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.’