Scanlon Blogs

     The more stress we put on ourselves, the harder it becomes to enjoy life.   We should all shoot for the stars but it should not consume us.   Life becomes a lot less complicated when we allow ourselves to maintain simplicity.   Everything we do can be broken down into simple instructions.   For example, cooking Thanksgiving dinner can be broken down into a few simple steps; get the food, prepare certain items first before others, start cooking at a certain time, etc.   This is much better than making yourself worry about what you are going to do first, how big the meal has to be, or how the result needs to be perfect for everything to work out.   Which situation would you like to occur in your own life?   The same methodology can be applied to anything in life.   It has undoubtedly helped me in situations where I have felt stress or dealt with hardship in order to regain control.      I have always noticed that what we stress over ends up becoming meaningless after the momen

      Have you ever been in a scenario where you were right but someone else says you are wrong?   What about a situation where a mistake is made and you are blamed for it even if you did not make the mistake?   If so, you are not alone.   It is incredibly frustrating to be in the right and have everyone else tell you otherwise, especially if the situation is never rectified.   It can drive a person mad and make them question every action they do out of fear of making mistakes.   I am here to say it is not always your fault, you are not always to blame, and you have nothing to fear.      We often question our intelligence when mistakes are made or when receiving feedback from our peers and coworkers.   Remember, mistakes can be rectified and everyone has their own way of completing tasks.   You should not base your intelligence on a couple blunders or any comments made by those who work differently.   We are more intelligent than we realize and anything said regarding mistakes or y

     Relationships are never easy.  Yes, there are many pros to relationships; love, laughs, fun times, etc.  There are also cons, such as fighting, disagreements, and stress.  Some people, especially younger men and women, who get into relationships think they are going to be all sunshine and rainbows.  When things do not end up going the way they anticipated, the relationship often ends.  They believe that just because fighting broke out and that they fight a lot, or so it seems, that the relationship was never meant to be.  Yes, there can be instances where two people should not be in a relationship because they fight too much or are not compatible.  However, most of the time people give up on relationships too quickly.  Just because a couple fights from time to time, it does not always mean the relationship is not worth saving.  In fact, it usually means that the relationship is normal.      If couples did not fight, there would be no compromise, change, or greater understandin

     The first step towards happiness is feeling good about yourself.  We often lack the confidence to do so due to personal reasons.  However, there are many ways to boost our confidence in the long run while also providing many physical and mental health benefits.  Here are five ways to feel good about yourself! 1.   Step out of Your Comfort Zone      The only way we grow as people is through change.   However, many people fear change and actively try to avoid it.   Later on, they often regret avoiding these changes which could have had a positive impact on their lives.   Do not be this type of person, and if you currently are someone like this, it is never too late to change.   We all have the opportunity to do something out of our comfort zone; learning a new skill, traveling, facing fears, etc.   No matter what the case, if we accept and act upon making a change, we will feel good about ourselves in the long run.   Not only will we have fewer regrets later in life but we will

     People are quick to judge without knowing the full story.  You could be the nicest person in the world but chances are you have judged somebody.  It is an easy mistake to make but what is important is the actions taken after doing so.  We need to remember that each individual is going through their own battles.  Of course, we will not always know what another person is going through, but we can at least keep that fact in mind.  We should never act on our assumptions and/or judgments because most of the time we are wrong about the other person.  When this is brought to light, we look like the bad guy for not being sensitive to the other person's situation.  Therefore, it is better to always keep your thoughts to yourself and be kind to everybody you come across.  Even if the person seems rude, uninterested, or angry, think about the reasons why they could be the way they are.      When we choose to understand rather than judge, we open our eyes to a new way of viewing othe

     We all have the desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, not only to have a purpose in life but to feel useful.   When we do not feel like we are contributing or we make mistakes, we often feel like we are not doing a good job.   Sometimes, we even feel useless and drag ourselves down.   The fact of the matter is that nobody is useless.   We all have something which makes us useful and unique in some way.   The problem is we often have difficulty finding out what we are good at because we focus on what we struggle with, whether it be at work, school, or at home.   To realize how useful we are, we need to learn more about ourselves, what we are good at, and use these realizations to change a negative aspect of life.   We also need to stop being so hard on ourselves for making mistakes, especially small ones which have easy fixes.      Everybody walks a different path and has their own unique set of skills, personality traits, and interests.   Those who seek to s

     Time is a limited commodity pertaining to anything and everything we do.  Theoretically, we have 24 hours per day to do anything we want.  Realistically, A person’s usual schedule involves 5-8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work, and 8 hours of doing whatever they want to do.  Usually, we enjoy taking a break from our everyday tasks by relaxing during this 8 hour period.  It is important to recharge after a long day’s work.  However, people become accustomed to their routines so much so that making a change can seem harder than it actually is.  Instead of relaxing and doing whatever they want, the person is having to step out of their comfort zone and allocate time to a new task.  Because time is such a precious resource, using it on tasks that do not provide immediate happiness can cause stress, anger, and a lack of motivation to continue.  However, thinking long term, using our time to work towards something beneficial is how we achieve, prosper, and create a schedule involving less

     Everything we do, accomplish and experience is a result of choice.  There is no limit to how high one can fly.  We are limited only by our ambition and imagination.  If we want to accomplish a goal, we must make the choices necessary to reach it.  Obstacles, such as a lack of self-confidence, feeling tired, and laziness are choices that prevent us from succeeding.  We often make ourselves believe we are too busy, tired, or not skilled enough to succeed.  It is important to realize that the way you see yourself is a choice, and this can change whenever you want it to.      If you want something, go out and get it.  If you want to lose weight or be more active, go exercise.  Do not makeup excuses to stay home and do nothing.  By doing so, you are choosing to fail at your goal.  Always keep in mind that goals take effort to achieve, and making the wrong choices will hinder your progress.  The right choices are those which allow you to push towards success.  If you go running inste