You’re reading Triumph Beyond Bounds: 8 Effective Ways To Pick Yourself Up And Take Charge Of Your Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Quite a lot of people have, at one time or another, found themselves at the last rung of the ladder.

If you do a random sampling, you will find out that a lot of people have passed through this stage of life.

While some decided to resign to fate, others felt they must put in a fight to effect a change in their fortunes.

The fact is that we can fall at any point in our life but what makes the difference and what determines the type of stuff you are made of is whether or not you are able to pick yourself up, dust your butt, and tell yourself “I’m going to give it a resounding whack.”

If for any reason you are struggling to pick yourself up and take charge of your life, the following 8 effective ways come in handy as the magic wand you have been waiting for.

1. Avoid detractors

As someone striving to stand back on their feet, this is the very first thing you should do.

Detractors are the people who originally wanted you to be in that situation. They are a total bunch of no-gooders

They prefer to have you laze about with them. They practically have no goal in life and you will only end up being miserable in their midst.

2. People already walked the path, Pick a role model

Now that you have decided to take charge, it will make a very big step in the right direction if you have a role model. This is somebody you may like to fashion your life after.

Incidentally, there are thousands of people who have made it starting from the scratch. You may even discover that what you experienced was more of a stumble when you come across some of the successful individuals who call the shots today.

3. Don’t just work, Map out your goals

Goals and targets put a spirit of competition into all you do. You must have a yardstick to measure how far you are going about accomplishing what you have set out to do.

You will be charged up to do more once you realize that you are not meeting up with your target.

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” – Tony Robbins

4. The word is ours, Explore it

You need to venture out of that hole you have encaved yourself in if you want to move forward.

The world is full of opportunities and the social media and internet as a whole has brought the world even closer to you.

If you cultivate the spirit of adventurism, you’ll discover opportunities hidden from the world at large — remember that the creation of the web browser, Chrome, has further led to the creation of successful businesses in the forms of Chrome Extensions and Apps, just as WordPress led to the creation of successful businesses from plugins, theme platforms, and more.

5. Give your gut feeling some credence

There is every reason for you to trust your gut feelings. What your guts tell you is actually the real stuff. You can’t be deceived by that.

You need to realize that nobody knows you better than yourself. People may assume what is best for you but you alone know for sure.

6. Charge up your optimism

You clearly need the go-getter attitude in your life. Stop seeing things from the negative side. Those heights you are thinking of are definitely very surmountable.

Once you cultivate a positive attitude towards life you will see things falling in place rather very quickly. You will even be surprised at the turn of events.

7. Go hard or go home

You can no longer afford to be lily-livered. You need to stand up to realities of life. Look problems at eyeball to eyeball. You must stop being queasy and don’t chicken out at every little difficulty.

Your audacity and courage speak volumes of you. People you come across and engage with in life rate you on your boldness. This determines how you run your business or even how your fellow staffers view you.

Wherever and whenever it is necessary, come out with both barrels blazing.

8. No mistakes, only stepping stones

You went down the first time but fortunately, you did not go out.

For all intents and purposes, you must have discovered what sent you to the dregs you’re trying to escape from.

It will be foolhardy if you don’t learn from your past mistakes with every determination to not fall a victim again.

On a parting note, you should be raring to go.

You’ve read Triumph Beyond Bounds: 8 Effective Ways To Pick Yourself Up And Take Charge Of Your Life, 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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You’re reading How To Stop Emotional Eating, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Today, the purpose of eating food is not only to help us survive but to gain pleasure from it. We eat food for many reasons like – celebration, boredom, depression, stress, or just because it’s time to eat.

Our ancestors didn’t have this luxury of eating food whenever they wanted. They had to work hard to hunt or gather the food. Today, it is becoming easier than ever to get food.

The problem is that as our life gets busier or the technology advances; the food is becoming more processed and unhealthy for us. Our taste buds get manipulated and more often than not, we get addicted to sugar.

On top of that, our modern way of living is becoming more stressful. So, it’s an epidemic of emotional eating as we get addicted to unhealthy foods and then use it to cope with our emotions.

Emotional eating is a problem we have to solve together if we want to stop the rising epidemic of obesity, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndromes, etc.

Having pleasure while eating food is not a problem. The problem arises when we rely on unhealthy foods to cope with our emotions all the time. Hyper-palatable food gives us immense pleasure with its flavor, texture, smell, etc. that our brain ignores the ‘stop’ signal from our body and we keep on eating.

Leptin is the hormone that tells our brain to stop eating. Leptin resistance is the condition in which it is harder for our brain to hear the ‘stop eating’ signal.

Such condition develops when we get in the habit of eating too many hyper-palatable foods. Over time, it injures our brain neurons in the
hypothalamus and causes hypothalamic inflammation. Then, it leads to leptin resistance.

So, what’s the solution?

1. The best way to tackle this rising problem is to eat more whole, real foods and minimize eating processed foods. I know it’s harder said than done. But if you care for your health and wellbeing, you have to take the initial steps and make effort to change for better.

2. Practice slow and mindful eating. Take the time to chew your food, notice the texture of the food, think about all the places your food have been to before ending up on your plate, look at yourself in the mirror while eating your food, etc. Such practice is not only good for letting your body hear the leptin signal to stop eating but it’s also good for being present and think about what you’re eating and how it’s impacting your health.

3. Use other activities like socializing, laughing, playing, walking in nature, listening to music, journaling, exercising, sleeping etc. to cope with your emotions instead of using food. Try to become more mindful of the emotions you feel and then choose not to use food to handle your emotions.

4. Make sure your food is palatable but not hyper-palatable. Your food should give pleasure but not up to the point that it destroys your internal system. Healthy foods can be tasty if we learn to prepare them and give our tastebuds some time to adapt to the natural tastes.

Remember, it will take some time for your body to fix the internal system once we start developing the healthy habits. Think how it will benefit you in the long term and let go of short-term urges.

The food engineering is manipulating our tastebuds and making us addicted to their foods. It is our duty to take our rights back and take charge of our own health.

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Prakhar is a blogger at foodgymtraining.com. In the past 5 years, he has dedicated his life to studying behavior science, food psychology, nutrition, health, and fitness. His mission is to help people achieve their full potential of health and vitality at Food Gym.

Food Gym is a place where you can learn to enjoy healthy foods, curb cravings and become healthy forever. Find out more at http://ift.tt/2yEueCi

You’ve read How To Stop Emotional Eating, 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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You’re reading Cellulite Causes and Prevention Tips, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Cellulite is among a woman’s worst nightmares. Unfortunately, it is the women who mostly suffer from cellulite problems. Many women have to deal with more than just the physical appearance of the unsightly uneven skin texture cellulite create while some have to deal with the emotional and psychological distress that accompanies these.

What cellulite?

Just when you thought you’ve learned everything there is to know about cellulite, the skin specialists finally understand the root causes of these orange peels.

Just beneath the top layer of your skin are tough fibers that pull down on your skin and trap fat cells in. As the fibers become more desperate, the harder it pulls down on your skin and the tighter space it creates for the trapped fat cells. Meanwhile, trapped fat cells may continue to enlarge, and so space becomes even more uncomfortable.

The force of the fibers and the bulging trapped cells are what’s causing your cellulite to appear dimpled and rippled, respectively. To directly address the problem. Therefore, it takes a mechanism that cuts the fibers and frees up the fats to smoothen the skin’s appearance on the surface. It’s a mechanism that can hardly be fulfilled by any cellulite or firming cream, such as Avon cellulite cream.

Must you lose your hope on these products then?

Facts and myths about cellulite creams

Make better judgments about your cellulite cream by knowing the facts and myths surrounding these products:

Myth: Cellulite creams can vanish cellulite with regular use.

Most local product ingredients, regardless of the divine promises their marketers and manufacturers swear by to attract more buyers and loyal consumers, hardly make it past the skin’s surface layer.

Keep in mind that your skin is designed to be impermeable, waterproof. Unless the ingredients are tiny enough to penetrate its pores, even the most beneficial skin ingredients are put to waste, including those which cellulite creams are often formulated with.

Fact: Cellulite creams can cause temporary improvements in the appearance of orange peels.

In fact, the most useful improvements which you can derive from cellulite creams, including most Avon cellulite cream brands, is the instant skin plumping and smoothening you get from the time of product application. The effect can last up to a few hours.

Myth: Cellulite creams can address the root causes of your cellulite problem.

Since very few cellulite cream ingredients, perhaps only except retinoids, are known to have the ability to penetrate the skin, these products are hardly addressing the root causes of the problem, that is, tough fibers and trapped fat cells.
Fact: Cellulite creams combined with exercise can help slightly improve cellulite.

This combination can also contribute to preventing cellulite from becoming worse or, from showing up at all. Some firming creams and cellulite creams work by heating up your skin and enhancing the rate of fat metabolism which helps melt away and eliminate excess fats.

Myth: Cellulite creams are inexpensive alternatives to pricey cellulite reduction procedures.

Cellulite reduction products are among the most expensive beauty products available in the market. Just think about the minimal results you get and the continuous use it requires. When you sum it all up, these products are likely to spend as much as or even more than the cellulite reduction procedures available in the market today.

A BodyFX or Cellulaze procedure can easily cost anywhere between US$ 1,000 to US$ 5,000 depending on the severity of the cellulite and the size of the skin area that needs to be treated.

Fact: Cellulite reduction procedures are FDA approved. Cellulite creams are not.

Talk about efficacy, cellulite reduction procedures that have received FDA approval, namely, BodyFX, Cellini and Cellulaze are guaranteed to work. It does not mean that all cellulite creams don’t deliver, perhaps some do, it’s just that these products did not have to go through the rigorous process of getting the nod and certification of the FDA.

Conclusion

Cellulite creams are likely to provide instant, albeit temporary, improvements to your cellulite problems. Sometimes, it is the only solution people need but, if your cellulite bothers you so much then, now at least you know, you have other options available.

Cellulite: Causes and Prevention Tips

You’ve read Cellulite Causes and Prevention Tips, 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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You’re reading How to Conquer the Fear of New Beginnings, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Although many say that new beginnings are good for you, what they avoid to point out sometimes is how scary they can be. The fear of what comes next, that unpredictability of a situation, is not easy to accept. Often you will stay frozen in front of opportunities and maybe even miss a chance or two just because you were too afraid to take a step forward. If you don’t lose that fear, you might miss your window to fully experience a new beginning and all the excitement it carries. For that reason, take a look at these tips on how to beat that fear.

1. Take a deep breath before doing anything

   

The next step is always hard, the new one is even harder. Before you decide you can’t do something, take a break and take a deep breath. Life-changing events are not supposed to be easy or predictable, but they can be overcome and manageable if you think it through and stop thinking about negative outcomes before anything has even happened. Take it step by step, know your surroundings, slowly ease into the different settings and be willing to give yourself a chance to start over. The most important thing to understand is that this is your big break to reinvent yourself.

2. Have a safe haven

   

Whenever there’s some big event, make sure you have a safe haven to go to if it becomes too hard or too frightening. This safe haven can be a person or several people, a place like a park bench or coffee shop, or just staying at home watching feelgood movies and cuddling with pets, a hobby or even working out. It’s very important to have something to turn to in order to avoid accumulating stress because too much tension can easily influence your feelings and opinion and, unfortunately, ruin this new start for you.

If you go to your loved ones for comfort, make sure they understand what this means to you and that they support you and help you overcome it rather than pressure you and judge you.

3. Don’t put yourself down

When faced with something new, especially something like doing everything from scratch, we automatically tend to re-examine ourselves and momentarily decide that there’s something we can’t do even if we haven’t tried it. It’s great being aware of your self-worth, but putting yourself down without any evidence is just fear playing tricks on you. Instead, be excited that you’ll do something you haven’t done before, learn something novel and gain extra experience. New beginnings are more than just doing something for the first time, they are all about reinventing yourself and discovering new layers of your personality and believing in your own worth.

4. Take help everywhere you can

People tend to think that asking for help, or using it is a sign of weakness. Actually, it’s only logical behavior since not all humans are the same and with the same abilities. For instance, Your Mates Removals can help when moving across Sydney, but generally, when moving to a new city or to a different place, specialized services are the first thing to come to your mind instead of moving boxes and furniture with your car. If moving within a big city you’d have to do several trips back and forth before you transferred your things, not to mention that some belongings can’t be moved in a car.

So using professional movers is not a sign of weakness, but it will take stress off your shoulders and let you concentrate on settling into the new surroundings and enjoying your new home. It will let you be relaxed to meet new people and feel more comfortable with yourself in that new environment.

5. Different is welcome

   

After a divorce or any other emotional trauma, people need new surroundings, but are scared to leave the nest they created thinking it protects them from further hurt. It’s very important you understand that nothing can protect you from that completely, because this is life and it gets hard and painful sometimes. What you should consider is that after the rain there’s always a rainbow, and anything different than what you are used to is more than welcome in your life. This will bring you much-needed change and encourage you to move forward and reinvent yourself, something necessary after a traumatic event. In order to stop being slaves of the past, people must embrace the future, and they can’t do that unless they defiantly look the present straight in the eyes.

After all

You can’t avoid new beginnings, no one can. They may come rarely and scarcely, but still they will happen. Stop wasting your time on overthinking everything that comes your way and just make that first stride along the path of surprising opportunities and bewildering events. Because everyone deserves to start anew, and so do you.

You’ve read How to Conquer the Fear of New Beginnings, 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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You’re reading 7 Things a Person with a Mental Illness Doesn’t Want to Hear, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

In the United States alone, nearly one out of every five people is suffering with one or more mental illnesses. That means that when a person passes you by on the street, they have a better chance of having a mental illness than of having green eyes.

Yet, why are so many people struggling with knowing what to say, or maybe what NOT to say, when they are talking to a person with anxiety, depression or maybe even PTSD? Have you ever been involved in a group conversation at a party, only to hear a friend tell a newer acquaintance that he knows all about her struggle with OCD because his mother is a “neat freak” and asked him to keep his room clean when he lived at home? Pretty awkward, right?

So, let’s take a look at just a few of the many things that you should never say to a person who has a mental illness. We can all learn a thing or two, right?

1. “Stop focusing on negative things.”

I think we’ve all gone to a negative place before, where no matter what we do to shake ourselves out of it, that’s where we reside for day or two. Maybe we’re jealous of the neighbor’s new car, or perhaps we spent an afternoon thinking about mistakes that we’ve made. But eventually, most of us snap out of it and go about life as usual.

When a person has a mental disorder, sometimes even the happiest moments can be overtaken with feelings of depression or anxiety over what comes next. This is all part of the illness, and completely not within the boundaries of control. We should all keep in mind that people don’t choose to be mentally ill, and no amount of focusing on an upcoming vacation or getting a raise at work will push away symptoms of illness.

2. “Everyone feels that way at one time or another.”

Sure .. sometimes we all have had a bad day or even a bad week, or perhaps we have experienced a feeling of hopelessness when we lose our job or have some other type of financial or social setback. However, these feelings and emotions are temporary. Something good will happen the following day, and most of us will forget all about what had us in a disheartened place the day before.

But it’s not like that for a person suffering with a mental illness. Depression isn’t something that will just “go away” because your favorite band comes to town or you close on your first house. It can take years of therapy and medication adjustments to balance out a person’s levels of anxiety. So, please don’t dismiss it with a, “I felt that way yesterday, too”.

3. “Keeping busy should help.”

We have all probably found ourselves using diversion tactics at one time or another before. Maybe we’re thinking about our busy Monday morning, so we go out for a movie Sunday night to get our minds on something else before the start-of-the-week alarm clock rings. Sometimes we even just call a friend and reminisce about old times to stop thinking about an ailing parent or that test your doctor wants to run next week. We’ve all been there.

But “getting your mind off it” doesn’t work so well for someone with a mental illness. Yes, maybe they will push through the activities or events that you plan to “cheer them up”, but diversion isn’t a sound replacement for therapy treatment. Does this mean that you shouldn’t go shopping or watch Monday night football with your good friend? Of course not! Just don’t see it as the magic wand that will “cure” a disease.

4. “I know how you must feel.”

Sometimes seeing people close to you hurt will make you want to empathize with them, explaining that you think that you honestly do feel their pain. Maybe you’re having an especially difficult time dealing with an emotional loss of some kind, or perhaps you have another friend who has been diagnosed with a sleeping disorder. But do you really feel the way a person with a mental condition must feel?

If someone close to you is suffering from a mental illness, the last thing they want to hear is how their ongoing pain is identical to what you experienced for a week or two until you found a solution for your problem. Plus, let me tell you that anxiety and depression are not the same things, so explaining away about how your aunt had anxiety and went through exactly what a person who has depression has experienced will not score you any extra points in the “good listener” category.

5. “Plenty of people are worse off than you are.”

Everyday we see people who are down on their luck or need a little extra help. Thankfully, there are organizations that make attempts to offer assistance whenever possible. Many people live hard lives, and most of us are grateful to help whenever we can.

However, people with a mental illness aren’t just “going through a rough patch”. And no matter how worse off someone else’s life might be, it doesn’t automatically wipe away the symptoms that they have learned to deal with each and every day. And there is often no trigger whatsoever to bring out symptoms for a person who is suffering with a mental illness, so knowing that someone else is out there suffering more than you won’t ease the feelings of stress and helplessness. Plus, telling a person that they have it a lot better than other people belittles their experiences.

6. “You should try herbal tea.”

We live in a time period where there are herbal and holistic remedies for just about everything, and it’s fantastic! Having trouble getting that eight hours of sleep? Try drinking some chamomile tea. Does your energy level need a little boost? Try rhodiola. Really … there’s a solution that is definitely worth a try for most aches, pains and uncomfortable situations.

But let me assure you that a pinch of ginger and a lavender sachet will not erase the symptoms of PTSD. Of course, most soothing substances can help bring a bit of calm, but it’s rarely enough to make a drastic everyday difference. An over-the-counter remedy will not likely provide better results than a course of treatment that has been prescribed by a professional. Try offering to listen when having a discussion, rather than offering advice. After all, isn’t that what a therapist is for?

7. “Maybe your therapy is making it worse.”

It’s probably a true statement to say that we have all probably had a few misconceptions about therapy and the way it works. Even though we’ve come a long way, some still get this notion that dredging up all of those experiences that were so carefully covered over will do way more harm than good.

However, saying something along those lines to a person with a mental illness is most definitely urging them to take three steps back. And let’s think about this for a moment. Would you encourage someone with a broken arm not to see a medical professional because it might hurt a bit to set the bone? I didn’t think so, which is why it is extremely important that we support those that we love while undergoing treatment, only offering words of encouragement.

As we all become more educated about mental health, we will learn to see the symptoms that a person displays as a part of the illness, not something that they can control or just stop doing at a mere suggestion. The attitude towards those suffering with a mental disorder has really improved, helped in part by celebrities and common, everyday people who are starting to speak up about their own personal struggles. More and more people are reaching out for help, seeing a therapist and utilizing methods to stay engaged in treatment. Learning how to support those that we love as they are going through treatment can only lead to more positive outcomes and a unified, better world. Why not start today?

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Angela Ash is a professional article writer and editor, specializing in online content and authoritative blog topics. Her additional therapy-related content may be found at http://ift.tt/2g6pVpt. Angela is also the Content Manager for Mentegram, a mental healthcare technology company that is bridging the gap between patients and their therapists. They have helped over 200 therapists provide better care to more than 1,500 of their patients, and she loves sharing experiences that could assist others to do the same.

You’ve read 7 Things a Person with a Mental Illness Doesn’t Want to Hear, 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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You’re reading Erin’s Things: October 8, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

This week for Erin’s things, I’m talking about a couple of interesting ingestibles, Marijuana for your health and the comeback of one of my favorite sneakers – just a couple of things that made my week a little more interesting!

1. Bone broth and Collagen powder –So, what exaclty do bone broth and collagen have in common? Apparently, it’s ridiculously amazing health benefits. Glowing skin, shiny hair, strong nails and good digestion is a start…well, I’d wager to say it is at the top of the beauty spectrum that most of us desire to achieve. However, there is more, this growing trend to drink bone broth and/or to drink collagen (in protein powdered drink form) is also said to reduce inflammation.  This trend is not about to go away, precisely because it isn’t about sort term gratification, it is a commitment to long term benefits. I’m in.

2. Cannabis as wellness- Whether you are a user or not, one cannot deny that the taboo associated with cannabis is on the decline. LA’s Goda Yoga offers 420 classes for medical marijuana users. These are what you call ‘Cannabis workouts’ and they are finding their stride in everyday wellness routines across the country. Also, the non-psychoactive extracts of the plant are said to reduce anxiety, lower inflammation and subtly lift your mood. This then trickles down into anti inflammatory skin care as well as products to soothe menstrual cramps. The future looks green.

3. Kava root drinks – Kava Sutra (NYC), Bula Kava (Portland) or Kava Lounge SF (San Francisco) are indications of the boom in the newest mind altering and stress relieving drink on the market right now. It is an ancient root based drink from Pacific Islanders, that is often used as a type of sedative. It is said to increase or regulate our GABA receptors in the brain, which are the neurotransmitters that balances our mood and optimizes healthy brain function. As it is a root sedative though, it should never be mixed with alcohol. I feel as though its main attraction in the wellness community is allowing oneself to be brought more into the present moment of whatever it is you may be doing.

4. Helix – personalized mattress – yes, you read that correctly. The ‘where has this been all my life’ moment is upon me. It is custom made to cradle your own body (measurements sent in and sleep style noted), it regulates body temperature throughout the night and it is made to order to your exact firmness preferences- and can be blended to take into account your partner’s needs as well! The bed is the beginning and end of a good day, it is ingenious that this company has delivered magic to one of our most important household items. Bonne Nuit.

5. Nike Cortez – The 70’s running shoe is having a huge comeback moment and I could not be more stoked. They are sleek and comfortable, the newest design is in white mesh, which is easily paired with any outfit, even an LBD. Sneakers are becoming a fashion staple and my feet couldn’t thank me enough.

Hope you enjoyed the list and I’d love to hear what you’re loving this week!

Be well,

Erin

You’ve read Erin’s Things: October 8, 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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You’re reading 8 Tips on How to Live a Meaningful Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

We all want to live a meaningful life since after all, we only have one chance at doing this. Happiness and fulfillment is much more attractive than emptiness, which makes living a life with some kind of meaning one of the widest held goals in the world.

People measure their success in terms of meaningful actions. You will find that everyone is obsessed with life meaning – starting from philosophers and scientists to the ordinary man. And while there is no single or final answer to living a meaningful life, there are several things you can do to get closer to this goal.

Here are 8 amazing tips on how to live a meaningful life:

1.    Focus on the Important Things

We all have some things that are more important than others. Pinpointing this is something you must do on your own, since there is no general definition as to what’s most important in your life.
Once you determine the top 5 things that you find to be essential to your happiness, use them to live the life as you want it. If you prioritize your family, focus on spending time with them. If you like singing, turn this into your hobby or job. In other words, pursue your passion in life. The world is your limit.

2.    Find Your Life’s Purpose

If someone put a gun to your head and said ‘give me one reason for you to live’, what would this reason be? What do you stand for? What is your life’s purpose? If you want to make your life meaningful, you need to find its meaning first. Otherwise, you cannot really set a meaningful goal.

3.    Give to Others

Of course, this does not mean that you should base all your life actions to helping the rest. You are the focus of your life, but giving to others will give your life more purpose and meaning. So, focus on the things you find important, but make sure to help others. This will increase your and their life satisfaction. Sometimes, something as simple as lending a friendly ear or shoulder to cry on can give your life more meaning.

4.    Be Aware of Your Actions

What can you improve or change? Review the actions you take on a regular basis to learn what made you stray from your goal or imagined path. Focusing on details will help you accomplish more, as long as you are prepared to make some changes.

5.    Find Some Courage

You need to be courageous to live, but living a meaningful life requires a lot more courage. After all, you need to make many changes to achieve this, try new things and put yourself out there.
Once you determine the essential actions to improve your way of living, you can easily find courage. Don’t be afraid to be different or try something new – you can rarely achieve your biggest goals without a bit of a risk.

6.    Focus

Rather than micromanaging 20 goals and focusing your attention on them all, focus on one thing at a time. This does not mean that you will leave the rest of your priorities behind. It solely means that you will dedicate all your energy in making sure they are all achieved, step by step.
You can easily achieve this. Make a habit of creating a list of goals you will do over the day or the week, not further. This list should consist of things that are achievable and realistic to avoid failure. If you learn how to do things at their time, you can achieve more.

7.    Simplify the Life

This may sound strange, but in order to make your living meaningful, you have to make the life simpler. The life is more meaningful if you spend your time doing things that fulfill you, so get rid of all those things that cause stress and frustration and basically, simplify your way of living.

8.    Express Yourself

You are who you are and there is no one else like you. Accept yourself for who you are and be authentic. Instead of fearing and struggling from fear of rejection and criticism, embrace this in a way that allows you to be who you truly are. If you aren’t yourself, your life cannot really have a meaning. Finding your life’s meaning is a journey that never ends. It is not something you will find and be done with it, but you must maintain your living meaningful every step of the way. After all, you may find something to be meaningful today, but this does not mean that you will find it meaningful tomorrow. Seeing that you are the one giving meaning to things, it is your job to pursue them.

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Jade Parker is a marketing expert that has worked in the industry for five years. She is developing her own small business and helping others build successful marketing strategies. Over the years, Jade has started writing and contributed several of her works to assignment writing.

You’ve read 8 Tips on How to Live a Meaningful Life, 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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You’re reading Let’s Start a Movement of Kindness!, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Think about a time when someone did something kind for you. A smile from a stranger, an unexpected compliment, someone buying you coffee or lunch. A simple act of kindness is enough to change someone’s day around for the better. Or even life.

My grandfather navigated his life with ultimate kindness. By actions, not words, he helped teach many others and myself what true kindness means. My beloved grandfather recently passed away, and I regret not sharing with him some ways in which he influenced me. At his memorial someone noted a fierce argument in Grandpa’s life in which he responded to an offensive statement by saying softly, “it sounds like we have a difference of opinion.” Within a few months of my grandfather passing my wife and I had our first child, which was the happiest moment of my life. I would like to help my son grow up with the spirit of kindness I learned from my grandfather.

Life is so good. Life is so short. It’s easy to get caught up in routine and just sort of drift through. I want to remember (and help other people remember) the amazing feeling you get when you step out of your comfort zone and do something good for someone else. It’s a simple concept, and so powerful, but practiced much less frequently than it should be.

As I think back through my own life and about the random acts of kindness people have done for me, I realize those memories are life altering. How is something that is so simple to do (a smile, a compliment, buying someone lunch, going out of your way to do something helpful or unexpected) so powerful? And why are those simple acts so underutilized and acted upon in day-to-day life on a whole throughout humanity?

As we all know, the news from mainstream media is mostly bad news. What if each of us did a little bit to help shift this paradigm from negativity to positivity through small and unexpected acts of kindness?

A wise man once said, ‘Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.’ Over the last few years I’ve been formulating ideas to bring kindness into the mainstream. With death comes life, when one door closes another opens. An idea is worth nothing without execution, so after my grandfather passed, and my son was born, I decided to launch Kindness & Co with the goal of starting a global movement of kindness

To begin to create a Movement of Kindness and to help people jumpstart their own ripple effects of kindness, Kindness & Co collaborated with Pick the Brain to create a beautiful hand designed Random Act of Kindness Kit.  These Kits make it easy to get started practicing kindness and includes great ideas of things to do for others that will make life a little sweeter.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Check out this about video to learn more!

http://ift.tt/2eZumS3

Together, let’s start a Movement of Kindness

‘Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.’ – Scott Adams

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Jesse Weinberg is a serial entrepreneur living in the Pacific Southwest who loves nothing more than sharing time with his wife and son. He is the founder of GlobalYodel.com, a community that explores the world from the perspective of a local and Global Yodel Media Group, a content/influence marketing agency. He thinks kindness is cool and in 2015 founded Kindness & Co with the mission of starting a movement of kindness though Random Act of Kindness Kits and beyond. He is dedicated to shifting the paradigm of collective human consciousness to revolve towards kindness.

 

You’ve read Let’s Start a Movement of Kindness!, 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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You’re reading How to Stop Preparing and Start Doing, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Are you a chronic over-preparer?

I am. Really, I used to be—but I say “I am” because, as with any addictive behavior, recovery from that persistent feeling of needing to do more is a slow and lifelong process. We don’t decide just once to quit over-preparing; we decide day after day, with each and every presentation, product launch, coaching conversation, and article submission.

We decide every single time we have the opportunity to over-prepare. Which means every single time we feel the temptation to return to the familiar. Tweaking the font for the hundredth time before we’ll allow the webpage to go live. Rehearsing and rehashing the stack of index cards on which our talk is written. Researching just a bit more before we’ll launch that creation of ours that we already know will help people greatly.

Instead of continuing to coddle ourselves with all the non-threatening, non-exposing, low-risk tasks of preparation, we decide enough is enough. This—this thing we’ve created—is enough. We are enough.

So, how do you reach this decision?

Well, I can tell you only how I reached it for myself (rather, how I ‘reach’ it on a case-by-case basis—because, as I said before, this work is constant).

I make experience my objective. Experience over preparation. And I allow the learning that comes from the experience to be just as valuable, just as laudable, as the effects that over-preparing and compulsively polishing something might yield.

But, in order to do this, I have to value experiential learning first.

I have to value my own learning experience—and I have to be willing to share it with transparency—if I’m going to forgo the habit of chronic over-preparation.

Because that’s the thing about over-preparation: It serves us insofar as it protects us from on-the-spot learning, and the public failure and shame that might result. It gives us the opportunity (infinite opportunities, if we allow ourselves to be mired in that state of analysis-paralysis) to perfect our thing before we’ll share it. It might be said then, that over-preparation is a symptom of a performance mentality. Of believing it is our job to present ourselves as authorities, as experts, who live somewhere at the far end of the journey, closer to destination than anyplace else.

A story from my own life: Not quite two weeks ago, I decided to host a morning gathering for tea on Facebook Live. It was maybe a few weeks prior that I’d joined Facebook at all (I know, I know—definitely not an early adopter there), so you can imagine just how unfamiliar I was with all aspects of the platform. Well, regardless, I decided I wanted to connect with my readers in a real and meaningful way, so I announced in my Tuesday newsletter a morning gathering for the following Saturday. I knew that if I announced it, I had to do it—whereas, if I waited to announce it until I felt adequately prepared, it might never happen.

Now, what I could’ve done was to pick a specific topic to speak about and create some airtight takeaways for the folks who might join me live (you know, to make it ‘worth it’ for them in exchange for some of their Saturday morning); I could’ve written up an agenda and run the whole thing like a well-oiled meeting; I could’ve gotten myself worked up about being on live camera and, therefore, spent extra time in the mirror with my concealer stick.

But, I didn’t. Instead, I made experience my objective. I decided I wanted to learn about Facebook Live by doing Facebook Live—no dry-runs or dress rehearsals or obsessing over providing value. I decided I was willing to be an amateur at this thing I’d never done before. (You get that, right? I was, in all ways, an amateur at Facebook Live…so, why would I struggle to present myself as anything different?)

I carried a pot of tea upstairs to my office, sat in front of my laptop with slightly-damp hair, clicked the “Go Live” button, and had my first ever experience on live video. Five women from my community showed up and I talked with them for 45 minutes. Entirely unscripted, absolutely transparent about being a newbie, and prepared to learn. It was the most exhilarating experience I’ve had in a long time, and I attribute that to being fully present to the opportunity before me—the opportunity to try something for the first time and to share that ‘first’ with my viewers, in an act of trust and bonding—instead of meeting the opportunity with rigid anticipation and polish, both of which can create some distance.

Maybe the question you and I (and the other recovering over-preparers out there) need to ask ourselves is: Is it my objective to perform this thing, as though it’s fixed, for an audience? Or, am I open to experiencing it as a living, breathing thing, at the same time that I’m sharing with my community what I know about it thus far?

Start there. As equal parts teacher and student.

---

Helen McLaughlin is an action-oriented life coach and writer based in Appleton, Wisconsin. She works with highly-motivated women who are fun, resourceful, and creative as hell…and need a plan for going after and getting what they want. Enrollment for Finishing School, her eight-week group coaching program on completion, kicks off the week of September 25. Find out more by subscribing to her newsletter and by joining the movers and shakers in her Facebook group, Action Oriented.

You’ve read How to Stop Preparing and Start Doing, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

>

You’re reading How to Stop Preparing and Start Doing, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Are you a chronic over-preparer?

I am. Really, I used to be—but I say “I am” because, as with any addictive behavior, recovery from that persistent feeling of needing to do more is a slow and lifelong process. We don’t decide just once to quit over-preparing; we decide day after day, with each and every presentation, product launch, coaching conversation, and article submission.

We decide every single time we have the opportunity to over-prepare. Which means every single time we feel the temptation to return to the familiar. Tweaking the font for the hundredth time before we’ll allow the webpage to go live. Rehearsing and rehashing the stack of index cards on which our talk is written. Researching just a bit more before we’ll launch that creation of ours that we already know will help people greatly.

Instead of continuing to coddle ourselves with all the non-threatening, non-exposing, low-risk tasks of preparation, we decide enough is enough. This—this thing we’ve created—is enough. We are enough.

So, how do you reach this decision?

Well, I can tell you only how I reached it for myself (rather, how I ‘reach’ it on a case-by-case basis—because, as I said before, this work is constant).

I make experience my objective. Experience over preparation. And I allow the learning that comes from the experience to be just as valuable, just as laudable, as the effects that over-preparing and compulsively polishing something might yield.

But, in order to do this, I have to value experiential learning first.

I have to value my own learning experience—and I have to be willing to share it with transparency—if I’m going to forgo the habit of chronic over-preparation.

Because that’s the thing about over-preparation: It serves us insofar as it protects us from on-the-spot learning, and the public failure and shame that might result. It gives us the opportunity (infinite opportunities, if we allow ourselves to be mired in that state of analysis-paralysis) to perfect our thing before we’ll share it. It might be said then, that over-preparation is a symptom of a performance mentality. Of believing it is our job to present ourselves as authorities, as experts, who live somewhere at the far end of the journey, closer to destination than anyplace else.

A story from my own life: Not quite two weeks ago, I decided to host a morning gathering for tea on Facebook Live. It was maybe a few weeks prior that I’d joined Facebook at all (I know, I know—definitely not an early adopter there), so you can imagine just how unfamiliar I was with all aspects of the platform. Well, regardless, I decided I wanted to connect with my readers in a real and meaningful way, so I announced in my Tuesday newsletter a morning gathering for the following Saturday. I knew that if I announced it, I had to do it—whereas, if I waited to announce it until I felt adequately prepared, it might never happen.

Now, what I could’ve done was to pick a specific topic to speak about and create some airtight takeaways for the folks who might join me live (you know, to make it ‘worth it’ for them in exchange for some of their Saturday morning); I could’ve written up an agenda and run the whole thing like a well-oiled meeting; I could’ve gotten myself worked up about being on live camera and, therefore, spent extra time in the mirror with my concealer stick.

But, I didn’t. Instead, I made experience my objective. I decided I wanted to learn about Facebook Live by doing Facebook Live—no dry-runs or dress rehearsals or obsessing over providing value. I decided I was willing to be an amateur at this thing I’d never done before. (You get that, right? I was, in all ways, an amateur at Facebook Live…so, why would I struggle to present myself as anything different?)

I carried a pot of tea upstairs to my office, sat in front of my laptop with slightly-damp hair, clicked the “Go Live” button, and had my first ever experience on live video. Five women from my community showed up and I talked with them for 45 minutes. Entirely unscripted, absolutely transparent about being a newbie, and prepared to learn. It was the most exhilarating experience I’ve had in a long time, and I attribute that to being fully present to the opportunity before me—the opportunity to try something for the first time and to share that ‘first’ with my viewers, in an act of trust and bonding—instead of meeting the opportunity with rigid anticipation and polish, both of which can create some distance.

Maybe the question you and I (and the other recovering over-preparers out there) need to ask ourselves is: Is it my objective to perform this thing, as though it’s fixed, for an audience? Or, am I open to experiencing it as a living, breathing thing, at the same time that I’m sharing with my community what I know about it thus far?

Start there. As equal parts teacher and student.

---

Helen McLaughlin is an action-oriented life coach and writer based in Appleton, Wisconsin. She works with highly-motivated women who are fun, resourceful, and creative as hell…and need a plan for going after and getting what they want. Enrollment for Finishing School, her eight-week group coaching program on completion, kicks off the week of September 25. Find out more by subscribing to her newsletter and by joining the movers and shakers in her Facebook group, Action Oriented.

You’ve read How to Stop Preparing and Start Doing, 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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