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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Online Dating After Divorce - A Man’s Guide to Seeking Women, Finding Love, and Getting Married Again

Online Dating After Divorce - A Man’s Guide to Seeking Women, Finding Love, and Getting Married Again
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

You say you are looking for your next long term relationship - this time a really great lifelong partnership - but you are horny and you want to get laid - soon. STOP! That attitude is NOT going to lead you to a great long term relationship. Bank the fires of lust long enough to search consciously for someone with whom you are truly compatible.

Read more at
Online Dating after Divorce (a man's guide)

Stop Anger Before It Stops You - 7 Secrets

Stop Anger Before It Stops You - 7 Secrets
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Being angry is as close as a human being can come to experiencing hell on earth. - jlh

Anger is something that each one of us has experienced - some of us only occasionally, some almost daily. Can we eliminate all anger? Probably not.

See the original article at
Stop Anger Before It Stops You

How to be Happy - 7 Secrets for a Happy Life

How to be Happy - 7 Secrets for a Happy Life
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

We all want to be happy, but something always gets in the way. There is never enough time... or money.

Happiness is not something anyone else can give us... or take away from us. Happiness is what we make of our lives... or don't. Whatever our circumstances, we can create a joyful life... or a miserable life. It is up to us.

Read the rest of my article at
How to be Happy - 7 Secrets for a Happy Life

How To Use Valentine's Day To Reconnect With A Past Lover - 5 Tips

How To Use Valentine's Day To Reconnect With A Past Lover - 5 Tips
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Valentine's Day, the day we celebrate romantic love. Is there anyone who can say "Valentine's Day" without feeling a little twinge - memories of past loves, regrets of opportunities missed, hopes and fears for future relationships. This is a holiday that brings out our happiest and our saddest emotions. When one is fully engaged in a fresh vibrant and loving relationship, this is a day of joy and wonderment, but when one is between relationships - especially if one is still in grief over a lost partnership - this can be a day of torment. "Why me? Why am I the one without a lover today, of all days?" we say as if there were no one else without a true passionate love on this day of hearts and flowers.

Can there be anything good about being alone during the Valentine season? Perhaps there is. If you really want to reconnect with a past lover, and they are also without a partner at this time, consider using the spirit of Valentine's Day as an opportunity to win them back.

No one wants to be alone on Valentine's day - take advantage of this. Put aside for a time your own sadness and loneliness, in order to focus fully on the emotions and needs of your ex-partner. However badly being alone on this holiday makes you feel, rest assured that they also feel an emptiness during this season.

As you attempt to reconnect around a Valentine's Day theme, try these suggestions:

1. Always be kind, emotionally generous, and supportive in all your interactions. Recognize that this is a very difficult holiday for them also, and that they will be wary of your intentions.

2. Never complain to them about your own loneliness. Be the strong one who is offering emotional support to the other. Always appear self-possessed - never pathetic or needy.

3. Don't ask, just assume that they will be feeling lonely as Valentine's Day approaches. If you ask if they are feeling lonely, you will likely receive the stiff-upper-lip response that they are "doing just fine, thank you," and you will have lost a few points.

4. Suggest going on a strictly platonic date "for old time's sake." Recollect your great memories from Valentines Days when you were together, and remind your ex-lover of the great Valentine's Days you used to have.

5. Be all out romantic. Give their favorite flowers, candy, and treats. Write a sappy love poem - with specific references to happy times you spent together.

Give it a try. Even if you don't regain them as a lover, they may become your best friend.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Powerful Flirting Tips From an Unlikely Source - Apply These 13 Product Marketing Secrets To Your Dating Success

Powerful Flirting Tips From an Unlikely Source - Apply These 13 Product Marketing Secrets To Your Dating Success
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

What do product marketing, advertising and sales techniques have to do with your dating success? A lot more than you might guess.

Learn and apply these techniques to gain dating success:

1. Work from a plan, rather than just tactics. Be clear what you want and how you intend to get it before you begin.

2. Know your customer, your audience, your market. You are just shooting in the dark if you haven't determined who you are targeting. Be very clear exactly what sort of person you want to attract before you start advertising yourself.

3. Understand that people buy for selfish reasons. No one in their right mind is going to date you out of compassion. They will date you (buy your product) because they want something that you (your product) offer.

4. Determine your prospective customer's needs, and meet those needs. Pain avoidance is a much stronger motivation than pleasure seeking. People are more strongly driven by fear and need than by a quest for greater happiness. Identify and target your prospective partner's needs rather than his or her wants. Loneliness and insecurity are examples of needs that you can focus on meeting.

5. Create a powerful brand image that conveys a clear concise message. Think about Nike as an example. Nike's image is not sneakers, shoes, or even running shoes - Nike's image is healthy active engaging people in action. Apply this principle to your own "brand." What images and ideas do you want people to associate with you? Craft your own image, and live into it.

6. Be unique - don't copy your competitors - don't compare yourself to your competitors. While it is extremely common for low quality advertisers to declare their product cheaper, faster, sexier than their competition, the most successful companies (and daters) just pretend they don't even have competition - and in a sense, they don't. Again, think Nike. To the extent that they are selling an image rather than shoes, they truly aren't in competition with shoe companies. How are you uniquely special? Be proud of your unique qualities.

7. Believe in your product, don't fake enthusiasm. If you don't believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to believe in you?

8. Love your customer, not your product - make their life better. If they feel loved and well served, they will buy your product.

9. Offer a free sample or trial but don't give away the store.

10. Build on "yes." Start with a small "yes," and move to bigger ones. "Yes, I'll be your friend," comes before and leads into a bigger "yes," and a yet bigger "yes."

11. Save price for last, but never forget that this is a sale, not a give-away. Remember to focus on the "close."

12. Use multiple channels to deliver your message. Don't rely solely on just face-to-face contact, or even on just word-of-mouth. Teaming with supportive friends can make the project easier and more pleasant. Also consider on-line dating and other resources. You don't have to do this alone.

13. Patience - persistence - perseverance. Stay in action, never give up. Sales of any kind is hard work. Selling yourself is no easier. They will come, they will stay. Believe in yourself and in your mission.

Never become so absorbed in chasing someone that you forget to maintain your standards. Don't catch someone you don't really want. Someone who is lonely and insecure is an easy catch, but are you sure you really want them?

Friday, January 23, 2009

Your Marriage is in Trouble - Is a Trial Separation the Way to Go? 10 Reasons Why and Why Not - Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Your Marriage is in Trouble - Is a Trial Separation the Way to Go? 10 Reasons Why and Why Not
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Your relationship has gotten so bad that you are talking about divorce - when you are talking at all. Should you consider a trial separation? Why and why not.

Read the rest of my article at
Trial Separation

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Is Your Relationship In Danger? Take This 10 Question Quiz To Find Out


Is Your Relationship In Danger? Take This 10 Question Quiz To Find Out
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

You have the occasional argument. Sometimes you feel frustrated, and you have that uneasy sense that everything is not as it should be. Is your relationship in trouble? The answer may not be obvious. Take this quiz to measure the overall state of your relationship and highlight the trouble spots.

See the rest of my article at
Is Your Relationship in Danger? Take This 10 Question Quiz to Find Out

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Should You Try to Get Your Ex Back? When to Rekindle the Romance and When to Walk Away - 10 Questions You Need to Ask

Should You Try to Get Your Ex Back? When to Rekindle the Romance and When to Walk Away - 10 Questions You Need to Ask
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

They left. You're lonely, and they look pretty good right now. Should you attempt to rekindle the romance? Let's look at when to try and when to walk away. Ask yourself these 10 questions.

Read the rest of my article at
Should You Try to Get Your Ex Back

Also read How to Get Your Ex Back

Trying to Get Your Ex Back? A Look at the 10 Best and Worst Ways to Rekindle the Romance

Trying to Get Your Ex Back? A Look at the 10 Best and Worst Ways to Rekindle the Romance
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

They left. You're lonely, and they look pretty good right now. Should you even attempt to rekindle the romance? What are the best and worst ways to rebuild your connection?

Read the rest of my article at
How to Get Your Ex Back

The "Spousal We" and 6 Other Ways to Leave Your Lover - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

You really want to end your relationship, but you don't have the courage to say so directly. What to do? Here is a tongue-in-cheek list of ways to force your partner to make the break first.

Read the rest of my article at
The "Spousal We" (Humor)

Beyond the Grief of Divorce - 7 Steps Toward New Beginnings - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

If you have been divorced, you know it hurts - especially if your marriage had lasted many years. Whatever the circumstances of your relationship, and whatever the nature of its ending, there is always grief and regret - perhaps regret over the ending or perhaps regret over not ending the relationship sooner - or perhaps both. How to move past the grief and regret? No matter how painful, divorce, like all endings, opens the door to new beginnings. Let's examine several.

1. Get support: Don't be embarrassed to ask friends for support. Join a divorce support group. Join a more general women's or men's group like ManKind Project and share your story.

2. Reconsider your obligations: In reality, you have NO obligations. There is nothing you ever have to do, because everything you do or don't do is always a choice. Be especially clear that you don't owe anyone an explanation or justification for any of your actions - ever.

3. Simplify your life: There is nothing that you really NEED to have. Material possessions seldom bring joy. Consider eliminating whatever you haven't used in a year, and minimizing new purchases - not based on economy, but on your choice for leading a simple unencumbered life.

4. Try something new: What have you been wanting to do, but couldn't find the time or commitment to begin? Perhaps yoga, qigong, stretching, walking, a new spiritual class, a book discussion group, ballroom dancing.

5. Learn and explore: You are never too old for learning and discovery. Open your mind. Study something you always wanted to know about but that didn't seem necessary or practical - other cultures and times, comparative religion, whatever calls you.

6. Volunteer: Nothing works better for relieving self-pity than helping others who are worse off. Fill the time you would have spent feeling sorry for yourself by giving something of yourself to others.

7. Get away: If you can possibly afford it, take a trip with a group of compatible people - perhaps a spiritual journey. Also, ask what is tying you to the community where you currently reside. Now is a time to consider the question of where, and how, you really want to live.

Believe in yourself. You have free will. You, and only you, are responsible for your life.

Also read my article 7 Secrets for a Happy Life.

How to Know When "Mister Right" is Mister Wrong - 7 Keys to a Great Relationship - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

You are in love. Your hormones are surging, so you know this must be "the one." Besides, you are lonely and you want someone to hold you and make you feel cherished - now. "Mister Right" is saying all the things you want to hear. He says he adores you and wants you forever. STOP! Review this list of what it takes for a relationship to stay great over the years.

7 Keys to a Great Relationship

  1. You are Self-Reliant. "Neediness" is no basis for a relationship. If you feel that you "need" him, or that you "need" to be in relationship, STOP! You are not ready for this or any other relationship. Do some personal work on yourself first. It isn't fair to him or to yourself to merge your lives before you love and respect yourself.
  2. He is Self-Reliant. If he "needs" you, RUN. Choose someone who is already happy with himself and his life. While being "needed" may stroke your ego now, just fast forward a few months. Visualize him clinging to you and being jealous whenever you want a night with the girls. Moreover, if he is a person who is not satisfied with his life now, know that you are NOT the "magic pill" that will keep him happy over the years. Choose a happy and self-reliant man who views you as the magnificent frosting on the cake of his already wonderful life.
  3. He Respects you and respects women in general. Disrespect is fatal to a relationship - both disrespect for you and disrespect in general. If he is EVER sarcastic or demeaning to you, end it now - even if it only happens once and he apologizes profusely. If he shows disrespect now while he is courting you, I guarantee it will get worse over time. A particular caution is to avoid men who have a general disrespect for women as a group. These are hopeless relationship candidates. You are NOT an exception; if your prospective partner disrespects those of your gender, he will NOT respect you - however fervently he promises that you are different. If he says something like, “Most women are bitches, but you are different; you are special,” RUN, run fast, run far, never look back. Choose a man who demonstrates respect toward himself, toward you, and toward everyone else.
  4. He is Gentle. Hopefully it is obvious that if he EVER raises a hand to you or threatens, leave instantly - and stop in at your local police station. Don't ask for an apology; don't say anything; just get away.
  5. You are not "Rescuing" or Pitying him. If you are looking for a forlorn puppy, try your local animal shelter. If you are looking for a charitable cause, volunteer at the food bank. But, if you are looking for a life partner, make sure that his acting helpless is not part of his appeal to you. If he can't match his socks without your help, or hasn't cooked himself a healthy meal in weeks, or says he doesn't have any friends, Run. Your job is to co-create a great life with your partner - not to "fix" him.
  6. You like his Friends and Family. His friends and family are crucial to the success of your relationship. If you haven't met them yet, do it now - don't wait another minute. His friends and family are his life. Whatever he says, he won't give them up for you; it's not in his nature. If he is tied to his mother's apron strings, you want to know that today. If you dislike his friends now, you will hate them later. Choose a man who brings great friends and family to your relationship.
  7. You accept him EXACTLY as he is and promise never to try to change him. He is practically perfect except he drinks too much, or smokes, or swears, or spends too much time with his friends, or does something else that really bugs you. Get REAL. He isn't going to change! He may promise to change in order to woo you. He may really feel committed to changing. But it isn't going to happen. Respect him, love him, and accept him EXACTLY as he is today, or break it off, and find someone you respect and accept exactly as they are today.

Most of the Dating Advice You Have Read is Dead Wrong - Jonthan Lockwood Huie

Guys are supposed to act confident, buy flowers, tell jokes. Gals are told to hang on his every word, flirt, be coy. Baloney! Why be a pretend you - an imitation you - instead of a real you? As Judy Garland said, "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."

Why are you dating? If you are dating because you like to go on first dates, then fine - just play the actor or actress - and enjoy an evening of make believe. However, if you are dating because you want someone in your life longer term, stop the play-acting and be yourself.

The role-playing is completely counterproductive for two reasons. First, suppose that you are successful in impressing and attracting your date with your antics. What happens later when you let your guard down and revert to being yourself? You will be unmasked as not being the person your date was attracted to, and revealed as a phony beside.

The even more unfortunate situation occurs when your date is not attracted to your contrived persona, but would have loved the real you. What a huge loss to be on a date with the man or woman of your dreams and never even recognize them or have them recognize you because each of you were so busy play-acting.

What to do:

1. Clear the air. Before your first date, or on your first date at the latest, announce that you are going to relax and be yourself, and invite your date to be himself or herself as well. Some dates won't know what to make of that invitation, but the person you really want in your life will respond with gratitude, and will also relax.

If you are using an on-line dating service, be sure that your profile reflects the real you - without any puffery or distortion of your true qualities. Be proud of who you are, and share your true self. Have the "clear the air" conversation before you meet in person.

2. Choose relaxed places for your first few dates. There are environments that foster play-acting, and there are those that support each of you in being yourself. Choose the latter.

3. Ask for feedback. Dating is often a time for playing the guessing game as well as the play-acting game. Don't guess, ask how your date is feeling, what they want to do or not do. Give your date the same consideration as you would give a good friend.

4. Just remember to relax and be yourself. You will enjoy your date more - and you will create an opening for a wonderful long-term relationship with someone who likes the real you.

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

"Hurry up" ranks right up there with "you need to" as a destroyer of our humanity - jlh

"Hurry up" ranks right up there with "you need to" as a destroyer of our humanity.
- jonathan lockwood huie
Why hurry? Why the urgency? What is the worst that could happen if you didn't meet someone's deadline? Is a deadline worth your health and happiness? Consider a gentler, quieter, slower life. Pause to smell the roses, to breathe, to take quiet moments for yourself.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Never Let Anyone Get Your Goat, Push Your Buttons, Get You Riled Up, or Annoy You - 6 Ways to Cope - jlh

Stay Happy, never let anyone get your goat.
- jlh
Whether phrased as "push your buttons," "get your goat," "get you riled up," or "annoy you," it's no fun to be on the receiving end. How to cope?

1. Don't take it personally. Even when someone criticizes your actions or demeans your very nature, know that they are merely directing their inner turmoil in your direction. Someone else's opinion of you is mostly irrelevant, and basically none of your business. Don't assume that there is any validity to an accusation. Perhaps there is a valuable lesson buried inside the unkindness that merits objective consideration, but negative emotions are best just quickly discarded.

2. Look to the positive people in your life for support. If you balance many positive and supportive friends against one or two negative influences, it is much easier to cope. If you don't currently have enough positive people in your life, begin a focused effort to add positive people to your inner circle. If you don't have personal connections, search for groups of positive people at MeetUp.com

3. Remove negative people from your life. Yes you can, even if it's your boss. You don't need that job so much that it's worth your health or happiness. Everything in life is a choice. Sometimes making a change is important, while other times just knowing that you hold the power to make a different choice is enough.

4. Forgive the offender, not for their sake, but for your own sake. The act of forgiving releases your anger and provides space for rational thinking and action.

5. Be grateful for the wake-up call. Any time that someone or something grabs your attention is a good time to be grateful - even if the message is unpleasant. Something is happening that requires your conscious awareness. Perhaps you have a lesson to learn or an action to take. Perhaps it is time to remove another negative influence from your life.

6. Release any expectations that the unkind person should have acted differently. Life is not fair, and you only cause yourself unhappiness if you hold an expectation that life or any individual should be fair or kind.

Read Stop Anger Before It Stops You - 7 Secrets for more ways to cope with anger.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Anger spells dANGER - jlh

Anger spells dANGER
- jonathan lockwood huie
Anger and Danger are intimately intertwined. An angry person is a dangerous person, whether that person crosses our path or whether the angry person is ourself. To complete the anger/danger cycle, whenever we feel threatened - when we believe we are in danger - we tend to exhibit anger as well as fear. We look for someone to blame for the dangerous situation, and direct our anger toward them.

Monday, January 5, 2009

I Love You Just the Way You Are

Happiness lies in accepting everyone in our lives EXACTLY as they are. We cause ourselves untold misery whenever we believe others to be imperfect and try to change them. This is the number one rule for a happy relationship.

Read my articles on relationships:

The "Spousal We" and 6 Other Ways to Leave Your Lover

How to Know When "Mister Right" is Mister Wrong - 7 Keys to a Great Relationship

Beyond the Grief of Divorce - 7 Steps Toward New Beginnings

Most of the Dating Advice You Have Read is Dead Wrong

A Man’s Guide to Online Dating After Divorce

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Life is as easy or as hard as you think it is - jonathan lockwood huie

Life is as easy or as hard as you think it is
- jonathan lockwood huie
Whenever you say or even think, "This is hard," that task or challenge becomes difficult. Dread it, and it becomes terrifying.

When you choose to move past fear - fear of of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of "looking bad," fear of losing respect - life becomes much lighter, and most any task becomes possible - perhaps even enjoyable. Most any challenge can become an adventure of discovery.

The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow - jonathan lockwood huie


The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow
- jonathan lockwood huie
The crops were planted, tended, and harvested - now the ground lies fallow, awaiting the new planting. Did the year fail? I think not.

As the year has seasons, everything in life has its own cycles - its own rhythms. There will be a Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn every year. Every creature will be born, reproduce (or not), and die. A tortoise may live a century and a butterfly a few hours, but each has a cycle.

The unpredictable and irregular happenings of life's cycles are an inherent part of their nature. There are droughts and heat waves, injuries occur. The lion eats the zebra - one is nourished, one dies - neither failed.

Careers and relationships also have their cycles of birth, growth, and death - to be followed by rebirth and the renewal of the cycle.

The ending of a job or a relationship may appear as the darkest night, but it is merely the Winter season - the time of renewal and rebirth that precedes the new planting - the beginning of the next great cycle.