You’re reading 10 Signs You Need a Career Change, 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 love your job? Or, is it sucking out your soul?

If you are unhappy at work, you are not the only one. As 2016 dawned, it was predicted that by the end of the year, half of us would be in a new job.

This could mean changing your employer, or it could mean a complete career change for some, with home learning courses presenting a real possibility for the 60% of us unhappy in our work to make a change.

It can, however, be easier to stick with what you know, with the old adage of ‘the grass is not always greener on the other side’ ringing in your ears. It may be that the time has come to swap the drudgery of the commute to a job you dread, to commuting to one that you love (and look forward to!).

But how can you tell?

Here are ten signs you need a career change…

#1 Sunday night dread

This doesn’t just affect just Sunday night but can impact on any evening before you are due to go to work in the morning. If you work a Monday to Friday job and slump on a Sunday evening on the sofa, dreading what Monday will bring, it may be time to look at making a change. More importantly, if you lose sleep over work, the time has REALLY come for a change.

#2 Your future – full of promotions or murky, dim and full of menacing shadows

Is it a job or a career? There is a fine line between the two. Some people seem happy to turn up. Do their thing and go home, confident that at the end of the month they can pay the bills. If, however, you want something more – like a promotion or a career ladder to make your way up – and your current job is not offering these chances, maybe this is enough to convince you to look elsewhere.

#3 The passion is gone

Work is a relationship. When the passion is gone and the va-va-voom non-existent, then the soul-sucking starts. The feeling of being stuck, being used and of no real future in it makes you feel degraded and unchallenged. The time has come to change… and we are only reason number 3!

#4 Feeling undervalued

When you feel undervalued the outcome is obvious is all to see – de-motivation. It is the key cause of someone feeling rubbish about what they do, feeling they achieve little and that frankly, if they didn’t turn up tomorrow, it really wouldn’t matter.

#5 Trapped

This can be a physical sense as well as a psychological one, and being stunted by not being able or allowed to grow in your role. It may be that you are doing a disservice to yourself by sticking with something that is essential, unfulfilling. Isn’t it time you tap into your true worth?

#6 Just soul-sucking all round…

Some workplace cultures are created when management are not transparent, with one false promise after another. The truth is, some workplaces are just not healthy work environments, and the negative impact of this on you and your emotional well-being is not to be underestimated. Unless you are seriously in love with your workplace, it is time to hot-foot it out of there.

#7 Dragging-clock syndrome

We all know the agony of watching the clock tick slowly by. Every passing minute seems to last for hours and hours. Constant boredom kills passion, motivation and any sense of self-respect that you started your job with. If your eight-hour shift is passing so very s-l-o-w-l-y, the time has come…

#8 The pay is rubbish

In some cases, low pay is part and parcel of economic conditions, but some people find that when they compare their rate of pay with that of others in the same or similar role with another employer, they find that their rate of pay is incredibly low.

#9 The green-eyed monster

When you hear the joys expressed by friends or family as they talk about work, do you mask your envy with a wide grin? If so… you know the drill.

#10 You no longer recognize yourself

When work is a source of an identity crisis, there should be no other reason that you need to start looking for a new job. But rather than heading for the same old job, doing the same old thing, why not consider re-training with a home learning course?

———-

David is a marketing assistant who works for NCC Home Learning. NCC Home Learning offer a range of home learning courses that can propel you from a job to a career. Better still, they offer incredible support packages that make learning from home even easier. Making learning fun again is key for many students, something that many find is part and parcel of working with a leading online home learning course provider such as NCC.

You’ve read 10 Signs You Need a Career Change, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/28XvEru

You’re reading The 4 Key Concepts For Improving Your Sleep, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Sleep is an essential component of maintaining both good mental and physical health. Many of us however seem to neglect this aspect of our health, opting to cram as much into our day as possible. In this 24/7 society that we have created for ourselves is it any wonder that sleep patterns are more disrupted than ever?

Sleep problems come in all shapes and sizes. Some find it impossible to fall asleep in the first place. Whilst others suffer the frustration of waking multiple times during the night. The resulting effect is the same – a feeling of exhaustion, helplessness and loneliness. This can easily spiral into other mental health issues.

Countless doctors’ appointments are taken up because of sleep disorders. Patients come in expecting a quick fix for their sleeping problems, asking for sleeping pills to knock them out at night. What people do not realise is that these remedies are only a short term fix for the problem. They come with many side-effects and they quickly become addictive.

In order to help fall asleep at night and wake feeling well rested, we need to follow good sleep hygiene. Each of these tasks is easy to implement and performed enough times will improve the quality of your sleep dramatically. So what can you do today to improve your sleeping?

Create the Right Environment

Your bedroom should be a place of calm. It should be a place that your brain associates with getting restful sleep. In order for this process to occur, you need to ensure that you create right environment for sleep. Your room should be dark and there should be no electronic devices present. The temperature should be cool and therefore opening a window may be a good idea. Do not use your bed as a place to sit and do work. The bed is for sleep and sex, no other activity.

Have a Regular Sleeping Pattern

The time that you get up in the morning will vary from person to person. The average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep every night in order to feel well rested. Say you decide that you need to wake up at 6.30 a.m. in order to be at work on time. Well, an 8 hour sleep would mean that you should be in bed by 10.30 in the evening.

Now to begin with you may find that getting into bed at 10.30 is too early and you lie there awake for a while, but after a few days your body will get used to it. You will fall asleep quicker and in no time waking up at 6.30 will seem like no trouble at all. You will be refreshed from a full nights’ sleep and still be able to get yourself to work on time.

It is important that you try and stick to this same sleep pattern every day, and this includes at the weekend. Lying-in makes it more difficult for you to sleep the next night and hence leads to the so-called ‘Sunday night insomnia’.

Follow a Bedtime Routine

By following the same 15-20 minute routine before bed, your brain will automatically start shutting itself down, ready for sleep. Put away all electronic devices such as phones and tablets, turn off the television and prepare yourself for going to bed. Pour yourself a hot drink, read a book and when you feel that your eyelids are heavy, settle down for a restful sleep. You will find that the more times you do this routine, the quicker your will drift off to sleep.

Take Part in a Daily Mindfulness Practice

When you have had a busy or stressful day, it can make it difficult to unwind at night. By taking some time out during the day to clear your head, you will find that sleep comes that much easier in the evening. Going for a short walk or sitting meditating for a few minutes can help you to cope with the stresses of day-to-day life and will leave you feeling more peaceful when it comes to going to bed. Although pre-bedtime meditation and yoga are always helpful, these activities will be much more beneficial if you have already tried to deal with difficult thoughts and feelings during the day.

Following these simple ideas, sleeping problems will eventually sort themselves out. It does take time, so do not be disheartened if you have a bad night. Just be patient.

———-

Fran is a junior medical doctor working in the South West of England. During her spare time she enjoys photography, running, yoga and writing. She currently runs a self improvement blog called Lists For Life. You can follow her on Twitter using the handle @Lists4life

You’ve read The 4 Key Concepts For Improving Your Sleep, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/28PoztS

You’re reading 5 Steps to Make the Law of Attraction Work for You, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

 

The law of attraction is simple: Like attracts like. Positivity attracts positivity – so if that’s what you’re after, a good place to start is within. We all get it. But there’s another level I’ve been hoping to address with my latest project, Wishbeads, now live on Kickstarter.

I knew a dancer once who would compete around the country. Whenever she did well, she would wear her competition wristband from the previous event until the next competition date, as a reminder to practice. “It helps me stay focused,” she told me..

The reality is that life tends to get us mired in obligations and habits – so whenever we want to really create a change or go for a major goal, we need and benefit from powerful reminders. Wishbeads is a jewelry-making kit that allow women to write their wishes and turn them into paper beads, so they are ever-present each day.

But that’s just the beginning.

Once you’re clear on what you want, you have to stay focused. I also believe in the power of the law of attraction to inch and leap ahead – but how can you really “use” it, so it doesn’t just live out there like some existential concept or law? Let’s look at what it takes to put it into your life in the context of setting and achieving goals.

You can start by getting honest with yourself.

The dictionary defines “authenticity” as: The quality of being authentic. What is authentic? Something that is authentic is: real or genuine, not copied or false, and original. What’s authentic for you is different than what is authentic for another.

If you want to use the law of attraction in your favor, lying to yourself about whatever you want to attract – perhaps because you want to keep up with the neighbors you’re comparing yourself to, or you have some idea that if this relationship ends you’re unloveable, or you think you “need” this or that material thing to prove you’re successful – will not work. Inauthenticity creeps in slowly, and then leaves you in a spiral of striving for something you never really wanted in the first place.

The mirror of the world might confuse you – studies show that an angry or fearful face triggers the same emotion in another. But the science that supports the law of attraction (enter: mirror neurons) reminds us that you also get to be a mirror toward whatever you want. You’re surrounded by options – and you get to reflect back what you’re choosing.

The process for realizing any goal, dream or wish requires that you know what it is. Let’s look – what else needs to happen for you to wave your magic wand and cause results? Try these five steps.

Step 1: What do you really want? Look at yourself first and see if you can become aware of the ways your life and habits are or are not working for you. Take stock of how you are approaching or have approached that thing or goal before. Do away with any preconceived notions of how to get there or how long it will take, and just zoom in the camera lens of your heart and mind. What do you want? Be honest. Be authentic.

Step 2. Be imaginative. When was the last time you just sat still imaging what was possible? When was the last time you really visualized what you wanted and imagined what it would feel like, taste like, look like? Childhood goes on forever when we allow our imaginations to run wild. Give yourself the space and permission to wish. If you’re cynical inner voice tells you something negative, thank it for sharing and tell that little guy or gal to sit down. You’re bigger than every ordinary thought you have – and so is your imagination. Really make space for dreaming forward.

Step 3. Articulate and visualize with detail. In your ideal house, what color is the door? In your ideal career, how much free time do you have, how often do you travel? What kinds of people are around you – anyone specific? What will you really do once you’re debt-free? Once your company or idea gets off the ground – look for yourself at what other details will be to your left and right. A lack of specificity leaves one floundering in a sea of options, crippled by choice.

Boundaries actually create freedom – have you ever gone to a restaurant with a dietary limitation of some kind? It makes choosing that much easier. If I told you to paint anything, you might feel stuck. If I told you to make it 15 x 15 and only use red, blue and green – you’d suddenly have a world of options available that are much easier to choose from. The idea that specificity is limiting might be helpful in some other context – but in terms of writing down your goals, you want detail.

Step 4. Write it down. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said it best: “At the moment of commitment the entire universe conspires to assist you.” As soon as you are truly committed to your wish, give it a place to live – like on paper. It’s not alive in the world yet – but the ritual of writing it down can be a powerful exercise of focus and clarity. This is why vision boards are so popular (Pinterest for the win!). Make the picture clear for yourself.

I’m aware that “ritual” has an almost spiritual connotation – rituals are done with a soul-opening intentionality. I believe strongly in the power of writing down your plans and goals – it gives your authentic desires more opportunity to take form in the real world. And in the act of writing them, watch and see what opens up. Much like a songwriter shifts the pen from verse to verse and edits as they create – you will perhaps write and rewrite, and see new relationships between things on that page. Editing is good – it’s okay, and it’s part of the process.

This is where Wishbeads comes in. In less than 10 days of Kickstarter funding, women everywhere will be able to wear their wishes and goals as powerful reminders of what they’re actually out to achieve in the real world.

Step 5. Take meaningful action. The science shows that the area of the brain associated with intentions is closely connected to the areas associated with action – and they often fire up together. But intention doesn’t make the difference in the real world. Neither does thought or hopefulness – the impact in the physical realm comes from your physical actions.

Consider another law of the universe: linguistic phenomena can be altered by linguistic phenomena. As in, a conversation can be altered with a conversation. Yelling “move!” at a nearby chair or object won’t get it to go anywhere. But physical objects can be altered by other physical objects – and yes, that means you. Exert force and movement in the real world, and you’ll see your wishes come to fruition. Set deadlines for yourself (hint: deadlines are vital, they make your idea vital, and they’re important). Go for it with everything you’ve got.

To see an idea become physically real, when it never existed before, is proof of your power! To get how powerful you are, you must remember what you set out to achieve, focus and plan and write it down – and then act as much as possible. Honor your feelings, but whenever you feel down or stuck or disempowered, again tell your inner voice to be quiet, and ask yourself “what’s another action I can take?” to get where you’re going.

Your performance in the realm of “attraction” has much to do with being aware and attentive to how the world around you is supporting you, and seizing opportunities – but all of the real difference is made in the domain of action. In the words of the late, great Maya Angelou: “Nothing works unless you do.”

Ready to try Wishbeads? Get these beautiful jewelry kits to empower you in your goal-setting right now at Kickstarter! I can’t wait to see women everywhere engaging in creativity that adds meaning and intentionality to life, and empowers others to fulfill their desires, goals and wishes.

 

You’ve read 5 Steps to Make the Law of Attraction Work for You, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/28Pcg19

You’re reading 6 Unusual Traits Successful People Can Have in Common, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

What is the difference between people who have achieved great success, and those of us who have not? Off the top of your head you might think intelligence, education, the benefits of possibly coming from a rich family, and hard work. What you may not know is that many successful people do have the same traits, but many of them are actually quite weird.

1. They Don’t Always Finish School

Many successful people including entrepreneur and billionaire Richard Branson and boxing legend turned spokesperson George Foreman both left school to pursue their careers. In many cases, successful people are quite brilliant at what they do, but they don’t always function well when they are asked to sit in a classroom. Others, are so determined to pursue their dreams as early as possible that they view school as a hindrance. It is important to note that most successful people do place a lot of value on learning, even if it is not in a formal setting.

2. They Struggle With Substance Abuse

It’s a sad truth that many successful athletes, entertainers, and businesspeople struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. There are believed to be a few reasons for this. Some use alcohol and drugs to cope with the stress that comes with great success. Others may have a natural inclination to seek a lot of stimulation and excitement. Some get a natural high by participating in adventure travel or sports. Sadly, others turn to substance abuse.

3. They Are Musical or Athletic

Successful people are passionate, dedicated, and hardworking. These are exactly the traits that are needed to become a successful athlete or an accomplished musician. Many successful entertainers were impressive athletes (some still are), and many have been known to dabble in music. Condoleezza Rice, for example is a classically trained pianist while actor Kevin Bacon has played in a blues rock band for decades. Actor Terry Crews played for several seasons in the NFL as did Mark Harmon.

4. They Give up Quickly

Successful people might not be quitters when it comes to pursuing their dreams, but they are quick to give up on an approach that they know isn’t working. Instead of doing the same thing over and over again, successful people learn a valuable lesson, figure out what did work for them, and then they move on with a new plan. In addition to this, many successful people also give up when they realize that something is not in their area of talent. The ability to delegate and get help – a common attribute of successful people is something that even the newest job seeker can emulate.

5. They Think About The Big Picture

Before a successful person makes any decision, they step back and take a look at the big picture. In some cases this means passing up on an opportunity with immediate benefits in order to gain bigger and better things in the long run. Former President Johnson made the decision to pass up on a chance to get involved with the oil industry. He believed that it would be a hindrance on his political career.

6. They Wear The Same Thing Everyday

Go to Google and do an image search on Mark Zuckerberg. What you will notice is that he wears the same thing all of the time. The same can be said of the late Steve Jobs. Many other well-known successful people also follow suit. What’s the deal? Think of it as priority of thought. The idea is that the fewer choices you have to make, the more likely you are to make good choices when it comes to the important things. Because of this, many successful people take the choice out of their wardrobe and simply wear the same or similar things each day.

—–

Elaina Meiser is a graduate student and an enthusiastic blogger at ResumesCentre. Elaina loves creative arts, different tips & tricks guides, excursion and backpacking trips. You can follow her on Twitter @ElainaMeiser.

You’ve read 6 Unusual Traits Successful People Can Have in Common, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/28OuH4V

You’re reading 6 Fun Ways To Build Confidence (Without Pushing Yourself Too Far From Your Comfort Zone), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

While overconfidence can wantonly boost your ego, lack of it can knock your self-image out cold. A bad self-image seriously affects one’s spirits and quality of living. But it is very, very viable to build confidence without taking too much effort and turn your life around! Here’s how:

1. Wake up with a smile

   The morning alarm going off is one of the most frustrating moments in a day. You snooze it drowsily and before you can tuck yourself in the sheets and close your eyelids, the alarm starts blaring again. The realities of waking life flood your head and you wish you can shut the world out and sleep in.Don’t dread the day ahead. It’s chock full of awesome possibilities! Despite the mundanity of the events that you’re aware of, there are so many unimaginable circumstances that can happen! Life isn’t a video game, with definite directions and prospects. So rise and shine with your lips curved upwards and get ready for all exciting things that are gonna happen.

2. Stand tall

   Yep. That’s it! Easy huh? You’ll hardly believe how significantly this bolsters your confidence. Ever thought about how man, as merely an evolved ape, has established dominance in the animal kingdom? It’s his upright posture, among other factors that makes him the most superior.For the slumpers out there, check your posture every ten minutes and in a matter of months you won’t be needing to do that at all. You don’t have to thrust your chest forward and walk around like a buffoon. Just make sure that your shoulder blades aren’t angled away from your body and you should be good.

3. Read books

   Even if you’d rather play games or watch TV, read at least 10 – 20 pages of any good book of your liking everyday. Books stoke the imagination and are a more vivid and enriching experience than other forms of media. Besides taking you to faraway places and putting you in the shoes of intricately woven characters, books expand your vocabulary, inspire you to construct sentences in myriad ways and give you lots of ideas.Remember that a well read man is well respected, found formidable by his foes and is agelessly attractive despite time and gravity wearing down his visage.

4. Ride a bike

   Cars are cool and motorcycles are cooler, but a bike has tremendous sex appeal (Not because of the inverse proportionality between the size of a vehicle and that of its driver’s genitalia). Remember when your daddy let go of the bike as you pedalled and you rode forward on your own, your heart skipping beats as the wind caressed your grinning face? Nothing else can compare, right?

   Bikes are not only cheaper, easier to maintain and fun to ride, but also gives you a good cardiovascular workout and is more efficient in locomotion than cars in peak-hour road traffic. You’ll be saving a ton of money this way and also feel buoyant and energetic (surprisingly not exhausted) throughout the day.

5. Swear to your heart’s content

   As long as it doesn’t needlessly offend anyone or make a sailor blush, swear all you want without the slightest shame. This has got to be the easiest f**king way to build confidence, right? You bet your f**king a** it is!Studies show that people who swear a lot are the most honest and genuine, and though they may not be everyone’s favorite, they have relationships that run deep. Also, our potty-mouthed friends have an air of confidence about them resulting from an aversion to fake their personality to adhere to conventions.

6. Sleep well

   It’s not like taking a bite of a poisoned apple, falling into a coma and getting kissed by a prince would make you as menacingly confident as a scarlet-faced boxer in a face-off. But sleep deprivation seriously saps the vigour and you’ll be having a chore survivng the day, let alone waltz your way through it.

   Ensure that you get at least 7 hours of sleep every night (or during the day if you’re a night owl) so that you can wake up to the morning alarm without vehemently cursing it and start the day right.

The world’s yours. Go get it tiger!

—————–

Ajay Shaan is an aspiring motivational writer, a lover of the English language (One that often ends up grabbing his garb and jumping out the window at the sound of the doorbell) and a certified weirdo with a distinct sense of humor. He hails from India and should you wonder how he smells, he does it with his nose, much like the rest of the world.

You’ve read 6 Fun Ways To Build Confidence (Without Pushing Yourself Too Far From Your Comfort Zone), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/28MvQf7

You’re reading The 7 Steps To Creating A Habit, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

As I’ve studied habits over the years, I’ve found that every trick, tactic, or app is just a manipulation of the same behavioral components. Some habit advice is logistical such as scheduling everything into your calendar. Other bits of advice are more emotional like tying the habit with who you are as a person. In any case we are changing the same variables over and over again. I call these variables dimensions.

Here are the 7 dimensions of a Habit.

• Self-Knowledge

• Planning

• Momentum

• External Accountability

• Environment & Convenience

• Meaning

• Identity

Now just knowing what they are doesn’t change your habits much so let’s dig a little deeper into each.

Self-Knowledge

There are two types of Self-Knowledge when it comes to habits. There are your likes and dislikes, you’re most likely pretty clear about these. You know whether you prefer running or lifting, chicken or tofu.

But there’s another aspect – how you respond to certain incentives and strategies. For that we turn to Gretchen Rubin, author of three New York Times bestsellers including her latest novel Better Than Before, which in part talks about using your Self-Knowledge to create habits that work for you.

More specifically, she explains how everyone falls into a framework of one of four different Habit Tendencies: Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel.

Knowing your tendencies will tell you whether you would do well with an accountability partner, a new phone app, or that you should abandon trying to make habits work all together.

Rubin has an assessment online that will give you a report on your framework, take the habits quiz here.

Being clear and honest about what your tendencies and desires are will determine how effective all the other dimensions will affect you.

Planning

Planning is useful because it decreases the cognitive load of taking action. By writing out the time, place, and materials of your habit, you need less willpower to follow through with the behavior. For people who are internally accountable, having this sort of clarity is great.

When trying to control bad behavior we need a different type of planning called Implementation Intentions. These are creating “If _____, then _____” for handling potential failure points.

“If I get the urge to eat a cookie, then I will eat a banana and wait 20 minutes before making a decision.”

“If I find myself surfing online, then I will save the page I was on for later, and then block that website (and similar ones) for the rest of the day.”

As a general rule, the aim should be to simplify the planning as much as possible. A simple but not easy system that you can say in a sentence or two will be more useful than a long program that must be followed with precise detail.

External Accountability

People in tune with others around them, often extroverts, do well with having other people keeping them in check. For these, setting a money bet with a friend might be the only tactic they need for changing their habits. For others, joining groups and attending meeting can be an annoying waste of time.

There is a wrong way to use external accountability. You can hear the explanation from popular TED Speaker Derek Sivers here.

The gist is that you shouldn’t tell anyone and everyone about your personal goals because there’s a dumb part of our brain that’ll mistake talking about your plans for actually making progress. So when you scream from the roof tops, or from your Facebook page, that you’re going to do a Marathon, you may be less likely to run today.

Environment & Convenience

We underestimate how our behaviors can be decided by simple convenience. We’ll miss the gym because making the 10 minute drive is a hassle, we’ll eat the sweet because they’re right in front of us, and we’ll stay up late because it’s easier to stay online than to shutoff and get ready for bed.

Say you want to eat healthier and you know that even a few small changes can have a dramatic effect over time. Instead of relying on sheer will to change your behavior, simply act on the following question.

“How can I make it twice as easy to eat ____________, ___________, and _____________ while making it twice as hard to eat, ___________, ____________, and _____________?

Taking the necessary steps to surround yourself with good foods instead of bad ones almost guarantees you’ll eat better.

Meaning

If you ever find yourself saying “I need to [insert good habit] more” but never actually doing anything about it, you may have a meaning problem. Often times, we have trouble moving forward with a habit because we aren’t clear about what we expect to get out of it. Or we don’t really want to do it at all.

This is the difference between the vague “I work out because it’s good for me” and “I do strength training so that I can have better energy throughout the workday, weigh ten pounds less in six months, and be able to run around with my future kids.”

When your motivation begins to fall after the initial habit ‘honeymoon’ period, having a deep, meaningful ‘why’ will help keep you moving.

Identity

“I run because that’s who I am.”

While Identity one of the most powerful dimensions, it’s difficult to use.

The best way to make a habit part of your identity is to make them Value-Based Habits. Meaning you identify a core value of yours that is related to the habit and you learn to adapt your habit based off that value.

Momentum

Momentum connects with us on an emotional level and on a neurological level as our brain builds the skill of performing this habit again and again. Combining both the emotional and the pragmatic makes Momentum a very powerful dimension to use. This is the reason daily habits are easier to create than non-daily or weekly ones.

For some people Rebels, a daily schedule may make them feel trapped by having this obligation ahead of them everyday. However, Rebels are rare and you’re probably not one of them.

Insights on Dimensions

There is no strongest dimension. While you could make a case for Self-Knowledge or Identity ,it truly depends on the person. As we touched on earlier, some dimensions may not resonate with you at all while you may have one or two dimensions that could pull all the weight for you.

Only use 2 or 3 per habit. This may seem like you’re missing on an opportunity for a super strong habit that’s not true. Using 5 or 6 dimensions will only make your habit worse as it becomes more difficult to follow. Also realize that most of us only halfheartedly use one dimension (planning) with our vague intentions. Keep it simple.

No Carrots. It’s been found that giving yourself a reward after a good habit does not help you stick with it. The only exception is if the reward is given infrequently and is meant to further the habit it’s rewarding, such as buying new running shoes after running 100 miles this month. In terms of punishments, the social embarrassment from not following through with a group (see external accountability) is the main healthy ‘stick’ you can use.

Think about the last habit you’ve successfully made a part of your life, which dimension was it based off of? Try to use that one again while working on your new habits.

——–

This Post is written by Alex Romero, he teaches the fundamentals of building stronger, easier habits on his blog: Uhabit

You’ve read The 7 Steps To Creating A Habit, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/28LJQpt

You’re reading 37 Unexpected Ways Meditation Can Drastically Improve Your Quality of Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

“Happily, the benefits of training in meditation arrive long before mastery does.” – Sam Harris, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

I was recently in a business mastermind group and we were discussing the idea finding flow in your work.

One of the other participants brought up that they had been meditating for a while and it had improved all areas of their life, especially their concentration at work.

Another member of the group interrupted: “but hold on? How would meditation help you concentrate at work? Unless I guess if you were a bit less stressed?”

A few of the others there who had obviously spent some time meditating looked as shocked as I was.

It was at that point that I realized that not everyone is actually aware of the benefits of meditation.

Whilst western psychology has finally adopted meditation as a legitimate therapy, a lot of the public emphasis has been placed on stress reduction, which may have taken away from some of the other very impressive benefits.

Here are 37 life changing benefits of meditation that you may not be aware of.

Note: I’ve tried to include references to scientific research for as many as possible, but where there is only anecdotal evidence – meaning lots of meditators agree to having experienced these benefits, but there is no research into the area – I have put an asterisk.

1. Improve your ability to detecting body language
2. Improve your ability to negotiate*
3. Decrease your anxiety
4. Decrease panic attacks
5. Improve your mood and emotional intelligence
6. Improve your ability to focus
7. Strengthen your immune system
8. Allows you to more easily get into the flow state at work*
9. Works as well as antidepressants
10. Improves your learning and knowledge retention capacities
11. Lower High Blood Pressure
12. Increase empathic intelligence
13. Improve sleep and combat insomnia
14. Decrease in feelings of loneliness
15. Enhances ability to kick addictions such as smoking
16. Manage ADHD
17. Make you more energy efficient*
18. Improve your self esteem
19. Reduce dependence on caffeine*
20. Reduces risk of heart disease and stroke
21. Control over your autonomic nervous system
22. Clear up skin conditions such as acne*
23. Improved cognitive functioning*
24. Improve fertility
25. Helps relieve asthma and arthritis
26. Improved decision-making abilities
27. Better hearing and cognitive abilities
28. Improves sex life*
29. Improve your memory
30. Improve social relationships*
31. Improve self-confidence
32. Makes you live longer*
33. Slowing of Neurodegenerative diseases
34. Enhanced creativity
35. Improve pain threshold and helps with pain management
36. Helps become less defensive in your personal relationships*
37. Improve self-acceptance

Have you had any experience meditating? Are there any benefits you think we’ve left out? Let us know in the comments!

 

Attention Pick The Brain Readers!

Would you like to learn how to incorporate meditation and other life changing habits into a killer morning routine?

Then go ahead and grab a copy of our FREE eBook: MORNING MASTERY: The Simple 20 Minute Routine For Long Lasting Energy, Laser-Sharp Focus, and Stress Free Living.

Ben is a freelance writer, and the co-creator of Project Monkey Mind—a new blog for the 21st century solopreneur and professional who wants to lead a freer and more fulfilling life.

You’ve read 37 Unexpected Ways Meditation Can Drastically Improve Your Quality of Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/28NrvXK

You’re reading 4 Times Tom Hanks Totally Made Us Re-Evaluate Our Attitude Towards Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Tom Hanks is a versatile and legendary actor who has won distinct awards such as an Academy Award for Best Actor and an Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role award, both for Forrest Gump. He has starred in other classics such as Saving Private Ryan, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. You might’ve not realized it, but he also voiced Woody in Pixar’s Toy Story film series.

Aside from his role as an educator in the film adaptations of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and the upcoming Inferno, he has inspired and cultured us in ways beyond Professor Langdon’s reach. Hidden messages are everywhere!

Here are some perfect pick-me-up visual treats on days where you’ve lost all enthusiasm and feel like being a potato is your only purpose in life.

Get your hanks, I mean, hankies ready!

As FORREST GUMP

We might all recognize this timeless film because of one of its most famous quote, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

But there is more to this movie than just the comparison of life to a delicacy. If there is anything that Tom Hank’s slow-witted, kind-hearted and good-natured Forrest Gump character taught us, is that if we want something, we should go get it. No matter what anyone says. He even risks his life in the process of keeping the promises he’s kept and goals he’s set.

“One day it started raining, and it didn’t quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin’ rain… and big ol’ fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night…”

Although this citation from the film literally refers to the rain of bullets he encountered during the war in Vietnam, it also symbolizes all kinds of trials that life brings us and how hard times will not last forever.

Evidence of his deep, unconditional faith in God is evident in the way his Mama constantly reminded him to “do the best with what God gave you”. In addition, Forrest’s best friend, Jenny, and he prayed to God to turn her into a bird so she could fly away from her abusive father.

In short, Forrest Gump was perseverance embodied. His sense of goodness and judgment (regardless of his low IQ) made discovering simple truths and life values (which everyone around him were blind to) an effortless feat.

In CAST AWAY

“And I know what I have to do now. I have to keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?”

Ranked #1 in“Best Survival Movies,” Tom Hanks characterizes Chuck Noland, a FedEx employee stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific. The film portrays his efforts to survive on the island alone, for four years, using whatever the island had to offer and the remnants of his plane’s cargo.

When you think you’ve lost everything, look around once more. Helplessness will take you nowhere. Be resourceful and realize that whatever you have, no matter how little, is still something to be grateful for – even if the only thing you have left is you. You have to advocate for yourself because life isn’t fair at all times.

There won’t always be a search or rescue team set out to save you; learn how to be your own sailor, combat your own waves, change your course and steer yourself to safety.

At THE TERMINAL

Here he plays the role of Viktor Nagroski, a resourceful man visiting the United States from Krakozhia. Torn between the dilemma of not being able to go home due to a civil war outbreak in his homeland and not being able to enter the U.S., he is forced to live in New York’s JFK International Airport for nine months. Top it off with a language barrier.

We usually view airports as halfway points of our destination. But to Viktor, the airport was temporarily his last stop. His patience while suffering an injustice that was not his doing proved to be his saving grace. Despite all that, he was able to make a home out of his isolation.

“Sometimes you land a small fish. You unhook him very carefully. You place him back in the water. You set him free so that somebody else can have the pleasure of catching him.”

In this case, the ‘small fish’ was Viktor. This excerpt shows how compliant he was to the laws of the foreign land he inhabited, even when he was provoked by someone in authority to violate them.

By Being EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

“If things were easy to find, they wouldn’t be worth finding”.

Set during the September 11, 2001 bombing of the World Trade Center, Tom Hanks plays the character of Thomas Schell. Although he lands a not so major role that passes away early on in the film as a result of the terrorist attack, his death teaches his son, Oskar, that once he accepts sadness as a part of life, he will be able to embrace happiness without feeling guilty.

“There’s nothing that could convince someone who doesn’t want to be convinced. But there is an abundance of clues that would give the wanting believer something to hold on to. ”

Oskar exhausted so much of his time chasing and prioritizing his father’s death and memory over his mother’s presence. The loss of his father makes Oskar realize later on that loneliness can be cured among the presence of loved ones.

No one can do everything alone. Keep yourself open to insights from sources you never knew could educate you. Treasure those who care about you, be it your parents, friends, teachers or coaches.

THANKS, T.HANKS

What do all these films have in common?

They all depict survival and optimism at its finest. They serve as a reminder that being alone and being lonely are not the same, and that although we need others to get by, solitude is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it’s actually the greatest way to discover one’s self.

Never give up. Forrest kept running. Chuck lived to tell the tale of his abandonment in an island. Viktor made a home for himself wherever he ended up, and Thomas Schell Jr. left behind clues so that his son could expand his world view and embrace his emotions as he goes.

Discover how to enjoy the moments of bliss, alone or with a companion, through reminiscence or in the present. Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered until you’ve gone astray, but trust that you will find a way and will always be found.

~

Ayah is currently a content writer and editor for Scoopfed. Formerly a student journalist. Full time writer, part time bibliophile and a TV series hoarder-slash-enthusiast.

You’ve read 4 Times Tom Hanks Totally Made Us Re-Evaluate Our Attitude Towards Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/28JBnWK

You’re reading This Single Habit Will Put You In The Top 10%, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

What if you could become a top performer with ONE habit while halving how much you work every week?

This one strategy can change everything.

I used to think you had to luck out and have incredible talent. I still meet people every day who tell me they believe this.

But once I learned that doing this instead could make me more successful, I got really excited.

Before I get to what it is, check out what I found in my research:

A study in Outliers tracked people with the highest IQ in the world from birth until adulthood.

At first, they were doing wonderfully. But once they got older, their success was no different than a random control group. Some were garbage collectors or worse!
What’s the message?

That most people think IQ, an unchangeable measure of skill, is the key to success. And i t isn’t.

Half of adults use this belief as a crutch so they can have an excuse to not improve their lives. They prefer laziness and will turn away to facts. Don’t be like this.

So what’s the key?

Willpower.

Having studied numerous billionaires, I have found that self-discipline and willpower are the key to success.

I recently read a book called 15 Productivity Secrets, which interviews numerous billionaires. One of them said that he had met a ton of people smarter than him, but unable to do what they had committed to do. That’s why they were less successful.

The magic formula is to be disciplined to do the things no one wants to do.

Billionaire John Paul DeJoria said

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.”

Work on improving your willpower and discipline by doing a small thing that will impact your future for the better every day.

But you can do even better.

What if you chose something that had the biggest impact on your life? How about 1 extra book that taught you about business or money? What about 10 extra minutes at the gym?

According to studies:

Willpower is like a muscle. You can exhaust it in a day, which leaves you vulnerable to poor decisions and temptations. Don’t over-exert your willpower but spend some time using it properly to train it.

What have we learned so far?

• Successful people aren’t there just because they were born with a “gift.” Many weren’t. This is an old-fashioned myth.
• The key to success  is willpower. Work on strengthening and improving it. Everyone can do this. Most people don’t.
• People use false beliefs as an excuse or crutch to remain lazy.

Will Smith said in an interview that he didn’t have any extra talent, sex appeal, fitness, intelligence, or anything else. He simply had the work ethic to do what was necessary.

Simple, right?

You say: “Great idea. But…I have no time to do something extra once a day I don’t want to! I’m already exhausted!”

HAHAHAHA!

“Not enough time.”

Most people who say this are wasting hours of time every day. I can easily catch them watching a TV show they don’t have to or spending extra time chatting with friends.

Those extra minutes add up.

Try this. Have something that you want so bad that the fear and pain are pushed aside because of the dream.

Dream big.

Log every activity for the day. I did this and I found that my most blatant waste of time were the 4 to 5 hours after 5pm everyday. For example:

Dinner – (5pm) – 30 minutes

Watching Youtube videos — 1 hour
Browsing the web — 1 hour
Using social media – 1 hour
Playing video games (or game apps) — 1 hour
Wasting time chatting at the gym when I should be working out — 30 minutes
Those are exaggerated estimates but you get the point. On a typical weekday, we have hours of time we waste.

You’ll be surprised to discover that you probably have 3-6 hours of things you could easily do less of. AND EVEN MORE ON A WEEKEND!

Imagine your dream life 3 years from now. Figure out what activities won’t get you there. Figure out which will.

Smalltalk conversation won’t get you there. Watching Youtube won’t get you there.

But doing the right task will.

Maybe for you, that’s exercising more.

Maybe it’s spending more time marketing your business.

Now that you know that X is more valuable  than Y, start right this instant.

1. Choose 1 task
2. Spend 10 extra minutes on it a day
3. Start small so you don’t burn out (like I have)
4. Work your way up to effectively using the hours you waste
5. Find a way to make it fun so you don’t burn out

Get started right away. And I’ll see you at the top.

Keep up the heat!

To get more articles like this, sign up for my email newsletter at willyoulaugh.com

You’ve read This Single Habit Will Put You In The Top 10%, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/1sNKWbz

You’re reading How I Got My Self-Confidence Back – 5 Habits For Your Daily Routine, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

I noticed it first when I was 14. I let it go. I put it down to being young.

I had to give a short presentation at the school assembly. I didn’t volunteer; my name was picked out of a hat. I’ve never forgotten how I felt when my name was called out.

I had a week to worry about it. I got so anxious that I made myself physically sick. I was terrified.

In my head I started to make up ridiculous excuses to get out of it. I thought of nothing else all week.

Self-doubt set in big time. What if I embarrassed myself in front of the whole school? All my friends would laugh at me. My negative mindset spiralled out of control.

The day came … and guess what. I didn’t get to give my presentation. There was a fire drill during the assembly. I spent the rest of the day on Cloud 9. I was so chuffed that I’d avoided stepping out of my comfort zone.

Some people spend their whole life avoiding situations they find challenging.

In fact that’s exactly what I tried to do. I spent the next few years ‘lying low.’ That suited me just fine.

But when I was 18, situations arose that I just couldn’t avoid.

Career choices loomed which meant interviews. Meeting new people. It meant change.

My lack of self-confidence really began to have an impact. It started to affect life-changing decisions I needed to make. This time it really mattered. It shaped my life.

I made an important career decision to join the army. I failed the assessment course. They told me I lacked self-confidence.

This experience really knocked me for six. I began to question myself continually. I ended up missing opportunities and I got left behind.

So, what happened? Three years later, I reapplied to join the army. This time I got accepted. I passed.

All this happened 30 years ago but I still remember the thoughts and feelings I experienced.

So what did I do to get my self-confidence back?

I formed 5 habits which still help me today. I encourage you to use them too.

Habit #1: Maximize your ‘alert-state’

Never drop your guard. Always be extra aware of how you look and sound whenever you’re in a situation where you need to show self-confidence.

Once you know how you come across you’re in a position to change things.

Knowing how you come across to people means seeing how you look from their viewpoint. That’s obvious, I know. But so many people forget how important it is. You just can’t afford to distract people if you want to be seen as confident.

Route to achievement: Ask people you know well how you come across physically when you’re talking to them.  Be prepared to accept the truth.

Try filming yourself when you’re talking too. Keep on top of any distracting habits you discover. Be super alert to how people are reacting to you when you’re talking. If they’re not listening to you, there must be a reason.

Try experimenting; tweak your body language, change the tone of your voice, be more facially expressive – try something different to help you communicate self-confidence and authority.

Habit #2: Crush the negative voice within

Know  whenever the ‘gremlin’ tries to stop you doing something you know is right for you. Self-confidence is as much about your mind accepting a challenge positively as it is about actually physically carrying out the challenge.

Route to achievement: Work out if you’re a pessimist or optimist; do you complain a lot, do you spend time with negative people, do you always feel hard-done-by, do you feel unlucky, do you smile much?  Answering questions like these will help.

Banish the negative voice in your head the minute you hear it. Stop it being your own worst enemy and making self-confidence harder than it needs to be. Accept that things won’t always go to plan.

Sometimes you will trip up or fail. This happens to ‘confident’ people too. The key is to force yourself to see the positive in everything; even failure. Failure can be positive if you learn from it. See it as an experience worth having. It prepares you better for the next experience.

Start trying to project positivity through your expression and voice. Talking positively helps you to maintain a positive mindset. Make a conscious effort, particularly when the chips are down.

Habit #3: Practice self-confidence every day

Don’t wait for people to present you with ‘opportunities’ to practice being confident. They may not come regularly enough. They may not even come at all. You will lose momentum.

Route to achievement: Force yourself to overcome a confidence challenge every day. Even a small action is better than no action; it must be something you fear or find challenging though. Link this to Habit #4 – planning ahead will be vital.

Think about how you want to be seen by others during your daily challenge; be clear about the outcome you want. Visualise beforehand; see yourself in the act of successfully achieving the challenge.

Remind yourself of what you’ll need to do to succeed. Have the self-confidence to adapt your approach if the challenge isn’t going as you planned. Stay true to yourself but get clever about how you get what you need and want. Use your initiative. This forces you to keep practising being confident.

Habit #4: Look forward, not back.

Never leave your thoughts as just ‘thoughts’. If you do they will get replaced by other thoughts. Learn from past experiences but never dwell.

Route to achievement: Look forward and plan ahead. Reflect regularly on what you want to achieve at work and in your personal life. Do not let one stifle the other.

Convert thoughts into ‘Plans’ by writing them down. When it’s in writing it’s likely to happen. You’ll find this more motivational too.

Your written plans need goals; these should be credible aspirations that are clear and manageable, yet challenging too. If your goals are sizeable, break them down into small steps you can accomplish one at a time.

Try linking this to Habit #3. Address your goals on a daily basis and create tasks from them that challenge your self-confidence. Be sure to measure your goals and monitor your progress.

Don’t panic if a goal isn’t accomplished. Re-appraise the situation, work out what happened, learn from it and change the goal. Be positive; perhaps the new goal will lead to even greater success!

Habit #5: Stop comparing yourself

Get real with yourself. Believe and accept that you’re not the only one. Stop comparing yourself to people you think are more confident than you. Even people who ‘appear’ to be confident find their self-confidence being challenged, maybe even dipping in certain situations.

Route to achievement: Look at confident people in a different light. See them as human, just like you. No one has a natural gift. The fact that they look and sound confident doesn’t mean they’re naturally confident.

From now on, when you’re watching or listening to a confident person, be aware that they are trying to be confident. Most confident people have to do this. They’ve worked out what they need to do physically to project self-confidence.

If they can do it, you can do it. Replace ‘comparing’ yourself to them with ‘learning’ from them and perhaps even copying them if you find them impressive.

Continually remind yourself that self-confidence is a skill everyone can learn. So comparing yourself to others and doubting your abilities as a result makes no sense at all.

——–

Mike McClement, Founder Think Confidence, Self-confidence Author and Coach. Passionate about helping people achieve their potential and enjoy life to the full. Creator of the 4 Step online Confidence Plan.

You’ve read How I Got My Self-Confidence Back – 5 Habits For Your Daily Routine, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/1tDxp7d