You’re reading The 7 Best Blog Posts On Gratitude, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

You have so much to be grateful for! How many times have you said this to someone or had someone say this to you? Gratitude, fortunately, has become as commonplace as a reminder to tune into positivity, yet, it does somehow still take a back seat to our daily life stresses. That is likely because gratitude flourishes or diminishes based on our desire to train ourselves to be appreciative. Being thankful is not always experienced as a natural state of existence, we must work at it, akin to a type of strength training for the heart. Practicing gratitude can strengthen our immune system, help us feel less lonely, and even encourage us to find compassion and generosity toward others. Here are 7 blogs that express the power and practice of gratitude.

1. This blog focuses on beginning your own gratitude practice. At its core is the idea that we must ‘be grateful for small mercies’. The acts themselves, committing to doing it, reflecting on it, sitting down and writing even just one thought on what it is you are grateful for, is beneficial in shifting our mind set.

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2. Gratitude is good for the heart! This blog shows evidence based results of people who are patients of heart disease. They were asked to write down what they are grateful for and discovered that inflammation was greatly decreased while heart rhythm improved. Acknowledging the presence of gratitude in our lives help us manage and cope with illness and mental stress, improving our overall health.

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3. Henrik Edberg writes a wonderfully simple blog on how to feel lighter on a daily basis. Concentrate on the small things that you are grateful for (your lunch, your plant, a helpful stranger, or the fact that you have gas in your car, for instance) and you will see that your life is actually more about opening up to the simple beauty in life. With this approach, ‘larger’ problems will not seem too much to overcome.

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4. This blog centers on how to become a master of gratitude. It is not about waiting for a positive act to happen to you and then be grateful for it, it is about acknowledging all that you’ve been given in this life. If one at a time, those ‘things’ were taken away and then slowly returned, within that time of their absence, we would feel their loss and wish for their return, promising never to take them for granted again. This blog challenges us to imagine this has happened, and then decide to consciously be grateful for all those things and express it in writing.

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5. Getting ‘unstuck’ is exactly what this blog helps one achieve. The points are laid out well and easy to follow. With great tips and insight into specific steps one can take to discover gratitude, we can begin to see its life altering effects. Paying genuine compliments, feeling humility, switching a negative trait to a positive one and asking what one can learn from a bad experience are all positive coping skills worth practicing,

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6. Aval Sethi’s blog specifically concentrates on how to express gratitude toward others. This is a very important practice as it enhances your relationships, teaches you to be more detailed in your observations and listen more intently to others. In turn you will genuinely feel grateful toward them and vice versa.

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7. This blog is from TED, it’s a round up list of what to read and watch that will guide one through the subject of gratitude. From the health benefits of gratitude, to the difference between being thankful and grateful, this article shows us many perspectives on this topic. One interesting take away is that fear and joy are inextricably linked with our ability to be vulnerable, and subsequently, our vulnerability is linked to our ability to be grateful. It takes courage to be imperfect and it takes embracing one’s vulnerability. A connection will come as a result of living in this authenticity.

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With our Thanksgiving holiday approaching, the insight that practicing gratitude can deliver is felt by many who enjoy time with those they appreciate. Gratitude is much deeper than being a giver or a receiver of gifts and compliments, it’s about an awareness and acceptance of our world, how it flows, how it changes, and being grateful for our belonging in it.

Do you read a great blog about gratitude that’s not on the list? Leave a comment on FB!

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Larissa Gomes is a breast cancer survivor and single mom to her spirited baby boy! Originally from Toronto turned Angeleno, she has worked in roles from writer, actor and producer for well over a decade. In that time, she’s developed concepts, film and television screenplays, short stories, along with freelance articles, blogging and editing work.

You’ve read The 7 Best Blog Posts On Gratitude, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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You’re reading The Ultimate Secret To Wake Up Early And Be Productive, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

“The day I complete my sleep is the day i’ll change the world” – Lazy People!

If you can relate to not sleeping at night and then regretting it later, you have come to the right place! First of all I want to congratulate you, because the fact that you are here signifies that you really “want to get a lot from life.”

Great! That is what Personal leadership is. It begins from you. It begins from self awareness. It begins with with getting up early to be more productive and getting more things done.

Self awareness is the guaranteed step to become a millionaire.

That is what successful people do, right? That is what successful entrepreneurs do.

“We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Successful people use it, Lazy people abuse it”

Getting more things done is all about getting up early and being a Manager. Your routine don’t lie. If you want to see where your future belongs, you can reflect that in your daily routine.

No one ever became super successful by being a couch potato.

Successful people get up early for work. Ideally around 5 am. Not because that’s what all successful people do, but because this is wise. It is wise to give time to yourself. It is wise to manage your time efficiently. It is wise to utilize your Holy Hour.

What is a Holy Hour? No, i am not discussing the benefits of meditating.

Holy Hour is the time, early in the morning, before the sun rises. It is that peaceful and pristine time when you are far away from all the distraction, embracing the quietness around you and working on your inner self.

Your inner health reflects your outer health and work productivity.  By getting up early each day you work towards your inner well being. Doing so on a regular basis can make you a dramatically better person.

Holy Hour is that 60 minutes of time when you contemplate your goals, your purpose and your strategies. It is that moment when you think about your relationships and how you can make them better. You will be surprised to know that the answers to the questions you were searching for out in the world are residing deep within yourself. It is when you focus your energy on the right track. On the things that require your focus and attention.

Doing so it’s just like operating a DSLR. The way that you adjust your camera lens to blur out everything and keep your focus on your ultimate target. To get a beautiful picture, to get a beautiful result.

That being said, it is not as easy as it is described. It takes time to be building your concentration to the right place and focusing on the right track by removing all your distractions. It takes practice. People who contemplate deep in their life are the people who achieve big.

As we discussed in our post Top 5 Practices of Rich and Successful People we discussed deeply about the power that you reveal by utilizing your Holy Hour and thinking and contemplating.

Successful people do a weekly analysis of their to-do list and prioritize their goals. They know the importance of time. They know time is money.

I once read about the secret of Asia’s top CEO’s outrageous success,

“I make time to think” he said.

Every morning he spends at least 45 minutes with his eyes closed, deep in reflection. He’s not meditating. He’s not praying. He’s thinking.  Sometimes he’s analyzing business challenges, other times he’s thinking about new markets. Still other times he is being introspective about the meaning of his life and what he wants it to stand for. Often, he’s simply dreaming up new ways to grow personally and professionally. Every once in a while he will spend between six to eight hours doing this. Sitting silently with his eyes closed. Thinking.

Being thoughtful and strategic is step number one as you walk to greatness. Clarity precedes success. By thinking more, you’ll have a better sense of your priorities and what you need to focus on. Your actions will be crisp and deliberate and intentional. You will make better decisions and wiser choices.

More time thinking will make you less reactive. You will become clearer on the best uses of your time which will in turn save you time. Your think time will also provoke some some amazing ideas and inspire some big dreams.

My question to you is..

How can you be a positive source of energy to those around you when you yourself have no energy? How can you develop the best in others if you have not connected with the best within yourself?       How can you champion another person if you fail to see the champion in you?

Getting up early to do your inner work, enlarge your thinking, to sharpen your life’s philosophy or to review your goals is not a waste of time. Getting up early for utilizing your holy hour is not a waste of time!

The holy hour infuses every remaining minute of your day with a perspective that elevates each area of your life. It will transform you. Make you better as a leader, as a parent, as a human being.

Apart from  achieving scientific evidence, Holy Hour has it’s deep routes in Hindu Tradition and is also mentioned in knowledge and wisdom rich Vedas. This Holy Hour is called “BHRAMA MUHURAT” in sanskrit Which means the “HOLY HOUR“. There are still various Gurukuls that follow the tradition of brahma mhoorat along with other Buddhists, and Chinese philosophers.

I believe that now you have enough reasons to waking up early and if you still fail to do so just remember this following powerful quote:

“There will be plenty of time to sleep when you are dear”-Benjamin  Franklin

So join the club of early risers. Be more wise. Be more Productive.

Here are 5 Practical ways that can help you get up early in the morning. ( Try to wake up around 4 or 5 am) :

1. SET YOUR GOALS.

This may seem obvious but it can have a tremendous impact on your life. People don’t wake up early just because they can not find any reason to do so. Even if they wake up, they already waste enough of their time thinking to take next action. Understand that this routine is new to you. So unlike waking up at regular time and knowing what you should do next is pretty simple. You’ve been following that routine for ages. But this is the beginning of your new journey so set goals early.

The night before you go to sleep at night , think of all the actions and your to do list that you need to perform tomorrow. This way you can save a lot of your time and it will also give you a reason to wake up early.

Plan your day out and make enthusiastic goals that force you to get out of bed without hitting the snooze button.

Goals breathe energy and life into your days. Goals inspire you and give you something to get out of your bed each morning. Take out your journal and prioritize your goal. It will light a fire in your belly and flood you with passion.

2. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND.

a) DON’T EAT AFTER 8 P.M : This will help you sleep more deeply as well as more sweetly. It’s the quality not the quantity of sleep that’s more important.

b) KEEP YOUR GIZMOS AWAY :Research shows that people who sleep with no distractions sleep more peacefully and have high quality REM SLEEP.

c) SLEEP IN COMPLETE DARKNESS AND NO NOISE: This ritual can be helpful to people especially who are insomniac. Lavender essential oil when used as a aromatic fragrance can help relieve stress and bring more peace.

d) SLEEP MAX. BY 11 PM : Don;t stress yourself out. Your body need rest. Without a proper sleep research shows that you can be less productive. In order to have fresh mind at least have 6-7  hours of sleep.

3. DON’T KEEP HUGGING YOUR BED!

After your alarm clock goes off, jump out of bed and start your day. The more time you lie in after the alarm clock goes off, the greater the likelihood that the chatter of your mind will say something like, “stay in bed, sleep a bit more. The bed is warm, you deserve it.” You want to stay away from those evil forces as much as possible!!

4. SET YOUR ALARM 30 MINUTES EARLY.

This little trick can help you change your life. Think like you are getting up at 5 am. By the time you are up and out of bed , you’ll realize that it’s only 4.30 AM.

Voila ! Sounds silly but it works!!

5. KEEP AWAY!

A night before , when you set your alarm clock keep it at a distance where you can’t reach easily. So doesn’t matter if you don’t want to wake up early and get going, You have to have get out of your bed to stop that annoying buzzing of your alarm clock!

You’ll get annoyed as hell at first, but you will thank me that you actually woke up!

6. GIVE IT AT LEAST 21 DAYS.

Research has found that it takes at least 21 days to form or delete a habit. You need some time to get used to it. It wont be easy at first but you need to keep going, okay?

Personal change is a process that can be hardest at the beginning. Be it waking up in the morning and be productive or losing your weight. It does not happens in a day or in a week. It takes time to overcome the pull of your old habit. But after four days from now, your life will so much better and you will feel so much powerful and strengthened. Always give yourself at least 21 days to install a habit.

DON’T GIVE UP!

Let me know your thoughts on Facebook!

You’ve read The Ultimate Secret To Wake Up Early And Be Productive, 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 Signs That You Are A Creative Person, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Are you a creative person? Yes…No…Yes...I don’t know...Maybe. If one of these is your answer, you may need to know yourself in a better way. Creativity is not something that can be measured; it can only be shown through your work and achievements. But I have seen that most of the creative people don’t know whether they are creative or not. If you are one of them, don’t worry it’s quite normal. Sometimes we need to explore ourselves  to bring out our creative side. If we examine the traits of highly creative people and delve into the research, the following 5 signs are common to all creative people:

1. Do you possess a complex personality?

Creative people usually possess complex personalities. They can experience conflicting emotions simultaneously. They are happy but also sad at the same time; they love solitude but suddenly they can also become the life of the party. Creative people tend to behave in two totally different ways at the same time; this particular trait is called ambivalence in psychology. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has conducted his research regarding the personality traits of creative and has come up with the conclusion that creative people possess multiple and conflicting emotions and ideas simultaneously. So, if you have a segregated personality you could be a creative person. But, hold on! Let’s see what’s the next sign is.

2. Do your friends find you Mysterious?

Creative people are mysterious; they are hard to understand. When you come to think that you have understood them, they may surprise you by showing an altogether different side of their personality. Have you heard about Leonardo da Vinci? The great painter, a prolific architect, mathematician, engineer  etc etc. Historians have declared him a mysterious man. According to Art Historian Helen Gardner: “his mind and personality seem to us superhuman, the man himself mysterious and remote”

Your mysterious personality can be a herald of your creative mind.

3. Do you want to sit alone for a period of time every day?

Creative people love their solitude. They may go to parties and enjoy family get-to-gethers but at the end of the day they want to spend some time alone. They find peace in loneliness. Unconsciously, they try to focus and explore their creativity side. Chase Jervis, an award winning photographer, claims that his creativity evolves when he spends his time alone. Albert Einstein said that he loves to go on long walks alone to listen to his inside self.

4. Are You a Sensitive Person?

Do you get hurt easily? Do you feel intensive agony and suffering? Yes? I can hear that. Creativity flourishes in sensitivity. Creative people are usually oversensitive. They can easily succumb to pain and depression. Creative people have to work hard to cope with their potential to be extra anxious and most of the times its trivial matters.

5. Do you love Challenges?

M.A. Collins in his book “The Handbook of Creativity” finds creative people more challenging. They accept new challenges and their enthusiastic and inquisitive nature compels them to explore new dimensions of life. They go for new experiences, learn from their failures and thus they are unstoppable.

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I’m Uzma Faheez! Read more of my articles HERE!   

You’ve read 5 Signs That You Are A Creative Person, 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 19 Powerful George Orwell Quotes To Inspire Change, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

George Orwell was an English novelist, essayist, and critic. Known for his sharp political commentaries, and outspoken views on democratic socialism, he led a very interesting life.

Orwell’s most popular works, 1984 and Animal Farm, still continue to move readers all over the world, even though over 60 years have passed since their release.

His ideas and words seem increasingly relevant, as we reflect on them at a point in there are pressing concerns facing the future of the world.

In the coming decades we will be forced to consider important questions about government, technology, and ethics – and ideas like those presented by Orwell can help inspire us and move us towards more personal and cultural freedom.

Here are 19 powerful George Orwell quotes to inspire change.

1. Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood
2. In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act
3. Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.
4. Never use a metaphor, a simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing printed.
5. But if thought can corrupt language, language can also corrupt thought.
6. In the face of pain, there are no heroes.
7. To an ordinary human being, love means nothing if it does not mean loving some people more than others.
8. People sleep peacefully at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
9. It´s not much staying alive, it´s staying human that´s important.
10. They can make you say anything, but they can´t make you believe it.
11. Mankind must put an en to war, or war will put an end to mankind.
12. Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first one is that if you disagree with someone´s lifestyle, you must fear them or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don´t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.
13. Apologizing does not always mean you are wrong, it just means you value your relationships more than your ego.
14. Perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one.
15. Power is tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choice.
16. For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable…what then?
17. We are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right.
18. To see what is in front of one´s nose needs a constant struggle.
19. It was possible, no doubt, to imagine a society in which wealth, in the sense of personal possessions and luxuries, should be evenly distributed, while power remained in the hands of a small privileged caste. But in practice such a society could not long remain stable. For if leisure and security were enjoyed by all alike, the great mass of human beings who are normally stupefied by poverty would become literate and would learn to think for themselves; and when once they had done this, they would sooner or later realise that the privileged minority had no function, and they would sweep it away. In the long run, a hierarchical society was only possible on a basis of poverty and ignorance.

Attention Pick the Brain Readers!

Are you ready to ignite change in your own life?

If so then 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 young professional who wants to take control of their minds, smash through their limitations, and lead a life worth living.

You’ve read 19 Powerful George Orwell Quotes To Inspire Change, 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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