Scanlon Blogs

     Many people tend to focus more on the negative aspects of life than the positive ones.  Personally, I believe societal norms to be the cause.  Most of us are taught from a young age to be similar to other people and not to stray too far out of our comfort zone.  People often ridicule others for being different or having different opinions.  Most people also only care for themselves and seldom try to help those in need.  Because humans are social creatures and have an overwhelming desire to be liked, we often concede to these societal norms and hide away our own thoughts and opinions.  We then subconsciously task ourselves to do whatever we can to make other people like and respect us, whether it be by agreeing with them, acting a certain way, or enjoying similar things.  The more we do this, the more insecure we feel because we have effectively taught ourselves that our identity is worth less than those around us, and from insecurit...

     Many people struggle to find the right words when speaking or presenting.  Whether they get in their own head, lack confidence, or are unprepared, not feeling equipped to speak is disappointing.  The only way to become a master speaker is to practice, and there are numerous ways to do so.  For one, many people make sure they do their research before speaking.  People also hype themselves up in order to increase their confidence levels.  Also, to combat anxiety when speaking, breathing exercises and different ways of thinking help in calming the mind and regaining focus.  We will go into more detail in a minute but just remember, no matter how young or old you are, it is never too late to improve your speaking skills.  The more you learn, the more confident you feel in life.      First, doing research is the best way to feel confident when speaking.  If you are not prepared, you will most likely be lost for w...

     What I worry about never seems to end up as the chaotic mess I expect it to result in.  Every time I panic or stress about something, I end up breathing a sigh of relief after handling the situation.  I then realize how pointless it was to even worry about something which ended up having a simple solution and wasn't even detrimental, to begin with.  We seem to perceive life as incredibly difficult when, in reality, the answers are simple and right in front of us.  Life is about adapting to your environments, figuring out how to handle problems correctly, and how to react accordingly based on the situation.  It all starts by having confidence in ourselves and realizing everything life throws at us has simple solutions if broken down properly.  We just have to be willing to accept this and dissect the problem before rushing into finding a solution.      The key to life is knowing how to find a solution to multiple problem...

     Despite what people might think in the moment, getting angry at someone you dislike, being violent, or showing hostility does more harm than good.  We've all been there, a situation where we become so angry or annoyed that we just want to lash out.  Subconsciously we think, "this is the right thing to do," and our anger takes over.  I want you to remember a time this has happened and how it panned out.  I am sure there are instances where it is justifiable to lash out, but more often than not people regret their actions almost immediately.  We are left feeling foolish and our reputation takes a hit, the severity being dependent on the situation and the size of the blowup.  Due to the consequences, people tell themselves they will be more aware and prevent similar occurrences from happening again.  Unfortunately, not everybody learns from their mistakes.  We forget our past actions far too quickly and often repeat mistakes....

     Today’s blog discusses three important lessons that I believe everyone should take into account throughout their lives.   It is important to learn more about how to manage life’s unpredictability, how to deal with the highs as well as the lows, and understand how to make life better through various practices.   I am confident that this short blog does just that.   So, here are three life-long lessons to remember. 1. Change is Inevitable      Many people fear change because they enjoy their current routines, lifestyle, and environment.   However, the only everlasting feature of life changes.   Life will never be the same day in and day out.   We will ultimately see change at one point or another, both minor and drastic.   The outside forces of the universe are always changing as well, and through the butterfly effect can interfere with our current routines.   The butterfly effect states that a small cha...

     We all have busy schedules, and sometimes this interferes with our ability to eat and drink when necessary.   I personally have had instances where I will not drink any water all morning simply because I am busy with work.   Ironically, not taking care of yourself affects the quality of your work.   If you do not eat or drink, focus diminishes the mind wonders and exhaustion sets in quicker than usual.   Even after taking care of yourself, exhaustion will follow for the rest of the day because being hungry and thirsty takes its toll on the body.   As a result, you want to do nothing but lay down and be completely unproductive.   The cycle continues, and as it does your level of stress can increase as well as your level of exhaustion.   The point is, we should break the cycle of neglect, gorging, and sleeping in order to be more productive, feel better, and have more energy throughout the day.      When it...

     If there is one problem people have it is waking up at a reasonable time.   I am no exception and have constantly tried to correct the problem.   Whether it be hitting the snooze alarm, staying up late, or improper planning, most of the world wakes up only when they have to.   However, there are many benefits to waking up early, such as getting a head start over everyone else, more free time, increased motivation, etc.   To reap the rewards, we must first train ourselves to wake up at a reasonable time.   It can be difficult, but it is not impossible.   Here are three methods of waking up earlier! 1. Move Alarms Across the Room      The most difficult part of waking up is actually pushing yourself to do so.   It is easy to turn your alarm off and go back to bed when it is right next to you.   To negate this, set your alarm and place it on the other side of your room.   This forces you to get out of bed...