How to think positive
WHEN A PERSON THINKS a negative thought and tries to get rid of it, that person is thinking positively negatively. Daniel M. Wegner of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, has conducted a long string of experiments that show the futility and actual danger of trying to get rid of thoughts. In some of the experiments, Wegner told his subjects, “Try not to think about a white bear.” Trying not to think a negative thought will result in thinking it more. Thinking is like breathing: It goes on night and day and you can’t stop it. The same is true about thinking. So when you find yourself disliking the content of your thoughts, instead of trying to stop yourself from thinking a thought, try to direct your thoughts. And the way to direct your thinking is by asking yourself a question. Of course, the kind of question you ask makes a big difference. The idea is to direct your mind by asking questions that put your attention on practical things, on accomplishment, on the future.
How to become an early riser
By Leo Babauta I’ve found that waking early has been one of the best things I’ve done as I’ve changed my life recently, and I thought I’d share my tips. I just posted about my morning routine, and thought you might like to know how I get up at 4:30 a.m. For many years, I was a late riser. I loved to sleep in. Then things changed, because I had to wake up between 6-6:30 a.m. to fix my kids’ lunches and get them ready for school. So, I set out to make waking up early a habit. Here are my tips for becoming an early riser: Don’t make drastic changes.
breathe. | zen habits
How To Train Yourself To Be In The Mood You Want
Dec 27, 2010 When you have major changes going on in your life, or you’re just frustrated about where you are, it’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of depression, bad moods and frustration. I know, I’ve been there … and when I’m not careful, I still get there more than I want to. But when I’ve had a particularly hard time, I hit these moments where I’m in a foul mood, or I’m just feeling paralyzed, and I’m just stuck. Sometimes I just stew in that and stay there, but sometimes I actually get intelligent and pull my way out of it. I’m going to outline the framework that I’ve been using successfully to really get myself resourceful and motivated (and in a better mood) when I’m feeling stuck. First Up: Using A Framework to Escape From Paralyzing Emotions When we feel bad, it’s hard to “feel good” again. The reason for this is that steps take the emotion out of our situation and give us direction to simply act. A: AGREE With Yourself That You Don’t Want To Be In This Mood Right Now. Dave
The Gentle Art of Saying No
It’s a simple fact that you can never be productive if you take on too many commitments — you simply spread yourself too thin and will not be able to get anything done, at least not well or on time. But requests for your time are coming in all the time — through phone, email, IM or in person. To stay productive, and minimize stress, you have to learn the Gentle Art of Saying No — an art that many people have problems with. What’s so hard about saying no? Well, to start with, it can hurt, anger or disappoint the person you’re saying “no” to, and that’s not usually a fun task. Second, if you hope to work with that person in the future, you’ll want to continue to have a good relationship with that person, and saying “no” in the wrong way can jeopardize that. But it doesn’t have to be difficult or hard on your relationship. Value your time. What are your ways of saying “no”?
The 100 Healthiest Foods
In the fast-paced world of nutrition research, it seems like a hot discovery hits the news every week. So we asked prominent scientists doing groundbreaking work on how edibles stave off illness to pin down the 100 most nutrient-packed foods. To make our list, a food had to be very rich in at least one vitamin, mineral or other compound known to protect against cancer, heart disease or other diseases. Be supermarket smart and use this list as your shopping list. you body will be glad you did! ANTHOCYANINS: Plant pigments that help protect you from heart disease. ANTIOXIDANT: A substance that prevents harmful molecules called free radicals from damaging DNA. by Janis Jibrin, R.D.
How to hack the beliefs that are holding you back
We all have beliefs that are holding us back. Sometimes we're aware of them, sometimes not. One entrepreneur I know, who shall remain nameless, admitted (after quite a lot of wine) that he has a block around sending invoices. He was perhaps exaggerating when he said that before he could send an invoice he had to down a bottle of wine and get drunk so he could hit the send button, but even so, it was clear that he had a serious block around asking people to pay him. As an entrepreneur, that's obviously a deadly flaw. Myself, I have - or used to have - similar blocks. Another would-be entrepreneur I spoke to recently was afraid to quit his job. Now, perhaps the beliefs holding you back are of a different nature, but even if the "money thing" or the "quitting thing" don't apply to you, don't disregard this article. So, if you're aware of such a belief and want to "fix" it, what can you do to hack your brain? 1. Three things will happen from this. This is an extremely effective method. 2. 3.
7 stupid thinking errors you probably make
The brain isn’t a flawless piece of machinery. Although it is powerful and comes in an easy to carry container, it has it’s weaknesses. A field in psychology which studies these errors, known as biases. Although you can’t upgrade your mental hardware, noticing these biases can clue you into possible mistakes.How Bias Hurts You If you were in a canoe, you’d probably want to know about any holes in the boat before you start paddling. Simply noticing these holes isn’t enough; a canoe will fill with water whether you are aware of a hole or not. Biases hurt you in a number of areas: Decision making. Here are some common thinking errors:1) Confirmation Bias The confirmation bias is a tendency to seek information to prove, rather than disprove our theories. Consider a study conducted by Peter Cathcart Wason. From this starting point, most participants picked specific rules such as “goes up by 2“ or “1x, 2x, 3x.” This is the tendency to see patterns where none actually exist.
