owe tax when you file? If you receive regular tax refunds, you're letting the government keep your money and earn interest with it for them throughout the year. (Not good). And if you owe money (over $1,000 that is), then you have to pay extra...

Some people think that working out has to be miserable. They're wrong. And many of them use this as an excuse to avoid working out, which is even worse. So today let's dispose of a couple of myths about workout misery -- and find out why serious physical exertion is worth a little bit of well-placed...