Krystal Kuehn

Every day we make countless choices. Discover how to use wisely your power of choice to make positive improvements in your life.

We are often told to aim high in life, but we must aim at what we would hit instead. A general purpose is not enough. Find out what it takes to win in life and hit the target every time.

We all want to be liked by others. We want to be accepted for who we are, and we want to feel free to be our genuine selves around them. But sometimes we feel pressured to live up to a certain image or expectation of what we think will please or impress others. So we try to become someone we are not. And we might even compromise our values and beliefs to receive the approval we seek.

Matt has an online relationship with a woman from another state. It isn't anything serious, so why worry his wife? Katie has been hiding her spending sprees from her husband that has put them into serious financial debt. She is afraid if he finds out he will never forgive her. Jason never told his wife that he got fired from his job, but rather, that he got laid off. He did not want her to lose faith and respect for him.

What does it mean to be mature? According to Merriam-Webster, mature is defined as having completed natural growth and development. That is, being fully grown, complete, ready. I do not believe that we arrive at a state of complete emotional maturity with no further need for growth and development. Rather, emotional maturity is a life-long process. We continually grow in our experience of love, acceptance, stability, adaption, and so forth.

We all get angry. It is inevitable. But, not all anger is bad. We have heard stories of people who have made major contributions to society, fought against injustices, and made positive life changes as they were motivated by righteous anger. Problematic anger, on the other hand, is usually explosive, hidden, or denied. If not faced and dealt with, anger hinders our ability to have healthy and loving relationships.

No one ever really knows what goes on inside a person. We don't know their thoughts or feelings, but sometimes we can sense that something is wrong. We see sadness in their eyes. We notice a pulling away. We hear words of discouragement and despair. We no longer witness any playfulness or true happiness. Maybe we say something, but it does not seem to help. Or maybe we think if we give them some space, it will all get resolved somehow.

A middle-aged woman was served divorce papers after her husband told her he was leaving her for another woman half her age. A college student could not live up to his parents' expectations and believed he was a complete failure and disappointment. A teen boy was bullied relentlessly and could not stop the abuse. An elderly man lost his wife after over fifty years of marriage and believed he has nothing left to live for.

We all have just one life to live. We don't know how long we will be here, but it won't be forever. So if today was your last day.....

We leave our children with babysitters, teachers, child care workers and other parents, but when is it safe to leave them home alone? Find out when the right age is for your child and how to be best prepared to make it safe and fun.