The Bra Street Rambler

Recently I posted about disconnecting to connect, but how do you get back into the game of connecting when you are so used to looking at a screen instead of looking a friend in the eyes? In today's society, everything is go, go, go. It is not out of the ordinary to mutter or hear the words, "I wish we could hang out but I am just too busy". I may have quoted an old high school buddy in a past post, to be completely honest I can't remember at this point, so I'll just say it again "If you wanted to do it, you would. Simple." The truth is, we can continue to make these excuses to not see friends and family all we want but at the end of the day, we have to force ourselves to make excuses to make time for them instead.  I have one amazing friendship that comes to mind. This woman and I are both accustomed to working multiple jobs that take up a lot of time in our week, admittedly her more so than I these days. It is very seldom that our schedule...

(Bonus points if you heard the song behind the title) Self-empowerment, what does that mean to you? What does that mean to any of us these days? When was the last time you experienced a feeling of self-empowerment, how long did it actually last? There are so many aspects of life where this concept can be applied, from something as simple as gathering the gumption to get things done around the house so that you end up with a feeling of accomplishment, to something like finding power in your relationship status, to putting in those extra hours at work so you can eventually become the next CEO. Self-empowerment is a determined perspective. It is deciding to feel a certain way, accomplish a certain goal, or overcome a certain obstacle. It is telling yourself that you can get something done or taking pride in the fact that you did get it done. It is having confidence in your strength and abilities despite the adversity staring you straight in the face.  The other day...

How often would you say you check your smartphone? Have you ever taken realistic stock of the frequency at which you do this while in the presence of friends? Last year, I posted an article about the importance of getting disconnected after having forgotten my phone at a friends for the length of my trip to Peru  (Fearfully Unplugged).  In this post, I explained that though it was somewhat scary to be without a phone that had essentially become my everything, it turned out to be a very beneficial and even liberating experience.  In all fairness, being without my phone last year was not a choice. I had forgotten it and I had to learn to make do. However, it is an entirely different story when your smartphone is in your hand and you are forced to face this  dependence  with conscious effort. Take a moment if you will, to reflect on how often you check your phone in a day. How often do you do this while in the presence of a friend? I don't kno...

Welcome to 2016 Bros and Bras! I hope it is treating you all very well so far. It is a custom among many to come up with New Year’s Resolutions at the beginning of each year. For some, these resolutions are easy to follow through on, for others; they are a bit of a struggle. More often than not, these resolutions seem to involve hobbies, health, and anything else related to self improvement. I think these are excellent goals provided you know what works best for your personal follow through. A lot of blogs will try to tell you the ‘right’ way of going about making resolutions to ensure success, or which resolutions you should commit yourself to. I myself believe that it really does depend on the individual.  Some people benefit from having goals of eating healthier and getting fit, others have already committed to these or are otherwise already happy with where they find themselves in that respect. Some people benefit from committing to being nicer, or trying to...