According to a report published in the Washington Post in January of this year: "54 percent of Americans are concerned about the level of stress in their everyday lives".

Juliet Schor Pd.D, author of Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure explains that for the last 30 years the trend in working harder and working more has escalated to the point that the average American works 200 hours a year more than they did in the 1960s. That's the equivalent of 5 extra weeks of work per year.

But there are still only 52 weeks in a year so where does that time come from? Dr Schor says it comes from what was previously sleep time, leisure time, and what she refers to as the "time for self" category.

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Some of my fellow bloggers have been writing lately on the subject of de-cluttering. De-cluttering cupboards, de-cluttering rooms, workplaces etc. And that got me thinking about another key area that really benefits from being free from clutter. The clutter in our heads. What are we tucking away in corners and lugging around with us that we don’t need anymore?

We change our cars, we refresh our wardrobes, we upgrade our PCs, but we drag our beliefs around with us as if they are set in stone. They’re not. We can change them, we can update or recycle them, or we can realise that they are of no use to us anymore and throw them out.

Our beliefs influence everything we do. They colour our sense of self, our confidence, our expectations, our relationships with others.

Beliefs set our limits “oh I could never...”, I’m just not good at...”, “I don’t do...”, “I’ve always...”

Some beliefs make a small dent in our personal universe, and others leave a crater, a gaping hole that we might try and fill and yet we never feel full. Read on for some tips on de-cluttering your outdated thoughts...

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The closing of a year is always a good opportunity to reflect on how you're doing in your life. What have you achieved this year? What lessons have you learned? What aspirations, resolutions or goals do you have for the year to come?

One of the most frustrating aspects of personal development is that we set our sights too high and then feel disappointed with ourselves for not being 100% patient, compassionate, dedicated to losing weight etc etc

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“My father used to tell us when we kept our journal to rule a line down the centre of the page and note on the left side what we thought might happen that day, and then, at the end of the day, note in the column on the right what actually happened. It was an interesting exercise.”  Miss Matty - Cranford

There’s something about a journal that I really love. Though I spend most of my writing life tapping away on my laptop, a nice pen and journal always conjure a feeling of quiet reflection in me.

Here’s a brief look at the benefits of journaling as we approach the end of this year and begin to think about our plans for the next.

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Guest Article by Tamara Baruhovich

Many of us become more open to the possibilities that The Law of Attraction and The Power of Intention can provide when we are in distress, and more so when distress is present simultaneously in several areas of our life.

It’s been said that when it rains it pours, and that is exactly what happens. As soon as one area of our life falls out of balance, other areas start falling one after the other and often just as fast as a domino effect. According to The Law of Attraction and The Power of Intention, this makes total sense. Instinctively, our minds tend to focus on the problem at hand in an attempt to find a solution. This generates a “worry state” that creates negative vibrations which in turn bring about other negative conditions in our lives.

Actually, Rhonda Byrne, the producer of “The Secret” mentions at the beginning of her acclaimed movie that she was in a situation where everything seemed to be going wrong after the death of her father. She had worked herself into exhaustion, had no money and her personal relationships were suffering as well. Have you been in that kind of a situation where nothing seems to be going right?

I know I have. Not long ago, I was going through a divorce. Right about that time, I lost my job, and had no money and no home. On top of that, the stress was getting the best out of my health. I couldn’t sleep well; I was saturated with worry and had over my shoulders the full responsibility of raising my two children on my own.

Just as a light at the end of the tunnel, “The Secret” was introduced to me by a friend just at the time when I needed it the most. I had read about Universal Laws, but nothing had helped me until I watched “The Secret”. I watched it once and I was hooked. But I had so many questions and nobody to ask… where was I supposed to start? By focusing on financial matters or visualize a great home, a wonderful job, an active life or vibrant health? What should I do first?

I get this question quite often in regard to The Law of Attraction and The Power of Intention... Where do I start? Where do I set my intentions first? How do I determine my priorities when everything is so important?

The good news is that you can do it all at once. Let me explain…

If we go back to the premise that a happy life is a balanced life… do you really think that we are supposed to set our intentions on one area of our lives at a time? Nothing will ever manifest if we do it this way because in order to feel happy and live a fulfilled life we require a variety of things. Yes, all of them in balance. Makes sense?

So let’s get organized and plan, which is what we really need to do. Make a list of all areas of your life that you want to improve, and even those that you think they don’t need improvement because they can get better. Believe me, they will. Here is an example of my list:

1.    Health / Fitness
2.    Money / Wealth
3.    Family / Relationships
4.    Career / Job / Business
5.    Personal Development
6.    Relaxation / Fun

Now jot down right next to each, one intention related to that subject. For the sake of this example, let’s say that I have set my intention to get fit and improve my health for which I must get a membership at a fitness club.

The problem now is that I don’t have the extra cash to join a club. So this is why I need to set an intention in #2. My intention is that I will get enough cash to join the club.

Since I have not slept well because of stress, my family has suffered as I’ve been grouchy. Also, I don’t feel like returning calls to my friends. This is where intention #3 comes in. As a result of going to a health club to exercise, I’ll release my stress, sleep better, be more patient and my relationships will improve.

Do you see how each intention complements the next helping us create a balanced life as we go? This is why it’s vital to have many intentions going at the same time. Even if your relationships haven’t suffered yet, you will notice an improvement in them as your other intentions get manifested.

Once you set your intentions, take a few minutes each day to visualize each one of them. And then all of them together; create a story in your mind. Use your imagination. Add feeling to your visualization as if the scene in your mind had already happened. Carry these intentions in your mind everywhere you go and be attentive to your surroundings. Look for synchronicities. Opportunities to act on certain things will pop up seemingly out of nowhere. It’s the Universe at large acting upon your behalf. It’s the genie you saw in “The Secret”. Take inspired action if you feel like it. Do not judge or try to see how this or that wouldn’t work. Just do it and have faith. Before you know it, your intentions will start materializing in front of your eyes!

But don’t stop there. To achieve a balanced life you must have intentions in every aspect of your life at all times. If you already got your ideal job, now set an intention to get a promotion as soon as possible. Or if you got the home of your dreams, set an intention to get that plasma TV you so much want… you get the idea. Keep on moving and the Universe will back you up.

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