Improve Concentration Naturally: Introducing 4 Easy Tips

The mind is a valuable asset.  We use it to do everything.  Everything that we do begins with a thought.  Whenever we attempt to do anything, work or even play we require the ability to concentrate on the task at hand.  

Many complain that they are not able to concentrate.  They decide that they must be ADHD and seek medical help.  The fact is, however, that only 4.5 percent of adults have ADHD.  The rest who find it hard to concentrate are suffering from poor habits not ADHD.

The following tips are meant to help you improve your concentration abilities.

One concentration tip is to cut back on caffeine.  Replace that extra double shot of expresso for regular, moderately intense exercise. 

‘Regular exercise releases brain chemicals key for memory,concentration, and mental sharpness, from the May 2013 Harvard Men’s HealthWatch’ states that the May 2013 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch promotes exercise as a way to increase brain function. 

‘Regular exercise releases brain chemicals key for memory,concentration, and mental sharpness, from the May 2013 Harvard Men’s HealthWatch’ also states that “”There’s a lot you can do to prevent cognitive decline, or slow it down, or recover memory function that you might feel you have lost, “ says Dr. John Ratey, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

One key strategy is regular, moderately intense exercise.  It helps maintain healthy blood pressure and weight, improves energy, lifts mood, lowers stress and anxiety, and keeps the heart healthy, all of which contribute to brain health.  But exercise also stimulates brain regions that are involved in memory function to release a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).  BDNF rewires memory circuits so they work better.  “When you exercise and move around, you are using more brain cells.” Says Dr. Ratey, who is also the author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (2008).  “Using more brain cells turns on genes to make more BDNF.””

Another concentration tip is to get more sleep.  Camille Noe Pagan, in ‘How to Focus: 4 ProvenTricks to Improve Concentration ‘states the following:  “”When a patient suspects she has ADHD, one of the first things I investigate is her sleep routine,” says Vatsal G. Thakkar, MD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine.  “The inability to concentrate is often caused by a lack of delta sleep.”  Thakkar is referring to the slow-wave stage that precedes REM sleep; it’s the time when the brain powers down, and some evidence suggests it’s the period in which certain cognitive functions consolidate and strengthen.  “If you’re regularly dipping below seven hours, you’re likely cutting into the delta phase, and this can make it difficult to focus when you’re awake,” says Thakkar.  His Rx: Get a solid seven to nine hours a night for at least two weeks.  If your concentration doesn’t improve, see a sleep specialist to determine if an undiagnosed disorder like sleep apnea might be to blame.”

A third concentration tip is to stay hydrated.  Merlin Hearn states in ‘Water Benefits Health’ that “drinking water and brain function are integrally linked.  Lack of water to the brain can cause numerous symptoms including problems with focus, memory, brain fatigue and brain fog, as well as headaches, sleep issues, anger, depression, and many more.

Over 70 percent of your body is composed of water and every function in the body is dependent on water, including the activities of the brain and nervous system.”

Pagan suggests that a fourth concentration tip would be to wiggle your toes.  She states the following:  “Ever catch yourself nodding along absentmindedly during a conversation as your brain flits to a million other things?  “The frenetic nature of our society – constant updates via e-mail and Twitter, for example – provides some sort of excitement every few minutes, and we’ve become trained to expect that,” says Olivia Fox Cabane, author of the Charisma Myth.  “If we’re not stimulated after a short period of time we look around for something that will do the job.  This is true whether we’re reading a dull news story or involved in a conversation. “To be a more attentive listener, Cabane recommends taking a moment to focus your attention on your toes.  This mindfulness trick will instantly bring you back to the present – right where you belong.”

(This article was written via ‘How to Focus: 4 Proven Tricksto Improve Concentration,’ by Camille Noe Pagan)  

Why Is It Important to Have a Strong Work Ethic?

What is it that employers seek, that increases performance, that fosters satisfaction, and that yields career progression?  Work ethic.

Employees that wield and exceptional work ethic are sought after by employers.  Why are those that have a strong work ethic more sought after?  They are more sought after because they always push forward to render a job well done.  They do the best job possible regardless of whether a supervisor’s eyes are on them or not.  One of their rewards is that they have done a job well.  This is the type of employee that an employer is eager to hire and promote.  They don’t shrink away from the extra work required to get a project done even if it means working past quitting time.  Having a good work ethic will gain you an exceptional reputation on the job.

Companies know that in order to stay competitive they have to hire a workforce that has both skills and motivation.  They have to hire those that have a strong work ethic.  They know that the driving force behind their company is the caliber of the workers.  If you have a good work ethic you have the quality that companies are searching for.  Your work ethic is what will make your performance superior to that of the competition.

Greater satisfaction is gained by those who have a strong work ethic.  It gives someone great satisfaction when they are skilled and motivated to do a thorough job.  People with a good work ethic put more time and energy into their tasks yielding noteworthy results.  They get the satisfaction of receiving compliments for a job well done.  They also have an inward satisfaction that comes from doing an excellent job.

People who have a strong work ethic move quickly up the ranks.  Managers and supervisors take note of people who give more than 100% on the job.  If you demonstrate a strong work ethic you will be the shining star that an employer seeks to promote.

If you have a strong work ethic you will gain a greater satisfaction from your work and be more promotable than those that do just enough to get by and collect a check.

(This article was written via ‘A Strong Work Ethic Will TakeYou Places’)  

Being Realistic Is the Most Common Road to Mediocrity

Wednesday’s Wisdom:  “Set your goals high and don’t stop til you get there.”—Bo Jackson

Sure you have heard that you should make your goals realistic, that you should make your goals doable.  The question is, how do you know if something is doable if you don’t try it?  Will Smith has said that “Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity.” 

Set your goals so high that they seem ridiculous.  Break these goals up into smaller doable milestone sizes and go for it.  Don’t worry if you don’t reach your goal the first time trying.  Reward yourself each time you reach one of your milestone goals.  Give yourself large rewards for each time you reach a large milestone, a medium reward for each time you reach a medium milestone and a small reward for each time you reach a small milestone.

Forgive yourself often.  Don’t beat yourself up if you set your goals so high that you don’t reach them in your first or second try.  So what if you did not graduate from Harvard as a celebrated neurosurgeon.   If you set your goal that high you will most certainly at least graduate from college and start graduate school.  Reward yourself for accomplishing what you do accomplish.

Don’t be afraid to set your goals so high that they might seem unrealistic.  Is it realistic that you could go into a room, turn on a switch and have light?  Thank God Thomas Edison continued to work on what may have seemed to others to be an unrealistic goal.  Is it realistic that a boy who was cut from his high school basketball team could become one of the greatest basketball players of all time?  Thank God Michael Jordan kept pushing regardless of how the odds appeared.

Being realistic is not doing yourself any favors.  Sure, realistic goals are more comfortable.  It is always easiest to travel the road of the least resistance.  However you will rarely reach your fullest potential by setting goals this way.  The way to reach your fullest potential is to push past the goal of doing what is average and to embrace what might even seem to be crazy.  It is those people that push past average that make up the movers and the shakers of this world.  It is those people who push past the ordinary to become the extraordinary. 

What are your goals?  Do you find yourself telling yourself to “be realistic?”  Ignore that notion and push forward to set your goals so high that you have no choice but to become the extraordinary.  You don’t know what you are capable of unless you try.

Enjoy this Michael Jordan video and see what aspiring far past what seems realistic can do.

Affluent Children, the New At Risk Kids

Children who have wealthy parents contribute most to the growing number of teenage suicides per year.  This growing group of kids from upper class families are the new class of “at risk “ kids.

Large numbers of children from upper class families are participating in drug and alcohol use.  They are riddled with anxiety and depression.  These tendencies lead to self-destructive behaviors like cutting, violent crimes, eating disorders and suicide.

It can no longer be taken for granted that children with these types of destructive behaviors must come from poverty stricken backgrounds.  These behaviors are more seen amongst teens who are affluent.

There are two reasons that predicate these destructive behaviors.  One reason is “achievement pressure from parents.”  The other reason is “isolation (or alienation) from parents.”

It is more common than not that children want to feel that they are accepted by their parents.  In fact, most children will do just about anything to gain their parent’s acceptance.  This would include cheating on tests to bring home the kind of report card that their parents will accept or to get into the university that their parents want them to attend.

The kind of pressure to achieve that is experienced in these cases is unbearable for these teens.  They feel that being average is the same as being a failure.  They feel that the only way to gain acceptance by their parents is to do excellently in everything that they try.

Children who come from upper class families are often not allowed to fall.  They may not get into the university of their choosing if they have a blemish on their record so their parents will try to smooth things out by offering donations or favors.  As a result, affluent children don’t get to learn the coping skills that are necessary to bounce back from a failure. 

Many children from upper class families report feeling empty.  This results from parents who micromanage their kids.  They don’t allow their kids the opportunity to find out who they want to be.  The children end up feeling like empty shells that are put in place only to be what their parents want them to be.

Parents who are affluent have busy lives with schedules that are full of work, business trips and social obligations.  They don’t have time to share meals with their kids, do homework together, or engage in deep conversations.  This leaves the children feeling isolated.

“Kids who experience isolation feel no sense of emotional closeness or warmth with their parents.  They fail to develop secure attachments to them, which causes developmental problems that carry into adulthood.” (Stern, J)

What can you do to make sure that your child is not counted amongst the ones that are being involved in self-destructive behavior?  Well, you can start with something simple like making an effort to eat dinner with your kids.  “Studies show that families who eat dinner together at least five times a week have kids who use significantly less tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.”  (Stern, J)

Another thing that you can do is be there for your kids.  Be a constant presence in your child’s life.  Don’t smother them.  Stand back enough to let them make their own mistakes and to learn the consequences of their actions.  Be there to help them get back up when they fall.

Give your children acceptance.  Resist the temptation to mold your child into a likeness that you imagine would please you.  Acknowledge what their individual unique talents are and help to develop them. 

Give your kids your time.  Kids actually want to spend time with their parents.  Eat dinner together, play games together, spend time talking with each other.

Replace the emptiness in your child’s life with affection.  Your children need you to nurture them.  They need you to give them time, attention, and care.

(This article was written via “Why Your Kids Are at GreaterRisk Than Ever,” by Dr. Joanne Stern”  

It is Important to Answer What is Your Why in Life?

Monday’s Tip For the Week:  Don’t just hurl yourself through life with no real motivation.  Find your why and let it take you to new heights.

What is meant when someone asks you “What is your why in life?”  They are asking you to tell them what your motivation is.  What your purpose is.  What your cause is.  What is the belief that inspires you to do what you do?

It is important to be able to answer the question “what is your why in life” because we live in a world of constant distractions.  There are unlimited attention grabbers that float around us every day and the one that screams the loudest often wins.  One way to stay focused and improve your life is to figure out what your ‘why’ is.

Stop and ask yourself why you do things.  In a world that demands that you focus on what you have to do ask yourself are you really doing what you have to do?  One way to answer this question is to ask yourself why you do what you do.

Answer “What is Your Why in Life” by Figuring Out Your Purpose

Ask yourself what is your purpose.  Don’t make this a huge esoteric question.  It is something that can change at any time.  Make a list of the things that are the most important to you in your life.

Write down the things that you really love doing.  It could be spending time with friends or family, your job, a hobby, etc.  The answers will vary with the reader.

What matters is what is important to you.

Answer “What is Your Why in Life” by Clarifying your Priorities

Once you have made a list of things that you really love doing, narrow down that list by checking off what is really important to you.  This can be done by asking yourself why something is important to you, why you participate in that activity and what is it about it that you love.  Take note of how much time you spend on each activity.  Make note of the activities that you feel you don’t get to spend enough time doing.

Answer “What is Your Why in Life” by Seeking Out What’s Really Important

Once you have narrowed down the list of things that you love doing make a list of what you actually do.  Don’t be surprised to find out that there are only a few of the things that you love to do on the list of things that you actually do. 

You may find that you fill your life up with things that you really don’t enjoy doing.  Ask yourself how you can spend less time doing the unimportant things and more time doing the things that you love.

Answer “What is Your Why in Life” by always asking Why

Whenever a new opportunity to do something presents itself, ask yourself why.  Is it really important to join that new steering committee or would your time be better spent elsewhere.  Does it matter if you miss your work out time during lunch to work overtime or is your work out more important to you?  Answers to these sorts of questions will vary with each reader.

Conclusion

Step away from what others expect of you and start asking yourself what is important to you.  Once you do this you will begin to be able to improve your life in ways that are important to you.

(This article was written via ‘How to ImproveYour Life by Discovering Your Why,’ by Craig Dewe)

Know What You Want

Imagine what life would be like if you only spent time chasing what you really wanted.  No longer chasing what you think you should want.

Consider the following circumstances of a young lady.  She went hiking after viewing pictures of a friend of hers enjoying a hiking trip.  She was miserable and did not enjoy hiking at all.  What was it about those pictures that made her want to go hiking?  It turns out that what she was attracted to in those pictures had nothing to do with hiking at all.  She saw how much her friend was enjoying himself and how he looked satisfied with his life.  Those are the things that she actually wanted, not hiking.

Know What You Want By Seeking for Things You Enjoy

You have to know what you want by seeking out things that you enjoy and this could very well not be what others enjoy.  People enjoy a variety of things.  Some of these things are cooking, horse-back riding, painting, dancing, etc.  These are things that you may or may not like.   Just because others seem happy while doing these things does not mean you will enjoy doing these things.

If they are doing something that is meant for their life but not meant for yours you will no doubt be disappointed.

Know what you want by seeking out things that you enjoy.  You have to do the things that resonate well with you – for me that would be run-walking, watching great movies, knitting.

You would do well not to think that something will bring you happiness simply because it has brought others happiness.

Know What You Want by Asking Yourself Questions. 

So when you see people on TV seemingly enjoying a football game while drinking beer, ask yourself – Do I really want beer?  Do I really want to watch football?  What is it that will bring me happiness?

It Is Not Uncommon to Not Know What You Want

If you don’t know what will bring you happiness, know that this is a phenomenon that is more common than you might think.  Even though it is common, it is a problem.  It’s a problem because it means that you are just floating from day to day wasting your life away for no reason in particular.  Out of all of your resources, time is the most valuable.  Once you lose time it cannot be recovered.

Know What You Want: Do What’s Best for You

That is why you must always do what is best for you.  There is no “one-size-fits-all.”

Chasing what others are chasing will leave you wanting.  You will want what they have and go after it only to find yourself dissatisfied.

On the opposite hand – If you start your days with the direction to meet your purpose knowing that the things you will do that day are precisely the right thing for you – you will be satisfied in everything that you accomplish.

Conclusion

You will see that if you live knowing that each thing that you do matters you will not only be more productive, but you will actually feel great.  You will notice the difference between living a life where the days just pass you buy and living a life in which every day matters.

(This article was written via ‘How to Know WhatYou Really Want,’ by Sid Savara)  

The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D Wattles

Getting rich begins with a thought and it is accomplished by doing things in the certain way.  Wallace D. Wattles, in the ‘Science of Getting Rich,’ gives a step by step process of how to achieve the financial plateaus of your dreams.  The following video is an audio book of the book.  The book is also in the Public Domain.  You should be able to get free copies of the book by just Googling ‘The Science of Getting Rich.’

Quotes About Excuses

Wednesday’s Wisdom:  “Don’t give in to excuses that can keep you from really living the best life God has for you.” – Joyce Meyer

We all have done it.  Made excuses that is.  The problem is excuses don’t get it done.  Taking action is what accomplishes a task.  Take note of the following quotes about excuses.

1.        “People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.” – J. Michael Straczynski

2.        “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” – George Washington

3.        “Excuses are tools of the incompetent, and those who specialize in them seldom go far.” – Author Unknown

4.        “Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.” – George Washington Carver

5.        “At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.” – Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

6.        “An excuse is worse than a lie, for an excuse is a lie, guarded.” – Alexander Pope

7.        “It doesn’t matter if you come from the inner city.  People who fail in life are people who find lots of excuses.  It’s never too late for a person to recognize that they have potential in themselves.” – Benjamin Carson

8.        “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” – Benjamin Franklin

9.        “Don’t make excuses, make good.” – Elbert Hubbard

10.    “Leadership – leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses.” – Mitt Romney

11.    “There is a lie in between a promise and many excuses.” – Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

12.    “Peer pressure and social norms are powerful influences on behavior, and they are classic excuses.” – Andrew Lansley

13.    “I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse.” – Florence Nightingale

14.    “Every vice has its excuse ready.” – Publilius Syrus

15.    “Most people don’t have that willingness to break bad habits.  They have a lot of excuses and they talk like victims.” – Carlos Santana

16.    “The heart has its reasons but the mind makes the excuses.” – Amit Abraham

17.    “He who excuses himself, accuses himself.” – Gabriel Meurier

18.    “Negative thinking is subtle and deceptive.  It wears many faces and hides behind the mask of excuses.  It is important to strip away the mask and discover the real, root emotion.” – Robert H. Schuller

19.    “To rush into explanations is always a sign of weakness.” – Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery

20.    “If you don’t want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.” – Yiddish Proverb

21.    “Beast Mode doesn’t make excuses.  It doesn’t complain.  Whatever you’re doing, go out there and get it done.  Keep pushing.  If I have a bad game, I think about what I have to do to return to form.  Figure it out, go to sleep, and wake up a new man.” – Matt Kemp

22.    “Don’t use your past as an excuse, excuse your excuses and take action now!!! – Bernard Kelvin Clive

23.    “It is wise to direct your anger towards problems – not people; to focus your energies on answers – not excuses.” – William Arthur Ward

24.    “Kick the crutch out from under your excuses.” – Lorii Myers

25.    “We are all manufacturers.  Making good, making trouble, or making excuses.” – H.V. Adolt

26.    “One of my biggest influences of all time would probably be one of my soccer coaches, Coach Darlington, from high school.  He was always trying to get me to push myself really hard.  No excuses.  I always hated him, but it paid off.  I think that’s what life is all about… when you push through the hard stuff and it pays off.” – Jonny Weston

27.    “It is easier to move from failure to success in from excuses to success.” – John C. Maxwell, The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization

28.    “We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse.” – Rudyard Kipling

29.    “If you really want to do it, you do it.  There are no excuses.” – Bruce Nauman

30.    “Do not make excuses, whether it’s your fault or not.” – George S. Patton

31.    “There aren’t nearly enough crutches in the world for all the lame excuses.” – Marcus Stroup

32.    “Everything is easier said than done.  Don’t give yourself that excuse.” – Sue Fitzmaurice

Quotes About Having Self-Confidence

One of the biggest barriers to accomplishing something is the fear of failure.  That is the lack of self-confidence.  To be successful in anything you need self-confidence.  You must believe that you can do what you have set out to accomplish.  Self-confidence is so important that I am dedicating this article to quotes about having self-confidence.  The following are quotes about self-confidence.

1.        “We are always the same age inside.” – Gertrude Stein

2.       “ Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence. – Robert Frost

3.        “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

4.        “When you’re different, sometimes you don’t see the millions of people who accept you for what you are.  All you notice is the person who doesn’t.” – Jodi Picoult, Change of Heart

5.        “One important key to success is self-confidence.  An important key to self-confidence is preparation. – Arthur Ashe

6.        “When someone tells me “no,” it doesn’t meant I can’t do it, it simply means I can’t do it with them.” – Karen E. Quinones Miller

7.        “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” – Coco Chanel, Believing in Ourselves: The Wisdom of Women

8.        “Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.” – Dalai Lama

9.        “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

10.    “Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others.  Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval.  Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” – Lao Tzu

11.    “A great figure or physique is nice, but it’s self-confidence that makes someone really sexy. – Vivica A. Fox

12.    “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

13.    “As long as you look for someone else to  validate who you are by seeking their approval, you are setting yourself up for disaster.  You have to be whole and complete in yourself.  No one can give you that.  You have to know who you are – what others say is irrelevant.” – Nic Sheff

14.    There can be no failure to a man who has not lost his courage, his character, his self respect, or his self-confidence.  He is still a king. – Orison Swett Marden

15.    “Why should I care what other people think of me?  I am who I am.  And who I wanna be.” – Avril Lavigne

16.    Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it.” – Dorothy M. Neddermeyer

17.    “Smile, for everyone lacks self-confidence and more than any other one thing a smile reassures them.” – Andre Maurois

18.    “No matter what a woman looks like, if she’s confident, she’s sexy” – Paris Hilton

19.    “Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.” – Thomas Carlyle

20.    “Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

21.   ”Don’t let others put thoughts into your mind that takes away your self-confidence.” – Katori Hall

22.    “A diamond doesn’t start out polished and shining.  It once was nothing special, but with enough pressure and time, becomes spectacular.  I’m that diamond.” – Solange Nicole

23.    “With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.” – Dalai Lama

24.    “Control Your Own Destiny or Someone Else Will” – Jack Welch

25.   “I believe that singing is the key to long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, increased intelligence, new friends, super self-confidence, heightened sexual attractiveness, and a better sense of humor.” – Brian Eno

26.    “If my mind can conceive it, My heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it!” – Jesse Jackson

27.    “You are as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fears; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.” – Samuel Ullman

Motivational Speeches Will Smith

Monday’s Tip for the Week:  Talent is a good thing but it’s not your ticket to greatness.  Greatness comes from a good work ethic and developing your skills.

I was searching the web to find inspirational topics to write about and I stumbled across this video.  Will Smith shares his attitude  and passions.  

My favorite quote from this video is "The separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts for people who are trying to excel who have dreams, that wanna do things.  Talent you have naturally.  Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beatin on your craft... Where I excel is sickening, ridiculous work ethic" 

Another quote that I like from this video is "Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity."

What is your favorite quote from this video.  Leave it in a comment below.

You Must Develop A Winning Mindset!

Everything that you do has a place of origination – your mind.  Every action is a reaction of what you think.  

Before you jump into any great project, be it school, internet marketing or some other small business you must make sure that your mindset is set to win.

How do you develop a winning mindset?  Take time to consider the following suggestions.

Very few opportunities are true get rich quick schemes.  In fact, I don’t know of any true get rich schemes.  Most projects require you to do more in order to gain financial reward than to just dump money into them.  Most opportunities require you to develop a winning mindset in order to reap their benefits.  To develop a winning mindset you must invest time into your education.  Even if school is your focus, often times you are required to take prerequisite courses prior to being permitted to enter the core classes.

If you are starting a small business it is smart to start where you are, however, coupled with your actions should be hours, days, even months of reading up on your chosen business, marketing and management.  You must take the time to educate yourself.  Don’t just think that reading a book or two will prepare you for all of the ins and outs of your chosen business.  The more you educate yourself the more you are worth.  The more you are worth the more dollars you will bring in.

You must prepare your mind for trial and error.  Rarely does a new business take off without any glitches.  In order to develop a winning mindset you must prepare your mind for the fact that there will be some setbacks.  Starting a new online business, offline business or going to school all require patience with yourself.  It is not a time for perfectionism and an inability to forgive one’s own errors.  It is a time to make mistakes and to learn from them.  It is a time for growing.

You must prepare your mind to handle negative people.  The world is full of people who are set on accepting mediocrity as the rule.  They adhere to mediocrity and they want you to do the same.  They don’t believe that they can accomplish anything that is noteworthy and they don’t believe that you can either.  When starting a new online business, offline business or school semester You might receive chiding and resistance from your friends, family, co-workers, and even your boss.  If you have not prepared your mind for this it will be easy to fall under these pressures.

A winning mindset is a mindset that is prepared to go all the way.  You must prepare your mind to not stop half way once the going gets tough but to push forward to the prize.  If you don’t prepare your mind ahead of time to go the distance it will be too easy to quit half-way through because you would have put in a half-hearted effort.  Ask yourself “how badly do you want success?”

Developing a winning mindset can be easy once you set your mind to it.  A winning mindset is necessary to accomplish anything worth mentioning.  Your dreams and goals can be achieved once you set your mind to it and develop the mind to get it done.  Start developing a winning mindset by implementing the tips found in this article.  Remember “that which a man thinks, so is he.”

How To Handle Stress

There is no getting around it.  Just like in every life a little rain must fall, stress is inevitable.  If you are not careful, stress can walk right into your life and toss you around like a little rag doll leaving you frazzled and frenzied.  Thank goodness there are things that can be done to handle stress.  The following are ten ideas that you can use to handle stress.

One way to handle stress is to pinpoint its origin.

Most times when we suffer from stress it seems like the stress is coming from all directions.  We try to dodge the stress like playing a mental game of dodge ball and the balls are coming from all directions.

Don’t get socked by one of those balls.  Take the time to identify the stressor.  Get specific.  Is it a project at work, taxes that need to be filed, housework that you have been putting off?

If you get specific and pinpoint the stressors in your life you will be closer to neutralizing the stress.

A Second Way to Handle Stress Is to Focus on What You Can Control

In most cases, you can’t control what someone else does or the elements.  You can, however, control how you react to outside stimuli.

Don’t try to control the things that you just can’t control.  Things like what your boss will say or the value of the dollar.  You will inevitably fail if you try to control things that are out of your control and will become even more stressed out with a feeling of helplessness.  Take an inventory of the things that stress you.  Target the stressors that you can control and figure out a way to take action.

A Third Way to Handle Stress is to Do What You Love

It’s a lot easier to handle instances of stress when your life is filled with things that you love doing.  If your job is the stressor then find hobbies that you love doing.  Try to do things that you are passionate about.  If you are not sure what you are passionate about then try several activities until you find one that holds meaning for you.

A Fourth Way to Handle Stress is Good Time Management

Many people are stressed because they just don’t have enough time.  Their to-do list just does not fit into their time constraints.  I am sure you have heard others exclaim that “there is just not enough hours in a day.” 

Everybody has the same 168 hours in a week.  There are people that use this 168 hours and manage to work, do extra activities and sleep at least seven hours every night.  It all boils down to how you handle your time.  There are plenty of books on the subject of time management.  It would be worth your time to read some of them.  One book that comes highly recommended is a book by Laura Vanderkam called ‘168 Hours:  You Have More Time Than You Think.’

A Fifth Way to Handle Stress Is to Create a Reservoir of Methods

All stressors are not created equal.  Therefore one method to control stress will not work on all of your stressors.  For example deep breathing techniques might help while taking a test but would be inappropriate in a face to face meeting.

Stress is not a simple phenomena, therefore we need a collection of techniques that we can pick and choose from to fit each instance of stress.

A Sixth Way to Handle Stress is to Get Rid of the Negotiables

Take the time to consider the things that are priority and the things that are negotiable.  Do you really have to belong to so many clubs?  Do you really need to hold a daily conference call?

This is a time to trim the fat.  Is your life full of activities that don’t give your life meaning or don’t go along with your goals and values.  It’s time to remove all of the activities that aren’t in sync with your true purpose.

A Seventh Way to Handle Stress Is to Lessen Your Vulnerability to Stress

Your physical body acts like an antenna for stress when it is not in good condition.  Make sure that you are getting enough rest.  If you don’t get enough sleep even the slightest stressor can send you over the edge.  Also drink enough water and get plenty of exercise.  The healthier and stronger your body is the less susceptible it will be to stress.

An Eighth Way to Handle Stress Is to Watch Your Boundaries

It is much easier to say yes to someone than to say no.   After all, you don’t want to feel bad and you don’t want the other person to feel bad.  You feel like you are a terrible person if you say no.  Well, that notion is far from the truth.  It is better to say no and feel a few moments of discomfort than to have the stress of taking on extra responsibilities that just don’t fit into your schedule or just doesn’t add value to your life.

Happy people are selective with their time.  They are very careful not to have their boundaries crossed.  You too can begin to be more selective with your time.  Whenever you are faced with the choice to add something to your schedule just go down the checklist.  One, will this add value to my life; and, two, do I really have time in my schedule for this extra activity.

A Ninth Way to Handle Stress Is to Note the Difference Between Worrying and Caring

Sometimes our minds mistake worrying for action.  Our minds fool us into thinking that worrying is being productive.  Google defines worry as to “give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.”  Worry is a way for your mind to try enact change by thinking on the problem.  Caring is actually doing something that will bring about a positive change to the person or thing that we care about.

Just think about it.  If you are away from your home for a week and the whole time you worry about how your plants are not being watered, they still will be brown and withered when you return home.  Worrying does not fix the problem.  Having someone come in and water your plants would be fixing the problem.

Another example would be worrying about your finances.  Worrying about your finances does nothing but to get you sick with worry.  Caring about your finances means using coupons, creating a budget and paying your bills on time. 

Changing your actions from worrying to caring will do a lot to reduce your levels of stress.

A Tenth Way to Handle Stress Is to Abandon Perfectionism

Perfectionism is a mindset that can exacerbate stress.  Trying to be 100% mistake free is another way of setting yourself up for failure.  No one is perfect and trying to be so is just putting undue pressures on yourself. 

Research has shown that perfectionism hinders success.  It also leads to addiction, life-paralysis and anxiety. 

Ward off perfectionism and become more compassionate to yourself.  Forgive yourself when you make mistakes.  As the old adage goes “To err is human.”

(This article was written via ’10 PracticalWays to Handle Stress,’ by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.)

If you learned anything new from this post then please leave a comment.

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How to Overcome Procrastination

Wednesday’s Wisdom:  “The best way to get something done is to begin.” – Author Unknown

Google defines procrastination as “the action of delaying or postponing something.”  Some of us are in the habit of procrastinating and are doused with a flow of side effects.  Side effects that include guilt, stress, and frenzied work hours. 

There are several reasons why you procrastinate.  Sometimes you fear that you might fail so you put off what you consider an unwelcomed consequence.  Sometimes you have packed your schedule to tightly and there is just not enough room for the additional task.  Sometimes you are just feeling plain lazy and you just don’t want to do it.

Whichever the cause, there are ways to overcome procrastination.  I will list several root causes of this scourge along with ways to overcome.

Stress is one root cause of procrastination.  Sometimes we use procrastination as a coping mechanism to help us deal with stress.  Reducing the amount of stress in your life is one way to overcome procrastination in this instance.  Schedule more time for play.  Play is a known stress reliever.  Benjamin Franklin suggested that you split your week into thirds.  One third for work, one third for play, and one third for rest.

Another root cause of procrastination is being overwhelmed.  Sometimes we pack our to-do list with more activities than we can reasonably do.  This inevitably causes you to put some tasks off for a later date.  Your brain just can’t keep up with a schedule that you know you can’t follow.  Your brain then instructs you to stop. 

One way to overcome procrastination in this instance is to prune your to-do list.  Allow only priority items to make it onto the list.  Delegate some of the activities.  This way the task gets done without the cost of overwhelming yourself. 

Resist the temptation to classify yourself with the workaholics.  Peak performers get more done by staying relaxed and fresh.  Once again, schedule more time in your schedule for play and relaxation.  Doing so will render you more effective, focused, and balanced.

A third root cause of procrastination is laziness.  Sometimes our work leaves us physically and emotionally drained.  Once this becomes a pattern it easily becomes a habit.  When you are feeling lazy you don’t feel like doing even the simplest of tasks.  When you are feeling this way your energy is too low to complete the task.  You might decide that the task is too difficult.  Blaming the task will only strengthen the habit of laziness.  This habit can easily send you spiraling downward towards depression.  The way to overcome procrastination in this instance is to know that you should not normally feel weak and/or unmotivated.  If you find that you are feeling this way immediately disrupt the pattern.  Disrupt the pattern by immediately becoming active.  Not just mentally, but physically as well.  One way to become active and raise energy levels is to do exercises.

A fourth root cause of procrastination is a lack of motivation.  Temporary laziness can be expected at times.  However, there is a problem if you find that you are chronically lacking motivation.  The way to overcome procrastination in this instance is to find out what your true purpose is.  Until you find your true purpose you won’t even come near to reaching your full potential and you will always have weak motivation.  Once you find your purpose center your work around that purpose.  This will do wonders in reducing your tendency to procrastinate.

A fifth root cause of procrastination is a lack of discipline.  Sometimes you come across tasks that you just don’t want to do.  Your motivation may be high but you just don’t like the task.  These are the times that self-discipline comes in handy.  The way to overcome procrastination in this instance is to take note of the many articles on the web that are written to help you improve self-discipline and to put some of the suggestions to use.

A sixth root cause of procrastination is a lack of good time management habits.  Bad habits like oversleeping, being too disorganized, and letting tasks fall through the cracks are a feeding ground for procrastination.  The way to overcome procrastination in this instance is to formulate good habits that will replace the bad habits.  For instance, if you have the habit of oversleeping consider taking the challenge of becoming an early riser.  Begin by setting your alarm to ring one half an hour earlier than you would normally wish to get up in the morning.  Try this for a week and then move the time back another half an hour.  You can do this until your wake up time equals 4 am.  Many successful entrepreneurs as well as others start their day at 4 o’clock in the morning.  Imagine the things that you could get done.  There would be time for breakfast, coffee, a work out and perhaps some work tasks that you would normally put off due to time constraints.

A seventh root cause of procrastination is perfectionism.   Thinking that you must do something perfectly causes stress.  When you stress over a task you immediately begin to avoid it because of the unwanted feelings that it fosters.  You put the task off until the last minute and then you make errors because you have forced yourself to rush through it.  But then you think “that’s ok,” because you have told yourself that if you had just had more time to do the task you would have done it perfectly.  The way to overcome procrastination in this instance is to allow yourself to be human.  Realize that it is better to have a task done imperfectly then to not have the task done at all.

These seven cures that I have listed will not come about easily.  You will have to work at it.  The bad news is that the problem of procrastination is not going to go away by itself.  The good news is that working towards eliminating procrastination from your life will be well worth it.

(This article was written via  ‘Overcoming Procrastination,’ by Steve Pavlina) 

If you learned anything new from this post then please leave a comment.

5 Secrets of Success in Life

You might think that in order to be successful in life you must be some kind of super man or super woman saying yes to everyone and everything.  You might also think that in order to be successful you must settle for no more than four hours a night of sleep and must strain to fit everything in.  I am sure you have run across the person that seems to take pleasure in the boast that they are so busy.  Little do they know, that boast is a “bogus badge of honor.”  Cramming more activities into your schedule than can reasonably fit only serves to strangle creativity and to drown thinking capabilities.

One of the secrets of success in life is being selective.  You might think that in order to be successful you must fit in everything that you possibly can.  There are people who have done this and have realized some success. The very successful people, however, are very selective.  Warren Buffet has said that “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say not to almost everything.”

Another one of the secrets of success in life is to get enough rest.  It is a common belief that very successful people only get four hours of sleep per night.  Getting at least eight hours of sleep per night ensures that your body and mind are well rested.  Your body heals itself when it is sleeping.  Your mind is rejuvenated from rest.  Your best performances result from an ample amount of sleep.

A third tidbit of the secrets of success in life is to schedule time for play.  A popular belief is that very successful people don’t value play time.  Creativity is actually fueled through play time.  Our spirits are energized through play.  Very successful people value play time.

A fourth tidbit of the secrets of success in life is to be good listeners.  It is a popular belief that very successful people are the ones that are always quick to jump in with an answer.  The truth is that the most successful people are very good listeners.  They take the time to listen to everything that is being said and often pick up on the things that are not said.

A fifth tidbit of the secrets of success in life is to compete only with yourself.  You might think that the very successful people are obsessed with what others are doing.  This is one of the farthest things from the truth.  Very successful people play their game not someone else’s.  They are focused on their own performance and what they could do better.  They don’t let distractions like what someone else is doing interfere with their progress.

If you want to truly hone in on the secrets of success in life focus on the traits that will actually make you successful and not the myths.  Very successful people are human beings just like the rest of us.  They have a need to sleep, play, exercise good time management skills, monitor their own performances and be good listeners.  They are not super men and super women.  They are human beings that make good choices.

(This article was written via ‘5 Secret of ReallySuccessful People’ by Greg McKeown)  

If you learned anything new from this post then please leave a comment.

How to Learn from Our Mistakes

Monday’s Tip for the Week:  “Good judgment comes from experience and experience come from poor judgment.”

Before we discuss how to learn from our mistakes we should first establish why we should learn from our mistakes.  We should learn from our mistakes because learning from our mistakes relieves stress.  We should also learn from our mistakes so that we don’t repeat them.  Unfortunately, sometimes it takes repeating the same mistake more than once to learn a lesson.  The important thing is that the lesson is learned and you can move forward.

The first step in learning from your mistakes is not an easy step because we are often taught that making a mistake is a shameful thing.  As difficult as it might seem you must admit that you have made a mistake.  Don’t blame other people for your mistakes.  Once you start to blame others for your mistakes you limit any chance that you have of learning from the mistake.   You don’t have to make admission of the mistake a public declaration.  Admitting the mistake to yourself is good enough.  Once you have admitted to making the mistake you are ready to employ the following tactics that will help you learn from your mistakes.

Start by putting your mistakes into a new category.  Discontinue thinking of your mistakes as failures.  See them instead as opportunities to learn.  More is learned from mistakes than successes.  Use the lessons you learn from your mistakes to foster future success.

Take an inventory of things you can change.  Don’t play the blame game.  Instead of dwelling on who caused the mistake think on how a change can be made.  Think of how things could be done differently.  Become empowered with the thought that you, yourself, can make the necessary changes.

 

Forgive yourself.  Put things into perspective.  Monitor how you view mistakes.  It does not serve any purpose to take mistakes too seriously.  It may be tempting to blame others for your mistakes especially if you are harsh on yourself for making mistakes.  Blaming others as discussed earlier, only gets in the way of learning the much needed lesson.  If you forgive yourself for your mistakes you are less likely to play the blame game and more likely to prosper by learning.

Get another’s perspective.  Ask someone that you trust what they think of the situation.  We are often too close to the situation to have an impartial view.  It is much easier to get an impartial view if we ask someone’s opinion who is on the outside looking in.  It is better to get someone’s take on the situation who is not emotionally attached.  Their impartial view that is delivered with love and tact is just what is needed to learn from a situation.

Adjust your view of the situation.  See the situation from different perspectives.  Think of how others who have experienced the same mistake feel.  See the situation from the perspective of if you had made a different choice.  Look at the situation from differing angles and see what lessons are apparent.

Congratulate yourself.  Whenever you have even the tiniest bit of growth from lessons learned that result from making mistakes congratulate yourself.  You have added value to your life by lessons learned.  Be happy that you have had the chance to learn from your mistakes.

(This article was written via ‘How to Learn from Your Mistakes’ by Elizabeth Scott, M.S.)  http://stress.about.com/od/positiveattitude/a/learn_from_your_mistakes.htm

Hire Slow Fire Fast

A lot of companies that are just starting hire employees fast and fire slow.  They are so interested in growing that they hire to fill roles quickly and are reluctant to remove employees when they find that the newly hired employees are not a good fit.  Many are just too busy to remove the employee or just decide to duck the difficult conversations involved in firing an employee.

Hiring fast and firing slow has led to massive lay-offs.  Sometimes by the time officials of a company have realized that their company is struggling as a result of undisciplined hiring they have to put the company through a major surgery instead of maintaining a disciplined daily pruning.

Companies that successfully hire slow and fire fast thrive without being made to operate under the weight of staff that just does not fit.  These companies maintain their health by making sure that their major systems do not fail as the result of employees that just don’t fit the bill.  It is much better to hire slow and fire fast so that the company does not go through the shock of a major layoff.

You might think that the concept of hire slow fire fast is insensitive.  It isn’t really.  It is actually compassionate and the following are reasons why.

1.        Having companies that are too oversized to function properly and are bureaucratic actually slowly die.  These types of companies are not healthy and they don’t stick around very long.

2.       How compassionate is it to keep one person that is not very productive and make the rest of the team suffer?  Teams are better off when each member pulls their own weight.  Hire slow fire fast might seem harsh, but how harsh is it to make other team members carry the weight of an employee that just doesn’t fit?   

3.       It is not actually humane to try to make someone fit into shoes that are too big or too small.  It is not helping people when you keep them in the wrong role constantly having to give them the same feedback performance review after performance review.

To hire slow fire fast you must be extremely selective in your hiring decisions.  Almost to the point of being ridiculous.  Sometimes it is even necessary to have a prospective employee come and work with you for a day just to see if they are a natural fit.  No commitments need to be made at that point.  It is just an opportunity for each party to see the other in how they perform naturally.  You get a chance to see how the prospective employee responds to the natural stimuli of the position. 

You might be rather inclined not to want to work for a company that goes to such lengths to make a good hiring decision.  But that’s the point.  To weed out those that will not be a good fit for the company.

If you want the hire slow fire fast concept to work you have to find ways to fire humanely.  This means that you don’t publically walk people out making a public display of them.  It means that you don’t abruptly oust people as if they are criminals. 

The best way to handle firing is to take the person aside and let them know that you don’t think that they are a good fit and then of course you would state the reason.  You could also provide free career coaching to help the person find a better fit elsewhere.

If you hire slow fire fast you will find that you would have a dense repository of talent.  Sure, in order to get there you will have to exhibit strong leadership skills and have tough conversations.  But, in the end, it will be worth it.

(This article was written via ‘How to Hire –and Fire – The Right Way’ by Greg McKeown)  

If you learned anything new from this post then please leave a comment.