You’re reading 7 Things Highly Resilient People Don’t Do, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Have you seen how some people end up being terribly depressed during tough times while others pick themselves up beautifully? The difference is resilience.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back after a major adversity or tragedy.

All of us experience pain. The pain might come from the loss of a loved one, a period of illness, personal conflicts or business failures or any other kind of trauma.

In our attempt to lessen the pain, we sometimes turn to unhealthy behaviours. We choose to sympathise ourselves or envy others.

Let me tell you a short story.

As a young girl, Wilma Rudolph was stuck with a severe illness that left her paralysed. Her doctors said she would never be able to put her foot on the earth again. However, with an unwavering dream of becoming a runner, not only did she learn to walk again but also went on to win three gold medals in 100-meter and 200-meter race during 1960 Olympics.

That’s how powerful a resilience attitude can be. So, let’s look at seven things that highly resilient people don’t do:

1. They don’t feel shy about asking for feedback or help.

Research has shown that having social support is an innumerable advantage during tough times. Instead of facing it alone, it is easy to cope with a failure or setback when we have the support of our peers, community or family.

Unfortunately, people shun themselves away and lock themselves up during bad times. It is totally counter-intuitive to recovery. Resilient people are not afraid of asking for help or being a little vulnerable.

2. They don’t waste energy on things they cannot control:

Everyone’s life has certain aspects that are out of control. Resilient people accept this inevitable fact instead of wasting time and energy on things that are out of their control.

We cannot change or control what has happened to us. The past is unchangeable. Instead of brooding over it, resilient people focus on how to move forward.

3. They don’t attempt to numb the pain.

Somehow, Resilient people have a better endurance to pain. They choose to learn a lesson from the incident instead of letting the situation to make them feel hopeless.

Trying too hard to avoid a painful moment or pretend it doesn’t exist is not a good idea. We create more suffering by not accepting the reality.

4. They don’t let a tragedy paralyse them

Tragedies and painful situations happen to almost all people. During such times, it is natural to feel dejected and be upset. Even highly resilient people face these situations but they don’t allow themselves to be stuck in such a negativity for longer periods.

They look for ways to come out of the situation and move forward.

5. They don’t blame themselves.

Hard times sometimes destroy people’s self-esteem. Many go blaming themselves for almost everything that happens to them. This is a huge challenge.

Sometimes you may be responsible for a failure, other times it may have nothing to do with you. Resilient people understand the difference between blame and responsibility. They do take responsibility for their actions but don’t waste their time in blaming themselves.

6. They don’t base future decision on bad days.

Weak people base their decisions on a single bad incident and tend to quit their goals or shut themselves off completely. However, highly resilient people understand that it’s okay to have tough times. After all, expecting life to be wonderful all the time is foolish.

7. They Don’t wallow in self-pity.

Self-pity is a destructive mindset. Dwelling on negative events and feeling excessively sorry for yourself is the surest way to misery. While it’s totally okay to cry our hearts out, feel hopeless and lost, but you should be able to shake it off at one point and move forward.

Resilient people don’t allow self-pity to creep into their lives. They take responsibility for their own well-being and move forward.

Your Turn now:

Now, here’s the good news. Decades of research says that resilience is a quality that can be developed. And there are scientifically proven methods to become resilient.

These methods are covered in Chapter One of my free email course, 7 Proven Strategies of Enormously Successful People. Along with resilience, you will also learn other methods of massively successful people and lots of free worksheets.

Are you ready to live a successful life?

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Amy inspires readers at BrainyOwls, by writing on self-improvement and productivity. Check out her free email course, that unlocks the secret to massive success.

You’ve read 7 Things Highly Resilient People Don’t Do, 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 One Simple Fix That Will Change 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.

Transformation comes from the inside out. One simple step that has big consequences is being conscious of the food you eat. A simple way to invite meaning, experience and energy into your life is to adopt a spiritual sadhana (mindful discipline) of eating fresh foods from the spiritual science of Ayurveda, which is an ancient modality of holistic health and healing from India.

Why not make feeding yourself fresh foods every day at each meal, a spiritual choice?

Many of us spend more time choosing an outfit that makes us look thin or composing the perfect tweet than deciding what to put into our bodies. We look outwardly to fulfill our needs. We chase meaningful moments, but with a bite-sized fast food mentality. Yet, if we aspire to a healthy life, we need to be conscious of the food we eat.

By simply deciding to cook, you are investing in your health and taking ownership of the life you have been given. If you think you don’t have time to cook, you are probably over-investing in other areas of your life. Think of the time you spend waiting in markets, restaurants and drive-thrus. In this way, cooking a fresh meal is a time saver and time well spent. It’s providing a healthy meal for the people you love, making memories with them and getting children to be invested in the meals that they are creating. That’s what I call deliberate multitasking! It surprisingly takes only ten minutes to create a fresh meal that can revive each cell in your body and bring you a surprising amount of energy.

In my own life, time invested in preparing fresh meals was not a sacrifice, but an invitation to be more present.  The opportunity to make conscious choices when we do menu planning and purchasing of necessary ingredients; the sense of ownership that comes from cooking our own meals and crafting our own health; the seduction by aromas that waft through our nose and colors that splash and sensationalize our vision; the engaging of our mind and literally all senses in the ensuing process; the extension of invitations and nourishment of the family circle; the celebration of seasons and festivities of color, texture, and aroma; the entitled requests for favorite recipes by my son, and the look of satisfaction in my husbands eyes, and the smiles of my students — perhaps these are some of the reasons why I cook for my self, my health, and the well being of all who I care about.

Ayurveda clarifies that our goal is eat foods that not only strengthen the body but also revives the mind. Start with eating fresh. Canned, frozen and other convenience foods have an artificially elongated shelf life also come under the stale category. If you want to feel good, you have to stop imbibing “industrial grade slush,” and invest in an experience. Many of us eat these foods out of habit. Choosing meals that taste good and are good for us is a simple adjustment that I promise will positively change your life.

Try this: Permanent change takes small steps. You don’t have to completely revise your menu. Commit to eliminating just one packaged food a meal (e.g. swapping a bag of chips or frozen entrée) and replacing with something fresh. Then see how you feel in a month.

© 2017 Acharya Shunya, author of Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom: A Complete Prescription to Optimize Your Health, Prevent Disease, and Live with Vitality and Joy

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Acharya Shunya is one of the extraordinary teachers of the living, embodied wisdom of Ayurveda. She transmits it through the roots of her ancient family lineage as well as throughout her book, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017). Shunya is the driving force behind Vedika Global, a wisdom school dedicated to awakening health and consciousness, and was recognized as one of the Top 100 teachers of Ayurveda and Yoga in America by Spirituality and Health Magazine (2015). Shunya is President of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine, a the keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and teaches at California Institute of Integral Studies and at complementary medicine symposiums at Stanford, UCLA, and UCSF. For more information, please visit http://ift.tt/2k19U2f and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

You’ve read One Simple Fix That Will Change 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 One Simple Fix That Will Change 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.

Transformation comes from the inside out. One simple step that has big consequences is being conscious of the food you eat. A simple way to invite meaning, experience and energy into your life is to adopt a spiritual sadhana (mindful discipline) of eating fresh foods from the spiritual science of Ayurveda, which is an ancient modality of holistic health and healing from India.

Why not make feeding yourself fresh foods every day at each meal, a spiritual choice?

Many of us spend more time choosing an outfit that makes us look thin or composing the perfect tweet than deciding what to put into our bodies. We look outwardly to fulfill our needs. We chase meaningful moments, but with a bite-sized fast food mentality. Yet, if we aspire to a healthy life, we need to be conscious of the food we eat.

By simply deciding to cook, you are investing in your health and taking ownership of the life you have been given. If you think you don’t have time to cook, you are probably over-investing in other areas of your life. Think of the time you spend waiting in markets, restaurants and drive-thrus. In this way, cooking a fresh meal is a time saver and time well spent. It’s providing a healthy meal for the people you love, making memories with them and getting children to be invested in the meals that they are creating. That’s what I call deliberate multitasking! It surprisingly takes only ten minutes to create a fresh meal that can revive each cell in your body and bring you a surprising amount of energy.

In my own life, time invested in preparing fresh meals was not a sacrifice, but an invitation to be more present.  The opportunity to make conscious choices when we do menu planning and purchasing of necessary ingredients; the sense of ownership that comes from cooking our own meals and crafting our own health; the seduction by aromas that waft through our nose and colors that splash and sensationalize our vision; the engaging of our mind and literally all senses in the ensuing process; the extension of invitations and nourishment of the family circle; the celebration of seasons and festivities of color, texture, and aroma; the entitled requests for favorite recipes by my son, and the look of satisfaction in my husbands eyes, and the smiles of my students — perhaps these are some of the reasons why I cook for my self, my health, and the well being of all who I care about.

Ayurveda clarifies that our goal is eat foods that not only strengthen the body but also revives the mind. Start with eating fresh. Canned, frozen and other convenience foods have an artificially elongated shelf life also come under the stale category. If you want to feel good, you have to stop imbibing “industrial grade slush,” and invest in an experience. Many of us eat these foods out of habit. Choosing meals that taste good and are good for us is a simple adjustment that I promise will positively change your life.

Try this: Permanent change takes small steps. You don’t have to completely revise your menu. Commit to eliminating just one packaged food a meal (e.g. swapping a bag of chips or frozen entrée) and replacing with something fresh. Then see how you feel in a month.

© 2017 Acharya Shunya, author of Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom: A Complete Prescription to Optimize Your Health, Prevent Disease, and Live with Vitality and Joy

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Acharya Shunya is one of the extraordinary teachers of the living, embodied wisdom of Ayurveda. She transmits it through the roots of her ancient family lineage as well as throughout her book, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017). Shunya is the driving force behind Vedika Global, a wisdom school dedicated to awakening health and consciousness, and was recognized as one of the Top 100 teachers of Ayurveda and Yoga in America by Spirituality and Health Magazine (2015). Shunya is President of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine, a the keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and teaches at California Institute of Integral Studies and at complementary medicine symposiums at Stanford, UCLA, and UCSF. For more information, please visit http://ift.tt/2k19U2f and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

You’ve read One Simple Fix That Will Change 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 Embrace the Number “15” to Accomplish Sustainable Weight Loss, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

I grew up in a family that ate a traditional Southern diet, and I watched as it contributed to diabetes, obesity, and disabilities among my loved ones. I realized that I needed to make changes to escape the devastating effects of poor diet and excess weight that ravaged my family.

Through the years, I figured out how to lose excess weight for good. How did I do it? Not by starving myself or following ridiculous fad diets that eliminate entire food groups. Nor did I do it by pledging my soul to an extreme fitness program that required hours and hours in the gym each week. Instead, I’ve found that tracking servings — instead of calories, fat grams or other units — is an easy, realistic way to eat the right amount of food for successful weight loss. Alongside adjusting serving sizes, my program includes 15-minutes of mindful meditation to stave off stress, and 15-minute exercise sequences to help ease into a daily regimen that brings new energy and vitality to each day.

Imagine enjoying 15 servings a day of the tastiest, easiest-to-prepare, most power-packed foods you will ever eat. Visualize yourself exercising in 15-minute chunks, doing muscle-building moves that give you energy, build strength, and rev up your metabolism. Envision taking 15 minutes of your day to nourish and refresh your mind and to feed your soul, letting go of the stresses of the day.

Science shows that people enjoy greater success by tackling weight loss in small increments. It’s much easier to think of losing 15 pounds than to worry about losing all your excess weight at once. If you have, say, 45 pounds to lose, it’s much easier to think of losing 15 pounds three times than to worry about losing an entire 45 pounds at once. After losing the first 15, you’ve proven to yourself that you have the power to do it again and again. This is the foundation of my Final 15 Plan.

Here’s how to use the number 15 as your guide to sustainable weight loss:

1. Eat 15 servings of food a day.Just to clarify, this doesn’t mean eating 15 times a day, but rather eating 15 true servings of nutritious foods. Americans have a problem with portion distortion — our serving sizes are much too big. It’s important to learn how to judge serving sizes using visual cues (a serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards; a serving of cheese the size of a domino). Then, by following a three-phase plan of 15 days each that steps up more easy-to-prepare food choices as you go (most can be prepared in less than 15 minutes), you can successfully drop 15 pounds of excess weight.

2. Move your body in short, 15-minute increments.The Final 15 Plan also eases you into a daily exercise routine in 15-minute chunks with muscle-building moves that give you energy, build strength, and rev up your metabolism. Exercise, combined with weight loss, greatly diminishes your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, to name just a few. Also, over time, simply having more muscle actually leads to better weight loss. I know it can be hard to jump into an exercise routine. You don’t have to begin by running or going to a high-intensity exercise class. Just take a walk! Before you know it, you’ll be walking longer and faster and exercise will feel less like work and more like a fresh, new way of life.

3. Practice 15 minutes of mindfulness.So much of what we do in life is mindless. We go through our days without paying attention to what we’re thinking and feeling. While we’re engaged in one activity, we’re thinking about another. This mindlessness contributes to weight gain because it allows us to make food choices without really thinking. We can reverse this by practicing mindfulness. Take 15 minutes each day to become fully aware of what’s going on in the present moment. Eliminate judgments of yourself and others, and instead, look for the things to appreciate in the here and now. Mindfulness is a great de-stressor. The better you become at managing stress, the more likely you are to achieve and maintain your life’s goals, including weight loss.

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Dr. Rovenia M. Brock, Ph.D. is a leading nutrition coach for over two decades and author of a new book, Lose Your Final 15: Dr. Ro’s Plan to Eat 15 Servings a Day & Lose 15 Pounds at a Time (Rodale Books, January 2017). Known for her easy-to-apply diet, fitness and health tips for people of all ages, she served as nutrition coach on The View, helping Sherri Shepherd lose more than 40 pounds. She is a frequent contributing Nutrition Coach to the Dr. Oz Show, and also has contributed to NBC’s Today show, The CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, and National Public Radio. Dr. Ro has been featured in O Magazine, Self, Ebony, Essence, The Dallas Morning News,Memphis Commercial Appeal, and was recently named one of More magazine’s top 5 nutritionists. She holds a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Howard University and is the author of Dr. Ro’s Ten Secrets to Livin’ Healthy. Learn more at EverythingRo.com.

You’ve read Embrace the Number “15” to Accomplish Sustainable Weight Loss, 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 Get Everything You Want in Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Whether you have clear goals or not, there’s a picture in the back of your head of what you would like to have.

But everything worth having has a price.

That price is usually so significant that you may feel uncomfortable doing what you have to do – to pay it. So, you must delight in doing the challenging activities (the price), day after day. Slowly, these activities will become part of who you are and move you towards what you want.

When someone isn’t willing to pay the price, let’s look at how the scenario plays out.

Sally wants to lose 10lbs of weight so that she be fit and trim. But she isn’t prepared to eat less and consistently exercise. She’s not prepared to let go of the joys of eating whatever she wants, whenever she wants.

To achieve her goal, she will need to do these things:

– Eat healthy
– Drink enough water
– Avoid eating lots of calorically dense foods
– Track her weight

Maybe she manages to eat slightly healthier, but she’s paying just a quarter of the price needed to achieve her goal. She’s only doing one out of four things. Put it simply, her payment towards her goal doesn’t match up with its achievement.

This example manifests itself with any goal we haven’t been able to achieve.  Often, we’ve only been willing to give part of what’s due. And then we complain about not getting it even though we didn’t pay the full price! The universal law of cause and effect states that for every effect there is a definite cause, likewise for every unfulfilled cause there is an incomplete effect.

To put that in perspective, think about taking a grocery bag to the checkout, and being told to pay 40$ but only giving the friendly lady in front of you a 10$ bill. She’ll look at you like you deserve a head examination.

Only go after goals, if you’re willing to pay the full price.

When you’re ready to pay the real price of what you desire, you will finally begin to move faster than ever towards everything you want. Once you’ve made the decision to make the full investment (in heart, soul, and mind), and stick to it on a daily basis, with patience – the results you seek will come.

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” — Abraham Lincoln

The life in your years are inextricably linked by how much you’re prepared to delay gratification to reap the joys of success. Not because of how much short-term pleasure you enjoy on a day to day basis.

Pleasure is ephemeral and in the long term, not quite fulfilling. Think of eating an ice cream, or watching a TV show. It has its place, but it’s not going to give your life meaningful significance.

Being relentless in your pursuit of doing what’s necessary, to follow the path that will take you to get where you want to get to, however, will give you significance, both during the journey and at the destination.

All the while, you’ll need to maintain your happiness and sanity in the process – which is a delicate balance.

At first, it will feel uncomfortable to pay the price, you won’t enjoy itOver timeme, it will get easier and easier and you’ll start to love the process. Instead of forcing yourself upstream a river – eventually you will be flowing downstream through the river; you’ll start getting used to paying the price.

 

But what else will create the shift you need, to be able to do the hard things, to get where you want to get to? I believe it comes down to seeing yourself as a visitor to planet Earth, combined with living with a sense of urgency.

One of the best ways to make it easier for yourself to pay the full price for the things that you want is to understand you have a finite time to bless yourself and the world around you with everything you can achieve.

Every step in the right direction you take is a move in the right direction for humanity as a whole. When you pay the price for what you want, you set the right example for others around you; your example liberates others in some small way.

Most people don’t see themselves as visitors to Planet Earth, but as entitled human beings that primarily belong to this country, this nationality, or else. You can be different, and choose to see your life as an opportunity and not a given. An opportunity to provide the world with your unique gifts. But you’ll need to start paying the full price.

My Last Words

If you’re interested in learning the systems to upgrade the way you use your time on this little blue planet, read my free guide. Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How to split up your day into four chunks, so you’ll worry less about external influences.
• How to consistently celebrate your small wins, so that you feel more creative and enthusiastic each day.
• The small hacks that will take your work output on the computer to the next level.

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 Samy Felice is a writer who is passionate about unique ideas related to living a meaningful life. His Free Guide explores ways people can make success easier.

You’ve read How to Get Everything You Want in 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 Does Snoring Have Any Health Risks?, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

For a long time, people have categorized snoring as simply a minor health condition that will go away on its own. However, modern research has declared that snoring is not only irritation to the ears and to peaceful sleep but an indication of a number of complaints in your body. People who are overweight, who are regular smokers or have high cholesterol are prone to snoring, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is defined as a sleep disorder occurring due to the collapse of the airway in the throat during sleep. Particularly posing a threat to men’s health, it’s time to get yourself checked by a doctor for the following.

1. Cardiovascular disease

Sleep apnea is related to cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure and coronary artery disease which eventually lead to heart attacks. The intensity of snoring could also be a cause of carotid atherosclerosis, narrowing of the veins in the neck – leading to a stroke. Studies have shown that Continuous Positive Airway Pressure reduces heart disease down to that people who don’t suffer from sleep apnea. Snoring can also lead to an increase in heart size, putting you at risk of heart attacks and strokes.

2. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

GERD is very common in those suffering from sleep apnea because of the disordered way in which their throat when air passes in and out during sleep. This can cause pressure changes in the throat, causes the acidic contents of your stomach to move up to esophagus. This phenomenon is more to overweight people, and the condition gradually improves as the patient returns to a normal weight.

3. Arrhythmias

Arrhythmias means an ‘irregular heartbeat’ in everyday language. People who snore are at risk of having cardiac arrhythmias or atrial fibrillation. Disorders in tour heartbeat could be because sleep apnea affects the conduct of the heart, while other research suggests that it enlarges the left atrium of the heart over a period of time.

4. Low oxygen levels in blood

Snoring can also mean serious breathing problem, and breathing is an essential part of your system. When you’re not breathing properly, your body does not receive the required amount of oxygen that can constrict blood vessels in your lungs, leading to pulmonary hypertension if left untreated over time.

5. Sleep disorders

Sleep apnea causes immense disturbances in sleep and waking up frequently at night is one of them. This can be due to a number of reasons – repeated interruptions in breathing, disruption in your sleeping cycles due to lack of oxygen and light sleeping as an attempt to keep throat muscles tense to maintain a normal air flow.

6. Chronic headaches

Snorers are also reported to have frequent and chronic headaches, due to altered levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood.

Therefore, chronic snoring not only damages your respiratory and cardiovascular system but also results in poor quality sleep and poor work performance. If you sense chronic snoring in your sleep or if your loved one complains of sleepless nights, it would be better to treat the problem once and for all with the help of proper medicines and exercise.

You’ve read Does Snoring Have Any Health Risks?, 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 6 Mental Hacks For Working Out, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 50% of people over 18 years don´t meet the amount of recommended weekly exercise. If you are one of those people struggling to finally start and keep a regular workout routine, here are 6 mental hacks for working out:

1. Think longterm

The truth is, no matter how hard you may train, you won´t suddenly lose 20 pounds in a week or go from running 2 miles to running a marathon. Getting stronger mentally as well as physically takes time, so it is important that you set expectations accordingly.

Many people fail at maintaining a regular workout routine simply because they expect too much in too little time, only to be disappointed. It is therefore necessary that you set realistic expectations and know in advance that any major transformation takes time. Getting in shape is not a one-time thing, but requires constant effort repeated for many months and years.

2. Make health a lifestyle

The reason most diets and New Year`s resolutions fail is because you suddenly expect too much of yourself in too little time. When you want to jump from not working out at all to working out an hour every day, failure is just a matter of time because there is no way you will follow through with that. You get overwhelmed within a matter of days with all the things you suddenly have to do or can´t eat until you give up completely.

The easiest solution for this is to make health a lifestyle – to make exercising and healthy eating fun rather than trying to force yourself to do something that you hate. Instead of setting unrealistic expectations like “I will never eat sweets again” or “I will run 6 miles every day” when you haven´t run before, resolve to make the first steps in the right direction. For example, decide to limit your sugar intake by 50% or start by working out 10 minutes every day. Make it doable in the beginning so that you don´t get overwhelmed.

3. Consistency is key

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

Whatever you are trying to accomplish in life, whether that is at your job or in your health, consistency is absolute key! Greatness does not come from one giant event that suddenly transformed your life completely, but rather the little choices you make every day along the journey. Every little decision you make, whether small or big, has an effect on your future.

We often tend to disregard the little choices and instead focus on the big ones, but it is often the small, seemingly inconsequential choices that make or break your success. For example, switching up your daily desert from cake to an apple once does not seem to do much good. But if you repeat this day after day for many months and years, this little decision can have a major impact on your future. Every little decision matters, so make sure you are making the right ones!

4. Hold yourself accountable

Usually, it is way easier to just fail yourself than someone else. Find an accountability partner, one that tracks your progress or, even better, can work out with you. There is nothing more motivating than having a team of people to push you on your way to a stronger and better you! Check out your local running club, find a workout partner at the gym, or simply ask a friend that has been struggling to keep a regular workout routine to join you.

5. Treat yourself right

Anytime you follow through on your commitments, make sure to positively reinforce that by treating yourself well! Whether that is getting a massage after a full week of keeping your diet or a little shopping trip for running three times this week, find something exciting that will reinforce the positive feelings about working out.

6. Set goals

I have found setting goals to be one of the best things do to boost your motivation. Whether it is a certain time you want to run for a 5k or the local half-marathon you finally want to participate in, find a goal that excites you and inspires you to take action! As Tony Robbins said, “People are not lazy, they simply have impotent goals.. that is.. goals that do not inspire them.”

When you find yourself struggling to find motivation, simply find a goal inspiring enough to get you excited and take action immediately!

Featured photo credit: Jack Moreh via freerangestock.com

You’ve read 6 Mental Hacks For Working Out, 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 Change Your Life in Just 5 Minutes a Day, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

There are many things that can make us happy: reading, healthy food, listening to good music, running and taking walks every single day, coffee with a friend… Why aren’t we doing all these things? The usual answer is: “there’s not enough time.” Well, time is a factor we can’t change. There’s no way to make a day last for 26 hours, so we’ll use that extra time for extra pleasure. We have to work with what we have, so the question is: how do we squeeze in some happiness in 24 hours?

The problem is in the approach. There are people who work really hard, have a great connection with their families, and still find time to prepare their meals and exercise in the morning. Their days are not longer; they just use the time more wisely. Can you find 5 minutes of your time for an activity you like? Those 5 minutes can really change your life. Think of it as an investment in your personal growth.

5 minutes a day. Everyone has them!

Changing Your Life in 5 Minutes a Day

During these 5 minutes, you’ll be doing something important: building a daily habit of appreciation. It will be like a daily meditation that will push you forward through life… hopefully, with a smile on your face. You can’t meet all friends, read a book, watch a movie, or exercise in 5 minutes.

However, this habit will teach you to appreciate the time and make a wiser decision. You won’t even notice how you’re finding more time for those pleasures in future. Let’s see how it’s done. These are all things you can do in 5 minutes:

Take a Regenerative Shower

Have you ever felt the healing effects of water? You’re feeling exhausted after work. You don’t have a single atom of energy left in your body. After a shower, you feel much better. Water does have such an effect on us, but we have to be aware of it if we want to experience it in its full glory.

Take that shower. Use a luxurious soap that makes you feel special. Relax. You have these 5 minutes to yourself. You’re important. You deserve to have a special moment in the day. Feel how the water washes the stress away. When you’re focused on the process of relaxing, you realize that this routine is more powerful than you assumed.

Be Grateful

Tomorrow, get up 5 minutes earlier than usual. Those 5 minutes don’t make a difference in sleep, but they make a huge difference when you’re awake. Before you get the cup of coffee and before you do anything else, just sit in quiet. Close your eyes and think of something you’re grateful for. You have your friends, your family, your home… the list can go on and on. Focus; don’t let your brain be drawn towards negativity. At the end of those 5 minutes, take a long, deep breath and be grateful for the air you breathe.

Do that every single day! When you start the day with positive thoughts, you have more strength to face any challenge that comes your way.

Set Priorities

Here is another thing you can do in five minutes: think of the most important things you need to do in order to live a happy life. Maybe you already have a schedule and your priorities are listed there, but this is a difference. Set long-term goals that would make you happier than you currently are. Do you want to start a family? Write that down. Think of everything you need to do in order to make that happen.

This practice will keep you focused on the big picture, which can get blurred under all daily errands.

Call a Friend

How long can a simple conversation take? Call a friend, every single day. Just ask how they are doing. Listen to them. Share your worries and happy moments. Texting is overestimated! When you’re actually talking to each other, you’re sharing real emotions and special moments. 

Start Doing Something!

You have 5 minutes on your hands and you’re wondering what to do? Start a book. Even if you have only 5 minutes, you’ll read a page. Sign up for an online course! There are tons of learning opportunities you can explore, and the best part is that they are free. You think you don’t have time, but sign up anyway. Tomorrow, you’ll explore the course for 5 minutes, and it won’t take long before you make a strong commitment. Use that little time to take any action.

When you do something you enjoy, you suddenly realize that every moment of the day is precious. Instead of spending 5 minutes stressing over tomorrow’s assignments, you can use that time to relax. Instead of taking a shower just for the sake of being clean, you can really enjoy those moments and be alone with yourself. Even if you decide to do every single one of the practices above, it will take 25 minutes of the day. You have that time. Repeat your favorite thing every day!

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Eva Wislow is a writer and career advisor at CareersBooster.com. She is on a mission to help people find their true calling. When she is not working, you can find her reading with a cup of coffee.

You’ve read How to Change Your Life in Just 5 Minutes a Day, 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 Is This One Critical Mistake Crippling Your Confidence?, 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’re freaking out at the thought of meeting new people, speaking up at that meeting or going for that job interview?

Have you tried all the standard advice on how to be more confident, more self-assured?

And have all your efforts actually left you less confident, less self-assured?

Take heart. You’re not alone. There’s a really good reason.

You see, it’s still good advice…

• Talk louder
• Walk faster
• Strike a ‘power pose’

And so on.

Good advice that is … for anyone not like you.

That’s not because there’s anything wrong with you. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s because everything is right with you.

The problem is you’re making one critical mistake that’s crippling your confidence…

The true, authentic you.

You see, you were born with a fierce desire to be you. And you naturally want success in your personal and work life. But not at the expense of who you truly are.

And you feel that if you follow a lot of the good, but generic advice out there on how to be confident, you’ll end up a walking, talking, posturing caricature of yourself.

Trying to build healthy self-esteem and confidence by imitating others is like trying to eat healthily on a diet of fast food.

Your self-esteem and confidence can only flourish in the person it belongs to – you.

You are unique and have always had your own unique self-confidence. What you need is to unlock that confidence and use it to permanently rock your world.

You see, the critical mistake all this advice is making is treating self-confidence as if it were somehow an external thing.

True, lasting confidence is an inside job.

The advantage of inner confidence is that it doesn’t rely on ‘faking it or external techniques designed to impress others. Techniques that, even though they may work in the short term, leave people like you and me feeling less confident and often with lower self esteem in the long term.

Remember, the only thing NO ONE on this planet can do better than you … is be YOU.

Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You! – Dr Seuss

Or if you prefer:

Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. – Oscar Wilde

You will always be a poor imitation of anyone else. Only by unlocking your true inner confidence can you :

• stop feeling intimated by others
• stop feeling inferior to others
• stop saying ‘yes’ to everyone and everything.

And instead:

• Start feeling good about yourself
• Start feeling more confident about your capabilities
• Start saying ‘no’ and standing up for yourself without creating conflict or feeling guilty.

So here’s a few suggestions to start unlocking your inner confidence…

• Instead of talking louder, try talking quieter – Gandhi never raised his voice and a nation listened.
• Instead of walking faster, try walking at your own pace – I’ve never seen the Dalai Lama rushing from one place to the next.
• Instead of striking a ‘power pose’, try letting your authentic body language speak for itself.

Unlock you inner confidence

Stop missing out on great social, personal and work opportunities

Imagine being at ease when meeting new people.

Imagine speaking up with confidence at that next meeting.

Imagine acing that next job interview.

Let your authentic, inner confidence rock your world.

From the inside, out.

Bio: Laura Tong is a former health professional, a regular contributor on The Huffington Post and Assistant Editor at Goodlife ZEN. Along with Mary Jaksch, a psychotherapist and authorized Zen Master she has created The Confidence Blueprint to help you feel good about yourself and unlock your authentic confidence with proven strategies and techniques. Or take her fun and revealing Confidence Quiz.

 

 

You’ve read Is This One Critical Mistake Crippling Your Confidence?, 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 The 7 Best Blogs on Happiness, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Happiness is a mental state that is indefinite by the fact that it is fleeting emotion. When we feel it, we attempt to hold on to it and tend to feel worse once it inevitably ends. That is why it may be time to examine what happiness essentially is and how one can actually cultivate it in order to experience it more often. Surprisingly, scientific studies show that happiness is more about feeling balanced than it is about feeling the ‘highs’ of excitement.

Here are 7 blogs that clarify happiness so you can focus on feeling it:

1. This blog focuses on the ‘triangle of stability’ that comprises of 3 factors, Time, Status and Emotion. Time being the present moment that includes the history of your past success and defeats. Status is our real and unseen potential, that gives us a direction to drive our actions. Emotion is the attitude for which we reflect ourselves to others, essentially determining our happiness.

http://ift.tt/2cj8lKS

2. This is a great blog that lays out opinions in a very straightforward way. Mark Manson believes that although someone may be responsible for a circumstance or predicament that affects you, nobody can be responsible for your happiness as you are in the driver’s seat when it comes to how you decide to perceive and react to things. ,

http://ift.tt/2jBYdjo

3. Simple as it gets, and so easy to achieve, You wanna be happy? Move! All it takes is a little exercise to boost your mood and happiness instantly.

http://ift.tt/2iX0Njw

4. The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale’ is a fun game to play and in this blog, we are given the instructions. The author posits that we must challenge our thoughts and not always trust their truth or validity particularly if we are feeling emotional, they can cause irrationality.

http://ift.tt/P0Wbcw

5. This blog focuses on ridding our minds of the limiting belief that we only have one true calling in life. This belief can be so ingrained in us since childhood that it will cause anxiety and unhappiness. It is accurate that many people have potential in several areas of life, and can switch gears to numerous careers or simply include all their interests into one career. The ‘multi-potentialite’ is born, which should not be perceived as ‘indecisive and non-committal’ but ‘innovative and original.’

http://ift.tt/1uJxRwg

6. This author uses the idea of relativity to help us get back on track after a major setback in life. No more looking at the big picture, this can be overwhelming at times, the key is to start small and begin to perceive your circumstance as surmountable, especially as compared to others who may have it much harder. Relativity helps us minimize self pity and regain control of our lives by focusing on what we have to be grateful for.

http://ift.tt/2cTjGQo

7. This article introduces one to the ‘conscious aging’ movement. It is a strong mindset that can alleviate anxiety and increase happiness as we age toward our retirement years or even if we are already there. The practices of exercise, driving and socializing do wonders as activities that maintain self esteem and overall well being. As well, the issue of healthcare avoidance is addressed, which is very important in feeling your ailments will be taken care of now and in the future as you age.

http://ift.tt/2c7GizP

Happiness is really about tapping into your potential to control your own perspective. If we can increase the quality of our consciousness, all of our personal development will be funneled in the right direction. To be happy can sometimes come from our genetic disposition, which is out of our control, however, more often than not, it is in our power to perceive accurately what is our reality. Happiness is reality, that’s certainly one way to look at it!

Do you read a great blog about happiness 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 Happiness, 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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