Jumpstart Monday | Get your week off to a great start with the Day-Timer blog. Each Monday we feature a new tip to help you gain a more productive week at work and at home. Today’s tip: Organize your projects by keeping project pages Try This: Get organized at work or at home by creating [...]
Lifehacks
-
Most Topular Stories
-
Today’s Productivity Tip: Organize Your Projects
Day-Timer - Time Management and Productivity Tips23 Jan 2012 | 8:28 am -
Today’s Productivity Boosting Tip: Cross It Off!
Day-Timer - Time Management and Productivity Tips16 Jan 2012 | 9:02 amJumpstart Monday | Get your week off to a great start with the Day-Timer blog. Each Monday we feature a new tip to help you gain a more productive week at work and at home. Today’s tip: Cross it off! Here’s a quick productivity tip for your Monday motivation: Try This: The final action of every [...] -
4 Important Time Management Tips to Fight Stress
Day-Timer - Time Management and Productivity Tips13 Jan 2012 | 2:40 pmYou may have a not-so-healthy view of stress according to a recent study from the American Psychological Association. Ninety percent of adults believe stress can contribute to the development of major illnesses and nearly 40 percent claim their stress levels have increased over the past year. The study concludes people manage stress in unhealthy ways. [...] -
10 Things I Am Not Going to Do Today
Time Management Ninja27 Jan 2012 | 5:38 amToday’s checklist is inspired by “10 Things To Stop Doing Now… To Get More Done!” Here are 10 things that I am not going to do today… 10 Things Not To Do Today Second Guess Decisions - Few decisions cannot be changed later if needed. Better to take action that wallow in inaction. Waste Time at the Proverbial Water-cooler - Some people waste a large percentage of their day “chatting it up” in the workplace. Instead, get your work done, and get out. Check Email 50 Times - I love it when someone asks, “Did you get my email?” Um, when did… -
How You Can Cut Through Your Tasks Like a Laser
Time Management Ninja26 Jan 2012 | 5:30 amSome days are overwhelming. Some days come at us with a vengeance. Too many tasks, too many emergencies. How do you cut through the chaos to get to what is important? Some days it seems that you need a laser to blast through all your tasks. It’s All About Focus Lasers are powerful because they focus an extreme amount of energy down to a small focal point. This is good analogy for our productivity. “To maximize your effectiveness, you must bring your productivity into focus on what is most important.” If you bring your efforts to bear on the things that matter most, you will…
-
Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life
-
7 Habits of Highly Excellent People
27 Jan 2012 | 4:16 amAre you driven in life? Do you love to excel? I believe all of us do. We are born to be the best we can be and to make the best out of our lives.When I was in high school, I wasn't exactly the kind of student teachers would like. I was truant, didn't do my homework and did badly on my examinations. I was lazy and unmotivated in school. However, after a while I realized that this wasn't who I wanted to be. This wasn't the life I saw myself leading. People around me were judging and negative, and I had enough of all of that crap. I had enough of being discriminated against and I decided to turn… -
10 Life Lessons I've Learned in My First 30 Years
25 Jan 2012 | 7:57 amMany people cringe as they approach the age of 30. For some reason, these milestones tend to get people thinking: Am I old? What should I have done differently? Am I really happy with this person I married?Second guessing is normal and I don't have to remind you of the 20/20 hindsight rule. However, as I approach 30, I'm taking a different tact. I am viewing age as a positive simply because I have learned a ton of lessons that not only help define me, but will make future years enormously successful - emotionally, professionally, and socially.Often times we don’t realize how powerful our… -
How to Build and Stick to Your Exercise Routine
24 Jan 2012 | 2:39 amMost of us need to exercise more. Being active isn’t just important when you’re trying to lose weight – exercising regularly also means you’ll have a decreased risk of heart disease, diabetes, strokes and even some cancers.Perhaps you’ve tried getting into exercise in the past, but you always find yourself slipping back into your old habits. You might manage to get to the gym three times a week at first, but soon, you’re back to going a couple of times a month at best.But you’re not lazy and you don’t lack willpower. All you need is an exercise routine that will actually… -
22 Secrets to Discovering Your Dream and Living It
20 Jan 2012 | 5:14 amOne of the most important rules of happiness in life is to do what you love. But discovering that dream job and what you are meant to do in life isn't always so easy.Take a look at the happiest, most successful people on this planet: they are all doing something they love, creating something they believe in, living a life of purpose and passion. Do that, and it doesn't matter how much money you make.But what do you do if you don't know what you want to do? If you don't know what your dream is? This is a common problem, and many people wander through much of their life without discovering… -
Is Your Mindset Secretly Making You Miserable? Here’s How to Fix It
15 Jan 2012 | 4:01 amIs your mindset secretly ruining your life?And if so, is there a way to fix it?Michael Jordan wasn’t considered the best basketball player of all time when he was starting out. In fact, he was cut from his varsity team when he was a sophomore. Instead of giving up, Jordan became even more determined, and spent hours upon hours practicing on the court and improving his skills.When people look back, they say it was obvious that he was an amazing basketball player, but hindsight is always 20/20. What made the difference was his mindset, and what will make the difference in your life is your…
-
Lifehacker
-
Update Your Resume and Get a (Better) Job This Weekend [Weekendhacker]
27 Jan 2012 | 7:00 pmMore » -
PacApt Brings Arch Linux's Amazing Pacman Package Manager to Other Linux Distributions (Well, Sort Of) [Linux Downloads]
27 Jan 2012 | 6:30 pmMore » -
Remains of the Day: Twitter's Censorship Announcement Includes a Way Out [For What It's Worth]
27 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm -
This Week’s Most Popular Posts: January 21-27 [Highlights]
27 Jan 2012 | 5:30 pm -
Belvedere Updates, Can Now Automate Your Folders and Automatically Send Files to iTunes [Belvedere]
27 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pmMore »
-
Unclutterer
-
Workspace of the Week: Composed calm
27 Jan 2012 | 10:17 amThis week’s Workspace of the Week is H Sterling Cross’ simple setup: Cable management is what makes this desk beautiful. If there were cords hanging beneath it, you would never notice the stunning wood desk. Its smooth, clean lines and unadorned hardware could easily be missed if clutter were in the way. H Sterling has attached a small power strip to the back panel of the desk so only its cable runs down the leg and off to the outlet. Additionally, the model of the SR-71 Blackbird is the only decoration on the desk, which makes the red Swingline stapler appear to be more than a… -
How to organize your kitchen pantry
26 Jan 2012 | 11:55 amI’m currently reading the ninth edition of the Culinary Institute of America’s textbook The Professional Chef. I don’t have any desire to be a professional chef, I simply decided to read it to help me step up my game in my home kitchen. I’m only a few chapters into this book, and I’ve already learned a wealth of information. Much to my surprise, the book is full of fantastic organizing advice. In hindsight, I should have expected this since having an organized restaurant can be a key component in a restaurant’s survival. A poorly run kitchen can produce… -
Unitasker Wednesday: Avocado Cuber (and Avocado Pit Removal Tool and Avo Saver and Avocado Knife)
25 Jan 2012 | 9:45 amAll Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy! I’m fairly certain our Unitasker Wednesday feature could exist entirely on kitchen gadgets that do the same thing as knives. There are so many of these doodads and geegaws that you might be able to avoid using a knife in your kitchen completely if you had an unlimited supply of money and storage space. Sure, knives are incredibly functional and built to handle all your chopping, slicing, and dicing needs — but why use an incredibly simple knife… -
A year ago on Unclutterer
25 Jan 2012 | 9:30 am2010 Use your mac as a television The elgato EyeTV Hybrid lets you watch televised programming on your Mac without needing a dedicated television set. 2008 Stop hoarding magazines Many magazines are now putting their entire publishing history on CDs or DVDs. Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland's Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today. -
Stop overlooking the perpetually out-of-place stuff
24 Jan 2012 | 8:42 amObjects can easily go on walkabout and then hang out, as if on vacation, in whatever random location you left them. If this happens to you (like it does me from time-to-time), try these five strategies to help you to see and deal with the perpetually out-of-place stuff in your home and office: Take photographs of all areas of a room and then look intently at the pictures. I’m not sure how it works, but analyzing an image can often help you see clutter you’ve become blind to in person. Dust bunnies under your monitor, stray toys under your dining room buffet, junk mail on your…
-
Stepcase Lifehack
-
Searching for the Perfect Productivity Tool
27 Jan 2012 | 8:49 pmHow many productivity systems, methodologies, strategies or tools have you tried so far? Do you already use something that fits your needs perfectly, or are you just doing OK, still have a feeling that something could be better? Many people want to find the perfect productivity system or tool. Having such goal, they consider the “searching phase” as something bad. They think about it as time they have to waste for experimenting. If you still haven’t found your Holy Grail of Productivity – don’t worry. No one said you have to. Maybe there’s even no such… -
10 Killer Cooking / Kitchen Hacks
27 Jan 2012 | 4:15 pmI love to cook. There’s nothing quite like enjoying a tasty home-cooked meal that I have prepared and made myself. It’s satisfying knowing that my effort has paid off and I have produced something that I can be proud to share. However, if you’re a novice, it can take time to learn some of the tricks and hacks that can improve your cooking skills or speed up your kitchen prowess. Then there is the cleaning up afterwards — a sink full of dishes that gets in the way whilst you are cooking that no one wants to deal with. Here are a few tips I’ve learned to improve… -
Do You Actually Work 40+ Hours?
27 Jan 2012 | 5:02 amThe last few months, I’ve been wondering about something. I am self-employed. I work in an office by myself. No one watches me or looks over my shoulder. I work flexible hours. Do those hours really add up to 40 or more a week? My Productivity Experiment I did an experiment in which I calculated all of the hours I was actually working (i.e. writing, attending phone meetings, pursuing leads, responding to business-related e-mails) versus doing personal tasks or surfing the Internet. It turns out that I do indeed work 40 or more hours a week, but those hours aren’t organized in 5, 8-hour… -
How to Wake Up Like a Dog
26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pmBefore I get started, some of you must be thinking that I’ve gone completely mad suggesting that we should be waking up like a dog — or any other animal for that matter. Let me explain. Each morning here at my home (without fail), one of my Lhasa Apso dogs (a boy named Chester) starts to prop himself up at the side of my bed at about 6:30 am to see if I’m getting up yet. He does this even if it’s still completely dark outside — like it usually is during our Canadian winter season this early in the morning. He must have some type of internal alarm clock that wakes… -
Productivity Made Simple: How to Keep Your Projects from Killing You
26 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pmSome projects can be a real pain in the you know what. Not all of them, of course. But there are some that just keep us awake at night. There can be many reasons of such a situation. Sometimes the tasks that need to be done are simply difficult to perform. Other times it’s the amount of time required that frightens us. But sometimes the most frightening thing of them all is that we don’t know what’s going on in a project, and can’t seem to find a way to plan everything out and get a clear picture of what needs to be done. In the previous parts of the series we were discussing what to…
-
MAKE
-
Vi Hart and More Fun with Fibonacci, Plants, and “Spiraly Things”
28 Jan 2012 | 1:30 amHere are parts two and three of Vi Hart’s brilliant and dizzying exploration of the Fibonacci number, plant growth patterns, and the mathematics behind other cool, spiraly things. More: Spirals, Fibonacci, and Being a Plant -
NEWS FROM THE FUTURE – Drone Pilot Discovers “River of Meat Blood”
27 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pmDrone Pilot Discovers River of Meat Blood… A Dallas drone hobbyist was flying his rig around one bright Texan afternoon, scouting the skies, when he hovered across something perturbing: an enormous, oozing river of blood behind a meatpacking plant. This was one of our predictions for 2012, not the rivers of blood, but drones being used by “citizen journalists” more and more – I think this is a good example, even if accidental. My friend Johngineer posted up a great list of “The future of Drones”. -
Fused Filament Printing with Water-Soluble Support
27 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pmVeteran Thingiverse user Tony Buser has printed a model (intended to be an approximation of the fractal Hilbert curve) using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a support material. Once everything is printed and cooled, the PVA is dissolved away in a glass of water, leaving only the polylactic acid (PLA) model. This technique, when perfected, should allow RepRap-style FFF printers to produce objects with overhanging parts that are currently very difficult, or impossible, for them to print. Tony used two of MakerBot’s Mk7 extruders mounted on a Thing-o-Matic. -
Got Weekend Plans? How About a Visit to the Materials Library?
27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amTwo years ago I wrote about what a delight it was to discover the UT-Austin School of Architecture’s Materials Lab when I was on campus there, and it seems appropriate to resurrect the topic in honor of our theme this month. Kevin Kelly just posted a roundup of major materials libraries around the USA over at Cool Tools, and I was surprised to discover that UT’s, which is decades old, was one of the first in the country. Publicly accessible materials libraries are usually associated with universities, and there is at least one major subscription-based commercial materials library… -
In the Maker Shed: Teleclaw – Telerobotic Gripper Kit
27 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amNeed a hand? Build your own with the Telerobotic Gripper Kit from the Maker Shed! This kit includes everything you need to make the Teleclaw featured in MAKE: Volume 27, right down to the batteries. Assemble the kit and attach the Teleclaw to your robot, rover, or anywhere else you could use a grip. The pre-programmed Picaxe microcontroller interprets commands from the IR remote to make the gripper open and close. Have a look at the Make: Project build for more information and directions.
-
The Art of Manliness
-
Write This Down: Note-Taking Strategies for Academic Success
27 Jan 2012 | 12:17 amA few weeks ago, we published an article on study tips to help you ace your exams. In that post, I mentioned the possibility of doing a follow-up article on note-taking, and many of you requested that I make that happen. And I’m happy to oblige. Below, I’ve provided a primer on note-taking strategies, many of which I personally used during my academic career. A lot of this is fairly basic stuff–there are no “secrets” to note-taking success. But hopefully a few of these tips will help you start taking notes more effectively. Note-Taking Tools Laptop For most of… -
Ready, Set, Fast: How Strategic Meal-Skipping Can Help You Lose Fat, Gain Muscle, and Get Healthier
24 Jan 2012 | 11:17 pmEditor’s note: This is a guest post by John Berardi, PhD. When we were kids, Mom was always looking out for our health. Chew your food. Eat your vegetables. And always eat breakfast because it’s the most important meal of the day. As busy grown-ups, a good breakfast often falls victim to the time crunch. Who has time to cook and eat a breakfast of champions? It’s so much faster and more convenient to just grab a coffee and a bran muffin. Of course, deep down we know it’s not right. Not only would Mom disapprove, that pudgy physique in the mirror deserves better, too. So what’s a guy… -
Anatomy of a Dopp Kit
23 Jan 2012 | 8:27 pmIllustration by Ted Slampyak See also: Building the Perfect Dopp Kit What do you pack in your Dopp kit? Related Photos -
A Formula for Success: The Power of Implementation Intentions
22 Jan 2012 | 4:45 pmIf you’re like many men across the world, you probably set some new goals for yourself on January 1. Maybe it was to work out regularly or get into the reading habit. Or maybe you wanted to pay off your debt or increase your productivity. Perhaps you did okay for the first week or two, but have already fallen off the goal-achieving wagon. Oh well. There’s always next year, right? Hold on there, chief. No need to wallow in regret for the awesome life that could have been. There’s still hope for you yet. To end this month-o-motivation, I set out to do a comprehensive post… -
Dim & Dash: Picking Up a Date
19 Jan 2012 | 5:01 pmRelated Photos
-
TerryStarbucker.com
-
What’s The Right Stuff of Leadership? Think Dog, Turtle, and Cockroach
22 Jan 2012 | 8:42 pmGrowing up in the 60′s and 70′s I was utterly fascinated by the US Space Program, and its corps of courageous astronauts. They were my childhood heroes, and I still vividly remember that night in July of 1969 when I ran outside moments after Neil Armstrong uttered that famous “one small step” line and stared at the moon, utterly captivated by the notion that a man was walking on it at that very moment. It took a special kind of person to be an astronaut, and those distinct qualities were captured perfectly by Tom Wolfe in his famous book, “The Right… -
Execution Leadership: 12 Metrics That Must Be Measured, Monitored, and Managed….Relentlessly
15 Jan 2012 | 3:27 pmSomeone once asked me to use a single word to describe a “secret to leadership” – without hesitation, I replied, “Relentlessness” If there is one thing I learned in my nearly 25 years in the executive chair, it’s this: Leaders cannot achieve their grand visions and strategies without a relentless push to execute brilliantly. The best way to do this is with the right metrics to measure, monitor and manage. Metrics that are not necessarily the “bottom line” ones – such as Net Profit, Total Revenue, Earnings Per Share, or Total… -
9 Ways Social Media Can Make You a Better Leader (The Video)
8 Jan 2012 | 11:47 pmA few weeks ago at Portland State University’s Digital Media Conference, I was challenged to present “9 Ways Social Media Can Make You a Better Leader”, in the “Ignite” format (that’s 20 slides in 5 minutes, each one changing over every 15 seconds, whether you are ready for the change or not). It was a great experience, and thanks to PSU, I’m happy to share the result (here is the link if you don’t see the embed: http://youtu.be/yi11zeKkeuE) Lead well! -
The Leader And The Peacock In The Closet
2 Jan 2012 | 9:18 amSuccess is a beautiful thing. We all want it, because it’s the undisputed champion in measuring our professional selves. We know it’s hard to get, and that’s what makes it all the more satisfying. We cherish it, because we know what it’s like to fail (because we all do). So, when it happens, there’s the part of us that wants to strut around like a peacock. I did it! How about that! Darn I’m good. Hey, why not celebrate the win? But there’s a catch to this if you are a leader on the road to greatness. You shouldn’t take the credit. Because… -
Leadership Is Getting To The Smiley Face (A Conversation With Carol Roth)
29 Dec 2011 | 2:34 pmIn September, at SOBCon NW in Portland, I sat down for an interview about Leadership with small biz guru and NY Times bestselling author Carol Roth. In the interview, Carol asked me: 1) What is Leadership? 2) How do you get everyone on the same page? 3) How do you tie individual values to a common business purpose? 4) What’s the role of simplicity in communicating a consistent message? 5) How does your leadership philosophy translate to the small business person? 6) How does profit get tied to the business purpose? 7) Should solo entrepreneurs find mentors to refine their business…
-
Live Your Legend
-
How Live Your Legend Makes Money (full details & actual #’s included)
25 Jan 2012 | 2:38 am“A hobby is just a hobby unit you make a sale. Then it’s a business.” ~Anonymous *Note: This is the second article in the “Monetizing Your Passion Online” series I’m running for the next few weeks. I’m also doing a free webinar/online presentation with my good friend Jonathan Mead on the same topic (who taught me much of what I know when it comes to creating an online offering and finding your way to help the world). On the webinar we’ll further cover today’s exact topic of Getting Paid to Be Who Your Are and really nailing your online offer to the… -
The 4 Pillars to Starting a Blog that Actually Matters (& grow it by 160x in 2 years)
17 Jan 2012 | 5:25 pm“Without the right tools, little is possible. With the right ones, everything is.” ~Anonymous *Note: This is the first article in the “Monetizing Your Passion Online” series I’m running for the next few weeks. Can’t wait to hear what you think! For the last two years, people have asked me, almost daily, how to start a blog or begin to make money from a passion over the web. And a huge percentage of the goals you all shared last week involved taking the first step in making this happen. It’s time to provide you all some guidance (just as I was so… -
Ask the Reader: What’s Your Most Important Goal of 2012? (+ my full list)
11 Jan 2012 | 6:37 pm“Goals in writting are dreams with deadlines.” ~Brian Tracy *Note: Below is my full list of goals for 2012, which I created using the free Goal-Setting and Action Workbook. If you haven’t downloaded your copy, do it now and let’s get cranking, because it’s time to share your biggest goal of 2012 with our community! There’s no getting around it, accountability creates results. For some reason we tend to have a difficult time keeping promises to ourselves. But most people absolutely hate breaking commitments with others. That’s exactly why further… -
The 32 Lessons that Made All the Difference in 2011 (& some I might not want to repeat)
9 Jan 2012 | 4:27 pm“Making a mistake once is called learning. Making it twice means you’re not learning.” ~ William Brett Wilson *Important Note: If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, the totally free 2012 Goal Setting and Action Workbook is available for download. It’s been downloaded over 5,000 times since last week and people seem to be getting a lot from it. Here’s the link to the download page. I hope it helps. Enjoy! As far as I’m concerned, life is about learning and helping… The more you can do the former, the better prepared you are to accomplish the… -
Make 2012 Epic: The Goal Setting and Action Workbook Is Live! (Download A Free Copy)
4 Jan 2012 | 6:10 am“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ~Benjamin Franklin The Big Announcement: The 2012 Goal Setting and Action Workbook is officially live and available for download. The best part? It is completely free. There is absolutely nothing required of you (no cost and not even an email opt-in). All you have to do is click the download link below to get it. That’s how much I want you all to experience this. Last year over 4,000 people downloaded it in just a few days so I can’t wait to see what you think! The only favor I ask is that you share it with people who…
-
Instructables: exploring - featured
-
Bring Ruined Records Back to Life
27 Jan 2012 | 10:39 pmIf you're an audiofile, don't read any further. What follows is not for the faint of heart and beyond anything you've seen before. And please don't comment about how think it will ruin records... Until you try it. Then, if it ruins your record, make a comment. If you follow my instructions, you'...By: bfkContinue Reading » -
Ruched Scarf From Pajama Pants
27 Jan 2012 | 9:43 pmI love to shop in thrift shops. I also love to repurpose clothing, this scarf is what happened after I bought a pair of pajama pants that I knew I would not wear but loved the print. It is so feminine and yet so comfortable. You have to know that I intend on buying up all of the cotton jersey pajam...By: Melissa WContinue Reading » -
Lego Power Functions Mini Tank (With Video)
27 Jan 2012 | 7:53 pmThis is an instructable for a small, remote controlled Lego Power Functions tank. The Lego Power Functions parts you need to build it are: - (2) Small Motors - (1) Batter Pack - (1) IR Receiver - (1) Remote Control If you need Power functions, you can get them off the Lego Shop website. (Click ...By: 1_TSD_1Continue Reading » -
How to teach osmosis
27 Jan 2012 | 6:40 pmI originally used this instructable as a demonstration to explain osmosis to my classes. Over the years many of my pupils told me they'd tried it for themselves at home (got their interests, half my job was done). I've started using this method as a practical with some of my classes with great resu...By: 148734Continue Reading » -
Easy to Sew Fingerless Gloves
27 Jan 2012 | 6:11 pmA friend of mine sent a pair of over-the-knee stockings, and asked me use them to make a pair of fingerless gloves. The picture she sent of her vision showed a thumb piece (as opposed to a thumb hole), so I sat down to figure out how to go about creating these gloves. As it turns out, it's pretty da...By: deChezContinue Reading »
-
Practical Hacks
-
Skating through the TSA checkpoint – quickly
25 Jan 2012 | 7:41 pmA few days ago a coworker and I went through Security Checkpoint 2 at O’Hare. Dave was immediately behind me as we approached the conveyer belt for the magnetometer, but after I exited the checkpoint, he took about 2-3 minutes to catch up with me as I waited on the concourse. I’ve written about this in the past, but here are the keys to getting through the TSA checkpoint quickly: Wear slip on shoes Have your boarding pass handy (see below) Put your cell phone, wristwatch, and other similar (metallic) items in a zippered compartment in your bag well before getting to the… -
Anatomy of an airliner crash
16 Jan 2012 | 7:29 pmA morbid subject no doubt, but I stumbled across a couple of references to air disasters recently, and a remarkable symmetry existed between the two. First, a passage from Malcolm Gladwell’s excellent Outliers. In a typical crash, for example, the weather is poor—not terrible, necessarily, but bad enough that the pilot feels a little bit more stressed than usual. In an overwhelming number of crashes, the plane is behind schedule, so the pilots are hurrying. In 52 percent of crashes, the pilot at the time of the accident has been awake for twelve hours or more, meaning that he is… -
Recovering your lost or stolen camera
31 Dec 2011 | 1:28 pmIf you worry about losing your digital camera – or perhaps worse, the images on its memory card – you might want to check out CameraTrace. For an annual fee of $10, CameraTrace provides a metalized, adhesive tag for your camera which enables someone who’s found it to return it to you. The tag directs them to a website where they can enter a code from the tag, and communicate with you anonymously. Anonymous communication protects your identity as well as providing the finder with a means of disclosing information regarding your device without risk. CameraTrace also monitors… -
Smoke screening: Does Airport Security Really Matter?
28 Dec 2011 | 6:35 amA wonderful Vanity Fair article by Charles C. Mann neatly summarizes the absurdity of airport security; a brief excerpt: From an airplane-hijacking point of view, Schneier said, al-Qaeda had used up its luck. Passengers on the first three 9/11 flights didn’t resist their captors, because in the past the typical consequence of a plane seizure had been “a week in Havana.” When the people on the fourth hijacked plane learned by cell phone that the previous flights had been turned into airborne bombs, they attacked their attackers. The hijackers were forced to crash Flight 93 into a field. -
Merry Christmas from Practical Hacks!
25 Dec 2011 | 6:16 amI hope you all able to spend your holidays with loved ones, and that your travels are trouble free and safe. This YouTube video captures Christmas celebrations from around the world in 1950; I hope you enjoy it…
-
Schaefer's Blog
-
Fun Video on the Future of 3d Printing
13 Jan 2012 | 6:43 pmTweetNo related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
OODA Isn’t Simple…and It Probably Shouldn’t Be
19 Dec 2011 | 5:41 amLtCol Dave “Sugar” Lyle recently wrote a great rebuttal piece in the Armed Forces Journal addressing the Oct AFJ article “Goodbye, OODA Loop” which Lyle says, “…should have set off alarm bells across the U.S. defense community.” As has already been commented on by several in the Boyd community, the oversimplified OODA diagram and corresponding straw-man argument presented in the Benson and Rotkoff article takes an elegant and fairly sophisticated framework and cuts it down to the equivalent of a kindergarten finger painting, turning OODA into a… -
Best Thing I’ve Seen this Week: JP Auclair Street Segment
10 Dec 2011 | 11:18 amseriously, this is amazing not just for the skiing, but for the creativity that went into making it: TweetNo related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
Homemade Egg Nog Recipe
1 Dec 2011 | 11:22 amIt’s December, that time of year when we can finally drink one of life’s greatest culinary pleasures without getting any too many looks of judgement…eggnog. My friend Aaron Stern calls Mountain Dew the “nectar of heaven,” but he is mistaken, it’s eggnog….and it’s not even close. So, a few remarks before enriching your lives with this recipe. First, it makes A LOT of eggnog so I recommend going to your local brewery/pub/hipster bar and picking up a couple growlers to store it in. Also makes it convenient when toting to holiday parties or… -
Collapsing the Military Rank Structure
30 Nov 2011 | 7:15 amPosted this on a Facebook thread last week and wanted to add it here to solicit feedback: Here’s what I think we should do to the AF rank structure: 1) Merge 2nd and 1st Lieutenant into Lieutenant 2) Merge LtCol and Colonel into Colonel with squadron command positions going to senior Majors 3) only 2 types of General instead of 4 Each level of hierarchy removed helps for more accurate information as it travels to decision makers…less opportunities for rank-intimidation/posturing to obscure the message Chuck Spinney added the following which also would be a huge step forward in the…
-
Mark's Daily Apple
-
I Am Now Leaner and Stronger Than I Have Ever Been In My Life
27 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amIt’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading! As a kid I was always a physical fitness derelict. While I loved hiking and walked everywhere I could, I did not enjoy sports (I was clumsy and had poor coordination) and hated gym class. From the age of 10, a macaroni-fueled spare tire was a… -
Musings on Specialization and Self-Sufficiency in the Modern World
26 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amEvery once in a while I come across a quote that makes so much sense I can’t get it out of my head. Sometimes it reveals a new truth or illuminates a long-held one. Other times it makes good and plain something so logical, so sensible, so obvious that it’s like a slap upside the head. Such was my impression of this Robert A. Heinlein quote mentioned by a commenter on Mike Eades blog: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders,… -
My Top 6 Anti-Inflammatory Foods
25 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amBefore I begin, let me preface this post with the identification of a simple confounder for everyone to consider as they read: context. Any discussion of a concept as nebulous, multifaceted, and confusing as inflammation must integrate the question of context. Inflammation itself is highly contextual – as I’ve discussed in previous installments, there are times when inflammation is a good thing and times when inflammation is a negative thing. There are also times when anti-inflammatory actions, drugs, or foods are negatives, even though “anti-inflammatory” has a… -
Why the Night Sky Matters: The Ramifications of Light Pollution
24 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amCarrie and I are lucky enough to have a hot tub in our back yard, overlooking a pretty spectacular ocean and mountain view. We often soak for a while and talk about the day’s activities just before retiring to bed (I sometimes alternate with a quick plunge or two into our unheated pool). Last night we were taking advantage of the break between winter storms to “jacuze” when I noticed that the cloud cover had so dispersed the city lights of L.A. and Santa Monica that it lit up the sky even 20 miles out into Malibu. On an otherwise moonless night, it had become light enough to… -
Dear Mark: Raw Honey and Allergies, and Resveratrol Debunked?
23 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amToday’s Dear Mark question and answer post is a quick one – a two parter. First, I discuss the anti-allergy merits of real, raw, unprocessed local honey and include my own harrowing experience with using raw honey to combat a pollen allergy. Then, I address the fall-from-grace of a prolific resveratrol researcher shown to have fabricated his data, and I discuss what it means for resveratrol research at large. As a side business, I sell local, raw, unpasteurized honey. I would love to see a Daily Apple column on honey and honey production (local vs large-scale (esp. from China),…
-
zenhabits
-
Creating Silence from Chaos
27 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pmPost written by Leo Babauta. We are often afraid of silence, because its emptiness feels idle, boring, unproductive, and scary. And so we fill our lives with chaos, noise, clutter. But silence can be lovely, and therapeutic, and powerful. It can be the remedy for our stress and the habits that crush us. If we want quiet in our lives, how do we create it? I’ve been exploring this myself. As a father of six kids, I have to admit that I don’t always have silence in my life. That’s not a complaint — I love the messy noise that my family brings — but silence can be a… -
The Habits That Crush Us
23 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pm‘Don’t panic.’ ~Douglas Adams Post written by Leo Babauta. Why is it that we cannot break the bad habits that stand in our way, crushing our desires to live a healthy life, be fit, simplify, be happier? How is it that our best intentions are nearly always beaten? We want to be focused and productive, exercise and eat healthy foods, stop smoking and learn to get rid of debt and clutter, but we just can’t. The answer lies in something extremely simple, but something most people aren’t aware of: We don’t know how to cope with stress and boredom in a healthy… -
Learning to Sit Alone, in a Quiet Empty Room
17 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pm‘All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.’ ~Blaise Pascal Post written by Leo Babauta. Think about some of the problems of our daily lives, and how many of them would be eased if we could learn to sit alone, in a quiet empty room, with contentment. If you’re content to sit alone quietly, you don’t need to eat junk food, to shop on impulse, to buy the latest gadget, to be on social media to see what everyone else is talking about or doing, to compare yourself to others, to make more money to keep up with the Joneses, to achieve… -
Life as a Conscious Practice
13 Jan 2012 | 10:15 am‘Everything is practice.’ ~Pele Post written by Leo Babauta. When we learn a martial art, or ballet, or gymnastics, or soccer … we consciously practice movements in a deliberate way, repeatedly. By conscious, repeated practice, we become good at those movements. Our entire lives are like this, but we’re often less conscious of the practice. Each day, we repeat movements, thought patterns, ways of interacting with others … and in this repeated practice, we are becoming (or have already become) good at these things. If you constantly check Facebook or Twitter, that is… -
Your Top 10 Clutter Questions, Answered
11 Jan 2012 | 12:33 pmPost written by Leo Babauta. Decluttering is a skill that you learn with practice, just like any skill. And just like other skills, there are many little questions and problems you need answered and solved as you get started. Those of you taking the Clutterfat Challenge this month are facing these problems, and I’m here to help. This post is a quickstart guide to decluttering — the most common questions answered. Also see last week’s Clutterfat Challenge post: How to Tackle Your Clutter. 1. Where do I start? Start anywhere — really, where you start doesn’t…
-
Marc and Angel Hack Life
-
12 Things Successful People Do Differently
22 Jan 2012 | 2:32 pmI’ve always been fascinated by people who are consistently successful at what they do; especially those who experience repeated success in many areas of their life throughout their lifetime. In entertainment, I think of Clint Eastwood and Oprah Winfrey. In business, I think of Steve Jobs and Warren Buffett. We all have our own examples of super successful people like these who we admire. But how do they do it? Over the years I’ve studied the lives of numerous successful people. I’ve read their books, watched their interviews, researched them online, etc. And I’ve learned… -
101 Simple Truths We Often Forget
15 Jan 2012 | 11:28 amIt‘s not where we stand but in what direction we are moving. Sometimes we find ourselves running in place, struggling to get ahead simply because we forget to address some of the simple truths that govern our potential to make progress. So here’s a quick reminder: The acquisition of knowledge doesn’t mean you’re growing. Growing happens when what you know changes how you live. You can’t have good ideas unless you’re willing to generate a lot of bad ones. A good idea without action is worth nothing. Change is often resisted when it is needed the most. Discipline is choosing… -
28 Ways to Stop Complicating Your Life
8 Jan 2012 | 1:53 pmLife is not complicated. We are complicated. When we stop doing the wrong things and start doing the right things, life is simple. So starting today… Stop berating yourself for being a work in progress. – Start embracing it! Because being a work in progress doesn’t mean you’re not good enough today. It means you want a better tomorrow, and you wish to love yourself completely, so you can live your life fully. It means you’re determined to heal your heart, expand your mind and cultivate the gifts you know you’re meant to share. May we all be works in progress forever,… -
40 Lessons for Finding Strength in Hard Times
1 Jan 2012 | 1:28 pmSometimes you have to die a little on the inside first in order to be reborn and rise again as a stronger, smarter version of yourself. Nobody gets through life without losing someone they love, someone they need, or something they thought was meant to be. But it is these losses that make us stronger and eventually move us toward future opportunities for growth and happiness. Over the past five years Angel and I have dealt with several hardships, including the sudden death of a sibling, the loss of a best friend to illness, betrayal from a business partner, and an unexpected (breadwinning)… -
30 Challenges for 30 Days of Growth
25 Dec 2011 | 12:28 pmWe are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle Scientists have suggested that, with a little willpower, it takes roughly 30 days for a person to form a new habit. As with mastering anything new, the act of starting and getting beyond the preliminary stage where everything feels awkward is 80% of the battle. This is precisely why it’s important to make small, positive changes every day over the course of at least a 30 day period. It’s like the old saying: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” The same philosophy holds true…
-
Life Evolver
-
Free Happiness Handbook When You Join Life Evolver on Facebook
26 Jan 2012 | 4:18 pmLife Evolver on Facebook Want the free Evolve Your Life Happiness Handbook? I’m giving it away to readers who join Life Evolver on Facebook. 5 Reasons to Join Life Evolver on Facebook 1. Share: Life hacks and tips with like-minded individuals. 2. Learn: New personal growth tips in Life Evolver blog posts. 3. Exclusive Giveaways: eBook giveaways for members of Life Evolver on Facebook (Free Happiness Handbook when you join!) 4. Make Friends: Meet other personal growth-oriented individuals. 5. Ask Questions: Post your life hack and personal growth questions here for a quick answer. -
5 Reasons to Join Life Evolver on Facebook
25 Jan 2012 | 2:03 pmLife Evolver on Facebook Life Evolver is now on Facebook. Why now? I’ve made the long-overdue decision to disable blog comments. At the same time, I want a way to communicate with readers. The Facebook Page (along with Twitter) will replace communication that happened via blog comments in the past. Also, Life Evolver on Facebook will allow readers to share tips and interact. 5 Reasons to Join Life Evolver on Facebook 1. Share: Life hacks and tips with like-minded individuals. 2. Learn: New personal growth tips in Life Evolver blog posts. 3. Exclusive Giveaways: eBook giveaways for… -
Using Facebook, Youtube and Twitter Too Much? Create Healthy Habits for Your Free Time
24 Jan 2012 | 8:44 amThe future will belong not only to the educated man, but to the man who is educated to use his leisure wisely. -C. K. Brightbill What do the Internet (Facebook / Youtube / Twitter), television, newspapers, film and radio have in common? These are all forms of mass media. If you spend your free time passively consuming mass media, it is likely to be disappointing in the long-run. Mass media consumption requires very little psychological energy, and rarely helps you grow. Its purpose is not to make you happy. It is (usually) to make someone else money. And by passively consuming the same… -
Socialization and How to Break Free From Rat Racer Values
22 Jan 2012 | 11:26 amMan is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. -Aristotle, Politics To be part of a society, you need to be socialized. Random House Dictionary defines socialization as “a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and… -
Are You a Workaholic? Be Careful… Your Job Could End Up Killing You
20 Jan 2012 | 12:49 pmAre you a workaholic? Living in a state of stress produces an adrenaline rush, and over time, this becomes addictive, and you lose the ability to relax. Common sense would tell you that you need to take breaks and rest, but instead you overindulge in work, and face the consequences. If you have a physiological addiction to work, you are a workaholic. Risks of Living a Workaholic Lifestyle For people under fifty, what is the greatest predictor of heart attacks? More potent than smoking, high blood pressure, or diabetes? It’s job satisfaction (Dossey 1992). We’ve known this for more…
-
Collaboration
-
What coworking can teach corporate offices
27 Jan 2012 | 8:03 amIf you’re going to Austin this year for SXSW and you’re a fan of coworking, you might want to arrive a few days early to hit the Global Coworking Unconference Conference (formerly known as the Coworking Unconference) being held in the city on March 8. With a range of panels on starting and running a space, the all-day event is geared toward owners. But at least one discussion might be of interest not only to coworking entrepreneurs but also to forward-thinking managers as well. As more and more workers take up the promise of technology and get out of the office to work where and when it… -
Nope, independent work isn’t behind rising inequality, says expert
26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amLast week we highlighted a piece in Canadian magazine Maclean’s that explored the question of whether the rise of independent work was contributing to rising income inequality. And while I argued that it was pretty hard to see how independent work rather than government policy and the globalization of the evolution of tech was the root cause of increasing inequality, the post closed by pondering whether the growing number of independent workers was in some way contributing to the widening gap between the haves and have-nots once the process was under way. I didn’t have any solid data to… -
Sponsor post: Brocade: the world leader in Ethernet fabrics
26 Jan 2012 | 7:58 amOur self-forming Ethernet fabrics allow you to deploy new switches, migrate virtual machines, and reconfigure your network as your business needs demand, without a moment of interruption. It’s an automated, on-demand network designed for today’s high-bandwidth applications. And perhaps, best of all, it’s here today. More than 85 percent of our deployed Ethernet fabrics are in production — a benchmark no other networking vendor can touch. -
WikiOrgCharts crowdsources company relationships
25 Jan 2012 | 8:28 pmOpen innovation and partnership organizational strategies have blurred work boundaries and sharpened our need to understand who does what in a given company. WikiOrgCharts helps bring that information into focus. The cloud-based tool uses the power of crowdsourcing to populate org charts. More than fodder for headhunters, public org charts have become increasingly useful as more of our work is done in tight connection with associates outside of our organizations. And it can’t hurt to know who’s in charge of what while working on a personal job search. WikiOrgCharts CEO Farhan… -
One in three coworking space owners plan to expand in 2012
25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amWhen Deskmag presented the results of its second annual coworking survey at the Coworking Europe Conference in November, we brought you the initial findings, promising more details as they were released. Recently, Deskmag published further details. What did the new data reveal? As Steve King of Emergent Research recently told WebWorkerDaily, coworking, it appears, is exiting its infancy and moving into a more business-savvy second phase with fresh faces outside the original, typical community-minded founders taking an interest in collaborative work spaces. And coworking space owners have…
-
Parent Hacks
-
Organize art supplies with dollar store bins + laminated labels
27 Jan 2012 | 12:46 pmvia tinyleafstudio.com Several attendees of the "Getting Organized" chat asked for tips on how to organize art supplies. My overarching strategy for all organizing projects is "Simplify, Routinize, Delegate," and Jess of Tiny Leaf Studio did just that with her craft closet. Simplify: Declutter then sort the art supplies into categories. That way you know how much storage space you need and how many containers to buy. Routinize: Create a home for each category of supplies. In this case, Jess chose a closet shelf and clearly-labeled handled bins. Having a specific home for… -
Writer, mother, extrovert: a tricky balance
25 Jan 2012 | 1:18 pmHow did I, a fundamentaly social person, end up self-employed as a writer, followed by stay-at-home motherhood? Two of the most isolating, solitary jobs one could do? In my latest post at Babble Voices, I talk about how easy it can be to forget about your fundamental needs even as you walk down the path toward a full and happy life. And one easy thing you can do to adjust course. Read the full post at Babble Voices: The Accidental Expert: Writer, Mother, Extrovert: A Tricky Balance -
New favorite craft material: polymer clay
25 Jan 2012 | 7:38 amPolymer clay (such as Sculpey and Fimo) has everything going for it: it's inexpensive, widely-available, versatile, long-lasting, easy to use, easy to clean up, and open to endless interpretation. Best of all, it's one of those magic materials (like Legos, unlike Play-Doh) that provides double-fun: fun in the crafting, and fun in playing with the finished product. (Once you've made something out of polymer clay, you bake it for 15 minutes. After your creation cools it's pretty much unbreakable.) My daughter spent hours one rainy weekend fashioning tiny polymer clay treasures.
-
The Happiness Project
-
Self-Acceptance: Are You An "Alchemist" Or A "Leopard"?
27 Jan 2012 | 2:26 pmAs a student of human nature, one of my favorite exercises is to try to divide people into two camps. For instance, I've managed to identify splits like abstainers vs. moderators and under-buyers vs. over-buyers. Walking to the gym today, I found myself thinking about a passage written by critic John Ruskin: The little pig was so comforting to me because he was wholly content to be a little pig; and Mr. Leslie Stephen is in a certain degree exemplary and comforting to me, because he is wholly content to be Mr. Leslie Stephen; while I am miserable because I am always wanting to be something… -
"Everyone Shines, Given The Right Lighting."
26 Jan 2012 | 1:05 pmHappiness interview: Susan Cain. I'm so excited for my friend Susan Cain. Her terrific new book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, just came out two days ago, and already it has been the subject of a huge amount of buzz, discussion, and debate. Susan shines a powerful spotlight on a fascinating aspect of human character: the power of introverts. The book is an absolutely compelling read—full of research and insight interesting to introverts and extroverts alike. I knew Susan had done a lot of thinking about the relationship of introversion, extroversion, and… -
Having Trouble Getting Yourself To Write? 9 Tips.
25 Jan 2012 | 8:53 pmThe most challenging aspect of being a writer? Writing. When I find myself struggling to be productive or creative, I remind myself of these nine tips. 1. Write every day. Staying inside a project keeps me engaged, keeps my mind working, and keeps ideas flowing. Also, I find, perhaps surprisingly, it’s easier to do something every day than to do it some days. (This may be related to the abstainer/moderator split.) "You're just grinding out material," a friend protested. "But that's when I have my best ideas," I answered. 2. Even fifteen minutes is long enough to write. For years I told… -
"Fun Gets Pushed To The End Of My To-Do List."
24 Jan 2012 | 4:05 pm2012 Happiness Challenge: For those of you following the 2012 Happiness Project Challenge, to make 2012 a happier year -- and even if you haven’t officially signed up for the challenge -- welcome! Each week, I post a video about some Pigeon of Discontent raised by a reader. Because, as much as we try to find the Bluebird of Happiness, we're also plagued by the Pigeons of Discontent. My friend Maria poses this week's Pigeon of Discontent, suggested by a reader: "Fun gets pushed to the bottom of my to-do list." Making time for fun. If you want to read more about this resolution, check out…… -
Novelty And Challenge Bring Happiness—Right?
23 Jan 2012 | 10:44 amIt's very true that novelty and challenge bring happiness. It's also very true that novelty and challenge often bring feelings of anxiety, frustration, anger, boredom, and insecurity. Learning to do new things, or to face new situations, isn't always fun. It's one of my favorite paradoxes of happiness: Happiness doesn't always make me feel happy. For the past week, I've been trying to learn to do something new and challenging. I want to make some of my favorite one-sentence aphorisms, Secrets of Adulthood, paradoxes, and the like into nicely designed jpegs. It's harder than I expected! But…
-
Mind Hacks
-
A treasure hunt for the mysteries of mind and brain
21 Jan 2012 | 8:22 amI’ve published a couple of free ebooks recently: Explore your blind spot shows you how to reveal the gap we all have in our visual experience of the world, and discusses what it means about consciousness that this gap is kept hidden from us most of the time. Control Your Dreams, co-written with Cathryn Bardsley and illustrated beautifully by Harriet Cameron, tells you how to have lucid dreams, those dreams where you realise you are dreaming and can take control over reality. Both books are written as treasure hunts – travel guides, but for exploring inner space. When you start… -
The peak experiences of Abraham Maslow
19 Jan 2012 | 6:48 pmThe New Atlantis has an in-depth biographical article on psychologist Abraham Maslow – one of the founders of humanistic psychology and famous for his ‘hierarchy of needs’. Maslow is stereotypically associated with a kind of fluffy ‘love yourself’ psychology although the man himself was quite a skeptic of the mumbo jumbo that got associated with his work. The association is not so much because of Maslow’s focus on self-actualization, a goal where we use our psychological potential to its fullest, but because of his association with the ‘human… -
Gimme Shelter
16 Jan 2012 | 7:44 pmThe Rolling Stones launched their career in a social therapeutic club, designed to help troubled youth with communication skills. The club became legendary in rock ‘n roll history but its therapeutic roots have almost been forgotten. Eel Pie Island is a small patch on the River Thames famous for the underground club that earned a place in 60′s history for hosting the cream of jazz bands and rock n’ roll outfits. Less well known, is the story of how the club was created as a therapeutic environment to help troubled youth. Its place in music history has been recounted many… -
A medical study of the Haitian zombie
11 Jan 2012 | 6:18 amWe hear a lot about zombies these days – in films, in music and even in philosophy – but many are unaware that in 1997 The Lancet published a medical study of three genuine Haitian zombies. The cases studies were reported by British anthropologist Roland Littlewood and Haitian doctor Chavannes Douyon and concerned three individuals identified as zombies after they had apparently passed away. The Haitian explanation for how zombies are created involves the distinction between different elements of the human being – including the body, the gwobon anj (the animating principle)… -
A relationship through brain injury
9 Jan 2012 | 6:14 pmThe New York Times has an excellent article on the challenges faced by couples after one member survives brain injury. Carers sometimes say that, after brain injury, their partner is emotionally unresponsive, emotionally unstable or that their ‘personality has changed’. This can lead to a strain on the relationship that far outlasts the ‘obvious’ effects of the injury and, unfortunately, the problem is not widely recognised. Mrs. Curtis, 60, was once drawn to her husband’s “sparkle,” she said. After the injury, he “flat-lined” emotionally, and he suffers from…
-
Robert Walker Online
-
Did the Buddha say: “Thou Shalt Not Kill”?
26 Jan 2012 | 3:44 pmOne of the questions I have had when it comes to enlightenment, and the Buddhist philosophy, is in regards to the idea that it is wrong to kill another living being, an idea which strikes me as so similar to the Christian commandment: “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” The problem that I have with dogmas, and the idea of commandments, is that they are antithetical to enlightenment, in that they do not encourage/espouse self-control, but rather doing what you’re told. Such religious, and even secular, commandments are means of controlling a populace that cannot seemingly control itself. -
Violence
18 Jan 2012 | 1:04 pmOne of the things I find myself struggling with is the fact that you can’t always combat violence with passivity. One of the reasons for this is the obvious fact that violence can end the life of the passive, who therefore no longer has the opportunity to defend or express his position and ideas. And so, it seems that while violence is never the answer in an enlightened situation or society, what about in an unenlightened situation or society? Ah, I think we are on to something here. I read somewhere that Jesus advocated turning the other cheek in the “ideal” situation, but… -
Sacrifice is a Fraud
4 Jan 2012 | 10:34 amI, again, find myself pondering the ideas of sacrifice and forgiveness. I am still confused about this idea many Christians have that “Jesus died for our sins.” This, of course, well-encompasses the issues involved in sacrifice, as well as forgiveness and redemption. I do not think I believe in sacrifice, at least in the way it is commonly understood, for anything that could be called a sacrifice can be seen another way—not as a sacrifice, but as the way things are. It becomes an issue of attitude, how it is seen and judged. I also do not believe in the idea of sacrifice as… -
The Ego is a Wily Trickster
10 Dec 2011 | 4:07 pmWhen one talks about ‘changing the world,’ he or she is really talking about people, and the effects that people have had on the environment. The way to ‘change the world’, then, is to change people. And wise people will understand that that really means that the way to change the world is to love people and help people change themselves. I think the best thing we can do for people, for anyone, is to love them. It is such a simple yet profound truth, that I am somewhat overwhelmed when I even think about it, but it is just so, so true. What loving people really means,… -
War is Cowardly
19 Nov 2011 | 5:09 pmAs is typical with stupid people, as well as smart and manipulative people, the supposed “merits” of war, and the human experience within it, are often conflated, mixed up with each other. While it is true that the human experience in war can sometimes be profound and extraordinary, war itself is inane, horribly childish, brutish, and cowardly of those who instigate it and hope to gain from it. While people may act nobly in war, war it not noble, not at all. War deserves no respect, no veneration, and neither do those who believe in it as a way of solving anything or building…
-
Scott H Young
-
If You’re Young, Do Harder, Riskier Things
23 Jan 2012 | 11:26 amI get a lot of email. Most is encouraging, but now and then I get an email from a reader irate that one of my articles didn’t speak to them personally, so they write me a scathing critique. A common template goes something like, “You think it’s easy to do _____. Just wait until you have kids, tons of debt and a mortgage bub.” The idea being that I’m somehow at fault for not giving them personalized advice because they had made poor life decisions. But it does bring up a good point: if you’re young, it is easier to do harder and riskier things. If you’re smart, you take advantage… -
Do Hard Things
16 Jan 2012 | 1:20 pmI have a rather uncommon mantra for my life: Do the hardest thing you can. Uncommon, because I’ve met exceedingly few people who agree with it. In fact, almost everyone suggests the opposite. When I started my MIT Challenge, one of the most common warnings was, “don’t burn yourself out.” Yet, despite taking on bigger projects, I’ve found this mantra to be increasingly valuable. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the few people I have met who live this mantra are also incredibly successful. What’s more interesting is that the more I follow this mantra the happier I am as well. Building… -
Look Lazy, Be Productive
9 Jan 2012 | 4:55 pmThere’s a huge difference between looking productive and being productive. It’s one I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self. About seven years ago, I had big ambitions. I was going to run my own online business and be successful. Unfortunately I didn’t have any direct role models of people who had already done what I wanted to do, I could only read about them. One inference I made is that most successful people are incredibly productive. But because I had never met any of them, I had to guess what that would be like. And, like many people, I assumed that meant ruthless… -
Two Types of Advice
18 Dec 2011 | 7:29 pmFirst, there’s generic advice. The kind that fills books and graduation ceremonies. It represents the advice-giver’s accumulated wisdom, but it’s not directed to an individual. Confucius shared general principles of good living, not just advice for one person. Steve Jobs spoke to the entire Stanford convocation, not just one graduate. The advantage of generic advice is scale. Instead of reasoning about all cases and circumstances, the advice-giver tries to provide a best-fit approximation of the advice for most cases. The advice is better the closer you are to the author’s ideal case. -
Thoughts on Learning a Degree, Without Going to School
12 Dec 2011 | 11:35 amIt’s been slightly over two months since I started the MIT Challenge, and I’ve already passed the one-year mark for classes completed so far. Now that I’ve finished a significant chunk of the courses, I wanted to share my thoughts so far on the tradeoffs I’ve noticed from taking this rather unconventional approach to learning a subject. Learn Faster, Achieve MoreGet the ideas I don't share on the blog. Join my private newsletter and I'll give you my free rapid-learning ebook.
-
Next Small Step
-
Stepping over one-sided fences and doing the impossible in 2012
4 Jan 2012 | 11:40 pmWe must fulfill ourselves in the present - Anais Nin I don't do well on coffee. Actually all caffeine. I can’t concentrate, I get irritable and when I have enough of it I get depressed. But I love the stuff. I love the smell, the way in which it wakes you up in the morning. So for years I have been hooked on this thing that is not good for me. I knew that it would be better for me to quit, but I just couldn't. But now I am off caffeine. Totally off. I will tell the story of how this happened another time. All that is important for now is that I take caffeine no more. What a relief. Then I… -
Occupy your life
20 Dec 2011 | 10:25 pmI can find only three kinds of business in the universe: mine, yours, and God's. Much of our stress comes from mentally living out of our own business - Byron Katie The Occupy movement is about taking back control of the financial decisions that have an effect on all of us. This is a good thing. But this photograph by Ann Douglas reminds us to also occupy our own lives and to focus on our own decisions and actions, not just those of others, however important. Has 2011 left you feeling listless, hopeless, jaded and desperate? Learning to occupy your own life could restore your energy,… -
How to stop eating animals
4 Dec 2011 | 7:15 amA while ago I went camping with my kids. We have been experimenting with self sufficiency and minimalism, so we pack lightly and we have fun laughing at people that bring piles of stuff to the great outdoors. Collecting your own food fits right into this approach, so my son and I took up fishing. What could be better than catching a fish and cooking it over a fire that you made yourself, right? Little did I know that by the end of this camping trip, I would be a vegetarian. KILLING A LIVING BEING We woke on the first morning of the camp, made a fire, boiled water for coffee and watched the… -
First, be a good animal
26 Jun 2011 | 11:50 pmPhoto courtesy of Tambako the Jaguar Dean Karnazes goes on and on about human bodies being designed for movement. Chris McDougall even finds scientific evidence for this claim. They both argue that the sedentary life that many rich people in cities live (that is you and me and most people that we know), is not natural. That our bodies and minds work better when we do lots of exercise. It is not hard to imagine that a lot of people would disagree. Or that it may not appear to be true for a lot of people. But it is true for me. I am at my most natural when I get lots of long, slow, gentle… -
What if we didn't have to look after ourselves?
13 Jun 2011 | 4:13 amCaution: Don't try to understand this post with your mind. It can only be felt with the heart. "We can be very sure of being cared for." - Shantanand Saraswati What if we didn't have to look after ourselves? What if everything that we worry about and plan for was being taken care of? How would we live if we knew this to be true? No more panic about the things that you didn't get done today. No more fear of how others judge you. No more discomfort when conversation dries up. No more chronic scheming to climb a career ladder. To be sure, we would still need to get out of bed, make to do lists,…
-
A Daring Adventure
-
30 Amazing Facts About Your Brain
22 Jan 2012 | 1:59 pmUseful Self Development Brain Stuff 1. You have a finite amount of will power each day because to exercise will power you need energy in the form of oxygen and glucose That’s why it’s harder to say ‘no’ when you are tired or not feeling yourself. 2. A thought is a physical pathway in the brain. The more you have that thought the more you groove that path and the easier it is to have it again. That’s why having the thought “Why do I suck?” is never a great idea. 3. Speaking of which, you have approximately 70,000 thoughts per day, although many will be the… -
Aligning With Your Core Values For Muppets
19 Jan 2012 | 5:13 pmI know I said that I would follow up my How Do I Meditate post with a post on really cool brain stuff. Unfortunately, the research has taken me longer than I thought and rather than do a half assed job, or give you poor information I thought I would wait until next week. By the way, from my next post I’ve decided to move back to offering the full blog post to RSS and E-mail subscribers. In future there will be no need to click through from your phone, computer, iPad etc. So if you’re not al;ready subscribed, now you have no excuses. By the way, I have started an affiliate shame… -
How Do I Meditate?
17 Jan 2012 | 7:33 pmIn my previous post ‘What Is Meditation?’ I hopefully debunked some of the myths about meditating that may stop you from engaging in something that has been scientifically proven to improve health, cognitive function, happiness levels and even lengthen life. I may not know you, but I’m pretty sure there’s nothing in the above list that you wouldn’t like more of. Let me take things a stage further to show you how serious I am in my belief that everybody can benefit from a regular meditation practice. If everybody on the planet was taught to meditate, and did so from an early age,… -
What Is Meditation?
15 Jan 2012 | 1:40 pmWhen I take on a new Life Coaching client the first thing I do is to send them my intake forms to fill in so I can gather some background information. On one of the forms I ask them to rate their satisfaction levels out of 10 in 16 different areas of their life. There’s good reason for doing this and it’s largely because, even though a client may come to me with one issue, there maybe other issues underpinning that, that they are unaware of. One of the areas I ask about is that of meditation and it often provides fascinating conversation when we start working together. And the reason… -
How To Do Your Best Work
10 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmWhen I first started Life Coaching full time I used to spend a long time prepping my calls. I’d read my client intake forms, check previous notes if applicable and then spend ages, often getting anxious, trying to come up with cunning Life Coaching questions. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say there were times when I probably spent longer prepping than the actual call itself took. After a year or two of this approach it started to dawn on me from a Life Coaching standpoint it wasn’t at all effective. I’d find myself guiding the call in the direction I wanted, rather than…
-
PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement| PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement
-
The Top 2 Ways To Turning Your Passions Into Multiple Streams of Income
28 Jan 2012 | 2:01 amIn Making a Living Without a Job, Barbara J. Winter described the idea of Multiple Profit Centers: “I think of creating profit centers,” she wrote, “as being akin to what a juggler does when spinning plates on top of sticks. The juggler walks out on the stage with ten sticks and ten plates but doesn’t begin spinning them all at once. Methodically, he or she positions the first plate on a stick and gets it into motion. Once done, the juggler moves on to the next, then the next, and so forth. Eventually, all ten of the plates are spinning away, each with its own momentum” Creating… -
How To Use Experiences from your Love Life to Forward your Career
27 Jan 2012 | 1:03 amEveryone has up’s and down’s in their love lives, most commonly there are “those relationships” you’d rather forget, but should you forget them entirely? Why not use negative experiences from your love life to prevent you from making similar mistakes in your career? At least you’ll have something to show from those lousy relationships! Although using a one-night-stand in your work environment isn’t recommended, there are some popular relationship problems which can be likened common career complaints. You can learn from these mistakes to resolve pressing issues in your career. -
3 Ways to Perfect Your Work-Life Balance
25 Jan 2012 | 11:58 pmWhether you have just started in the world of work or a seasoned professional, establishing a successful work-life balance can prove difficult challenge. Having a good work life balance is a huge factor in your general happiness and well being. We all feel pressured to work and worry about work and we are all pressured to be out with friends or family every night. Pressure comes from all around you and before you know it you are stressed at work and not going out. The outcome is that you will be unhappy and this will affect not just you but your friends and family. Achieving balance will mean… -
How Your Friends Can Help You Reach Your Goals
25 Jan 2012 | 1:28 amWhatever your plans are for the coming year, your friends can help. You might be reluctant to let them. Perhaps you feel that accepting help will lessen your own achievement – or you’re worried that your friends might laugh at your goals and ambitions. You might think that asking for help is futile: the people you know might not possess the skills or knowledge that would be valuable to you. The truth is, no-one achieves much if they work entirely alone. And by allowing others to help, you not only increase your chances of success, you also reinforce your relationship with them. Even… -
How to Stay Productive in Troubled Times
24 Jan 2012 | 12:36 amDistressful situations are a fact of life- a human predicament that seems hell-bent on blocking our attempts towards personal nirvana and impairing our ability to function. Though it may be unpleasant to have to stop and collect yourself in response to a personal difficulty, there may be times when you may not even have that “luxury.” If you find yourself in an usually stressful or painful situation, yet still need to maintain some level of performance in either your personal or professional life, then keep the following four tips in mind: 1. Give yourself some slack! The very first step…
-
Life Optimizer
-
5 Pitfalls to Avoid to Achieve Your Life Goals
26 Jan 2012 | 9:30 amNote: This is a guest post from Clay Andrews of The Path to Passion I don’t mean to be a downer here. If you’re interested in optimizing your life and living it to the fullest, you probably have a lot of big goals and dreams. It’s important to focus on what you want and to use that as motivation to move you forward. However, it’s also important to be realistic about the common pitfalls that people tend to get stuck in as they work toward their life goals. Here are 5 common things I’ve seen in others (and myself!): 1. Pursue Material Success Above All Else It is easy to get… -
How to Write a Manifesto – Why Everyone Should Have One
20 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amNote: This is a guest post from Michael Martel of Achieve the Green Beret Way A manifesto, by definition is a public declaration of a person’s principles and intentions. Throughout history a lot of manifestos have been political in nature. Marx and Engel’s Communist Manifesto sticks in many people’s mind as an example of a manifesto. Other famous ones have been on the subjects of art or technology. However, it doesn’t have to be on a certain topic. A manifesto lays out what is important to someone and publically draws a line in the sand as to what they believe in and what they will do… -
Introducing Resolutions Tracker: An App That Helps You Keep Your Resolutions
17 Jan 2012 | 11:12 amLast week I wrote about HabitMaster. Actually I don’t want to write about my apps two weeks in a row, but – since we are in the beginning of a new year – I think it’s the right time to introduce this app to you. A few days ago I released a new app for the iPhone and iPod touch called Resolutions Tracker. It’s an app that helps you keep track of your resolutions (including but not limited to New Year’s resolutions). As you know, making resolutions is easy, but keeping them is not. So I designed this app to help you plan, do, and evaluate your progress in… -
How to Survive a Recession
13 Jan 2012 | 9:35 pmNote: This is a guest post from Marisol Garcia of The Pleasure Cure Unemployment, stock market crashes, foreclosures, and increasing national debt are topics that preoccupy Americans today. Most of us are worried, if not petrified, about our financial future. Thoughts about how to survive permeate our lives. We function under the belief that if we don’t work all the time, we will miss an opportunity or lose what we have. What we may not know is that we need more than financial health to secure our future. We need emotional, relational, spiritual and cognitive well-being as well. This means… -
Introducing HabitMaster: An App That Helps You Build Positive Habits
10 Jan 2012 | 10:39 amIn a post last year, I wrote about how I expanded my personal capacity by working on iPhone app business. I also wrote about some lessons I learned in the process. But one thing was missing: I didn’t talk about the app itself. As I wrote in the post, I wanted to be sure that the app is solid first before writing about it here. Well, I think the time has come for me to talk about it. I’m passionate about personal growth, so the app I developed is related to that. The name is HabitMaster and it’s an app that helps you build positive habits in your life. How It Works HabitMaster works by…
-
The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness
-
Mark Twain’s Guide to Living an Awesome Life: 7 Essential Tips
23 Jan 2012 | 9:32 amShare “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” “Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.” “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Back in 2009 I wrote an article with some great quotes from Mark Twain – lecturer, satirist, humorist and author of classic books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – and it became a favorite for me and many readers. A sequel to Mark Twain’s Top 9 Tips for Living a Kick-Ass Life has been in my ideas folder… -
How to Focus Your Attention on What is Most Important in Your Life
12 Jan 2012 | 9:47 amImage by nattu (license). Share || “Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are.” Jose Ortega y Gasset “Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention.” Jim Rohn Keeping your attention on what is most important in your life is one of the most essential ingredients if you want to be able to: Stick with your goals. Achieve what you want to achieve each day. Appreciate what you have in your life. Clearly see how you can use your time here in the best way. Like with most things, this is something that is of course easier said than… -
The Little Guide to Making that New Year’s Resolution Stick
5 Jan 2012 | 8:56 amShare || “The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” Flora Whittemore “Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” Brian Tracy It’s a brand new year and I am guessing that many have their New Year’s resolution enthusiastically in mind. But how can you make the resolution something that sticks rather than something that gets abandoned in a month or so? Well, first, focus on just developing one habit or making one change at a time. And make sure that it is a change YOU want in… -
Four Questions that Will Help You to Stay on Track in 2012
29 Dec 2011 | 8:31 amImage by Atli Harðarson (license). Share || “New Year’s eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights” Hamilton Wright Mabie The year is coming to an end. Just two days to go. But before we head into 2012 I want to share four questions that you can use so that you don’t lose your way next year. Have a happy, awesome and meaningful… -
A Timeless Guide to Finding Peace and Joy During the Holidays
21 Dec 2011 | 10:35 amImage by vonSchnauzer (license). Share || “May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp, and peace in your heart!” Eskimo proverb The holidays are upon us. A time of needed relaxation and more time with the people closest to us. A time of stress and worries. A time of not all the joy you may have hoped for or been promised by upbeat advertising and movies. It can be a time of mixed feelings. So in this guide I would like to share a handful of powerful and timeless tips that can help you to make these holidays a more joyful and peaceful time. Slow down. “For fast-acting relief,…
-
GTD Times
-
A Writer’s GTD Journey
26 Jan 2012 | 9:52 pmGTD Times reader Jenna contributed her ideas on how to adapt GTD to writing. A Writer’s GTD Journey About a year ago I was beginning to feel overwhelmed with my list of unfinished projects. I’m a writer and had about a dozen scripts, stories, and article ideas backlogged on my computer. Not only I was not completing any of the projects, I was adding new ideas every day. Each new idea, rather than filling me with excitement at the prospect of undertaking a new creative project, instead filled me with dread and anxiety because I felt like I was looking at corpses—great concepts… -
What makes a good business book?
24 Jan 2012 | 6:16 pm“If it helps your business. If you can do business better, something there that is worthwhile and useful. I think a combination of underlying principles and practical applications.” - David Allen, interviewed in Fast Company. David Allen, Author of “Getting Things Done,” by Kevin Ohannessian in Fast Company Has productivity changed as technology has evolved, from the utility of iPhones to the connectedness of Facebook? We continue our examination of the business book Getting Things Done with an interview of author David Allen. Why do you think the book was so… -
Get it all out of your head
17 Jan 2012 | 4:18 pmIf you’re still trying to keep track of too many things in your mind, you won’t likely be motivated to use and empty your inboxes with integrity. Most people are relatively careless about having seamless collection tools because they know they don’t represent discrete, whole systems anyway: there’s an incomplete set of things in their inboxes and an incomplete set in their mind, and they’re not getting any payoff from either one, so the thinking goes. It’s like trying to play pinball on a machine that has big holes in the table, so the balls keep… -
Questions for completing and beginning the year
10 Jan 2012 | 6:25 pmDavid Allen has developed this set of questions for completing one year and beginning the next year. Enjoy! What have you actually finished, completed, and accomplished? If you haven’t made a list in the last year, I would highly recommend that you give yourself a treat and review the year that just passed and look forward to the year ahead. When I go through these kinds of questions I like to consider my answers in several areas: Physical Emotional Mental Spiritual Financial Family Community Service Fun / creativity / recreation Completing and remembering last year Review the list of… -
Cool GTD tip for tracking Waiting For items in Outlook
5 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amMany people have found this tip we share in our GTD & Outlook 2010 Guide to be super helpful for corralling the myriad of emails that need to be tracked as a “Waiting For.” You simply need to create a rule in Outlook to copy delegated items to an @Waiting For Support folder (create that folder if you don’t already have one.) Here’s what to do: 1. Select Rules button from the ribbon 2. Click Manage Rules & Alerts 3. Click on New Rule 4. Select Apply rule on messages I receive 5. Click Next 6. Check off from people or specific group. Then click on where…
-
Productive Flourishing
-
Stand Up
27 Jan 2012 | 9:34 amIf you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good. — Thomas J. Watson, Jr What initially separates the leaders, changemakers, and heroes from everyone else is that they were presented a challenging situation and they stood up. When everyone else followed the rules, stayed under cover, or took whatever crap they were dealt, they stood up and opted-out. When everyone else got scared about how they might get pushed back down, they stood up and… -
Are You Ready to Strip Your Business Down to the Essential Numbers?
16 Jan 2012 | 10:30 amEditor’s Note: This is a guest post by Nathalie Lussier. When you’re a solopreneur, you have unlimited opportunities and unlimited tasks to do. How do you distinguish between potential projects, partnerships, and outreach opportunities? You might try to buckle down and attempt them all, but if you’ve ever tried to chow down on an entire batch of chocolate chip cookies in one sitting you realize quickly that the sugar crash is not worth it. Take it from a recovering cookie-a-holic, I know. One of the most profound discoveries I made along my journey as an entrepreneur was… -
How to Deal With Copycats and Idea Thieves
11 Jan 2012 | 12:10 pmOne of our Lift Off alums recently asked how to deal with copycats and idea thieves. She’s been rocking it, getting great press, and things are taking off for her – and, as it always happens, copycats and idea thieves have started showing up and taking her work and phrases as their own. One of the surest signs you’re doing something right is when people start swiping and imitating. A far worse fate is remaining in obscurity or creating ideas that aren’t worth stealing and spreading. There are a lot of ways to deal with copycats and idea thieves, but there are three… -
From Reset to Reintegration
6 Jan 2012 | 2:28 pmIn the last part of this story, I shared the lead-up to the reset. In case you haven’t been following, the reset occurred because Angela (my wife) developed acute and debilitating anxiety, OCD, and depression as a result of a combination of medication and several years’ worth of unresolved grief and stress. If you have been reading along, I’m aware that you may be emotionally overwhelmed by what’s been going on. No need to brace yourself for this part – it’s much lighter. On September 30th, 2011, we had to put Angela on a strong cocktail of medications to… -
The Lead-up to the Reset
4 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmYesterday I shared our experience with having to reset Angela and coming out of a different kind of darkness. This continues that story and shows more clearly how we got there. We tend to have a myopic view of our lives, only focusing on the few months before the present we’re in and a few months in the future. The lead-up to the reset actually started in 2009. To make this make sense, I’ll give a brief chronological playthrough. In November 2009, Angela was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. In January 2010, she decided that the academic path wasn’t for her and started…
-
Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog
-
Social Bankruptcy
26 Jan 2012 | 7:36 pmFor the past several months, I’ve been going through a social reboot. This involves consciously reassessing my social life and deciding what connections and social habits to maintain and what to change. But this year I’ve decided to go further with this process and declare outright social bankruptcy. This is an area of my life that was far enough off track that changing it for the better is closer to starting over from scratch than making modifications to an existing structure. It’s more analogous to changing careers than it is to tweaking an existing career. I could see… -
Opting Out of Holiday Gift Exchanges
25 Jan 2012 | 11:31 pmToday I told my family that I’m permanently opting out of buying/giving/receiving gifts for all future birthdays & holidays. Many people grow up with holiday traditions that center around buying and exchanging gifts with family members. I enjoyed and appreciated this when I was younger, and I have many fond memories about it. These days it no longer resonates with me though. It’s not a good fit for my values. I feel it’s time to make a conscious choice here and drop this tradition from my life. Gift giving is a popular love strategy that means a lot to certain people. I… -
Approach Anxiety
23 Jan 2012 | 7:31 pmSeveral months ago I was speaking with my friend Morty Lefkoe about fears and limiting beliefs that I noticed among my readers. I shared with him that one of the biggest problem areas was approach anxiety. While many readers appear to be very social online, it’s common for them to be pretty socially timid in person — I know this quite well from interacting with them both online and face to face. Social timidity is frequently a result of approach anxiety. Instead of proactively approaching new people to form connections (for friendship, dating, networking, etc), these people often… -
Workshop Update
16 Jan 2012 | 1:42 pmThe Conscious Success Workshop this past weekend went amazingly well, even better than I expected. I received lots of positive feedback on it afterwards as well as some suggestions to improve it if/when we run it again. It was a very rewarding weekend to be sure. It’s gratifying to know we stimulated lots of positive growth and change for those who attended. These workshops are highly interactive and very unlike anything else out there. Each workshop is centered around a core of serious content where I share the best tools I’ve encountered and plenty of stories and examples to… -
CSW Almost Sold Out
3 Jan 2012 | 11:51 pmThe Conscious Success Workshop starts in only 10 days (Jan 13-15, 2012 in Las Vegas). We’re close to selling out, so if you’re planning to sign up, please don’t wait till the last minute, or there’s a possibility we won’t have any seats left. I estimate that we can sell about 6 more tickets before the room is at capacity. (Update: We now have only 3 seats left.) This is the eighth 3-day workshop we’ll be doing in Las Vegas. When I look back on our first Conscious Growth Workshop in 2009, I see that we’ve really come a long way. I especially enjoy the…
-
Gomestic
-
Vegetarian Forcemeat Stuffing
16 Jan 2012 | 6:39 pmApples for Vegetarian Forcemeat Stuffing (http://www.wikipedia.com) This material is copyrighted. Please do not distribute/reproduce without permission. The link to the article may be distributed/reproduced. Note: Vegetarian Forcemeat Stuffing is suitable for vegetarians but is not vegan. For vegans, leave out the egg. The texture will be different; adjust as needed. Dried Fruit for Vegetarian Forcemeat Stuffing (http://www.wikipedia.com) Ingredients *2 large onions, minced *4 stalks of celery, minced*3 cloves garlic, minced*vegetable oil for sauteeing*salt, freshly-ground black… -
Ten Resolutions for Gardening in 2012
11 Jan 2012 | 2:33 pmIf you are passionate about gardening, there is always room for improvement – which resolutions could be reasonable and helpful for you in 2012? Which resolution for gardening in 2012 is the right one for you, will definitely depend on what kind of person you are, or what your garden already looks like, at present. As a passionate gardener, you will always have some aspiration to be either the best in growing a specific variety, to have a well designed garden layout, or to shine with some outstanding and unique features. So why not getting started by setting up a resolution, a… -
How I Paid Just $36.00 for $800 Worth of Downey, Tide, Dawn, and Other P&g Products
11 Jan 2012 | 1:22 pmI’ve watched TLC‘s “Extreme Couponing” religiously for the last few years, and I’ve been making my best attempt to emulate the show’s couponers for some time, but I’ve never even come close to the 95%-100% savings that most of the show‘s couponers have enjoyed. I’d take my coupon binder to Wal-Mart full of coupons. I’d ad match items for the lowest possible price. Yet, despite all my efforts, I’d pay some portion for everything I bought. Sure, I’d save a $40.00 or $50.00 dollars with the coupons alone, but free… -
So Longhi Delonghi
9 Jan 2012 | 9:11 amAt long last Adam and I had enough money behind us to splash out a bit and, as we both love a cup of “proper” coffee (rather than the instant stuff you get in a jar or the plain, ordinary old filter coffee plunged in a cafetiere), Adam immediately started searching on the Amazon website and found a DeLonghi espresso and cappuccino maker, reasonably priced, and ordered it immediately. The stunning black machine duly arrived and it was with bated breath that I waited upstairs in my office for my first espresso to be delivered to my desk by Adam. As soon as he came through the… -
Facts About Pet Cats and Children
9 Jan 2012 | 7:07 amimage via Wikipedia With regards to pet cats and children, a well-adjusted two-year-old, when presented with a kitten, would typically respond with gentle, loving care that comes from a instinctive desire to protect a helpless, little creature. A child learns this from his surroundings and particularly, his parents. While, on the other hand, a child who is raised in a cruel environment may exhibit unkind or brutal conduct, it is somewhat predictable that he will show little care or regard for a kitten’s helplessness; such children shouldn’t have one. Typically the nurturing…
-
Blisstree » FEEL
-
96% Of Us Are More Stressed Than Our Moms Were; Cut Yourself Some Slack
26 Jan 2012 | 11:40 amOn the Today show this morning, they reported that a whopping 70% of moms in the U.S. say mothering is “incredibly stressful.” On top of that, 96% feel we are far more stressed than our own mothers were. While I can certainly relate (I am a working mom with two kids), I always find reports like that interesting, because I think they can paint a picture of us as martyrs, when in fact, we’re the ones who typically bring this stress upon ourselves. And if we would just cut ourselves some slack, we could probably alleviate a lot of this angst. Yes, things like the economy, financial… -
Demi Moore Reportedly Hospitalized Over ‘Whip-Its’; Couldn’t She Have Just Had Some Wine?
26 Jan 2012 | 10:07 amAfter days of rumors, reports now indicate that “whip-its” could have been the drug of choice for Demi Moore and the reason she was rushed to the hospital earlier this week. And here I thought sucking the air out of whipped cream bottles was just for teenagers to do as a cheap and stupid way of getting high when working at Ground Round or Ben & Jerry’s. Media outlets are now claiming the actress reportedly had a seizure after inhaling nitrous oxide at her home. Known commonly as doing “whip-its,” the activity generally involves inhaling the gas from a whipped… -
At 62, Vera Wang Looks Healthy And Awesome In Harper’s Bazaar
25 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pmFashion and healthy bodies don’t always get along, but in a gorgeous spread for the February edition of Harper’s Bazaar, Vera Wang is doing her darndest to merge the two. Images from the shoot displaying the 62-year-old fashion icon’s healthy, awesome-looking body have just been released, and all I can say “Damn, Vera.” The point of the spread wasn’t to show off Wang’s muscular gams and enviable arms–it was to give the world a tour of her epic new Beverly Hills mansion. In fact, she says, she didn’t even mean to end up in the… -
Demi Moore Called Paramedics To Treat Her Exhaustion; Why Didn’t Anyone See This Coming?
24 Jan 2012 | 9:55 pmDemi Moore was taken to a hospital by paramedics on Monday night after an emergency call, and today her rep issued a statement saying she’s being treated for exhaustion due to the stresses in her life. But after her strange interview in Harper’s Bazaar at the beginning of the year, and her ever-diminishing frame in the two months since her divorce from Ashton Kutcher, wasn’t it obvious she needed some help? According to New York Daily News, the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that she’d called for help on Monday night. This afternoon, Moore’s rep issued… -
Psychedelic Mushrooms Reduce Brain Activity (And That’s A Good Thing)
24 Jan 2012 | 3:03 pmIn my college days, I was no stranger to the odd hit of acid or bag of ‘shrooms, and I’ve long believed in the power of drugs like these to be therapeutic under the right circumstances. I’m reading a book right now, in fact, by Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert), a Harvard psychology professor turned yogi and spiritual leader who was part of that whole 1960s scholarly cohort (including Timothy Leary) studying psychedelics. But although serious scholars (and lay people like myself and my college friends) have been studying psychedelics for decades, no one has been quite…
-
WellnessCoach.com™
-
Announcement: Free Monthly Q&A Call for Wellness Coaches
17 Jan 2012 | 6:32 pmGot Wellness Coaching Business questions? Let’s Talk! I’m excited to announce the new Free Monthly Q&A Call for Wellness Coaches. Beginning Wednesday, February 8, 2012, on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, I’ll be taking the business questions that are foremost on your mind. No two calls will be the same and you’ll be setting the agenda. Get answers to questions such as: • How do I create added revenue streams & not just trade time for money? • When is it time to establish a business entity? Should I incorporate? • Which marketing strategies work best? -
Focusing: The “Do Less” Attitude in Action
17 Jan 2012 | 5:58 pmI’ll bet that at the moment this photo was taken the rider shown here had hundreds of email messages in her in-box, a To Do list a mile long, and a blog post she thought she’d like to get out on January 1st that she hadn’t even started to write yet. In short, like you and me, she always has many things vying for her attention at any one point in time. But at this moment, her focus is 100% on the event in this arena. As my friend, colleague, and Exceptional Horsemanship owner Lauren Woodard explained to me, the rider put all her attention on this jump, lined everything up and… -
Wellness Coaches: How’s the Free Toolkit Working?
31 Dec 2011 | 5:55 pmHundreds of you have downloaded the Free Toolkit! Many of you have sent email notes of thanks. You are so very welcome! Thank YOU for taking the time to write. I’m truly jazzed you appreciate the kit. And, you know me…I’m always looking for ways to add to it. So… Now, I’m after specificity. I’d love to hear the details: - Are you using the Calendar’s action steps to plan your year? - What business changes did you make after taking the Success Quiz? - Anything else you’d like added to the calendar itself or included in the whole toolkit? -… -
Wellness Coaches: 8 Questions for a Softer End-of-Year Business Review
15 Dec 2011 | 8:46 pmYes, the end of the year is an important time for reviewing the “hard” data of your business results. Yes, you do need to check out the P&L, look at goals met, goals unmet, market trends, social media results, and other hard numbers that measure overall business success. You know this and you do this. So how about taking time for a “soft” review of your business as well? Each year at this time, you’ll find me spending quiet time with a mug of tea, a notebook and a pen, and a smile of delight on my face. You would have found me this way this morning, sitting… -
2011 Cornucopia of Thanks
17 Nov 2011 | 7:44 pmThank you for joining us and “sitting down” to the “WellnessCoach.com table” for our annual post of Thanks, Appreciation and Gratitude. Our 2011 Cornucopia contains a list of and links to the inspirational quotes, books, music, DVDs and resources that we appreciate for having touched our lives this year. We hope they’ll touch yours. Please enjoy the feast. Warmly, Inspirational Quotes of Thanks & Gratitude: • “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~G.K. Chesterton • “To speak gratitude is…
-
Leading Hands Through Technology
-
Apple News Central
27 Jan 2012 | 5:54 amLooking to stay on top of the latest from Apple? I came upon “9 to 5 Mac” the other week and it’s providing great recaps and insider news on the tech innovator. Whether its the latest keynote address or gadget rumor, this is the place to feast your eyes. http://9to5mac.com/ -
Google URL Shortener
20 Jan 2012 | 1:09 pmDid you know that Google has a URL shortener? If you have a log post to a social networking website, map link or something of that nature, why not try Google? It works well just like Bit.ly and the other services. Here are some other URL shorteners Leading Hands has blogged about in the past. http://goo.gl/ -
PicorTwo: Social Network Photo Sharing
17 Jan 2012 | 7:44 pmI found this interesting social media concept by Seal and Heidi Klum called Pic or Two. It’s a celebrity twit pic site. They only have a few celebs signed up but it’s a good concept. The idea reminds me of Celebrity Apprentice but with pictures. http://www.picortwo.com/ -
VYou: Social Video Style
5 Jan 2012 | 4:14 pmVYou lets you have a conversation through video. I saw this the other day and I thought it made complete sense. However, the first time I saw the technology it reminded me of a dating site. Most of us have a smart phone with video capability, so why not setup a virtual you? Virtually answer questions and hold conversations while you are out. Then if you have the time, you can setup live video chats. VYou is conversation in video clips. Is this the next social wave? http://vyou.com/ -
How You Doing on Twitter?
3 Jan 2012 | 10:30 amWhat’s your new years resolution? Are you trying to improve on social media? perhaps Twitter? Just like weight loss, you have to start somewhere to get on the wagon. I would suggest first looking at your current Twitter account and see if there are areas of improvement. A social media tool that I use to analyze performance is Twtrland. Twtrland says “it takes a bag of tweets, analyzes them, and creates a profile page which show-casts the person behind them. Currently we focus on behavior patterns, Famous words, Top Followers, Links, Replies, Songs, Pictures and Check-ins.”…
-
Root Simple
-
How To Design a Garden Step III: Pathways
27 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amSo you've set your goals and have a scale drawing of the land you plan to garden. What's next? Paths! Paths keep you from compacting soil and lend visual interest to your garden. Some tips:Establish a path hierarchyCreate wide paths with smaller branching paths. Think of the human circulatory system: Or fractal patterns found in nature, like tree branches:Now our property is so small that, when I'm done re-doing the backyard it will only have two main paths and one or two branching paths, but the path hierarchy concept is scalable to any piece of land large or small.Put paths where people… -
National Wildlife Federation Teams with Scotts
26 Jan 2012 | 4:02 pmTime to take down those "certified wildlife habitat" signs as it seems the National Wildlife Federation has entered into a "partnership" with Scotts, manufacturers of a host of wildlife unfriendly synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Some thoughts:Scotts products do grave injury to microbial and fungal life in the soil to say nothing of insects. The NWF has too narrow an idea of what constitutes "wildlife". And perhaps the era of big non-profit organizations like the NWF, that are little more than a mailing list, is over. We need more grass roots organizations at the community level that… -
How To Design a Garden Step II: Using Google Earth to Draw Up a Plan
26 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amSo you've set the goals for your garden, as we outlined in a post earlier this week, and you're ready to start putting pen to paper. Google Earth makes it easy to quickly create a plan to scale.Zoom in on the space you want to garden and print out an image. Next, take separate sheets of tracing paper and use them to map out:your goalsexisting conditions such as trees and buildingsfuture plantings where water flows when it rainssun and shadeproblem areastopographyfuture paths (more on this in tomorrow's post)permaculture zones For a more accurate and sizable plan you can also use Google's free… -
Growing Greens Under Fruit Trees
25 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amIn the photo above is Scott Kleinrock showing off a section of the edible garden he designed at the Huntington Gardens. At first glace it looks like a lot of weeds, but it's a clever idea: growing greens in the understory of fruit trees.In this picture, which was taken last weekend, you see a field of: mallowdaikon radisharugulamustard vetchcalendulacabbageExcept for the vetch, which helps build soil, all are edible and nutritious. It was grown with almost no supplemental water. Labor involved removing unwanted grasses in the first year and spreading seeds. And all of these plants… -
How To Design a Garden Step I: Identifying Goals
24 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amFood, beauty and habitat.Garden design does not come naturally to me. I've made plenty of mistakes and continue to make them. One of the biggest of those mistakes is thinking of a garden as a collection of plants. Designing this way leads to lots of money wasted at the nursery and a garden that looks like a hoarder's living room. Trust me, after years of misguided gardening design, your first step should be to identify goals.Making a List of GoalsSit down and think of what you want the garden to do. This applies to a residential space, a community garden plot, a school garden, anywhere.
-
Shoplet Office Supplies Blog
-
best of office weekend roundup 82
27 Jan 2012 | 12:27 pmA chair as a ruler, yess – Link I would love to have this colorful circle of office supplies around me. More pics on Brooke’s site. Make pretty string with sharpies! Link Cute flash card calendar Love the pencil sharpener – Link A clay to-do list. Students hands are too feeble to write essays! I’m nervous my hands might be in the same condition. White out Desk. More pics Make an organizer with cereal boxes – Link Now that’s a mean prank. Link A new pencil mirror! I love the silver I like this header for DVF’s work wear line. History of the highlighter… -
Office Entertainment from 9gag
26 Jan 2012 | 11:54 amThursday! Hurray! Here is some 9gag entertainment. Links: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 -
A Mini Totem of Desk Accessories
26 Jan 2012 | 11:07 amIsn’t this the smartest way to minimize the amount of desk space your desk accessories use up? The MINITOTEM was designed by Damien Evans. (Kind of reminds me of these other desk accessories from Lexon) I love the red! -
Favorite Supplies from The Thirteenth Pt. 2
26 Jan 2012 | 8:30 am(01) vintage rubber stamp (02) camera pencil sharpener (03) vintage number stamp set (04) wood tape dispenser (05) retro sticky notes (06) assorted library card set (07) bygone blackboard Hi, I’m Megan Papworth. I am a contributor for The Thirteenth, a mom of 2, a wife of a dental school student and a photography business owner – which means my office gets a little crazy and keeping my desk organized is important. I have always gotten giddy over office and school supplies (just ask my mom, every year when I got my school supply list it was like Christmas), especially ones that are… -
School House Electric for Your Office
25 Jan 2012 | 1:04 pmIf I close my eyes and picture my dream office, I see a lot of these items. Get them all from School House Electric.
-
Think Simple Now
-
The Power of Rituals
23 Jan 2012 | 7:21 pmPhoto by Valerio Boncompagni Editor’s Note: This is a story by guest contributor Jordan Alam “The more I broaden my interpretation of what can be called a ritual, the more I find them, and find myself creating them in my life.” ~Lisa Weiner I was sitting with my therapist in the midst of college finals. It was one of our last sessions together before I would return home for the long summer vacation. It stunned me that my sophomore year at college was coming to an end. Where had the time gone? “I feel like it’s too soon,” I told her, “Like I’ve worked through all these changes,… -
Simplify Your Life This Year
16 Jan 2012 | 5:09 pmPhoto by Rosie Hardy By TSN Contributor Rajiv Vij This is the season for resolutions. I reckon you have considered one or two yourself. Unfortunately, as the year progresses, most New Years resolution tend to fall by the wayside and end up as mere intents. Here’s an insightful approach towards creating a life that’s not only happier and more fulfilling, but one that also automatically responds to your most meaningful resolutions. The Complicated Life Driven sometimes by ambition and other times by a sense of inner incompleteness, we instinctively immerse ourselves in a myriad of pursuits. -
How to Live
8 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pmPhoto by Vanessa Paxton By Cat Li Stevenson “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.” ~Henry Ward Beecher “Okay, let’s say life is a blank canvas. Anything you want. What would you paint, babe?” I asked my husband. There was a brief pause. He grabbed a few Almond Rocas off the kitchen counter, made his way to the couch, and then sat there … like a happy, modern Buddha. He responded, “I don’t think about what to paint, I think about how to paint.” Irritation quickly spread throughout my entire body. Regardless of the Zen… -
Forgiving Yourself (A Story)
29 Dec 2011 | 7:34 pmPhoto by the talented Jon Jacobsen Editor’s Note: This is a story by guest contributor Bobbi Emel “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” ~Lewis B. Smedes I sat in the middle of the large wood-cabin conference hall and scuffed the pine floor with my hiking shoe. The flames in the huge rock fireplace danced as I gazed at them, lost in thought. I hadn’t wanted to come to this retreat. “What’s it like?” I asked my friend, Bruce, one of the organizers of the retreat. “There’s no dancing around the fire in loincloths with mud on our… -
20 Ways to Be Grateful
21 Dec 2011 | 6:15 pmEditor’s Note: This is a guest contribution by Daniel Wong I work as an engineer, and I recently returned to the office after a one-week break. I checked my e-mail inbox: 100 unread e-mails. A sense of dread washed over me. “There goes the next four hours of my life responding to e-mails,” I thought. Reading those 100 e-mails made me sad. Not one of them was written with the intention of expressing gratitude or encouragement! All of them were focused on customer complaints that needed to be addressed and problems that needed to be fixed. Even if the e-mail contained a “thanks,”…
-
Sources of Insight
-
Buddha Quotes
22 Jan 2012 | 9:42 pmYou’ve probably come across several quotes attributed to Buddha over the years. I’ve always enjoyed the precision, profoundness, and pragmatism of his quotes. His words of wisdom have stood the test of time on a number of broad topics. For this collection of Buddha quotes, I’ve arranged them by key themes including: Action, Anger, Fear, Health, Life, Love, Mind, Personal Development, Self-Reliance, Speech, and Truth. As you read through the quotes, see if his words, inspire new insight or echo your experience, or challenge your beliefs in some new way. Top 10 Buddha… -
Productivity is a Remarkably Good Thing
20 Jan 2012 | 12:20 amIn the article,“Making it in America”, in the Atlantic, Adam Davidson writes about how to create and keep a job in our globalizing, mechanizing, economy. It’s a deep look at the impact of the shift to globalization and how “the rewards for being skilled grow, while the opportunities for unskilled Americans diminish.” One of the passages really stood out for me: “Productivity, in and of itself, is a remarkably good thing. Only through productivity growth can the average quality of human life improve. Because of higher agricultural productivity, we don’t… -
Agile Results for Time Management
15 Jan 2012 | 4:29 pm“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” — Charles Darwin As more people ask me about Agile Results, the system inside Getting Results the Agile Way, I realize I need a simple summary page. Here it is. What is It In a nutshell, Agile Results is a simple system for meaningful results. It’s a personal results system for making the most of work and life. It’s a way to be the author of your life and write your story forward. I created Agile Results as a way to help you… -
Top 10 Ways to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin
11 Jan 2012 | 1:02 amEditor’s note: This is a guest post by best selling author, Lisa McCourt. Lisa is here on Sources of Insight to share with you insightful and actionable steps to be comfortable in your own skin. If you don’t know Lisa, you’re in for a treat. Lisa specializes on the topic of self-love and her books on unconditional love have sold more than five and a half million copies. Lisa’s latest book, Juicy Joy – Seven Simple Steps to Your Glorious Gutsy Self is all about leading a life that is rich, real, and powerfully satisfying, while embracing your biggest,… -
Confucius Quotes
9 Jan 2012 | 8:39 amThis is a collection of Confucius quotes to put his wisdom at your finger tips. Confucius was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher with a knack for nailing some big ideas for life. Confucius tackled topics like anger, character, failure, happiness, intelligence, truth, virtue, and more. The beauty of Confucius’s quotes is how elegantly they express ideas and get you thinking. For example, Confucius said, “No matter where you go – there you are.” This reminds us that we always bring ourselves to any situation, baggage, beliefs, and all. It helped me realize early on…
-
Blogitse
-
snow, a lot of snow…
27 Jan 2012 | 4:28 amweekend photos #4 Snow might look beautiful… but now we have more than enough snow in Helsinki, again. It’s difficult to walk, drive…roads are slippery under the snow. Imagine old people whose balance and walking abilities are not that good anymore, sigh. This part of the pavement looks okay – to park a car… Sundays In My City Life In Pictures Shadow Shot Sunday Our friends from Sweden are coming to visit this weekend. I’ll visit your blogs late Sunday evening! -
kiss my paper
25 Jan 2012 | 3:33 ammakroviikko / macro week challenge #44 teema / theme: paperi / paper -
four times S
21 Jan 2012 | 1:38 amphotos of the weekend #3 four times S: shusi, shine, shadows and snow home made shusi by BLOGitse I creased aluminum foil… and played with it… This is the same as the first one…I have a zillion versions of that shot now This was shot a couple of days ago. Today we have and will have more snow - it’s snowing right now! We have ‘The MATKA 2012 Nordic Travel Fair’ in Helsinki this weekend. What’s your dream… -
fashion
18 Jan 2012 | 9:20 am“I don’t do fashion, I am fashion.” Coco Chanel makroviikko/macro week challenge #43 teema/theme: muoti / fashion Marimekko designs by Fujiwo Ishimoto Marimekko Fabric Printing Want to buy Marimekko products? Go here -
weekend photos
13 Jan 2012 | 8:35 amphotos of the weekend #2 / an orange, reflection and a footprint Shadow Shot Sunday2 Sundays In My City Life In Pictures an orange bathing in shadows… Otaniemi skyline… is this your footprint? Have a good weekend!
-
PluginID » Pluginid.com Personal Development Blog for Self Actualization and Improvement
-
I Am Looking Forward To A Year Of Gratitude
25 Jan 2012 | 10:29 pmI’m really not into listing down New Year’s resolutions or some kind of promises to myself for the next 12 months. Maybe I did something like that a few years back. But I guess I got my resolutions confused and committed myself to a whole year of losing a lot of money and gaining a lot of weight, instead of the other way around. So I decided to forget about the whole resolution thing. But seriously, I just want to share with you that instead of having any big resolution for 2012, I’ve decided to continue to focus on gratitude. Some years ago, I’ve taken for granted a lot of… -
Just Write
13 Jan 2012 | 12:15 amIt’s the first week of 2012 and I find myself looking back at the year that just ended. It was a rollercoaster ride. An almost unbelievable string of ups and downs. But it was the year I got some projects and started writing again seriously. Since then I’ve been writing almost everyday. Towards the end of 2011, I’ve been thinking about what’s been making me write all these years. Because looking forward to a new year and beyond, that’s what I want to do – write. Appreciation means a lot to me, but… … it can only take me to a certain point. I admit I’m encouraged to write… -
Lessons on Creativity: Take It from a Toddler
7 Dec 2011 | 12:54 am“To know is nothing at all. To imagine is everything.” – Anatole France, French poet and Nobel Prize recipient for Literature Each of us is born with a bottomless well of creativity. If you doubt this, observe how toddlers are “seriously at work” during their playtime. You’ll learn a lot about curiosity, imagination and originality from them. You’ll be impressed at how and where they get their ideas. I’m pretty sure of this, because this is what I’ve realized in the past months. I’ve done marketing and communications work for more than 15 years. Reading materials,… -
Thought Provoking Quotes: How To Read Your Life As A Novel
14 Nov 2011 | 12:52 amRenowned Chilean writer Isabel Allende once said, “You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend or not.” If you will treat your life like a story, a novel or any piece of literature, how then do you write a good one? Perhaps, it would be best to consult more of the world’s respected writers. Many of them have gifted us not just with award-winning books, plays and other works of art, but also with witty, inspiring and thought-provoking quotes. Discovering Your Passion and What Drives You Legendary novelist and poet Murasaki Shikibu, famous for her 3-part… -
PluginID Reinvents Yet Again
27 Oct 2011 | 12:18 am“Change brings opportunity.” – Nido Quebin The new PluginID is still underway and I am truly excited to share the outcome to everyone. And yes, there are changes – a facelift, as Adam would call it. PluginID is evolving, and the steps that we need to take is underway. Hi, my name is Raquel, the new torch-bearer for PluginID. First, I would like to thank Adam for passing the torch. This is a whole new journey for me and I know that there are learnings and “aha” moments along the way. And thankfully, that’s what PluginID is all about –…
-
Simplistic Thoughts
-
3 Weeks Back in the US
23 Jan 2012 | 1:45 amIt had been three years since I had last been to the US, and so it was great to visit my friends and family, and do a little shopping and sightseeing. The trip back home inluded four planes and a four hour drive, so we were pretty tired when we finally got there. The next few days went by in a whirlwind of shopping and christmas parties. We also went shopping in some of the cooler places like the K Street Mall, which is located in Old Sacramento. The weather was great (though a bit too dry for this time of year), and having christmas in America was a ton of fun. After christmas I went with… -
What Did You Learn From School?
18 Nov 2011 | 10:38 pmTo be honest, not much. I’m not saying that I didn’t gain knowledge. I learned various ideas and expanded my vocabulary in various subjects. I learned how to write papers and express ideas. I learned how to go after a job, do math, read and write, etc. And while it is my diploma that allowed me to move to Japan (because it was required for my visa), work in Tokyo, and eventually lead to me living where I do, it wasn’t because of the skills I learned in school. I have said this before, but I think we place too much emphasis on certificates and qualifications. Most of us want… -
Learn four Ukulele Songs in 30 days
7 Nov 2011 | 12:15 amI mentioned a few posts back that I was planning to start creating some videos and some “learn X in 30 days”. Well, my video camera finally arrived and I am ready to start. I will be writing blogs and making videos to go along with my progress. The first challenge will be to learn and play four songs on the ukulele. I have actually learned to play a couple song and at this point am practicing almost everyday. The ukulele really is a fun instrument to learn and ukuleles are also a lot cheaper than most instruments. You can pick up a decent ukulele for around $50 and get something… -
Learning the Ukulele For Beginners
13 Oct 2011 | 8:37 amWhen I first moved to Miyakojima, Japan I was in love with the culture and music (actually I still am). The traditional instrument here is the sanshin, which is a three stringed banjo type instrument. After attending several festivals and listening to a lot of Okinawan music, I joined a class and learned to play the sanshin myself. However, after playng for a couple of years I started to notice the instruments limits. Playing was fun, but the sanshin has a very distinct sound which limits it to playing Okinawan music. My wife, who was dancing hula, started playing the ukulele. After… -
How To Make A Computer Desk: Adding A Slide Out Drawer (Completed)
8 Oct 2011 | 10:16 pmFinal with painted keyboard tray In the last post I talked about the steps I took to make a cheap slide out desk tray. However, I hadn’t put any final finishes on it. Basically I couldn’t decide if I wanted to make it white like the rest of the desk or stain it wood colored. As you can see I didn’t do either. My friend had some extra paint left over from painting a few shelves, and I thought the dark brown would be a good contrast to the otherwise complete white. At this point the desk is pretty much complete. However, I am considering adding a sing shelf under the…
-
Lifescript
-
What’s Right for Your Skin Type?
25 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmBy Michele Bender, Special to Lifescript A smart skin-care routine can take years off your face. But how do you know what's best for your complexion? Five top dermatologists weigh in with advice on treating your skin type… You don’t treat cashmere the way you do cotton. And you wouldn't handle silk like denim. Same goes for your skin. When it comes to care, each skin type – dry, normal, oily or acne-prone – requires its own regimen. “Over time, a careful and consistent routine with products for specific skin types can improve the overall health and appearance of your skin,” says… -
7 Ways to Keep Hands and Feet Healthy
22 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmBy Michele Bender, Special to Lifescript Taking care of hands and feet doesn’t only mean moisturizing. Simple steps in your daily routine can protect against nasty infections and even cancer. Find out how to keep skin both soft and healthy... You probably have a daily regimen for keeping your face clean and moisturized. But what about your hard-working hands and feet?“Hands are the most frequently used body part,” says Oscar Hevia, M.D., of Hevia Cosmetic Dermatology in Miami, Fla. “They can become dry and ashy really fast.” And feet take a beating from bearing your body weight all… -
Beyond Botox: 8 New Ways to Freshen Up
22 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmBy Dorothy Foltz-Gray, Special to Lifescript Skin losing its luster? Wrinkles giving you frown lines? We looked at pros and cons of 8 cosmetic procedures that fight age without putting you under the knife… Most of us take youthful skin for granted – until, of course, we lose it. Fortunately, there are several non-invasive techniques that can turn back the clock sans knife. Popular non-surgical treatments such as Restylane, Thermage and Dysport can whisk away smile lines in a quick, 30-minute office visit. But are they safe? Expensive? And what kinds of results can we expect? Procedures… -
Hope for Women with Symptoms of Alopecia Areata
19 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmBy Mari Cartel, Lifescript Entertainment Editor Women with symptoms of alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease affecting hair follicles, can face bald patches, total baldness and even loss of body hair. But genetic research is creating new ways to fight this hair loss condition. In an exclusive Lifescript interview, two doctors on the cutting edge of research discuss the future of alopecia areata treatment... Thinning hair is common as you get older, even for women. But if you suffer from symptoms of alopecia areata, hair loss can happen at any age – and the results can be emotionally… -
Is Your Pet Making You Sick? 6 Zoonotic Diseases to Dodge
11 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmBy Shanna Thompson Zareski, Special to Lifescript Zoonotic diseases. It's a strange phrase, and an even stranger concept – diseases that spread from animals to humans – but some diseases from pets can even be deadly. Find out how to keep both of you safe from the most common pet illnesses... For many of us, pets are family. We talk to them, watch TV together, let them sleep on our beds. But close contact can expose you to serious ailments that can spread from animals to humans. That doesn’t mean you should ban pets from your home. The key to keeping yourself healthy is awareness and…
-
Lifescript
-
2012 Resolutions: 12 Tips to Make Them Stick
9 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmBy Stephanie Schorow, Special to Lifescript Never mind that last year’s resolutions fell apart by Feb. 1. You still want to lose weight, exercise more, find a new love and improve your health, don’t you? With these sure-fire tips from the country’s leading life coaches, you can achieve your goals in 2012. Setting New Year’s resolutions may seem clichéd, but most of us welcome a chance to change bad habits and improve ourselves. And there’s no better time than when the calendar flips to a new year. “The idea of a new year gives people hope and optimism,” says Adrienne Ressler, a… -
Q&A – Is Depression the Reason I Can’t Lose Weight?
2 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach Q: I watch what I eat most of the time and exercise 2-3 times a week, but I still feel tired and depressed. Caring for my father, who lives with me and has Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, takes a lot out of me since I quit my job to stay at home and take care of him. Is depression playing a part in my weight-loss struggle or is there any other things I should be doing to get this weight off?-Cindy N.A: Hi Cindy,Weight loss is tough enough, even under the most ideal of conditions. And when you add to it the physical demand and emotional… -
Watch Your Thoughts
1 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmBy John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach Happy New Year! Each week in January I’ll be addressing three subjects from my Inner Diet program. Each represents the building blocks of a healthier lifestyle, thinner body and happier, more active future. Week 1: Creating a new mindset! Watch Your Thoughts One of the most common issues that interfere with one being able to reach any goal in life is negative thinking. Your thoughts have a powerful impact on your behavior. The thoughts you think have the ability to do one of two things: Move you closer to your goal or take you kicking and… -
Stress Less: How to Conquer 5 Life-Changers
1 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmBy Michele Bender, Special to Lifescript Even life’s small events — a water leak, the revised deadline — can make you frazzled. And big, life-changing situations, like moving, breakups or losing your job, bring real turmoil. But constant stress doesn’t have to wear you down. Find out how to tackle life’s 5 toughest moments with more calm... The only sure thing in life is its unpredictability. And when you’re already juggling kids, hubby and work, unforeseen events – good or bad – only pile on the stress. Believe it or not, short-term stress helps our bodies, prompting a… -
Make Your Resolutions Come True
31 Dec 2011 | 6:00 pmBy The LifeScript Editorial Staff It’s easy to set goals. Achieving them, well, that’s another story. If you’re like most people, you didn’t completely follow through on previous New Year’s resolutions. Were there factors out of your control? Or were lack of self-discipline and an overabundance of excuses to blame? Whether you want to lose 10 pounds, quit a bad habit or start a healthy one, the following 10 tips are your formula for making – and achieving – your goals in 2012… 1. Lose Weight It’s no secret we’re an overweight society. A huge number of Americans need to…
-
Mystic Madness
-
Super Achievers: Pros And Cons
27 Jan 2012 | 3:38 pmThere has been a long debate running for years now, weather it is good or bad to be a super achiever form childhood. I believe there are interesting arguments to be made on both sides of the debate, and that is why I have decided to make a list of the pros and cons of [...] Related posts: Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment What Are Super Foods -
Starting A Housekeeping Business
27 Jan 2012 | 2:32 pmIf you’re an entrepreneur looking for a good idea I may have just what you are looking for. In recent years, a housekeeping business seems to be the pot of gold for anyone looking to invest their money. It sounds unlikely but you can really make a lot of money in this kind of business [...] Related posts: Do You Have What It Takes For A Business Intelligence Career? Casual Business Attire For Women Making Money On Internet – How My Online Business Got Started -
Problem Solving Brainstorming Tips
26 Jan 2012 | 3:37 pmBrainstorming is one of the most important and widely used problem solving strategies by managers worldwide. But why is this method so popular and what are the best problem solving brainstorming tips? In the following paragraphs I will try to show how a brainstorming session should work ideally. I know that nowadays people skip over [...] Related posts: How To Resolve A Problem At Work -
The Best Employee Evaluation Tools
26 Jan 2012 | 1:59 pmA good business is only as good as the manager who runs it. I think that there is no denying this truth. The manager is the person in your company who can make the difference between profit and bankruptcy. One of the most important aspects a manager has to take care of is employee evaluations. [...] Related posts: How To Measure Employee Satisfaction Employee Motivation Ideas Creative Employee Recognition Programs -
Can Equity Theory Research Help You Maximize Your Profits?
25 Jan 2012 | 3:39 pmEquity theory research has been in full throttle in the last few years. I believe it is one of the most fundamental theories to understand in order to have profit in your business. It will give you tremendous insight into how your employees feel and think about work. I shall make a short summary of [...] No related posts.
-
Illuminated Mind
-
Why Choosing a Niche is Pretty Dumb (and Why You Should Create One Instead)
26 Jan 2012 | 4:35 pmIf you want to compete in a game someone else created you’ll probably want to find a nice cozy, safe niche that has a history of predictable success. Choosing a niche and differentiating yourself is safe and comforting. And besides, isn’t that what all the experts tell you to do? Find your niche. Well, that’s fine if you want to do something that’s already been done. But I’m guessing that you were brought here to do something bigger. Something more. Maybe your vision is bigger than just following in someone else’s footsteps, or being #2 in a crowded market. -
Win a Free Membership to Trailblazer
19 Jan 2012 | 11:35 amGood morning fellow Trailblazers. My team and I have been hard at work (except for our Shihtzu, Sofie, she’s mostly been barking in her sleep) on the new Trailblazer program. We’ve been releasing a series of videos over the past few weeks, and shared the success stories of some of our awesome members. And last week we had everyone vote on a new emblem for the program (which generated nearly 200 comments). In less than two weeks we’ll be opening the doors to the brand, shiny new program, but for now, there’s nothing to buy. So put away your wallet. :) My heart has… -
Help me choose the new Trailblazer logo
12 Jan 2012 | 1:05 pmWe’re rebuilding Trailblazer from the ground up, and it’s time that we got a new emblem to match the new, and improved version of this community. I commissioned Dustin Hoffman (not the Rain Man) to help me design an all new look. If you’re seeking someone to help you with your brand, logo or website, I highly recommend working with Dustin. He’s been incredibly professional and has really blown me away with his work (it speaks for itself, see below). He’s in high-demand, so get in touch with him soon while he’s still available if you can. Anyway, I’m… -
How to Prevent Your Passion from Blowing Up in Your Face
10 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pmEditor’s note: This is a guest post from Jennifer Gresham of Everyday Bright. Your soul dies a little every time you drive to work. The solution sounds so easy: ”follow your bliss.” But you don’t get far before you discover more questions than answers: How do I know if something is really a passion? What if I don’t have a passion? What if I have too many? Am I dooming myself to a life of poverty if I follow my passion once I find it? It’s not that you don’t want to live a life of passion, but you’re scared. What if it doesn’t… -
10 Trailblazers to Watch in 2012
5 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pmToday I am proud to share with you some of the phenomenal stories from members of the Trailblazer Community. Each one of them has something different to share, but they all have one thing in common. They dare to blaze their own paths and follow their dreams. I invite you to read through each of the stories, visit their sites, and subscribe to their lists. These folks are setting the world on fire and definitely Ones to watch in 2012. Amber J. Adams – The Fab Life Project & Generation Innovation After winning the “Offer To The World” contest I was super excited about creating…
-
Jonathan Fields
-
10 Commandments of Epic Business
26 Jan 2012 | 10:08 amAt the end of my 2011 Annual Report, I created a simple graphic called - “10 Commandments of Biz” The 10 commandements were about doing business a different way. One that was designed to lead to not just a great career that changed lives, but to the ability to love the work you do in the world, the business you aspire to build and the life you want to live. And, in the context of the Annual Report, it was a bit of a parting bonus gift, a quick little slice of fun to leave you thinking about how you bring yourself to the world. While the entire Annual Report took off online (more… -
Why Hotel Magnate, Chip Conley, Is Getting Emotional
17 Jan 2012 | 9:22 amHe built the second largest boutique hotel group in the world, Joie de Vivre…then flatlined on stage while giving a keynote before thousands. Chip Conley survived, but this experience was a bit of a wake-up call. One that set in motion a different path. For years, Conley had been a deep student of human behavior and the psychology of success. That interest, along with two decades building his company, led him to write the New York Times bestseller, PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow. Now, having sold a controlling interest in Joie de Vivre to Hyatt, Conley is back… -
Annual Report 2011: Serve | Aspire | Transcend
12 Jan 2012 | 9:30 amEvery December, I reflect upon what went right, what went wrong, what took me by surprise, what I can learn from these awakenings, and how I’ll change what I’m doing next year. I do this by writing an annual review. The process of spinning thoughts into logic and language is incredibly illuminating. It allows me to see and synthesize on a different level than pure contemplation. Inspired and humbled by the legendary annual reports of Berkshire Hathaway founder, Warren Buffet, I decided to expand my exploration into a full-blown 2011 Annual Report and give it a theme—”Serve,… -
2012 Business Catalyst Awards
2 Jan 2012 | 9:51 amI spend an inordinate amount of time speaking with, interviewing, reading, watching and listening to a cornucopia of leading and emerging voices on entrepreneurship, small-business, marketing and behavioral change. Every year, some established voices get stronger, others weaken and new ones arrive on the scene. Still, much of the recognition for thought-leadership goes to larger “magazine format” or multi-author blogs and larger online versions of print magazines. I thought it was time to start honoring the individual, often less filtered voices in a more formal way, collect them… -
Don’t Treat Your Best Customers Like Morons and Marks
21 Dec 2011 | 9:08 amI recently cancelled an online service. It was a monthly subscription model. A solid service. It’s just that my needs had changed and I no longer needed it. I might have in the future, though, and figured I’d go back to it “if and when.” After checking the box that cancelled the service, I was pushed to a page that made me a “one-time” offer. Re-activate my subscription immediately and I could lock in a monthly price that was 20% less than what I’d been paying. The same screen also told me this was a one time offer that would go away and never come…
-
There, I Fixed It - Redneck Repairs
-
Car Parts Anti-Theft Protection
28 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amMufflers are making a killing on the black market right now. ~Not-”Not-So-Handy Andy” Jack Submitted by: Unknown -
AK Chainsaw
27 Jan 2012 | 7:00 pmCustom rifle manufacturer DoubleStar built this modified AK-47. Its most obvious feature is the chainsaw fixed to the barrel, powered by a lithium battery so you don’t have to be attached to an outlet when the zombie apocalypse certainly most definitely happens. If Ash had this, Army of Darkness would be about half as long. ~Not-”Not-So-Handy Andy” Jack -
DIY AT-AT Cable Organizer
27 Jan 2012 | 6:30 pmYou can get a kit for this Lucasnerd-approved cable organizer from GeekCook, or you can fix one up yourself using sections of that Princess Leia cardboard cut-out you owned in the ’70s. You did, don’t deny it. ~Not-”Not-So-Handy Andy” Jack Submitted by: UnknownVia: laughingsquid.com -
$30,000+ Car, $5 Ratchet Strap
27 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmYour parts are hanging out. Pervert. ~Not-”Not-So-Handy Andy” Jack Submitted by: Brian Ritchie -
A Sandglass That Only Works One Way
27 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmIt’s more like a 10 minute glass now. Submitted by: thejdub
-
How to of the Day
-
How to Make Fingerless Gloves
28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 amFingerless gloves are handy gloves for keeping most of the hand warm while still allowing for freedom of movement with the fingers. They're very easy to make using a pair of existing gloves, as you'll see from this tutorial. Edit Steps Turning long fingered gloves into fingerless gloves Find a pair of gloves.Find a pair of gloves. They can be old or brand new, just as long as you're happy to repurpose them. Old ones that have holes in the ends of the fingers are excellent for this purpose, as they'll get a new lease of life. Cotton, wool, angora, lambswool, cashmere, etc. are all acceptable… -
How to Mind Map Yourself
27 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmAn 'old school' mind mapSince the time of the Ancient Greeks, humans have been using methods to tap into the mind's ability to associate and imagine outcomes in order to find coherent solutions. Mind mapping is one modern day approach that draws on associations and imagination to create an overview of lots of seemingly separate pieces of information to find and clarify pathways, solutions and to organize issues. You may be wondering how a mind map can be of help to you personally. Indeed, it can be of tremendous help, as mind mapping can be used as a source of self-empowerment or personal… -
How to Hide That You Are on a Diet
27 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amAlthough some people love to talk about their diets, you might not want the entire world to know you're dieting. While one good reason to hide your diet intentions may be to surprise folks with weight loss, another reason could be that after trying countless diets you may not want to hear about it if you trip up. Or, you may simply be fed up discussing all the pros and cons of various diet types as the only topic of dinner table or social event conversation, or having to justify the choice you've made. In addition, studies show that the mere act of announcing your goals to others makes you… -
How to Build an LED Camcorder Light
27 Jan 2012 | 2:00 amCreate your own camcorder light to improve the visual ability of your camcorder in dim light or darkness. Edit Steps Collect the items needed to complete this project. These are listed below under "Things You'll Need". Collect the items needed to complete this project. Find some suitable elasticized fabric. Find some suitable elasticized fabric. Measure the circumference of the camcorder lens or whatever mounting point the light will attach to. Then measure the same for the elasticized fabric. Measure the circumference of the camcorder lens or whatever mounting point the light will attach to. -
The Etiquette of Inviting Your Ex to Your Wedding
26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmIf party planning isn’t tough enough, now you want to invite your ex to your wedding. And while there is no clear cut etiquette answer on the suitability or otherwise of having an ex at a wedding – Prince William and Princess Catherine invited ex-flames to their wedding – it is important that both you and your fiancé are comfortable with the decision and have talked it through. Having an ex at your wedding takes tremendous tact and an extremely understanding fiancé––hopefully one who is confident enough in your relationship to freely admit if he or she feels uncomfortable with…
-
David Seah
-
Plotting for Motivation, Part II
27 Jan 2012 | 6:45 pmA couple weeks ago I wrote a long post about how I was feeling blah, and came away with the notion that I wanted to create a system to deal with it. “It” is the opposite of blah, which I’d define as being excited about what I’m accomplishing every day. The next step is to define what the game will be. Time to dust off that old game design hat! System Goals Before I can design a system, I need to define what it’s supposed to achieve. The glib answer is “Happiness”, but pragmatically I am ready to accept a limited (and therefore achievable) objective. -
Dave Seah All Network Feed
27 Jan 2012 | 2:07 pmA while ago, feeling a little cramped by having just one main blog, I converted davidseah.com into a multi-blog network with a number of “process journals”. The idea was to have a place where I could type up a storm of text that were of little interest to a general audience, but perhaps highly interesting to someone with that exact same question. It might be interesting also to people who want a behind-the-scenes peek at the way I study and desconstruct what I want to learn. While I was looking for a mature plugin solution to aggregate all the subblogs with the main site feed, I… -
Notice: Broken RSS Feed
25 Jan 2012 | 3:11 pmThanks to Elaine and Jim for pointing out that my RSS feed seems to have stopped functioning. I’m using Feedburner, an RSS Feed manager that allows me to see the number of subscribers, and it seems stuck no matter what I do. I’m trying to restore function without breaking the existing subscriptions. The official davidseah.com feed URL is http://davidseah.com/feed. Incidentally, the journal feeds are NOT included in the main feed; I’ll look at rolling-up a separate feed for everything that doesn’t depend on a third-party service. UPDATE: The feed caching problem… -
Mail Bag for January 10, 2012
10 Jan 2012 | 11:39 amOne resolution I am planning to make thiscoming February 2nd is to become more efficient in processing the various email alerts I get about various products. Here’s a few of them, plus a bit of my own news: Tom Novak wrote me way back in October about his simple graphical countdown timer at Timerrr as a Chrome extension. For those of you who can’t stand tomatoes, I suppose :) Patrick Ng’s blog Scription is the blog I wish I was writing…super inspiring and beautiful. He’s a talented guy…check out his Chronodex, a circular way of representing time. From… -
Plotting for Motivation
8 Jan 2012 | 11:33 pmSUMMARY: I’d hoped to do a lot of work done this weekend, but I came down with a bad case of the blahs. Instead of going to sleep at a responsible time, I stayed up late and consumed a lot of television and Internet in an attempt to drown out a growing sense of malaise. And instead of getting up early, I slept-in and then berated myself ineffectually. Apathy ruled the day. Zonked out in bed very late Sunday morning, I started to trace through the likely causes of my unproductive bout of ill humor, establishing a preliminary framework of understanding to help realign my attitude. Working…
-
Genuine Curiosity by Dwayne Melancon
-
Enjoy Every Sandwich - a powerful book
22 Jan 2012 | 11:44 pmI just finished reading Dr. Lee Lipsenthal's book, "Enjoy Every Sandwich." Wow - what a book. The author wrote this book to share his experiences and new-found perspective after he was diagnosed with esophogeal cancer in 2009, and it is a very powerful and touching book. Lipsenthal takes you through some very touching realizations of the precious nature of our time here on earth, and provides guidance on how we can take better care of the relationships and truly important parts of our lives - whether we know we're near death or not. For me, the most "connecting" parts of the book were when… -
Business at the Speed of Now
21 Dec 2011 | 3:56 pmI just finished reading "Business at the Speed of Now," by John Bernard. Wow, this is a good book. I know of John because I worked with him on a small project about a year ago, and I saw a lot of the things he writes about first-hand. Needless to say, when I heard he was writing a book, I could hardly wait to read it. Now that it's available, I recommend you pick up a copy right away. This book is designed to help you create an environment or culture within your business that aligns people for execution, then empowers people to make a difference. There are some great stories in here… -
The Top 5 Things For Greater Productivity
11 Dec 2011 | 12:30 amI was just reading a great article by Brett Nelson of Forbes, called "Eight Secrets To Getting More Done In 2012." I love the ideas he's assembled, particularly the one about "Hourly Gut Checks." With his post in mind, I have an idea of my own to contribute: The Top 5 Things. The Top 5 Things This is a pretty simple concept that I use, which I find to be very useful: Start with a "mind sweep" as prescribed in David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology - get everything out of your head, out of your inbox, out of meeting notes, etc. in to one big list. When you sit down to plan your… -
Practical Genius
23 Nov 2011 | 7:01 pmThe other day, I read Gina Amaro Rudan's book, "Practical Genius: The Real Smarts You Need to Get Your Talents and Passions Working for You." I found this book to be a very down-to-earth approach to unlocking your creative juices, through a well-ordered method. In other words, it made sense, was prescriptive enough that you can apply it immediately, and it feels like an approach that will actually work for most people. In "Practical Genius," the author takes us though a 5-step plan for figuring out what your best skills are, and coming up with a plan to leverage those skills. The steps… -
[Review] Innovation You
5 Nov 2011 | 4:08 pmI just finished Jeff DeGraff's book, "Innovation You: Four Steps to Becoming New and Improved," and I really enjoyed it. I'd heard about DeGraff before -- that he had good techniques to help people come up with creative solutions to life's challenges -- and I've learned a lot more about him through this well-written book. In "Innovation You," DeGraff provides some very practical advice for how to approach problems and go beyond your "default" approach for innovation. The notion is that we all have preferred ways of handling various situations, but that we don't always do well at adapting…
-
Change your Thoughts for true Personal Development
-
How Doing Something Stupid Can Change Your Perspective
26 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amI had never been so afraid to leave the house before. Could I really step out the door like this? Finally, I worked up the courage to turn the doorknob with the hand that was wearing a weight lifting glove, open the door, and step outside. This was it, no turning back now. What was wrong with me? Why was I so afraid to go outside? You see, I wasn’t always an agoraphobe. I was only terrified because of what I was wearing at the time. I had on a stocking cap, a pair of coke bottle glasses I had from childhood, a red button-up collared shirt with a yellow T-shirt from a bachelor party on… -
How to Become Certain That You Will Reach Your Goals
23 Jan 2012 | 7:50 amI received another email this morning asking me how I keep motivated when I don’t know if my goals and dreams will ever be reached. Well, instead of writing about it, which is what I had planned to do, I thought I would make a video. So here is the video I made off the cuff, no rehearsal or script How to Become Certain That You Will Reach Your Goals -
Are You A Trailblazer?
19 Jan 2012 | 7:02 amToday I have interviewed Jonathan Mead from IlluminatedMind.net Jonathan Talks about his story of quitting his corporate job to do something that he truly loves, which is helping others realise their potential. However, when he realised there were hundreds of other people who were tired of their jobs and wanted to go it alone, and become an entrepreneur, he was suddenly in hot demand. Ignoring the signs, at first, Jonathan eventually succumbed and started teaching others how they could go about making a living doing what they loved. Check out the interview below You can find out more… -
Don’t Do These 15 Things If You Want To Turn Your Dreams Into Reality
16 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amEver feel like your dreams are never going to become a reality? It’s not like you’ve completely given up on your dreams. You occasionally think about how awesome it would be if you achieved them, but there are so many other things in the way. Your job. Your boss. Your kids. Your parents. Your finances. Your mortgage. All of these problems… I mean, responsibilities. So you’re afraid of taking the leap of faith. Afraid of what people will think if you quit your job. Afraid of going bankrupt. Afraid of falling behind in the rat race. Afraid of not being able to provide for your family. -
How Much Do You Believe Your Dream Will Cost?
9 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amIs there a price to your dream? How much will you sell your dream for? Are you willing to give up big money to live your dream? When Sylvester Stallone was just starting out in life, it was a miserable life for him. Before his big breakthrough with ROCKY, he was a nobody. He lived life on the go, earning bare minimum from film roles no one wanted to take. In his early acting career, he took part in some soft porn films. For him, it was a matter of survival. Once he recounted how he had to live at a New York City Port Authority bus station for three weeks while waiting for an assignment that…
-
Exile Lifestyle
-
The Power of Free
21 Jan 2012 | 7:10 amWhen you’re selling anything — from lawyering services to sponges for your kitchen — you’re asking your customers to leap over an enormous hurdle for a taste of what you have to offer. This is because a price tag of any size creates a barrier-to-entry that will automatically exclude a large group of people. Nowhere is this truer than online, where ‘free’ has become synonymous with ‘content’ for many people, and the Napster Generation has subtly but definitely found that anything made of pixels can be had without that price tag, should they look around… -
The New Philosopher Kings
18 Jan 2012 | 8:56 amThere are a lot of interesting topics covered in Plato’s Republic, but one concept that has stuck with me in the years since I last read it is the idea of ‘Philosopher Kings.’ These titans of leadership would be the ideal rulers, according to Plato, because they would have mastery over themselves in a way that petty tyrants could never manage, due to their education in, and practice of, philosophy. In my mind, the real beauty of a Philosopher King is that they are someone who is not just powerful, but wise. They not only have the ability to shape things, but also the… -
Start a Freedom Business
13 Jan 2012 | 6:14 amContinuing a pattern that I’m slowly turning into a business model, I’ve just published a brand new book that addresses a lot of the questions I’m most frequently asked by readers, while also expounding upon the topic at hand in directions that I think are important to understand. The book is called ‘Start a Freedom Business,’ and as the name implies, it’s about getting started as an entrepreneur. A key point of differentiation in this book and others on the same topic, however, is that in it I focus on building a sustainable business model that allows you… -
Coping with Unlimited
6 Jan 2012 | 6:14 am‘Unlimited’ is a funny thing. It’s something that can be harmful — say, if we have the ability to produce an unlimited number of paper cups…where would they all go after they’ve been used? — but generally it’s something we try to pursue, especially in situations where we have the option of unlimited without the trash-heap downside that can come tandem (I’m looking at you, Industrial Revolution). If you consider information and the way it’s stored, transmitted and consumed today, you’ll realize that we are able to create and distribute a… -
19 Stories
28 Dec 2011 | 7:28 amThere are goat noises. Where are they coming from? Outside. I look. A goat and a baby goat are frolicking around, being chased by a woman in a fenced-off grass area. The goat jumps the fence. The baby goat looks sad. Poor baby goat. It could be a man chasing them. It’s hard to tell from 19 stories up. Actually, it’s amazing how much detail you get get from this high in the sky, and yet so much is missing from the dialogues and dramas taking place below. A group of kids pile on to a truck, jumping up and down on it until it collapses under their weight a few minutes later. Their…
-
Organize to Revitalize!
-
Fact Friday: Regular Vacations Keep Your Heart Healthy
27 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am“Annual vacations cut the risk of heart attacks in men by 30 percent and by 50 percent in women. Leisure and rest build resiliency and it’s much easier to keep a person well, with less medication, than it is to improve a depressive state.” Read More: America Avoids Vacation | HuffingtonPost.com | 7.26.11 Get More Information -
4 Areas of Your Life to Organize in 2012
26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amA new year means a new chance to get organized. But when you resolve to get “organized,” what does that really mean and where should you get started? Here are four simple areas of your life to organize for the new year: 1. Get your home in order: The beginning of the year is my favorite time of year to do a big house-wide cleaning. It’s much easier to maintain an organized space when you start with a clean slate – and what time of year is better to get everything in order? If the holidays brought a whole influx of new items into your home, I suggest getting rid of one… -
Quick Tip: 2 Great Ways to Get Meal Time Back on Track
24 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amI’m taking a sabbatical and have lined up a few posts ahead of time, like this one about getting control of meal times. What are some of your favorite tips for staying on top of things? Many of us struggle with food…what we eat and how much…and sometimes, what to cook (for those of you who are fond of spending time in the kitchen). While decluttering is very much like dieting, today I’m focusing on ways you can get a better handle on meal planning. It might take a bit of time in the beginning, but once you get in the swing of things, you’ll be happy you spent… -
Fact Friday: Americans Find it Difficult to Unplug at Home
20 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am“83 percent of American adults own some kind of cell phone and…a lot of people find it difficult to switch off once they’re at home.” Read More: Being Fully Present: How to Avoid the Technology and Work/Life Clash | TheGlassHammer.com | 8.23.11 Get More Information -
How Parents Can Help Their Children Regroup After a Less Than Stellar First Semester
19 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amI’m on a mini-sabbatical and will be re-sharing some of my fave OTR articles and re-introducing you to some favorite OTR guest authors, like Helene Segura. She has advice for parents on how they can help their children tackle educational challenges. It’s a tough job for parents to walk that line between being a non-participant in their child’s education and being overzealous. The latter calls teachers at all hours of the day and night to ask why their child only made an eighty-nine on a homework assignment that they stayed up all night completing for their child. The former waits until…
-
Sam Spurlin
-
Are You Making an Ass of Yourself With Assumptions?
27 Jan 2012 | 9:34 amLast semester I took a class called, “Foundations of Evaluation.” It was the first in a sequence of classes that are supposed to prepare me to be a professional evaluator. However, I quickly came to think of the class as “Critical Thinking 101.” Our professor was incredibly accomplished (his CV contains over 400 publications), incredibly blunt, and utterly mentally intimidating. We spent most of the class trying to pick out the fallacious thinking that leads to bad decisions and even worse outcomes. A huge part of that process was identifying and evaluating the… -
Looking Back on the Most Intense 4 Months of My Life
10 Jan 2012 | 10:40 amLike a bear slowly awakening from hibernation (despite the fact it’s early January) I’m finally emerging from the productivity slumber I’ve been locked in since the end of my first semester of graduate school. I had huge plans of getting up early every day to work on my own projects, write articles for SamSpurlin.com, and plan the TEDx I’m in charge of. While I was able to get some of these things done, my writing output has been close to nil for the better part of three weeks. At first, I was frustrated with my apparent lack of productivity. How could I possibly stand to waste all of… -
The Two Stages of Personal Development
5 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pmThe process of improving your life requires two stages. The first stage is often the longest and most time consuming when it should really be the shortest. Ironically, I make my living by helping people with this stage. If I could help out with the second stage I’d certainly be a millionaire. Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to do that (and neither has anyone else, despite what they may say). Stage 1 & Stage 2 Let me be a little bit clearer, the first stage of any quest of self-improvement is acquiring the information you need to be successful. The second stage is taking… -
The Power of the Weekly Review (Part 2)
16 Dec 2011 | 1:39 amThe final steps of my weekly review Two weeks ago I wrote the first article of a two-part series about how I conduct my weekly review. If you haven’t read part 1 yet, check it out before moving on to today’s article. As a quick reminder, a weekly review is something I learned from Getting Things Done by David Allen. It is hands-down the most important thing I do to keep myself sane in the face of multiple projects, responsibilities and competing demands. Without the weekly review I’d be a blithering, stress-ridden, and scatter-brained idiot. I need my weekly review like… -
The Pyramid of Well-Being
5 Dec 2011 | 7:30 amI’m happy to announce the release of my third e-book today. It’s called The Pyramid of Well-Being: A Framework for Happiness and Success and I’m selling it for $14.95. I’m not interested in writing a long page trying to convince youvhow great it is and how it’s going to solve all your problems. That’s the thing about “self-help” books — they’re never the answer. However, sometimes it’s the questions that need some attention. This e-book will help you ask some better questions about how you align your actions with what you care about. Better questions about how you spend…
-
Upgrade Reality
-
Stop Depression (Before It Even Happens)
27 Jan 2012 | 7:44 amDepression… Anxiety… Stress… It are the biggest soul crushers – and even killers – of today’s society. Because it limits you in absolutely everything as it can even affect your health if it’s long term. But also your ability to achieve massive success. Which is very connected to each other. And will be something I’ll talk about in my new video I’ll send your way, tomorrow. More on that in a bit though. Stop Depression (Before It Even Happens) Now… Here are some SHOCKING facts: * 15% of the population are depressed! * 23% of the… -
Activate Your “Happy-Genes” Right Now
25 Jan 2012 | 7:24 amHey, As promised, I just created this video for you: http://upgraderealityprogram.com/activate-happy-genes Inside this video I reveal a very personal but incredibly life-changing experience. And what it taught me about happiness. I’m also revealing how my accidental discovery will completely change your life. And how it will activate YOUR happy-genes. So go here now: http://upgraderealityprogram.com/activate-happy-genes And do not hesitate to let me know what you think of it by replying to this email or sharing the link on facebook and twitter with your friends and loved ones. So THEY… -
Yummie Goodies For The Soul
23 Jan 2012 | 12:07 pmHappiness is a choice. That’s what they all say. But this isn’t entirely true. Not by a long shot. Because I know happiness is something you can awaken. It could either be a chain of events or it could be by systematically proving to your subconscious that you have all reasons to be happy. And successful. It doesn’t matter where you are at right now. You could feel: * Lonely * Depressed * Unmotivated * Unconfident * or simply out of place, all together! Listen closely… You need to understand one simple thing: Life is like a game of cards: The hands you get dealt… -
How To Be Successful With Anything You Do
12 Jan 2012 | 1:51 pmI think that everyone wants to know how to be successful because success is something that everyone dreams about from childhood. I used to believe that being successful meant having a lot of money in the bank and being in a better financial position than most of the world. Growing up has changed my view on that a little bit… Success doesn’t necessarily mean to have money, or fast cars, or expensive houses. Success doesn’t have to mean having fame, or being part of the top 1% of the world. Success simply means achieving your dreams and living a fulfilled life, whatever those… -
22 Quotes On Success – From Jay Z to Bill Gates
5 Jan 2012 | 1:37 amI have created this post with 22 quotes on success today, so that you can learn from the best of the best and apply their wisdom to your own life to achieve your dreams and goals. According to the numbers theory there are always going to be a select few people who will be the best of the world. Out of 6 billion people it is inevitable that one of them will be the richest, one will be the fastest, one will be the smartest and so on and so forth. BUT, I believe that anyone has the chance to be successful and as long as they are healthy and alive, anything is possible. The successful kind of…
-
Time Management Ninja
-
10 Things I Am Not Going to Do Today
27 Jan 2012 | 5:38 amToday’s checklist is inspired by “10 Things To Stop Doing Now… To Get More Done!” Here are 10 things that I am not going to do today… 10 Things Not To Do Today Second Guess Decisions - Few decisions cannot be changed later if needed. Better to take action that wallow in inaction. Waste Time at the Proverbial Water-cooler - Some people waste a large percentage of their day “chatting it up” in the workplace. Instead, get your work done, and get out. Check Email 50 Times - I love it when someone asks, “Did you get my email?” Um, when did… -
How You Can Cut Through Your Tasks Like a Laser
26 Jan 2012 | 5:30 amSome days are overwhelming. Some days come at us with a vengeance. Too many tasks, too many emergencies. How do you cut through the chaos to get to what is important? Some days it seems that you need a laser to blast through all your tasks. It’s All About Focus Lasers are powerful because they focus an extreme amount of energy down to a small focal point. This is good analogy for our productivity. “To maximize your effectiveness, you must bring your productivity into focus on what is most important.” If you bring your efforts to bear on the things that matter most, you will… -
How Quitting Early Will Ruin Your Life
23 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amWe are a quick fix society. We want immediate action. We expect immediate results. When we don’t get them, we complain. Often, we get upset. Then we quit and move on to something else. When Do You Give Up? Too many people flit from one activity or goal to the next. They want immediate gratification whether it is a simple task or a long-range goal. Unfortunately, that’s not how life works. It’s not how you win. To accomplish great things, you have to put in the work. And then you have to put in more. “Those who win are the ones who keep going, long after everyone else… -
50 Things You’re Putting Off That You’ll Regret Later
19 Jan 2012 | 5:30 amWhy do we put off the things that we say are the most important? Why doesn’t our most crucial task get done? Or the thing that we have been meaning to do for months? Eventually things catch up to us. Either there are consequences. Or we simply miss the opportunity to do them. Whether it is playing with the kids. Starting a new career. Or simply telling someone we care about them. Don’t put off the important things. You may not get another chance. 50 Things You’re Putting Off That You’ll Regret Later Doing the #1 task on your todo list. Making that phone call. -
9 Rogue Rules to Fix Corporate Email
17 Jan 2012 | 6:10 amEmail has gotten out of control. Doubt it? Your employees are spending up to half of their day on it. What can we do to bring this productivity monster under control? (Hint: We may have to go rogue on this one.) Email Has Taken Over Email is here to stay. Despite our best efforts, it isn’t going anywhere. Like the fax machine, we will still be using it in the year 2491. I previously spelled out TMN’s 9 Laws of Work Email. Today, I want to propose some radial ways to think differently about email. After all, email has been superseded by new social tools and communications but…
-
Day-Timer - Time Management and Productivity Tips
-
5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Time Management Today
26 Jan 2012 | 8:21 pmYour day feels completely out of control because there never seems to be enough time to get everything done You can fix that using a few simple time management skills, plus your Plan2Go smartphone app: 1) Set alarm reminders for tasks – so that you know when it’s time to switch priorities, and you don’t forget [...] -
Today’s Productivity Tip: Organize Your Projects
23 Jan 2012 | 8:28 amJumpstart Monday | Get your week off to a great start with the Day-Timer blog. Each Monday we feature a new tip to help you gain a more productive week at work and at home. Today’s tip: Organize your projects by keeping project pages Try This: Get organized at work or at home by creating [...] -
The 5 Minute Plan for Faster and Cheaper Grocery Store Trips
18 Jan 2012 | 4:21 pmYou dread grocery shopping because it can be an expensive, time-consuming experience. But you can change that today. As in all time management tips, your success comes from making a plan. Whether you shop weekly or monthly, spend 5 minutes planning before you go. Use the following method and you’ll buy only what you need and [...] -
Today’s Productivity Boosting Tip: Cross It Off!
16 Jan 2012 | 9:02 amJumpstart Monday | Get your week off to a great start with the Day-Timer blog. Each Monday we feature a new tip to help you gain a more productive week at work and at home. Today’s tip: Cross it off! Here’s a quick productivity tip for your Monday motivation: Try This: The final action of every [...] -
4 Important Time Management Tips to Fight Stress
13 Jan 2012 | 2:40 pmYou may have a not-so-healthy view of stress according to a recent study from the American Psychological Association. Ninety percent of adults believe stress can contribute to the development of major illnesses and nearly 40 percent claim their stress levels have increased over the past year. The study concludes people manage stress in unhealthy ways. [...]
-
The100%You.com
-
Wiping The Slate Clean To Say Goodbye
12 Jan 2012 | 9:56 am***THIS IS AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*** From next week I want to let you know that I shall be ceasing blogging. This will be the last published blog post! It’s been a tough decision in every way as I’ve become part of a stunning community of fellow bloggers, wonderful people with amazing views and insights, and fabulous readers and subscribers full of supportive comments and helpful thoughts. The picture header is for you – I Love You So Much!!! Two years ago this blog was born as Real Simple People and I had intended it to have a specific message and voice that it never… -
The Christmas Message No-One Else Dared Tell You!!
22 Dec 2011 | 3:15 amIt’s the Christmas message no-one will tell you. But, I will. The Christmas ethic it seems wrong to voice. I’m voicing it! The Christmas wish few would admit to, or dare hope for…or venture to make come true. Well, I’m wishing! In fact I’m going to do more than that. I’m going to publicly declare right here, right now, the one truth, that few people will accept about Christmas, and the one taboo you shouldn’t mention! That message, that hush hush, off limits, and almost forbidden Christmas revelation is… Think of yourself! This Christmas think… -
How Do You Express Yourself?
14 Dec 2011 | 3:08 amHow does the world see you? In what ways does the real you become visible and show itself? What do you do that represents you? How do you express yourself? There are some 7 billion people on Earth but only one you. With such a multitude of humans it’s tempting to fit in, act the same, toe the line, be one of the gang and blend in among the throng. And lose yourself! But, that’s not what you came to Earth for. That’s not why you have your own special name and set of skills and inbuilt brilliance that no-one else possesses in quite the same combination. You need to let that… -
Never Ever Give Up, Your Dreams Are Closer Than You Think!
8 Dec 2011 | 2:58 amEditor’s Note: This is a guest post from Lauren Frahn of LaurenFrahn.com. We all love to dream – do you? We all want our dreams to come true – do you? We all are tempted to give up on our dreams – have you? On the path to our dreams and successes, the road may not always be freshly-paved and smooth. There are going to be bumps along the way, but you mustn’t get sidetracked. Do not make a U-Turn if your dream is still many miles ahead of you. Choose to STAY THE COURSE… “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we… -
It Used To Be Called Gone Fishing…
1 Dec 2011 | 8:20 amEditor’s Note: This is a simple observation post. The sign was usually on the store window. ‘Gone Fishing’. It was also a sign that nothing much was happening or had been happening. At such flat periods the river called and a few lazy hours whiling away time letting the mind drift from the problems of the day or the slow trade. When you’re up the creek, head for it. It’s what we call ‘walking away’ these days. Different title, same ethic. When all efforts are coming to naught, when all ideas have been exhausted, and the landscape is clearly quiet and…
-
Less Doing
-
Doxie Go + Wi-Fi — Hands Down the Best Way to Go Paperless on Your Own
26 Jan 2012 | 6:09 amvia getdoxie.com Permalink | Leave a comment » -
The Art of Less Doing Webinar - This Wednesday at 6PM EST
22 Jan 2012 | 4:23 pmphoto credit: Pedro Vezini via photopin cc If you have trouble managing emails, getting tasks done, managing your time, making time for personal activities, or having the ability to travel disrupting your life, this class can help. Less Doing provides tips and tools for optimizing, automating, and outsourcing everything in your business and personal lives. Everything from dealing with email, to more efficient fitness regimes, to outsourcing everything is covered. Reclaim your time and your mind. The first part of the class will be spent discussing various processes and tools to get more… -
Essential Vs. Optional
21 Jan 2012 | 2:36 pmJust because I'm always focusing on trimming the fat and pairing things down to their most basic and efficient elements does not mean I do not enjoy the optional things in life. As a matter of fact, everything I talk about on the blog, the entire framework of optimize, automate, and outsource, is meant to free up your time and your mind so that you can do the things you really want to and not just the things you have to. If you have a half hour of free time during the work day because you used the principles of Less Doing to get your work done and you feel like blowing off some steam on… -
The Get It Done Guy Podcast
19 Jan 2012 | 5:15 pmLess_Doing_Podcast_3.mp3 Listen on Posterous This week I got to interview Stever Robbins, a serial entrepreneur, executive coach, productivity freak (self proclaimed) and voice of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast series Get It Done Guy Podcast. We talked about some of his greatest successes and productivity tips, as well as ways that he Optimizes, Automates, and Outsources in his daily life. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
The Get It Done Guy Podcast
19 Jan 2012 | 5:13 pm[[posterous-content:pid___0]] [[posterous-content:pid___1]]This week I got to interview Stever Robbins, a serial entrepreneur, executive coach, productivity freak (self proclaimed) and voice of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast series Get It Done Guy Podcast. We talked about some of his greatest successes and productivity tips, as well as ways that he Optimizes, Automates, and Outsources in his daily life. Permalink | Leave a comment »
-
Prolific Living - Smart Habits for Rich Living
-
The Moral Obligation to Market and Promote Your Brilliance
28 Jan 2012 | 3:41 amI just don’t get it. People create brilliant businesses everyday. I mean, they struggle for months or years to put their precious ideas and dreams into a successful product or service and then don’t want to spread the word about it for fear of being self-promotional and heavens forbid, for offending someone along the way by doing so! My yoga teacher rocks. I mean, this woman knows more about yoga and the human body than any other yoga teacher or guru I have met in the last decade, and believe me, I went looking for one. I went to a studio for years and made incremental progress;… -
Episode 27 of the Daily Interaction: How to Ask For Your Money Back
27 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amWelcome back to Episode #27 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is how to professionally ask for your money back and how to reverse transactions with either a service provider, a vendor or a membership organization or whatever the case may be. How well do you manage this sticky situation in your life? When you do something well, you need to admit it. I have mastered the art of professionally dealing with service providers, vendors and retailers over the years. Maybe I refuse to feel that I was wronged and maybe I can’t stand the feeling of a victim in a circumstance. -
33 Reasons To Fiercely Embrace Life
21 Jan 2012 | 10:41 amJet lag and I have been at it again this week. I had been up most of the night but at 3:30am, I closed my book and decided to go to sleep. Reading always makes me sleepy and The Autobiography of a Yogi is about the spiritual path of Yoginanada through self-realization. The calm, relaxation-inducing kind of material to bring on the sleep. No such luck. Instead, my inner voice was loudly recounting the many reasons that make our lives so remarkable. How could I sleep anymore when no dream could surpass such intense reminder about daily bliss? This post was written between the hours of 4am and… -
Episode 26 of the Daily Interaction: Winning the Salary Negotiation
20 Jan 2012 | 5:50 amWelcome back to Episode #26 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is a step-by-step guide on asking for a raise. How do you have that dreaded conversation with your boss or your manager at work and ask for a salary increase confidently and yet without compromising your relationship and work status? How do you effectively and smartly ask for a raise? How do you position yourself in such a way that your boss will work with you to adjust your compensation? I give you my tips on this topic from over a decade of experience in the corporate culture and several raises and promotions,… -
Living On Your Terms: Why Waiting for Acceptance Holds You Back
17 Jan 2012 | 1:16 pmAre you waiting to get a nod of approval from your parents for pursuing a career or a life outside their ideal one for you? Are you hoping to be embraced by your friends about your recent decision to travel the world or choose an unusual lifestyle? Are you expecting a positively happy reaction from your soon-to-be-ex-co-workers upon your voluntary resignation? Or are you by any chance waiting for that approval and acceptance from the people in your world *before* you do whatever it is you want to do? If you said yes, it means you care, it means you want to live in harmony with the world…
-
Untemplater
-
To Save Money, Dine Out And Live It Up!
28 Jan 2012 | 4:38 amCan you survive on boiled eggs, toast, salads, and frozen dinners? Well sadly, that’s the extent of my cooking and I certainly can’t! OK, I exaggerate a little as I also know how to boil pasta and put some Prego on top, but beyond that, guests of Chef Sam aren’t in for a fine dining treat!After spending 3 hours trying to read, prep, and cook a gourmet meal for a friend that tasted slightly above edible I decided to no longer spend my life cooking. Some of those cookbooks alone give me nightmares frankly as they are so big and unwieldy. Someone has got to tell the… -
Don’t Be In A Hurry To Leave School And Enter The Real World
25 Jan 2012 | 2:08 amSuper Senior is to Superman like: A) Double Cheeseburger is to Happiness, B) College Is To Orgy, C) Binging Is To Barfing or D) All Of The Above. Who cares? It’s college baby, where the alcohol flows free and the ladies just want to say your name!If there are any high school or college students who are reading this, I implore you to take your time and enjoy University! The real world is cruel because it’s competitive. If your fellow students beat you, all you get is a poor grade and a milkshake at the University Cafeteria to drown your sorrows. If a fellow real-worlder beats… -
What To Do When You’ve Lost Your Wallet
23 Jan 2012 | 5:08 amOne of the WORST feelings is the realization you’ve lost your wallet. Whether it fell out of your pocket on the bus never to be seen again, you got robbed, or have no recollection of where or when you had it last, they are all equally awful. I’ve misplaced my wallet dozens of times, and always get a panicky feeling in my stomach when it’s not where I thought I put it last.While not being able to find it right away is annoying in those cases, it’s nothing compared to the time I actually had my wallet stolen. The whole experience gave me a huge headache, I lost hours of… -
Save Time And Eat Healthier With Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
20 Jan 2012 | 5:08 amWhen you run your own business, juggle multiple jobs to pay off school debt, or are just plain swamped with life, it can be quite a challenge to eat healthy. Fast food is everywhere, constantly tempting us to stuff our faces so we can quickly curb our hunger and get back to our massive to do lists. An occasional burger and fries isn’t that big a deal, but if you give in on a regular basis, you’re gonna blow up like a balloon and have a laundry list of health problems to deal with.While I’m pretty good at avoiding fast food, I have a bad habit of eating lots of frozen… -
The Benefits of eTextbooks: More Than Just Saving Trees
18 Jan 2012 | 5:08 amI can’t count the number of times my parents and grandparents used to say to me as a kid “well when I was growing up we didn’t have xyz.” That really used to annoy me in my teenage years and I used to love to roll my eyes when they said that. Now that I’m older though, it really amazes me how many things can change in our lifetimes. It’s no wonder parents say the things they do.Just the other day I was writing about how the publishing industry is changing and how literary agents like David Fugate believe “In the entire history of the written word,…
-
Wake Up Cloud
-
How to Build a Lifestyle Business in 2 Hours a Day or Less
23 Jan 2012 | 3:55 amAn excellent cake doesn’t happen by accident.It’s carefully planned. Each ingredient goes in at the exact right time and in the exact right quantity.A cake requires planning, and so does a lifestyle business.However, what most people do is they try to bake a cake by throwing together random things, and then they wonder why they end up with a black ball that tastes like crap.Even though building a business is not like following a recipe, it still requires planning, strategy, and goal setting.Why Less Time is BetterYou don’t have to quit your job to start your own online business.The more… -
How to Structure an Irresistible Email Opt-In Page
16 Jan 2012 | 6:04 amNote: This is the fifth installment of theEmail Marketing 101 seriesAirplanes are one of the safest ways to travel for a reason, the pilots utilize checklists and structure.They have to, because without them, thousands of people would die each year.And the same is true for writing an irresistible email opt-in page.If you don’t follow structure, and if you don’t build the best opt-in page you can, you could miss out on thousands of extra subscribers every year.If you miss just 5 a day, that adds up to 1,825 people per year.Luckily, there is a simple structure great email opt-in… -
Why Nobody is Signing Up to Your Email Newsletter (And What to Do About It)
12 Jan 2012 | 4:09 amNote: This is the fourth installment of the Email Marketing 101 seriesA few minutes after I sent out the email, sales began trickling in for my newest product.Just a few days later I had over 100 sales and more coming in, and I knew I couldn’t have had the same amount of success without an email newsletter filled with people who were interested in what I have to say.Building an email list is as important to a lifestyle business as proper nutrition is to your body. You can live without it (for a time), but you’ll struggle.It used to be enough to tell people you had a newsletter to… -
5 Stupid Email Marketing Mistakes You Should Never Make
9 Jan 2012 | 5:48 amNote: This is the third installment of the Email Marketing 101 seriesWhen you were a baby, you made a lot of mistakes.You learned to walk by falling over a gazillion times.You hit your head, you cried, and you learned to be more careful, so your brain wouldn’t leak out.You put things in your mouth. Some of it tasted good, while some didn’t.We’re learning machines, yet most people avoid making mistakes. It isn’t fun, but it leads to success.There are plenty of mistakes you can make in email marketing that can ruin your efforts.The good news is that you don’t have to make them, at… -
How to Pick the Perfect Email Marketing Service Provider for Your Lifestyle Business
5 Jan 2012 | 7:58 amNote: This is the second installment of theEmail Marketing 101 seriesImagine for a moment that you’re in the process of cooking a delicious meal for a room of 500. You’re in the kitchen, and you’re creating some of your best stuff.But then, uh oh.The electricity runs out, you hear something explode in the oven, and a dog gets into the kitchen and eats up a big chunk of the main meal and a piece of the cake.You could blame it all on luck, but you realize that it could’ve been prevented.The same holds true for picking the best email marketing service provider.Pick the wrong one, and…
-
Asian Efficiency - Time Management and Productivity
-
The Beginner’s Guide to Delegation
27 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pmIn any given day there is only so much you can accomplish by yourself. You can always prioritize your to do list and ensure you get the most important things done but there comes a point in time where you need to get more done. In that case an extra pair of hands, or two or more, will come in useful so you can spread out the workload by delegating work to others. To successfully do this you need to learn how to delegate. At Asian Efficiency we love to do things faster and more efficiently. To achieve this you often need to work with other people as well, and skillfully master the art of… -
Agile Results Series Part 2: Implementation
23 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pmWelcome to Part 2 of our Agile Results series. Now that we know a bit about how Agile works, it’s time to put it into practice. Part of the Agile system is how it filters down from a conceptual level into an actual structure for managing your days, weeks, months and years. That’s what this part is about – how Agile recommends you structure each of these timeframes. In Parts 3 and 4, we’ll walk you through step-by-step how to do your first run-through of setting up these structures using tools and software that you’re already familiar with, and how to maintain… -
Don’t be a Donkey
20 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pmIf you have never heard of Derek Sivers before, he is a successful entrepreneur that has a knack for goal setting and time management. He has a couple TED talks but that’s not the point of this post. This man really understands how goal setting and goal getting works. This month at Asian Efficiency we have talked a lot about going setting (in this month’s newsletter Aaron revealed how he successfully does it) but we also want to introduce other people’s thoughts on this subject. I especially like Derek Sivers’ thoughts on this and one of his blog posts really hit home… -
Commitment Devices
18 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pmI watched this TED talk over the weekend, and there were some really good points made in relation to productivity and managing how you spend your time (only the first 7 minutes or so of the talk). The first was the idea of doing dry runs. Nothing says you have to get something perfect the first time, and working in iterations and revisions is actually better. Do “dry runs” with complex tasks. Try them, refine them, and try them again. The main focus of the talk was about commitment devices, which are essentially systems or frameworks you put in place to make yourself do something. -
Agile Results Series Part 1: Overview
16 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amAgile Results is a different way of getting things done. It is an organizational and productivity system designed by JD Meier (a program manager at Microsoft), that has a completely different perspective to the standard GTD “make a list, prioritize then do” set of principles. In this 4-part series on Agile Results, Asian Efficiency is going to introduce you to the system (part 1), show you how to set up your own Agile Results setup (parts 2 and 3), and then show you some modifications that we’ve made, to tie in other important productivity concepts, tools and practices (part…
-
IGG - tips, tools and tantalizing ideas
-
Who Do You Trust?
25 Jan 2012 | 1:45 pmTrust is awfully important, and no where near as easy as it sounds. How do you know when you really trust someone? What if they do something to lose your trust, will you give them the opportunity to re-earn it? Does a betrayal cause you to distrust everyone? What if you’ve lost someone’s trust, how will you earn their trust again? When we think about trusting, we tend to think of it in terms of all or nothing. Either we trust someone or we don’t. We trust ourselves or we don’t, as though trust were a switch we can turn on or off. In truth there are varying degrees of trust… -
You are a Master Storyteller
23 Jan 2012 | 5:11 amThe most important story you will ever tell about yourself is the story you tell to yourself. Whether you realize it or not, you are a master storyteller. You tell stories that explain where you’ve been and where you’re going, who you are and who you are becoming … you have stories about your day at work, about you as a father or mother, about the jerk who cut you off in traffic, how you lost your keys or found a $20 bill. The details of our stories and how we spin them largely determine how we see our lives, and as a result influence our experience of living. Whether it’s a painful… -
The Key to Managing Major Life Change is to have a Strategy
21 Jan 2012 | 11:38 amEven under the most trying circumstances, once you finally make the decision to change your life for the better it can feel incredibly liberating. You’ve decided it’s time to move on … that you are worth the risk of taking action, and you must leave behind the comfortable and familiar if you are to move onward and upward. The problem is that motivational rush can come to a grinding halt when coming to terms with the actual process of implementing a major life transition. Where to begin? The key to managing your life is to have a strategy. If you have a clear-cut plan, and the courage,… -
Knowing When it’s Time to Move On
18 Jan 2012 | 8:10 amYou’ll never leave where you are until you decide where you’d rather be How do you know when it’s time to make a change in your life? Is it time to change jobs, move to a new city, get married, get divorced? How do you know when it is time to have children, drop out of school or go back to school? How do you know when it is time to change yourself or the world around you? And if you choose to ignore the call to change, what price do you pay? How do you work through the scary questions and find the courage to decide where you’d really rather be? How do you know when it is time to move… -
Are You Using the Power of Self-Motivation to Achieve Your Dreams?
15 Jan 2012 | 4:36 pmMotivation is that driving force that pushes you to go after the things you want and can be applied to virtually every action and goal: motivation to change your life, to make the most of your time, to study a foreign language, be a better parent, make more money, get a better job, buy a new house, own a business, or become a writer, a doctor or a lawyer. Although motivation from other people can be a good start in building a positive attitude and outlook in life, reality is that you’re not always going to find the support and encouragement you need from other people to achieve your dreams…
-
The Summit Blog
-
Time to cross the street
24 Jan 2012 | 4:50 amsebastian showing the models how to step off the curb with pizazz.... (matt never figured it out), a photo by shullovox on Flickr. You're leading a group, you're walking in unfamiliar territory, and you have come to a street. Are you going to stand there, not sure whether you should proceed? Are you going to retrace your steps, because you already know where that route leads? Or is it time for you to step off the curb and cross the street?One of the challenges in leading is knowing the difference between situations where your best bet is to stop and seek the input of your… -
The unavoidable ingredient in sales
23 Jan 2012 | 4:55 amBeautiful business woman, a photo by stratfordcollege on Flickr. The small business owner was feeling frustrated: "I just don't know how I'm going to fit one more networking meeting into my week! And I'm not closing enough deals to justify spending the money on going."This business owner bought the premise that today's business environment is social, built upon networking, referrals, and relationships - both online and in person. What he didn't think about was that the events that were filling his week weren't sales - they were marketing. No wonder that he didn't have… -
Sharing 101
19 Jan 2012 | 4:47 amSharing 101, a photo by Back in the Pack on Flickr. What are you willing to share, and what are you not? Are you free with your opinions and equally free with your money? Are you willing to share food but not your technical knowhow? Are you keeping it all, or are you giving it all away? Sharing 101 stems from a paradigm that says there is plenty for everyone. Sharing stems from a perspective of abundance. If you're not coming from that place, it's very possible to feel as though you'll come out on the short end of limited resources. In this mindset you… -
Handling the elephant in the room
18 Jan 2012 | 5:29 amNobody wants to talk about the Big Elephant in the room!!!, a photo by Irwin-Scott on Flickr. The eight-grade class members squirmed in their seats. A few of the kids rolled their eyes as they furtively glanced at their neighbors. One or two hid snickers behind their hands as they vainly attempted not to be affected by the sight in front of them. And a couple of girls stared at the ceiling. They couldn't look. The math teacher's fly was down. And until something was done about it, nobody was going to get anything accomplished. That unfortunate wardrobe… -
Of two minds
17 Jan 2012 | 5:30 amMind Duality, a photo by h.koppdelaney on Flickr. She uttered the dreaded words, "On the other hand..." and her husband groaned. "I'm trying to be responsive to what you want," he complained, "but you keep changing your mind! Help me out here!"You hear it all of the time - political candidates are skewered in the press with accusations of "flip-flopping" on issues. Then when they are elected, some of them are criticized for being immune to the influence of evidence that flies directly into the face of their firmly set convictions. Is it better to be consistent, or to…
-
House of Good Karma
-
Face the Wave
2 Jan 2012 | 2:18 pmToday, this moment, right now as you’re reading this, is real and fresh.Yesterday is pau, finished. Last week and last year are gone forever. You can choose to do anything you want. You can make tidal waves of changes right … Continue reading → -
Mele Kalikimaka!
23 Dec 2011 | 11:05 am -
Mi Casa es su Casa~
17 Dec 2011 | 12:24 pm -
How to Go Beyond The Law of Attraction
12 Jun 2011 | 11:06 amIn simple terms, like attracts like. Whatever we resist also persists. Ironically, these polar magnets are dually playing out in our lives. We get what we get by our thoughts and attentions. We also get the stuff we don’t want … Continue reading → -
The Good Karma Makeover
28 Mar 2011 | 4:20 pmThe Good Karma Makeover is about the art of creating flow, good karma and synchronicity in your life. Happiness and perfect health is the state of homeostasis of the body, mind and spirit. A healthy and energized individual seizes every … Continue reading →
-
Balance In Me
-
How to Make Healthy Eating Personal -#HEBC 1
27 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amBy Anastasiya Goers What is healthy eating? Even though this question seems simple the answers will vary greatly depending on who you ask. No wonder that eating healthy becomes very confusing for a normal person like you or me. There are plenty of theories about healthy eating nowadays but most of them won’t work for you. A diet/nutrition plan created without consideration of your preferences, goals, budget and simple likes/dislikes is just a waste of time. I personally don’t like turnips and celery and there is no way that I can tolerate anything slimy in nature (like boiled okra or… -
A Concise Guide to Plugging Time and Energy Leaks
24 Jan 2012 | 1:36 pmBy contributor Kristoph Matthews Do you ever feel sapped of energy while trying to catch up with life as it moves at 90 miles an hour? Do you feel like no matter what you do, you’re always burdened with tasks and feeling sleep deprived? Time and energy “leaks” in your life may be the culprit. Energy (a.k.a. your “will power”) and time are intimately related. When you deplete your energy, you reduce your ability to focus and thus accomplish the tasks in your life effectively. On the other hand, when you run out of time, you expend energy inefficiently as you try… -
Start Eating Healthy on a Budget in 1 Month
20 Jan 2012 | 9:51 amBy Anastasiya Goers Health one bite at a timeWould you like to eat healthier? Every year, every month or every time that we overeat and feel bad after it we make a resolution to eat healthier. But how often do we keep that promise? Sometimes we stick to a healthy plan until the next big family event. Or maybe until a party with delicious and diabolically tempting food. Or maybe until the next stressful day (and we have plenty of those.) An easy and obviously important goal like healthy eating sometimes seems unrealistic to achieve. At the beginning of the year I ran an annual BalanceInMe… -
How to Empower Yourself to Live the Best Life Possible
16 Jan 2012 | 9:50 amBy Anastasiya Goers Find the power withinHow are you planning to reach your biggest goal? We all have goals/dreams that we say “I really want to do this. This is THE THING for me.” However, whenever we think about these goals we always find a reason why it is not the right time to start working towards them. This goal can be as big as writing a bestseller , as trivial as starting a healthy lifestyle or as painful as getting over a nagging family conflict. When I first opened BalanceInMe I really didn’t have a plan on how to run it or what to write about. The design was horrible. My… -
How to Stop Fear from Controlling Your Life
10 Jan 2012 | 9:43 amBy Anastasiya Goers Tess Marshall How do you overcome fear? That’s a difficult question. Three years ago I moved to the US not quite comprehending that living here will depend on my ability to drive. I drove a few times in Ukraine (my native country) but I was never an independent driver. When the plane landed and my in-laws picked all of us up we drove down a huge 5-lane interstate with a 70mph speed limit in rush hour. I was terrified. Thankfully my husband was very patient with me while teaching me how to drive. In Ukraine I drove a tiny VW Rabbit and in the US I had to get used to a…
-
Nona Jordan: The Business Yogini
-
What DOES Yoga Have to Do with It?
23 Jan 2012 | 7:46 amDo you “own” your business? I mean really own it, celebrate it, and feel great about what you offer and how much you charge? Coaches, yoga teachers, healers, and creative entrepreneurs often have a strong aversion to thinking of themselves as business owners. These women also tend to feel a tremendous amount of resistance to [...] -
The Sweetest Gift
17 Jan 2012 | 10:24 pmMy husband is not an ideal client. An ideal mate, yes, but an ideal client?? No. However, long before I actually became a coach, I was passionately engaged in helping him and most everyone I met – or even talked to at bars back in my drinking days – to follow that still, small voice [...] -
Go There.
9 Jan 2012 | 4:41 pmYou know how it is. Something hurts. You feel unmotivated, unsure of your next move, you feel like people aren’t hiring you when they should hire you, your kids are acting up, you aren’t making enough money, your partner isn’t being supportive, your parents are sick, the work of being a business owner feels like [...] -
One Practice for 2012
26 Dec 2011 | 6:07 pmWhat do you practice? We are all constantly engaged in practices – the way we think, the way we eat, the way we move our bodies, the way we relate to others, the way we speak, and the way that we face challenges. The question is: do our current practices move us closer to what [...] -
Own Your Awesome
19 Dec 2011 | 12:20 pmCan you feel it? This is your year. Your year to do the thing you’ve been longing to do. To let your light shine bright. To create the legacy that is aligned with your true desires. This is the year to get it done. To own your awesome, no apologies. This video is for you, [...]
-
Ultimate Success
-
Marshall Reddick
27 Jan 2012 | 6:29 pmFox News We only work in areas that show the greatest potential for growth. We do this through researching current economic data, as well as having strategic relationships with the best brokers, realtors, property managers and property investment groups throughout the country. For more information with Real Estate investing contact MRREN. -
Marshall Reddick
27 Jan 2012 | 6:24 pmMMREN We specialize in detached single family and multifamily properties in good neighborhoods. The best potential for appreciating properties are homes in safe and stable neighborhoods. We also focus on properties that provide high cash-on-cash returns, dwarfing the current yield banks are paying. Our #1 priority is to ensure a safe transaction that is in the best interest of our investor. We stick to optimal rental markets with homes that will rent as quickly as possible to the right tenant. For more information help with Real Estate investing contact MRREN. -
Marshall Reddick
27 Jan 2012 | 6:08 pmMMREN We only work in areas that show the greatest potential for growth. We do this through evaluating current economic data, as well as having strategic relationships with top-notch brokers, realtors, property managers and property investment groups throughout the country. Contact MMREN for more information -
Marshall Reddick
27 Jan 2012 | 6:08 pmMMREN Purchasing land before a local economy is about to experience the growth phase in a real estate cycle will allow you to have the potential to enjoy bottom line purchase prices and the opportunity to participate in some great appreciation. Contact MMREN for more information -
Marshall Reddick
27 Jan 2012 | 6:07 pmMarshall Reddick We specialize in detached single family and multifamily properties in good neighborhoods. The best potential for appreciating properties are homes in safe and stable neighborhoods. We also focus on properties that provide high cash-on-cash returns, dwarfing the current yield banks are paying. Our #1 priority is to ensure a safe transaction that is in the best interest of our investor. We stick to optimal rental markets with homes that will lease as quickly as possible to the right renter. For more information with Real Estate investing contact MRREN.
-
Your Life YOUR Way
-
11 Questions you’re NOT asking that could change your life
16 Jan 2012 | 2:47 pmAnnie Leibovitz - Disney Dream Portrait Series “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain. When Jayson Krause’s best friend died of cancer in September 2005, he realised that he had never fully gotten to know him. So he embarked on a year long project, asking 52 strangers the same 10 questions, one a week, in an attempt to challenge myths about connection and get people sharing more than just… -
2011: The One Thing That Changed EVERYTHING
3 Jan 2012 | 9:43 amWhew! What a year. Back in December 2010, I did a year in review as part of #reverb10, an initiative to reflect on your year and contemplate what’s next. It was the first I’d ever done and writing stuff down really helped me see just how amazing a year I’d had, when I thought I hadn’t done anything much. So dude, this is good stuff. If only to look, learn, celebrate, recommit and move on with renewed focus, clarity and direction. Last year I broke it down in 3 parts – business, personal and community. This year, I’ve gone a little more in-depth with it… -
Tiny Buddha book giveaway winners!
24 Dec 2011 | 2:23 amYay! Just did the Tiny Buddha book drawings on Friday, Dec 23rd and here are the 2 winners! There were 2 drawings done at random.org (screenshots attached). Some names are repeated because they entered twice. Please send me an email with your mailing address and I’ll send it forward to Lori so you can get your gifts. Thanks to EVERYONE who entered! There are always fab giveaways happening here so you’ll get another chance in 2012 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. xo, Tia. Winner # 1 - Jennie Winner # 2 - Jennifer Cox Reminder: The Inner Sparkle e-course is back in Jan. -
YLYW Interview # 16 – Lori Deschene on Tiny Buddha wisdom + book giveaway
14 Dec 2011 | 11:52 amSuper stoked to feature Lori Deschene today! Her site, www.tinybuddha.com is a favourite of many and my first stop for simple wisdom. Lori’s interview has a lot of great insights and to top it off, she’s giving away TWO copies of her brand new book “Tiny Buddha – Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions” to 2 YLYW readers. In the interwebs chock full of information and wisdom, tinybuddha stands out with its simple, relatable, gentle and quality content. You can enter to win 2 times: 1) Leave a comment below sharing your main takeaway from this interview or… -
The Monks and the Monkey Mind
21 Nov 2011 | 1:08 pmA tale of two monks and a mind monkey… you’ve probably read this before, but I reckon you or someone you know could do with a reminder. I know I did! Img source: www.sosprograms.com Two Buddhist Monks were on a journey, one was a senior monk, the other a junior monk. During their journey they approached a raging river and on the river bank stood a young lady. She was concerned about how she would get to the other side of the river without drowning. The junior monk walked straight past her without giving it a thought and he crossed the river. The senior monk picked up the woman and…
-
Good Vibe Blog
-
What Pinterest Can Do For Deliberate Creators
28 Jan 2012 | 12:40 amUp until this week, I’d managed to ignore rave reviews about Pinterest, the virtual pinboard that lets you post your favorite things from the web. The last thing I needed was another online distraction. Turns out I almost missed a brilliant approach for successful manifestations! Pinterest’s mission is to: connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on… -
Is It Working?
18 Jan 2012 | 2:48 pmIf this is a question you ask about your manifesting exercise or LOA routine, then it probably isn’t. Because if you’re scripting or visualizing or “acting as if” in order to get what you want so you’ll be happier, you’ve missed the point of deliberate creation. (And many of us do.) Deliberate creation is about feeling now how you would feel then. It’s about managing your energetic frequency by feeling better now. Not waiting for the thing to manifest before you get happy. So the measure of whether your manifesting process is effective is whether… -
Q&A: How to Feel Rich When You’ve Never Known It?
15 Jan 2012 | 3:37 pmAn astute question came in from a new reader here that I thought you all could help answer: I’ve read your suggestion that to manifest what you want, you should “feel now how you would feel then.” That makes sense, but I don’t know how to feel something I’ve never experienced. Specifically, I want to create my financial wealth, but that’s not something I’ve ever known. All I’ve ever known is struggle and lack. (Unfortunately, that is not an exaggeration.) So while I understand it’s important to feel financially abundant now, I… -
The Problem With Intentions
14 Jan 2012 | 2:38 pmIt’s an exciting new year, and many of us deliberate creators have faithfully set inspiring intentions for 2012. Some of the goals I’ve heard from fellow creators are to pay off debt, find true love, recover full health, lose the baby fat, grow the business, get promoted, travel internationally, get healthy, grow the circle of friends, move to a new city, finish the creative project (books, portfolio, videos), etc. We’ve got great plans for the new year, huh?! The problem with setting intentions like this is that by doing so we may inadvertently sabotage that very success. -
Manifester’s Path to Perfect Solutions
6 Jan 2012 | 1:32 pmIt’s close, but not quite? Can’t decide whether to stay or go? I’ve written before about how to handle indecision, but here’s another piece of law of attraction advice on the subject. When you don’t know whether to say yes or take a pass, think about what benefit(s) you’re wanting from this experience or decision, and then get your attention on THAT. So it goes like this: 1. Focus on the heart and the essence of what you want, and then … 2. … let go of trying to figure it out or decide. With your attention squarely on the heart of what you…
-
Lifed
-
How To: Properly Wash Jeans
23 Jan 2012 | 8:20 amSo you’ve had that pair of Diesels or Von Dutchs for a few weeks. Now you’re wondering “should I wash ‘em…and risk an utter fashion faux pas…or keep on wearing ‘em until the soot starts falling off in large clumps?” Charming? Not so much. The answer? Well, what kind of denim you sporting? Basically, there are four types: Pre-washed (a.k.a ‘pre-distressed’) Sanforized (treated to minimize shrinking during washing) Un-sanforized (essentially meaning “soak ‘em in warm-to-hot water to shrink them”) Dry/raw (sometimes… -
Chest Pain: When You Should Worry
19 Jan 2012 | 4:05 amChest pain can be scary. It may indicate a serious underlying health problem, such as a heart attack, angina or another heart condition, although less-serious causes, such as heartburn, can also cause chest pain. While not all chest pain indicates a serious health problem, it’s important to seek medical attention for any severe or lasting chest pain and to call for emergency medical assistance if you suspect you may be having a heart attack. Heart Attack Symptoms Although it’s the worst case scenario, chest pain may indicate that you’re having a heart attack. So, how do you… -
The 5 Least-Healthy Foods in America
18 Jan 2012 | 4:15 amWith our fast-paced lifestyles and convenient, tasty food choices on every corner, eating right can be a challenge in today’s America. Unfortunately, our poor eating habits are making us increasingly prone to health problems including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even certain cancers. No one is expected to eat healthy 100 percent of the time, but in order stay trim and in good health, health officials recommend following a plant-based diet most of the time and steering clear of unhealthy ingredients such as saturated and trans fats, sugar, salt, and harmful chemicals. -
9 Things to Do Before the Interview
12 Jan 2012 | 3:05 amGot an interview coming up in a few days? Now’s the time to prepare. Sure, you can just wing it, and you might be fine—but taking the time to get yourself ready will put you a step ahead of the applicants who didn’t. If you already know you’re qualified, now you just have to make sure your interviewer sees it too. Here are a few things you can do to prepare yourself. 1. Research the Company One of the first things you can do is to find out a few things about the company you want to work for. Look at things like the CEO’s bio and the company’s mission, then come up with 2 or 3… -
5 Steps to Help You Study Smarter, Not Harder
9 Jan 2012 | 2:40 pmStudents of all ages can benefit from learning how to best absorb the information they need to know. Whether you’re in high school, college, or just needing to pass a test at work, you can learn to study better so you’re not stuck with a poor score. Even if you’ve never considered yourself a good test-taker, you don’t have to resign yourself to D’s. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of the brain you’ve got. Step 1: Figure Out the Testing Style Many teachers will tell you this on the first day of class when going over the syllabus and course expectations, so make sure…
-
Mick Gill's Blog
-
The Always Up-to-Date Power User’s Guide For Chrome and Firefox
27 Jan 2012 | 4:41 pmChrome is overtaking Firefox among power users, and for good reason. It's an incredibly powerful, extensible web browser with tons of excellent features. Today, we're covering it all—from longtime shortcuts to the latest features in one of our favorite web browsers. Read more » -
Social Media Cheat Sheet (Info graphic)
25 Jan 2012 | 1:35 pmCheck out this brilliant Social Media Cheat Sheet, that explains some of the major Social Media Sites & their Pros & Cons Read more » -
Zappos Passwords Hacked: What You Need To Do Right Now
16 Jan 2012 | 2:43 pmIn an email sent out last night, online shoe and clothing store Zappos let customers know that its database of passwords and usernames was hacked. Your credit card information is safe and all Zappos passwords have been reset, but if you use the same password and email elsewhere, a password audit is in order. Read more » -
Phone recycling machine lets you drop in old mobiles - and spits out cash instantly
15 Jan 2012 | 12:56 pmThe EcoATM machine uses a camera to identify phones, tablets and e-readers, then plugs a cable into them to see if they still work. If all is well with your device, it takes it and spits out cash. Read more » -
How To Search and Find Free Comic Books Online
12 Jan 2012 | 2:20 pmOver on Tech-Recipes website the have created Search Algorithms to search for free comic books online using Google. These are some of the methods the use: Read more »
-
Happiness is Your Right
-
Attitudes That Cannot be Applied on Our Children
20 Jan 2012 | 8:30 amFeeling upset is a common thing for children as long as parents are not overreacting on it. However there are times when parents lose control so they do inappropriate things. Though it seems normal, this kind of attitude should be avoided. No matter how busy a father or a mother is, it is not appropriate [...] No related posts. -
Financial Management: What We Think is What We Get
25 Dec 2011 | 8:24 amWhat we think in our mind will determine the content of our wallet. The source of problems in this world; whether you admit it or not, comes from money. Therefore it is not mistaken when people say, “Are we really that materialistic? Do we really cannot live without money?” The key lies on our thinking [...] Related posts:Mistakes in Financial PlanningThe Wisest Financial Advice of All Time Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
Here Are the Keys to Success of Steve Jobs
8 Dec 2011 | 4:30 amCompetitors consider Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Inc., as someone who changes the world. The President of USA, Barrack Obama, also acknowledged that fact about the late Steve Jobs who passed away last October 5th 2011. “Steve was one of the biggest American innovators who had the courage to think differently, brave enough to [...] No related posts. -
Learning to be Healthy from World Traditions
11 Nov 2011 | 9:09 amThere is a proverb that says “prevention is cheaper than cure”. However there are many people who are lazy in doing it for many reasons. Now you can start doing it by learning from healthy traditions in many countries because it is cheap and simple. According to Dr. Oz; a popular surgeon in the United [...] No related posts. -
Let’s Celebrate Mistakes
28 Oct 2011 | 6:02 amMany people regret the mistakes and failures in their lives, including the ones they made in their careers. However, there are many things that we can learn from those mistakes that will boost our careers. One day, an employee made a huge mistake that cost IBM millions of dollar. The employee was called to Tom [...] No related posts.
-
Coach for Your Dreams
-
How Problems, Patterns and Perceptions Influence Your Behaviors
26 Jan 2012 | 12:34 pmIf you’re anything like a lot of people, you’ve had your share of problems. And, that could be anything from a pesky leaky faucet to totaling your new car. In the book, Power is Within You, written by the wise Louise Hays, she talks about how the problems we have with our cars may suggest some [...] -
Create Memorable Holiday Moments
20 Dec 2011 | 5:47 pmThe past six weeks have been like a whirlwind that keeps gathering speed. First, we had a major snowstorm the last week of October that knocked out power for over a week. And before I could fully recoup from that, I found myself in the throes of preparing for Thanksgiving. And, now Christmas is just a few [...] -
Holiday Traditions, Rituals and Habits
20 Dec 2011 | 11:49 amHoliday Traditions, rituals and habits are staples of our American culture. But just because your mom or grandmother always did things a certain way doesn’t mean you have to unless you really want to. In my family, our holiday traditions are wide ranging. Pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving is as traditional as it gets but we’re not [...] -
Holiday Gift Giving Tips
14 Nov 2011 | 1:20 pmMost of us are feeling some of the effects of downed economy. However, that doesn’t mean you have to bust the budget to give gifts to those you care about. After my colleague, Dr. Flora Brown and I finished creating an audio where we share some useful and practical holiday gift-giving, budget friendly tips, I remembered [...] -
Can You Show More Gratitude?
10 Nov 2011 | 1:50 pmYou can never run out of things to be grateful for. So many times we take everyday things for granted – like our cell phone connection, lighting and heat for our homes, the Internet, TV, microwaves, our games and global connections. Recently, we had a major power outage in our town. Our home was without power [...]
-
DaveUrsillo.com
-
The Curious Use of Asterisks (And How to Become One)
25 Jan 2012 | 9:54 amBlend in. Stand out. For all my life, given the choice I would always, far and away, prefer to blend in than to stand out; rather melt away quietly, unobtrusively, with the bobbing waves of pedestrians along the city street than to stand upon a soap box and preach to the masses. But as I grew older, my preference would become challenged, time and again. There then came handfuls of occasions where, confronted with decision, my heart suddenly became arrested; paralyzed, not with fear or unwanting or hesitation, but from an unbearable calling to not blend in any more, but rather, to stand out. -
Creating What’s Hated and Loved + When 1.3 Percent of Customers Define Your Work
10 Jan 2012 | 2:01 pm“Don’t underestimate just how badly many people want to fit in. We say we want to root for the underdog, but actually, we want to be seen as rooting for whomever everyone else is rooting for.” – Seth Godin, 1/5/2012 I don’t want to be famous. I only realized this a few weeks ago. I said it aloud, probably for the first time, in a conversation with a friend and fellow blogger over the phone. She concurred. In the beginning of our separate pursuits, popularity, fame and acclaim were end-goals for each of us: stuff like making it onto The Today Show and reaching… -
My 2011 Annual Review: A (Very) Detailed and Mindful Look Back
8 Jan 2012 | 10:45 am“I live and I learn And I lose and I win But it’s better than ever Whenever I’m in, I thank you girl For everywhere that we’ve been.” - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Meet Me at the Corner Happy New Year! I’ve done things a bit backwards so far this January by posting a mega-post on some unconventional New Year’s Resolutions, followed today by my Annual Review mega-post that looks back and explores just about everything that I learned, accomplished, failed at and much more in the year 2011. After writing this post, I really appreciate how much of an… -
57 Life-Changing Resolutions to Revolutionize Your Heart, Mind + Soul in 2012
3 Jan 2012 | 8:30 amThe New Year reminds us that we always have the opportunity to commit ourselves to something wonderful and to rededicate ourselves to a truer, fuller, more vibrant sense of who we are and what we wish to do in this life. Henry David Thoreau once said, “The morning, which is the most memorable season of the day, is the awakening hour.” As far as we are concerned, every morning is the New Year. In 2012, let us greet each sunrise as a fresh, new, and profound opportunity. Today, I’ve written a fun list of 81 different kinds of “resolutions” that will help us… -
How to Live (and Lead) in Harmony with your Environment
19 Dec 2011 | 2:43 pmA leader without followers thinks, breathes and acts in harmony with his environment. People are a part of that environment. And instead of being seen dismissively as “followers”, others become vital components. Teammates. Players. Helpers. Beneficiaries of our words, actions and deeds. The very reason behind what we do! Their simple smiles fire the sparks of 10,000 suns within our hearts — and, quietly, we say to ourselves, “Yes… let’s do that once more.” Followers are not the lifeblood of a leader. Goodness is. Positivity is. Love is. Giving to and…
-
Life-Long Learning
-
What All Humans Crave
26 Jan 2012 | 6:38 amIt sucks to be cold. It sucks to be hungry. It sucks being lonely. It sucks to be sick. A lot of harsh realities suck. But you know what sucks more than anything else? Feeling like you’re a lesser human or even worse, like you’re not one at all. I’ve come to realize over the past year nothing makes people feel better than making them feel special or appreciated; more or less, giving them dignity. At the same time, nothing makes people feel worse than depriving them the dignity that all human beings deserve. Yet everyday we walk by those in need. They ask for help and we pretend not to… -
Do More than Be A Great Employee
24 Jan 2012 | 7:47 amMost young people working at a startup have aspirations of starting their own company some day. If you’re in this camp, I think its important to aspire to more than just being an excellent employee. Your tenure working for someone else is an awesome time to also familiarize yourself with the unique challenges of starting and executing on something. Gaining insight into what it’s actually like will better prepare you for the day you ultimately go out on your own. As an employee you often have the luxury of: Structure: your work starts and ends at a certain time at a… -
BD 101: Less Obvious Ways to Find A Decision Maker
19 Jan 2012 | 8:38 amPro-active business development is about finding decision makers and making it happen when you do. LinkedIn is a pretty powerful tool for finding a decision maker, but sometimes it’s not enough. Let me illustrate an example of what I’m alluding to from my subscription commerce days.As a budding sub-com warlord, I wanted to reach the person in charge of allocating sampling budgets for a large brand. My guess was that I needed to talk to someone in the marketing department, but there would be 13 marketing coordinators on LinkedIn. Of course none of them mentioned anything about sampling… -
The Biggest Networking Fail
17 Jan 2012 | 7:58 amIf there is one networking virtue I wish I knew earlier in my career it’d be consistency. Tell me if this story sounds familiar:I go to the Crunchtech Explosion Conference. I meet the contact of my dreams and we end up having an awesome conversation. After exchanging information I send a thoughtful follow-up email. I get a response. I’m so in! Time passes and I thrust myself back into my normal routine. Months later I realize that the company I’d like to do a partnership with is extremely close to the dream contact I met that day. I want to email him for an introduction request, but it… -
Rethinking Nights and Weekends Projects
9 Jan 2012 | 7:53 amI talk to a lot of people who have “nights and weekends” projects. Sometimes these are things they’re working on for fun. Other times these are products that people think they’d like to form a company around some day. People in the latter camp often say they’d leave their day job if their nights and weekends project was further along. But they can’t leave the day job they’re not too content with until they reached a certain milestone. If I found myself in this situation, I’d have a mornings and weekends project. Here’s why: …
-
ZEN INSPIRATION
-
Thoughts of change
28 Jan 2012 | 4:05 am- Go on that trip. Don't postpone it. - Say those words. Don't let the moment pass. - Do what you have to, even at society's scorn. - Write poetry. - Love deeply. - Walk... This story, was originally published at Zen Inspiration . -
101 Simple Truths We Often Forget
25 Jan 2012 | 11:37 amSometimes we find ourselves running in place, struggling to get ahead simply because we forget to address some of the simple truths that govern our potential to make progress. So here’s a quick... This story, was originally published at Zen Inspiration . -
35 Fast Tips To Make This Your Best Year Yet
17 Jan 2012 | 12:14 pmI'm sitting on an airplane thinking about what the best performers and most successful people do to continually outperform everyone around them. As we enter what I hope will be the single best... This story, was originally published at Zen Inspiration . -
Pursuit of Happiness Quote !
16 Jan 2012 | 4:51 amYou want something. Go get it. Period. The Pursuit of Happyness provides a great quote and solid advice. Do you have a favorite quote from The Pursuit of Happyness? This story, was originally published at Zen Inspiration . -
Become Legendary
9 Jan 2012 | 12:06 pmA quote from “Become Legendary” speech by Michael Jordan by bramvanhaeren . This story, was originally published at Zen Inspiration .
-
Sonia Rumzi » Baba Rumcake
-
Allowing Dog to Piddle In Tennis Courts
22 Jan 2012 | 1:19 pmDear Baba Rumcake, I was admonished by a man in the tennis courts because my wonderful and very old dog Ruff peed on the net. I apologized for my dog’s mishap but he kept shouting at me. He even suggested I should come back with a towel to clean under the net. I was very upset with the encounter. I felt harassed and worried for my safety. I quickly exited the chain link fence and headed out. How should I have dealt with this? How should I deal with it next time? Concerned in Oahu Dear Concerned, I’m even calling you dear much to my consternation and dismay. You walked your dog,… -
Library Guard Told Me To Be Quiet
7 Jan 2012 | 2:00 amDear Baba Rumcake I was in the library with my son who is mentally challenged. We were doing homework and the woman in the next table kept giving me dirty looks. To top it off, the guard came and told me to keep it down since other people were working. I felt offended. Do you think they should be allowed to shush me? My son has a right to do his homework. What do you think? Irate Dear Irate….ummmm Looking for Sympathy What the hell is wrong with you! Are you stupid or is this just a joke? If your son can do homework, it is very probable he can follow directions. In which case you can… -
Glaring At My Husband
2 Jan 2012 | 12:54 pmDear Baba Rumcake, Don’t you love it when people give you dirty looks because, you are, there? My husband, who is very sweet and very kind, to everyone I might add, happened to be standing, waiting to take his seat. This woman, stood before his chair, not paying attention to him at all and she was upset, when she noticed. He did not hassle her. Nor ask her to move, nothing. She walked out after snatching her coffee giving him looks that would kill. What gives? Annoyed Dear Annoyed, Egocentricity, that is the quintessential problem that permeates the whole country. You ran into a woman… -
Do Not Need My Husband
27 Jun 2011 | 4:49 amDear Baba Rumcake, I remember when I was with my first bf (together for 8 years), I was so in love and I was never tired of seeing him. We dated from high school to college. So we were young and we didn’t have much going on in our lives except school. Now I am married (4 years) with a child. I can’t tell if I am still in love with my husband. Most of the time, I feel like I don’t need him. I am perfectly fine with my child. I wonder if it’s because now I have a career, and a child, and being in a love relationship is no longer a priority to me? Needing Sparks Dear… -
Is Sweating While Vacuuming Exercise?
20 Jun 2011 | 3:26 amDear Baba Rumcake, I sweat like a pig if I’m working for 1-2 hours vaccuming, mopping,cleaning, etc. Is it just as good as like 30 min. of cardio? (i.e., for weight loss and fitness) Confused and Excited Dear Confused, Don’t be excited! The long and short of it is, if you sweat from this low impact work, you are out of shape. No amount of dusting and vacuuming will help you lose the chunk. You need to get real exercise instead of finding excuses to remain fat and unhealthy. If this is a joke, great! If this is for real, you need some serious help. Time to get on a treadmill or go…
-
Praxis
-
Three Cheers for You
26 Jan 2012 | 6:35 amFace it, life can get pretty serious. Our to-do lists haunt us as we try to fall asleep at night, the perfect outfit for tomorrow can always be found crumpled up at the bottom of the laundry pile and the grass on the other side of the fence is perpetually greener, thinner and much more effortlessly energetic! It can be very easy to spin down the “feeling unmotivated” rabbit hole in the face of it all. As sappy as it sounds, when I am feeling a bit bogged down by life, nothing cures me faster than spending some time with my niece and nephew. They are at the magical ages (3 and 7) when… -
How to Organize a Small Event
25 Jan 2012 | 8:37 amBy no means do you consider yourself an “event planner”. Yet, the day arrives when you receive a phone call from your best girlfriend, and she sweetly asks you to wear the title of “Maid of Honor” at her wedding in six months. You now have the unique opportunity to create precious memories for the bride, as you embody the task of “Bridal Shower Planner”. A very clear reality lurks in your head, however, reminding you that you have yet to organize an event such as this…what’s a girl (or guy) to do? When planning small events, it is important to start with the basics, and ask… -
Keep Those Pencils Sharpened!
24 Jan 2012 | 7:32 amOk folks, this is why I love being a part of Praxis. Just this afternoon, Josh Schulteis (my Praxis manager and all-around incredible co-worker) met me in my apartment to work through some design plans. Josh walked into my small work area (I mean really small) and his eyes went directly to a small shelf above my desk. This small wooden shelf houses several mason and jam jars brimming with perfectly sharpened pencils of every shape, color and size. He looked at me straight in the eyes and said: “Literally?” Makes you want to get to work, no? I didn’t anticipate that my workspace… -
Penny (not so) Wise
23 Jan 2012 | 7:27 amOn a particularly chilly morning last week one of our LMPs arrived at Argo Tea (I am not categorically against decaf beverages) for our meeting particularly distressed. He had just discovered that, somehow, against all odds, his Gmail inbox was NINETY SEVEN percent full. Now, I know you don’t believe me, I didn’t believe him either. How in the world could he have even come close to filling the seemingly infinite free capacity of a bazillion-million-jillion-giga-mega-bytes-watts that Gmail so generously provides?!?!? I quickly learned he had managed this incredible feat through his… -
Taking Stock: The Importance of Time-Efficiency in the Freelance World
20 Jan 2012 | 8:29 amI work as a freelance dancer, teacher and choreographer in New York City. Happily, I’m fairly busy these days, but the fact that I work in three different areas of my chosen field means marketing myself in three different ways, juggling three sets of schedules, and sharpening three skill sets that, though connected, are inherently different from one another. By doing so, I’ve learned the value of efficiency when it comes to time-management. As the saying goes, “time is money.” With today’s job market in the dumps, I suppose this rings true to a degree. Freelance workers, however,…
