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Cheerful seniors exercising on mats at park
Healthy Living

How to Increase Your Self-Motivation

by Kendall VanBlarcom
written by Kendall VanBlarcom

Motivation occurs under many circumstances, but when you experience natural inspiration as a result of energy from your spirit, that’s when you’ll feel exuberant and eager to willingly devote time to your interests. Self-motivation helps when you’re trying to lose weight, become more invested in a goal for your future, quit an addiction, or even something as simple as getting your chores done.

Boost Your Positive Thinking

When you’re driven by daily goals and routines, motivation can be challenging if it doesn’t come naturally. You need a positive mental outlook. Train yourself to avoid negative thinking. Also, create a list of reasons to pursue your goal.

Did you know that internal self-motivation is best developed in environments where external motivation is decreased? It’s one thing to motivate when someone else is cracking the whip and asking you to perform. It’s another thing to be internally motivated. Then, you are totally in charge of the outcome.

When I need to motivate myself to do something, it’s almost impossible when I am procrastinating or filling my time with long phone conversations or watching movies. Let’s take a look at a couple of hypothetical goals so that you can see how positive or negative self-motivation can assist you in achieving your objectives.

Suggestions for Improving Your Self-Motivation

An important aspect of self-motivation is allowing yourself to dream about your goal. At the beginning of any goal, motivation tends to feel painless. In fact, inspiration often strikes when you decide to do something positive toward reaching your goal. For example, I have always wanted to put a daily routine in place that would allow me to walk for fifteen minutes. That’s all…just fifteen minutes. It doesn’t sound that difficult, does it?

On the first day, I arose thirty minutes earlier than normal. The sun was just beginning to show on the horizon, and there I was, out the door wearing my sweats and a new pair of walking shoes.

On the second day, I was looking forward to my new routine, but about five minutes into my walk, it started raining. I turned around and ran home. I was disgusted and drenched, but content that my self-motivation was still intact. It was then that I decided to come up with an alternate plan in case rain threatened to sabotage my walking goals.

One key factor for increasing your self-motivation is focusing on the now. So, when a challenge meets you face to face, you won’t dwell on the past. You can come up with an alternate plan that will keep you on course. For me, that meant exercising in my home on rainy days. This keeps my daily activity goal intact.

Certainly, there are hundreds of ways to motivate yourself, and each method depends on the goal you’re going after, talking through your goals can help you pave the path to motivation.

 

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Aging

End of Life Planning Part 2

by Kylie Johnson
written by Kylie Johnson

Planning a Memorial

As your loved ones age, it’s important to know how they want to be memorialized and buried.

While many people still prefer solemn, formal funerals or mourning ceremonies, others are beginning to lean more towards parties and celebrations of life.

Knowing the kind of memorialization that your loved one wants will take the decision making off your shoulders when the time comes to carry out their wishes. Detailing these wishes as part of a legal document will ensure that your loved one is honored and memorialized as they want.

If you’re concerned about the cost of funerals, create a funeral plan at a funeral home. You can work with the funeral home to prepay for all funeral costs, so your family is not burdened with the responsibility of figuring out how they’ll pay for your loved one’s funeral.

How to do it

Find your state on this list from the Funeral Consumers Alliance. Depending on your state’s law, you may be able to make a legally binding document guaranteeing that your loved one’s wishes are carried out. Some states grant the health care proxy (named in the advance health care directive) the power to make funeral decisions for the deceased.

Distributing wealth and assets

According to the AARP, 60 percent of U.S. adults don’t have a will. Without this proof of your loved one’s financial wishes, control of their assets goes to the state they live in, which will distribute it among their family per state law.

A last will and testament solidifies your loved one’s wishes for how their property and wealth gets distributed after their death. Not having a will to go by can leave family members feeling slighted and resentful at their share of the loved one’s assets.

If they want to donate to a cause, a business or a university, the will can accomplish that. A will may also state that the deceased wants to establish a charitable trust in their name, distributing out their money over time to certain individuals.

Getting your loved one’s financial affairs in order will decrease the stress that the family has to feel later.

How to do it

Talk to a lawyer about setting up your last will and testament. Come with ideas on:

  • Who your loved one’s executor will be
  • Who your loved one’s beneficiaries will be
  • What your loved one wants to leave to them
  • Guardians for their minor children if they have any
  • Two witnesses who will attest to watching your loved one sign the will
 

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Health Insurance

5 Things to Consider When Comparing Health Insurance Plans

by Kimberly Johnson
written by Kimberly Johnson

shutterstock_157876310Whether you’re in good health naturally or you rely on medication and specialists to stay that way, finding the right health insurance plan is key—and you could pay a penalty if you don’t have it. 5 Things to Consider When Comparing Health Insurance Plans
If you’re self-employed, your employer doesn’t offer health insurance, or even if you simply think you might be better off on a different plan than what your employer offers, you may find yourself buying individual health insurance. While shopping for your own health insurance may seem daunting, breaking down the plans can help you make a more informed decision.
“People need to be careful when comparing plans,” says Joel Cantor, director of the Center for State Health Policy at Rutgers University. “People tend to make the mistake of looking at the premium only and not cost-sharing. It’s a little more of a complicated calculation.”
Some individual plans may leave more money in your pocket than others, even though at first blush they may not look that way.
For example, if your employer does not offer health care coverage, you may qualify for tax credits and other subsidies in an individual plan, making your costs lower. Though less likely, you may be at an age and state of health where you can buy an individual plan that is less expensive than the one your employer offers.
If you are employed you are likely paying only 15 to 20 percent of the premium, says Paul Fronstin, director, health research and education program at Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington, D.C.
“Premiums in the non-group [individual] market are age rated, and the younger you are, the lower the cost. But it still might be more than your work,” Fronstin says.
For those with health concerns, some individual plans may also offer more value than others, or even more than an employer-offered plan. These may allow you to find the right network, specialists, and prescription coverage for your needs.
Bear in mind, however, that you have to be on your toes when it comes to finding a healthcare plan that will really offer valuable savings, because plans and their costs change frequently.
The Kaiser Family Foundation, a health policy nonprofit, released an analysis in June 2015, projecting changes to premiums in the individual marketplace in 2016. The report found the most popular individual plans are increasing on average 4.4 percent from 2015 to 2016, which they said is moderate but a bigger jump in price from the previous year. The report stresses the value in shopping at each open enrollment period, as premiums fluctuate.
Open enrollment for 2016 begins Nov. 1, 2015 and extends to Jan. 31, 2016. It’s always worth considering all options, especially where your health and budget are concerned. Here are some things to consider when evaluating the pros and cons.

  1. Your medical needs: Make a list of any doctors, specialists, prescriptions, or other services you require to maintain your health or to prevent health issues.
  2. Your budget: Figure out how your budget will allow you to spend on health insurance and health care each month.
  3. Premiums + network + cost sharing: Check the premiums, network, and cost-sharing specifics of each plan. Cost sharing includes deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance. Compare not only the premiums, but also whether all your anticipated medical costs are covered in-network or if you will have to pay for out-of-network to see your preferred doctors. Evaluate all of these costs to determine if there is a better savings (monetary) or value (more affordable access to your required specialists and prescriptions) in one plan vs. the other.
  4. State vs. federal coverage: Keep in mind that in most states, individual coverage is federally managed, while in a handful of others, it’s managed at the state level or some kind of hybrid between the two. If applicable, evaluate any benefits in your state’s coverage. For example, some coverage that may vary includes birth control, breastfeeding, dental and vision.
  5. Tax credits and other savings qualifications: Determine whether you qualify for tax credits and other savings offered in the state marketplace. This will be an important factor in determining whether an individual plan makes more sense for you, cost-wise. According to Healthcare.gov, your employer can tell you if its plan meets the standards of the Affordable Care Act, thereby disqualifying you from any savings on the individual plan.

Beth Shea Palmer is a reporter and editor based in Chicago.
Written by Equifax Reporter on September 17, 2015 in Insurance

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