You’re reading 4 Reasons To Choose A Career Helping Others, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Choosing the right job is challenging at the best of times. How did you choose your career? Perhaps you followed in the footsteps of your parents or siblings, or perhaps you simply pursued a subject that you enjoyed at school. If you’ve ever faced an existential crisis about your work, chances are that feelings of guilt were to blame. What am I doing here? What does this mean? Will this work mean anything when I’m done? These are all common questions that professionals will ask themselves on a daily basis.

The majority of careers are self-serving, and you have to look really hard to see how you are helping other people around you. But the career you chose out of school doesn’t have to the be the one you stick with. If you’re thinking about making a career change, or want some advice on choosing your career path, consider these five reasons that a career helping others can bring you the greatest amount of joy.

Greater Job Satisfaction

It’s easy to feel like a small cog in a giant machine, but helping other can combat these feelings and leave you with greater job satisfaction at the end of the day. By having a positive impact on the people around you, you’ll find it easier to get up and head into work every morning.

You’ll Live Longer

The verdict is in: jobs that make us miserable are actually killing us sooner. It’s a very basic formula, but people who enjoy their work are much happier, and happy people are healthier than their grumpy counterparts. A study by psychologists at the University College London revealed that people in a good mood were 35% less likely to die in the next 5 years. And this isn’t the only study that supports the link between happiness and a long life.

You’ll be surrounded by inspirational people

Industries founded on helping other people tend to attract an incredible range of people. Most industries attract the same sort of person, so you are surrounded by people who look, think and act just like you, but careers that focus on helping others will attract people from disparate backgrounds.

It Helps On Those Darker Days

Helping others doesn’t have to mean completely changing your career – you could pledge your support for a local cause, or you could offer pro bono professional services to a local charity. If everyone pledged to help other people, even in a small way, imagine how much better the world could be? Simple steps like registering to foster a child can help you to overcome the darker days and remind yourself that there is so much good in the world.

Some Parting advice

Helping others isn’t always a walk in the park, which is why there is documented evidence of a condition called “compassion fatigue” in healthcare professionals. Imagine caring so much about people that one day, you are unable to do so anymore? You actually get worn down by caring too much. While this is an extreme case, moving to a career where you can help other people shouldn’t be seen as a simple fix, as it will still be work, and it can be trying at times.

You’ve read 4 Reasons To Choose A Career Helping Others, 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 Weekly Habits for a Meaningful Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

With self-improvement, it’s easy to intellectually obsess over ideas. But practical information that can be easily absorbed and applied is essential you’re going to improve your quality of life. So lately I’ve been asking myself if what everyone is reading is translating into some positive change. To that end, I’ve also been wondering if what I’m writing is helping others.

If an article or book fails to stimulate the reader, such that they’re not able to connect the dots in their life in a new way, then either it’s not relevant (in which case, they shouldn’t have been reading it in the first place) or the author hasn’t crafted the content well enough.

It’s worth doing a filter test with anything you read by first asking yourself: Does this book or article seem like it can help me improve my life?

(Each book or article can only ever improve the quality of your life by 1-5%. But when you read and apply information from dozens of books and articles, those little blocks of 1-5% can create powerful, lasting changes in your productivity and happiness.)

I hope this article provides you with just at least a 1% improvement in your quality-of-life.

“Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own” – Bruce Lee.

1)  Spend more time reading Books and Articles that lead to Positive change

I could easily spend hours reading books on the history of the world. But while I do appreciate the lessons the past has to offer us, I realize that the amount of potential benefit I’ll be getting in this category of books (concerning how my behaviours change for the better) is limited.

So, from that perspective, it’s more helpful to read books and articles related to Psychology, Habit change, Time Management, Health, Spirituality etc. That’s because the level of knowledge I have in these areas affects the way I lead my life more profoundly.

For instance, if I’m aware of what daily habits will improve my mood and apply them, I’ll be a happier person. If I know and consume the foods that go well with my metabolic type, then I’m likely to feel and perform better in all my activities. If I know certain spiritual truths, then I’ll approach trivialities with greater openness and acceptance.

Nowadays, instead of just reading what’s on the front page of a website, I will click on the categories in self-improvement that I’m most fascinated by. I then carefully pick articles based on the title and the introduction. Doing this means I only spend time reading the best articles, for me, in the current season of my life. I also use Feedly to quickly scan for great articles.

Takeaway: Look into particular categories of books and articles where you feel your knowledge is weak and where it’s directly translatable to a change in your habits. For example, when I felt my time management skills needed improving, I started focusing more of my reading in that area.

Knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action, and directed to a definite end.” – Napoleon Hill. Potential value for your week if applied: 1%  (52% Improvement in your ‘Knowledge’ in a year)

2) Switch your phone off one day per week

I put my phone on flight mode every night and make sure it’s left outside the bedroom. After my morning routine, I disable flight mode and get that nice dopamine rush from those ushering notifications. To be honest, I’m not that popular so I don’t get that many.

But I only unlock my phone so to speak, once my habits, such as Meditation, Stretching, and Reading have been taken care off. So I don’t start each day with the varying pings and requests that inevitably come flying in.

Since Monday sets the tone for the week, I find that it’s important that I do whatever I can to prioritize all my attention to what’s most important in my work-life on this day. So after a quick check in the morning, I keep my phone off for the rest of the day, each Monday. Replies by WhatsApp missed calls, and texts can wait.

More often that not, I don’t end up missing anything urgent. Plus, I tend to be less attached to my phone for the rest of the week. I’ve taken this further by installing TimeUsed on Android (Moment – alternative for iPhone), which shows me how much time I’ve spent looking my screen on any given day.

This forces me to only use the apps and speak to the people that give me the most happiness.

Takeaway: Consider keeping your phone off one day per week.

“Life is what’s happening when you’re looking at your smartphone.” – Anonymous. Potential value to your week if applied: 1% (52% Improvement in your ‘Peace of Mind’ in a year)

3) Eat the same Breakfast or Lunch every day

Every day we make hundreds of little decisions, but perhaps the one we antagonise over the most is what we’re going to eat. All that mental energy could be spent elsewhere. Certain foods can affect the way we feel and think and in profound ways.

Just try eating two croissants with butter and jam before your workout and see how you feel. Or maybe have a certain brand of cereal that you’ve never tried and go to work. Likely, you won’t be pleased with the way you feel in either scenario.

By automating one of your meals, you reduce the chance of eating foods that just don’t vibe with your unique biochemistry by a 1/3 (if you eat 3 meals a day). You’ll also end up experiencing less decision fatigue and stress. The counter-argument might be “Well eating the same food for a meal daily is annoying as heck”.

But I think that if you pick a group of foods that you love for one of your daily meals, you’ll never get bored of it until at least three months (at which point you can then change it up again for variety).

Takeaway: What are the healthy foods do you absolutely love that you can consume daily?

“A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for one’s mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods” – Mason Currey. Potential value to your week if applied: 1% (52% Improvement in your Health in a year)

4)  Every Morning or Early Afternoon (Mon-Fri), write Two Fun Things you Plan on doing that Evening

Work can make us serious and cerebral if we don’t make sure to smile along the way. Having something to look forward to (not in an escapist way) means that no matter what comes up, you have those two end of the day celebrations that you know will be there waiting for you.

It could be playing with your pet, watching a TV show with your loved one, or going to an event, or meeting with friends. Whatever it may be, set an intention for it in advance so that you have something to at least look forward to.

I’ve noticed that whenever I go to bed without enjoying those small rewards, I don’t get that great of sleep and I wake up less happy and a little more grumpy. I’ve also noticed the same with other people. So it’s important that we do something fun that stimulates us each day.

Takeaway: Introduce a little anarchy in your evenings.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” – Proverb.  Potential value to your week if applied: 1%. (52% Improvement in your ‘Fun’ in a year)

5) Write down your mistakes and worries on a little Note

It’s funny how much we beat ourselves up over the little problems and mistakes that creep up in a day. And they creep up every single day no doubt, and usually, we get frustrated with ourselves as a result. Then we get into a mental game of Street fighter where we KO ourselves round after round. This cycle can start one day, continue the next, and so forth. Before we know it, we’re feeling unhappy with life on a whole.

This partly stems from a perfectionist mind-set. No absurdities, worries, or mistakes can creep up. We can’t feel bad and have it be okay. No everything needs to be AMAZING every single day. And because we don’t end up living up to standard, we get depressed when all we need to do is the accept the feelings that are coming in.

So I’ve got a little note in Google Keep that I call ‘Worries and Mistakes box’. Every time I notice a little weed prodding in my mind I write it down in this Keep note. Just giving it that attention seems to calm the gremlin noises in my head down. So for instance, as of writing this, I ate some bad food last night, and as a result, I didn’t sleep that great. I could either let that mistake from yesterday derail my present day, or I could acknowledge it by writing it down.

Takeaway: Dissolve the power your negative thoughts have over you by writing them down.

“Labeling our thoughts helps us break the self-identification with the thought.” – Karla Helbert. Potential value to your week if applied: 1%. (52% ‘Stress Reduction’ in a year)

So that’s it! Those are the five unique ideas you’ll want to implement if you want to lead a more powerful and meaningful life. If you’re a creative and you’re interested in learning more about what you can do to increase your odds of living more meaningfully each week, I’m going to give you a Free Bonus to help.

In the meantime, which of the five habits will you use consistently to improve the quality of your life?

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

You’ve read 5 Weekly Habits for a Meaningful Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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You’re reading 4 Ways to Boost Productivity and Enter Flow States Consistently, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Can you recall a time when your work felt effortless?

Nothing distracts you. There’s no internal resistance. You are focused, energized, and immersed in the task at hand. You make connections seamlessly. Your creative output soars. Time stops. Your enjoyment in the moment rises.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow called this a peak experience. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi continued Maslow’s initial findings to develop the science of flow.

Flow is a mental and physical state of being. Everyone has access to flow states, but some people access them with greater frequency.

To access a state of flow more often, try the following

1) Play to Your Natural Strengths

Another psychologist, Martin Seligman, demonstrates that when people do the things they are naturally good at in their work, they are generally happier and experience more flow.

To determine your natural strengths, take a free scientifically validated survey to determine your top strengths on the VIA Institute on Character website.

Then, determine at least three to five ways you can access these strengths in your work.   

2) Reduce External Distraction

Distraction is the primary culprit that steals our attention. Each time you are interrupted from a flow state, research suggests that it takes an average of 10 to 15 minutes to return to it.

Consider how often you get distracted in a given hour (for the average executive, it’s over eight times) and you can appreciate why flow can seem so rare.

When you’re working on a specific task, eliminate anything that can make noise and draw your attention. Close your email program. Put your phone on “airport mode.” Silence all notifications. Shut your door.

Establish a predetermined time parameter to work uninterrupted on a project that’s meaningful to you. You can’t eliminate distraction indefinitely, but everyone can go offline for an hour to focus on something important.

3) Find Your Center

Once you deal with external distraction, you’re still left with the biggest distraction of all: your own mind. When you’re in a state of flow, you can access more of your brain’s potential. You can focus because your mind isn’t ruminating in the past or projecting into the future; it is absorbed in whatever you are doing. You are fully present.

There are many centering exercises. Mindfulness meditation is a popular way of quieting your mind by observing your thoughts with nonjudgmental awareness.

One of my favorite methods is to put your attention on the bottom of your feet. Simply put your complete awareness on your feet for about 20 seconds. Observe any sensations you might feel. Notice if you feel more calm and focused.

Keeping both of your feet firmly on the ground as you work will help you maintain your focus for extended periods of time.

4) Adopt an Attitude of Open Readiness

Rigid thoughts and beliefs block our creativity; they stifle flow. Adopt what the Zen Buddhists call a Beginner’s Mind. Let go of preconceived notions. Surrender the need to control the next moment. Drop the false notion that you need to know all of the answers.

Then, stay ready and alert. Creating is an active art. Those who enter flow states on a frequent basis earn it by staying devote to their work.

Finally, don’t expect to enter a state of flow. Expectation and anticipation will only create resistance and frustration. Maintain a playful attitude. Experiment without expecting an outcome.

Flow happens at the intersection of effort and allowing. You’re in charge, but only to a degree. Embrace this ambiguity. And go create something great.

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Scott Jeffrey writes at ScottJeffrey.com about productivity, creativity, energy, and how to create your best work. To get effective methods for enhancing your mental performance, join his free newsletter.

You’ve read 4 Ways to Boost Productivity and Enter Flow States Consistently, 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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