Maybe that’s what we look for in the people we love, the spark of unhappiness we think we know how to extinguish.
Motivation
Erin’s Things: August 13
You’re reading Erin’s Things: August 13, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Hi Friends!
From a cool water bottle to an amazing podcast on Compassion – this week’s list will have you inspired, humbled and maybe just dancing a bit!
1. qUE water bottle – Water is life, and as such we need it often, every single day. Most of us either carry around a plastic water bottle (which isn’t helping the environment one iota), or we buy a heavy environmentally conscious bottle which weighs us down and takes up so much room in our bags. A solution has arrived and I am stoked. This kickstarter funded product, qUE water bottle, twists up and down to expand and contract, making it easy to store once you’ve had your H2o. It also works for hot liquids! I’m getting thirsty.
2. Crystal Kayak – Kayaking is cool. Kayaking in a transparent, clear kayak is just next level cool. Florida’s Crystal Kayak company ships the kayaks all over the world, they come complete with buffing pads, cleaning solution, transport trolley and more but they are not cheap, running you 1,499.00 in cost. Made from the same material used in airplane windshields, you’re in no danger of damage from colliding with a rock.
3. The Aces – cool, four girl indie rock-pop band form Utah. Their debut single ‘Stuck’ is catchy enough to seriously stick in your head, in a good way. Recently signed to Red Bull Records, their 70’s, summery sounds are headed into heavy rotation on my playlist.
4. Option B – New book by acclaimed author of “Lean In’, Sheryl Sandberg’s latest offering is called ‘Option B’, on how to discover resilience and help other’s in crisis after suffering through major loss. At some point in all our lives, Option a is not available to us, this is when we make the most of what we have and persevere.
5. The Science of Compassion, Podcast – Spreading compassion into the world, one small gesture at a time. This podcast touches on the acts of kindness either toward someone we know or a complete stranger and how it can impact and change our lives for the better. It’s a must listen for a refresher on how to interact with those around you with grace and generosity.
What has inspired you this week? Got any great suggestions? Leave your ideas in the comments below!
Be well,
Erin
You’ve read Erin’s Things: August 13, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Erin’s Things: August 13
You’re reading Erin’s Things: August 13, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Hi Friends!
From a cool water bottle to an amazing podcast on Compassion – this week’s list will have you inspired, humbled and maybe just dancing a bit!
1. qUE water bottle – Water is life, and as such we need it often, every single day. Most of us either carry around a plastic water bottle (which isn’t helping the environment one iota), or we buy a heavy environmentally conscious bottle which weighs us down and takes up so much room in our bags. A solution has arrived and I am stoked. This kickstarter funded product, qUE water bottle, twists up and down to expand and contract, making it easy to store once you’ve had your H2o. It also works for hot liquids! I’m getting thirsty.
2. Crystal Kayak – Kayaking is cool. Kayaking in a transparent, clear kayak is just next level cool. Florida’s Crystal Kayak company ships the kayaks all over the world, they come complete with buffing pads, cleaning solution, transport trolley and more but they are not cheap, running you 1,499.00 in cost. Made from the same material used in airplane windshields, you’re in no danger of damage from colliding with a rock.
3. The Aces – cool, four girl indie rock-pop band form Utah. Their debut single ‘Stuck’ is catchy enough to seriously stick in your head, in a good way. Recently signed to Red Bull Records, their 70’s, summery sounds are headed into heavy rotation on my playlist.
4. Option B – New book by acclaimed author of “Lean In’, Sheryl Sandberg’s latest offering is called ‘Option B’, on how to discover resilience and help other’s in crisis after suffering through major loss. At some point in all our lives, Option a is not available to us, this is when we make the most of what we have and persevere.
5. The Science of Compassion, Podcast – Spreading compassion into the world, one small gesture at a time. This podcast touches on the acts of kindness either toward someone we know or a complete stranger and how it can impact and change our lives for the better. It’s a must listen for a refresher on how to interact with those around you with grace and generosity.
What has inspired you this week? Got any great suggestions? Leave your ideas in the comments below!
Be well,
Erin
You’ve read Erin’s Things: August 13, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
August 12th
Much of what was said did not matter, and that much of what mattered could not be said.
How to Win in Life Every Day
You’re reading How to Win in Life Every Day, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Do you know what it feels like to win every day?
Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the end of the day that you wonder how you even got anything done?
Most people go through life on auto-pilot without any thought as to what is happening.
Is that you? Do you find yourself so wrapped up in a routine that you struggle to make progress on your goals?
If so, consider these tips, and start winning at life every day!
Tip#1: Win the morning.
Henry Ward Beecher once said, “The first hour is the rudder of the day – the Golden Hour.”
Be strategic in how you start your mornings. If you wake up late, grab a cup of coffee, and race to get to work on time you have set a panicked tone for the day.
If a rudder steers a ship through its course, your first hour should help set the direction of your day.
Set several alarms if you need to wake up on time. Get up slowly and take some time to feed yourself mentally and emotionally before starting your “work” day.
Tip#2: Celebrate the small wins.
No matter how full your day is with problem-solving, you must celebrate the small wins.
Did you wake up on time and make your bed before you left for work? Win!
Did you finally figure out how to get that column to total correctly on your balance spreadsheet at work? Win!
Did you stay under budget this week? Win!
There is so much that goes well during each week, so make sure to celebrate it!
Tip#3: Be fully present in each situation.
“We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” – Bill Watterson
There is no other way to live except in the moment.
Too often we find ourselves looking ahead to the weekend, to the next month, to the next holiday, etc. We anticipate exciting and disappointing things all the time.
Instead, let’s practice gratitude for each moment and learn to enjoy it to the fullest. Take time to talk with your coworkers or your children. Don’t let life’s small moments pass you by.
Don’t let life’s small moments pass you by.
Tip#4: Recap your day with highs and lows.
One strategy that has worked great for me is to invest 5-10 minutes each day to verbalize and write down my highs and lows.
When I’m tired or stressed, I tend to think that I have had a very boring or “bad” day. However, if I take the time to analyze my day, I find there are almost always more positive events that I have simply forgotten.
Even if there were some low times, I can meditate on those for a moment and see if there’s anything I can learn and grow from.
I don’t believe in coincidences, so start paying attention to everything that happens each day.
Tip#5: Unwind and relax at night.
How do you finish your day? If starting your day is important, so is finishing the day.
What is it that you enjoy most to relax and unwind? Watching movies, reading a good book, taking a walk, playing with your children? Pick one of those activities and try it out for a week to see how it makes you feel.
You want to choose things that allow your mind to escape from any worry and bring feelings of happiness and contentment.
I hope these tips help you to take control of your life and start winning every day!
I’m Johnny Miller, the founder of Finding Your Fit, a blog about finding margin and career direction in life. Come check out my blog and see how you can begin designing a career roadmap that actually fits your life.
You’ve read How to Win in Life Every Day, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
How to Win in Life Every Day
You’re reading How to Win in Life Every Day, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Do you know what it feels like to win every day?
Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the end of the day that you wonder how you even got anything done?
Most people go through life on auto-pilot without any thought as to what is happening.
Is that you? Do you find yourself so wrapped up in a routine that you struggle to make progress on your goals?
If so, consider these tips, and start winning at life every day!
Tip#1: Win the morning.
Henry Ward Beecher once said, “The first hour is the rudder of the day – the Golden Hour.”
Be strategic in how you start your mornings. If you wake up late, grab a cup of coffee, and race to get to work on time you have set a panicked tone for the day.
If a rudder steers a ship through its course, your first hour should help set the direction of your day.
Set several alarms if you need to wake up on time. Get up slowly and take some time to feed yourself mentally and emotionally before starting your “work” day.
Tip#2: Celebrate the small wins.
No matter how full your day is with problem-solving, you must celebrate the small wins.
Did you wake up on time and make your bed before you left for work? Win!
Did you finally figure out how to get that column to total correctly on your balance spreadsheet at work? Win!
Did you stay under budget this week? Win!
There is so much that goes well during each week, so make sure to celebrate it!
Tip#3: Be fully present in each situation.
“We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” – Bill Watterson
There is no other way to live except in the moment.
Too often we find ourselves looking ahead to the weekend, to the next month, to the next holiday, etc. We anticipate exciting and disappointing things all the time.
Instead, let’s practice gratitude for each moment and learn to enjoy it to the fullest. Take time to talk with your coworkers or your children. Don’t let life’s small moments pass you by.
Don’t let life’s small moments pass you by.
Tip#4: Recap your day with highs and lows.
One strategy that has worked great for me is to invest 5-10 minutes each day to verbalize and write down my highs and lows.
When I’m tired or stressed, I tend to think that I have had a very boring or “bad” day. However, if I take the time to analyze my day, I find there are almost always more positive events that I have simply forgotten.
Even if there were some low times, I can meditate on those for a moment and see if there’s anything I can learn and grow from.
I don’t believe in coincidences, so start paying attention to everything that happens each day.
Tip#5: Unwind and relax at night.
How do you finish your day? If starting your day is important, so is finishing the day.
What is it that you enjoy most to relax and unwind? Watching movies, reading a good book, taking a walk, playing with your children? Pick one of those activities and try it out for a week to see how it makes you feel.
You want to choose things that allow your mind to escape from any worry and bring feelings of happiness and contentment.
I hope these tips help you to take control of your life and start winning every day!
I’m Johnny Miller, the founder of Finding Your Fit, a blog about finding margin and career direction in life. Come check out my blog and see how you can begin designing a career roadmap that actually fits your life.
You’ve read How to Win in Life Every Day, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
11 Habits That Can Absolutely Transform Your Productivity
You’re reading 11 Habits That Can Absolutely Transform Your Productivity, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
If you think that highly productive people are superheroes who have special methods which help them be at the top of their game every single day, you are very wrong. They apply these simple habits and stick to them religiously. With a little practice, you can do so as well!
1. Neat surroundings
Focusing on your work while the workspace is full of distractions can be very tricky. So if you have piles of papers or documents in your line of sight, take some time to put them in a drawer and tidy up your surroundings a bit. It will help you concentrate on your work and allow you to dedicate more time to a particular task.
2. Power naps
As odd as it might seem, taking short naps during your work hours can actually help you feel less stressed and increase your productivity. You will also be less prone to impulsive decisions after you doze off for an hour or so which will undoubtedly make you more successful.
3. Away with the distractors
Checking your Facebook or Instagram feed constantly can lead to a distracting spiral which will disrupt your productivity at the end of the day. It can sound impossible, but as soon as you identify the distractor that takes up most of your work time, you should try to reduce the minutes (or hours) you spend on it. The most common distractions are the internet, social media, texting, office gossip, and e-mail.
4. No cell phones
Leaving your phone on while working can be damaging because the very sound of vibration can make you think about the received text message so your mind cannot focus completely. Using your smartphone during work hours can harm your productivity but also make you less communicative. Not to forget that you will probably miss some important deadlines along the way.
5. Move regularly
Being physically active can do wonders for your creativity and efficiency. You don’t have to join a gym and exercise every single day – simply take a walk or a quick twenty minutes jog. It will help you clear up your thoughts and come up with brand new ideas.
6. Positive work environment
If you work for a company that often surveys their employees and gives positive feedback, the chances are you will feel more confident and be at least 21% more productive on a regular basis. Fewer people would leave the firm and your clients will be 10% more satisfied with the quality of the delivered products or services.
7. Sunshine and nature
Is your workspace situated in a poorly lit corner with the artificial lights? Try relocating closer to a window. The results of a study by California Energy Commission proves that people who enjoy the sunshine and natural surroundings during their work day are more efficient by 25% when it comes to performance tests. The tested subjects also processed the calls 12% faster.
8. Plan ahead
Use schedules and to-do lists in order to determine which tasks require your immediate attention. Try to keep your ideas out of it and write them down in a separate notebook so you don’t mix them up with the work.
9. Don’t overwork yourself
If you think that clocking in more hours on a weekly basis will make you more productive, you are very wrong. People are not machines so there is no need to tire yourself every single week. John Pencavel who works at Stanford University published his research in 2014 which proves that employees who worked for 70 hours a week were as productive as those who worked for 56 hours.
10. Catch those z’s in moderation
Showing up well rested at your workplace is a first step to boosting your productivity but this doesn’t mean that you should sleep for twelve hours either. The research published by Finnish Institute of Occupational Health proves that under sleepers and over sleepers used more sick days than people who slept for seven to eight hours every night. So make sure you stay in that range.
11. The most important 20%
If your work day lasts for eight hours, you should spend exactly ninety minutes working on the hardest and most important tasks that require your full focus and attention. It will help you deliver the high-quality results without increasing your work related stress.
Conclusion
Some of these habits such as limiting the time you spend on your phone or social media might look complicated and impossible at first but you can always start small. As a matter of fact, you can tidy up your work space right now and make an instant change that will brighten up your mood.
Also, don’t beat yourself up if you are unable to apply every single habit from this list right away. And keep in mind that sometimes your productivity depends on the company you work for and you can’t directly influence that.
You’ve read 11 Habits That Can Absolutely Transform Your Productivity, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
August 11th
Either you deal with what is the reality, or you can be sure that the reality is going to deal with you.
The Landmark Forum can make you a flexible person
You’re reading The Landmark Forum can make you a flexible person, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Sometimes you see huge posters on the road inviting you to attend a Landmark Forum course. What exactly is the Landmark Forum? What do they teach that you cannot learn elsewhere? Who are these people? Is it some sort of a spiritual organization or a cult? Questions like these can flood your mind and literally make you crazy. How do you deal with the problem? The best way to do so is to experience the Landmark Forum. You will get the answers to all your questions once you enroll at this Forum. Coming to the main question, who exactly does this Forum benefit? Who can join the Forum courses?
The answers to both these questions are the same. These courses can benefit everybody, and anybody can join the Landmark Forum courses. Usually you have specific categories of individuals enrolling for the courses.
There is a section of people who do it out of curiosity. They might have heard a lot about these courses from their friends. They have a desire to experience the same. Hence, they enroll into the courses. In fact, such people are the ones who benefit the most. This is because they come with an open mind and without any kind of preconceived notions about the course. Their only exposure to the course might be the discussion they had with their friends or the odd Landmark Forum review they might have read.
You have a section of people who are eager to bring about a change in their lives as well as that of the others. They come with a lot of expectations. Such people can also benefit provided they participate with their heart and mind. They should develop a positive attitude and learn to take the rough with the smooth. This Landmark Forum course can be a tough experience. If you have preconceived notions about these courses, you will not succeed in imbibing the true essence of the course. This course discourages you from having any kind of preconceived notions about anybody.
You can also find people who are disgruntled with their lives and come to this Forum as a last resort to set their lives back in order. It depends on the mindset of the individual. If he comes with an open mind, he can very well succeed in rebuilding his life. However, if he comes with a closed mind, it is better that he takes the full refund the moment it is offered to him.
What do you gather from the above examples? One thing is certain that one should not have any preconceived notion about the course. He should be ready to take on the course as well as life as it comes. To borrow a cricketing terminology, this is what we call as treating every ball on its merit. You may find the odd bouncer or so. It is better to duck and let the ball fly past.
The Landmark Forum teaches you to develop a positive approach to life. If you do that, you develop an open mind and hence become flexible in life. This is the secret of maintaining a healthy relationship.
You’ve read The Landmark Forum can make you a flexible person, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
The Landmark Forum can make you a flexible person
You’re reading The Landmark Forum can make you a flexible person, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Sometimes you see huge posters on the road inviting you to attend a Landmark Forum course. What exactly is the Landmark Forum? What do they teach that you cannot learn elsewhere? Who are these people? Is it some sort of a spiritual organization or a cult? Questions like these can flood your mind and literally make you crazy. How do you deal with the problem? The best way to do so is to experience the Landmark Forum. You will get the answers to all your questions once you enroll at this Forum. Coming to the main question, who exactly does this Forum benefit? Who can join the Forum courses?
The answers to both these questions are the same. These courses can benefit everybody, and anybody can join the Landmark Forum courses. Usually you have specific categories of individuals enrolling for the courses.
There is a section of people who do it out of curiosity. They might have heard a lot about these courses from their friends. They have a desire to experience the same. Hence, they enroll into the courses. In fact, such people are the ones who benefit the most. This is because they come with an open mind and without any kind of preconceived notions about the course. Their only exposure to the course might be the discussion they had with their friends or the odd Landmark Forum review they might have read.
You have a section of people who are eager to bring about a change in their lives as well as that of the others. They come with a lot of expectations. Such people can also benefit provided they participate with their heart and mind. They should develop a positive attitude and learn to take the rough with the smooth. This Landmark Forum course can be a tough experience. If you have preconceived notions about these courses, you will not succeed in imbibing the true essence of the course. This course discourages you from having any kind of preconceived notions about anybody.
You can also find people who are disgruntled with their lives and come to this Forum as a last resort to set their lives back in order. It depends on the mindset of the individual. If he comes with an open mind, he can very well succeed in rebuilding his life. However, if he comes with a closed mind, it is better that he takes the full refund the moment it is offered to him.
What do you gather from the above examples? One thing is certain that one should not have any preconceived notion about the course. He should be ready to take on the course as well as life as it comes. To borrow a cricketing terminology, this is what we call as treating every ball on its merit. You may find the odd bouncer or so. It is better to duck and let the ball fly past.
The Landmark Forum teaches you to develop a positive approach to life. If you do that, you develop an open mind and hence become flexible in life. This is the secret of maintaining a healthy relationship.
You’ve read The Landmark Forum can make you a flexible person, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Sig Nordal 