Stories of Our Journeys

Susan lives in London with her two young daughters. She’s a yoga and cycling fanatic, and writes on behalf of sofasandsectionals.com. This article was provided at no cost.

Self improvement can be a tricky business and understanding it can be even worse. From my point of view, it can involve relaxing in a reclining sofa and having a well deserved drink but it can mean many different things to many different people. In this article I’m going to look at some well known quotes about self improvement to try and address how different people view the term.

“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.” – Socrates

What Socrates is really saying is read well and often and you’ll find things easier than others. I am a strong believer of reading; it can act as an escape from day to day life as well as a way of understanding a myriad of emotions, situations in addition to non-fictional information. Self improvement in this form could mean reading more into your work life, for example if you’re a builder perhaps reading Building Construction Handbook by Roy Chudley and Roger Greeno. Equally you can read more into making your home life the way you want it with books such as The Contemporary Garden by Phaidon Editors. Alternatively you may want to dig deeper and learn about why you are the way you are and how to change with books like Why Am I Adraid To Tell You Who I Am? by John Powell.

“People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy.” – Oliver Goldsmith

It’s difficult to improve yourself in any way without a role model, it’s simply too easy to get stuck in a rut of bad habits. The best way to counteract this is to truly get out there. Immerse yourself with people that inspire you and people that make you feel like a better person. Think about the things you admire in your friends and your family and mimic those traits. Practise makes perfect!

“The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none.” – Thomas Carlyle

Admit your faults to yourself and admit your faults to your friends. Embrace them. Everyone has imperfections and it’s foolish to believe otherwise. The sooner you recognise and understand your flaws the sooner you can do something to improve them and work around them. For example, I am a fairly stubborn person. The personal improvement that I have made is learning to stop, take myself out of a situation and think “am I in the wrong?” Once you’ve done that it is a lot easier to admit fault without any embarrassment or shame.

“Never neglect an opportunity for improvement.” – Sir William Jones

The most important thing about understanding self improvement is be open to the idea of it on every level. The only way to learn is to want to learn so be prepared to read books on space travel, have dinner dates with interesting people and think hard about what makes you who you are.

Cancer is the second most deadliest disease in America, yet scientists, researchers, and experts are still baffled as to what exactly causes the horrific disease. But according to The National Cancer Institute, approximately one-third of all cancer-related deaths are related to diet, and researchers have discovered that eating a variety of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and grains, could actually help reduce the risk of cancers in the oral cavities, larynx, colon, stomach, lung, prostate, and much more.Here is a list of 20 foods that could not only help prevent cancer, but may also help inhibit cancer cell growth or even reduce the size of cancerous tumors:

1. Onions – Scientific studies have found that onions can help protect your body from cancer because they contain natural plant antioxidants.
2. Raspberries – Raspberries contain ellagic acid which is known to help slow down cancer-cell growth. Raspberries also contain vitamin C and fibre, which can help prevent high cholesterol and heart disease as well.
3. Apricots – Apricots contain beta-carotene, and after eating an apricot your body naturally transforms the beta-carotene into vitamin A, which can help reduce the risk of skin cancer. However, make sure the apricot is firm as once it becomes soft it can lose its nutrients.
4. Tomatoes – Scientific research has proven that tomatoes can reduce the risk of bladder, colon, and stomach cancers by half if eaten on a daily basis. Tomatoes contain lycopene, which is known to be one of the strongest carotenoids, and essentially acts as an antioxidant to your body.
5. Lemons – Lemons contain furcoumarins and vitamin C which are both both known to help prevent cancer. If you’re not a fan of lemon juice, you can try squeezing a lemon on top of your vegetables, fish, and salads.
6. Broccoli – Broccoli contains Indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane which can help protect women from breast cancer.
7. Avocados – Scientists believe that avocadoes could help reduce the risk of liver cancer, and recommend eating fresh avocado every day for at least three months.
8. Grapefruits – Grapefruits contain monoterpenes, which scientists believe could help prevent breast cancer.
9. Apples – Apples contain both antioxidants and quercetin (a plant chemical) which are both known to help reduce the risks of developing lung and prostate cancer.
10. Garlic – Garlic has sulphur-containing compounds which will not only help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, but also reduce the risks of developing stomach and colon cancer.
11. Squash – Winter squash is packed full of vitamin C and beta-carotene which can help protect women from developing uterine cancer.
12. Peppers – Both chilli and jalapeno peppers contain chemicals that could help neutralize various cancer-causing substances, and may even help to prevent stomach cancer.
13. Tofu – Tofu contains nonsteroidal estrogens which may not only help protect someone from developing breast and prostate cancer, it can also help stall the growth of cells that tumors need in order to multiply.
14. Mushrooms – All of the various types of mushrooms may actually help prevent cancerous cells from multiplying because they contain polysaccharides and lectin.
15. Papayas – Papayas are packed full of vitamin C which essentially acts as an antioxidant, and may help in minimizing the growth of cervical cancer.
16. Sweet potatoes – Sweet potatoes contain various anti-cancer properties, such as beta-carotene, which can help protect our DNA from cancer-causing chemicals.
17. Flaxseed – Flaxseeds contain high mounts of omega 3 fatty acids which could help reduce the risk of breast cancer.
18. Pumpkin – Like squash, apricots and sweet potatoes, pumpkins contain beta-carotene which can help reduce the risk of various types of cancer.
19. Pineapple – Pineapples act as an antioxidant and may actually help reduce the risk of developing breast and lung cancer.
20. Celery – Celery contains approximately eight families of anti-cancer compounds, and can help stop the growth of tumorous cells.

Alexis Bonari is currently a resident blogger at College Scholarships, where recently she’s been researching college student loans as well as scholarships for teachers. Whenever this WAHM gets some free time she enjoys doing yoga, cooking with the freshest organic in-season fare, and practicing the art of coupon clipping.

J.C. Hutchins is an award-winning fiction and nonfiction writer. He’s also the author of 7th Son: Descent and Personal Effects: Dark Art and is the self-publisher and producer of the first podcast/audio book productions on the web. He has had more than 5 million episodic downloads of his fiction to date and is one of the most popular podcast novelists in the world.

J.C. reveals how he did all this and it came down to four basic principles. Hear the rest of the story…

My therapist told me on Monday that, more or less, my eating disorder probably began in childhood when my parents neglected to nourish my emotions. I didn’t believe her at first, but then I remembered my mother yelling at me for crying about my dead dog. She had grown up in post-nuclear Hiroshima and had eaten dogs to survive. My father was a former Marine and had always told me that tears were signs of weakness.

Complaining about that still feels like a bunch of mushy bull when I write about it, but there it is. Hear the rest of the story…

J.C. Hutchins is an award-winning fiction and nonfiction writer. He’s also the author of 7th Son: Descent and Personal Effects: Dark Art and is the self-publisher and producer of the first podcast/audio book productions on the web. He has had more than 5 million episodic downloads of his fiction to date and is one of the most popular podcast novelists in the world.

Hutchins’ world came crashing down when he was notified by his publisher, St. Martin’s Press, that the sequels to 7th Son: Descent weren’t going to be published.

So how did J.C. Hutchins bounce back from that announcement, dust off the cobwebs of rejection and move onto bigger and better things?

The answer is in managing your expectations. Hear the rest of the story…