Judy Davis's Blog, page 7

#DivaTipsLive Linkup on The Direction Diva Blog

 

I don’t know about you but my life can get pretty crazy. My role changes from military spouse to entrepreneur, mom, battle buddy, caregiver, cook, chauffeur or any other title I take on in a given day. And because I’m balancing (ok juggling) so many things I’m always on the look out for great TIPs – tools, inspiration and perspective – that helps me along the way.

And that is why I’m excited to announce that starting this month I will be hosting the

#DivaTIPsLive Linkup

This is a link up for blog posts that inspire and share tips, tools & resources that will make your life simpler, happier and better! So grab a cup of coffee, wine, hot chocolate or whatever you are filling your cup with these days and get ready for some great content!

Check out some great tips & info on living your best life #DivaTipsLive Linkup hosted by…
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Tell your friends, share your links and let’s make today Divalicious!

Let’s linkup below!

By adding your post to the linkup you agree to:

1. Add a post link that will help make someone else’s life just a little bit easier. It can be a time-saving tip, stress relief technique, funny story, strategy, business tip, inspiring personal story, etc. Just make sure it is something that brings value to a fellow Milspouse’s life, business or relationship!

2. Tweet or share on a minimum of 1 social media platform your linkup post url with #DivaTIPsLive hashtag within 24 hours of linking up (this makes it simpler for me to give you a retweet and comment). Each week I will be adding new posts from the previous months linkup to a pinterest board (it’s going to be a great resource!)

I just shared my post on #DivaTipsLive Linkup and you can too!
Click To Tweet

3. Comment and share a minimum of 2 other posts. Be sure to include #DivaTIPsLive when you do so for quick retweets, likes and comments from all the participants!

By submitting a link to this party, you are giving the Direction Diva permission to feature your post on her blog and/or social media platforms and utilize your post images in order to facilitate this feature.

An InLinkz Link-up

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A Simple 4 Step Decision Making Process plus BONUS tips from Military Bloggers

Decisions. Decisions. Love them or hate them decisions are a big part of our life aren’t they? The older I get I’m beginning to realize that the decision making process is truly an art form. It’s not the act of just saying yes or no to something, it’s about learning to feel good about the decisions you make that’s challenging. The hardest part of the entire decision making process for me is that moment after I make a choice I start to wonder if it was actually the right one. I often second guess myself and look to others to validate my choice. The decision doesn’t have to be a big one, in fact many of them aren’t, but the second guessing and uncertainty have always been a part of the entire decision making process.

Whether it was choosing what to order at our favorite restaurant, where best to focus my time and energy in my business or deciding the best way to handle an unexpected decision I’ve never been able to take comfort in the idea that there wasn’t a better alternative. Until now. I’ve found that by consciously moving through some simple steps as I make a decision, I’m less likely to regret my choice in the long run and I no longer am looking for validation from others. Here is a simple decision making process that you might find helpful, it not only makes it easier to make better decisions but it allows me to do so in a shorter amount of time.

A Simple 4 Step Process for Making a Decision

Step 1: Clearly identify and understand the decision you will be making. When faced with a decision to make it is important that you know exactly what it is you are deciding. When making choices it is easy to spin of and lose focus, making the process a lot more painful. The best way to make things easier is to clearly understand the decision that is before you, identify your options, and forget about the opinions of others. Remember you are the only one who has to live with the consequences of any decision that you make so don’t let someone else decide for you!
Step 2: Gather your information & data. The only way to make a choice AND feel good about it is to know exactly what it is you are getting into and gathering relevant information is critical. Spend some time collecting all the information you need, dig deep for the details and then sort thru all of your options. The more data you have on your choices and how they will affect your life short and long term, the better equipped you will be to move onto step 3.
Step 3: Make the decision. For many of us this is the hardest part of the entire decision process. It’s the time when all the self-doubt and second guessing take hold and it can be paralyzing. But here is a little secret, actually choosing “what’s next” is the only way to stop the spiraling thoughts so you can move forward. Trust me, if you’ve done steps 1 & 2 you are fully prepared and ready to take the plunge and more than likely you know the right and perfect choice for your life in this particular moment. So make the decision knowing full well that it won’t be your last.
Step 4: Move on. Once a decision is made it is important that you don’t waste anymore time wondering what other choice you could have or should have made. Not every decision will be the right one, but you can always come back to it. Allow yourself to move on by accepting that the choice you make was the right one in that moment.

Direction Bonus (Here is some advice from some pretty awesome Mil-bloggers – be sure to check out their sites)

When asked how these bloggers make choices (in business or in life) here is what they shared:

 

“For me, the key to effective (and regret free) decision making lies in understanding my priorities. How a given choice will affect my most important priorities – my family, my health, and my person goals – is the starting point of any consideration. That offers me a rubric to evaluate my options through both their short and long term impact”. ~ Kristen Smith (If The Saddle Fits)
“Realize that very few decisions are final. We all have the ability, and should give ourselves permission, to change direction and change our minds after a decision has been made. I change my mind on decisions, even though I do try not to make everyone crazy in the process, frequently. There is nothing more maddening to me than sticking to a “decision” that is no longer right JUST because it was decided”. ~ ErinWhitehead (Many Kind Regards)
“I look at the risk of “what if?” I don’t like looking back and wondering “what if?” when it comes to a situation so I try to avoid that outcome. Sometimes it’s worth taking a risk just to avoid asking myself what if later”! ~ Pamela Michelle (The Coastie Couple)
“I think about what it will look like when I look back on it. Will I feel the sacrifice was worth what was gained? For example, we are making a decision regarding the sale of our house and our move. When I look back, will I feel a year apart was worth the money we potentially keep from the sale, or will I think taking the loss was worth keeping the family together as long as I could? After that, I give myself grace. In hindsight might not seem like I made the right choice, but I will always know I made the best choice I could with the information I had and that’s all I can ask of myself”. ~ Kim Mills (She Is Fierce)
“The thing I have learned the hard way is while you can change at any time, make sure you are changing or altering for the right reasons. Some of the most beneficial and amazing accomplishments have had some of the hardest singular moments and most difficult seasons of life. Had we given up when the going got tough we would not have reaped the amazing benefits”. Elizabeth Colegrove (The Reluctant Landlord)
“I always think of how a decision that affects my current decision will translate into my plan for my future. Ex: does getting a tattoo on my forehead today work well for my interest in pursuing politics later?” ~ Katie Foley (Many Kind Regards)
“I approach blogging decisions with my brand in mind. Will it advance my brand towards its goals? Will it respect and honour my brand’s guidelines? Will I damage my brand? You can’t easily undo damage done to your brand, so I try to make the best decisions possible with those questions in mind. This can lead to second guessing myself a lot, so instead I tell myself that I’ll learn from my decisions after the fact. To avoid flip flopping and potentially doing more harm, once a decision is made I stick to it. It’s hard not to second myself, but I can do more damage flip flopping than just fixing it once it’s done” ~ Ariel Garneau  (PMQ for Two)
“I weigh how many positives versus negatives. Every action should give me 3 positive benefits to 1 potentially negative. If it won’t outweigh like this then I don’t do it” ~ Rachel Brenke (Rachel Brenke)
One way I stop second-guessing myself is by not holding perfectionist expectations over myself. If I’m afraid of how something might turn out, I try to say, “I made the best decision I could. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll make improvements on it for next time.” I try not to beat myself up over it. ~ Heather Goffrier (Happy Fit Navy Wife)

 

 What advice can you add? Share it in the comments below!

 

~Judy Davis, the Direction Diva is a motivational speaker, author and lifestyle blogger as well as a military life and teen suicide prevention expert. Co-founder of LivingThruCrisis.com, Judy’s books Right Side Up  and Warning Signs: Is Your Teen at Risk are go to resources for families and her websites are filled with tips, inspiration and resources for those looking for direction. Connect with Judy at TheDirectionDiva.com

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10 Quick Tips For Social Media Mastery by Judy Davis, The Direction Diva

It’s no secret that social media is something I love. I use social media for business and pleasure. I use it to stay in contact with old friends and to make my military life just a little bit easier.

Years ago there wasn’t such a thing as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, heck there weren’t even smartphones. But social media integrates into our lives it becomes more and more evident that it’s here to stay.  And we need to master the beast both personally and professionally.

Here are 10 Tips for Social Media Mastery:

Use Facebook as the perfect place to create a conversation. Share behind the scenes photos, pose questions and by all means post blogs, articles and quotes about the things that matter to you and your peeps!
When using Twitter remember it is a continuous feed where you want to share quality information with your followers. Use specific and focused hashtags for targeted campaigns/shares.
The most effective way to use Pinterest (other than to save the coolest recipes on the planet) is through community boards. Join or create a community board based on a topic you are interested in and invite others to pin along side you. More traffic, more info and more engagement…win, win!
Instagram is about maximizing the emotional connection a picture creates. Choose great pics that have meaning to connect with others and convey a message.
Stop throwing up all over people. Quality over quantity is the rule.
Remember hashtags are your friend. In order to use them wisely I use the Tagstagram App. Put in a simple keyword, press a button and whala you will have 30 targeted hashtags at your fingertips!
Twitterchats are a great way to gather information and connect with like minded people. My don’t miss twitterchat is the #VZWBuzz* chat on Friday’s at 2pm CST. It’s a great techy type chat with great info on the latest devices, tips and strategies for using technology well and a host of other technology topics. Some additional favorites can be found here.
When you are creating a post, tweet or pin, make sure that it’s up to date, relevant, informative and grabs the attention of your audience. No one REALLY wants a political narrative, hourly updates on your latest snack or the negativity train day in and day out.
Engage, comment, be you.  Remember to be interested it goes a lot farther than just being interesting.
Never Never Never engage in cyber bullying, in fact lets commit to being the one to stop the gossip, mean girl attitudes dead in their tracks.

 

 What Tip Can You Add To The List?

 

Judy Davis, the Direction Diva is a motivational speaker, author and lifestyle blogger as well as a military life and teen suicide prevention expert. Co-founder of LivingThruCrisis.com , Judy’s books Right Side Up  and Warning Signs: Is Your Teen at Risk are go to resources for families and her websites are filled with tips, inspiration and resources for those looking for direction. Connect with Judy at TheDirectionDiva.com

*As a member of the #VZWBuzz team I receive various devices and accessories and provide Verizon Wireless tips for military spouses. No additional compensation was given and all opinions stated are my own. As always whenever I talk about products you will get the real scoop not something someone asks me to write

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20 Amazing Bits of Advice I Wish I Knew at 25 by Judy Davis, the Direction Diva

 

A few days ago I was chatting with a group of military spouses, a few of whom were in their mid twenties. Our conversation was awesome and we laughed a lot about the craziness of our lives, husbands and the fact that military life is what brought us all together and we shared some incredible bits of advice. I mean where else can you have so many people of different ages, backgrounds, education and careers with so much in common?

At one point one of the girls asked me, “what do you wish you would have known when you were my age”? At the time I talked about being a mom and not sweating the small stuff, but the conversation got me thinking… At 25 I had just met the man who would become my husband, had a rewarding career and was on my own for the first time. Looking back there are lots of things I wish I knew that would have made things much easier, but here are the some bits of advice I can share!

20 Amazing Bits of Advice I Wish I knew at 25…

 You can make a living doing a lot of things, choose something that gets you excited to get out of bed.
Money doesn’t solve everything, BUT not having enough for the basics causes an incredible amount of stress.
You will screw up and it won’t be the end of the world.
Having a few close friends is more important than an active social life.
Not everyone is going to like you and that’s more than ok.
Spend more time with your parents, no matter how busy you are or how challenging it may be. They will be gone too soon and you will wish you took the time when you had the chance.
Be comfortable with who you are and the choices you make.
No one else has to live your life so don’t give them power over it.
Being right isn’t as important as you think it is.
You will get more joy from helping others than anything else.
A positive attitude goes a long way
Challenges always seem worse at night – a new day often brings strength, insight and a fresh perspective.
You are harder on yourself than anyone else will ever be.
A little kindness and an open mind make life a whole lot better.
The act of forgiveness is more for you than the person you are forgiving.
Don’t be too busy seeking “success” that you forget to have fun.
More isn’t always better.
Learn that there is a difference between needs and wants.
Remember that no one owes you anything – not your parents, your spouse, your employer, the military, the person behind the counter – no one.
Understand that the grass is rarely greener on the other side of the fence – strive to thrive where you are.

What bits of advice would you add to this list?

— Judy Davis, the Direction Diva is a motivational speaker, author and lifestyle blogger as well as a military life and teen suicide prevention expert. Co-founder of LivingThruCrisis.com, Judy’s books Right Side Up  and Warning Signs: Is Your Teen at Risk are go to resources for families and her websites are filled with tips, inspiration and resources for those looking for direction. Connect with Judy at TheDirectionDiva.com

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Quick PCS Tips For Beating A Challenge You May Have Overlooked by Judy Davis, The Direction Diva

PCS season brings with it an unexpected PCS challenge that many of us don’t think about as we prepare our families and back up our goods and we can never have enough quick pcs tips to make things easier can we?

When moving cross-country often the last thing on our mind is how we will physically adjust to the new stomping grounds. So in true Direction Diva form, I’m not going to talk about PCS tips in the sense of how to work with the movers or the best way to go about finding out where to get good produce. What I’m talking about today is something you may have overlooked specifically making the acclimation to the physical environment of your new duty station. It’s an unexpected PCS challenge that can throw a wrench into a seamless PCS move.

For me most recently I had difficulty making the adjustment to living in the humid, allergen rich, buggy and hot conditions of southern Missouri. For other battle buddies it’s been learning to deal with the higher altitudes of Colorado or the rainy days of Washington State. No matter where you are moving, here are 3 quick tips that can save you a lot of headaches when you begin your journey and get settled at your new duty station.

Quick Tips

Tip #1: Know what you are getting into.

With all we have to think about it’s easy to be more interested in the schools, housing and resources available at our new duty station. But if you find yourself with altitude sickness, your family pet is covered in ticks or your allergies kick into high gear trust me you won’t care a lick about any of that. Take some time to learn a little about the climate of where you are going AND what some of the challenges that other military families are dealing with.

Ask questions on Facebook pages and see what people are talking about. Trust me you don’t want to get to Fort Leonard Wood in July at dusk without a huge supply of bug spray on hand, nor do you want to be dehydrated when you get to Colorado Springs. Both situations can make for a VERY rough transition.

Tip #2: Arm Yourself

Just like a boy scout you want to be prepared for whatever can come up. I suggest that you create a New Duty Station “Transition Kit” that has the essentials to make life a little bit easier. For example if I am going to a new assignment in the Midwest or Southeast in the summer months  you can be sure I have easy access to: bug spray, calamine lotion, allergy medicine, Benadryl, sunscreen, tweezers (to take out a tick or a stinger), aloe, and a big ‘ol fly swatter! Nothing else matters if I don’t have these things first…

Tip #3: Educate yourself about the plant/animal life

Every part of the country has various plants and wildlife that you need to be careful of. I know that the minute we get to a new place, the first order of business for kids and pets is to explore the new turf, and by all means it’s important to let them do so.

But it’s just as important to remember that a garter snake is VERY different from a cottonmouth, a common house spider isn’t the same as a brown recluse or a black widow and running through a field filled  poison ivy makes for a horrible few weeks. So be sure you know what harmful plants and animals and do a little recon before you set the gang free!

Every new duty station comes with its own set of challenges and a little preparation goes a long way in helping your family make a smooth transition!

Take a moment and share your best tip for someone new to your installation in the comments below and the savviest tip will win a prize! Be sure to include the name of your installation!

— Judy Davis, the Direction Diva is a motivational speaker, author and lifestyle blogger as well as a military life and teen suicide prevention expert. Co-founder of LivingThruCrisis.com, Judy’s books Right Side Up  and Warning Signs: Is Your Teen at Risk are go to resources for families and her websites are filled with tips, inspiration and resources for those looking for direction. Connect with Judy at TheDirectionDiva.com

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5 Simple Life Lessons For Our Quest To Find Happiness by Judy Davis, The Direction Diva

After spending the last week and a half on Whirlwind Roadtrip ’15 I have so many thoughts going through my mind. Everything from looking at my business with a critical eye and missing crazy family dynamics to the type of vacation I want to take next. It’s funny how spending time with my 3-year-old grand-daughter puts things into perspective and challenges me to take a closer look at how I live my day-to-day life.

It seems after each visit to spend time with her my eyes open just a little more. After my last visit I wrote The Struggle Is Real where I tackled how as a military spouse the idea of going home is an oxymoron and this time it’s all about what she taught me over the course of our recent 8 day road trip.

It’s funny as adults we assume that we know more than our little ones, and sure they look to us for guidance on how to get along in this big world, but I know I’ve learned more from this angel about finding happiness than I could ever teach her. She just has this natural instinct when it comes to being happy that makes you take pause because you know that somewhere along the line you lost that. It’s as if the moment we get older we forget what makes us being happy naturally and then spend all of our spare time searching for the “thing” that will bring our happiness back. For me I spend a lot of time trying to de-stress, relax and lower my anxiety levels all in a personal quest to find that easy happiness I somehow lost when I became a military spouse. And my answer just may be in the 5 Simple Life Lessons I learned from my grand-daughter about happiness and here they are…

5 Simple Life Lessons For Our Quest To Find Happiness

Say Cheese and Smile!  Whether it’s a selfie, portrait or a quick snapshot it’s time to leave your insecurities and body-image issues behind. No matter what we were doing if someone called my Emma’s name she turned, smiled a huge all-encompassing smile and yelled “cheese”. She didn’t worry about her hair or whether her arms looked fat, she just paused for a moment so someone could capture it and went about her business. But that’s not the end of this lesson. Our road trip was to visit family and every place we stopped at some point the pictures from the past were brought out and that’s when the magic and happiness happened. Each picture captured a time and a memory and sparked funny stories and allowed us to pass on bits and pieces of our lives. And THAT is why saying cheese is so important, it’s the memories you capture not what you were wearing or how you looked as Susie Q snapped away.
Jump In – The Water’s More Than Fine.  Whether it was the icy cold waters of Lake Michigan, the crowded beach at Kensington or the impending storm on pool day, my grand-daughter took every opportunity she could find to do something she loved and for her that was to play in the water. Not only did she squeal every time we saw a body of water she was always the first to jump in no matter how cold the water was. She didn’t test the waters first, nor did she worry that she was the only one taking the plunge, she loves to swim and nothing was going to stop her from the joy swimming gives her. While the rest of us watched as she dashed in and out of the icy waves giggling and shouting “It’s Fweezing, Gwamma” you couldn’t help but feel like you were missing out on the greatest thing on earth.
Allow Yourself To Be Doted Upon. During our adventures we visited A LOT of extended family many of whom hadn’t met my grand-daughter. Every other day we were at a new house with new people and I noticed something interesting in the general dynamics. Emma was always the highlight and the moment we pulled up into the drive she was surrounded by people who made her the center of attention. But rather than become self-conscious or overwhelmed, she embraced the opportunity to be taken care of and doted upon.  People would ask her what she wanted to play, offered her snacks and were thrilled to take care of her every need – AND because she let them everyone had a smile on their face. It reminded me that people get joy from making others happy and it’s important that we allow others to dote on us every now again.
Give and take love freely. Similar to simple life lesson #3, more often than not I saw my grand-daughter do something that I think we all forget in our search for happiness, and that’s our need to give and receive unconditional love. This little girl would see someone sitting and she would just hop up on their lap fully knowing that she would be welcomed with open arms for a snuggle or the sharing of a new-found book. She had a personal awareness when she needed comfort and love and she gave as fiercely as received. Never did she worry about the way she chose to share her affection and love to another, nor did she hesitate to ask for what she needed. Definitely a lesson I need to remember.
Play hard and take breaks if you want to be happy every day. So often as an adult I find myself planning out every detail of my life so that I’ll have time to do it all. But this week I was reminded that even with the best of intentions life happens and there is never enough time to get it all in. There were times where we had to force Emma to take a break so she would be ready to enjoy the next adventure, and by weeks end, I found myself wondering why I didn’t do the same. I realized that in order to enjoy every day it was just as important to play hard as it was to take breaks so I would have the energy to play hard again. No burn out, no stress, just the reality that there is only so much one can do without imploding…we helped her find that balance and should have done the same for ourselves.

 

— Judy Davis, the Direction Diva is a motivational speaker, author and lifestyle blogger as well as a military life and teen suicide prevention expert. Co-founder of LivingThruCrisis.com, Judy’s books Right Side Up  and Warning Signs: Is Your Teen at Risk are go to resources for families and her websites are filled with tips, inspiration and resources for those looking for direction. Connect with Judy at TheDirectionDiva.com

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Best Tips to Combat Stress by Judy Davis, The Direction Diva

As an entrepreneur and author I am very busy, add to that the general ebb and flow of the military lifestyle and it is a recipe for the perfect storm. And that perfect storm came to a head last week.

I was at the doctor for a regular med refill appointment and the next thing I know I was in a wheelchair on my way to the ER. After hours of tests with a few more scheduled as an outpatient, my vitals signs are stabilized with some blood pressure meds and a strong warning from my doctor to slow down and rest.

But honestly I’m not sure if I even know how to do that anymore. I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life, but not until I became a military spouse did I find it difficult to relax and find balance. I’ve become this person who pushes and no longer knows how to relax and just be. It’s as if I’m in hyper-drive all of the time trying to stay ahead of my life.

And the result isn’t pretty and frankly if I don’t get a handle on my stress level a future trip to the ER may have drastically different results.  So in an effort to find some balance I dug deep into my tool box and reached out to fellow entrepreneurs for their best tips, and wanted to share what I came up with. Here are some of the best ways to combat stress.

Best Tips to Combat Stress

Get away from your regular surroundings and unplug from technology. Allow your thoughts to go where they go, as you let yourself BE in the moment without striving. (via coach Charrise McCrory)
Set clear, non negotiable boundaries between your work, life & juicy play time. (via Belinda Furneaux-Harris)
Begin and end every day with prayer for guidance & strength. (via Deb Rocha)
Keep a notepad & pencil on hand for ideas so you can write it down & forget it. (via Lori Volkman)
Take 24 hours out of your week to do absolutely nothing but rest. (via Fe Jones)
Yoga and meditation can help you find a happy place (via Deb Colling)
Utilize Essential Oils (via Lauren Tamm)
Tips on anxiety Kathryn Sneed collected and shares on her Pinterest board.
Find ways to escape from your normal routine; spend time in nature, do a puzzle, read a book, learn to knit, take an art class.

What are some ways that you reduce the stress and rest?

 

— Judy Davis, the Direction Diva is a motivational speaker, author, and military lifestyle blogger as well as the co-founder of LivingThruCrisis.com. Her books Right Side Up  and Warning Signs: Is Your Teen at Risk are go to resources for families and her website is filled with tips, inspiration and resources. Connect with Judy at TheDirectionDiva.com

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Retirement Remorse: Why Raiding Your 401K Sucks

Do we? Don’t we?

That’s the question both my husband and I asked for weeks when we found ourselves in a financial pickle over a decade ago. At the time we had exhausted every other option and didn’t know what else to do, so we flipped the switch and did something we knew we shouldn’t do, we used our retirement savings.

Have you ever done that? Made a decision about something in your life only to very quickly wish you could go back and have a do-over? Maybe we didn’t think about the long-term consequences but we sure did pay the price – much like those who now have #SwitchersRemorse** after changing their Verizon cellular service  .

Sadly our decision didn’t have an easy fix, because when you drain your 401K to get over a financial hump you can’t ever take it back. And  after spending years building up a retirement account we were happy to have a nice and growing nest egg, but the mistake of using it unwisely brought about true retirement remorse – and it sucks.

Instead of adjusting our expenses to meet our new income level, or creating another income stream  to replace a business that went south during the automotive industry collapse, we took the easy way out and made a decision that had long-term ramifications that we never saw coming.  It didn’t take us long to see the error of our ways and we learned a valuable lesson about the wrong way to set yourself up for a stress free retirement.

Here are some things I wish we had considered before we raided our 401K:

It takes forever to build a retirement back up AND you don’t make nearly as much on your money.
Compound interest on lower investments doesn’t grow as quickly.
While using a 401K before retirement age isn’t advisable, there is truly a   sense of comfort in knowing that it is there.
Having a healthy retirement savings makes it easier to secure a mortgage and lower interest rates.
Taking the easy way out led to feelings of regret, remorse and guilt that lasted much longer than the relief the decision brought us.
We need to make a lot more money or retire much later than we would have been able to had we let our investments continue to work for us.

For us it was retirement remorse, for others it is switchers remorse, all I know is that had we considered all of the ramifications of our quick decision we never would have made the decisions that we did.

What about you? Have you ever had remorse over a decision you made or an action you took? Tell me about it in the comments below or send me a tweet using the #SwitchersRemorse hashtag!

 

**As part of the #SwitchersRemorse campaign with the #VZWBuzz team, this is a paid post and this story as well as my opinions are my own. Oh yeah and if you have buyers remorse because you switched to one of the “other guys” and miss all the coolness that is Verizon, no worries run on down to the local Verizon Wireless store and they will hook you up – it’s super easy to come back to the bright side!

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My 9 Favorite Twitter Chats by Judy Davis, The Direction Diva

It’s no secret that twitter is my favorite social media platform for discovering new and relevant information. I also love it for business and find that there is truly power in a twitter chat. Twitter chats are a great way to engage in a conversations about the things that you are interested in.

Twitter chats are live events, usually moderated and centered around one general topic. There are regular chats that happen on an ongoing basis and single running campaigns that happen at various times to share information or promote a specific marketing effort.

To follow a conversation you can filter all tweets into a single conversation a hashtag is used and is put on every tweet associated with that particular chat making it easy to stay in the conversation. I personally use Hootesuite to participate in chat’s because it allows me to put in a particular hashtag and pulls the feed into this service making it simple to follow and engage.  There are others like Tweetchat, Twitterfall & Twubs that you can use. Razorsocial.com  put together a great post Twitter Chat Tools if you are looking for more information.

Some of my favorite chats aren’t targeted to military life directly, they just help me do a better job at managing all my life and businesses. Here are my favorite regular chats!

My Favorite Twitter Chats

#BlogChat  One of my favorite chats moderated by Mack Collier (@mackcollier) takes place on Sunday nights from 8-9 p.m. ET. The chat talks about a variety of professional, business and personal blogging topics.
#VZWBuzz*  A tech chat covering a variety of topics from using mobile devices to take great photos to innovative technology in your home. Hosted by @theOnlineMom, @TheTechDad, @RobinsWorld and the #vzwbuzz team this chat takes place on Fridays from 3-4 p.m. ET
#SMBiz  A small Business Chat on Tuesday’s at 8:00pm ET. This hashtag is used for both the small business chat and a very popular reference to all things small business. Just lots of good info especially if you are a blogger/small biz owner! Another small biz chat is #smallbizchat on Wednesdays at 8:00pm ET
#Pinchat  Hanging out on a Friday night? Here’s a good one that’s all about pinterest. #pinchat starts at 10pm at is a good time!  BTW have you checked out the Direction Diva Pins? We’ve got some good stuff going on!
#Fitblog  This is a chat for fitness bloggers, fitness lovers and those who enjoy health and wellness dialogue on Tuesdays at 9pm EST.
#Selfpubchat Discussion for authors and writers regarding topics which are important to them within the self publishing industry.
#HopeSharedHere is a chat designed to help bring hope and support to those whose lives have been affected by alcohol, substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders. Tuesday at 4pm EST
#YogaChat Yoga Chat is a live Twitter-driven chat every other Friday at 1pm EST. The chat focuses on health topics like nutrition, yoga, meditation and breathing techniques to reduce stress and create well-being for your health!
#MHStigma The Mental Health Stigma chat aims to address the general issues and possible resolutions to end such. Various topics shall be covered to address general psychological well-being on Thursdays at 9pm EST.

These are only a few of the incredible chats going on via Twitter. Take some time and check out this Twitter Chat Schedule to find a chat that may be a great fit for you!

 

— Judy Davis, the Direction Diva is a motivational speaker, author, and military lifestyle blogger as well as the co-founder of LivingThruCrisis.com. Her books Right Side Up  and Warning Signs: Is Your Teen at Risk are go to resources for military families and her website is filled with tips, inspiration and resources for military families. Connect with Judy at TheDirectionDiva.com

*As a member of the #VZWBuzz team I receive various devices and accessories and provide Verizon Wireless tips for military spouses. No additional compensation was given and all opinions stated are my own. As always whenever I talk about products you will get the real scoop not something someone asks me to write

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Military Life: Make Money on Your CONUS PCS by Guest Jaclyn Lambert

How to Make Money on Your CONUS PCS

BY Guest Jaclyn Lambert



Your spouse just came down on orders for a your next duty station and it’s a CONUS (continental United States) PCS. Amidst all that needs to be done between now and your report date, the biggest question is how to get your “goods” to your new home.

Thankfully, you have options:

Allow the transportation management office (TMO) to handle your move or
Plan a personally procured move (PPM aka DITY move). Remember you can do a full PPM or a partial.

While the first option seems tempting (who even likes moving?), the latter not only provides paid-insurance coverage & more control over your valuables, but could also provide you some profit– if you play your cards right.

Here are 4 principles for putting some extra cash in your pocket

Plan early. Once you receive your PCS orders, visit your transportation office. From there, they can tell you exactly what moving costs the military will cover, and what programs you are eligible for. For instance, in many cases, the military will prepay moving allowances early on in the process. Also, ask about a dislocation allowance, which may cover expenses not normally covered by other programs.
Sell furniture/have a garage sale, & donate what doesn’t sell. Not only could you make some money, but you also save money. The fewer things you have to move, the cheaper it is to move (small moving truck/shipping container & fewer moving hours). Plus you get a tax break on the items you donate.
PCS moving expenses are tax-deductible! So, make sure you keep track of all your moving expenses, including trips to and from your old/new location to look for housing, to write them off your taxes.
Get some help! Utilize hybrid moving to avoid breaking your back, while still saving money. Hybrid moving takes advantage of the painlessness of a full-service move, for a fraction of the cost (around 30%). You’ll get a crew of movers to load/unload the vehicle or moving/shipping container. All you have to do is rent the moving truck/shipping container yourself. Keeping in mind that the government will give you 95% of what it would cost them to fully move you, you’ll certainly be left with money in your pocket to spare.

 

Jaclyn Lambert self-proclaimed ‘moving expert’ who runs outreach for HireAHelper.com, an online marketplace for moving help. When she’s not giving moving-related advice, she loves spending time with her husband, 2 cats, and dog; tackling challenging cooking recipes; biking; and traveling.

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