The Five Words That Changed My Life “Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things.” – Vernor Vinge I thought that it was never going to end. Wake up. Brush my teeth. Drive to work. Sit at my desk for eight hours. The truth is, at that point in my life, nothing brought me joy any more. Having a small child left me with virtually no time for myself, and so no hope for recovery from the torture of my mind-numbing job. As days turned to months, and months into years, I was starting to give up hope. There was only one little problem—my miserable state affected those around me. She tried to help me as best she could, encouraging me to switch jobs and return to school, neither of which had a lasting effect. The Wake Up Call Then, one night, in a final, desperate attempt to help me, my wife looked me in the eyes with an intensity that I’ve never seen before, and said five simple words: “You have to fix this.” When I did not respond, she quietly walked away, leaving me to my thoughts. “I’ve got to do something?” 1. 2. 3.
30 Books I’m Glad I Read Before 30 - StumbleUpon In various ways, these 30 books convey some of the philosophy of how Angel and I live our lives. I honestly credit a fraction of who I am today to each title. Thus, they have indirectly influenced much of what I write about on this site. If you haven’t read these books yet, I highly recommend doing so. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert – Gilbert, a Harvard professor of psychology has studied happiness for decades, and he shares scientific findings that just might change the way you look at the world. What are your favorite books? Photo by: Katie Harris
77 Ways to Learn Faster, Deeper, and Better If someone granted you one wish, what do you imagine you would want out of life that you haven’t gotten yet? For many people, it would be self-improvement and knowledge. Newcounter knowledge is the backbone of society’s progress. Great thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and others’ quests for knowledge have led society to many of the marvels we enjoy today. Your quest for knowledge doesn’t have to be as Earth-changing as Einstein’s, but it can be an important part of your life, leading to a new job, better pay, a new hobby, or simply knowledge for knowledge’s sake — whatever is important to you as an end goal. Life-changing knowledge does typically require advanced learning techniques. Health Shake a leg. Balance Sleep on it. Perspective and Focus Change your focus, part 2. Recall Techniques Listen to music. Visual Aids Every picture tells a story. Verbal and Auditory Techniques Stimulate ideas. Kinesthetic Techniques Write, don’t type.
Japanese language Japanese (日本語, Nihongo?, [nihõŋɡo], [nihõŋŋo] ( )) is an East Asian language spoken by about 125 million speakers, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the Japonic (or Japanese-Ryukyuan) language family, whose relation to other language groups, particularly to Korean and the suggested Altaic language family, is debated. Little is known of the language's prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan. History[edit] Prehistory[edit] A common ancestor of Japanese and Ryukyuan languages or dialects is thought[by whom?] Old Japanese[edit] Old Japanese is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language. Due to these extra syllables, it has been hypothesized that Old Japanese's vowel system was larger than that of Modern Japanese – it perhaps contained up to eight vowels. Old Japanese does not have /h/, but rather /ɸ/ (preserved in modern fu, /ɸɯ/), which has been reconstructed to an earlier */p/. Early Middle Japanese[edit] Late Middle Japanese[edit]
7 Lessons From 7 Great Minds Have you ever wished you could go back in time and have a conversation with one of the greatest minds in history? Well, you can’t sorry, they’re dead. Unless of course you’re clairaudient, be my guest. But for the rest of us, we can still refer to the words they left behind. Even though these great teachers have passed on, their words still live, and in them their wisdom. 1. “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” - Lawrence J. In order for us to achieve our dreams, we must have a vision of our goals. Action: Visualize a life of your wildest dreams. 2. “It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, “Always do what you are afraid to do.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson The best way to learn something is to dive right in to it. Action: You must define your fears in order to conquer them. 3. “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. Our thoughts determine our reality. Action: Create a list of your intentions and desires. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Life's Instructions » Concepts, Ideas, Thoughts & Bullsh!t Thom Byxbe is Publisher and Editor of Concepts, Ideas, Thoughts & Bullsh!t He is based in Southwest Detroit, MI, and is a Knowledge Evangelist, Futurist, National Speaker, Author, Entrepreneur, Coach and Expert Blogger. Thom has been a respected author for over 15 years. He has written extensively on the Internet, Technology and Lifestyle topics. Concepts, Ideas, Thoughts & Bullsh!t is one of 4 current Blog projects he writes and manages. If you have suggestions, comments or would like to submit recommendations for articles to appear in Concepts, Ideas, Thoughts & Bullsh!
Mind Modifications What is a Ganzfeld effect? The Ganzfeld (German for “complete/full field”) effect happens when the sensory system is steadily overloaded with a uniform signal. For example, a uniform, steady and all-encompassing soft light to the eyes will cause a “loss of vision”. This happens because, essentially, there is no change in the signal going to the brain, so the brain stops processing the signal. The Ganzfeld is interesting because it is a simple, yet effective tool which provides a mild form of sensory deprivation. Mild sensory deprivation through the Ganzfeld effect gives mild effects. Anyway, to enhance the effect, the basic idea is to extend the Ganzfeld idea to other senses than vision. While trying out the Ganzfeld with a big blank wall in a darkened room, for a short period of time I saw myself in a snowy parking lot. Experimenting with the Ganzfeld Effect A simple “Ganzfeld device” is easy to build; first, cut a uniform colour ping-pong ball in two. Uses of Ganzfeld
Linguistics In the early 20th century Ferdinand de Saussure distinguished between the notions of langue and parole in his formulation of structural linguistics. According to him, parole is the specific utterance of speech, whereas langue refers to an abstract phenomenon that theoretically defines the principles and system of rules that govern a language.[9] This distinction resembles the one made by Noam Chomsky between competence and performance, where competence is individual's ideal knowledge of a language, while performance is the specific way in which it is used.[10] In classical Indian philosophy of language, the Sanskrit philosophers like Patanjali and Katyayana had distinguished between sphota (light) and dhvani (sound). In the late 20th century, French philosopher Jacques Derrida distinguished between the notions of speech and writing.[11] Nomenclature[edit] Variation and Universality[edit] Lexicon[edit] The lexicon is a catalogue of words and terms that are stored in a speaker's mind.
50 Lessons I wish I had learned earlier | Family on Bikes Welcome to our blog! Here you'll find bits and pieces of wisdom learned from cycling 17,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina together as a family. Hope it inspires you to live your dream! My book about our journey, Changing Gears, is now released! Read a preview here Now that I’m old and gray (but not quite in my rocker yet!) You’re stronger than you think you are.Mistakes teach you important lessons. What lies before us and behind us are tiny matters when compared to what lies within us.Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.It’s not about getting a chance, it’s about taking a chance.If it were easy everyone would do it.Be vulnerable.A problem is a chance for you to learn.Regardless of the situation, life goes on. If you enjoyed these inspirational quotes and feel they would be beneficial for others, we would appreciate it if you would take a moment to share it with your friends via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or email. Interested in our journey?
28 of the best pieces of advice about life you'll ever read Have the courage to live a life true to yourself, not the life others expect of you. Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” Ernest Hemingway Don’t make decisions when you’re angry. Don’t make promises when you’re happy. “Never argue with a stupid person, they’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.” Only pack what you can carry yourself. Remember you’ll always regret what you didn’t do rather than what you did. “You’d worry less about what people think about you if you knew how seldom they do.” If you blame it on someone else, don’t expect it to get better. “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, but there will always be someone who hates peaches.” If the grass is greener on the other side, there’s probably more manure there. Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now. Be persistent.
50 Life Secrets and Tips Memorize something everyday.Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment. Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions do end up owning you, not the other way around. Become a person of minimal needs and you will be much more content.Develop an endless curiosity about this world.Become an explorer and view the world as your jungle. Read “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.This book will give you the knowledge and instruction to be happy at all times regardless of the circumstances.
Netflix - Watch TV Shows Online, Watch Movies Online 6 Ways Successful People Stand Out Bosses spend the vast majority of their time helping other people succeed: employees, customers, vendors and suppliers... the list goes on and on. Helping other people succeed is your job, but it's also your job to focus on yourself, at least part of the time. Why? Your success creates success for others--and success requires, at least in part, standing out from the crowd and being known for something. Of course there are different ways you can stand out. Okay, maybe not. There are better ways: Be first, with a purpose. Lots of business owners are the first to arrive each day. Instead of taking care of your stuff, do something visibly worthwhile for the company. Don't just be the one who turns on the lights--be the one who gets in early and gets things done. Be known for something specific. Meeting standards, however lofty those standards may be, won't help you stand out. Go above the norm. Pick a worthwhile mission and excel at that mission. Create your own side project. Not many.
28 Dignified Ways to Impress Everyone Around You - StumbleUpon post written by: Marc Chernoff Email Far more often than any of us like to admit, our actions are driven by an inner desire to impress other people. This desire is often reflected in the brand name products we use, the bars and restaurants we frequent, the houses and cars we buy and the careers we choose. But are name brand products, fancy bars, houses and cars really that impressive? What about a person who holds an elite position in a career field they dislike? Why? Consider the following questions: He drives a Porsche, but can he truly afford the car payment? You get the idea. Now take a moment and imagine a person who loves what he does for a living, smiles frequently and bleeds passion in every breath he takes. Here are 28 dignified ways to impress everyone around you. We make a living by what we get. Be authentic. Of course, the coolest thing about this list is that everything you need to impress everyone around you is already contained within you. Photo by: Khalid