You’re reading 4 Ways To Improve Your Emotional Intelligence, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

As humans, we possess a myriad of emotions that allow us to fully experience our lives. It would stand to reason that being aware and giving attention to our emotions, and the emotions of those around us, serves to enhance our daily interactions and improve our overall well being. The ability to understand and manage emotions is called emotional intelligence. Being emotionally intelligent can help improve our mental health, our relationships with those around us, and even our working lives.

People with high emotional intelligence are able to recognize and control their emotions, as well as empathize with the emotions of others. They can manage their stress and anxiety, and are generally happy and balanced. If perhaps you don’t feel your emotional intelligence is as high as your would like it to be, there are ways you can work on improving it.

Get in touch with your emotions

It sounds like a no brainer, but how many times in your life have you not quite understood why you were feeling the way you were. Emotions are way more complicated than just happy, mad, and sad. They are complex and deep, and so many factors go into why you feel a certain way in any given situation. Understanding your own emotions will in turn help you to understand the emotions of those around you and make you more empathetic. Being empathetic is key to having meaningful relationships with friends, family, and significant others. When you can put yourself into the shoes of another and truly get an idea of how they are feeling, you can connect emotionally on a level you couldn’t before and strengthen your bonds.

Become fluent in body language

So much can be expressed with body language. Often, when a person says one thing, and are actually thinking and feeling another, their body language can give it away. Body movements, posture, and facial expressions are just some of the ways in which people express themselves non-verbally. Learning how to get your emotions in line with your body language can increase your emotional intelligence by helping you communicate more effectively and understand the nonverbal signals others are putting out. Communication is important to emotional understanding, both verbal and nonverbal.

Find ways to manage stress and anxiety

A crucial part of emotional intelligence is the ability to manage your emotions. You may understand why you are feeling stress or anxiety, but if you can’t manage those feelings, you’ve only fought half the battle. Stress and anxiety can become a heavy weight in our lives, and it can have many physical effects on our bodies. Learning to manage it will immensely improve our well being. Find a way to regulate your stress such as prioritizing daily goals, writing down your accomplishments, and surrounding yourself with supportive family and friends. When you learn to manage your feelings and stress, you can focus more on overall happiness and tranquility.

Master conflict resolution skills

When dealing with conflicts, a high emotional intelligence can help keep the situation from escalating more than it needs to. Learning conflict resolution skills will combine many of the aspects of emotional intelligence and put them to a situation for practical use. Effective conflict resolution ability involves recognizing feelings, active listening on both sides, expressing thoughts clearly, and coming to a solution all while remaining civil. Someone who can manage to resolve otherwise difficult situations while keeping calm is sure to have high emotional intelligence.

When we are unable to understand and manage our emotions, we can become erratic, depressed, and irritable. Developing our emotional intelligence will only improve our outlook and well being. With time, practice and reflection, you can work on enhancing your awareness, managing your stress, and dealing with everyday conflict and mishaps. Stability and happiness is yours for the taking.

(feature image courtesy of artifact uprising)

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You’re reading 4 Lessons On How To Truly Be A Leader from Mother Teresa, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Service towards your team, above all else, is the primary objective for great leaders. They inspire their team to persevere through the tough times, sharing in the spoils of victory when they reach their objective together. A title is simply something that represents the right to make decisions. It does not represent the right to shirk responsibility through gratuitous delegation.

There are few people in history that have embodied a service-filled leadership style more than Mother Teresa. Spiritual intelligence was her greatest gift, and it is always wise to pay attention to the example set by those who have come before you.

If you’re ready to break free from your 9-5 and lead your own company, or need to take your team to the next level, pay close attention to the following lessons, based on powerful quotes from Mother Teresa.

1.“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

It is almost always better to find ways to build your team up with praise, instead of tearing them down with critical comments. Guidance can be phrased in ways that is more positive; focusing on the opportunity for future improvement, instead of the mistakes of the past.

When leading a team, the words of a leader echo far beyond those within earshot. Choose your words very carefully, for they have power.

2.“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

The perfect plan is the enemy of a good plan. Accept the regrets of yesterday, and celebrate past victories as your roll into today. Your vision must be focused on the future, but your team’s actions need to be focused on the present.

As a leader, you are the visionary in your team. Empower your team to make today’s decisions, within the context of reality. Don’t let them be discouraged by the past, or bogged down by the future. If your team can embrace the here and now, they’ll earn the future that you’re working to craft.

3.“If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.”

Who are you as a leader? Jean Kim, M.D. points out that an insecure leader can be toxic to a work environment, which casts a long shadow over an employee’s mental health. If you’re unsecure in who you are, it’s time for a reality check.

Dive deep to understand the sources of your insecurities; your need for praise and attention. If you resolve those issues, you will be one big step closer to becoming the steadfast leader, on which the success of your enterprise will rely on.

4.“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

In a world driven by stock quotes and balance sheets, it’s easy to get caught-up in the numbers. Don’t let the numbers drown-out your focus on why you are here, and the steps you need to take to fulfill your company’s purpose. Successful brands are the ones that hold true to their values and understand why they’re willing to suffer short-term pain in order to have a chance at long-term success.

Are you willing to let go of your ego, live a life of service to your employees, and let your internal compass be your guide? Gather all of the information you need in order to be an informed, confident leader. Work through character flaws, and don’t let the past or future ruin your present. It’s time to rise up. With these lessons at the forefront of your thinking, persistence can take you anywhere.

Rafiq is a Husband, Success Coach, Business Development Consultant, Strategist, Blogger, Traveler, Motivational Writer & Speaker. I have the propensity for written expression, piling one word on top of another until a coherent thought emerges. My favorite subjects are business, politics, religion, technology, lifestyle and history.Also write about his personal experience on financentric .Follow me on Twitter.

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You’re reading Focus Like a Ninja: How to Reduce Stress and Sharpen Your Mind, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Our desire to be more focused, to produce more, to think better, and to find clarity in our lives is often attacked from the angle of looking at our mind and how our brains can be adjusted or medicated or sharpened in some way.

But, the truth of the matter is, that as a culture, we are under a huge amount of stress that degrades the quality of our thinking and our lives and it simply can’t be completely effectively addressed by focusing on the ways in which we think, organize our days, or express gratitude for what we have every day.

When you’re under stress, it’s easy for you to lose energy because your survival mechanisms are engaged. Your energy goes to the surface of the body to make you more alert for danger. You breathe more shallowly and become unanchored from your core.

According to Qi Gong theory, your energy is more prone to be scattered or drained when it’s poorly consolidated in your core. In order to better contain your energy, you need to bring your energetic focal point back down to your energetic center. Learning to focus on and strengthen your lower dan tian will counteract stress, make you more resilient, and build energy.

Try getting in touch with your lower dan tian now:

— Let your abdomen relax completely, and allow each breath to descend the whole way
down into your pelvis. For a minute or so, imagine that you’re opening this bowl, including your hips, with every breath.

— Next, focus on a point about two inches below your navel and deep at the center of your body. By scanning around in this area, you can find a point that feels most powerful and solid. This is your lower dan tian.

— As you breathe in, imagine that you’re drawing in pure golden light from every direction, funneling it into the lower belly.

— With each exhale, imagine that you’re condensing the light into the center of the lower dan tian to a ball of light the size of a pearl. The idea is that the more dense and solid you make this storehouse of energy, the more powerfully anchored your mind and energy will be, and the harder it will be for your energy to unconsciously “leak out.”

— Repeat drawing light in on your inhale and condensing the light into your lower dan tian on your exhale. Remember to breathe deeply and fully, filling your whole abdomen down to your pelvis.

— Continue for five minutes or more.

— With your finishing exhale imaging that your pearl sized ball of light is condensing even further and envision your solid anchor of energy in your lower dan tian.

Practice shifting the center of your consciousness (which usually resides in your head, since that’s where most of your sense organs are) down to your lower dan tian as often as you think of it.

See if you can tune in to the uniquely sweet experience of feeling solid in this region.

How does it feel to stir a pot of soup or beat eggs with the movement coming from the lower dan tian?

How does it feel to initiate the movement of walking from the lower dan tian?

How about painting, or writing, or dancing, or speaking, all from the lower dan tian?

What about doing your work from your lower dan tian?

If you make this a daily practice—breathing into your belly and focusing on your lower dan tian—you’ll begin to notice that stressful events don’t throw you off the way they used to.
You’ll bounce back quicker, too.

And all that crazy overwhelming mind energy will start to be grounded into your core, so that you can think clearly, produce more, and be focused.

Using this body centered technique for reducing stress and sharpening the mind has been used by martial artists for centuries. They knew that their power didn’t come from their muscles or their mind, but from their ability to ground themselves in their center and to move from that place in all their actions.

We strongly encourage you to give it a try.

© Briana Borten and Dr. Peter Borten, authors of The Well Life

Author Bios:
Briana Borten and Dr. Peter Borten are the authors of The Well Life: How to Use Structure, Sweetness, and Space to Create Balance, Happiness, and Peace (Adams Media). Briana and Dr. Peter Borten have made it their mission to create a more peaceful world by helping individuals reestablish a sense of inner peace and balance. They are the founders of The Dragontree, a wellness organization with holistic spas in Portland and Boulder, online courses, natural body care products, and resources for vibrant living.

Peter, a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and certified Qi Gong instructor, has taught extensively and has authored hundreds of articles on psychological and physical health. Briana is a Certified Ayurvedic Specialist, peace engineer, and CEO of The Dragontree. She writes frequently on personal development and helps people achieve their dreams and live extraordinary, healthy lives.  For more information, please visit http://ift.tt/2fwgoci and follow the authors on Facebook and Instagram.

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You’re reading The 5 Best Podcasts on Creativity, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

An idea without action is imagination, not creativity. Creativity often feels like you are experiencing a finely tuned sense of self, a realm of consciousness that sparks the flame of an idea or an innovation. There is an amalgamation of patterns, connections and perceptions that precede the rush of creativity, yet it can be so elusive to achieve. The act of discovering and producing solutions is also at the core of creativity. These 5 podcasts illuminate what exactly it is to embody creativity.

1. This is a podcast by Brian Koppelman who speaks to author Seth Godin as they tackle the topic of inertia and writer’s block. One must begin with the question “who is it for?’ He feels there is no such thing as writer’s block, only bad habits and fear of what someone else will say. The inventions of judgment is not fuel it’s sabotage’. All is in the act of practice.

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2. This podcast ‘Show up before you’re ready’ features Glennon-Doyle Melton, and is such an honest conversation to listen to. She posits that the deeper you go the more other people see themselves in you. So, there is no reason to worry about showing people who you are, which is a big obstacle for most creative people.

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3. How do you know you’re creative? There is not one perfect measure to find it, but there are several correlations that point to that answer. Cultural knowledge and the moment in time enter into the equation. Creativity is routinely equated with the arts, but other skills relate to ingenuity as well, such a science, that draw on perception and problem solving. There is courage involved in being able to color outside the lines.

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4. This podcast interviews Justine Musk, as she discusses her journey of discovering her true purpose in life after an identity crisis. When you ask yourself different questions such as how to live a meaningful life, how do you then create that for yourself? Creativity in this broader scope of your entire life’s purpose is a question about tuning in to your intuitive voice. Ask yourself what is working in your life, dissect it and discover emotional resonance, that is a result of creative expression and communication.

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5. In this blog, they discuss the question that with the knowledge that the old guard of ‘left brain, right brain’ ideas are overturned, where does creativity actually come from? The answer is ‘it’s complex’, and points to multi faceted traits such as behaviors, cognitive processes, how our brain makes associations, etc – these are all factors. Creative people tend to daydream, all the work is in your head. Identify when you work the best and hold on to this to foster your best creative effort.

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Creativity begins with a drive, a conviction and a sense of optimism about a particular point of view. However, it is not necessarily always an innate or inherent quality, creativity is something that can be cultivated to a certain degree. Creative people utilize different ways of processing experience, make unique connections between things, and form new insights. There’s a need to reach out and make contact with others who may acknowledge the impact of the creative outlet. To be creative is uniquely human, and over the ages, humanity has produced astonishing works that display the depths of our mystifying imagination.

Do you read a great blog about creativity 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 5 Best Podcasts on Creativity, 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 5 Ways Outdoor Workouts Improve Our Mental Wellbeing, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

With Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) now recognized as a very real condition, it’s becoming easier to find ways to combat the melancholy state of mind that plagues seasonal sufferers. Whether it’s the dark nights, the change in the weather or any other external factors causing a decline in your mood, there are ways to lift your spirits.

In today’s article, we’re taking a look at various mental health benefits that come with outdoor exercise and giving you the inspiration you need to incorporate small but life-altering changes into your daily routine.

1. They encourage us to socialize

If you suffer from anxiety and find socializing with other people challenging, getting involved in group activities can offer one way to combat your fears. There are a number of websites designed to help anxiety sufferers, where people can receive help and advice and meet up with people experiencing similar feelings.

When you feel ready, get together with friends and organize short walks through the park or even take your dogs to the beach – it doesn’t need to be an intense workout to help you reap the rewards.

Find out more at anxietyuk.org.uk

2. They get us out of the house

There’s no denying that winter brings with it a number of exciting things. From festive markets to the big day itself, it really can be the most wonderful time of the year. But it’s also cold and dark, and it can be tempting to stay wrapped up indoors where it’s warm. This sort of behavior can often lead to agitation and restlessness, as neither your mind nor your body are getting the stimulation they need to stay active.

Resist the temptation to tuck your bike away for the winter or take the car to work everyday, and try and spend at least 30 minutes more outside each day. Your mind and body will thank you for it!

3. They help us get fit

The festive season technically doesn’t start until December, so fight the urge to tuck into the mince pies as soon as they hit the shelves. If you’re not a fan of the gym, find out whether there are any outdoor running clubs or bootcamps close to where you live. You can set yourself small, manageable goals to achieve over the weeks leading up to Christmas, and your first mince pie will taste all the more sweet!

4. They help us sleep better

There’s nothing like a good dose of cold, crisp winter air to help you sleep at night – and if you can fit your workout in during daylight hours, even better! Studies have shown that a lack of sunlight can lead to a decline in serotonin levels. This, in turn, can disrupt our sleep – as well as causing a lack of appetite and irregular moods. You might often find yourself feeling more tired when you haven’t done much exercise but, by bedtime, you struggle to sleep.

Exercise shouldn’t be ignored during the winter months. It can have a domino effect on your mental health – leading to a lack of sleep, an increasingly irritable mood and even underperformance at work. So, where possible, find time to get in at least 20 minutes of open-air exercise a day.

5. They reduce stress levels

With a total of 488,000 work-related stress, anxiety or depression cases in 2015-2016 and 11.7 million working days lost as a result, it’s clear that Brits’ careers are having a dramatic impact on their mental health. If you’re having a particularly stressful day at work, try to avoid working beyond your contracted hours – and rather than going straight home and staying in the house all evening, commit to going for a quick run or walk outside. Even beyond daylight hours, this will help you to relax and will invariably lead to a more peaceful night’s sleep.

From intense bootcamps to a stroll along the beach, any outdoor activity can help to create a happy, healthy mindset – so what are you waiting for? Say goodbye to the sofa and head off to the park!

 Jay Connelly is a diehard rugby fan and blogger for rugbystore, the world’s number one online rugby retailer – helping aspiring athletes and committed rugby players to improve their game.

You’ve read 5 Ways Outdoor Workouts Improve Our Mental Wellbeing, 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 11 Ways To Nurture Your Creative Spirit While Holding A Day Job, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Many creatives will agree that holding a day job could hamper the creative spirit especially when the job is not a creative or challenging one.

According to research from Harvard University, many companies have managerial practices that kill the creative spirit because roles are not assigned based on creativity but rather on productivity. However, till managers reconcile creativity with job descriptions, here are 11 secrets creatives need to know in order to keep their creative spirit alive.

11. Write Out Your Goals

For most creative people the goal is to live a life fully or partially financed by their creativity. To achieve this the first thing is to write down your goals. If you ever thought you had it all in your head, you do not. Write your goals down, it leads to clarity, gives a sense and you will get more things done.

10. Practice In Your Spare Time

Malcolm Gladwell’s book the Outliners recommends 10,000 hours as the number to attain expertise. While the number has been a source of debate, it gives an idea of how much practice is needed to perfect a skill.
Since most of us hold day jobs, we often wonder how do we find time to practice. Here is what you can do.
After work and during weekends, get to know more about your interest. I study my camera, when I get back from work. I experiment shutter speed and low light capabilities of my camera in the dark and learn something new. During the weekends, I ask photographer friends if they have shoots I can come help with. Find time to hone thy craft.

9. Bye Nay Sayers

Being creatives we hear a lot of negativities. “You cannot do it”, “No one will buy this?”. Someone once told me “that is not how you hold a camera” Trust me I was not holding the camera upside down. Hearing demoralizing statements is part of the journey, people will ask you to stop, ask if you are crazy, do not take them personal. Surround yourself with positive people who will encourage you and tell you the truth.
While you need positive people, you do not want someone who will encourage your excesses but someone who will encourage you to be truthful to yourself and encourage your creativity.

8. Nourish Your Soul

Listen, watch, read motivational and educative content. Surround yourself with inspiring and successful people, who have towed the part you are on now. Indulging in these acts have encouraged me greatly. When I feel like giving up and surrendering to a life behind the desk, these books, videos and others give me another push. Try and nourish your soul with positive things this will encourage you to keep your creative spirit alive.

7. Join Creative Platforms

I live in Nigeria, a country where creative works are seen as something for the uneducated, therefore finding creatives who are passionate about what they do and willing to teach is not an easy task. You might be wondering what I did.
I attended creative seminars near me and befriended other creatives in my field. From there I was able to assist photographers and gain more experience. I was only allowed to assist because I asked so do not be shy to ask.
Online I joined lots of creative forums to keep me inspired like Cole’s classroom, Phlearn, Sue Bryce and get constructive criticism on my work. These are photography forums but I am quite sure all creative categories have forums so join.

6. Do Not Be Too Tired

It is easy to get involved in your day job, and just eat and fall asleep. That’s how you die creatively. Learn how to dedicate three to four hours after work to your passion. Most nights I fall at sleep on my phone or laptop researching how to take myself a better photographer and writer. I wake up before dawn to write a short story or edit a photograph.
This will motivate you: Michael Punke the author of “The Revenant” holds a day job as the deputy United States ambassador to the World Trade Organization.

5. Don’t Forget Your Lover

My boyfriend is a constant supporter of my creative spirit, but with work and weekend shoots I barely have time for him.
I try as much as I can to spend weekends with him. We do fun things like cooking dinner together and laugh about our colleagues at work to cool off. There really is no point being a lonely creative make time for our lover.

4. Believe In Yourself

As creatives we are constantly in doubt of our capabilities. We question ever single art we create until we share it with the world and receive tremendous feedback. This self-doubt sickness is borne out of our fear of rejection. I constantly thought, I could not take the pictures I saw on social media or have my writings published anywhere least of all a popular website but I have done these things by simply believing in myself and giving it a go. You too can just believe in yourself and take action the world is waiting to receive you.

3. Comfort Zones Are For Babies

Who wants to be a baby forever? I know you do not. Leave your comfort zone. This will mean, you will face rejection, be scared most of the time, but you will turn to gold. A friend asked me to cover an event and I ended up with blurred photos. Totally embarrassing but I learnt focus and weddings are chaotic for photographers. As creatives there will be embarrassing days but you will grow and turn to gold.

2. Grow Thick Skin

Your thick skin will make you grow. Your work will be criticized some from people who love you and some who have no idea what they are saying. Learn to distinguish good advice form bad advice. That being said when you get constructive criticism learn not to be angry, instead ask how you can improve and work with it. You’ll offer your services to some people and they will turn you down, this does not mean you are not good enough do not let it bother you. Pitch to the next person.

1. Keep A Day Job

You need a day job because you will have bills to pay and equipment to buy. I know day jobs can be annoying for creatives because must of them do not allow us to be innovative in any way, but we need these jobs. Yes, there will be times you will feel like quitting your day job and taking your chances. For those ready take your chances. For those of us still figuring things out, do this: visualize your future goals this will help you get through. I remember when I worked at a call center and I had joggle work and getting a masters degree those were dark days, but I never stopped seeing the end goal.

Hold your day job, and hone your craft when you start making more money on your creative job, than your day job then you can consider quitting.

You’ve read 11 Ways To Nurture Your Creative Spirit While Holding A Day Job, 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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