Scanlon Blogs

     True happiness lies within our humanity, not our possessions.   Today’s ever-growing society emphasizes the importance of materialism.   Most of today’s commercials, advertisements, and media will have you believe money, power, and material gain are what creates happiness.   Of course, this is because companies and individuals have an agenda, to sell their products and increase their own wealth.   Although they have the right to do so, to say materialism is the best way to experience happiness is unprecedented.   People are losing their sight on the true values which generate long-lasting happiness; giving back, making memories with loved ones, personal development, etc.   In short, true happiness is something money cannot buy and it comes in many forms.      There are many people who strive to be rich, believing money is the answer to their problems.   Financial success means the freedom to do whatever, whenever, and with few limitations.   There is no problem in striving to

     Memorial Day is a remembrance to those who have protected the United States of America.  These heroes gave their lives so that we could live safely, having the freedom to do whatever we want.  They should be honored and never forgotten.  Those who serve and have served in the United States military are some of the bravest men and women on Earth.  They defend America with their lives when they could easily have chosen a different path in life.  However, their decisions have forever made them heroes in the eyes of the public, and they should always be thought of as such.      Remember this Memorial Day weekend that it is more than a three day weekend.  It is a day to honor the past, present, and future men and women who fell defending this great nation.  For it is their sacrifice which allows us to maintain our freedom, independence, and lifestyle.  They spent time away from their families for strangers they have never even met or who may have never thanked them.  However, they

     We all have those days where we feel undervalued, underappreciated or lost.   The duration of the day is spent overwhelming ourselves with the thought of being unimportant, or worse, just another face in the crowd.  We dwell on these days so much that they seem more abundant than the good times.  Our biggest critic is ourselves in most cases, and we often allow this to control our thoughts, feelings, and actions.  More often than not, we convince ourselves we are unremarkable, ordinary, or unintelligent, believing we will never move up in the world.      We are unique and similar, special and ordinary, intelligent and foolish.   Personality plays a role in our development, development helps in recognizing our abilities, and our abilities are the foundation of strengths and weaknesses.   Each of us houses pros and cons while adding our own flavor.   We all have a uniqueness about us but are also similar in behavior.   You may have gotten angry over something a person did wrong

     Work can be stressful in various ways.   Fast-paced environments, deadlines, and having to deal with difficult problems are all common stress inducers.   Often times, people stress themselves out over work to the point where their personal lives are affected.   This is unfortunate, as we should be enjoying life outside of our usual 9 to 5.   Work-related thoughts should not even pop into our heads when we are outside.   This can be difficult to do without proper guidance.   Today, we will discuss three quick methods of dealing with work-related stress. 1. Leave Work at Work      What people tend to do is bring the work-related baggage home with them.   This is normal but also unhealthy.   Work-related stress can already be difficult to deal with, but it is worse when it affects one’s personal time.   The free time we have with ourselves, families, and friends should be spent making memories and living life.   Nobody should be worrying about a mistake they made on a report

     Achievement requires consistency.  The problem is, people struggle to be consistent for various reasons.  Whether it is anxiety, other responsibilities, or lack of motivation, consistency can be difficult to maintain.  However, it is not impossible, especially if you practice through various means.  Here are 5 methods of maintaining consistency. 1. Relax & Avoid Overwhelming Yourself      Anyone can create a plan of action, but sticking to it can be difficult.  Often times, we overwhelm ourselves when we form a new goal.  We believe all of our time should be spent on this goal.  Guilt kicks in when we relax because we feel unproductive.  However, most people forget that rest and relaxation are part of the process.  Without breaks, we can quickly burn out, lose interest, and give up.  In doing so, the person has done exactly what they wanted to avoid.  Consistency requires motivation and a willingness to succeed.  We cannot maintain consistency by forcing ourselves to wor

     I’d like to dedicate this short blog to my loving mother.  She’s done a lot for me and my family, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her in my life.  I appreciate everything she has done for me and more, and I hope I can be as great of a parent as she is.  Thank you, mummykinz!      If you are like me, you appreciate all your mother has done for you; the long nights helping with homework, the meals she cooked, etc.  This was all out of the kindness of her heart.  They deserve much more praise than a single day, but Mother’s Day is a reminder to do so.         Don’t forget to give them a gift, even if it is something small.  Moms generally do not care what the gift is.  It is the meaning behind the gift that matters.  They just want to know you are thinking of them and appreciate their hard work.  Taking them out to a nice dinner, doing their work around the house, or buying them flowers and chocolates are all great ideas.  They do so much and ask for so littl

     It is natural to worry about change, especially when it is abrupt.   Change means dealing with uncomfortable situations, new experiences, mistakes being made, and learning curves.   When we think about this, the anxiety starts to kick in, questions race through the mind, and the negatives become the primary focus.   This is natural.   We strive to be comfortable and avoid the unknown.   We cannot control the unknown and therefore do not trust what the outcome of change will be.   This is where the anxiety lies.      We actively fear the unknown due to a lack of control.   We do not know what will happen and are therefore uneasy.   Unfamiliarity has always been incorporated with change, and as such causes us to worry about the consequences.   The majority of people make up scenarios in their heads regarding the outcome, both positive and negative, but focusing primarily on the negative.   We believe what we find comfortable is more appealing than what change has in store.   Of

     Everyone experiences hardship, whether it be a breakup, loss of a loved one, or having to deal with other difficult changes.  These experiences can be both physically and mentally exhausting, especially when they have not been fully resolved.  In order to move on from certain situations, closure is needed.  Closure is the act of wrapping something up, receiving answers to questions, and/or letting something go.  By doing so, the person is able to leave the past in the past and move forward.  Unfortunately, there are many instances where closure takes a while or is never obtained.  This can result in unnecessary stress, anxiety, or sadness.  People then live their lives in the past, continuously thinking about the situation, never truly moving on.  We need closure to live calmly, accept the past, and focus on our future.      Some may see closure as a luxury.   These people often believe that closure is unattainable due to certain circumstances preventing them from reaching

     Free time is a luxury we all want in large quantities, not only to unwind from long days but to do the things we enjoy.   We often use this time to work on ourselves and achieve personal goals.   However, the amount of free time a person has is dependent on their work ethic, productivity, and willingness to succeed.   There are only 24 hours in the day, and how we allocate that time defines the outcome.   If people want free time to spend doing what they want to do, they will need to allocate their time accordingly.   This means keeping focus and completing daily responsibilities.  Taking frequent breaks does nothing but cut into future free time.        People often forget about the free time they have throughout the day, such as during lunch breaks or when they have a light workload.   This free time is often used elsewhere; checking social media, talking to colleagues, or simply doing nothing.   They are essentially taking out a loan on their daily free time to be used t