Grand Canyon National Park – Arizona – USA (by Carlos Adampol…

Grand Canyon National Park – Arizona – USA (by Carlos Adampol Galindo

If you’ve never seen the sunset at Great Smoky Mountains…

If you’ve never seen the sunset at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (located in both North Carolina and Tennessee), you’ve been missing out. If you have seen one, you’re probably dreaming of the next one. The gentle curves of the forested mountains, the rising fog in the hollows and the glowing colors painting the cloudscape create a scene so beautiful, you’ll never forget it. Photo by Rick Sereque (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

 Ocean Park Motel – San Francisco – California – USA (by Carl…

 Ocean Park Motel – San Francisco – California – USA (by Carl Nenzén Lovén

The 7 Best Blogs on Goal Achievement

You’re reading The 7 Best Blogs on Goal Achievement, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Let’s begin by imagining that, for example, your goal is…financial security, it will not be a case of instant gratification, of course, it would come down to preparing for your future today with the small steps of saving and budgeting. Achieving goals take vision, discipline, effort and hard work, but they also require mindfulness.

“It’s not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for.” – Robert Kiyosaki

Here are 7 blogs that I have found highlight what stands in our way, what it takes and how to develop the mindset to achieve our goals:

  1. This blog begins with an infographic that very aptly illustrate stages from inception of an idea to working tirelessly to achieve it. There is an emotional journey when creating something and in order to follow through to our desired goal, one must first understand that there will be obstacles to overcome. Therefore, it is important to have a grounded view of success, and strive to reach your grandest vision as you also, prepare for the worst.

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  1. If you want to reach your goals, do not set too many. It is that simple. When one is overwhelmed we cannot focus and may end up shutting down, that will ultimately have us avoid the goals altogether. In this blog, the idea of a one word theme is introduced and reframes the way one can perceive goal achievement. For example, if your one word theme for 2017 was ‘balance’, you would strive to make all endeavors within any given day integrate this quality.

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  1. Change is inevitable, that is what we can count on for sure. Circumstances surrounding our work, family and financial lives can often be limiting and seem further away from the life we envisioned for ourselves. We may feel we’ve hit an emotional brick wall, and the pull to change becomes stronger, yet, we don’t know how to go about manifesting it. If changing careers, you must first evaluate your priorities, create a solid financial plan and most importantly, move forward with a strong sense purpose toward your goal.

http://ift.tt/2c10XGl

  1. The term power habits seemed confusing at first, what does it really mean? Can my habits actually have influence, clout and dominance? Turns out, they can. The equation behind excellence is really all about small habits that determine our best outcome. Even small habits such as getting enough sleep, exercising and limiting alcohol can put your mind into a clearer, more energetic place toward achieving your goals. An essential factor to success is to not sit on any visionary ideas for longer than you need to plan it, immediately take action and hopefully you are in the right place at the right time.

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  1. A mindset of abundance, one may wonder what this has to do with achieving your goals…but, it is the root of your ability to remain in a higher state of consciousness, which ultimately means you will be open to seeing, creating and seizing all the opportunities that present themselves to you.

http://ift.tt/2llsFmz

  1. Many people never achieve their goals and dreams for several reasons, perhaps they are just sitting at home waiting for the right time to go for it, or they simply don’t take them seriously. If one is looking for someone else to approve your goals, doesn’t take the time to focus on them or align with people who share your vision, it can be certain it will never be attained. No one can do the work for you.

http://ift.tt/2m8wtDL

  1. Overwhelmed, distracted, indecisive, fearful, overly busy…sound familiar? They are all consistent ways one can waste their time and unfortunately, it is all too common. “The truth is, the right thing to do and the easy thing to do are rarely the same thing.” This drives the point home in this blog with some incredibly helpful insights.

http://ift.tt/1rmpPwz

So, laugh, build bridges, create a vision, take action, challenge yourself and most importantly, be curious. These habits will always inform your decisions with enthusiasm as you take the necessary steps toward achieving your goals.

Do you read a great blog about goal achievement that’s not on the list? Leave a comment on FB!

Larissa Gomes is a breast cancer survivor and single mom to her spirited baby boy! Originally from Toronto turned Angeleno, she has worked in roles from writer, actor and producer for well over a decade. In that time, she’s developed concepts, film and television screenplays, short stories, along with freelance articles, blogging and editing work.

You’ve read The 7 Best Blogs on Goal Achievement, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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ENIT Skiing Poster Advertising Santo Stefano d’Aveto Italy by…

New York City – New York – USA (by mattharvey1) 

New York City – New York – USA (by mattharvey1

Wingback Chair designed by Aksel Bender Madsen for Bovenkamp,…

The Gwathmey Residence and Studio was designed by Charles…

The Sinister Hand

Whereas, each employee of the Government of the United States is endowed with a measure of trusteeship over the democratic processes which are the heart and sinew of the United States; and

Whereas, it is of vital importance that persons employed in the Federal service be of complete and unswerving loyalty to the United States; and

Whereas . . .
from the preamble to Executive Order 9835, signed into law seventy years ago this week (March 21, 1947) by President Harry Truman

After the opening niceties, EO 9835 directed that all present and prospective State Department employees be subjected to “a loyalty investigation,” those investigating given access to all “pertinent” information — FBI files, military records, police records, school and job records, political affiliations, and “any other appropriate source.” Over the next five years, after some 4 million loyalty checks, the designated boards and tribunals had found “reasonable grounds” (this amended to “reasonable doubts” in the fifth year) to dismiss or not hire 378 people, none of them ever charged with any espionage- or treason-related crime.

Many historians regard EO 9835 as being politically motivated. In the 1946 Congressional elections the Republican Party had made the postwar Red Scare a central issue, promising to find and topple the “pink puppets in control of the federal bureaucracy.” When the Republicans swept the elections, gaining control of both houses of Congress, Truman hoped his “loyalty oath” would satisfy the anti-Communist lobby. Instead, EO 9835 emboldened J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, created the Attorney General’s List of Subversive Organizations, energized the House Un-American Activities Committee, and opened the door for Senator Joe McCarthy — one of those Republicans elected in 1946 on the anti-Red platform.

Historians also connect these and related Cold War developments to the origins of America’s modern security state. In The Devil’s Chessboard, David Talbot argues that the key power player in this formative era was Allen Dulles, a corporate lawyer who transitioned to intelligence gathering during WWII and then became director of the nascent CIA from 1953 to 1961. As a youth, Dulles loved chess; as director, says Talbot, he “liked to think he was the hand of the king, but if so, he was the left hand — the sinister hand”:

Allen Dulles outmaneuvered and outlived Franklin Roosevelt. He stunned Harry Truman, who signed the CIA into existence in 1947, by turning the agency into a Cold War colossus far more powerful and lethal than anything Truman had imagined. Eisenhower gave Dulles immense license to fight the administration’s shadow war against Communism, but at the end of his presidency, Ike concluded that Dulles had robbed him of his place in history as a peacemaker and left him nothing but “a legacy of ashes.” Dulles undermined or betrayed every president he served in high office.

Describing Dulles as “the chairman of cloak-and-dagger America,” Talbot says he worked closely with “the principal members of his ‘board’ — the Washington and Wall Street men of influence who quietly dominated the nation’s decision-making.” Among other current discussions of “deep state” insiders and “leak state” outliers is Edward Jay Epstein’s How America Lost Its Secrets: Edward Snowden, the Man and the Theft. While Epstein agrees with those who suggest that Snowden’s whistleblowing has generated a necessary debate about the “surveillance leviathan” now threatening America, he calculates that the “the Snowden Effect” — our current widespread distrust of all government policies and statements on the security topic — will cost us too much at home and abroad.

Whether or not the Trump administration’s emphasis on vetting and security will bring a new round of loyalty checks, the West needs increased vigilance, argues Edward Lucas in Deception: The Untold Story of East-West Espionage Today. In his previous book, The New Cold War, Lucas explored Putin’s favorite weapons and strategies for political destabilization; in his new book the author offers “a message that officials find hard to articulate openly, and that the public seems so unwilling to hear”:

It is this: Russian spies’ activities are not just a lingering spasm of old Soviet institutions, twitching like the tail of a dying dinosaur. They are part of a wider effort to penetrate and manipulate, which targets the weakest parts of our system: its open and trusting approach to outsiders and newcomers . . . The battle lines were more clearly drawn in the days of the Cold War, when the threat was of communist victory. The corrupt autocracy that rules Russia now is playing by capitalist rules — and the threat is even more corrosive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5 Happiness Hacks That You Need To Try Today

When was the last time you felt happy? Not just a shadow of the pleasant feeling, but truly happy?

You could say that most of our actions are fueled by our motivation to feel good. Unfortunately, however, it’s not all the time that we feel happy. There are days when we just can’t resist feeling low.

If that is your case today, these simple happiness hacks can give you that extra shot of joy.

Let Your Inner Child Take the Lead

Children’s faces usually light up at the seemingly smallest things.

Take, for example, the silly faces their older sibling makes at them across the dinner table. The big hug they get when their dad arrives home from work and the feeling of flying in the air while they are on the playground’s swing set make them giggle with laughter, too.

If you want to put yourself in a happy place, try doing an activity that you enjoyed as a child. You’ll be amazed at how quickly this can spike your happy chemicals.

Enjoy Strange Interactions

stranger interaction

The “stranger danger” warnings handed down to us during childhood can permanently hinder our interactions with people we don’t know.

However, if you make an effort to push through the discomfort and regularly interact with strangers, you’ll find yourself feeling happier during the day. A study conducted by behavioral scientists in Chicago found that individuals who made small talk with strangers during a ride on public transportation rated their experience as more positive than those who did not.

When we take the time to connect with other people, even when we don’t know them, it tends to increase our happiness.

Take A Risk On Something New

When was the last time you tried something that you’ve never done before?

If it’s been a while, then you may want to give this happiness hack a shot. Taking the time to try something you’ve always wanted to do, like getting a new hobby, is not only stimulating but can lead to increased happiness.

Feelings of accomplishment and boosted confidence can also contribute to the smile on your face. Whether you’ve always wanted to try alligator wrestling, knife throwing, or sewing Halloween costumes for your dog, now’s the time to do it.

See Also: How to Start a New Hobby Without Wasting Money

Hold Onto Those Pennies

Spending money when you feel bad can be an easy way to give yourself a quick high. However, once the initial high wears off, people tend to crash pretty hard, especially if they had a hard time earning it.

Rather than splurging on that new toy, try making a habit of regularly saving a part of your earnings. According to a recent survey, the more often people save money, the happier they tend to be. Saving money is also a good way to enhance feelings of self-control, security, and overall well being.

See Also: 10 Ways To Save Money Without Compromising Your Lifestyle

Celebrate Small Goals

celebrate small goals

By setting and achieving small goals on a regular basis, you will not only be more productive but feel happier as well.

Setting our sight on massive goals often results in feelings of failure and depression. So, rather than focusing on your end goals, try chopping them up into several small goals that you can easily achieve and celebrate. Keep in mind that the more specific you are with your goals, the better.

As you get started with these happiness hacks, try to keep your focus on the positive things in your life and use gratitude to your advantage. As you increase your own happiness, you will notice that the people around you will begin to smile and laugh more often as well.

The post 5 Happiness Hacks That You Need To Try Today appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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