Are You Stuck in a Rut?

Reading time: 3 minutes

Do you feel like you’ve been stuck with nowhere to go for some time? Life seems to have gelled into place and it’s not necessarily a place you want to linger for too long? A lot of people fall into a rut without realizing how they got there and sometimes they don’t even realize what the rut is. Let’s think about what the issue might be, and what you can do to get out of it.

Are you burned out?

You might be bored, to put it simply. If you’ve been focusing a lot on your education or career as of late, it’s no surprise if you feel your motivation and energy levels bottoming out. Burnout is a lot more common than you might think and it almost always results from pushing yourself too hard and not allowing yourself a little fun. Take some time off work when you can see if you can discover a new hobby that lets you shake off the stress of your responsibilities once in a while.

Are you overwhelmed by your finances?

Of course, enjoying more hobbies, especially things like eating out and traveling, can be difficult if you don’t have the finances for it. So, too, can all kinds of meaningful life changes be more difficult, from moving home to getting a car. If you’re feeling trapped by your current financial obligations, systems like the Debt to Success System BBB may be able to help. So much of social and lifestyle mobility is tied to our financial situation, so you need to take the time to fix your finances if you want to make meaningful life changes.



Are you tired of your career?

Modern society focuses a lot on not just who we are and how we live, but what we do for a living. As such, we get socialized to place a lot of importance in our career and, when it’s going in an upward trajectory, it can affect us more deeply than we even realize. To that end, it may be worth taking the time to find a meaningful career path and discover what kind of education and training you may need to make. There’s no time limit on changing your career, but the longer you wait, the harder it can be to transition.

Are you dissatisfied with your personal life?

One of the harder things to accept is when your personal and social relationships are no longer fulfilling you in the way that they used to. Socializing can be more difficult as we get a little older, but that doesn’t mean that it’s possible. There are apps designed to help you find people with the same interests like Meetup, not to mention a huge range of dating apps out there to help you shake up your romantic life. It’s just all about finding the right ones.

There are no simple solutions to getting out of a rut. However, the hardest step is admitting that you’re dissatisfied and recognizing what the source is. Once you do that, it’s as simple as working out the solution.

How do you pull yourself out of a rut?

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Why Collagen is the Best Beauty Ingredient

Reading time: 3 minutes

In the beauty world, you'll come across all sorts of products with all kinds of ingredients. Some of these ingredients are a bit rubbish, while others are downright dangerous. You'll be stunned to see how many harmful chemicals are in a lot of beauty products, doing more harm than good. 

Collagen is one of the few ingredients that's worth paying special attention to. In fact, it's the best beauty ingredient you can find. As a swift description, collagen is a type of protein found in your body. It has many functions, but the main one is to help provide structure to your skin. In essence, this makes your skin a lot firmer and more elastic. Already, you can see why this ingredient is so special. Still, let's expand on things by looking at a few other reasons.

Collagen is multifunctional

Collagen can be used in three main ways:

• As an ingredient in a topical treatment
• As a component of an injectable treatment
• By activating it under your skin

The first option is simple: buy creams or serums with collagen as an active ingredient, then apply to your face. For the second one, you go to cosmetic surgery and get injected with collagen. Thirdly, you can find cosmetic surgeons that offer things like microneedling. I know you're wondering what's microneedling, and the simple answer is that it's a treatment that triggers collagen production. Essentially, you activate the collagen under your skin, which encourages it to reproduce and help your skin. So, you have many choices in deciding how you want to use collagen for its beauty benefits. 

Collagen is natural

Collagen is natural! It isn't a chemical compound that somebody has manufactured in a lab. It isn't an ingredient that people have conjured up out of nowhere and tested on multiple animals. It's a naturally occurring protein that all human beings produce in their bodies. This makes it entirely safe for anyone to use. You don't have to worry about any side effects when you utilize collagen; it just does its job!

Collagen works

There's no debate over if collagen will help your skin or not - it simply works. You can find many medical and scientific studies that back this up. Unlike other beauty ingredients, you know that you will see positive results when using collagen. It makes your skin firmer, healthier, and more resilient to wrinkles. It can also help keep your hair in excellent condition and prevent it from falling out. 

As a general rule, if a beauty product or treatment includes collagen, it will help you out. Of course, you should make sure there aren't any harmful chemicals or nasty ingredients alongside the collagen. Also, for serums and creams, look at the concentration of collagen in the product. If it's a tiny amount, you won't see many benefits. The bottom line is that this is the main ingredient in the beauty industry to keep your eye on. If you want healthy skin and hair, you can't go wrong with collagen.

What are some of your experiences with collagen?

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4 Reasons Gift Baskets Are Underrated

Reading time: 2 minutes

Giving a gift isn’t the hardest thing in the world, but it’s certainly not a very simple task especially if you’re trying to impress your recipient. Thankfully, there are a couple of simple gift ideas that are virtually foolproof. One such idea is to buy a gift basket of goodies that you know they’ll enjoy. Of course, it takes a bit of research to see what your recipient likes, but once you’ve passed that hurdle, it should be easy for you to pick a suitable gift basket and send it to them as a practical and personalised gift.

But isn’t buying a premade gift basket a little boring? Surprisingly not! In this post, we’ll explain four good reasons why gift baskets are a fantastic idea and why you shouldn’t feel ashamed about giving one to a friend or family member.

You can gift a bunch of small things

Gift baskets are great because they package lots of small items into a single basket. It usually takes a lot of time to source different items and you also need to consider packaging them into a nice box or basket to give to your recipient. It’s actually a lot easier to just buy a gift basket that already contains the items. You might be paying a little more than the sum of all the individual items, but you’re paying for convenience which is the main attraction.

You can gift things you're not familiar with

If you have a general idea of what your recipient likes but you’re not a hundred percent sure about their preferences, then a gift basket is usually a safe bet that allows you to give several gifts that are related. For example, Hawaiian gifts can include different Hawaiian delicacies, snacks and gifts that are unique to the region. Similarly, a chocolate lover’s gift basket will include lots of unique things that are sure to impress your recipient more than buying a standard box from the supermarket.

You can send them from the comfort (and safety) of home

We know that putting together a gift basket and sending it can be a lot of hassle. Thankfully, you can buy premade gift baskets and send them directly to your recipient with a personalised note. This is a lot more convenient than going through the whole process yourself and the shipping usually works out to be cheaper and a lot less work.

You can gift them for all occasions

Whether you’re showing friends that you care about their birthday or need a quick gift for a seasonal occasion like the holidays, gift baskets can be used for all kinds of situations and it’s not restricted to certain recipients. They can even come in a wide range of different themes and you’ll be spoilt for choice on what kind of gift basket you want to send. Whether it’s a friend, family member, partner or even your kids, there’s a gift basket that’s suitable for everyone.

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4 Ways to Show Your Friends You Care

Reading time: 2 minutes 53 seconds

In this life, we need to focus on ourselves a lot and build ourselves up. We need to become the best possible version of ourselves. If we have lots of value, then we’re going to feel so much better day-in-day-out. Having high value also makes us a lot more attractive, which is very helpful in many aspects of life – personally and professionally. It’s important to have discipline and to knuckle down with regard to our career and to our personal life – if we don’t and instead choose to slack off, we’ll regret it in the long-run.

That doesn’t mean we should be completely self-absorbed individuals, though. There’s plenty of room to take care of others and to put energy into those close to us. In life, we need to have people we care about by our side – we are a tribal species, after all.

Doing things for our friends and family members not only allows that bond to tighten, but it also just feels great. The mirroring feeling of making someone happy is strangely rewarding. You probably know a thing or two about being a wonderful friend, but if you’re not exactly sure what you can do to show you care for them, then here are some ideas:

Really listen to them

If someone has something they want to get off their chest, the worst thing you can do is sigh or show a lack of interest. Venting is important as it allows someone to relieve a lot of stress. It’s also great for that person as you may be able to help solve their problem. Listening is so important and it tightens the bond you have with that person. 

Include them in your life

It’s easy for a person to feel lonely. You may think with social media and various other online platforms that loneliness is less likely to occur, but it’s not the case. Sometimes it even worsens it all as they see lots going on and aren’t included in any of it. Invite them out when you have gatherings – don’t just ignore them. Being present in their lives is important. 

Buy them a present every now and then

Sure, material things won’t mean all that much to some people, but it goes beyond the actual gift itself. It tells them that you’re thinking about them and that they’re an important part of your life. Even the smallest and insignificant gifts can mean an awful lot – especially during tougher times. It doesn’t matter if it’s something from UglyChristmasSweater.com ready for Christmas in a few months’ time or the most expensive piece of jewelry – if you spend time and money on someone, then it’s going to have meaning behind it.

Stay loyal to them

Have their back at all times. If they’re someone you truly cherish, then you’ll go to war for them in whatever way. Just saying you care and that you have their back isn’t enough – actions speak louder than words. If they struggle with something, then you need to back them to the hilt. If you truly care about them, then this won’t be all that difficult.

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5 Steps to a Productive Morning

Reading time: 3 minutes 4 seconds

As the weather is getting cooler and the mornings are darker, it can be harder for us to ensure that we start our day in the right way. We all know that getting up on the wrong side of the bed can have a huge knock-on effect when it comes to the rest of the day. Although autumn and winter is a great time of year to really work on your mindset and outlook on life, we can instantly let that have a positive effect on our mood. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to start your day in the right way. 

Choose your outfit the night before and be organized

This may sound like you are super organized, but getting rid of major choices in the morning is a much better way to have a relaxed approach to the start of your day. So if you can, it might be worth choosing the outfit you will be wearing for the day the night before. We all have applications on our phone that will tell us the immediate weather forecast, so it shouldn't be a huge dilemma to undertake. It may present the perfect opportunity to reorganize your wardrobe or even create a capsule wardrobe for things like work or casual days. 

Be organised 

Sometimes the only way to start your day right is to be organised in life, this can be anything from ensuring that you have your glasses and looking at a glasses buying guide so that you don’t miss out. It might even mean packing bags for lunch or your next day. Even a planner can help you to stay accountable. Knowing that you are organised takes huge pressure off the day. 

Don’t be an alarm dodger

If you have no choice but to wake at the same time each morning, it can be difficult to accept when your alarm begins to chime. Especially if you don’t find yourself to be a morning person. However, once you hear that alarm begin your morning routine there and then. Snoozing the alarm can only have a negative effect as you continuously put yourself back into that wake-up state every ten minutes. What is the point?

Stretch your muscles as you wake up

Stretching can have a huge positive effect on your body as you slowly wake up for the day, it helps realign muscles to avoid aches and pains. Slowly doing this as you wake up ensures you engage your brain and your body to be on the same page. 

Avoid coffee or tea as your first drink of the day

Our bodies will be dehydrated from the night before, having had no new fluid since you going to bed, so it’s important that you hydrate your body with water as one of the first drinks in the morning. It may be tempted to reach for the strong stuff, but having a pint of water before hand will help your body wake up much quicker than any caffeine hit. 

Ignore your phone until after breakfast

It may be tempting to check in on your social media or respond to emails, but try and avoid any contact with this kind of technology first thing. It’s important to relax and enjoy the start of your day, rather than be hassled or gain those feeling of stress from emails and the pressure social media can bring. 

Let’s hope these tips help you have a better start to your day.

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