Critical Thinking in Everyday Life: 9 Strategies Most of us are not what we could be. We are less. We have great capacity. But most of it is dormant; most is undeveloped. Improvement in thinking is like improvement in basketball, in ballet, or in playing the saxophone. It is unlikely to take place in the absence of a conscious commitment to learn. Development in thinking requires a gradual process requiring plateaus of learning and just plain hard work. How, then, can we develop as critical thinkers? First, we must understand that there are stages required for development as a critical thinker: We develop through these stages if we: In this article, we will explain 9 strategies that any motivated person can use to develop as a thinker. There is nothing magical about our ideas. First Strategy: Use “Wasted” Time. The key is that the time is “gone” even though, if we had thought about it and considered our options, we would never have deliberately spent our time in the way we did. When did I do my worst thinking today? Go to top
The Science of Meditation Over the past few hundred years the power of organized religion has steeply declined in the west. State & church and science & religion are separated and free inquiry is now more encouraged than ever. The loss of God as the absolute reference point has given room for humanity to take the ropes of responsibility and freedom into their own hands. However, while it has opened our minds, it has closed our hearts. I believe this is a necessary phase that humanity must go through like a caterpillar must evolve via its cocoon. This is exactly why we need to develop a contemplative science, one that closely observes and investigates the area of first person subjective experience. The end of self-referencing Norman A.S. However, the study found out that meditators who had completed the eight week course could dissociate these two modes of self-reference. Immune system Focus Depression Wiveka Ramel et al. did a study on individuals with a life time of mood disorders. Brain waves A few other studies
25 Psychological Life Hacks that Will Help You Gain the Advantage in Social Situations Social situations are among the most important in our lives. Yet, there is a huge chance that you are oblivious to the plethora of unwritten social rules that structure everybody’s behaviour. Failing to comply to these cultural imprints can cause irreversible damage. Just following them blindly will not get you ahead. Hacking them, however, will give you the best results possible. Therefore we bring to you these – 25 psychological life hacks that will help you gain the advantage in social situations 1) Assume comfort in any interaction. Our brain is an incredibly complicated instrument. In most of our social interactions, we find it difficult to feel comfortable among strangers because our brain tries to protect us from exposure. This however isn’t helping us when trying to be social and meet new people, is it? This is why assuming comfort is so powerful. 2) Pay attention to people’s feet when you are approaching them. If they turn both torso and feet, it means you are welcome. Admit it.
60 Small Ways to Improve Your Life in the Next 100 Days Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to make drastic changes in order to notice an improvement in the quality of your life. At the same time, you don’t need to wait a long time in order to see the measurable results that come from taking positive action. All you have to do is take small steps, and take them consistently, for a period of 100 days. Below you’ll find 60 small ways to improve all areas of your life in the next 100 days. Home 1. Day 1: Declutter MagazinesDay 2: Declutter DVD’sDay 3: Declutter booksDay 4: Declutter kitchen appliances 2. If you take it out, put it back.If you open it, close it.If you throw it down, pick it up.If you take it off, hang it up. 3. A burnt light bulb that needs to be changed.A button that’s missing on your favorite shirt.The fact that every time you open your top kitchen cabinet all of the plastic food containers fall out. Happiness 4. 5. 6. How many times do you beat yourself up during the day? 7. Learning/Personal Development 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
Awesome Variations on Meditation Meditation is simply the training of the mind. It has been used, primarily for spiritual practices, for thousands of years. The effects are numerous. Since everything you’ve ever experienced and know is in your awareness, the end goal is understanding That which is Aware. “Give up defining yourself. Once you’ve explored this concept long enough you slowly get a sense of what he is hinting at. “The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror. This is why staying in the Now is such a powerful practice. Here are the awesome variations on meditation, amongst which you will certainly find at least one that agrees with you. Darkness Meditation – Intermediate – Min. 1 day I don’t think anyone will actually go ahead and do this one (yes, that is a challenge!) You should have a space where there is complete darkness. Dancing Meditation – Beginner – Min. 1 minute This is something everyone can do. Breathing Meditation – Beginner – Min. 1 minute Long deep breathing is fairly simple.
30 Challenges for 30 Days Did you know that it takes 30 days to form a new habit? The first few days are similar as to how you would imagine the birth of a new river. Full of enthusiasm it gushes forth, only to be met by strong obstacles. The path is not clear yet, and your surroundings don’t agree. Old habits urge you to stay the same. But you need to stay determined. So, take a moment to reflect on the question ‘Who do I want to be in 5 years?’ Check out this short TED talk first to get inspired: Now pick one or more challenges and stick with them! However, be cautioned, picking too many challenges at the same time can easily result in a failure of all of them. #1 Write a I-Like-This-About-You note/text/email each day for someone (Easy) This is the perfect way to let someone else know you care. #2 Talk to one stranger each day (Hard) This is a great one to cure approaching anxiety. #3 Take one picture each day (Hard) #4 Re-evaluate one long-held belief each day (Intermediate) Do you love yourself? We recommend:
Get anyone to like you Get anyone to like you - Instantly - Guaranteed If you want people to like you, make them feel good about themselves. This golden rule of friendship works every time - guaranteed! The principle is straightforward. If I meet you and make you feel good about yourself, you will like me and seek every opportunity to see me again to reconstitute the same good feeling you felt the first time we met. The simple communication techniques that follow will help you keep the focus of the conversation on the person you are talking to and make them feel good about themselves. The Big Three Our brains continually scan the environment for friend or foe signals. Eyebrow Flash The eyebrow flash is a quick up and down movement of the eyebrows. Head Tilt The head tilt is a slight tilt of the head to one side or the other. Smile A smile sends the message "I like you." Empathic Statements Empathic statements keep the focus on the other person. Example 1 George : I've been really busy this week. Example 2 Flattery
The Art of Meditation / Stop Being a Zombie! A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusion – Alan Watts Tweet This Have you ever driven your car or bicycle and suddenly you wake up somewhere down the road and can’t remember how you got there? What happened in those few minutes? And so did I when I first started meditating. So before I continue I’d like everyone to experience this to understand what I’m talking about. Did you do the two minutes? There’s a lot been written on meditation, and to be honest, I ain’t got anything new or groundbreaking stuff to tell. What is Meditation? Meditation is the act of training the mind. Why Meditate? The Buddha said: don’t blindly believe what others say, see for yourself what brings serenity, clarity of thought and inner peace. I myself find it really hard to explain what meditation has done to me. How to Meditate? Shamatha is the meditation of one pointed concentration. Picture by eldave
I Decluttered My Closet With The KonMari Method And Here's What Happened | Chanel Parks My name is Chanel and I collect a lot of shit. From clothing to papers to the weird knick-knacks I've won at bar trivia nights, my room is covered in so many items, one might wonder how I live there. Even though I clean at least once a week, my room is rarely as neat as it could be. Once you accumulate so many things over the course of so many years, it's hard to find a place for everything. No it won't. If you're not familiar with the title, it's basically the book of January 2015, or what I like to call the monthlong period when everybody tries to fulfill their "be more organized" resolutions. Kondo's philosophy emphasizes the mental attachment we have to our possessions and her approach is quite simple: declutter first, then store. Once clients have completed decluttering their homes, Kondo's "KonMari" method requires that clients find a specific place for EVERYTHING that's left. Here's what "everything" looked like for me before I took the plunge: Look at that sea of clothes. Swoon.
7 Morning Hacks to Jumpstart Your Day I’ll be the first to admit that I’m really not a morning person. I’ve tried to get myself going in the early hours of the morning, but I’ve always been more of a night owl – my creative juices seem to flow better in the later hours. So I’d be the last person to suggest that you need to force yourself out of bed before your body and mind are really ready to do so. But when you do get up, you may find that you’re pressed for time and have fallen behind the rest of the crowd in what you need to get done during the day. A slow start to your day won’t help anyone, let alone you. Just because you’re not up as the sun rises doesn’t mean that you can’t put yourself in a position to make sure that the day ahead will be a productive one. On that note, here are 10 “morning hacks” to jumpstart your day: 1. Rather than make your way to the kitchen for that cup of coffee, head to the bathroom and splash some cold water on your face. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. What tips do you use to jumpstart your day?