Reprinted from: http://idealist4ever.com/blunt-friend/

1. A blunt person will never shit-talk you.

If you’re friends with a blunt person, it might just be you’re one of those magical species of human that doesn’t get on their nerves or you’re too busy being blunt yourself.

But if they have something to say, you can count on hearing it from them directly, because talking behind their friends’ backs is just not in their nature.

2. They’ll tell you the truth – even if it hurts.

A blunt person holds truth to the highest standard. If there’s something they think you need to hear, they’ll tell you. But be aware, just because you need to hear it, doesn’t mean it’s always what you want to hear.

The good thing about this is that your friendship issues don’t build up and explode. Instead of arguing, you’ll have meaningful and nurturing discussions.

3. A blunt friend doesn’t play passive-aggressive games.

With so many friends who aren’t honest about their feelings or make you feel like you’re walking on eggshells, one thing to take off your list of worries is feeling that way around a blunt person. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

4. They have high moral standards.

People often mistake blunt people for being crude and lacking any morals. But don’t be fooled – they’re blunt because they know exactly what their idea of right and wrong is, without forgetting the grey area.

This actually explains why they act the way they do. Their bluntness is just their reaction to the world’s dishonesty.

5. A blunt person is the most fun to be around.

As if your blunt friend doesn’t make you crack up literally every second of the day, the two of you have the most unforgettable nights when you go out together.

Even if you were drunk and blacked out in the middle of it, it’s never just another night.

6. A blunt friend will teach you how to be a better friend and person.

Blunt people show you that it’s okay to stand up for your beliefs – that there’s no point in hesitating to voice your thoughts and opinions, simply out of the fear that others won’t like it.

Because what’s the point in being alive today if you can’t express yourself?

7. A blunt person’s friendship is pure.

Like pure chocolate pure. A blunt friend’s either with you all the way or they’re not with you at all. They’ll support you through the good and the bad without taking you for granted.

And a little appreciation is all it takes for you to make their day.

Reprinted from another author:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. Read The Road Less Traveled<image001.gif>.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. Read Stumbling on Happiness<image001.gif>.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action. You cannot change what you refuse to confront. Making progress involves risk. Period! You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough. But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past. You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation. So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done. Read Getting Things Done<image001.gif>.
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile CAN change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

Reposted from: http://nypost.com/2015/10/11/our-double-lives-dark-realities-behind-perfect-online-profiles/

Written by: By Maureen Callahan

Kiersten Rickenbach Cerveny with her husband Andrew in a photo posted on Facebook. Photo: Facebook

The contrast between her life and death could not be more stark: The beautiful, successful blond doctor, a married mother of three, found lying in the vestibule of a strange apartment building, underwear stashed in her handbag, dying of a likely drug overdose.

To her family and friends, Kiersten Rickenbach Cerveny had it all.

“This was so out of character . . . I know this was atypical,” one said.

“She was human,” another said. “People forget that because she was so perfect.”

Even those who didn’t know the 38-year-old Cerveny would likely draw the same conclusion.

One look at her Facebook page — since renamed “Remembering Kiersten Rickenbach Cerveny” — would have been, until last Sunday, enough to induce envy in most anyone.

Her photo album is vast. She was photogenic, well-loved, well-traveled. Here she is on April 5, 2008, celebrating “my 30th birthday in Turks and Caicos” with her handsome future husband, Andrew, also a dermatologist.

Here they are again, dressed up for a formal event, looking utterly carefree. “Wow!” posted a user. “What a good-looking couple!”

There are pictures of Kiersten sailing in Jackie O-style sunglasses, on vacation in Hawaii, partying in New Orleans, lounging après-ski in Whistler, swathed in a thick spa robe and, later, dining by the fireplace. There are photos of her three adorable, beaming children, the youngest now a little over 1 year old. She lived with her family in a $1.2 million home in Manhasset, LI, and her life — at least on Facebook — seemed to be filled with equally good-looking, happy people living equally privileged lives.

But then, these days, the gap between the person we are and the person we present to the world has never been wider.

Reposted from: http://elitedaily.com/women/wine-drunk-best-drunk-will-ever/876374/

Written by: Ashley Fern on You’re Still Drunk

Women and wine — it’s perhaps the closest and most fun relationship out there. It’s stable, strong and reliable.

Wine is there to comfort you in the toughest of times and the most exciting of celebrations. Perhaps this is why women love wine in the first place — there is always a time for it.

Whether you are drowning your sorrows from yet another miserable day at the office or celebrating your most recent promotion, you know exactly what you are doing at the end of the day — that’s right, cracking open (or twisting off the cap of) a fresh bottle of vino.

So why is a wine drunk better than any other type of drunk out there?

1. It makes you feel classy

You could be bundled up in your sweatpants and underneath a blanket, but as long as you have a full glass of wine in hand, you’ve never felt classier.

You could be celebrating with tequila shots, but your classy ass goes straight for the vino.

2. It’s technically fruit

How many glasses does the recommended nine servings translate to?

3. Even if your teeth are purple, you still feel sexy

Chances are you won’t even realize your once pearly whites have turned five shades darker.