So, let’s say that you want improve the quality of your Family Life. That’s an admirable goal, but you have to be more specific. You know that there are lots of things you can work on when it comes to the family, so you have to get specific. You will need to think about what part of the family relationship that you need to work on and what it will take for you to bring the family closer to your own ideal.

The second part of the law of attraction is to learn how to let go of the negative energy and replace it with positive energy. Get everyone on board with the idea. Describe the vision as you see it.  In GREAT detail. Know what it will look like when you have accomplished it.  Get your family members to see it, too. A group change is easier if everyone in the group can see where this is going.

If you would really like to use the law of attraction in your family, then you will have to get everyone to give it a chance. Have every member of your family use the law of attraction in a way to achieve the family’s collective goal. You will want to make sure that no one’s goal conflicts with another because it will end up in conflict with the overall goal. You will want to make sure that you consider the way the family reacts to the law of attraction theory.

Moving on to the third step of the law of attraction, you all need to take action on the goal.  That is, act like a family. This means that you will need to schedule your family nights and learn how to share time with each other. You will need to accept the fact that the family needs to start acting like a family. For example, you need to all sit down and eat dinner together. Talk at breakfast, work together, spend time together, and have some fun together. This is the step where you will need to act like you are family.

You will want to consider that there is a lot to do when it comes to working as a family and it is a long way down the road before your family is “perfect”.  Achieving family togetherness and happiness is not (usually) a one-step process.

Be patient and remind each other of the vision with each other often.  Keep the vision alive.  It’ll work.  You’ll see.

If stress is a particular problem in your family, have a look here.

The first and the most important thing is that the parent take responsibility for his or her duty to making a solid family life for the children.  This means acknowledging the reality of the situation squarely.  If this is a new situation, the children are usually emotional, hurt, and disturbed about whatever has happened that has resulted in this type of situation.   They often blame themselves for the situation.  Whether it is due to death or divorce, the single parent needs to take into account the effects of such trauma on the kids.  Early on, it may be tough for the single parents to acknowledge, but they have to understand that their children harbor emotions that need to be dealt with.

A single parent can always help the kids grow into successful human beings by understanding their needs. Kids will demand more time than you may have or want to give, and they may well be a bit less understanding about the conflicts that you yourself are facing. Even so, you can make them feel loved and protected.

For a robust and healthy family life, you need to

• Make time for your children. You can arrange picnics and outdoor activities with your kids so that you can have fun together. This kind of fun will strengthen your family ties.
• Talk to them about their problems. If they are under the stress of the situation they will like to talk to you about it. Make them trust you. Once you develop this type of relationship with them you will be able to win their trust and overall you will be able to create a strong family unit for your children.

Deal with your stress or theirs.  Click here to find out how.

Regardless of your role in the family (father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or sister), you need to do everything in your power to be a good family member.  By concentrating on making yourself the best person you can be, you can singlehandedly be the difference that makes the difference in the family dynamics.

First and foremost, cut everybody some slack.  (Yes, even you control-freaks!) Learn to put up with some of the irritating things that your family does.  Rap music?  Classical? Heavy Metal?  Too loud? Not loud enough?  Just because you have needs doesn’t mean that you get to bully someone.  (That goes for parents and kids!)  We all have needs.  There are lots of ways to deal with this.  Check your attitude at the door. If the music is too loud, negotiate.  Compromise.  Make a deal.  Go where the music isn’t.  Heck, you could even learn to like it!

If your spouse has habits or preferences when it comes to cleanliness (or a lack thereof), start by acknowledging that you have differences.  Don’t expect him or her to change just because you want it so.  And don’t insist on being “right” or superior.  If you want the house to be cleaner, then do it yourself.  Maybe your spouse will catch on to your preference and agree to pitch in.  If he or she doesn’t, don’t turn it into a weapon to beat them with.

Take the time to become closer to your family and get to know them better. Plan family outings, and eat dinner together on a nightly basis.  Keep up with what is going on in the lives of your children and spouse. Take it all to heart, don’t just make empty small talk. Engaging in conversation over things that you find “trivial” may feel like a futile exercise, but by showing personal interest you will create bridges and make a stronger relationship.  And who knows, you may even learn how to care about those “trivial” things because they are important to someone you love.  Build some fun into your work activities, and build some work into your fun activities.

Family life is always something that can be improved.  If you have been having troubles lately, take steps now to prevent things from getting worse.  It may take some effort on your part, but you can get your family back to a healthy point, and from there you can live with your family in happiness and peace.  If you think that things are beyond your ability to act, talk to a family therapist or counselor to get some advice or guidance.

When your family life is not peaceful, disastrous results may be just around the corner.  It’s only common sense.  The possible outcomes include dysfunction, divorce, and trouble with the law, to name a few.   Stress is always a sign that something needs attention.  Click here to find out how to deal with stress.

Wherever you go in this world, the family unit exits. There are different family types in different parts of the world. Not all the parts of the world experience joint families through out their lives. For example in the developed countries of the west it is very common that as the kids grow and they complete their education, they move to the places where they want to live and work. They remain in connection with their siblings but they do not necessarily live at the same place. On the other hand, in many Asian countries you observe that family units exist for a much longer time frame. In these countries people live in the same house with their sons and their families.  So you see that although the concept of the “family unit” exists in all parts of the world and all the cultures promote it, different cultures define the time frame  and scope of the family quite differently.

Your family ties are very important. Your family life will shape you as a person. What what you become in the future is very much dependent on your family life.  Your family of origin shape your values, your beliefs, and indeed your whole world view.  A peaceful family life will promote one set of values and behavior, while a chaotic family life can produce something quite different.

When you know that you have your parents and the siblings on your side and that you are not alone on the rugged road of life, it becomes easier to bear all the pain. When you face the rough and tough of life together, you are able to understand each other in a better way. You are there to comfort each other in the time of need.  It can be a very comforting thing to know that even if you are in trouble and you are facing some rough times, there are people who care about you and who can accompany you.  Belonging to such a protective environments can give you courage when it comes to facing the difficulties of life.

Family life is a major factor which shapes your personality.  Your family life combined with your experiences and the way you interpret them are primary factors that affect your personality as you grow up.  Later, when you are the adult of the household, your childhood family experiences definitely influence how your own family will function (or not).

Obviously, many things influence the dynamics of a family.  These include:

• the relationship of the parents to each other – how they love and support each other will be a model for the children
• the number of children – each child will have a different perspective on any event.  Have you ever noticed the different way people recall a particular incident years later?
• the economic conditions prevalent at the time – Often the oldest child is born when the parents are young and just starting their adult life, when money is typically scarce.  Younger children are born later in life when maybe the parents are earning more money.
• the health of the family members – if a family member has a major health issue that requires a high percentage of attention or financial or physical resources, the family members will each deal with that differently.
• the physical environment – Obviously, someone who grows up in a city will have a different world view than someone who grows up in a jungle.
• the psychological environment – harsh judgments, sharp reprimands, and emotional distance will produce an effect different from compassion, forgiveness and unconditional love.

A history of stress doesn’t have to mean a destiny of stress.  To change your destiny, click here.

BTW, it’s extremely helpful if both spouses do the exercises together.  By doing the exercise together and comparing results you will see any potential conflicts.  For example, if “togetherness” is number one on your list and your spouse says that number one is “education”, you will probably have to do some negotiating.  BUT at least you’ll know where you stand.

Why is this important?

Simply put, your values are what’s important to you.  They control what you do and the way you act – even if you haven’t consciously thought about them.  So often we go through our daily routines completely unaware of the values that are shaping our behavior.  By getting them down on paper and ranking them you have a map of what makes you tick in this area of life.

Once you see the framework that you are acting from you can take satisfaction from knowing that you being consistent to your values OR you may find that the values you are enacting are not working for you and you are free to change them.

Hint: This value ranking technique is very helpful in all areas of life including health, career, personal development, and spiritual development.

Go here for a shortcut for dealing with day-to-day stress.

One challenge is that if you have a job these days, your employer is probably demanding more and more time from you, leaving you with less time for your family.  The kids want to see more of you and you’re simply not available to them.

Conversely, if you don’t have a job, then you may well be spending more time with the family than you ever thought you would.  If you’re not prepared to do it, you may well feel overwhelmed.

There are as many family challenges as there are families.  The economy has exacerbated some already keen problems. Money problems, health problems, and relationship problems seem to compound in a weak economy.

The first thing to do is to get absolutely clear on what’s important to you.  In other words, what are your values?  Here’s a good exercise for figuring this out:

1. Ask yourself aloud, “What’s important to me about my family?”
2. Answer aloud and write down whatever comes out of your mouth.
3. Repeat this over and over again until the “well runs dry.”
4. When the well runs dry, go back and do the steps 1 to 3 again until the well runs dry again.
5. Then do steps 1 to 3 a third time.

Each time the well runs dry, you’re going a bit deeper into your unconscious mind.

Now look at your list and prioritize it.  Voila.  You have your family values.

See my next post for what to do with your family values.

Feeling stressed?  Have a look here for ways to cope.