Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Alex Blackwell, who writes about creating success and happiness for the rest of your life at The Next 45 Years.

Final exams at Kansas University are only a few weeks away. My daughter, Caitlin, has been working very hard and will successfully complete her freshmen year in very good academic standing. Caitlin has learned a lot about being on her own and other important life skills, too.

However, she has already informed her mother and me her car will be packed and she will be ready to pull out of Lawrence, Kansas and...

Hi guys … as you’ve noticed, I haven’t been posting as much in the last couple weeks. I will be posting a bit more this week but thought I’d update you on what’s been going on so you know I’m still alive. :)

First, I have been working hard on finishing my book … it’s going well, although slower than I’d anticipated, and I’m finishing it up this week and next. That’s been taking up a lot of my time, obviously, but I’m excited to have a completed book!

Second, I had a bit of a family medical situation. It’s nothing serious,...

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Glen Stansberry of LifeDev (feed).

Focus is something of a novelty these days. We’ve got cellphones for texting and calls, IM, Twitter, Email, RSS feeds, Facebook, Myspace… the list goes on and on. If you don’t have ADD before you start working online, it seems it’s almost inevitable thanks to these inputs. If you’re a web worker who uses the Internet for the majority of the day, you’re especially at risk for losing focus.

Focus is something that must be fought for. It’s not something that automatically switches on when you...

“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.” - Emily Kimbrough

While I can’t claim to be the world’s foremost expert on relationships, I do know that my wife and I have a very strong marriage, and have never been more in love.

I’ve failed at marriage before, but that’s helped me become better at it. I’ve learned the deadly sins of relationships, and how to recognize them and avoid them.

A reader, newly married, asked me to share my tips on how to make a marriage work. I wish I had...

“But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.” - Benjamin Disraeli

For tens of thousands of years, human beings didn’t have clocks. They lived, amazingly, by the sun and the moon and seasons and the needs and rhythms of their bodies.

The clock is a very very recent invention, and even more recent is our modern society’s slavish adherence to the dictatorship of the clock.

Only very recently have we been forced to work from 8 to 5, and to go to school and follow a very rigid class schedule. Only very recently...

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Israel Lagares of the Fat Man Unleashed blog.

I was going through my daily RSS health reading when I came across an article in the NY Times. By now, you should know what it’s about: blogging being “bad” for your health. Being the curious soul that I am, I went over and read the article and it got me thinking about my blogging health.

Well, the article basically says that blogging can kill ya! And it has, allegedly, killed some. Of course that’s a bit overboard but it does bring up some good...

• Quiet mornings.
• Sing-a-long songs with my toddlers in the car.
• Sunset and a beer with my wife.
• Runner’s high on a long run.
• Cuddling up and watching a DVD with the wife and kids.
• Walking outside with my son after it rains.
• My “life” talks with my eldest daughter in the car.
• Writing a post for 50,000 people, in my pajamas.
• Feeling sick and lying in bed all day without having to call my boss.
• Showing my 2-year-old the clear starry sky.
• Cheering my kids on in their soccer games.
• Time alone with a good book.
• Freshly brewed coffee.
• My hot veggie soup on a cold day.
• Writing before the sun rises.
• Fresh, cold berries.
• A...
• 13 Things to Avoid When Changing Habits
  

  “Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” - Mark Twain

  I’ve learned a lot about changing habits in the last 2 1/2 years, from quitting smoking to taking up running and GTD and vegetarianism and waking early and all that. I could go on, of course, but you get the picture.

  I’ve not only learned a lot about what you should do when changing habits, but through my failures, I’ve learned about what not to do.

  And trust me, I’ve had lots of failures.

  I’ve found failures to...

• The Beauty and Culture of the Island of Guam
  

  A number of you have asked about my home island, Guam — what it’s like, how a blogger like me emerged from a tiny island, stuff like that. So today I thought I’d share a little about Guam, just to give you some background on me and my home, and share a new resource for learning all about Guam.

  My Home
  While I was born in Portland, Oregon and have lived in Seattle and more recently in the SF Bay Area (Sunset District of SF and Vallejo), most of my life has been spent here on Guam. It’s a fairly small...

• Zen Habits spammed
  

  Hey guys, just a short note and an apology to any blogs who’ve been spammed with Zen Habits (and other) links at the bottom of their html code. I didn’t do it, I promise. Somehow my WP install was exploited and some spammers got some files onto my server. It’s being fixed.

  My apologies if your blog was spammed through Zen Habits. It really makes me wonder if these sites actually make more money from doing dumb things like this, and if they feel good about that. Money isn’t everything.

  

  

Thanks so much to all of you who have graciously offered suggestions and ideas on hotels and activities for my upcoming Philadelphia family trip. Your input has been so helpful.

Speaking of input, wow, the Internet has done wonders for being able to get honest-to-goodness, real-life information.

As a consumer, I always want to make the right choice-- especially when it comes to big purchases.

For instance, I want this trip that we're taking to Philadelphia to be a pleasant one. Who better to ask advice, than those who live in Philly or who...