Self-Development

self-development on www.marianamcdougall.com

The journey of self-development is just that: a journey.

 

Improving who you are and continuously learning to become a better person is not a destination, it’s something we should work on throughout our lives.

Whether it’s examining how you act within your relationships, how you talk to yourself, or how you play the cards that life deals you, all of us can use a little guidance and push to become the best versions of ourselves.

Self-development is the act of consciously taking steps to improve who you are, on all levels of your being. Whether it’s by an examination of consciousness (and then acting on that examination), by being open to new perspectives, or by setting out on a new adventure to find new meanings, we all should take the time for personal growth.

This is the section of the blog where I write about becoming the best people we can become, through self-development, personal growth, and more. 

Posts about self-development

Start 2017 on the right foot

Mariana

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something after following a link on this post, I may receive a small commission. Rest assured that I only recommend products and services that I use and love, or that I want to use in the near future.

I’m committed to having my most organized, healthiest, most awesome year ever in 2017. I’m committed to setting SMART goals and making them happen this year. I’ve decided to quit making excuses for why I can’t do things, and remember that if I try my hardest, I can accomplish anything. I need to remember to take my own advice more often. I have followed my dreams and taken leaps of faith in the past, and it always ends well. It’s when I don’t take action that I get into a spiral of feeling sorry for myself, and I start to believe the word “can’t.”

Continue reading “Start 2017 on the right foot” →

Your New Year’s Resolutions? They’re just not gonna happen.

Mariana

I’m not fond of New Year’s Resolutions.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something after following a link on this post, I may receive a small commission. Rest assured that I only recommend products and services that I use and love, or that I want to use in the near future.

I never make New Year’s Resolutions, and with good reason. Every year-end, about 50% of the US population makes New Year’s Resolutions, hoping to accomplish everything from weight loss to debt repayment. Yet, only about 8% of resolution-makers actually fulfill their New Year’s resolutions.

The reasons for these failures are many, but one of the main problems with New Year’s Resolutions is the lack of planning involved in making them. When people do make a plan, it’s often not well designed. And when it is well-designed, there’s often a lack of commitment to making it happen.

Continue reading “Your New Year’s Resolutions? They’re just not gonna happen.” →

Live life on your terms

Mariana

I have an amazing life and I know it.  Even in my most dire financial times, I never wanted for food, shelter, or water.  I am blessed beyond belief.  Every time I feel like complaining, I remind myself of these three things: food, shelter, and clean water.  And not just any food, shelter, and water, either. 

I can afford to eat healthily and to indulge in treats. I live in a wonderful home with 3 flush toilets (yes, that is definitely a highlight), a comfortable bed, and even a bathtub.  I also have functioning modern appliances that mean I don’t have to slave over a wash basin to do the piles of laundry that 5 people undeniably create.  I have clean water that comes out of any tap inside my house. I can actually drink water from anywhere in my house without filtering it first (even if it does taste like chlorine sometimes, which is why we use a filter in the kitchen—oh yes, I can afford a filter!  Another blessing).

Continue reading “Live life on your terms” →

Dear Facebook, it’s not you; it’s me.

Mariana

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something after following a link on this post, I may receive a small commission. Rest assured that I only recommend products and services that I use and love, or that I want to use in the near future.

In my journey to achieve the best health of my life, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to stop caring so much about what other people think. If I’m serious about challenging the status quo and living life on my terms, it’s time to stop feeling the need to justify my actions. I’m doing what’s right for me and for my family, and their opinion is really the only opinion that matters. Certain social networks make it a little too easy to feel the need to justify everything.

Continue reading “Dear Facebook, it’s not you; it’s me.” →

11 Valid Reasons for Rebelling Against Your Life

Mariana

There’s a time and a place for rebellion. Here’s a list of 11 of them.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something after following a link on this post, I may receive a small commission. Rest assured that I only recommend products and services that I use and love, or that I want to use in the near future.

This post initially appeared on familyshare.com.

Continue reading “11 Valid Reasons for Rebelling Against Your Life” →

Have You Settled for a Less-Than-Ideal Life?

Mariana

This post initially appeared on The Huffington Post.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something after following a link on this post, I may receive a small commission. Rest assured that I only recommend products and services that I use and love, or that I want to use in the near future.

I pulled my hood over my head as I looked down into one of nature’s most magnificent creations, and one of my favorite things: a gorgeous waterfall.

We were ten kilometers into our hike at Yosemite National Park in California, and I wasn’t at all tired. I was energized, drinking in every moment, knowing that for the next month and a half, I had even more amazing experiences coming my way.

This was the trip of a lifetime – the trip I had been dreaming about for years, and now it was a reality. My husband and I were on the road for two months, travelling the perimeter of North America – from Ontario out west to Vancouver, from Vancouver to San Francisco, from San Francisco to Florida, from Florida to Newfoundland, and back to Ontario.

Continue reading “Have You Settled for a Less-Than-Ideal Life?” →

New Year’s Resolutions? Here’s how to actually make them happen.

Mariana

I’ve never been one to make New Year’s Resolutions, for a number of reasons:

  1. A New Year’s Resolution is generally an ineffective way to reach a goal, as most people make their resolutions too generic.
  2. Most people aren’t quite ready to make a change when they make a resolution.
  3. I don’t see a need to wait until a new year to make changes for the better – you should be evaluating your life at the bare minimum every six months, but preferably on a monthly basis, and making changes as needed. This is especially true if you own a business.

But this year is different. I’ve realized that just because new year’s resolutions are usually ineffective, mine don’t have to be that way.

Continue reading “New Year’s Resolutions? Here’s how to actually make them happen.” →

Transform your dream into a goal… and achieve it.

Mariana

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something after following a link on this post, I may receive a small commission. Rest assured that I only recommend products and services that I use and love, or that I want to use in the near future.

We all have dreams. Whether they are dreams we’ve had since we were children, or dreams we’ve developed as we’ve grown older, we all have those things we wish we could do. We all spend at least part of our lives daydreaming about what could be. That’s no way to live… always wondering what could be. If there is something you really want to do, if there is a dream you’ve had for a long time, it’s time to stop dreaming and start planning.

Continue reading “Transform your dream into a goal… and achieve it.” →