Plan Far into the Future & Change Your Lifestyle

Sometimes when you look at planning into the future, it's not always going to turn out that way. But when people plan into the future, they often plan for the next few years. It might be the plan of having a new car, a new addition to the family, or a change of home. We think of the really big things in life that we'd like to do or we'd like to buy, and we consider that future planning. But that's only planning so far in the future.

There's so much more to life than the things you can buy and the things you can go and do. Future planning is making sure that your life is planned out for you until the very end. The longer in the future that you plan, the easier it's going to be to live the life that you truly want to. Too many people get into their old age and regret not planning for that time in their life. So, we want to try and help you to plan for everything that you can in life, so that when it comes to the end you know that you've had everything in life that you want to and made the best of every opportunity coming your way. So, keep on reading, and we'll show you how you can plan for all of your future. 

Planning for Retirement

Retirement might still be so far in the future at the minute, that all you can do is hope and dream that the years fly by. It's a shame that we're wishing our lives away because of the job we're doing, but that's exactly what we do! So now we think it's time to think about it a little more seriously. Rather than thinking about it because you want to think about leaving and doing absolutely nothing again, think about it in terms of money. Until it gets really close to the time, it's so easy to forget about the money you're going to lose out on. Depending on what money you're on right now, depends on the pension that you're going to get. Obviously the more you're on, the better the pension you're going to get. But it also depends on the company you're working for and the pension package they're providing. But either way, you're not going to be on the money you're on now. So a super wise person would start saving their own money on the side while they can. It gives you this big pot of money to dip in as well as using your pension, giving you a fabulous lifestyle. You should also look into investment options that you could go for. Gold and silver ETFs is just one route you could go down. It's an investment for life, allowing you to hopefully bring in more money, again leading you to live an even better life. So hopefully this section has inspired you to plan way in the future money wise. 

Planning for the Kids Flying the Nest

Planning for the kids leaving is one that you definitely might have thought of before. But rather than thinking about it in terms of what you're going to down with money and the space in the home that you have, you think about the freedom of not having them in the house. The freedom of still not having to do everything for them. But when you think about it, they're probably giving you money as board to support the bills in the house. Although those bills will go down a little when they leave, you'll still be losing out on some. You might also realize that the home you're living in is too big for you. There might be a few spare rooms that you're never going to use. So it might be worth looking into downsizing now so that you can get an idea for the home that you're going to want to go for, and how much money you're going to make from it. Hopefully if the property market goes your way, it'll come at a time when houses are more expensive to buy. Your bigger one will be far more expensive, and the smaller home you get will leave you with a few thousand spare. So again, it's another pot of money to find, one that you could use to go and travel the world!

Also, check out this helpful resource, Transition to College (as a Parent): How to Deal with an Empty Nest over at IvyPanda.

Planning for a Loss of Job

Possibly one that we think about the least. We might joke about wishing we could lose our job so we wouldn't have to go to work. But in reality, if we did have to leave our job and become jobless, we definitely wouldn't be able to live without working. And at any time, your job could fall through. This about the number of times that big brands have gone bust, meaning people all over the world lose their jobs within a day or two. Most recently, Thomas Cook went bust, meaning thousands of people lost their job and are still struggling to find one. So, we think it's so important to think about what you would do if you lost your job. You should always have some savings in the short term that you can use for bills and daily living. You should then think about getting any job that you possibly could. Don't spend your time looking for the job you had if there are none going. Look for a job that will get you money ASAP! 

Plan To Do Something Incredible

Planning to do something incredible is the best way to plan for your future. Everything so far has been so serious, but sometimes it's just good to think about the things that you'd love to do in life. For us, it's being able to travel the world. There's so much in the world that you have to see, and some people are never going to be able to go and see it. But if you put your money to good use, there's so much out there for you to go and see. 

Make Self-Care and Well-Being Your Priorities This Year

Self-care is so important, and you need to make sure you do as much as possible to improve the way you look after yourself this year. There is so much to consider when you are looking at improving your well-being and should be a focus for you this coming year. If you can make positive changes to your life, there are a lot of things that you are going to need to get right as much as you can. 

Think about the different ideas that play a part in this, and what it means to promote self-care in your life today. You need to do as much as possible to think about the great ways you can improve your priorities this year, and this is something you have to work on right now. These are a few of the best techniques and ideas that will allow you to enhance your well-being as much as possible. 

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Look After Yourself

Do as much as possible to look after yourself and think about the different ways you do this right now. Make sure you focus on doing what you can to improve your physical and mental fitness and take care of yourself. You have so much to do when you are looking at how to take care of yourself. Getting into shape is one of the best things you can do, but you also need to make sure you are happy and healthy in yourself by improving your relationships as much as you possibly can.

Take Time for ‘You’

It is so important that you do as much as possible to help you take the time for yourself. It is something that you are going to need to think about, and there are a lot of elements to keep in mind here. Making sure you have some ‘you’ time is really essential when it comes to unwinding and relaxing after a long day at work, as well as having a bit of alone time with your thoughts. This is important, and you have to make sure you look at the best way of doing this. 

Make Lifestyle Changes

You can do a lot to help improve your health and well-being by making sure you make important lifestyle changes. You will be surprised by how much of an impact you can have on your life by making some important lifestyle changes. This means changing your diet, having more positive relationships, and trying to get clean from addictions. You can do this by checking out things like Aspen Ridge Recovery Centers as a great example of how you can improve your lifestyle. 

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Switch Careers

It is also important to look at doing as much as possible to look for a new career path as this can go a long way toward helping you make self-care your focal point. You are going to need to think about what it takes to make a positive career change, and this is something that can play a big role in helping improve self-care and making your life better as a result.

You have to make sure you do as much as you can to improve your self-care and well-being. This is something that plays a massive role in helping you improve life, as well as helping you to feel better about who you are and the things you do. Self-care is something that actually plays a big role in taking your life forward, and this is something to work on right now. 

How To Finally Stick to Your New Years Resolutions in 2020

Following the indulgence of the holidays and with the thoughts of a New Year coming, it’s natural to start thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, and about the changes, you’ll want to make within the next year. 

The time following the holidays is the perfect time to indulge in retrospection and reevaluation of certain lifestyle choices (chocolate for breakfast may not be appropriate after January 1st!)

While making specific changes in your life can be done at any point in the year, month, week, day, or even hour, the New Year is the perfect time to finally start to make those changes that you promised over and over again to make.

If you’re struggling to think of where to focus your attention for the next year, this list should give you a few tips for how to finally stick to your New Years Resolutions in 2020. 

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Make a Plan 

You ever hear that phrase ‘fail to prepare,  prepare to fail’? This is often something that is associated with taking tests or planning an event- but how often do we apply this to making radical changes in our lives?

Setting goals or resolutions often requires careful thought and preparation. Want to quit smoking? Plan when you’re going to smoke your last cigarette. Think about what methods of withdrawing from cigarettes you will use. Will you use e-cigarettes as a transition tool? Before your quit date, go and buy all of the things you’ll need- such as the vape tank, tank coils and e-liquids (in various flavors) so you are prepared for when the date comes.

Want to eat healthier? Get some meal plans in place and buy all of the cupboard staples you’ll need to prepare the meals. 

With a plan in place, you will have to be flexible at times, but having the timeline in place helps to keep track of progress when it comes to making life changes. 

Track your Progress 

No matter what you resolve to do, make sure to find your own way of tracking progress. When you’re making a change in your life, tracking your progress is a great way of improving your motivation. 

Whether it is keeping rocks in a jar for every pound of weight loss, or a tally chart kept showing each day without drinking, or pictures of growth. Having a visual reminder of what you have accomplished will keep the motivation going. 

When reaching certain milestones, celebrate them with nice treats not related to the thing you’re trying to quit- for example, if your plan is to lose weight- your treat for losing a certain amount of weight should not be edible. A specific amount of days without smoking should not be celebrated with a cigarette. 

Be Proud 

It takes around 3 weeks to break a habit, but the truth is that it can take a lot longer to tackle a lifestyle change. When you finally crack it, be proud of yourself. Don’t compare your progress to others’- yours is the only journey that matters! 

Practicing What I Preach: Writing for Regional Parenting Magazines!

Originally posted October 6, 2014 and updated at the bottom!

Here is a link to Pittsburgh Parent Magazine and TWO articles I have in there this month (October)  (Halloween Traditions and Pumpkin Decorating)! Guess how much I got for both of these reprints? $75! Yes, for something I wrote a year ago and have been selling ever since, I got a decent amount of money and it is going to help pay something off this month faster than we planned!

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my 386-page PDF of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets for only $9.99! Just head to this page to download How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids and get started immediately!

Sign up for an email subscription to The Published Parent and get two amazing freebies: 10 Parenting Markets That Pay $100+ and 10 Markets That Pay Writers to Write About Writing! And join my Facebook group called Parenting Magazine Writers ... it's FREE and full of tips and tricks and markets and like-minded writer friends!

Updated December 26, 2019:

Still going strong on writing for magazines, and I really enjoy it! Not only do I love the writing and the sharing of parenting tips and tricks, but the checks that arrive in my mailbox and PayPal account sure are helpful when Christmas rolls around! 

This month I was in Kansas City Parent and others, and when I checked Issuu.com a moment ago, looks like Kansas City Parent used one of my pieces for January 2020 as well, so that's pretty exciting.

You can find me on Facebook in the writing group I mentioned above, and also you can grab your freebies over at The Published Parent.

Hoping 2020 is your most successful writing year yet!

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Child Custody Tips for Fathers

                   

Divorce is a difficult time for any family. With so many things changing, it can be easy for your whole world to get turned upside down. If you have children, the process becomes even more complicated when custody matters are brought up. While most mothers get custody of their children in divorces, fathers do have rights when it comes to custody, too. Here are some tips for dads when it comes to gaining custody of your children during a divorce.

Build Relationships

Not only should you build strong relationships with your children, but you should also make a point to build relationships with adults who are also involved in your children's lives. For example, stop by the school and introduce yourself to their teachers. Make it a point to go to as many parent-teacher conferences as you can. Many teachers understand that their students may live at two houses, and will make accommodations so that both of you can attend - separately if necessary. You want to be just as involved in your child's activities as the other parent, if possible.

Hire a Great Lawyer

While around 90% of custody agreements are decided outside of the court, there are times where you'll need a lawyer to defend your rights as a father. You want to make sure that you hire the best lawyer you can. It's helpful to find a professional who is experienced in winning custody battles for fathers. Cordell and Cordell, for example, is a firm that is dedicated to men's interests when it comes to domestic relations. Make sure that you employ an attorney who will champion your rights instead of succumbing to the stereotype that the mother should automatically get custody.

Check Your Attitude

When it comes to determining custody - and the respect - of your children, how you treat their mother will likely be a deciding factor. You should never say derogatory things about the other parent in front of your children. Not only will this hurt your chances of gaining custody, but it's damaging for the children. It places them in a position where they are torn between pleasing you and going against themselves. Regardless of what you think of the other parent, your children still love them. If you make them feel uncomfortable by silently putting pressure on them to choose, it will only create resentment in the long run.

Keep Accurate Records

According to Cordell & Cordell, the odds are often against dads during custody battles. Because of this, keeping accurate records is a must when it comes to fighting for custody. You should not only keep accurate records of your visiting agreement and visits, but also any breaches of the agreement that your ex may have made. You don't have to write down every single little thing they have done wrong. However, serious infringements or anything that progresses into a habit should be documented. This includes things like not letting you see your children during your visit time, failing to pick the children up on time, etc.

Although it's common for the mother to get custody during a divorce, that doesn't mean it's the only option. Households that are headed by single fathers have increased since 1960 ninefold, according to Pew Research Center. There are things you can do to help you win your case. Remember to always be respectful to your ex in front of the children. Keep great records, and make sure that you are involved in your children's school and extracurricular activities. The better the relationship you have with your children, the more likely it is that you can win a custody battle.